Leveling Up Alone

[Astaroth]

‘This demon is…’ Han-Yeol muttered inwardly. He was suddenly interested in this demon named Astaroth, so he immediately searched online for any information regarding it.

[Astaroth]

[The 29th ranking demon among the 72 demons of Solomon. This demon is unique among the 72 demons since its powers come from Ishtar, the original goddess of love, abundance, and fertility. Ishtar turned from a goddess into a demon upon being cursed by Solomon.

Ishtar became the fallen demon of war, poison, miscarriage, and debauchery. She was known to seduce humans into becoming lazy and complacent before gleefully watching them have a taste of hell in endless regret.]

From the description alone, Han-Yeol could tell that this was an ill-tempered demon. However, that did not really matter to him. He thought, ‘Isn’t it stupid to expect a demon to have a good personality in the first place?’

That was right, the creature that Han-Yeol was trying to summon was not an imbecile but rather a powerful demon. It was going to be ironic if the powerful demon that emerged had a good personality.

‘Alright, I will summon this guy… Astaroth,’ Han-Yeol thought. He was not trying to summon Astaroth, hoping that the demon would emerge looking like the goddess or anything…

Han-Yeol made a decision and printed its sigil. Then, he drove his van as fast as he could toward Ant Hell, since that was the most comfortable hunting ground for him.

“Kireuk!” The Giant Ants cried and instinctively rushed toward Han-Yeol as soon as they saw him.

Pukeok!

However, they were no match for Han-Yeol, who was now Level 60. He made easy work of twenty Giant Ants and piled their corpses on top of each other. Then, he cut the tip of his finger and drew the sigil on the ground before he closed his eyes and chanted, “Lord Satan… Astaroth… to manifest… This I respectfully… Lord Satan, may you deem me worthy, Father!”

Fwaaa….!

A cloud of black smoke rose up from the sigil after the chant was complete. The cloud of black smoke became so thick that Han-Yeol felt like he had been transported to another dimension. The cloud of black smoke was no ordinary cloud, since it carried the distinctive mana similar to that of a demon.

“Kuheok!” Han-Yeol groaned when the mana from his heart was sucked out. He felt like someone was squeezing it till the last drop. He felt a pain so immense that it was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

Thud…!

Han-Yeol fell to his knees while shivering. Then, noticing that something had appeared from Astaroth’s sigil, he asked, “A-Are you Astaroth?”

A creature with a pair of white horns that resembled hooks, long and light indigo blue hair, sharp pointy ears, light blue eyes, and large dark green wings with orange-colored tips that resembled that of a bird’s wings on her back appeared from the sigil.

Upon appearing from the sigil, the woman looked around her surroundings with her eerie snakelike eyes.

[Omo! A human really summoned me!] Astaroth said with a hint of innocence in her voice.

However, Han-Yeol did not let his guard down. He was well aware that Astaroth was not simply a normal summoned creature. In fact, she was one of the seventy-two demons of Solomon, which were a group of high-ranking demons.

Flap!

Astaroth slightly spread her wings open.

Han-Yeol was certain that these were the wings of a demon, but they exuded a holy feeling for some odd reason.

Astaroth looked around her surroundings once again before she looked at Han-Yeol, who held his breath when she looked over. He froze. ‘Heup!’

[Hmm… You seem a bit weak to summon me, but you possess an interesting power.] Astaroth said. She slowly approached Han-Yeol while hovering in mid-air. Then, she flew around him while observing him.

Astaroth’s appearance was breathtaking. She was supposedly the equivalent to the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite while some said that Astaroth was the goddess Aphrodite had modeled after, and that was why it made sense that she would not be lacking in terms of her looks.

Han-Yeol’s heart beat four times faster than it usually did because of the pressure the demon was mounting on him on top of her looks, which was already more than enough to charm any man.

[Interesting… Hey, you, the human that summoned me.] Astaroth said.

“Y-Yes,” Han-Yeol nervously stuttered in response.

[I’m sure that you have a request or a wish you want me to grant since you summoned me, right?] Astaroth asked.

“Y-Yes, that is correct,” Han-Yeol replied. He could not understand why he had a hard time communicating and understanding the Shadow Demon, but he could hear Astaroth’s voice so clearly in his head.

[A greenhorn, just as I expected. How dare you compare a lowly creature like that to a beautiful and wonderful goddess like me.] Astaroth said.

“I-I am sorry!” Han-Yeol immediately apologized the moment he heard Astaroth’s chilling voice. He was certainly going to end up dead if he summoned a high ranking demon like Astaroth and offended her. He had read of cases where the summoned demon had ended up killing its summoner and harvesting their souls before returning back to hell just because the summoner had offended them.

[Hehe, there’s no need to be so nervous. I’m not going to kill you when you are the first human in 20,000 years who has summoned me to the mortal world. Do you know how stuffy it is living for so long in the demon world?] Astaroth said with a smile.

“I-Is that so?” Han-Yeol replied nervously.

[So, what is the request or wish that you want me to grant for you?] Astaroth asked.

Han-Yeol looked straight into Astaroth’s eyes and said, “I want to become stronger.”

[What?] Astaroth asked in disbelief.

“I want to become much stronger than I am right now. Much, much stronger. I heard that Astaroth-nim is the goddess of war as well. I want you to teach me how I can become stronger,” Han-Yeol replied.

[Is that so?] Astaroth muttered.

Was it Han-Yeol’s imagination that the demon suddenly had an evil grin on her face?

[You, human,] Astaroth said.

“Yes,” Han-Yeol replied.

[Are you aware that I make people complacent and lazy after I’ve moved to my place of residence?] Astaroth asked. She was sealed in the depth of hell ever since Solomon had cursed her and had made her fall from grace as a goddess to a demon. However, she never mentioned to anyone that she had fallen and turned into a demon, and she always tried to maintain a graceful appearance and referred to her situation as her moving her place of residence to hide the fact that she was now a fallen demon.

“Yes, I am aware,” Han-Yeol replied.

[Why are you asking me for such a favor then?] Astaroth asked.

Flap!

Astaroth’s face suddenly appeared in front of Han-Yeol’s when she flapped her wings once.

Han-Yeol could not help but gulp when her beautiful and sensual face was inches away from his. Although he still felt nervous, he brazenly said again, “I-I want to become stronger. Please enter into a contract with me.”

[Hmmm… Kyahahahaha!] Astaroth burst out into laughter.

“?” Han-Yeol stared at the laughing demon with a dumbfounded expression, because the atmosphere had been so tense. He then muttered, “I have p-prepared my offering here… so please…”

Then, Astaroth suddenly stopped laughing.

[Are you trying to sign a contract with me with these insignificant creatures as an offering?] Astaroth asked in a chilling voice.

“I will try to prepare something else if there is something that you desire,” Han-Yeol replied.

[Hmm…] Astaroth pondered for a moment before she looked at Han-Yeol from head to toe.

Oh, another important thing to mention was the fact that Astaroth was also the guardian goddess of prostitutes.

[Alright! It’s a stretch to enter into a full-fledged contract with you since you are still weak, but I can at least grant your request.] Astaroth said.

“T-Thank you very much!” Han-Yeol exclaimed in response.

[Hehe, but you will have to grant my request as well. What do you say?] Astaroth said with a cheeky smile. Her request was an obvious one.

“Of course,” Han-Yeol replied as he steeled his resolve.

[What a good little boy.] Astaroth muttered. She moved her face closer to Han-Yeol’s before she cupped his face with her hands, and then she perked her lips and blew her breath into his mouth.

‘Keuk!’ Han-Yeol groaned when a prickly and agonizing sensation traveled throughout his body. It felt like every single cell in his body was getting pricked right now.

[What is this?] Astaroth said.

“Yes?” Han-Yeol asked in response.

[You do have the talent. However, you are nothing but an empty shell.] Astaroth replied.

“W-What do you mean?” Han-Yeol asked.

[You use a sword and a shield, plus a chain, as your main weapons, right?] Astaroth asked.

“Yes, that is correct,” Han-Yeol replied. He had managed to do quite well by using different kinds of weapons until now.

[But, can you confidently say that you are good at handling any of them? I mean, is there any one of those weapons that you can confidently handle without using your skills?] Astaroth asked.

“N-No… I have none…” Han-Yeol muttered in response.

Astaroth puffed up her cheeks at his response and said, [That’s why I’m calling you an empty shell. What’s the point of having a good ability if your body can’t even handle it?]

“T-Then what should I do?” Han-Yeol asked.

Astaroth sighed in resignation at Han-Yeol’s stupid question before she looked at him as if she was looking at an insect. She grumbled, [Are you stupid? Of course you have to learn. You have to learn swordsmanship, and you have to learn how to use a whip for the chain. Then, you have to learn how to use a shield from scratch. Learn, learn, learn, and learn. Are you losing anything by learning?]

“N-No, I am not,” Han-Yeol replied while being slightly taken aback. He was actually expecting Astaroth to grant him a new skill or teach him how to hunt more efficiently. However, the answer she had given was for him to go back to basics and start from scratch all over again.

Astaroth let out another sigh while looking at Han-Yeol’s stupefied expression. [Ha… This is why I find humans to be frustrating. You humans never seem to even try, always taking shortcuts. Well, figures… that’s your limitations as humans since your lifespan is so short.]

This was the main difference between the demons, who lived almost for an eternity, and the humans, who lived for a maximum of a hundred years.

Astaroth could understand that perspective, but she could not help but feel frustrated deep inside.

[It can’t be helped… hey, human.] Astaroth said.

“Y-Yes,” Han-Yeol nervously replied.

Astaroth spun her finger and a piece of paper appeared from thin air. Then, she started to write something on the piece of paper which turned out to be some sort of diagram. Once she was done, she showed it to Han-Yeol.

“That is…?” Han-Yeol muttered in confusion.

[Kajikar, one of Baal’s loyal servants, is an intermediate-ranked demon, but he is the best drill sergeant for every single weapon available. He trained most of the demon warriors so he might be able to help you with your sword, chain, and even shield if you manage to summon him.] Astaroth explained.

“Are you giving it to me…?” Han-Yeol asked in a slightly quavering voice. This was because he was going to be able to fix the problems she had pointed out if he could get his hands on that one piece of paper. He could not help but feel greedy, wanting that piece of paper.

[Hehe. Of course, it is yours… but not for free.] Astaroth slightly teased him.

“What should I do?” Han-Yeol asked.

Astaroth flashed an evil smile before she said, [I picked up a certain strange scent while coming here.]

“Strange scent?” Han-Yeol asked.

[Yes, that’s right. A nostalgic yet annoying smell… the scent of an angel.] Astaroth said.

“Angel?” Han-Yeol tilted his head in confusion. An angel was the exact opposite of the demons that he summoned, so he wondered why this demon was talking about an angel right now. He asked, “Who summoned them?”

[No no, it’s not as simple as that. I suspect that a creature that is actually an angel’s fragment is hiding among the things you call ‘monster’.] Astaroth replied.

“An angel’s fragment?” Han-Yeol muttered in confusion.

[That’s right. That is why you have to promise me one thing if you want to get your hands on this piece of paper. I want you to gather a hundred of the angel’s fragments and offer them up to me.] Astaroth said.

Astaroth’s request was quite surprising and perplexing. She was asking for an angel’s fragment that Han-Yeol had never seen nor even heard of before. Han-Yeol was not the type of person to agree to something that he was not familiar with, but he had far too much to lose by not agreeing to this deal.

Han-Yeol said with a straight face, “I will do it.”

[Hehe, then we have a contract!] Astaroth exclaimed before she flew over and planted a kiss on Han-Yeol’s forehead.

Smooch…!

‘Huh?’ Han-Yeol muttered inwardly in confusion.

Ding!

[You have received the blessings from the 29th ranking demon among the 72 demons of Solomon, Astaroth.]

[All abilities and stats of the demons you summon will increase by 30%.]

[This is my token of appreciation to you, since you agreed to do what I asked of you and have summoned me into the mortal world. I hope that you will treasure it until the day you become stronger and you are able to summon me once again.] Astaroth said while smiling seductively. This smile of hers was sure to charm any man alive.

“Yes… I will do it, Astaroth-nim,” Han-Yeol replied.

[Hehe, alright then. Byebye.] Astaroth said while waving goodbye before she returned to the demon world through the magic circle.

Fwaaaa…

The piece of paper Astaroth had held onto was left behind on top of the magic circle— it was the sigil of Kajikar.

‘What a shame…’ Han-Yeol muttered. He felt empty when the beautiful demon in front of him had suddenly disappeared. ‘So this is why they say that demons are dangerous…’