I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy

Chapter 153: The Demon (2)

Crimson light bathed the sky.

Below, raven-like creatures devoured corpses. The trees, mostly dried and twisted, seemed as though they would crumble upon touch. The ground was littered with skeletons and half-eaten bodies.

At this site, Han Seok-gyu, attempting the Tower of Demons for the first time, swallowed nervously.

The Tower of Demons truly lived up to its infamous reputation.

Such was the atmosphere from the fifth floor.

“Everyone, stay alert. The Tower of Demons is notorious. Losing focus for a moment could mean death, so be careful.”

““Yes!””

The Sung Hwa Guild, a medium-sized enterprise.

They had made hundreds of attempts at the Tower of Demons. It was notorious indeed. Yet, it was always crowded because of the tremendous financial rewards involved.

Just consuming the ‘Mountain Goat’s Horn’ could extend an ordinary person’s lifespan, brewing ‘Hell Burn’s Tail’ could grant tremendous vitality, and though rare, the ‘Celestial Feather’ from occasional fallen angels could cure any disease.

Each item was immensely valuable. Due to their worth, there were severe fluctuations in prices as companies, guilds, and individuals from around the world competed fiercely for them.

Only a few guilds in the world dared to challenge the Tower due to its difficulty.

That’s why Han Seok-gyu felt proud to be part of the guild and able to enter the Tower of Demons just two years after joining.

“Hel Burn packs incoming! Mages, create water attribute shields! Priests, cast fire resistance buffs!”

“O deity of flames.”

The priests chanted spells.

The mages deployed water attribute magic in front.

“Gwaaaaaaah!”

Two Hel Burns opened their mouths and hurled fireballs. The crimson flames, filled with tremendous magical power, arched towards the guild members.

Boom!

A tremendous explosion followed, creating steam. The water shields shattered in an instant.

“Ugh.”

A tank at the front lines groaned lowly. Despite being wrapped in fire resistance, the searing heat from the Hel Burns was overwhelming.

“Archers and mages, prepare to attack! All warriors, except for three, use the tanks as shields and engage the enemy!”

The commander spoke, and the guild members moved swiftly.

They were facing only two monsters, yet there were fifty guild members. Nonetheless, the battle was fierce. After 30 minutes of attacking, restraining, and exchanging blows, the Sung Hwa Guild managed to defeat the two Hel Burns.

The two Hel Burns turned to ash upon death, leaving behind purplish stones.

They weren’t the most valuable loot, but the magic crystals were still quite profitable. The commander collected two magic crystals.

“Wow. How can a monster be so powerful?”

“If it weren’t for the loot, I wouldn’t even come here. These monsters give us both magic crystals and bodies.”

“Well, thanks to them, we also endure hardships and grow stronger.”

The guild members grumbled, and the priests laughed heartily in response. Both priests and paladins belonged to the same sect, but unless it was urgent, they were part of the guild to accumulate hardships and wealth.

It was beneficial for the guild members as well when the priests accumulated sanctity through hardships. It increased their chances of survival.

“How curious.”

Han Seok-gyu watched a male and female priest leaning on each other’s shoulders, resting.

Typically, priests were expected to practice asceticism, but not those from their sect.

The gods of their sect highly valued the desire to ascend. They reduced negative desires and increased positive ones. As a result, they were quite liberal about accumulating wealth and even marriage.

“Alright, let’s get moving.”

The commander’s order unified the guild members into a disciplined movement.

The commander’s leadership was crucial, but it was also the realization that any moment of carelessness here could be deadly.

“Captain, there are enemies 500m ahead!”

“Enemies?”

The captain infused his eyes with mana.

His eyes were sensitive. Infusing them with mana requires either a natural talent or the mastery of a superior skill from a particular region.

The team captain, proud in his own right, spotted the enemy.

The man’s hair was unkempt like that of a wild man, so long it covered his entire face and reached down to his toes. He wore only pants, his slender body marked with numerous scars.

The captain tensed.

Behind the man were black wings made of feathers.

…It was a fallen angel.

But the atmosphere was ominous. Wrapped in an unseen black aura, the being watched them. Though his eyes were hidden by his hair, the captain could feel his gaze.

“What is that?”

“Its energy is fierce. It seems beyond our capability to handle.”

The captain gritted his teeth. For some reason, this being had noticed them. But this being was dangerous. Fighting it could mean death for at least half of the guild members.

‘How did we raise these kids?’

Converting the resources spent on raising them into cash, each was worth nearly one billion won.

That’s just in cash. Considering the time sacrificed as well, they needed to save as many as possible.

‘Is it possible?’

“What should we do?”

While the captain deliberated, the fallen angel approached slowly, as if ready to hunt at any moment.

The captain made a swift decision.

“Everyone, prepare for battle! Prioritize your safety this time! This opponent is extremely dangerous!”

“Yes, understood!”

Half of the guild members might die.

But if they scattered, even fewer might survive. Then, confronting the fallen angel was the right decision.

The fallen angel slowly approached them. In the meantime, the clerics prepared defensive spells and the mages readied powerful attacks.

100m.

Just as the guild was about to engage.

Boom!

The fallen angel leapt with all its might, its speed so fast that in a blink, the guild members lost sight of it. And the price was steep.

Boom!

The fallen angel swung a chain.

“Ha, such a thing, this body will block it…”

Boom!

A tremendous explosion ensued. The tank holding the shield was blown into the air, his face showing eyes rolled back and mouth agape as he flew.

‘Knocked out by a single hit…?’

The power was beyond imagination. The captain rushed forward, shouting.

“Disperse, everyone! This one isn’t for us to capture yet!”

He threw himself at the fallen angel while saying this. Despite appearances, he was one of the promising ones who could reach the upper ranks. It was only for a moment, but it was enough time for the guild members to escape.

With that resolve, he swung his great sword at the fallen angel.

Clang!

The captain was sent flying by a punch.

‘Ah.’

The captain realized then. They all might die here.

The guild members flashed before his eyes, and so did a man in a mask, who had appeared unnoticed.

‘A mask…?’

Soon after, the captain saw it.

A spectacle of golden flames turning the fallen angel into ash.

“Thank you.”

“……”

I quietly nodded in response to the team leader’s expression of gratitude.

It’s better for fewer people to know the identity of the man behind the mask. It’s not a legitimate identity.

‘Mines and killing them is good, but…’

While Mines were malicious, villains had been killed too.

As long as these posed a threat to my acquaintances, it’s best to keep my identity hidden as much as possible.

‘It’s stronger than I thought.’

I looked at the chain of the fallen angel.

The flames, enhanced by Flame Demon (S-) to Black Flame, had really grown stronger. If compared by feel, the power had nearly doubled.

Despite refining it through alchemy into golden flames and enhancing its power, the fallen angel was still rampaging, burned by the flames for five minutes.

I extended my hand, and the remnants of the fallen angel were absorbed into my body.

[Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven increases by 1.]

I was pleased.

The Energy of Defying Heaven, which had been stagnant, was now growing rapidly.

Raising this figure through points would have cost over 100,000p, making this a tremendously beneficial hunting ground.

[By slaying a demon, the standard of the Mind World is being filled.]

Another notification appeared.

Standard.

This was very important. Advancing one level of standard made a tremendous difference.

The leap from a low to a middle rank wasn’t significant.

The real gap was seen when moving from a middle to a high rank.

At the edge of the middle ranks, ten individuals who had just reached the high standard might not be able to defeat one. Though it’s only one rank apart, this single leap allowed one to ignore or dodge an opponent’s attack.

‘Soon, perhaps.’

The Mind within me was filling up.

The Mind that was once nothing but a dark sea and sky.

“KUOOOOOO!”

A roaring sound echoed. Turning my head, I saw a being resembling a fallen angel charging towards me, roaring.

‘That’s some solid aggro.’

I drew Black Heaven. Pulled from White Rouge, Black Heaven gained tremendous acceleration and slashed right through.

Crack!

The fallen angel leaped high, its wings spread black, and hurled its chain from above.

I shielded my hand with the Energy of Defying Heaven. The black flames lingered in my hand. I grabbed the chain directly.

Rattle.

The chain shook violently. I pulled it down firmly.

“Khek!”

Then, I drew the Spring Sword. I refined the life force within the Spring Sword through alchemy. I greatly infused life at the tip of the sword and stabbed it into the fallen angel.

Bulging.

The skin on the back of the fallen angel swelled up like a balloon. I put the Spring Sword back into subspace and drew the Winter Sword. The winter magic within the Winter Sword condensed on the blade.

Ssssss…

The temperature around me plummeted, my breath visible in the air. I swung the Winter Sword with all my might.

Clang!

The fallen angel was instantly frozen solid. However, it was not yet dead. I drew Black Heaven and conjured a sword aura, infusing it with a spirit.

Scratch.

The extended black sword aura effortlessly sliced through the fallen angel’s neck.

But the body of the fallen angel began to disintegrate into ash, which was soon absorbed into my body.

Ding.

The sound of a notification echoed.

I couldn’t help but smile at that.

[Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven has reached 100.]

[Special ability unlocked.]

At last, it had reached 100.