"Ammy, can you take down that golem?"
Albert called out, pointing his sword at the stone golem that slowly approaching them.
"O goddess, with the power of fire, I command you, Fire Bolt!"
With a short incantation, the S-rank mage Ammy raised her staff. A powerful burst of fire surged from its tip, blasting toward the golem with a loud explosion.
[BOOM!]
The stone creature crumbled under the force.
"Good job, Ammy!"
Albert praised her with a smile, who stood from a far at the front.
"Ammy, are you all, right? You seem… upset?"
Oliver stepped toward her slowly. She had noticed that Ammy poured an excessive amount of mana just to defeat a B-rank stone golem. Maybe she was angry... or frustrated?
But Ammy showed no trace of emotion on her face as she looked at her.
"No, I'm fine. Let's just finish this exploration quickly so we can return."
Her tone was sharp but controlled.
Then, the three continued deeper into the Dungeon of Silver Blade.
As the three walked through the dungeon, Albert led the way while Olivia and Ammy followed closely behind.
Olivier leaned her head toward Ammy, whispering softly near her ear.
"Is it because of Lux?"
Ammy paused, her expression unreadable.
"I couldn't believe that Lux would do something like that."
Olivia continued as her eyes were softened.
Before they began exploring the Dungeon of Silver Blade to rank up their party, Albert had told them something about Lux, things neither of the girls had heard before. All of it painted him in a bad light: mischievous behaviour, reckless actions, and a trail of trouble ever since the three of them left the village.
"But… he never replied to our letter !"
Ammy whispered with sad expression.
"I don't know why... but I guess it'd be best if we visit the village and see for ourselves,"
Olivier whispered.
"I think this is the last room!"
Albert said, turning to the girls.
"We should be able to wrap this up quickly."
The two nodded and followed Albert into the room.
Inside, only the magical stones embedded in the walls gave off a dim light. But something was off.
At the centre of the room lay a massive monster corpse, soaked in its own pool of blood.
"What… is this?"
Olivier gasped, her voice trembling.
The scene was gruesome, its organs had been torn from its body, and its limbs were severed into pieces.
Albert stepped forward cautiously, eyes scanning the carnage, until he noticed something.
A figure sat silently atop the corpse.
It wore a black robe that concealed its entire body.
"...Hey!! Who are you!?"
Albert shouted, raising his hand to signal Ammy and Olivier to get behind him, readying themselves in case things turned hostile.
In the blink of an eye, the figure vanished.
Albert's eyes widened in shock, but before he could react, a scream erupted from behind him.
It was Olivier's voice.
She was being held by the neck, lifted off the ground by the robed figure.
"Hey! What are you doing!?"
Panicking, Albert raised his sword and pointed it at the attacker.
"...Olivier!"
Ammy finally realized her companion was in danger. Quickly raising her staff, she cast a binding spell.
A rope-like bolt of lightning shot out, wrapping tightly around the robed figure. The magic forced the figure to release Olivier from his grip.
"Ah... hah..."
Olivier fell to the ground, gasping for air as she clutched her throat.
Now completely bound in lightning, the figure knelt motionless. Albert stood in front of it, sword pressed against its neck, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"Are you okay, Olivier?!"
Ammy rushed to her side, eyes full of concern.
"...I-I'm fine..." Olivier replied weakly.
Then Albert turned his glare to the robed figure.
"Who the hell are you?! Why did you attack my companion?!"
A calm composed male voice answered from beneath the hood.
"Shouldn't we always kill the healer first?"
After saying that, the figure broke free from Ammy's magic, effortlessly.
"It can't be…!"
Ammy's eyes widened in shock. That spell was powerful—meant to restrain even high-tier monsters, yet it had been shattered like nothing.
The figure then threw off his robe, letting it fall to the ground.
What was revealed made everyone freeze.
He had white hair, a fearless expression, and wore plain clothes. But the detail that stopped all three of them cold, were the two horns protruding from his head.
"A... a demon!"
Olivier, the priestess, gasped in horror, her voice trembling.
She quickly stood up and began chanting a spell.
"O holy goddess, with the light on my side—ah!"
Before she could finish, the demon lunged forward and pierced through her stomach with his bare hand.
"Oh… a priestess. You are the light of your goddess—and our enemy."
The demon said calmly, pulling his bloodied hand out from her body.
"...!"
Olivier collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from the gaping wound in her stomach. She coughed violently, blood spilling from her lips.
It all happened so fast, the other two couldn't react in time.
Albert snapped back to his senses. He jumped in front of the demon and swung his sword down with full force.
"Ammy! Quickly—the potion! Help Olivier! I'll hold him off!"
Ammy rushed to Olivier's side, trembling as she fumbled through her handbag and pulled out a healing potion.
"Olivier… please, stay with us..."
She quickly poured the potion over Olivier's wound and helped her drink a stamina potion. The wound began to close slowly, but the blood she had lost wouldn't be restored instantly. Her body would need time to recover on its own.
Ammy let out a small breath of relief as color slowly returned to Olivier's face. The bleeding stopped, and her skin was no longer pale—but she had already lost consciousness.
On the other hand, Albert was attacked the demon non-stop with his sword but somehow the demon was faster as he doge his attack with smirk on his face.
Ammy watched in disbelief.
"...What is this demon? He's nothing like the ones we've fought before…"
She thought to herself, heart racing.
Suddenly, something flew across the room and crashed into the dungeon wall with a loud thud.
Albert had disappeared.
"Albert?!"
She turned her head, and her blood ran cold.
Albert's body lay slumped against the wall, groaning in pain.
"A-Ah...!"
Ammy gasped, her voice trembling as she stood up and began casting a spell at the demon.
"Not so fast."
"What?!"
Before she could react, the demon was already behind her. She spun around and quickly cast an ice spell, trying to root him to the ground.
"Oh? Ice magic?"
The demon grinned, then broke free with ease, cracking the ice apart as if it were nothing.
Ammy didn't give up, she launched spells in all directions. Fire, wind, even chains of lightning. Anything to hold him back.
But it was useless.
The demon didn't even dodge. He just stood there, letting every spell wash over him without a scratch.
"...What weak magic. Is this how humans fight?"
Her legs gave out, and Ammy fell to her knees, panting heavily.
"W-What... are you...?"
She asked softly, barely able to speak.
The demon chuckled and took a step back, raising both arms theatrically.
"Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself."
He smirked, his voice mockingly polite.
"My name is Zilevo. One of the Demon King's generals."
Ammy's eyes widened in horror.
This wasn't just any demon. He was far beyond her rank.
Even for an S-rank adventurer… fighting a demon general was suicide.
"Oh my, did you wet yourself?"
The demon sneered as he looked down at Ammy—who sat frozen in place, trembling, her body unable to move. She had collapsed to her knees, sitting in a small pool of her own urine.
"Hmm… no fun. I can hardly believe Superbia thought humans could be a threat. I just wanted to talk a bit more, but..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Ammy finally collapsed—falling face-first onto the cold dungeon floor, completely unconscious from exhaustion and fear.
Then, a voice rang out—shouting across the chamber.
"Oi! What did you do to Ammy?!"
Albert had regained consciousness. Without hesitation, he leapt toward the demon, sword raised.
But as he closed the distance, Zilevo casually caught him by the face with his sharp, clawed hand.
The claws began to pierce into Albert's skull—slowly, painfully.
Albert screamed, the agony overwhelming, but he still swung his sword with all the strength he had left.
It was useless.
Not a single scratch marked Zilevo's body.
"Hmph… talking with you humans is such a pain. Maybe I'll just take a look inside your mind instead."
A flash of energy surged from Zilevo's hand, sending a pulse straight into Albert's brain.
Albert howled in pain as his vision blurred—then everything went still.
He realized, with horror, that Zilevo was inside his mind.
"W-What are you… doing… to my head?!"
"Ah, nothing much," Zilevo said casually. "Just looking around a bit. Trying to learn about your world... and you."
Then he released his grip.
Albert collapsed to the ground, twitching slightly as the lingering shock still pulsed in his head.
"I see now… you want to be a hero, right?"
"W-What…?"
"The strongest? The mightiest? The most powerful being?"
"W-What are you saying…?!"
"Wealth. Women. Recognition. Power. You want it all, don't you?"
"…"
Albert was in shock.
How did this demon know… the exact desires buried deep inside him?
But he was a demon, an enemy of humankind.
He clenched his jaw, trying to resist. Yet, Zilevo's next words made him freeze.
"I can make you a hero."
"…"
"I can make those two beg for you… if you just follow me."
"What…?"
Albert's mind was still clouded, the pain in his head pulsing with every heartbeat. But Zilevo's words cut through it like a whisper into his soul.
Everything he wanted, Ammy, Olivier, power, wealth… and the respect he never had.
And now, the devil was offering it to him.
Albert hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"What do you gain… from giving me those things?"
He asked, narrowing his eyes with suspicion.
Zilevo chuckled.
"Nothing much. In exchange... I want to explore the outside world beyond the barrier."
"What are the conditions? How will people know I'm the hero?"
Albert asked, his voice low, uncertain. A trace of hope lingered beneath his words.
Zilevo chuckled softly, his sharp eyes gleaming beneath the shadows of the dungeon.
"I fought the previous hero before… we studied him deeply. It was surprisingly easy to manipulate humans."
"What...?"
Albert's eyes widened.
"With my power and yours combined, we'll be stronger than the last hero. Far stronger."
Albert glanced at his unconscious companions, then returned his gaze to Zilevo.
"Okay… but you promised me, they'll be by my side, right?"
"Yes. As long as you follow my plan."
Albert nodded.
Then, without warning, Zilevo walked over to Olivier, who was still passed out on the floor.
"Oi! What are you trying to do to her?!"
"Oh my, calm down," Zilevo said casually.
He knelt beside Olivier and placed a hand over her face, casting a strange, dark spell. Then he walked over to Ammy and did the same—but this time, he placed his hand over her leg.
Albert watched, confused and uneasy.
"What… what are you doing?!"
Zilevo turned to him with a grin and calmly explained:
"I cast a curse. That one" he pointed to Olivier "is now blind."
"And that one" he gestured to Ammy "won't be able to walk."
Albert was speechless. He clenched his fists, shocked.
"Why did you do that?! I thought we had a deal!"
Zilevo's response made Albert freeze.
"Tell me, Albert... who would want a blind girl and a crippled girl?"
He leaned closer, whispering.
"With the right words... those two will beg to stay by your side."
Albert finally understood.
Zilevo wasn't just handing him power, he was crafting a world where he would be the only one those girls could rely on.
A twisted sense of satisfaction crept into Albert's face. He grinned and looked Zilevo in the eye.
"I see... then give me the power. The Hero Class."
"Don't worry," Zilevo said with a sinister smile. "If you're ready, I'll grant it right now."
He rose from the ground, his body beginning to glow with a dark, eerie light. Chanting an ancient demonic script, Zilevo floated into the air—then his body turned into a swirling black mist.
The mist rushed straight into Albert's mouth.
"Agh—!"
Albert staggered, choking as the dark cloud forced its way down his throat. His body trembled violently.
After a moment, everything fell silent.
Albert stood motionless, then slowly opened his eyes, a new power coursing through his veins. He could feel it.
He was stronger than ever.
And in the back of his mind... he could hear Zilevo's voice.
They had merged.
Then Albert let out a loud, unhinged laugh.
"Hahaha… HAAHAHAHA!"
His voice echoed through the blood-soaked chamber, twisted with madness and triumph. Power surged through his body like a roaring flame, and for the first time, he felt untouchable.