The Abyss Demons were born from the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons deep within the Winter Forest.

By now, this was a fact known across nearly the entire continent.

In the eyes of most scholars and members of the Church, the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons had been built in ancient times by the Demon God.

After being defeated by the great Goddess, the unwilling Demon God supposedly left behind endless cursed power within the palace, all for the sake of bringing eternal calamity upon the mortal world.

Until eventually, every living thing on the continent would be wiped out.

The power left behind by the Demon God infected and reshaped the creatures that approached the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons, turning them into the terrifying Abyss Demons feared by all.

At least, that was the common belief.

The Hall of Ten Thousand Demons itself should have had no consciousness. It was merely a structure storing immense power.

And yet...

In Akat’s memories—

Several years ago, that heretic publicly executed by the Church had once said something strange.

“There is a god residing within the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons! If that god is pleased, They can grant you endless wealth, supreme power, or limitless vitality! So long as you are willing to pay the price!”

Of course, one also needed enough luck.

After all, people capable of even finding the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons were rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

Naturally, the Asumos Church denied such claims outright and burned the heretic alive for spreading them.

Back then, Akat had still been a fairly devout believer, so he accepted the Church’s explanation without question.

But now...

Akat could not help reconsidering the truth behind those words.

Because after hearing that voice and turning around—

A glowing crimson sphere surrounded by countless blood-red butterflies suddenly appeared before his eyes.

The moment he saw it, an indescribable pressure erupted from the depths of his soul, forcing him down onto one knee on the spot.

Clearly, there was no overwhelming aura around the sphere.

No magic.

No sword energy.

No black Abyss Demon corruption.

It was simply... glowing.

And yet that crimson radiance alone made Akat tremble uncontrollably as he struggled to breathe.

His instincts screamed at him—

The seemingly powerless sphere before him was more terrifying than any existence he had ever encountered.

Even the gigantic white wolf from before could not compare.

At the same time, the terrifying Abyss Demons surrounding the distant temple suddenly fell silent the instant the sphere appeared.

Under Akat’s stunned gaze—

Those Abyss Demons actually lowered themselves onto the ground in worship.

“What... what is this...?”

And then it hit him.

This place...

Wasn’t this some kind of abandoned temple?

An ancient palace deep within the Winter Forest, surrounded by Abyss Demons?!

‘Dear God... don’t tell me I actually reached the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons?!’

The realization made Akat hold his breath as cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

After silently staring at the crimson sphere for a long while, he shakily asked:

“I-Is this... the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons?”

“Uh...”

The sphere seemed momentarily speechless.

Its voice even carried a trace of helplessness.

“That name... sigh, whatever. If you mean the place where the Abyss Demons were born, then yes. This is the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons.”

“T-Then... are you the Demon God?!”

“Uh...”

The sphere fell silent once again.

“I honestly don’t understand where all these titles come from. Whatever. You can think of me as the Demon God.”

“It... it’s real?!”

After receiving confirmation, Akat’s fear remained, but an indescribable excitement gradually began spreading through his heart.

If what that heretic said was true...

If one truly could reach the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons...

Then one could make a deal with the Demon God!

As long as he became the servant of the Demon God, he could obtain unimaginable power!

And then—

He could return to his territory and slaughter his uncle’s entire family along with every fool who had betrayed him!!

Perhaps being thrown into the Winter Forest had not been a disaster at all.

Perhaps it was an opportunity.

The moment that thought appeared—

Akat immediately slammed his head against the ground repeatedly before the crimson sphere. Blood splattered everywhere.

“M-M-Mighty Demon God!! I—I, Akat Rami, am willing to serve you forever!! I only ask that you grant me enough power to achieve my revenge!! After that, I...!”

Akat shouted frantically, desperately trying to display his value.

The desire for power was written all over his face without the slightest attempt at concealment.

After passionately swearing his loyalty, Akat nervously stared at the sphere, waiting for the final response from the Demon God.

“Hehe.”

A faint laugh devoid of emotion echoed within Akat’s mind.

“Hehe, fine. I was planning to help you anyway. Since you’re this cooperative, you’ve saved me quite a bit of explanation time.”

The next moment—

Under Akat’s excited gaze, a crimson spatial magic {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} circle suddenly formed before him.

As the formation activated, a crystal radiating violet light slowly emerged from within.

The instant he sensed the vast ocean-like energy contained inside the purple crystal, Akat’s eyes practically glowed.

At the same time, the sphere’s voice slowly drifted into his mind like the whisper of a devil.

“Hold this crystal. It will grant you power. It will allow your strength to soar.”

“Hold it?! Understood!!”

At those words, all unease vanished from Akat’s face.

Only unprecedented excitement remained.

Without another word, the fallen noble crawled forward eagerly.

“However, remember this. Once you reach the sixth tier, let go. If you absorb too much energy, the consequences will be your own responsibility.”

“Yes, yes! I understand!”

Akat replied carelessly.

Then, unable to wait another second, he grabbed the purple crystal.

“Boom~~”

A terrifying shockwave erupted through the hall.

The moment he touched the crystal, strange violet energy burst forth like liquid from within the gem, surging outward like a tsunami and engulfing the entire palace.

That violent power then poured endlessly into Akat’s body through his arm.

?!!

“AHHHH~~~!!”

This feeling—

It was incredible!!

As the power within his body grew more and more overwhelming, Akat unconsciously revealed a blissful expression.

A trace of madness even began surfacing within his brown eyes.

Fourth tier.

Peak fourth tier.

Fifth tier.

Peak fifth tier.

...

In merely a few seconds, Akat leapt directly from the fourth tier into the sixth tier.

Even geniuses normally required decades of cultivation to cross from the fourth tier to the sixth. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

But him?

He had reached that realm in mere seconds.

Ecstasy spread through Akat’s mind like a virus.

According to the sphere’s warning, he should have stopped after reaching the sixth tier.

However—

As his strength expanded explosively and the strange energy’s side effects took hold, Akat’s greed also skyrocketed.

He had no intention of stopping.

‘If I absorb just a little more... I... I might become a Saint Mage! At that point, I could walk sideways through the entire kingdom!!’

Driven by that thought—

Under the sphere’s cold gaze, Akat continued absorbing the crystal’s power.

A little more.

Then a little more.

Just a little more...

Moments later—

Akat suddenly froze.

Not because he had become a Saint Mage.

But because an intense feeling of discomfort suddenly erupted from inside his body.

Cracks abruptly spread across his skin.

Then more cracks appeared.

And more.

They spread wildly across his entire body.

“Huh?!”

The moment Akat let out a shocked cry—

The massive power overflowing inside him completely lost control and violently burst outward.

“BOOM!!”

Blood exploded everywhere.

Organs scattered through the air.

Akat detonated on the spot—

Reduced instantly into a pile of shattered flesh.

—

Watching the scene before her,

the crimson sphere—

the condensed consciousness of Fan Yumo—

could only let out a helpless, depressed sigh.

“Sigh... another failure.”

Fuck.

How many times has it been already...?