In the ship's cockpit, Seraphine carefully examined the official space coordinate map and the simplified faction maps sketched by players on the game forums.
"The Royal Guild's territory is... 1.5 billion light-years away. Hmm, there's an uninhabited frozen planet there with a high-level instance. Perfect. Let's head there."
After finalizing and locking in the detailed coordinates, she immediately activated the ship's warp function.
BUZZ!
In an instant, the blood-stained console before Seraphine, which resembled an occult altar more than a control panel, manifested a phantom, fanged maw. It took a vicious bite out of her.
CRUNCH!
Under the ship's consumption, Seraphine's max health and mana values abruptly plummeted by 1.5 quadrillion points.
But in that same heartbeat, the depleted bars instantly restored to their original values. The recovery was so fast it transcended the concept of speed; it was as if what had just occurred was merely a fleeting hallucination.
Having fueled the ship with such abundant gas, Seraphine watched through the stealth viewports as the vast space outside underwent a sudden transformation.
The millions of stars, some dim, others brilliant, and the empty, dark void between them began to twist and spin violently around the ship. To the naked eye, it was a spectacular vision of cosmic shifting. It felt as if the entire universe, with its billions of stars, were whistling and spiraling around the vessel.
As seconds ticked by, the speed and magnitude of the rotation increased. After only a few moments, the billions of spinning stars converged into a magnificent, endless tunnel of pure light that enveloped the Dark Category on all sides.
WHOOSH!
Once it reached the end of this tunnel, be it real or illusory, the warped space, which had looked like a starlit corridor, snapped back to normal.
In mere seconds, the Dark Category had traversed 1.5 billion light-years to arrive beyond the Azure Flame.
Millions of kilometers beneath the ship, a gargantuan frozen planet rotated slowly.
...
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Across the boundless ice plains, a bone-chilling wind howled incessantly.
Seraphine adjusted the brim of her hat, ignoring the blinding white of the snow that filled her vision. She looked straight ahead at a massive, shimmering light curtain several kilometers away. Behind the curtain, the faint outlines of a sprawling complex were visible.
SWOOSH!
Flames erupted as she activated [Hellfire Crash].
Her feet dug into the ground, and with a few explosive steps, she shattered the sound barrier, crossing the distance in a heartbeat to stand before the instance's light curtain.
Ding!
"Congratulations, you have discovered the instance [Alien Nest].
This area is suitable for a party of players Level 91 to 120. Please proceed with caution."
"Instance Summary:
Three hundred years ago, a mineral transport ship belonging to the interstellar conglomerate Vutani Corporation discovered strong life signals deep beneath the ice layer of this frozen planet while on a mission. Out of curiosity, the crew organized an expedition to investigate; none survived.
One hundred and fifty years ago, Vutani established a biological research facility on the planet's surface. After decades of studying the subterranean alien ecosystem, they unexpectedly discovered an unknown, dormant humanoid super-colossus in an even deeper layer.
Thirty years later, the Vutani research facility was declared destroyed. Every staff member within was killed. Now, as an investigator assigned to look into the disaster, you are tasked with exploring this facility, buried under frost for over a century, to uncover the source of that major incident."
"Select Difficulty: Normal, Elite, Commander, Danger."
"Proceed? —— Yes / No."
After skimming the summary, Seraphine reached out and selected "Danger" difficulty, followed by "Yes."
BANG!
With a single kick, she sent the ancient, warped metal door flying and stepped from the howling winds of the ice plains into the research facility.
ROAR!
SCREE!
As if she had tripped a silent switch, the narrow, ice-clotted corridor ahead erupted with a chorus of savage, high-pitched shrieks.
"Heh."
Seraphine let out a soft laugh. She casually drew the Blade of the Deep Void and unleashed seven or eight [Ruthless Blade Qi] in rapid succession. The beams tore through the cold metal floor and ceiling as they screeched toward the end of the corridor.
SKREE! SKREE! SKREE!
Amidst the grating screech of tearing metal, the ceiling and floor were instantly riddled with jagged, chaotic gashes carved by the physical blade-energy.
"Uargh... Ah... Scree..."
Accompanying the miserable wails from the end of the hall, a massive wave of experience points flooded toward Seraphine.
She didn't know what she had killed.
She didn't know how many.
It didn't matter. They were all one-hit kills anyway.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Walking slowly through the heavily corroded latter half of the corridor, Seraphine entered a spacious, dimly lit laboratory.
Dominating the room was a massive, long-broken piece of machinery, connected to hundreds of thick, refined conduits. These pipes snaked toward a wall lined with a hundred experimental stasis pods.
Seraphine scanned the wall, noting the grotesque creatures within. Most of the pods, ninety percent of them, were damaged and empty. Only a few remained, housing strange lifeforms that shared a striking resemblance in form and color to a certain fictional species: Xenomorphs.
However, based on the instance's name and summary, these creatures were called... Aliens.
"So, this is a sci-fi horror instance."
At that moment, the few remaining Aliens in the pods began to twitch as they stirred from their slumber.
Seeing this, Seraphine slashed her blade toward the wall.
"Back to sleep."
CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!
Following a series of violent explosions, the massive machine, its network of conduits, and the awakening Aliens were all shredded into scrap by her [Ruthless Blade Qi].
Seraphine adjusted her hat, stepping over pools of corrosive blood left by the Aliens. Her steps were light as she moved toward the next lab.
SCREE!
The moment she entered, seven or eight ferocious Aliens enthusiastically lunged at her.
Seraphine casually unleashed a few streaks of [Ruthless Blade Qi], instantly obliterating the pack of mobs.
This instance happened to be documented in the Speedrun Strategy Guide as well, a classic grind-fest dungeon. There were no complex side quests or convoluted puzzles, only endless slaughter.
Before reaching the subterranean hollow, the surface facility would be swarming with various types of Alien clones. There was no shortcut here; one had to carve a bloody path through every single laboratory.
Having cleared the room, Seraphine entered another silent metal corridor without hesitation. Lab after lab, she cut through dozens of them before finally reaching the heart of the research facility.
There sat an elevator leading directly to the subterranean hollow.
BEEP!
The elevator doors slid open, and Seraphine stepped inside.
BUZZ!
The metal doors hissed shut, and the elevator began its slow descent.
Through the cracks and gaps in the elevator car, Seraphine could clearly see the dark ice walls outside. They were covered in a dense, throbbing network of crimson tubular tissues that flickered like a neural mesh. It felt as if she were descending through the esophagus of some titanic creature, heading toward its stomach.
One hundred meters, two hundred, three hundred...
After descending nearly eight thousand meters through the ice, the elevator finally reached its destination.
BANG!
Kicking open the aged elevator door, Seraphine stepped out.
Stretching before her was a vast, lush, pitch-black forest.
Calling it a forest was a stretch; it looked more like clusters of gargantuan, fleshy black lungs. Each leaf was covered in constantly twitching black capillaries.
From deep within the forest drifted the faint, shivering sound of millions of entities skittering about.
TICK... TICK... TICK...
Red numbers flashed above her head. Seraphine had entered a state of continuous health loss. She glanced up once and then ignored it.
She knew this was caused by the countless corrosive factors saturating the air of the subterranean ecosystem. According to the Speedrun Strategy Guide, clearing this instance required at least ten healers and a minimum party of fifty players. Furthermore, the average level of the entire group had to be at least Level 100 to even qualify. Anything less meant a guaranteed wipe.
But Seraphine was an anomaly; these rules didn't apply to her.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate.
Seraphine's eyebrows twitched. She swung her arm, unleashing seven or eight slashes toward the source of the tremors.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Seven or eight massive, door-sized curtains of pure white blade-energy streaked forward.
CRASH!
In an instant, the black trees obstructing her vision were shredded into splinters. Simultaneously, a chorus of shrieks rang out.
Seraphine took several quick steps forward and saw heaps of severed limbs, drenched in corrosive blood, dissolving into mist amidst the fallen timber.
SCREE! SCREE! SCREE!
Suddenly, a sharp avian shriek pierced the air from above.
She looked up and saw a six-winged, chitinous monstrosity with a distinct Xenomorph-like aesthetic.
"An Alien Messenger, the scout for the subterranean ecosystem."
Upon spotting Seraphine, the jet-black, armored bird let out an incredibly shrill, piercing shriek.
UARGHHH!
With the shriek, a bizarre electromagnetic pulse rippled outward, instantly covering a ten-kilometer radius. Every Alien in the dark forest that heard the scream went into a frenzy. They froze for a heartbeat before turning and bolting toward her. Some of the faster specimens even shattered the sound barrier as they charged.
From a high vantage point, the individual Aliens darting through the vast forest converged into an army of thousands, howling and roaring as they surged toward the source of the signal. In no time, this Alien legion had surrounded Seraphine in a suffocating, airtight circle.
Gazing at the modified Xenomorphs preparing to pounce, Seraphine's lips curled. With a crisp CLANG!, she drew her blade. "Interesting."
SCREE!
ROAR!
UARGHHH!
The horde raised their heads in a collective howl before charging in mass waves.
In the next heartbeat, Seraphine activated the skill [Spiral Slash].
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANK! BANG!
In an instant, her body began to spin violently. A dense explosion of brilliant white blade-flashes erupted, transforming her into a massive, radiant sphere of energy. The Alien army, like mindlessly brave ants, threw themselves into the sphere.
SKREE! SKREE! SKREE!
For a long moment, severed limbs flew through the air as corrosive blood sprayed in every direction. In the forest, the shrieking, raging Aliens had become a sea of monsters, while Seraphine, transformed into a spiraling sphere of blades, acted like a whirlpool in that ocean, relentlessly devouring their lives.
In truth, these Aliens only appeared frail and weak when facing Seraphine. Their actual threat far surpassed that of standard Xenomorphs.
Even the weaker individuals could reach speeds of four to five hundred kilometers per hour, matching a formula racing car. Their bodies were so tough they were immune to all light and heavy firearms, and even anti-materiel sniper rifles couldn't take them down.
Stronger specimens could shatter the sound barrier in a few strides, survive missile strikes by huddling in a defensive crouch, and flip a 188-ton Maus super-heavy tank with a single swipe of their claws. Any one of them unleashed upon modern society could likely slaughter an entire city.
But against Seraphine, they were as defenseless as paper dolls. To touch her was to die.
Because the Aliens were dying so fast and in such numbers, the mist formed from their dissolving corpses condensed into a gargantuan cloud. It took a long time for the thick fog to slowly dissipate.
When it did, not a single Alien remained.
Ding... Ding... Ding...
Another level up.
Coming to a halt, Seraphine checked her player interface.
Level: 90
"As expected of Danger mode plus a Level 120 instance." Seraphine smiled with satisfaction.
Since entering the instance, these mobs had generously provided a massive amount of experience, boosting her by roughly twenty levels. She estimated she'd reach the level cap after finishing the Boss.
Surveying the chaotic wreckage of the forest, Seraphine activated [Hellfire Crash] and sprinted toward the Boss's lair.
WHOOSH!
Minutes later, she reached the heart of the vast forest region. There yawned a gargantuan pit, geysering a thick torrent of corrosive particles. Countless specks of black light drifted up from the crater, the surrounding air and ground hissing as they were eaten away.
Seraphine, trailing layers of swirling fire, took several quick strides and stood at the edge of the pit. Looking down, a look of intrigue crossed her face.
"Interesting."
Half-kneeling at the bottom of the trench, kilometers below her, was a colossus over a thousand meters tall. It was a massive, three-headed Alien... no, a Three-Headed Primogenitor.
Aside from its dense, glossy black spikes, the colossus's body was covered in tens of thousands of throbbing, fleshy black tentacles. These tentacles moved like living things, crawling across the frozen walls of the pit layer by layer. Many tubular appendages had branched out into even more numerous crimson filaments. These filaments, slithering like vipers, either clung to the walls as they grew upward or burrowed into the hard permafrost, spreading from the pit to blanket the obsidian forest across an unknown expanse.
"Instance Boss, the Alien God."
Seraphine grinned. "Good. Just stay right there. Don't move, and turn into experience for me."
She swung the Blade of the Deep Void, unleashing seven or eight streaks of blade-energy that whistled down into the silent depths of the pit.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Upon being struck by the barrage, a massive health bar manifested above the Alien God's heads. With just those few slashes, Seraphine had actually chopped off nearly half of its HP.
"ROAR!!"
Stung by the attack, the Alien God jolted awake. It let out a furious bellow, digging its massive, train-car-sized claws into the ground. With a sudden burst of power, it leaped from the depths of the pit, shattering the air and soaring into the sky. Like a mountain falling from the heavens, it slammed down toward Seraphine with savage intent.
WHOOSH!
Amidst the howling gale of its descent, the Alien God struck the earth.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In an instant, the ground heaved with a thunderous roar. A violent wall of sound swept across the land, and thousands of black trees were uprooted as if by an explosion. However, despite the titanic force of the strike, Seraphine had long since flickered away, appearing thousands of meters away. She remained completely unscathed.
Amidst the cataclysmic upheaval, Seraphine noticed something. The vast trees surrounding the great pit had withered and collapsed in an instant, dying without explanation. Simultaneously, the health bar above the Alien God's heads surged back to full capacity in a flash.
The cause and effect were clear.
"So that's it." Seraphine grinned. "This entire forest is just an external health potion for you."
BOOM!!!
It sounded as if a thousand thunderclaps had erupted in the air.
The Alien God took a massive stride, crossing the distance to appear before Seraphine. Its colossal claw swept out, trailing layers of sonic booms. With a single, violent strike, it sent her, along with the hundred-meter chunk of permafrost she stood on, flying. Accompanied by visible shockwaves, they were launched thousands of meters away.
Then, the god opened its hideous maws and roared toward the sky:
"ROAR!!!!"
Under the force of this earth-shaking bellow, nearby trees were snapped in half. A dozen scattered Aliens hiding further away were launched into the air as if hit by a thermobaric blast, their bodies shattering into fragments that scattered across the forest.
At that moment, a track of cold, domineering music, a heavy bass mix blended with aggressive electronic rap, echoed throughout the Black Forest.
"Great BGM. Coo has decent taste."
The next instant, Seraphine, cloaked in layers of flowing flame, sprinted through the air from the distance. Reaching the space above the Alien God, she shot further into the sky, flipped her body, and plummeted downward, gripping the Blade of the Deep Void for a thunderous falling slash.
"ROAR!!!"
Below, the Alien God looked up and bellowed. It swung its massive claws upward, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The strikes shattered the air as they surged to intercept the falling Seraphine.
"Slash!"
Seraphine let out a sharp cry. In a split second, she combined [Full Moon Slash], [Spiral Slash], and [Ruthless Blade Qi]. Her body spun violently, her blade spun faster, everything was in motion. She unleashed layers of radiant white blade-curtains laced with crescents of blue light, transforming into a several-meter-wide sphere of pure white blade-energy that slammed into the ascending pitch-black claw.
The collision of black and white.
BOOM!!!
A terrifying roar rippled in every direction. It was as if a thermobaric bomb had been detonated a thousand meters in the air, instantly erupting into a hundred-meter-wide sphere of fire. The surrounding air was forcibly displaced by the explosion, generating rings of grey-white atmospheric shockwaves that swallowed everything within a several-kilometer radius.
At the heart of the world-shaking explosion...
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Black and white collided, and layers of blade-energy detonated.
With her health bar flashing at high frequency, Seraphine, blade and all, forcibly shredded the Alien God's hardened palm. Ignoring the torrent of corrosive red blood spraying into her face, she bored directly into the colossus's thick arm.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
Blade against armor, edge through flesh.
Ignoring the blood more corrosive than concentrated sulfuric acid and disregarding the Alien God's frantic, enraged thrashing, Seraphine swung the Blade of the Deep Void in a frenzy. Like a power drill, she hacked a bloody tunnel deep into the creature's arm.
CRUNCH! CRACK!
Corrosive blood drenched her from head to toe, charring her skin in patches. She didn't care.
Having carved a path from the forearm to the Alien God's shoulder, Seraphine, buried in a slurry of flesh and shattered armor, suddenly turned her blade's trajectory and brutally bored into its thoracic cavity.
"I'm in."
Charred but rapidly healing, Seraphine shoved aside the shredded muscle and tissue. Immediately, a heart as massive as a room came into view.
THUMP... THUMP... THUMP...
She took two quick strides and aimed her blade at the organ. Seraphine activated [Piercing Blade] and thrust with all her might.
SQUELCH!
A fountain of blood erupted.
Outside, the Alien God thrashed violently, its massive health bar plummeting. It raised its heads to the sky and let out an agonizing bellow.
"ROAR... SCREE... ROAR!!!"
As the Boss screamed, the entire Black Forest heaved like the ocean. The Alien God used its countless tentacles to forcibly strip the life force from vast swaths of the forest, instantly converting it into HP.
GLUG... GLUG... GLUG...
Accompanied by a terrifying, hollow sucking sound, thousands upon thousands of trees within the vast forest withered and died in an instant. The health bar above the Alien God's heads surged back toward full.
Inside its chest, Seraphine saw the massive heart restore itself in a blink. She chuckled.
"Healing with health potions? Fine. Let's see if you can suck faster than I can slash."
She began unleashing a barrage of white blade-beams, striking the massive heart over and over.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Without a single moment's rest, Seraphine transformed into a high-speed blade-energy projector, relentlessly bombarding the Alien God's heart and surrounding internal organs.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANK! BANG! BANG!
Streaks of pure white blade-energy lashed out wantonly. The sound of air being shredded and organs being pulverized echoed through the colossus's body. The sheer intensity of Seraphine's continuous, radiant white slashes drove right through its thoracic cavity and pierced out through the other side of its body.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANK! BANG! BANG!
The storm of dancing blade-energy was so intense that, from a distance, the heavily wounded, swaying Alien God looked as if it were geysering rivers of blade-light from both its chest and back.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The continuous tearing of the air resounded like thunder, echoing across the rapidly withering Black Forest.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANK! BANG!
After the barrage continued for a period, the once-vast Obsidian Forest was sucked dry, ceasing to exist as it crumbled into drifts of grey ash that scattered in the wind.
With one final, skyward shriek of agony, the Alien God's health bar bottomed out, and it collapsed heavily to the ground.
BOOM!
Following a loud explosion, the super-giant Alien rapidly dissolved into thick white mist and vanished. Dozens of items and pieces of equipment materialized in the haze, clattering randomly onto the frost-covered earth.
Ding... Ding... Ding... Ding...
The satisfying chimes of leveling up rang out repeatedly.
"Ding! You have obtained Level 80 Class Skill: [Startling Thunder Blade-Armor]."
Skill Description: A metallic shriek, transforming Qi into Armor; a gathered throne of armor that wounds all who touch it. Regardless of the attack received, enemies within a 3m radius will take reflected damage (Base Damage × 0.5). Costs 500 MP. Duration: 10 seconds. Can be toggled for continuous automatic use.
"Ding! You have obtained Level 90 Class Skill: [Abstruse Truth of the Blade]."
Skill Description: The mind understands the pinnacle of the blade, manifesting weaponry in all directions. Creates a Blade-Qi Domain (50m diameter). Enemies within the domain suffer continuous blade-energy attacks (Base Damage × 3). Costs 1,500 MP. Duration: 3 seconds. Can be toggled for continuous automatic use.
"Ding! Esteemed 『Great Demon King Seraphine』, you have reached Level 100, fulfilling the player Ascension requirements."
"Excess experience points will be stored in the Experience Pool. Until you undergo your first Ascension, you cannot continue to level up."
THUD!
Landing from the air, Seraphine opened the system notifications in her field of vision.
Ascension Rules Summary: Players at Level 100 may undergo Ascension. You will retain all attributes, values, and skills, but your level will reset to Level 1. After resetting, the experience points required for each level will be double what they were before Ascension.
"I see."
Seraphine's brow furrowed slightly as she looked at the game window, and she clicked the Ascension confirmation button.
BUZZ!
In an instant, her character's level plummeted on the interface.
Level 100... 90... 70... 30...
Down to Level 1.
Then, the floodgates of the Experience Pool opened, pouring out a massive amount of experience. Amidst another flurry of chimes and dings, Seraphine's level shot back up.
Level 10... 20... 30...
Finally, it stopped at Level 40.
Gazing at her updated character interface, Seraphine let out a happy whistle.
Name: Great Demon King Seraphine
HP: 999999999999999
MP: 999999999999999
Strength: 850
Agility: 150
Constitution: 150
Spirit: 150
Level: 40 (Ascension 1)
Experience: 579 / 529,506
Class: Slaughter Ascetic - Frenzied Intent - Solitary Blade
Damage: 805 + 4,800
Defense: 195
Speed: 150
Weight Capacity: 150
Evasion: 14.0%
Critical Hit: 14.0%
Free Attribute Points: 700
Skill Points: 39
"..."
Class Skills: [Blade Intent] / [Slash] / [Full Moon Slash] / [Spiral Slash] / [Piercing Blade] / [Aura Condensation]〔5〕/ [Ruthless Blade Qi] / [Startling Thunder Blade-Armor] / [Abstruse Truth of the Blade]
Extra Skills: [Hellfire Crash]
Mystic Skills: None
As per her habit, Seraphine casually dumped all her Free Attribute Points into her Strength attribute.
Simultaneously, she spent 32 skill points to level up [Aura Condensation] once more.
[Aura Condensation]〔6〕(Level 60 Class Skill): Killing intent enters the body, slaughtering all foes.
Reduces Max HP by 19,200, increases Damage attribute by +9,600. Costs 1,600 MP per second.
Instantly, her Damage attribute soared to 11,105 points.
Factoring in the various Equipment bonuses and the [Blade Intent] buff, Seraphine's basic attacks alone were now nearing the 20,000 mark.
"That should be enough for now."
With a light laugh, Seraphine clicked the [Exit] option for the instance. In a flash, she vanished from the cold, desolate subterranean hollow.
WHOOSH!
The cold wind wailed with bone-chilling intensity. White snowflakes drifted lazily from the hazy, grey sky. Seraphine scanned the white, snow-covered landscape before preparing to pull the Dark Category from her inventory and leave the planet.
But at that moment, the sound of crunching snow reached her ears.
From around a hazy corner partially obscured by the instance's light curtain, several strangers walked leisurely into view.
Leading the group was a burly man whose entire body, save for his head, was mechanically enhanced. He carried two electrified heavy hammers on his shoulders, and a large red electronic prosthetic eye was embedded in his forehead.
Tilting his head, he looked at Seraphine, who still had her back turned. He spoke with a casual, mocking laugh:
"Hey. You're that 『Great Demon King Seraphine』, right? We're from the Royal Guild. Our guild leader really wants to know how a player under Level 30 cleared the [Mad Town] instance alone. Or rather..."
A wide grin spread across the cyborg's face as his prosthetic eye scanned Seraphine, who was slowly turning around.
"How did you... cheat!"
Hearing such an arrogant and overbearing tone, Seraphine looked at the man with a hint of surprise.
"What are you supposed to be? Do I know you?"
"Hah!"
The cyborg clucked his tongue in amusement, grinning at Seraphine. "You're pretty cocky, kid. Are you actually trying to pick a fight with—"
BANG!
Before he could finish, a brilliant white blade-beam swept toward him.
The red light in the cyborg's prosthetic eye flared with anger. He raised his twin electrified hammers, slamming them together with a ZAP! as he unleashed a skill. A massive, deep blue light-shield crackling with high-voltage electricity expanded to meet the incoming blade-energy.
Hybrid Cyborg - Modification Fanatic - Electric Executioner: Level 70 Class Skill [High-Voltage Shield].
"A Slaughter Ascetic? Hmph. A stupid, primitive class—"
The thought had barely crossed his mind when the lightning-fast blade-energy effortlessly shattered his confident electric shield. It sliced horizontally through him, man and shield alike, cutting him into pieces.
"Ding! You have killed player 『Royal Skinny Elder』."
The blade-energy didn't dissipate after killing the burly man; it continued whistling toward the group behind him, who were scrambling in shock at the sudden turn of events.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Following a series of sharp impacts, the Royal Guild players were wiped out, instantly dissolving into wisps of white smoke that vanished in the wind.