After clearing the dungeon, the entire structure began to collapse. Alex couldn't understand what to do. One after another, massive layers of rock were falling from above, creating a terrifying situation for him. Suddenly, right beside him, a black gate—just like before—appeared once again. Alex didn't waste a single moment before entering it.
Everything became normal again. He found himself back inside the tent. Although his body had no wounds, his clothes were badly torn from the previous battle. His outfit was drenched in blood, completely ruined. Alex immediately took out fresh clothes from his bag. He had entered the dungeon at midnight, and about six hours had passed since then. So, it should be morning outside. Inside the tent, it was impossible to tell whether it was day or night. So Alex unzipped the tent and tried to step outside.
—>> It's not morning yet!
Alex couldn't help but be surprised. He knew very well that he had spent around six hours inside the dungeon. So why was it still night outside? From the still-burning campfire, it was clear that only about half an hour had passed here.
—>> How is that possible!
Alex couldn't make sense of it. Two hours inside the dungeon equaled just ten minutes outside? Could that even be possible? He decided not to dig too deep into it now. He left his curiosity for the future—because for now, he knew he wouldn't find any answers. With his exhausted body, he went back inside the tent and opened his status panel one last time to take a look.
---
""
Name: Alex
Job: Host of Jiduri
Sub-job: Assassin
Level: 23
Strength: 35
Vitality: 21
Agility: 43
Stamina: 25
Intelligence: 35
Luck: 12
Stat Points: 10
""
---
Alex stared at the screen for quite a while. He hadn't killed any of the final golems directly, so his level had only increased by two. With each level-up, he gained five stat points—which helped him grow stronger. His stamina was still much lower than his other stats. So, without hesitation, Alex closed his eyes and increased his stamina.
---
""
Name: Alex
Job: Host of Jiduri
Sub-job: Assassin
Level: 23
Strength: 35
Vitality: 21
Agility: 43
Stamina: 35
Intelligence: 35
Luck: 12
Stat Points: 00
""
---
Alex's stamina increased. A faint tingling sensation spread across his body.
—>> This really is nothing but cheating. (Alex)
Such an advantage—no one else would ever have it. A magical item that made life feel like a game. Alex began thinking again about the Tower. What exactly was this Tower? A massive, sky-piercing structure that contained everything within it. From the outside, its height seemed immense, yet its width was disproportionately small. Still, inside that tower existed spaces larger than his entire world. How could that be possible?
His head began to feel heavy with all these thoughts. At some point, he fell asleep without realizing it. He saw a dream. What kind of dream—it's possible even he didn't know.
---
---
(In Alex's Perspective)
I found myself in a completely different place. As far as my brain could tell, I was dreaming. A dream where scenes of society's cruel realities unfolded right before my eyes. The dream projected itself like a movie—every scene was brutally real.
I had no idea how long I was trapped in that dream. Perhaps a year had passed. Let's summarize what I saw.
The place—I didn't know where it was. But it seemed like a small town. Everyone in the town was extremely poor. The ruler of the town was a baron, a nobleman who would do anything for money. He seized crops from poor farmers without paying them. When they tried to buy goods, he demanded outrageous prices. Anyone who dared speak against him was publicly executed. And that wasn't even the worst of his sins—his book of crimes would probably never end.
Because of the baron, every household in the town was struggling against starvation. Many couldn't even afford a single meal a day. Some died of hunger, some fled the town. But none of this caught the baron's attention. Since the town was small, higher authorities never interfered. But finally, when the people couldn't take it anymore, they desperately reached out to a hero.
In this world, "Heroes" were those blessed by the rulers of the Spirit World. Each hero was among the most powerful beings alive—champions who fought against evil wherever it appeared.
After much effort, the poor townspeople managed to contact one such hero: Hero Magma, known far and wide for his sense of justice. Whenever there was wrongdoing, he was the first to step in and make it right. His arrival filled the townspeople with hope. He would defeat the baron and bring peace to their suffering town.
But months passed, then years—and Hero Magma did nothing. Meanwhile, the baron's influence grew even stronger. He began abducting young virgin girls from the town every few days.
Though everyone respected the heroes, the captured girls slowly began to see the true, monstrous faces behind their noble masks. But they never got the chance to warn others. After satisfying their lust, those beasts slaughtered the girls mercilessly.
However, one girl managed to escape. She fled back to her family, desperate to warn everyone. She wanted to reveal the real nature of those beasts who called themselves heroes. But what did she gain in the end? Her entire family—and the rest of the town—turned against her. They decided to burn her alive. She was labeled a witch. Even her own parents looked at her with disgust. She had no will left to live.
In front of the baron's mansion, they tied her to a long bamboo pole. Beneath her feet, they piled wood for the fire. That night, the entire town was celebrating as if at a festival. Everyone suddenly forgot all the torment the baron had inflicted upon them. They wanted to please the heroes somehow—perhaps if they burned this girl, the heroes would finally bless them.
As the festival raged on, the girl surrendered every remaining will to live. She looked at her family—her parents and brother stood far away. The moment their eyes met, all three threw stones at her. Following their lead, the others began hurling stones too. The body of a fifteen-year-old girl couldn't endure such brutality. Her body was covered in blood. With the last breath she had, she uttered only one sentence—
—>> I abandon my body, my mind, my blood, and my servitude. I don't know if anyone will hear my call, but if you do, please accept my offering and correct this rotten world.
The girl barely finished speaking before a piercing cry of a bird echoed from the sky. Through her blurry vision, she saw it—an enormous bird. It was so massive that a man was riding upon it. She couldn't see clearly, but when one of the men below approached to light the fire, he froze in fear at the sight of the creature. It wasn't an eagle, nor a roc. The bird's entire body was jet black, with dark flames flickering across its wings. The creature descended right before the girl. The man on its back slowly stepped down and stood before her.
—>> What's your name?
The man asked. But the girl said nothing. What was her name, anyway? The parents who gave her that name were now trying to kill her. That name no longer held any meaning.
—>> I have accepted your offering. From this day forth, your body, your blood, and your soul belong to me. You shall serve me for eternity as my royal maid. My name is Demon Prince of Gluttony, Beelzebub. From this moment on, your name shall be Jiduri.
Beelzebub placed his left hand on the girl's head as he spoke. The ring on his hand began to glow brightly. He lightly cut one of his right fingers and let two drops of his blood fall into Jiduri's mouth. Instantly, her body began to change. The black bird lifted her onto its back, and Beelzebub began to rise into the air.
The entire town was annihilated. Not a single living being remained. Even after three days, the fire showed no signs of dying out. Soldiers and heroes from the kingdom arrived to investigate. At the town's main gate, two corpses hung—one belonging to the baron, the other to Hero Magma. Below them, a message was written:
"Heroes, beware. Even your rulers cannot protect you from me."
(Dream ends)
---
---
Today marks the seventh day in the Demonic Forest. On this day, many will advance to the second zone, while others will remain in the first. A powerful barrier separates the first zone from the second, preventing demonic beasts from crossing over—making the first zone a relatively safe place. But there are no barriers between the later zones. From the second zone onward, the true test begins.
Alex woke up from a deep, refreshing sleep. He had been exhausted the previous night. Today, he felt rejuvenated—as if he had grown a year older overnight. Because last night, in his dream, he had lived through what felt like an entire year. Every moment of it was still vivid in his mind. He let out a long sigh.
"Jiduri… then my assumption was right. Jiduri was once a living person sealed within this ring."
The scenes he witnessed were still replaying in his mind. Though he couldn't see the face of the Demon Prince Beelzebub, the sheer magnitude of his power was enough—Alex didn't need to see more to understand. Yet one thought still lingered in his heart—
"That place wasn't Earth… nor Egnolenia. It must have been another world entirely."
Alex pondered deeply. After a moment, he looked up at the sky and murmured—
—>> The number of worlds out there… I'm starting to get really curious.
He kept that curiosity buried within his mind. Because now, everyone had to prepare to move toward the second zone.
---
---
To Be Continued