Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Easter Egg

Chapter 2) Easter Egg

March 14th, 2016 .

People would never forget this day .

72 dungeons simultaneously appeared with no warning on this day . The dungeons were large enough to be seen with the naked eyes so it was natural that they would block the sky .

People were at a loss from the giant shadow . The scale was so unrivalled that they had no choice but to be overwhelmed .

There were a number of assumptions such as an alien’s house, the dwelling place of a god, a subterranean world, etc .

In the end, some brave people were unable to overcome their curiosity . And most people who entered didn’t come back .

The survivors who returned from the dungeon alive trembled as they mentioned the monsters . Some people gained a mental illness and others committed suicide .

Then an American man called John posted a video on YouTube . It was a video of inside the dungeon that John took with a mobile phone and it caused a great shock to the world .

The dungeon was filled with all types of creatures . They were monsters that didn’t exist in this world . Any living thing was their enemy! The human body was simply torn apart in front of them .

“Hwiyu~ Is this CG?”

“How terrible!”

“This video isn’t a composite image . There is also no CG . ”

“The earth will perish in 2020 . It is due to these monsters . ”

The world was embroiled in unrest as unsanctioned information spread across every country . YouTube, SNS, blogs, personal broadcasting, newspapers etc . Every type of media spread the topic .

Doubts were raised as more days passed . Discord grew over time . After a lot of speculation, the United States Defense Minister gave an official announcement about the dungeon .

“There is a cave . A dungeon . A common place found in fantasy novels have emerged here . We mobilized state of the art equipment in order to observe the inside of the dungeon but failed . No matter how small it is, the creatures inside will attack . Outside the dungeon… . there is an invisible barrier that will invalidate all attacks . ”

Gulp!

A melting pot of tension . The story of the dungeons was a hot topic in 2016 . Information about it started pouring in .

The Defense Minister drank water and continued .

“We have dispatched the special forces to search inside a dungeon . However, firearms don’t seem to work properly inside the dungeons . It is like the space is distorted as bullets won’t fly in the desired direction and bombs won’t explode . We were about to capture some weak creatures but there was intervention from a strong presence . The strike was so quick that it wasn’t visible! We were finally forced to retreat . ”

All the reporters and people watching the video were surprised .

It had been several months since the dungeons appeared . Yet it was surprising that the United State’s first words mentioned retreat

More than anything, the fact that modern firearms didn’t work inside the dungeons caused a real shock . The creatures were invincible inside the dungeon .

“Then… . is there nothing we can do?” Won’t it be a big deal if they emerge outside?”

A reporter raised their hands and asked a question .

The Defense Minister shook his head .

“The creatures are only tricky inside the dungeons . No matter how powerful they are, they can’t deal with modern weapons once they emerge outside . ”

The weapons became useless inside the dungeons . They were able to obtain some data from the creatures after risking their lives . As a result, they concluded that they could kill the creatures outside the dungeon despite considerable damage .

Guns were sufficient against the weak creatures . In contrast, there was a higher probability of a bullet hitting an ally inside the dungeon . So they didn’t commit troops .

Another reporter asked with a puzzled expression .

“Then are we letting the risk stay?”

The Defense Minister gave a shallow smile .

“Have you heard about a Hero? In the east, they are known as brave people . ”

“Is that word being spoken these days?”

“Yes, that’s right . They are the only ones that can face the creatures in the dungeon . ”

Dungeons had appeared . However, it wasn’t just the dungeons .

Heroes also emerged .

In other words, they had awakened . They appeared at the same time as the dungeons .

They called themselves Heroes . Their physical state was outside the limit of normal humans .

In particular, their attacks were fatal to the creatures . The creatures that didn’t die from guns were easy to handle .

“More than anything else…the Core will also give aid . It can even be called a Philosopher’s Stone . ”

Buzz!

There was an uproar among the reporters .

A Philosopher’s Stone could be called a ‘complete’ material .

That’s why it was strange that those words would emerge from the mouth of the Defense Minister .

But they were forced to close their mouths as the Defense Minister continued .

If they hunted a number of creatures then a Core would emerge . The Core was the size of a baby’s heart but it contained considerable energy . It looked like a burning stone . And the conflagration would continue for some time . It also produced other energy . It could also be called New Energy .

If the Core was sprayed on wounds, they would be healed without a trace and pouring a little bit into water could cure illnesses . It could also enhance virility or make the body younger .

This alone was worthy for it to be called a Philosopher’s Stone .

“Ha… . ”

“That is ridiculous . ”

Very few people were aware of this fact . But today it was revealed to the world .

At the same time, the reporters were puzzled . Why did he come forward with this information?

The United States would’ve been able to obtain an astronomical amount of money with this information .

But the United States thought differently . 72 dungeons existed . The secret would be exposed one day . They were determined to use it to take the initiative .

Especially with the number of Awakened slowly increasing . A secret society would continue to cause huge chaos . In fact, that was on everybody’s lips at the moment . Humans were an easy race to turn evil . They produced a lot of problems in society .

That was why the United States determined that they couldn’t hide their rotten parts . They revealed the secrets of the Core .

“We don’t discriminate against the Awakened from any area . We will treat everyone equally . ”

The reason the United States did this was simple . It was in order to attract more Awakened!

At first they tried to destroy the dungeons but soon realized the astronomical value of the Cores . The value of the Core was incomparable to oil . Nothing in the world could compare to the Core .

There was a limited number of dungeons but the creatures were terrible . A lot of Awakened were needed to obtain the Cores .

In the near future . If they were successful in their domestication…in additional to solving the world’s energy problem, the human race might ‘evolve’ further .

The Heroes would explore the dungeons and dig up the truth . The Core at the end of the dungeon couldn’t be compared to anything . This was an opportunity for the human race to reach the truth . At least they thought so .

“But is the Core really a complete material?”

The reporters still couldn’t trust those words .

The Defense Minister laughed at this .

“We are willing to share the Core we have . Any country can make a formal request for it . They can check the purpose of the Core for themselves . ”

The United States shared he Core immediately after the press conference ended . It didn’t take a long time to demonstrate the effect of the Core .

And… .

This became the Era of Heroes .

* * *

‘The end of the Beginner’s Protection Period is approaching . ’

Immediately after breaking through the training room, I examined the internal situation of the dungeon using the Dungeon Core . Everything was empty except for the 1st floor but I still needed to determine the status .

‘I think the situation should be fine despite my neglect . ’

I couldn’t manage the domestic affairs when stuck in the training room . Looking at the status of the 1st floor, it seemed like it would endure for another few months .

‘But I can’t neglect it . ’

There was a need to raise the dungeon guards and make them stronger . In order to do this, I needed to go through each floor organically .

“Domestic Mode . ”

Syuong!

[Entered Domestic Mode . ]

The Dungeon Core emitted a hologram .

It was a small sized model of the dungeon . There was a total of 31 floors and everything was empty except the 1st floor . In contrast, the 1st floor had countless small, blue dots .

Some red dots were visible at the entrance which meant humans had entered the dungeon .

‘32,144 Kobolds . 87,112 Goblins . 12,246 Earthworms . Meat Rats…around 400,000? That is too many . I need to reduce it . ’

I needed to properly control the ecology of the dungeon . In particular, the meat rats were ferocious creatures that would attack all living things in the area due to hunger . They would even eat their own kin .

‘There isn’t a natural enemy . But the number can’t increase . ’

If the meat rats were installed on the 1st floor then they would be the only creature remaining there . It was an unhealthy phenomenon .

I pondered for a moment before asking Yihi who was snoozing on my shoulder .

“What is a predator of the meat rats?”

“Huup! Yes, yes? Yihi wasn’t asleep!”

“Wipe up your saliva . ”

Yihi wiped her drool with her hands .

“Hmm . The predator of the meat rats? Yihi knows this very well . Cats, snakes and weasels . ”

A cat or weasel would be easily hunted by kobolds or goblins . I needed to take care of the physical relationships between different members of the ecosystem .

“What about snakes? I hope for cheaper ones . ”

The creatures would also cost dungeon points . Especially when needing a considerable number of predators . I needed to release something that could suppress the meat rats .

“The cheapest Ale Snake costs 20 points . ”

The Ale Snake was among the lowest grade of creatures . Instead, it could quickly adapt and assimilate into the surrounding environment . They were suitable rivals for the meat rats who had poor eyesight .

They were also suitable opponents for brave warriors who entered .

“How many should I release?”

“This is how Yihi sees it . Wouldn’t 1,000 solve the problem?”

That would cost 20,000 pt . It was the value of a magic item . However, it was a necessary investment to preserve the ecology of the 1st floor .

“I’ll buy 1,000 Ale Snakes . ”

A message window came up at the same time .

[1,000 Ale Snakes have been purchased for 20,000 pt . ]

[Specify a location to release within the dungeon . ]

“Randomly on the 1st floor . ”

[1, 000 Ale Snakes have been randomly placed . ]

As soon as the message window disappeared, the number of blue dots on the hologram increased .

Purchasing large quantities of low grade creatures was very efficient . Their intelligence was too low and they wouldn’t follow the Dungeon Master’s command . They would just proliferate and die .

This investment was used to defend the dungeon from warriors . The 1st floor had been tidied up . Now it was time for the rest of the floors .

‘I need to adjust the difficulty of the 4th floor to make it slightly trickier . This will allow the sense of accomplishment when getting stronger . Adventures, exploration…releasing a few magic goods will release more motivation to become stronger . ’

I intended to help them on various fronts .

A plan to cultivate the Heroes! This was one of several plans I set up .

The first step would be released right now .

I tapped my forehead and started to worry about the positioning of the creatures . The difficulty couldn’t climb too rapidly . The stairs needed to be placed step by step in order to be a benefit .

If the difficult increased too suddenly then the Heroes might not climb the dungeon or would wait until they became stronger .

This would take too much time . In addition, I couldn’t get the points if the creatures were too strong . The points invested could be reclaimed .

‘I will mix a handful of Orcs on the 2nd floor . Their breeding rate means I don’t need a lot of them . A few kobold and goblin leaders on the 3rd floor… . ’

The leaders of the various creatures were more organized . I should be choosy . The leaders were much better than the others in their species . It was necessary to use points to buy them for complex tasks .

‘100,000 points will fly away in an instant . ’

I bought them in bulk so all the points seemed to evaporate in an instant . I had 240,722 pt so I needed to save it as much as possible .

‘The Demon World auction is held in 4 months . I need to buy things from there . It will be good to have more points . ’

The Demon World held an auction once a year . The auction was held in the name of the Death Bringer . Precious items not sold in stores could be purchased at the auction .

240,000 points was insufficient for what I wanted to buy . At least 1 million points would be good .

‘In particular, purchasing a half-dragon is necessary . ’

Slaves were available at the Demon World’s auction . Creatures purchased at the auction could be imported into the dungeon . Sometimes the Guardian of the Dungeon Core would come out .

The Dungeon Core was the most central and important thing in the dungeon . Of course an outstanding Guardian was required to defend it .

A half-dragon had the blood of a dragon running through it!

He was one of the guardians of a Grand Duke . He was renowned in his previous life as a demonic lancer who used a demonic spear . He was ranked in the top 10 of demon creatures . His strength could be felt through the skin .

Krasra was one that especially killed humans brutally . He poured his boundless hatred towards humans . Cruel demons would watch him with eyes filled with admiration . He wielded a spear and took the lives of countless brave humans .

That guy would be emerging in this auction . I couldn’t remember the winning price but it was considerable . 240,000 points was probably not good enough .

‘A creature that is measured among the strong . ’

If I could get my hands on Krasra then I could get the 1st ranking . Even if I had to use all the points in my hand . He was violent but all slaves had marks on them that wouldn’t allow them to betray their masters . A Guardian of a Dungeon Core would get plenty of exercise .

‘I wish I can earn more points… . ’

I could get points if the creatures in the dungeon killed the heroes . But this was still the early days . Killing the weak warriors would only give a few points .

Doesn’t that mean I have to kill a lot of them? It would cause ridicule if I asked that question . I needed to wait for the golden goose to lay its egg .

‘Can I achieve something right now?’

Accomplishing a significant achievement could gain points .

Things like combining a unique skill combination for the first time or clearing out the training room . In addition, I needed to trade with some demons but the 4 Grand Dukes are so hostile that demons won’t want to do business with me .

‘Beginner’s Protection Period… . hrmm . Something like wiping out all the monsters on the 1st floor might emerge .

I never heard stories about things obtained from the Beginner’s Protection Period . This was a busy time where demons were adapting . But I could still gain achievements .

Now my skills hadn’t died . My bad lucks means something like a Black Warrior or Dark Knight might be summoned .

Right now my skills were high ranking among the demons . The effect of the performance and title from the training room was enough to make me even with a Duke . Of course, they would become stronger as time passed but I had the upper hand for now .

‘I might not necessarily be first . ’

The result at the beginning might not carry through . However, first time achievements were valuable . It would give benefits .

Dukes and Grand Dukes were in a different position and didn’t need to think about their 1st floor being wiped out . Their capacity at the starting point was different from others . Of course, they could easily wipe out the randomly summoned monsters .

If they didn’t like adventures then there would be no need to leave and other demons couldn’t touch them .

‘I need to do this in 15 days . ’

There was no time left . The Beginner’s Protection Period only lasted for 15 more days .

I made the decision to exit Domestic Mode and moved to the 1st floor of the dungeon .

* * *

Kim Yong-woo .

He was a ‘Starter’ who awakened at the same time that the dungeons appeared .

South Korea had 5 famous Starters . One of them was Kim Yong-woo .

Of course, each of the Awakened were different from the others . He settled on a dungeon invasion strategy where he could quickly build up ‘wealth . ’ Hunting for the Cores that had astronomical value .

He created a guild called Heaven’s Will . The other four Starters also operated their own guilds but came second to Heaven’s Will .

The inner circle of the guild could make use of the Core . There were those with the jobs of blacksmiths or enchanters . They made weapons for easier dungeon hunting . They had sold weapons to other Awakened and already accumulated assets worth billions of won .

‘Life has reversed . ’

He had only been awakened for 7 months . His previous life consisted of newspaper delivery, milk delivery and construction work . Now he was so wealthy, his guild owned a building in Gangnam .

‘Yong-woo ah, life is herbal medicine . Herbal . It is like a reversal on the 9th inning with 2 outs, kukuku…’

He experienced luxurious days he never dreamt about since awakening .

Kim Yong-woo . He was one of the chosen characters .

Heaven’s Will was named because he believed he was selected by the heavens . So what if there were a thousand orphans? What was the big deal with college graduates?

There were many in South Korea with money . He didn’t know it before but South Korea was a really good place to live when you have money . If you didn’t have money . You wouldn’t become anything .

Every day he would ignore the people now under his feet . Swimming in private pools in the morning and hot nights spent with models . Every day was like that . Previously he wanted to die dozens of times a day .

Now he was having fun on a daily basis . A laugh emerged from his mouth .

Was this a difference in perception? A place that made people? Like a butterfly evolving from a caterpillar, he was a completely different existence .

He even thought of the other Awakened as insignificant . He truly believed that the heavens selected him . In South Korea, he was the king .

“Shit… . ”

But he was currently inside a dungeon . This place was in South Korea but it wasn’t South Korea .

He could make tons of money from the creatures in the dungeon .

Kim Yong-woo frowned at the wall . Blood was flowing down his thigh . His coat was ripped . The ripped cloth was tied tightly around his thigh .

It would be nice if he had a potion created from a Core but right now he had nothing . He also had no weapons because he ran away and abandoned his colleagues .

‘Those dogs . Stupid assholes . ’

All 12 members of the team except for himself had died . He didn’t care that he was the only one alive .

No, the real problem was the monster that attacked them .

Rumours had drifted among the Awakened . Stories of monsters in the dungeons with different standards . It was impossible to come back alive after encountering those monsters .

Kim Yong-woo had laughed at them . He had entered dungeons dozens of times . He saw the same midget creatures every time . He was also confident in his abilities .

He raised his stats more eagerly than anyone else . Even his sleeping time was reduced as he devoted himself .

A large monster coming out . He never thought that way . Yet… . today, the creatures had brought a monster . It was a situation where they aggroed it .

Kim Yong-woo’s confidence was shattered . The 12 team members were torn apart like paper .

“Huk, huk… . !”

Just visualizing it caused him to gasp quickly . This wasn’t a rumour inflated delusion . It was the real thing . It wasn’t over-rated but underestimated .

He was like a beggar . Wasn’t keeping his life like winning the lottery?

However, the possibility of that was low . He ran away without looking back but he ended up heading deeper into the dungeon . In a sense, it was like there was still a stranglehold around his neck .

‘I-I was selected . Heaven’s choice!’

Kim Yong-woo gritted his teeth together . And shuddered .

He was selected so he couldn’t die . That’s right . This was an ordeal from the heavens . The heavens had placed trials for humans to defeat . It was impossible that he wouldn’t pass the trials .

Grrrr!

At the same time, his body became paralysed from fear . Kim Yong-woo slowly turned his head .

Saliva was dripping down . It had an appearance similar to a human but it wasn’t a human . Kim Yong-woo watched saliva drip down from the mouth of the monster dressed in black armour .

‘This is a trial . So this is an illusion . No, I’m still dreaming!’

However, the reality hadn’t changed . The humanoid monster in the armour was still there . It had fangs and nails sharp enough to pierce through skin .

A monster outside the normal standards . A monster that wiped out the team . He never thought there would be two of them .

Kim Yong-woo sensed his own death the moment he made eye contact with the creature .

‘Please, please… . ’

The creature approached . Kim Yong-woo closed his eyes .

Grr?

The creature stopped a few steps from him . Then it didn’t move for a while .

Kim Yong-woo opened his shut eyes .

“Dark Warriors…they are a bother . ”

At the same time, he saw a man standing on the other side of the creature . He was good looking compared to the creature . A cold atmosphere could be felt from him .

But he didn’t seem as ferocious as the creature . He also had a sword at the waist . Nevertheless, he had a leisurely air around him .

There was a reason why the creature wasn’t jumping at the man .

The man glanced at Kim Yong-woo .

“A guest has come?”

“Ah, no…no, I… . ”

Kim Yong-woo spoke incoherent gibberish . It was different from his previous cursing attitude . He instinctively felt like begging .

The man said nothing . He just stared at Kim Yong-woo with a ‘hrmm’ expression .

“Still immature . ”

What did he mean by immature? But Kim Yong-woo didn’t ask any questions . There was no possibility of asking . He felt like the man viewed him as food, just like the monster .

Grrr!

And he was ignored .

The monster began to move gradually . Then the man pulled out his sword .

Kim Yong-woo’s eyes became as large as a lantern . Heroes with the blacksmith profession . They were able to use a Core to smelt a sword . The Core and iron was mixed together and a very powerful sword was born . The Core would give off a smell .

It was the scent of magic but Heroes with a strong affinity could smell it . Kim Yong-woo was an Awakened that could smell the scent of magic .

And the black sword was giving off a very intense smell .

‘How can a Core smell like this? Is there a blacksmith that can refine the Core to that extent?’

There wasn’t anything within his knowledge . He heard it was only possible with a rare grade skill . There was a rumour that an Awakened in China had a skill of that rating .

But that was an attack related skill . There was no one with a rare secondary skill in smelting . Kim Yong-woo had gathered a considerable amount of information on each Awakened .

Kang!

At that time, the battle began .

The man attacked the creature with his sword . Oh my god . The sword sliced through previously impervious skin! But the attacks did not stop there .

Kang! Kang! Kakang!

Kim Yong-woo didn’t even think of fleeing as he swallowed his saliva . The man’s movement was more than he could imagine . His eyes couldn’t see it properly .

However, it was the same for the creature . It’s head was targeted and it couldn’t retreat . Only once . It felt like one attack would cause the creature to lose its head .

‘The story has changed?’

Creatures with intelligence? Once again, there was no doubt about such a thing . But that didn’t explain the man fighting the creature now .

Kim Yong-woo felt a bigger shock than when he was Awakened . It felt like he was being eaten by rough waves .

He thought he was an elephant . Other humans were regarded as ants . Sometimes he would send curses to the ants . They might become heated up but their level wasn’t enough to fight him . An ant couldn’t afford to anger an elephant .

But…Kim Yong-woo was like an ant in that man’s eyes . If he was truly a chosen person then that man wouldn’t be in the same bracket .

The tower that was supporting the man called Kim Yong-woo started to collapse .

Chwack!

At that moment, the creature’s right arm was cut off . The arm that was harder than steel was severed .

Kung!

The creature fell down on one knee . The man didn’t hold back . He instantly placed his sword at the creature’s neck .

Degururu… .

The creature’s head rolled towards Kim Yong-woo .

“Huup!”

Kim Yong-woo stared blankly at it with a shocked face and tried to retreat . But there was a wall behind him . There was no hole to fall back to .

The creature that had been his foe had been alive just moments ago . Kim Yong-woo was so frightened that he probably wouldn’t have notice if he wet his pants . The death of the creature just increased his fear of dying .

He sneaked a glance at the man . A pale face . His spirit couldn’t calm down .

He had to admit it . The man was an elephant . And he was considered an ant . He would die if stepped on . An elephant wouldn’t feel remorse for killing an ant .

Kim Yong-woo urgently tried to wake up his body after having that thought . He bowed with his forehead to the ground .

“Spare me… . ”

The man’s eyes turned towards Kim Yong-woo .

“Now you can safely escape from the dungeon . ”

Kim Yong-woo’s body trembled and he felt like crying .

“Y-you will really spare me?”

“Do you want me to kill you or something?”

“Do you need money or… . ”

“It would be better if I kill you right now . ”

Kung! Kim Yong-woo bowed his head again .

“S-spare me!”

The man clicked his tongue .

“Go before I change my mind . 3 seconds . 3, 2… . ”

“T-thank you!”

Kim Yong-woo greatly humbled himself on the spot . Then he ran towards the entrance of the dungeon without looking back .

The man gazed after him for a while with a hungry expression .

* * *

[Unbelievable achievement! All the monsters summoned for the protection of the beginners have been struck down!]

[100,000pt will be paid . ]

The end of a 15 day journey .

I managed to complete it minutes before the Beginner’s Protection Period would end .

‘It was almost too late . ’

I shook my head as I checked the remaining time . There was only 3 minutes left . This time I was even forced to use my blood .

‘It is unfortunate that I am not the first . ’

Sweat was flowing down my forehead . I wanted it but I hadn’t expected to be the first one .

‘100,000 points is still a decent performance . ’

The first person who achieved it probably got 150,000~200,000 points so I regretted being a bit late . I cleaned it up neatly .

But 100,000 points wasn’t a small number . If the achievement window wasn’t displayed then someone else had received it .

‘Achievements not open to the public…’

Achievements didn’t exist indefinitely . The vast majority would disappear after being received 5 times . Therefore most demons didn’t disclose it unless to their faction .

Humans or solo players wouldn’t know about these achievements . That’s why killing the creatures randomly produced during the Beginner’s Protection Period was half a guess .

But I knew the approximate principle achievements . There was a high possibility I could get the related rewards .

3 minutes later, a message window flashed .

[The Beginner’s Protection Period is over!]

[The total results of the 8 months . ]

[Four achievements have been earned . The achievements gives a grand total of 1,250 points!!]

[Class 3 Easter Egg has been opened . ]

… . Um?

At first I was baffled by the phrase . Shouldn’t the normal phrases about the Beginner’s Protection Period appear?

Yet the two lines below that were unfamiliar . Furthermore, the Easter Egg .

I never heard of such a thing . I saw it for the first time . It was at that moment .

[‘Treasure of the Shadow Emperor’ has been opened .

In the Mado Era, magic had developed enough for dragon breeding . The Shadow Emperor was the worst and greediest tyrant of the Mado Empire . He was acknowledge as a god by the humans and his vast legacy has been sleeping for thousands of years . ]

[Rewards list has been updated . You can select only one reward . ]

[Atasha’s Sword (Epic), Strength Potion (Medium), King Ma-ryong’s Horn, Homunculus, Cruel Army Commander… . ]

[Warning! The heart of the Hell Monarch sleeping among the treasure has awakened!]

[Warning! The Hell Monarch is trying to invade your soul!]

‘Kakaka! Stupid gods! I waited for this point . I will be resurrected . Quietly in this flesh… . ?! W-wait a minute, this is? This is the body of a mere demon! Kuaaak!’

[An unknown soul has destroyed the Hell Monarch . ]

[The Heart of the Hell Monarch has arrived safely . ]

[Reward selection has been completed . ]

“Cough!”

I grabbed the heart pouring red blood and collapsed to the ground . And my body started shaking like I had the chills . The heart disappeared into my body .

“Kkuck . ”

Ulkeok!

Numerous amounts of blood poured out of my mouth . Following that, blood flowed out of other pores include my nose and eyes . The feeling of blood draining out of my body!

My spirit couldn’t endure it .

“Heuu… . ”

It was like all the pain I’ve suffered in my life had combined right now . My body twitched like an earthworm . But I never let go of a thin lifeline .

This occurred too fast to prepare for . The pain was only growing stronger . A shallow moan emerged from my mouth .

It wasn’t long before I lost consciousness .

An unknown amount of time passed .

“Hoo . ”

I sighed heavily on the spot . The blood had been washed clean . The pain had disappeared like a lie . It felt like just a dream .

I would’ve dismissed it as a dream except for Yihi staring at me with anxious eyes .

“Master! Are you okay?”

“Did I fall down?”

“It has been 3 days . Yihi thought Master was dying . Sniffle! Foolish Master . Sea squirt, sea cucumber, sea anemone… . . ”

Yihi hit me in the side with a teary face and runny nose . But I had no time to take care of Yihi .

I shook my dizzy head and thought about the situation before I lost consciousness .

‘Class 3 Easter Egg . Heart of the Hell Monarch . ’

I was looking the rewards list when the Heart of the Hell Monarch had appeared out of nowhere . It appeared and forcefully transplanted itself into my body .

But the soul of the Hell Monarch had been extinguished for some reason . The only thing left behind was shuddering levels of pain .

‘What happened to my body?’

But now my body was light . It couldn’t be compared to before . I moved my body through multiple actions .

‘Perhaps?’

Something might’ve changed to update my status window . I stopped my movements and opened the status window .

Name:RandalphSurname:BrigsielOccupationDemon Earl (Dungeon Master)TitleIndomitable Warrior (Ex U, all stats +2)StatsStrength77 (+2)Intelligence63 (+2)Agility73 (+2)Stamina80 (+2)Magic82 (+2) Potential: (375 +10/500)

Uniqueness: Heart of the Hell Monarch has been transplanted (Full strength hasn’t been fully opened) .

Skill: Skill Combination (R), Mind’s Eye (U)

[Before and After Comparison]

Strength 78 Intelligence 50 Agility 74 Stamina 82 Magic 64 Potential (338+10/500)

Strength 79 Intelligence 65 Agility 75 Stamina 82 Magic 84 Potential (375+10/500)

“…Crazy . ”

A sound emerged . I was surprised at the extent of the situation .

My Magic and Intelligence had risen significantly . 15 Intelligence, 20 Magic…I never would’ve believed it if I hadn’t seen it directly . And there was still room to rise .

If Intelligence was high then my speed at learning things would rise . Naturally this meant that skill proficiency would also rise quickly . I could resist more statuses and skills .

Magic increased the destructive power of skills . No matter how good a skill was learnt, it was no use with low magic . In addition, there was a close relationship with dominance . My charisma?

Those two stats were inherently low for me . The stats were good but they weren’t easy to raise . However, that persistent problem was solved to some extent with the Heart of the Hell Monarch . I’m grateful that I only need to raise Intelligence a little more .

‘An unexpected gift . ’

It was different if I lost control of my body but I had fully accepted the heart . There were many unknown things about the world and this situation fit with it .

I gave a smile .

‘The condition to open it is clearing several achievements in the Beginner’s Protection Period… . ’

The score seen earlier was the grade based on the achievements . And the Heart of the Hell Monarch popping up from the Easter Egg was unexpected . A warning message had popped out twice .

And there was a reason I was convinced of it .

‘Compared to ones shown on the rewards list, the Heart of the Hell Monarch is trash . Is this really a reward of the 3rd degree?’

The Heart of the Hell Monarch was completely different from the epic Atasha’s Sword and King Ma-ryong’s Horn . I didn’t believe that it would be the level 3 compensation .

‘Either the Heart of the Hell Monarch is a mistake or it has created a loophole in the system… . ’

I stiffened and my anxiety increased .

‘Don’t tell me I’m on an unexpected road?’

The transplant was already completed . If I tried to remove it then I would surely die . I believe that the Heart of the Hell Monarch intercepted the system . Doesn’t that mean I had to accept the side effects?

‘At any rate, it feels good . ’

It was somewhat confusing but this was an opportunity to become stronger in the future . The unexpected harvest made me feel good .

“Master?”

Yihi blinked her eyes with confusion at the smile .

* * *

The incident was settled after 3 days . I modified my plans for the future while reinforcing the dungeon . It needed to be re-established in accordance with my level .

[Points Remaining: 324,579]

‘I didn’t earn any more points .

I frowned when checking the points . When I last checked, I had 240, 722 points . After adding 100,000 points, I had only earned 857 more points .

‘The level of the humans are still too low . ’

I have no choice but to work for more achievements . The only way to quickly earn points was with achievements .

The Heroes needed to be safely raised in the dungeon . The goose that would lay a golden egg was still young .

‘The human I saw a few days ago didn’t have bad potential for a human . ’

I had seen a human a few days ago . The name was Kim Yong-woo? He was scared and looked clumsy but the potential wasn’t bad . There was enough growth potential .

I used Mind’s Eye to gaze at his status window .

Name: Kim Yong-wooOccupationHero (Warrior)TitleNoneStatsStrength38Intelligence30Agility36Stamina34Magic13 Potential: (150/322)

Uniqueness: ‘Heaven’s Will’ Guild Master

Skill: Basic Swordsmanship (N)

This potential was strong among humans . If he grew up quite a bit then he would be able to hunt creatures alone . My memory couldn’t recall a human with that name . There was no uniqueness but his potential was enough .

‘Heaven’s Will . I’ve also heard of it . ’

I placed my hand on my jaw and pondered . My memory wasn’t bad but it wasn’t superior Of course, I couldn’t remember everything from my past life . But the name Heaven’s Will was familiar so I searched through my memory .

“Ah . ”

I contemplated for a while before nodding .

My dungeon was in the territory between Korea and China . It was perched on the Bukhan Mountain .

The dungeon wasn’t resting on top of the Bukhan Mountain . It was floating in the air . An area of 21 km2, height of 4733m… . ? In fact, it was more than double that size but that was the extent visible to human eyes .

Anyway, Heaven’s Will was one of Korea’s top 5 guilds . Their fame was limited to Korea because they hardly ever hit the dungeons around the world .

Even so, I remember meeting the Guild Master of Heaven’s Will . The most famous magician in the world, the ‘Lightning Queen’ was among the 10 strongest humans . Low and medium ranked demons were unable to deal with her .

The Lightning Queen had quite a number of specific enemies . There was a thrill when lightning thousands of metres large would strike the ground .

In addition to the lightning, she had a strong army behind her . Riding the lightning was dangerous . I had seen her from a distance when she was fighting 12 people in a rage . I remember that Heaven’s Will contained powerful warriors .

‘The guild master has changed?’

Kim Yong-woo’s uniqueness showed that he was the guild master . Perhaps there was an incident that caused the guild master to be replaced .

‘There is nothing left in this dungeon . ’

The Beginner’s Protection Period was over . The work in this dungeon was roughly finished .

‘The time has come to leave for the human world . ’

I don’t have the slightest intention of being stuck in this dungeon . Unlike my previous life, I don’t think I will become strong from staying among the demons . I will mix among humans .

The reason for doing this…because of the 4 Grand Dukes .

They had insanely high pride . A strong belief in their own strength . It would be chaos if they mingled with humans and they would never tolerate such a thing . One assassination attempt could cause a war that would last 10,000 years .

In fact, they were impervious to assassination .

Apart from me, all the 71 other demons belonged to the faction of one of the Grand Dukes . So I couldn’t go against the Grand Dukes . If they shook things up then Earth would be eliminated in 10 years .

The problem was that the Heroes became stronger and placed strong pressure on the demons over time . The demons were divided into 4 factions but the humans were united . As a result, many demons were destroyed .

But I was an existence that rose from the bottom . I directly killed an Earl and took his spot . In other words, I was an irregular case . I had no restraints .

‘Now is the perfect time . ’

My face was known in my previous life . I couldn’t try something like this . But this time was different . The humans hadn’t seen me as a Dungeon Master .

‘I am a Hero . ’

A demonic hero?

It was ridiculous but it wasn’t a joke .

A Hero had high potential and could quickly build name recognition . I could also hit dungeons belonging to other demons . I would fly from behind or the front to augment my skills in the dungeon .

It was the perfect plan where the borrowed knife did the killing .

South Korea had many excellent Heroes . There were Heroes of many levels in this world of cramped land masses . The name of the famous Heroes were engraved in my head .

After determining a plan, a location rose in my head .

‘Let’s go . ’

Now it was time to go out into the real world .