Reckless provocation. Everyone who saw it thought the same thing—Sungshik had gone mad.

Even the strongest among them, Han Cheolsik, had been struck down by a single undead from that army. That undead had displayed an absurd level of strength.

And that wasn't just a single entity. It was an entire legion of hundreds of undead. There wasn’t even the slightest chance of winning a fight. Begging for their lives on their knees wouldn’t be enough, yet here he was, provoking them.

‘Th-that… that crazy bastard…’

Shin Jinwoo, who had just lost his arm, felt the same way. The pain and shock of losing his arm had momentarily stunned him, but when he saw Sungshik’s demeanor, his mouth hung open, forgetting even the pain.

‘You… you insane bastard, get down and beg! If you want to die, die alone!!’

They say that when someone is too shocked, they lose the ability to speak. That was exactly what happened to Shin Jinwoo. He wanted to scream for Sungshik to get down and beg, but the words were stuck in his throat.

The same was true for the superhuman with a healing trait who had been hurriedly casting a healing spell on Jinwoo. They just stood there, mouth agape, staring in disbelief.

“Kuhuhuhu. Yes, you. Keep flailing around like a mad fish. Let’s see how far you can go.”

In the midst of that tense atmosphere, Han Eunyeong finally spoke. Her eyes were filled with madness and bloodlust. Not a trace of human warmth remained in them.

‘Her humanity is almost gone.’

Sungshik swallowed hard. The process of partial demonization was now complete. If more time passed, she would fully transform into a demon.

‘I have to end this today.’

Once she fully demonized, things would become much more troublesome. Her power level would be on a whole different scale. Right now, Sungshik could still put up a fight, but if she completed her transformation, he wouldn’t be able to guarantee victory anymore.

‘No, I’d probably have to run for my life instead.’

That was right. Even if he used Future Vision, it would still be a struggle. Once she became a demon, she would be at least seven-star rank or higher. And even among beings of the same rank, demons were stronger than humans.

It was only natural. Even if two devices ran the same software, the hardware they ran on determined their performance.

Furthermore, even as a human, Han Eunyeong had already displayed near-invincible strength within the seven-star rank range. Her trait was one that maximized its power in that range.

Gulp.

Just thinking about the army of death that the demonized Han Eunyeong could summon made him swallow nervously.

‘I must settle this today.’

Sungshik’s eyes burned with determination. This was no longer just a matter of personal vengeance—it was a matter of life and death.

‘But…’

He glanced behind him.

The Yongho guild members were staring at him and Han Eunyeong.

‘Using Future Vision to go all out would be too risky with them behind me.’

He considered using Future Vision immediately and fighting at full power. But Sungshik had already suffered once from the debuff period that followed its use. He hesitated to rely on it so soon.

Instead, he decided to engage first and assess the situation.

‘Alright. I can always use it as a last resort.’

Besides, while Han Eunyeong and her undead army were a threat, he believed he could manage without using Future Vision. He had a trump card.

As soon as he made up his mind, he acted without hesitation.

Swoosh.

He lowered his upper body, shifted his weight forward, and pulled his foot back.

Flash—

Then, like a bolt of lightning, Sungshik shot forward! Everyone watching widened their eyes in shock at his unimaginable speed. Maintaining that speed, he charged straight at the elite Black Knight at the front of the army.

Crash!

The elite Black Knight, who had toyed with Han Cheolsik as if he were a child, was sent flying with a single kick.

“!”

Everyone was struck with pure astonishment. A scene they never could have imagined.

It was only natural. Aside from the people who had brought Sungshik to the Yongho guild, none of the other members even knew who he was.

They had first seen him facing off against Han Eunyeong. Then, they had watched him exchange blows with her after she began to demonize. From that brief exchange, they had thought, ‘Oh, he must be pretty skilled.’ But that was the extent of it.

After all, Han Eunyeong wasn’t a physical-type superhuman—she was a magic-type. Moreover, she was known to be ranked at five-star+.

Exchanging a few physical blows with someone like that wasn’t something beyond a newly promoted five-star superhuman. That’s why no one had considered Sungshik to be stronger than Han Cheolsik.

Preconceived notions had also played a role. A complete stranger, someone they had never seen before. There wasn’t a single person who would have thought he was stronger than Han Cheolsik, one of the top ten rankers in the country. That made their shock all the greater.

“Wha… wow…”

“What… what the hell?”

At the same time, what they saw sparked a faint glimmer of hope.

“Oh…!”

“Please…!”

Watching Sungshik’s display of power, they began to feel desperate hope.

As if responding to their desperate wishes, Sungshik began to move in earnest.

Park Gunwoo felt like he was experiencing hell today. When he had set out on patrol, he never could have imagined something like this happening.

Missing superhumans found. Vice guild Leader Han Eunyeong’s demonization. guild Leader Han Cheolsik’s overwhelming defeat.

He had witnessed all of it from beginning to end, to the point where he wondered if this was all just a nightmare.

And when Han Cheolsik lost consciousness and Han Eunyeong, along with the undead army, turned their gazes toward him, he wet himself in fear.

‘I don’t want to die like this. I… I want to live.’

After struggling to graduate from the Superhuman Academy, Park Gunwoo had pushed himself to his limits, rising to four-star rank. As a reward for his efforts, he had managed to join the prestigious Yongho guild.

That had been just three months ago. He had only just started to stretch his wings, and now this dark shadow loomed over his future. Being young and full of dreams, he wanted to survive more than anyone.

That’s why, when Shin Jinwoo suggested retreating, he had been the first to wholeheartedly agree. But when he saw Jinwoo’s arm get severed, it felt as if his own head was about to be cut off.

Just as he was drowning in despair, he stepped forward. At first, when Sungshik started cursing and provoking the enemy, Gunwoo wanted nothing more than to shut his mouth.

But that was when the unexpected happened.

When Sungshik sent the Black Knight flying with speed faster than lightning, Gunwoo was completely dumbfounded.

Huh? What? Is this some kind of elaborate prank?

The shocks he had suffered today were too overwhelming for him to process everything rationally. Before Gunwoo could even fully grasp the situation, Sungshik moved again.

Han Eunyeong and the undead finally reacted and charged toward him, but instead of backing away, he dove straight into their ranks.

Not only Park Geonwoo but everyone flinched in shock at his reckless actions. When the undead, who had been spread out widely, swarmed toward him, it seemed like it was over.

Yet, despite being surrounded by the undead, he somehow slipped through their encirclement with ease and once again stood at the front of the Yongho guild.

“Oh, my God.”

Just as everyone sighed in relief at his safety, his sword suddenly began to burn white.

“Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts Fifth Style, Shatter.”

As he murmured and swung his sword, the world flashed white. A blinding flash engulfed everything, followed by a massive explosion.

Kwaaaaaang—

Park Geonwoo widened his eyes as he looked at the scene revealed after the explosion. He couldn’t help it.

There was no one standing in front of Sungshik.

“Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts Fifth Style, Shatter.”

Kwaang.

Heaven-Splitting Martial Arts Fifth Style, Shatter. At his current level, Sungshik could only execute it in an incomplete form.

But he was certain. With this one move, he could wipe out Han Eunyeong and the undead army before him.

The reason for his confidence was simple.

Skill

[A-Rank] Shining Enchant
— Temporarily grants the attribute of ‘Light’ to a weapon.
— All attacks made with a weapon imbued with Shining Enchant gain additional Light attribute power.

It was because he had the skill ‘Shining Enchant.’

The way he obtained this skill was simple. During the brief period when the Future Foresight Debuff had been in effect, when Han Eunyeong had given him a grace period, he had acquired it through the community to counter her darkness attribute.

However, acquiring [A-Rank] Shining Enchant had been purely a matter of luck. With the coins he had, Sungshik couldn’t afford to purchase an A-rank Light attribute skill. Not only were there no listings, but the few that existed had base prices nearing billions.

After selling all his miscellaneous items, including the [Heroic] Staff of Elisha, he barely managed to gather a little over ten million coins.

With this amount, he could barely afford a single C-rank skill. Although the system had suddenly increased the number of skills available for sale after he drew a B-rank Random Skill Ball, the prices were outrageously high.

That’s when he made up his mind—to try his luck with a ‘Random Draw’ Skill Ball.

[Common] A-Rank Random Skill Ball (Light Attribute)

— Grants a random Light attribute skill ranging from A to F rank upon use.

The random skill ball could yield any Light attribute skill. The highest possible rank was A, which made the price exceed five million coins. This wasn’t an inflated price—it was the actual market value.

Considering that most of these random skill balls resulted in the lowest F-rank skills, it was an absurdly expensive gamble. But Sungshik trusted his instincts and boldly made the purchase.

He immediately used the two [Common] A-Rank Random Skill Balls (Light Attribute) he had bought.

‘Ding—’

[E-Rank] Beginner Heal
— Slightly restores wounds.
— Provides a minimal health regeneration effect.

The first skill was E-Rank Beginner Heal. It wasn’t an F-rank skill, but it still made his heart sink for a moment. He realized that relying on instinct to open random boxes didn’t always guarantee the best results. The odds were high, but not absolute.

Fortunately, the second random skill ball produced a much better result.

‘Ding—Congratulations! You have acquired the [A-Rank] Shining Enchant skill!’

The moment he obtained this skill, Sungshik was certain. At this moment, the heavens were on his side. As soon as the Future Foresight Debuff was lifted, he was confident he wouldn’t lose to Han Eunyeong.

And it wasn’t just because of [A-Rank] Shining Enchant. There was another reason—his unique trait, Fragment of Light.

[S-Rank] Fragment of Light

— A trait obtained from the source of light. Gathering more of its power can enhance the trait’s level.
— Allows the user to learn all Light attribute skills.
— Light Attribute +30 / Darkness Resistance +30 / Light Attribute Attack Power +30%

The additional Light Attribute +30 and Light Attribute Attack Power +30%, along with Darkness Resistance +30, gave him an overwhelming advantage against enemies who wielded the power of darkness.

That was why Sungshik could remain composed against Han Eunyeong until the very end.

“Guh… guhuhh…”

All the undead had been obliterated, but Han Eunyeong alone was still twitching on the ground. Her vitality was as persistent as a cockroach’s. In truth, once someone became a demon, their tenacity for survival became just as stubborn.

Step, step.

Sungshik walked toward Han Eunyeong, whose limbs had been severed, leaving her writhing on the ground, barely clinging to life.

“……”

He silently looked down at her.

“Kugh… y-you… bastard…”

Even in her final moments, her eyes were filled with hatred toward Sungshik. The rage she displayed was excessive. Was it because she blamed him entirely for how everything had fallen apart?

That seemed to be the case.

‘Yeah, this woman was always like this.’

Even before his regression, she had been narrow-minded and petty. Even now, she refused to acknowledge her own failings, directing all her hatred toward Sungshik instead.

‘It’s… complicated.’

Seeing someone who had once been one of the Eleven Constellations now writhing at his feet stirred indescribable emotions within him. In the past, he couldn’t even step on her shadow, yet now she was reduced to this.

“Y-you… I… I will…”

Even as she struggled to utter her last words, Sungshik merely shook his head and swung the Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword, ending her.

“Waaaahhh!”

“W-we’re alive!”

“Sniff… Thank you… Thank you so much.”

The members of the Yongho guild erupted in cheers upon witnessing Han Eunyeong’s demise. It was as if they had received a death sentence, been dragged to the execution chamber, and then miraculously spared.

As the overjoyed Yongho guild members rushed toward him, Sungshik suddenly halted. A flood of system notifications appeared before his eyes.

— You have slain the Half-Demon ‘Han Eunyeong.’
— Amazing Achievement! As the first to slay a demon, you have obtained the title ‘Demon Hunter.’
— You have acquired ‘Fragment of the Black Moon.’
— A trait obtainable from ‘Half-Demon Han Eunyeong’ has been detected. Would you like to acquire [SS-Rank] Army of the Dead?