A brilliant spark morphed into a lightning bolt, cleaving the air and the enemy’s ranks. The potent bolt incinerated dozens of enemies in a flash. However, the Nols and Kobolds at the frontlines, unlike the disrupted rear, were not so easily defeated.

"Ugh..."

Cha Ji Yeon, who had been casting powerful lightning, became the target of the Nols-* laser weaponry. She quickly surrounded herself with electricity, narrowly blocking the incoming laser attacks.

"Guess they don’t have an assassination right. Considering we’re still alive."

Chris joked as he passed by her.

He stomped his foot, and spears of rock erupted from the trembling ground, impaling and killing a large number of enemies. But the enemies, who had once been overrun by just two S-rank hunters, had significantly evolved since then.

"What the hell is that? Guess they’re not even trying to hide anymore."

Chris let out a hollow laugh. A massive machine, operated by a single Nol, appeared on the battlefield with a clanking noise. The bipedal vehicle, the size of a tank, blatantly showcased its formidable firepower.

"Fire!’’

Naturally, it became the target of snipers. Tank shells and anti-tank rockets flew towards it, causing explosions. However, the vehicle, protected by a layered barrier cast by the nearby Kobolds, remained unscathed. It then spewed fire from the large cannon it held.

"No..."

Cha Ji Yeon, who had shielded her face from the shockwave, gritted her teeth at the unfolding disaster. The hellish scene she had desperately wanted to prevent was unfolding right before her eyes.

"Wait. There’s another person as justice-driven as you."

"Director Ji Chang Hyun."

She held her breath, ready to rush forward. Ji Chang Hyun, without hesitation, drew his sword and charged in. Flames enveloped his body as he dashed forward, his sword scattering a flurry of red slashes. His strike cut through everything in its path, including the barrier and the vehicle. For a moment, he seemed like a one-man army. Where his strike passed, flames erupted, incinerating everything.

Considering that even the low-ranking Nols, now enhanced by the Stars Society’s formation, had the power equivalent to a C-rank hunter, it was an incredible feat.

"Your flame technique was more flashy and grandiose when you were a hunter, but you seem stronger now. You’re a former S-rank, after all. Everyone grows, I guess. Even if we both attacked, it would still be tough."

Chris muttered, looking somewhat dejected. In fact, the old ranking system had lost its meaning. Evolution, the Step Up Hunters, and the hunters who had become units were all enhancing their stagnant power in their own ways.

"But, I guess that applies to those bastards too."

Chris stepped forward again. A black knight in black armor was charging towards Ji Chang Hyun. It was definitely not a Nol or a Kobold.[They’re using a different kind of magic... probably indigenous shamanism of this land? They don’t seem to have an assassination right, and they’re resorting to all sorts of methods due to their limitations. It’s clear that the player’s command is to finish them off.]

The player’s will echoed in his mind. As the voice suggested, the enemies were now desperately resisting. They tried their best to defend, but the inherent racial gap was too vast.

To counter beings like Ji Chang Hyun, Chris, and Cha Ji Yeon, who had surpassed a certain threshold, they either needed an equivalent adversary or overwhelming firepower. But the enemies didn’t have such luxuries at the moment.

As Cha Ji Yeon prepared to charge again, she glanced back.

'Will he be okay?’

The rear was also under attack. And he was there. She wanted to rush to his aid right now, but the player, who had judged that they had the upper hand, ordered her to charge. * "Useless! Stupid!" "Will you shut up? Keep it down!" "We’re doomed, doomed! There’s no stopping it!"

In the dark palace, a crown-wearing Nol was running around, squawking loudly. The Kobold chieftain, facing the Nol, shared the same sentiment. Their enemies were too powerful. Both races had received blessings from capable players, but their inherent limitations were inescapable. They were, after all, the lowest-ranking monsters who had once lived as slaves, while their opponents were dominant species that had ruled the world for a long time, based on their advanced intelligence and civilization.

"...Life is so cruel."

The Kobold chieftain sighed in despair. He didn’t know the exact reason, but his player, who had taught him various spells, was extremely busy at the moment. He knew he was in danger, but there was no way to help him now. The reality was that he was only losing, despite having received help continuously. The feeling of powerlessness was bone-chilling, and it hit him even harder now that he had gained intelligence.

"Pathetic traitors, have you finally realized your place? Was it comfortable living in a noble’s mansion?"

Suddenly, someone appeared out of nowhere in the space where only the two of them should have been. The startled chieftain glared at the Nol, who shook his head in surprise as well.

"Don’t make foolish assumptions. I came here on my own."

He revealed himself from the darkness. His sharp fangs gleamed under the hood he wore, his lips curled into a sly grin.

"A high-ranking demon!"

As soon as the Kobold chieftain identified him, he pointed his staff at him. The Nol also quickly pulled out a gun from his pocket. However, their opponent merely laughed leisurely.

"Foolish... Tell your leaders, or those 'players’ of yours, that I want to make a deal. If they agree to the deal, I can replenish the strength they lost while controlling such lowly 'units’ like you." "How can we..."

"It’s still hard to get used to a Kobold speaking. Just deliver the message. I can’t stand by and watch this land get trampled by mere humans, as a being who once led the glory of this underworld."

He lowered his hood and smirked. Recognizing the black ram’s horns on his head, they froze in shock.

"The Demon King...!’’

"Former Demon King. The current one is still asleep."He corrected the Kobold chieftain.

"...He just said, how can we trust you? Your primitive underworld magic won’t help."

"Huh, amusing. But yes, I agree to some extent. I, no, this entire underworld was a frog in a well, and this world, this universe is vast. So, foolish Kobold, tell your player right now. You too are nothing but a speck of dust. Who knows what disasters unknown to you are lurking in your world?"

He laughed leisurely. The Kobold chieftain was taken aback. Despite the humiliating words, his player didn’t respond. As if he had hit the nail on the head.

"You should think carefully. The whirlpool of fate you’re caught in ultimately leads to infinite competition, survival of the fittest. Don’t waste time on pointless pride and reach out. If you make a deal with me, there will definitely be benefits."

"He, he says he wants to hear it."

"Our player too!"

Both the Kobold chieftain and the Nol chieftain received responses from their players. He grinned as if he had expected it.

"As a native species not part of the game, I am free from the game’s rules. As someone who doesn’t belong anywhere, I’ve been traveling around the underworld, meeting the races of the underworld who are fighting those earthlings. And I’ve made a decision. I’ll lend my power. In return, I want the culture and technology you’ve learned and obtained from your players. Various magic, shamanism, spirit arts, swordsmanship, spear techniques, particle weapons, martial arts, and so on." "That, that’s..."

"Those all became my power and can also become your power. As a former Demon King, my power still stretches across the entire underworld. There are countless wraith armies and legions I can mobilize right now. The seal that covered the entire underworld, cast by the hero who sacrificed his life, was indeed a powerful seal. But that seal was easily broken by an orc who had learned the spirit arts of another world."

Now, the initiative was completely in his hands. The moment the seal that had been maintained over the demons and the underworld for a long time was simply broken by the power of another world, a native force that could be mobilized like the Earth’s alliance forces could be created.

A force called 'high-ranking demons’ who once ruled this land.

"Survival comes first, doesn’t it? Stop the pointless competition and knock out the most dangerous ones first."

He lifted his head and shouted into the void. It wasn’t a message for the Kobold chieftain or the Nol chieftain. It was a direct message to their real masters.

[Say you agree]

[Accept it! Quickly!]

And the players, cornered, eventually accepted his proposal.

"Well, I should at least save your lives for now."

The deal was struck. He stepped outside the mansion and floated into the air. His eyes took in the desolate and barren landscape, soaked in magic. He was once the ruler of the underworld, the owner of the underworld. The moment the seal that had been placed over the entire underworld was broken due to the hero’s desperate self-destruction, he regained some of his past power.

'The spirits of magic, the chains of my heart, amplify the magic power stored in the battery.’

And he could momentarily explode that part of his power beyond its peak. What made it possible were the technologies provided by the invaders from another world. His vessel, which absorbed them one by one cunningly, amplified that magic power exponentially.

"Underworld, attack your enemies at the command of your master."

For the first time, he had openly revealed himself after covertly assisting the underworld forces. The decision to step forward was driven by the frailty of the Kobolds and Nols on this frontline. He believed it was finally time to engage fully.