Chapter 344 – Seven Jewels and One Sword (6)

[Be careful.]

[Just leave it to me!]

Bam! Bam!

Balrog banged his chest while grinning ear to ear.

The Arch Lich shook his head upon seeing the stupid grin and closed his eyes to focus on repairing the damage the wall had sustained from the Balrog. With small cracks allowing the slimes outside to potentially sneak in, he had to ensure it was fully covered.

Ironically, the one not participating in the battle—the Arch Lich—was likely having the toughest time.

“Mavros!”

“Kieeek!”

Chwak!

Mavros transformed into his combat mode and spread his wings. He couldn't participate in the battle due to the narrow passages, but the boss room offered enough space for him to extend his wings and fly. Though not ample for complete freedom of flight, it was still an improvement over being entirely grounded.

“Surround him!” Han-Yeol shouted.

“Huff!”

[Okay!]

[Leave it to me!]

“Hoho~ As you wish, master~”

Tia, Balrog, Asus, and Camelot swiftly responded to Han-Yeol's command, immediately forming a surround formation around the King Slime.

Plop! Plop!

The King Slime appeared confused, staying put as Han-Yeol's party members closed in.

"ATTACK!"

Tak!

Upon Han-Yeol's signal, everyone assaulted the King Slime. The boss raid raged on fiercely, with the party unleashing their full array of skills. Despite their onslaught, the King Slime retaliated, spewing acid, shooting tentacles everywhere, and using its body to shove them back.

The Arch Lich stealthily prepared a spell, aiming to bring down the King Slime, but the monster proved resilient against the powerful incantation.

Finally, the raid culminated as Han-Yeol leaped into the air, swinging his Magma Longsword to cleave the King Slime in half. In the process, he struck the monster's core, prompting a shriek before its demise.

[Oh?] the Arch Lich muttered in amazement upon noticing the abrupt cessation of the constant banging against his ice walls.

He refocused his senses, confirming the absence of any remaining slimes, and subsequently dispelled his spells.

The thick wall of ice melted away, revealing outside the boss room a landscape littered with the remains of dead slimes and their mana stones. Not a single one of the slimes had survived after their life force source, the King Slime, perished.

Ding!

[You have killed and granted eternal rest to the cursed slime, the ‘Slime King’!]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

‘Phew…’ Han-Yeol finally let out a sigh of relief after seeing the messages.

The Slime King raid wasn't overly challenging, though it did take some time to defeat. Enemies relying solely on special abilities no longer posed a threat to Han-Yeol; instead, he found greater difficulty in overcoming physically formidable foes compared to those dependent on skills alone. After all, in a skill-based contest, Han-Yeol likely boasted the most extensive skill set.

Preparing to tidy up the surroundings post-boss raid, he noticed something amiss. ‘Hmm?’

Sensing a sudden rise in temperature, Han-Yeol scanned the area and discovered Balrog's body engulfed in flames.

‘D-Don’t tell me?!’

Woooong!

A surge of red mana encircled Balrog, intensifying the flames.

[Bwahahaha! How will the youngsters keep up with me if I’m evolving at this age?]

‘Who’s he talking to?’ Han-Yeol noticed Balrog seemingly conversing with someone.

The red mana shrouding Balrog grew increasingly dense, gradually shifting through shades from crimson red to dark orange, yellow, bright yellow, white, light blue, and finally blue.

‘Hold up! Blue flames?!’ Han-Yeol exclaimed inwardly, recognizing blue as the hottest flame color.

Balrog's flames blazed at the utmost temperature possible.

Bam!

Balrog unleashed his newfound powers in all directions and...

Ding!

[The Vanguard of Baal’s Army, Balrog, has awakened his powers.]

[Balrog retired due to his age, but his awakening and newfound power have defied nature, granting him a new body.]

[The Intermediate-Ranking Demon, Balrog, has evolved into a High-Ranking Demon—Blue Balrog.]

[Demon evolution is a rare occurrence even in the demon world, where wars rage every day of the year.]

[Baal is surprised by this news and has developed an interest in you.]

[Invoke has increased by 500.]

Ding!

[The rank of 'Summon Demon' has risen.]

[Invoke has increased by 100.]

“…”

Han-Yeol was taken aback by what he read. Despite Balrog often downplaying his abilities due to age and retirement, Han-Yeol accepted the idea that being an intermediate-ranking demon marked Balrog's limit—a wall he'd failed to surpass in his youth. But now, an abrupt evolution into a high-ranking demon?

‘But I don’t see any difference…?’ Han-Yeol pondered while inspecting Balrog’s appearance. Then, he wondered, ‘Is that it?’

Kwachik!

Just as Han-Yeol was about to feel disappointed, Balrog’s body underwent changes.

‘W-What?!’

His bones dislocated, skin ripped open, and muscles twisted—a grotesque sight that would prompt those with a weak stomach to turn away. However, Han-Yeol observed the entire transformation process, unfazed by the horror unfolding before him.

Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik!

The bones twisted further, puncturing and tearing muscles. Most people would find the sound repulsive, but Han-Yeol, thrilled and eager, continued to watch, his heart racing.

This was a historic moment—Balrog evolving into a high-ranking demon, Blue Balrog. He wouldn't miss a single second of it. Besides, he’d faced repulsive sights fighting the Hyena Sorcerers, training him to stomach such things.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Balrog, now Blue Balrog, grew larger.

Kwachik… Chwak!

“Gwuuu Ooooh!”

The transformation ended with a roar as wings sprouted from Blue Balrog’s back. Previously about five meters tall, he now stood at seven meters with a fifteen-meter wingspan.

‘Huh? Damn it! I just lost another demon I can summon in cramped places!’

“Sigh…” Han-Yeol sighed, despite the joyous occasion.

Both Mavros and the Void Executor couldn't join the fight against the slimes due to the narrow passage. Blue Balrog’s growth made it equally challenging for him in confined spaces. Losing another comrade he could summon in such terrain meant only the Arch Lich and Asus remained.

Fwoof!

Blue Balrog blew air from his nostrils.

Then, a troubling thought struck Han-Yeol, ‘Don’t tell me…! Is he going to ignore my commands now that he evolved?!’

He started breaking out in a cold sweat. Balrog, a reliable ally despite being an intermediate-ranking demon, had increased Han-Yeol’s Invoke stat significantly. However, there was no guarantee a high-ranking demon would follow his commands.

This was the worst possible scenario for Han-Yeol. He’d have to seek out a sigil of another intermediate-ranking demon, summon and nurture it—all from scratch.

‘I refuse! I won’t accept that!’

Demon growth was excruciatingly slow; Balrog’s two-year evolution into Blue Balrog implied another two years to nurture an intermediate-ranking demon.

Fortunately, his worries were unfounded.

[Oh? This feels really good.]

Blue Balrog appeared entirely different from Balrog. Whereas Balrog had a physique where his head seemed disproportionately larger than his shoulders, diminishing his intimidating presence, his broken horns only added to his less threatening appearance.

However, after evolving, he now boasted broad shoulders, prominent bulging muscles, elongated horns, and an overall larger body. He resembled precisely how ancient demons were described to appear.

‘C-Check status!’

[Blue Balrog]

Level: 1

Rank: High

Experience: 0/10,000,000

Attributes: Judgement 100%, Flames of Calamity 100%[1]

Ability: Flames of Calamity

Stats:

STR: 1,300

VIT: 1,300

AGI: 1,100

MAG: 2,000

Tenacity: 2,000

Skills: Whip of Judgement, Mini Balrog, Fire Breath, Balrog Roar

Gulp!

Han-Yeol swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat at the sight of Blue Balrog’s stats. ‘M-Monster…! He’s a monster now!’

He'd believed the Void Executor to be the pinnacle of demon power, confident that other high-ranking demons would pale in comparison. However, that belief was shattered; Blue Balrog surpassed the Void Executor in strength.

[Oh? A younger body? I guess I can really fight to my heart’s content now.]

The once aloof Balrog was gone, replaced by a calm Blue Balrog.

[I’ll be in your care, human.]

“I'll rely on you, Blue Balrog-nim,” Han-Yeol responded respectfully.

[Mwahahaha!]

Blue Balrog's laughter echoed, carrying a newfound energy that Han-Yeol could sense as mana.

With greetings done, Han-Yeol moved to collect mana stones when...

Boom!

‘Huh?’

The noise of something collapsing resounded through the dungeon, caught by Han-Yeol’s keen ears from one corner of the boss room.

Investigating, he found a collapsed section of the wall, revealing a secret path.

‘What’s this?’ he inspected closely, realizing it was a new passage within the dungeon.

In such cases, there were two possibilities—an extension populated by new monsters or a hidden treasure room guarded by the boss.

‘Either way, it doesn’t matter.’

Han-Yeol found the Slime Dungeon somewhat lackluster in return for the time and effort invested. The slimes, individually weak and a nuisance in numbers, posed no significant challenge when he had all his demons summoned.

Figuring he could hunt more monsters for experience, Han-Yeol, an adrenaline junkie thrilled by new challenges, sought to make the most of his time in the dungeon.

Kwachik!

“Alright, let’s go!” Han-Yeol grinned and cracked his knuckles.

“Kiek!” Mavros replied with a cry.

Han-Yeol sheathed his Magma Longsword and Ice Blade after defeating the Slime King, summoning them again in readiness for any new monsters on this unexplored path.

Thud… Thud… Thud…

He navigated through the rubble, venturing deeper into the unknown passage.

“Huh?”

For better or worse, he didn’t encounter an extension of the dungeon. Instead, he found a lengthy staircase leading to what resembled a temple.

Confirming the absence of monsters, Han-Yeol dismissed his demons to the demon world. With no battles imminent, he didn’t require their presence.

‘Was the King Slime guarding these stairs?’ he pondered.

Most dungeons had fallen under the control of the hyenas, their inhabitants turned into minions attacking the Light Faction. However, the Slime King controlled the slimes, making it inefficient for the hyenas to conquer this particular place.

It appeared that the Slime Dungeon served as an excellent hiding spot, and Han-Yeol found himself within it almost as if fate had guided him there.

1. There's no other way to say this—let's trust author-nim and go along with their direction. ☜