novelraw Chapter 194 : Demons Class (3)
Chapter 194 : Demons Class (3)
As soon as the violet aura of the item entered my vision, my Craftsman ability activated, revealing its status.
[Spear of Guiding Evil]
A spear adorned with a dark blue banner. Each flutter of the banner releases a chilling sound and aura.
Attack: +1,335 ~ 1,987
Dark Attack: +1,000 ~ 1,200
Defense: +621
Critical Rate: +10%
MP: +500
Strength: +38
Agility: +36
Finally. Our first legendary.
It was a level 41 legendary weapon.
The description confirmed the hallmarks of legendary gear:
First, the raw stats like attack and defense far surpassed rare equipment.
Second, legendaries carried unique abilities—effects that even unique items sometimes lacked.
This Spear of Guiding Evil, for example, could briefly revive slain monsters as undead and turn them into poison bombs.
Unlike unique items, which often had poor base stats, legendaries outclassed rares in both numbers and effects. They could serve as true endgame gear.
But honestly, this particular weapon was useless.
Its level was too low. That was unavoidable—the gear dropped according to the monsters’ level, and monsters followed the players’ level.
The bigger problem was its traits.
Dark and poison damage… a romantic dual element, sure. But none of these kids can use it properly.
If someone here had a dark or poison-based ability, it would’ve been worth keeping.
But no one did.
The closest was Meiling, with her dark-element Death Domain magic—but there was no synergy with this weapon.
While I thought it over, the four from Ucheon huddled around the spear.
“Hmm…”
“What do you think, Rio?” Maria asked.
“The aura’s color alone makes it obvious. We’ve never seen anything like this before. What about you, Yugeun?”
“I agree,” Ha Yugeun said, crouching closer. “Maybe we just made a huge discovery.”
Rio’s voice brimmed with excitement.
“This is a legendary item,” said Kim Sangshik as he stepped forward. He picked up the spear, its violet aura bathing his mask.
“Legendary?” Maria blinked at him.
“Yes. They appear in these newly emerged dungeons. They emit this violet aura and carry effects we’ve never seen before. Very few have been found so far, so almost no one knows what they’re truly capable of.”
“Then… how do you know?” she asked.
“I said few, not none.” He studied the weapon, feigning appraisal.
“I’ll identify this item. If any of you can make use of it, I’ll give it to you. If not, I’ll dismantle it and craft something else for you.”
“Wait—you can identify, dismantle, and craft items too?” Maria gasped.
Rio and Yugeun’s eyes widened.
“Yes. Which is why you should focus on hunting. Look—the gates are opening again.”
At his words, everyone turned.
Wave 108’s monsters were emerging.
Tanks spread out to intercept, melee DPS formed ranks beside them. Mid-ranged fighters and supporters prepared to cover the flanks. At the core, the magic users, Bella, Sangshik, and I took position.
When the enemies drew near, the front line clashed. Mid-range fighters intercepted aerial foes and infiltrators. We supporters patched the gaps, healing and inflicting debuffs. The magic users unleashed destruction on elites and threats.
As time passed, their teamwork grew smoother.
Each learned their position and role. Each adapted to their new equipment.
Sangshik stood at the center, teaching and directing exactly according to the guide I had written.
The result—
Our second Arena attempt carried us twenty-four waves further. We stopped at wave 160.
And from the final boss, another legendary dropped—this time, a level 49 material.
“My level jumped by three!”
“Mine too… At this rate, we really might reach 150.”
On the way back to camp, I overheard Horim and Nia whispering, their voices bubbling with hope.
Yes. You have to. It’s the only way to resist the Latessi in this world without the protagonist to free you.
Back at the tents, Sangshik lit a lantern with a flame stone.
“Eat your dinner and rest. After that, we’ll begin tonight’s final training.”
“What!?”
“Again!?” Rio and Zen practically wailed.
“Yes. One hour from now. Dismissed.”
He strode to his own tent.
Some students looked crushed, others whispered excitedly about the next battle.
“Haah… haah…”
“Meiling, are you okay?”
I turned—Lumina watched her anxiously.
Meiling stood trembling, gripping her wand.
“Okay? What are you talking about?”
“Well… you look exhausted.”
“Exhausted? Me? Not at all. I feel so alive it’s driving me crazy.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve never slaughtered so many monsters in one day. My heart’s still racing—I can’t stop shaking.”
“Ah…”
I looked at her face.
Flushed cheeks. Ragged breath. A crooked grin.
Yeah… She’s a maniac.
I averted my gaze—only to meet Seo Yui’s eyes.
“Yein. Want to eat dinner together? Just us.”
“Yes, of course.”
“I’ll grab the boxes,” Lumina said.
“No, let’s go together.”
“Th-thank you, Sister Yui.”
The four of us ate quickly. I rose first.
“I’ll step out. Need to speak with the instructor.”
“You’re always so busy,” Meiling muttered, glaring.
“Lumina, keep her company. She’ll throw a tantrum otherwise.”
“Wha—what did you just say!?”
I ignored her shout and headed to the smaller tent.
Inside, I briefed Sangshik on the two legendaries—what they were and what to do.
The spear would be dismantled; the material saved for later crafting.
“I understand. I’ll tell the others accordingly,” he said.
“Thank you.”
That night, the first day’s third Arena run carried them to wave 180.
By then, the Demons Class—excluding my squad—had reached an average level of 43.
Eight levels in a single day. Tomorrow we’ll move faster. Higher waves mean higher-level monsters, so growth accelerates.
Wave 200’s boss would drop a Proof of Recognition, letting us restart directly from wave 200 instead of wasting time.
The same held true for waves 400 and 600.
We can make it.
With that thought, I finally let myself sleep.
[This outcome is unexpected.]
[No one has ever played the way you do.]
[At this pace, you’ll clear the final main scenario with ease.]
[But that doesn’t align with my intended design.]
[So I’ll make slight adjustments to the difficulty.]
[I’ll continue watching you.]
“…”
I sat up, my mind hazy, lingering between dream and waking.
Rows of metal bunk beds stretched beneath the large tent. Boys lay sleeping atop them.
This was the male students’ tent by the dungeon’s entrance.
As awareness settled in, the dream replayed in my head.
What was that voice?
It spoke of main scenarios and difficulty.
And it was so familiar…
Like something I’d heard thousands of times before.
“Yaaawn.”
Zen stretched wide, his loud yawn rousing others.
Soon the tent was filled with the sounds of boys waking up.
I climbed from bed, folded my blanket.
No point dwelling on a stupid dream.
From then on, everything went smoothly.
The number of cleared waves climbed steadily until they surpassed 600.
Naturally, levels soared too. Soon the students overtook where my squad had once stood, reaching the 80s.
We’d only prepared gear up to level 60 at the start, but it didn’t matter.
Using the Arena’s materials, I crafted new sets to match their growth.
By now, they toyed with monsters.
That was when I had Sangshik assign them individual quests—designed to raise their ability levels.
The first to succeed was Iris.
Her example drove the rest to throw themselves into the challenges, and soon, everyone had reached ability level 3.
By then, two weeks had passed inside the dungeon.
And the students’ average level had reached 99.
The maximum possible for Easy to Hard difficulty players.
“Who in the world would believe this?”
Inside the tent, Rio let out a dry laugh.
“That a bunch of hunter trainees have surpassed the mayor himself in level.”
The others burst out laughing.
“When we get out of here, the world will turn upside down,” Yoon Horim said.
“Cheongryong. What’s with that face?”
Jo Inhu glanced at Jin Cheongryong, who sat with arms folded, looking troubled.
“I know this might sound old-fashioned… but I can’t accept myself as I am now. No, I should say—I can’t make sense of it.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?” Zen asked with a puzzled look.
“I always believed true strength came from overcoming fierce battles with yourself. But during this training, I was handed rare gear suited to my level and taught new combat methods I never would have thought of on my own. All I’ve really done is fight alongside you against endless waves of monsters. And yet, I’ve grown so much… it makes everything I’ve done until now feel meaningless.”
“You really are old-fashioned.”
Jin Cheongryong flinched.
“Hey, Tobi…” Jo Inhu stared at him in dismay.
“What? Cheongryong himself just said it would sound old-fashioned. I only meant he knows it too.”
“Well, yes, but… I mean—”
Jo Inhu trailed off, unable to argue further.
“I see it this way,” Tobi said calmly. “Effort matters, but the direction of that effort determines efficiency. That’s where the difference truly lies. Still, we can’t deny we’ve been incredibly lucky.”
His gaze shifted to me.
“Thanks to Nam Yein, we’ve gotten opportunities no one else in the world could ever hope for.”
“That’s true,” Rio nodded.
“At this point, when we leave the dungeon, the Demons Class should be paying membership dues in the trillions.”
“But all the materials we’ve collected are going straight to Instructor K. We haven’t earned a thing,” Zen pointed out.
“Good point.”
“You won’t need dues,” I said, looking around at them. “But remember—our training isn’t over yet. Instructor K said our goal is level 150. We’ve just passed the halfway mark. And tomorrow, we’re moving from the Arena to the Tower Dungeon. There will be new monsters and new mechanics. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Whoa. Did anyone else see that? Yein looked just like Instructor K just now.”
“I thought the same thing.”
Rio and Zen chuckled.
Of course they saw it. Every day, Sangshik and I discussed the training. I was the one who designed the plan to begin with.
“Well then, let’s rest for tomorrow,” Rio said.
Everyone nodded and laid down.
The next day, the Demons Class exited the dungeon after two weeks.
Outside, no more than a few seconds had passed since we’d entered the Arena.
We immediately boarded the vehicles and drove to the Tower Dungeon.
Inside, the same kind of camp setup as the Arena awaited us.
And behind it stretched a stone tower so high it disappeared into the heavens.
“The Tower is similar to the Arena, but also different,” Kim Sangshik said, gathering us before the gate.
“When you step inside, monsters appear. Each time you defeat them, you’ll automatically ascend to the next floor. Every tenth floor is a boss floor. Defeating the boss opens a portal back here to the entrance. Additionally, every 100 floors, you’ll be granted a random buff.”
“Random buff?” Rune tilted his head.
“Attack boost, movement speed, recovery, and so on. But monsters also receive random buffs. Which means every 100 floors, you’ll be facing even stronger foes.”
“That actually sounds fun,” Meiling grinned.
“Your goal today is to conquer the 1,000th floor.”
“W-what? One thousand!?” Muimi’s voice wavered.
“Don’t ask questions you already heard,” Sangshik replied coldly.
It almost felt like his personality was shifting with the mask he wore. Perhaps it was an act to keep his identity hidden.
“Now, move out. Everyone, inside.”
Weapons in hand, the students pushed open the gate.
There was no trace of fear on their faces.
Instead, they looked like children about to ride a roller coaster.
At level 99, their outlook had completely changed.
Once they reach 150 in the Tower and gather the mage materials and relics, we’ll finally be ready to face the Latessi.
I estimated it would take about two weeks.
Monsters began materializing from the air.
Thus began our climb toward the thousandth floor.
Seoul City Hall.
In the mayor’s office, Cheon Jiweon stood with a grave expression.
Thirty minutes earlier, he’d received reports.
The Demons Class had left the Arena, only to emerge again seconds later.
They then drove for about 25 minutes to the Tower Dungeon, entering three minutes ago.
Jiweon’s face had turned pale the moment he heard.
For anyone to remain inside an open-type dungeon for more than a few seconds of outside time—it was impossible.
Even if you lived decades inside, only moments passed outside. That was the law of such dungeons.
If someone didn’t return immediately, it meant only one thing.
They had died inside.
Now Jiweon waited anxiously for confirmation.
Moments ago, a Peacekeeper carrying Sangshik’s hair had entered the Tower Dungeon to check.
Holding a person’s body part allowed travel to their location inside such dungeons.
But if that person had died, the hair would vanish the moment of entry.
[Trriiing!]
Jiweon snatched up the receiver before the phone even finished ringing.
[Mayor. This is Journey of the Peacekeepers.]
The soldier’s voice was stiff.
Jiweon felt his heart pounding. “What happened?”
[The hair did not disappear.]
Jiweon exhaled in relief.
[However… the facilities we had prepared inside the Tower Dungeon are gone.]
“What?” His eyes widened.
[It was as if I’d entered an entirely different dungeon. The place was spotless.]
“Then… you didn’t see the students or the instructor?”
[Correct. I waited an entire day before exiting, but…]
“…”
Jiweon staggered, steadying himself on the desk.
What is happening? Could it be… a dungeon transfer?
If they’d been caught in a dungeon shift and moved into another independent dungeon… it would explain everything.
If that’s the case, Yein will contact me soon. He’ll exit and report what happened.
But even after thirty more minutes, no word came.
Jiweon rose from his chair.
If it came to this, he would investigate the Tower himself.
He had just reached for his coat when—
Darkness fell across the office.
He turned to the window and froze.
“…What… is this?”
The sky outside had turned blood red.
And at its center, a massive black portal loomed, swallowing the heavens.
From it descended countless winged humanoid figures.
“Once Earth fully merges with the Demon Realm, the Latessi will pour out and infest the Awakened.”
“This world is fusing with the Demon Realm far faster than mine.”
“I can’t even guess when the Latessi will appear.”
Yein’s words flashed through his mind.
“Latessi…!!!” Jiweon whispered, staring at the apocalyptic sky.
(End of Chapter)