Guild Market – Old Swords Shop
The moment Yagami's eyes fell on the sword, a devilish smile spread across his face. He turned to the shopkeeper and asked:
"Where did you find this one?"
The shopkeeper answered gravely:
"Nowhere… This sword just suddenly appeared in the middle of my shop! The instant it arrived, a strange and terrifying aura spread from it. I had no choice but to lock it in that back room and seal the door. Honestly… I don't think even you can tame it."
Yagami gave a calm smile, walked toward the room, opened the door, and picked up the sword…
But the second his fingers touched the hilt—his eyes widened, sweat beads formed on his forehead, and his knees buckled. The sword slipped from his grasp and clattered to the floor as he dropped to his knees, breathing heavily!
The shopkeeper rushed forward:
"See? I told you! You can't control it! This thing is no ordinary weapon!"
Yagami said nothing. He slowly stood up, pulled his hood over his head, tossed a handful of coins for the sword he had already taken onto the counter, and walked out of the shop without another word.
Satan asked with concern:
"What happened, my lord? Why are you so shaken?"
Yagami didn't answer.
In the next instant, he teleported straight to Mount Grief.
He fell to all fours. Sweat dripped from his face… his breathing ragged…
"I… what have I done…!"
Yagami took a deep breath. His eyes burned with rage. Quietly, he said:
"I made a huge mistake… but I will fix it myself."
System Screen:
«The Gate of Dabura is opening…»
In a flash, without any warning, Yagami and Satan were teleported—right in front of an enormous, ominous gate pulsing with black and crimson energy.
To their surprise, several others had been summoned at the same exact moment:
Shinkuro
Daigon
Masaru
Kaoru
Saya
Shinkuro looked around in panic:
"What the hell? I was just inside the guild headquarters a second ago!"
When he noticed Yagami, his eyes widened in shock:
"You're here too? But you're not even a player!"
Yagami stood in complete silence, saying nothing.
Daigon frowned and scanned the area:
"Where are the rest? Only the six of us were summoned…?"
Masaru stepped forward arrogantly, hand resting on the hilt of his sword:
"Scared already? If you want, you can turn back. I'll crush that damn Dabura myself!"
System Screen appeared:
System Note:
Shinkuro read the text with a trembling voice:
"This gate is the entrance to the domain of the second Demon King, Dabura… the slayer of Poseidon.
Only those above S-rank are permitted to enter."
Kaoru, completely confused, took a step back:
"But I… I'm only E-rank… So why am I here?!"
Shinkuro stared at the screen in disbelief. Next to his own name, another name was listed: Kaoru.
He muttered quietly:
"Maybe that's why you were summoned… your name is registered next to mine."
Shinkuro turned to Yagami again:
"You're not a player. So why are you here?"
Yagami slowly raised his head. His eyes blazed with fury. In a low, threatening voice he said:
"If you want to live… shut your mouth."
Masaru burst out laughing:
"Haha! That's exactly what I was thinking! Nice one!"
Daigon's eyes filled with rage. He stepped forward and shouted:
"Watch how you talk to our boss, or else—"
But before he could finish, a pitch-black and crimson aura exploded around Yagami. Satan emerged from within him in terrifying majesty.
The air grew heavy and dead silent. The pressure was suffocating.
Satan slowly drew his sword from its sheath and spoke in an ice-cold voice:
"Or else what? What exactly do you plan to do… mortal?"
Daigon broke into a cold sweat. He couldn't even force out a single word.
Yagami calmly turned to Satan and said:
"Save your energy for the fight."
Satan bowed his head respectfully:
"As you wish, my lord…"
System Screen: Countdown begins…
10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…
A deafening roar echoed as the gate trembled violently and swung open.
Beyond it lay a dark, horrifying labyrinth—filled with thick fog, indistinct whispers, and shifting shadows.
Masaru gave an annoyed grin:
"A labyrinth? Come on, I don't have the patience to wander around… You guys find him. I'm heading straight in!"
But after only a few steps toward the gate, he slammed into an invisible wall!
Thud!
The system screen flashed immediately:
You cannot leave the designated area.
Masaru yelled furiously:
"What the hell?! What kind of bullshit is this system pulling?!"
Shinkuro calmly adjusted his glasses and said:
"It means… there's no way out until Dabura is dead."
Kaoru's voice quivered:
"So… we're trapped here?!"
Shinkuro replied seriously:
"We have no choice… The only way forward is to defeat Dabura."
Together, they stepped into the labyrinth.
Ancient brick walls, the faint glow of barely-lit torches, the echo of their footsteps in the tunnels, and fear—like an ever-present shadow—followed them.
Kaoru, trembling, hid behind Daigon.
Daigon snapped irritably:
"Get off me already! Walk properly—you're stepping on my feet!"
When they reached a three-way fork, Shinkuro put a hand to his chin:
"We should split up and take separate paths. That way we can cover more ground and—"
Before he could finish, Yagami silently turned left and walked away without a word.
Masaru laughed:
"Heh, then I'm going right. Let's see who finds Dabura first!"
He casually chose his own path.
Shinkuro muttered in frustration:
"Why are these guys so damn stubborn? Fine… we'll go straight ahead."
They had barely taken a few more steps when suddenly a massive shadow appeared before them.
Shinkuro instinctively stepped back:
"What the hell is that…?"
The shadow moved… and took a deep breath.
The air turned freezing cold.
A new battle was about to begin.
Suddenly, a gigantic hand with long, razor-sharp claws burst through the wall and shattered the bricks with terrifying force. The sound of cracking stone echoed through the entire corridor.
Shinkuro, Saya, and Kaoru froze in place.
From the dust and debris emerged a creature… a buffalo-like monster with a massively muscular body, long twisted horns, and glowing, blood-red eyes. Its heavy, furious breathing shook the walls.
Saya and Kaoru screamed in terror!
Shinkuro shouted:
"Stop screaming, idiots! You're provoking it!"
But it was already too late.
The monster roared in rage and stomped the ground with its hooves. Cracks spread across the walls.
Shinkuro quickly steadied himself and declared:
"I have no choice but to fight… Combined Magic: Fire and Wind!"
With a sweep of his hands, a blazing storm of fire fused with raging wind hurtled toward the monster.
When it struck, a tremendous explosion shook the entire corridor.
Meanwhile, in another part of the labyrinth, Yagami paused for a moment, listened to the distant sound, and said calmly:
"Looks like… the game has begun."
(To be continued...)