D.I.O

/Welcome to the Level 15 test! Mr. Arthur has attempted this test zero times./

/You are the first user to attempt the Level 15 test! For your achievement, you will be given three Great Cores!/

/Your pet’s special abilities and skills have been sealed. Single-use items, your Master skill, and your Master Weapon have also been sealed./

“Hmm, a Master Skill is technically an ability, so shouldn’t it be allowed?”

Arthur muttered some complaints under his breath as he prepared for the 1:1 battle. There wasn’t much time before it began, so he had to get ready quickly.

Kyak!

“Oh, it’s a demon.”

Arthur dodged the lunging demon as it attempted to bite him. They were in a desert, but unlike a typical desert, the sand here was black. Additionally, it was filled with demons.

Whoosh!

Arthur’s left hand became transparent, and the entire area was filled with sword light. The demons cried out and rushed towards him, but since they were within the sphere of sword light, they were instantly shredded, like fruit and vegetables in a mixer.

Bam!

A mid-rank demon pushed past the sword qi, emanating an aura of demonic energy with skin as tough as a diamond. However, it was flung back after being hit by a fist-sized blue marble. The Level 12 demon was able to stand again, but the blue marble immediately slammed into its head, although it had slightly shrunk as if it had shed a layer like an onion. This collision wasn’t something the thick-skinned demon could handle.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Successive blows and explosions rang out as the mid-rank demon’s body was constantly pummeled. As it continuously smacked the demon’s head, the originally fist-sized blue marble condensed down to a small egg shape. Yet, despite this size reduction, the blue marble grew more forceful. Throughout this entire ordeal, it was as if the marble was a guided missile, and the mid-rank demon, feared for its grit and ferocity, couldn’t help but whimper in pain. Arthur was utilizing the Proper Martial Arts school of study’s most formidable skill, Ten Core Brilliance.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The combination of the ten cores into one point was the essence of Ten Core Brilliance, and it was also how the blue marble was made. Once the blue marble shrunk to the size of a single marble, it shot through the mid-rank demon’s head.

Boom!

The mid-rank demon’s body stiffened for a moment before turning into black dust and scattering in the air. Surprisingly, with just one move, Arthur had killed a monster that was equivalent to a Master. Of course, Ten Core Brilliance expended a significant portion of Arthur's power, but it was also pertinent to know that Arthur didn't use the Golden Pill Immortal Technique. While the Golden Pill Immortal Technique made it possible to use immense amounts of energy in one go, Arthur utilized a less optimized technique when casting his skill. Being able to still carry out such an attack in these conditions perfectly displayed Arthur’s martial arts prowess and his internal energy capacity, which was close to ten cycles or 600 years.

“Oho~ a human in a place like this… what brings you here?”

Once Arthur cleared his surroundings, a new foe showed up before him; it was the [Assignment] he needed to complete to pass this test. This enemy was an attractive, strapping woman with black hair who was easily over 170 centimeters tall. She projected an aura of demonic energy around her, which seemed to suppress and dominate everything in its surroundings.

“Of course, a high-rank demon. Well, I suppose that Level 15 monsters in the demon species need to be a high rank.”

“You don’t look surprised by my presence. Did you already know about me before you arrived?”

The remaining demons in the area stood back and didn’t move closer to the two. It appeared as if they were afraid of the aura emanating from the high-rank demon, but Arthur wasn’t scared or concerned. Soon, a tear in space opened, and Dustin emerged.

“A Draconic Sword?”

“Oh, you know what it is? Most people think it’s simply a summoned being that’s shaped like a sword.”

Whap!

As Arthur calmly spoke, he deflected a magic bullet that was shot when he started talking. The magic bullet moved at Mach 5, so instead of a bullet, it was more appropriate to call it an intercontinental ballistic missile. Yet, Arthur had effortlessly dealt with the surprise attack. This reaction time was surprising, but to deal with attacks that reached certain speeds or were unnoticeable, Masters prepared multiple defensive layers and actions beforehand. This was best seen in the orc hero Sungmuk when he handled all of Cruze’s bullets with only his sword.

“Pretty good. I guess I’ll be having a bit of fun after a long time of-”

“Sorry.”

Whoosh!

After offering a curt apology, an overpowering aura spread across the area, and the space seemed to bend, contort, and sway. Arthur smiled at the astonished female demon, who had immediately taken a defensive posture when she felt the aura hit her.

“I would have taken my time to defeat you with swordsmanship skills, but there’s been an announcement that a special boss will be coming soon.”

“A s-special boss? What the hell are you talking about….”

“I’ll have to take my leave soon.”

With Dustin in his right hand and a normal sword in his left, Arthur advanced, and behind him, tens of shadows started to form.

***

“That’s… the special boss?”

“So beautiful. I don’t know who designed that creature, but I really respect them.”

The users in Starting had trouble breathing under the oppressive pressure from the red dragon’s sudden arrival. It was so overwhelming that no one could move an inch, even those who fought monsters and faced suppressive auras on a daily basis.

[I guess my Dragon Fear doesn’t work on them.]

“What do you mean it’s not working? All of them are trembling and shivering in fear.”

[Hmph. Usually, beings at their level would be throwing up blood and collapsing. None of them have lost their will to fight, either. It looks like they’ve been given some sort of psychological protection from the system.]

Despite the red dragon’s complaints, the young boy atop the red dragon’s shoulder cleared his throat with an audible ‘ahem’ and stood tall with his shoulders back.

“Ah, yes. We’ve put our heart and soul into recreating the users’ bodies and-”

[I don’t care.]

Rumble!

In stark contrast to its cold, uncaring words, red, fiery breath started gathering in the red dragon’s mouth. It was using an ability limited to dragons that could burn everything it touched: Dragon Breath!

“W-what the hell is this? What’s with this unbelievable amount of magic power?”

“Everyone, avoid the attack! Watch out!”

Alas, the users could only scream; they could not escape the attack. Actually, it was more accurate to say that any evasion was impossible. The users could easily see that the oncoming attack wouldn’t merely destroy a small area. It was large enough to consume the entire village, so there was no point in trying to get away. Also, since all the users were inside Starting, they couldn’t use their Gate Rings to teleport to their last visited city. To top this off, they didn’t have enough time to log out, so the only route remaining was to accept their death.

“Damn it! Dying right when I’m beginning the damn game!” a user cried out. However, right at that moment, a vast barrier formed around Starting and blocked the attack.

Whoosh!

All the nearby clouds were instantly pushed away, clearing the sky and allowing the sun’s rays to shine unfettered. And while the Dragon Breath attack hadn't hit its targets, the force from hitting the barrier made the surrounding air leave the area.

“Dang, t-that’s terrifying. Who thought of creating such a crazy monster?”

“It tried to end everything in a single move! What bad manners!”

“Since the barrier saved us, it seems like the game developers and administrators have something in mind… but can that thing truly be caught or killed?”

“If we can somehow reach that thing and get close enough to attack, we might be able to do something to it!”

Though they had their backs pushed against the wall and were on the brink of death, the users didn’t seem to fear dying. The red dragon, Igniz, had always considered humans as insignificant beings that were below her, and she acted as if her pride had taken a beating.

[A direct intervention… you guys… what are you planning?]

“We couldn’t have a battle that ended immediately, so we cast a protection spell on the Land of Creation. With this, any attack sent from 100 meters above the ground will be blocked and nullified by the barrier. You’ll need to get close to launch any attacks effectively. Yet, on the other hand, if you’re near or on the ground, you may launch long-range attacks like the one you just used. Moreover…”

[Moreover?]

When Igniz asked this, all the users in the Land of Creation had a blue ring appear above their heads before the rings cracked and dispersed.

“Huh? Isn’t this the buff we received during the Level 2 test?”

“Yeah, but it’s a more powerful version. My magic power has doubled.”

“Oh, shit! My life force points have reached the 300 range… damn, is this real life?”

“Oh, yeah! At this rate, I think we stand a chance!”

Feeling the rush of additional power circulating through their bodies, the previously hesitant and scared users started talking and moving about with renewed energy. Yet, regardless of their excitement, Igniz only stared coldly at the unfolding scene.

[And?]

“What?”

[Are there any more restrictions that you’re going to place on me or buffs that you’ll be giving them? Anything further?]

“No, this is it.”

Seeing the young boy nod, the red dragon lowered her head slightly. And then…

[Hahaha!]

With the crazy outburst of sound, the users, as well as the young boy, couldn’t help but cover their ears. If this laughter rang out from within the city, every user’s eardrums would have exploded. The users in Starting weren’t normal humans, though, and they still enjoyed some protection from the system, so they didn’t have their eardrums destroyed. However, Igniz’s laughter wasn’t an attack, and she growled.

[Hehehe… you guys are belittling me. Just because you’ve caught and confined me doesn’t mean I’m a pushover. Do you really think that giving these insects a slight buff will be enough to bring me down?]

“Please don’t direct your anger towards me. If you feel belittled, then you can take it out on them, right? Prove us wrong.”

[Fine! I’ll make sure to kill and eliminate all of them!]