Moving

Hi guys, I've decided not to contract this particular novel. Instead, I'll be making it available for free on a few sites like wattpad/royalroad/etc. The edited version will be up soon on those sites (with italics/bold/fixes) and it fleshes out the motivations way better, though the overall story does not change. So feel free to join me in a few weeks if you want to continue reading. I'll also be starting the old pa-treon, though that will pretty much be purely for people's generosity once we start hitting the later volumes.

Thank you all for reading, I appreciate each comment and vote and hope to see you come along for the rest of the ride. After all, this is just the tutorial ;p we haven't even hit the end of Volume 1 yet.

Thought I'd leave you with the first boss fight for New Years.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/38965/rethe-worst-system-if-i-level-my-zombie-will-destroy

"Well, I haven't seen the boss so it's kind of hard to know right now." I reply quickly.

"Ah of course, that's a good point." She nods, seeming disappointed. Hey, I wasn't finished yet!

"But! I think we can do this…" Pointing at several people with their dented trash-can lids, I notice that they have upgraded to at least have a club or crowbar in their other hand. "Good, you guys have weapons now. The key point, is that while we don't know what this boss will be like, just like the Daemonic Minotaur, stronger 'tanks' will be in front. But they will avoid engaging! Remember, there is no advantage to being the first to attack. Only the last person to hit the boss will receive a special reward. So, we will hang back and observe the other groups first to find a weakness."

"Seems like a solid plan." Tatsuya observes. "But I bet we're not the only ones to think of that."

"Many will think the same. But someone will go in first. There's always someone in a group this big." My voice turns dark as the countdown ticks down to zero. The barrier disappears and a great roar rings out as several hundred Hunters immediately rush to the middle of the room and try to enter the grand spiral staircase.

"Here we go!"

"Out of the way, it's our turn to hunt a boss!"

"The System Reward is mine!"

As expected, many people are eager to be the first to lay eyes on the Secret Dungeon Boss. However, there are many who take their time, waiting to see if the staircase is safe before ascending. The members of our party seem eager to go up, but I hold them back.

"One last thing. The other groups which are observing. Make sure to observe them carefully. Some of them will have special skills and weapons from killing the Eight Servants. The boss will not die easily, so don't rush. The real fight will begin once the boss gets low. Be just a careful of other Hunters as the System enemies. Who knows what they will resort to once the System Reward is in sight!"

"Got it!"

Everyone in our group files up the grand spiral staircase. We're not the last ones to go up by a long shot, but nor are we close to the first. As we enter the first steps, the true scale of Tiendas Tower is revealed.

"Goddamn! Is the Demon Lord planning on tiring us out by having us run all the way to the top of this thing?" Tatsuya groans as he sees the thousands of steps to the top. "Well, good thing I put some points in strength and stamina!"

"Tch."

Several of the lower-level Hunters in the party give dirty looks at their leader. I surmise that they put their stats into agility or other stats. We begin to stomp up the grand staircase which leads all the way up to the top of Tiendas Tower. It's a terribly crowded affair with other parties pushing against you from behind and blocking you in front, like going to an amusement park on a holiday. As I lose sight of the ground floor, I take one more peek behind my shoulder. People are still streaming in, more and more Hunters arriving from all places. The Hunter Counter refreshed when the grand staircase opened.

1,003,521

The number of Hunters has dwindled to an almost even one million.

Doubtless all of the ones that have any balls are trying to push their way to the throne room and lay claim to the boss before the fight ends. This is going to get really complicated with so many people participating. Something doesn't really add up. None of the previous Secret Dungeons I've ever been in have had this kind of messy atmosphere. It's like the System is having fun trying to squeeze as many of us together as possible.

"I know the System…it has a sense of humor but even for it, this is a bit too much." I catch sight of a pair of scruffy orange ears poking out of the top of Yin's jacket. The cat pops its head up and stares back at me and the mass of Hunters rushing to get up to the boss's throne room. As if bored, it yawns and then goes back inside the jacket. A sense of frustration grows in my chest. "You made me waste a familiar slot but do you even contribute anything? Ugh, I'm going to have to think of a suitable name for your worthless butt!"

Bemoaning the sad state of my companions, a girl who's addicted to partying up with newbies and a housecat that doesn't even do anything but sleep, I trudge up the stairs with none of the enthusiasm of the other Hunters.

Twenty-one

Twenty-two

…

I give up counting somewhere past the one thousandth step. We're literally going all the way to the top of Tiendas Tower. Even with the speed of a System assisted Hunter it takes maybe half an hour of straight running to get to the top. Of course, there's a big level difference between some of the top Hunters in the city and the rest. However, most people don't want to leave behind their party members so for the most part, the people who reach the top are the ones who went up first and not the highest leveled Hunters.

"We're getting close." Andie points above us. Another few times around the grand staircase and we'll reach the top. Tiendas Tower is like a giant needle and at the very top, a great disk encircles the shaft like a mushroom cap. Numerous parties of Hunters are crossing over the top as we speak. Yin holds her sword out at the front of the party. I snap my fingers and call out to her.

"Yin, stay back. Let the tanks go first." I direct. She falls back with a worried expression.

"I'm the highest level shouldn't I go first?"

"Nah, we need you to save your energy to deal damage. Everyone else will just work on distracting the boss. Its defenses are probably too high for lower-level Hunters to break through." My heart begins to beat faster as the first of our party begins to cross over the top. I whisper in her ear, "Remember, the System scales its difficulty to match the occasion. With over a million Hunters in the city, this boss is going to be insane. Be prepared for anything!"

*Tap*

We reach the top of the grand staircase. If a regular human had tried to cross so many stairs, even if they were a world class athlete, they'd probably be pretty close to suffering a heart attack at this point. But even the most out of shape Hunters here are only breathing hard or resting every now and again.

The power of the System has changed the human race into something…more.

"Everyone stay together but leave enough space to maneuver! Let's get away from the entrance!" I command. The tanks in front holding trash can and rubber bin lids don't seem to understand how urgent it is to break away from the crowd. "Push through!"

"Hey!"

"Watch it!"

I take out my cleaver and start pulling Yin and I towards one of the edges of the great platform at the top of Tiendas Tower. There's easily enough room for 10,000 people up here and more people are coming up by the second. The floor is some dark metal, hard and painful. Up above, a great glass dome covers us so it feels like we're inside the world's most massive fishbowl. Staring through the translucent barrier, one can see an epic storm cloud swirling over Tiendas Tower. Occasionally bolts of white-hot electricity come crashing down on the lightning rod sticking out of the top.

Looking around, all I see are other Hunters, slowly organizing themselves into hundreds of parties. In the crowd, I spot the corrections officer Jian in his full black armor, along with the wavy red-haired youth and the Hawaiian shirted man. On the other side of the circular platform, I also spot sight of "Harem Leader" along with the four girls in his party. They occupy a large amount of space for themselves and I notice that every single member of his party carries a blade of some sort.

"So…what now?" Andie looks up at the growling storm which has turned into a swirling vortex above the glass dome. "Where's the boss?"

*Krang*

Prophetically, a bolt of lightning crashes down on the top of Tiendas Tower at that moment. This close to the heavens its like staring into the sun.

*Kacha*

Cracks appear in the glass bubble as the lightning surges everywhere and the needle which is supposed to conduct electricity shatters. Gradually, pieces of the dome begin to crumble. Shards of glass rain down on us and the howling wind comes in.

*Shuwuu*

Up above, a maniacal laughter descends from the clouds as Demon Lord Belziarde makes an appearance. His blazing red eyes are not of this Earth. A deep corruption from the System flows through his veins as he floats down swiftly like some sort of wizard. Fear hits my gut as all the terrible premonitions I've been experiencing ever since this dungeon opened hit at once.

He can use System Flight? Wait…this can't be right!

"So, you've all come to meet me after kill my servant?" His laughter grows louder. "Then I suppose my purpose is decided. Come on then, heathens. Death awaits!"

Instantly his hand opens, parting a velvety purple coat, as god-like white bolts of electricity spread from his fingers. A great spiderweb of lightning forms above us as the last of the glass dome is blown away.

*Kacha!*

The Demon Lord smiles, puffing on his fingertips as smoke curls over us. Down below, thousands of Hunters straighten after throwing themselves to the ground.

"There! Now we can fight without reservations!" The Demon Lord cackles, floating just out of range of melee weapons. Opening his fists, he begins to blast us with lightning over and over.

Oh crap. He's a mage-type boss who fights from a distance? Does anyone even have a ranged weapon at this point?

"Scatter!" I yell, rushing over and knocking the metal trash can lid out of Tatsuya's hand. "Run RUN RUN! We can't do anything to him!"

#

Thousands of Hunters scramble aside at the same time, desperate to avoid the crashing fury of Demon Lord Belziarde.

Holy crap! We're getting annihilated!

On my left, just a mere few meters away, dozens of Hunters are blasted off the top of Tiendas Tower. They fall down into the abyss, never to be seen again. Without the glass dome, the howling wind surges and adds to the chaos. People are completely panicking, trampling over each other. If I had to estimate from my past memories, a boss like this would never appear until Lvl. 30 or even later, when people had ranged skills.

Considering the current pathetic weapons loadout of all the Hunters here, we're screwed! Even with my prior experience, there's just no way to reach Demon Lord Belziarde. He just floats ups there and tosses lightning down without a care. Yin's face is filled with despair as she turns to me.

"W-What do we do?" She asks. I narrow my eyes for a split second as the Demon Lord focuses his lightning on the other side of the platform. Ignoring the screams of dying Hunters, I search for a way out of this. "Hei we have to do something!"

"I know!" My mouth is dry. I notice that every once in a while, the Demon Lord dips down from the sky, his purple coat fluttering. It's like he's taunted us, almost coming into reach. A few Hunters with clubs jump up in vain trying to reach him. However, they're too low level and the Demon Lord gleefully smiles. With a flash of white teeth, lightning pours out and blasts them off the tower.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Please no!"

"HEEELP MEE!"

Their screams echo as they're sent off into the storm. No one dares go close to the edge to see them off, too afraid that they will be next. I have no idea how many people have died already.

It's a slaughter!

"Yin…if he comes over here, and gets low enough, your agility stat has most of your points. You could probably jump high enough to reach him." I come up with something resembling a plan. However, it's risky. "The thing is…it'd be hard to hit him more than once considering you'd have so little time in midair. Which means the combo power of your Ghostblade Asura would be limited. And your strength stat is lacking. I don't know if its worth it. Damnit, where are the other System Reward holders?"

"You think I can hit THAT?" Yin bites her lips. However, a new wave of lightning comes and we're forced to scatter as it sweeps across the platform. Fortunately, since I told Tatsuya's group to spread out and drop their trash can lids, we haven't had any casualties yet. Everyone is just focused on evading. The stink of burnt flesh and clothes is filling the air quickly, however. It seems many, many Hunters have died already.

By the time the Demon Lord's storm passes and we're capable of speaking again, Yin has changed her mind. Tightening her hands on her sword, she bends her knees.

"He's not coming this way!"

"Then we'll have to go to him." I like the look in her eyes. Yin gets the message. We creep across the platform, leaving the rest of our party behind.

"Wait we'll back you up!" The priest-like man tries to come with us, but I wave him away while pointing at the sky.

"Stay here! Once that bastard is on the ground, I'll be counting on you!" I refrain from mentioning how useless they are right now. If they came, they'd just end up dead. A chill passes through me as we begin to move towards the Demon Lord's side of the platform.

"Hehehe…I see, a challenger finally appears?" Belziarde laughs, pointing at a finger, but it's not at us.

Someone else has caught his attention. Thick killing intent spreads from the demonic mage. He raises a six-fingered hand and snaps his fingers as lightning dances between his knuckles. "Come on then! Let's see it! I'm getting bored of slaughtering you!"

"I'll take you down, Demon Lord! Do you dare take this shot of mine?" The long black hair of Harem Leader swirls in the stormy winds as he draws back a gleaming black longbow. His honor guard of four pretty girls takes defensive positions around him with various bladed weapons. A thick strand of Qi gathers in his hands, so dense that it's visible as he nocks a System generated arrow and pulls back the string. My eyes narrow.

So, he got his hands on one of the first System Weapons huh? And it's a ranged one? I guess the System hasn't abandoned us yet! There's still a way out!

"Hehehe of course I'm not afraid of you. Borrowed power can never reach the apex!" The Demon Lord's voice drips with sarcasm as he mocks Harem Leader. "Hahaha just kidding! You really thought I'd say something like that? Perhaps I should wait while you charge your ultimate attack? Nah…GO DIE!"

*KRANG!*

A six-fingered demon hand opens, sending crackling lightning so loud it burns my eardrums, down at the youth carrying a bow. Harem Leader's expression changes, fear filling his eyes as the four girls at his side shriek in fear. Clearly, he was hoping to bluff his way into charging up a powerful System Weapon's attack. For a second, I consider going over there to try to help, but even if I wanted to tank the attack, I'm not fast enough to make it. Yin watches with wide eyes as it looks like Harem Leader's about to be wiped out of existence.

"Not on my watch!"

A hulking brute of a man appears. I haven't seen him before. He must have been from one of the other entrances. Carrying a thick shield embossed with the Demon Lord's own insignia, he launches himself in front of Harem Leader and blocks the lightning.

*Chi! Chi!*

His feet slide backwards, and a group of similarly bulky body builders run in to support him! Putting their hands against his back, they push with everything they've got, keeping him from getting knocked off!

"Oi, pretty boy! I'll hold him off! Just take him out!"

"T-Thanks!" Harem Leader shakes his hair out of his eyes, as his straining shoulder muscles struggle to pull the ridiculously big bow back. My guess is his stats are barely high enough to wield such a powerful System Weapon. However, there's no denying the unfathomable power gathering between his hands! "I'm ready! Get out of the way!"

"YEA!" The body builders and shield wielding dude dive out of the way to open a way directly to the Demon Lord! "FIRE!"

"Daring to use my own weapons against me?" Demon Lord Belziarde narrows his eyes until they seem like just slits. "Heathens…always such pathetic thieves!" However, despite his prideful words, he holds up his hands to form a defensive shield of prismatic, spinning lightning. A second later, Harem Leader lets go of the bowstring and fires!

*Weng*

The noise is explosive, this strange bouncy reverberation like a steel cable snapping. The air distorts on top of Tiendas Tower, and even from here, I can feel the aftereffects of a shockwave as the System Arrow leaves the bowstring. Harem Leader sags as all of his mana is converted into energy for this one attack. Every single person watching holds their breath-

*Chi Chi Chi*

The Demon Lord's electric shield buzzes as the purple arrow makes contact. He grunts, a goat-like noise which does not fit his almost-human face. Then the arrow pierces through the barrier and smashes into his hands!

*Bang*

"Guhhh…not bad."

Belziarde's hands tremble and he sinks down, floating just above the waiting weapons of several Hunters below him. Clearly, he has suffered some damage and can no longer maintain his height.

"To bring out so much of Puer's power despite just gaining his bow. Not bad, not bad! However, you only had enough mana for one shot! Now what will you do? I'm still here!" The Demon Lord's pale face breaks into another wide smile as he continues to hover. "You're still helpless and soon I will recover!"

"Yin. Now!" I yell and the beautiful girl at my side explodes into action. While Harem Leader and shield guy were distracting the boss, we've been sneaking in closer. Now we're almost directly beneath him. The Demon Lord notices all the killing intent beneath him and hurriedly moves to dodge. However, Yin is Lvl. 20 with a full agility build! Her speed is unescapable!

*Tch*

She taps off the ground, soaring into the sky, her katana flashing. The Demon Lord's eyes widen, as she arrives next to him in an instant. One girl and one boss stare at each other for a split second before her blade swings.

*Puchi!*

Yin cuts into one of his hands at the wrist. Fortunately, the boss is a mage type, and seems to have weak physical defenses. Even still, her replica katana isn't strong enough to leave more than a thin gash, a flesh wound at most. The boss smiles, licking his lips as if to show he isn't injured. However, then Yin attacks a second and third time, leaving additional cuts on his other arm and shoulder before gravity causes her to fall back to the tower.

*Tap*

She lands and Belziarde laughs, spreading his luxurious purple coat out as a few thin drops of blood fall down.

"All that and you've barely managed to make me bleed! Hahaha you're too weak…too weak-?" Suddenly he cuts off as Yin's eyes glow crimson. For the first time, I feel killing intent from the girl's glare. Maybe she really will become a Death God one day…

"You've hurt too many people! Pay for your sins!"

*Snap*

Yin's hair billows and for a brief second purple smoke curls up from the back of her neck as she watches the Demon Lord fall out of the sky. Everyone watches in shock as the thin little cuts she left on him, lengthen from an invisible Asura's strikes. The ghostly image of the Reaper's blade seems to manifest behind the Demon Lord, as Belziarde's wrist is almost blown apart from her System Skill.

*Thud*

The Demon Lord lands on his feet, dropping into a kneeling position as he gathers his breath. Anger clouds his features, the arrogance from before disappearing. He stares at Yin with undisguised confusion.

"You…that blade is ordinary, but you've obtained the power of the gods!" He hisses in frustration, a forked tongue coming out as he licks his lips. The goat-like eyes sneer as he raises his hands once more, one of which has a deep gash in the wrist. "Alright. I'm done playing around. Taste despair!"

First the Demon Lord sends a column of sheer lightning into the grand staircase. Hunters are still pouring in but as his vengeance arrives, they are forced to dive out of the way. Some of them jump back down the staircase, desperate to escape.

*BOOOM!*

The grand staircase shatters, crumbling to bits. A satisfied Demon Lord laughs cruelly.

"Now you cannot leave. Trapped like the rats you are. And I think it's time to harvest!" He extends his six-fingered hands in both directions and spins in a circle as a streaming, burning, beam of lightning explodes out!

*Weng*

The beam cuts across the whole rooftop, and I scream as I realize he intends to kill everyone in one blow!

"DOWN! EVADE IT!"

The lucky ones drop and just have the hair on top of their head seared. Some of the higher-level Hunters like Yin choose to jump into the skies over the whirling beams. But all the lower-level Hunters, anyone with slower reflexes who doesn't dodge in time…are caught.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

"He-!"

"N-!"

The twin beams sweep through the top of the tower as Belziarde spins, cauterizing the wounds as they go. So many people fall I can't even count them. It's like the crowded rooftop just emptied and became a graveyard in mere seconds. When the Demon Lord's mana fizzles out and the beams fade away, perhaps thousands lay dead.

"The System sure is impressive…" I hear Tatsuya's voice. Amazingly, he has survived, but the salary-woman, Andie, he has been traveling with was too slow to duck. He stares at both halves of her with an oddly blank expression. To my surprise, I see Penelope beside him. She's still alive, having fallen to the floor after my warning. Perhaps the girl has more potential than I thought. Of the countless Hunters who made it to the top of Tiendas Tower, maybe only a few dozen remain.

A flicker of movement comes from the side. The hunched over Demon Lord turns his head as a man in full black armor charges towards him, his sword on high. It's Jian, the corrections officer.

"Hahaha! Thanks for clearing out the trash! Now it's my turn!"

The Hawaiian shirted man and the wavy red-haired boy charge forwards as well, their machete and shovel swinging wildly.

"You dare!" Demon Lord Belziarde raises his hands, but this time his white lightning comes slowly, and from the hand which Yin injured, nothing comes at all.

Belziarde's running out of mana!

The wavy red-haired boy is sent flying backwards, his hair on fire. But Jian and the Hawaiian shirt manage to reach the boss.

*Shing*

The boss is reeling. Demonic purple blood spurts out from a thick wound on his shoulder. Jian has managed to hit him right where one of Yin's Ghostblade Asura marks exploded! Hawaiian shirt dude goes for his injured wrist, trying to hack off a hand.

*Puchi*

A six-fingered hand falls to the ground with a wet smack. The Demon Lord howls as he loses more and more blood. Over from the side, a panting muscle-bound freak holding a charred shield cheers them on. Behind him, Harem Leader and his girlfriends lay exhausted, watching the battle. I turn my head as Yin lands beside me after evading Belziarde's ultimate attack. Her sharp eyes go to the boss.

"I'll go with you. Let's finish this." I tell her.

She nods, a hard expression on her face as she realizes most of Tatsuya's party has been eliminated. In the corner of my eye, I see the Hunter Counter has refreshed.

1,000,001

A full 3,520 players have died in this boss battle. The rooftop is littered with bodies and doubtless, down below, those who were pushed off the edge lay broken. It���s terrible, a human tragedy. But that is the way this Secret Dungeon goes. A thought occurs to me.

If I wasn't here to help Yin, would it really have gone so badly that every single Hunter would have died in this fight? Was my presence here all it took to change fate? We still have a million Hunters left and this boss is almost dead.

Putting it off, I notice the orange cat peeking out of Yin's jacket. It quickly pops back under after seeing all that's going on.

Ugh, what a useless familiar! Not that I can blame it. It's just a housecat!

"What was that?" Tatsuya suddenly appears behind me. However, I ignore him.

There's no time. If we give the boss a chance to recover this could get dangerous.

Rushing in, I raise my cleaver on high!

"AHHH!" The Hawaiian shirted man is sent flying back as the Demon Lord smacks him with an arm. Even as a mage type, the Boss has god-like strength. Jian attacks him furiously as he sees us approaching.

"No! He's mine! The last hit is mine!" The black-armored man hacks away with abandon. However, his fury makes him careless and a simple slip up is enough for the Demon Lord to roar. Static fills the air and a shockwave shoves the corrections officer to the edge of the platform. He just barely manages to dig his heels onto the roof and avoid falling to his doom. "NOOOOO!"

"Yin…GET HIM NOW!" I call out encouragement as she accelerates towards the boss. In the critical moment, I see the Boss's goat-like eyes open wide, a smile creeping up on its purple lips.

"WAIT!"

It's too late. A cage of lightning explodes into existence around the Boss just as Yin gets there. She reacts insanely fast, a true agility type. Bringing her sword up to guard her face, she abruptly vaults up into a backflip to get away. Even still, the edge of the lightning cage touches her foot and she screams in agony as thousands of volts charge through her!

"YIN!" I scream as well, desperate to reach her. The smart girl throws her sword down to the rooftop while in midair, tumbling away and landing in a heap by the muscle-bound freak who quickly drops his shield in front of her.

*Dong*

"U-Ugh…" She groans, sprawling limply behind the thick man's protection. It's obvious she cannot move, her leg just twitching and jerking from residual electricity. The Demon Lord smiles at me, perhaps seeing my low level as his electric cage is pierced by Yin's sword. The metal blade sparks as it crashes into the web of lightning and short circuits the skill. As the defensive cage sputters out, Yin's sword clatters to the ground, the tip chipping as it hits the platform of Tiendas Tower. I sigh, seeing the damage. Though still usable, I can't help but feel pain at seeing a valuable weapon break.

It'll need to be replaced soon. But it's done a lot, after all, it's just a replica blade.

"Weakling…you think you can kill me?" The Demon Lord groans, but seems confident in his victory. "I can smell it. You don't have the power of the gods! You're just trash!"

*Tap Tap Tap*

Over by the side, Jian, has regained his footing on the platform and is sprinting in for the final blow. He's fast, almost as fast as Yin, definitely higher than Lvl. 15. However, his full armor is slowing him down and the Demon Lord jerks his head sideways and dismissively blasts him with lightning from his one remaining hand.

*Bzzzz*

Jian screams as the lightning conducts through his full plate, dropping to the deck with a sizzle. I see Tatsuya behind me, watching with an unreadable expression. There's something strange with the way he's looking at me, I can't tell what he's thinking.

Just focus on killing the Boss!

I think I hear Tatsuya say something from behind me that doesn't make sense.

"Worms…pathetic worms squabbling in the dirt. You make me sick…"

Then I rush in at the kneeling Demon Lord who raises his hand at me. However, he has barely any mana after blasting Jian.

"GET HIM!"

"YOU GOT THIS!"

Harem Leader, Yin, and the shield wielding muscle freak all cheer me on as I raise my butcher's blade and go in for the kill!

I hope killing this bastard doesn't make me too strong!

"MROOOWWW!"

Even my useless familiar sends out a cheer from inside Yin's jacket as well.

"DIE!"

With all my might I ram the butcher's blade into the Demon Lord's neck!

"GUH?!" He chokes as the thick knife chops through his skin. "Y-You're different! How can you be so strong!"

"You underestimate Hunters." My cold dispassionate words are followed with a second chop.

*Puchi!*

This time it cuts deeper, and the Demon Lord wheezes as air escapes from the hole in his neck every time he tries to talk.

"H-a-h h-a-h…very…good!" Belziarde seems close to breathing his last. "AGH!"

I rip my blade out and prepare for a third and final swing. The Demon Lord's hand falls, he's defenseless. However, for some strange reason, he stares over my shoulder, as if looking at something behind me.

"H-e-h…heheheheh!" He wheezes, chuckling insanely as my blade goes back once more, "F-Fool…you think killing me means anything? You won't get to live to enjoy the reward!"

"Oh really?" My eyes narrow, wondering what the Demon Lord means. However, I don't intend to let him recover anyways. "Whatever. Go to hell!"

"Nooooooo! You'll regret this!" He screams in the end. The System Secret Dungeon Boss still feels terror as my thick cleaver enters the hole in his neck and chops off his head.

Then it's over.

*Crumple*

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

…

Congratulations!

Endless level up notifications come from the System. Over in the corner of my vision, the Hunter Counter refreshes as the Boss dies.

1,000,000

Exactly one million Hunters left. A far cry from the zero I expected.

We survived the Secret Dungeon?

I take a look around the rooftop to see everyone staring at me and the fallen Demon Lord. It seems like we should start celebrating. The air thrums with the thrill of victory. I'm almost about to drop my cleaver when I see something.

Something terrible.

A blinking red notification alerts me to the truth of the matter. It is as I expected. Secret Dungeons are not so easy.

System Notification:

1st Objective: Defeat Demon Lord Belziarde In The Depths Of The City!

Complete!

2nd Objective: There Can Really Only Be One!

Slay All Other Parties Before The City Crumbles!

All Hunters Will Be Sealed Inside Tiendas City Until One Party Remains!

City Destruction Timer: 10:00:00

Hunters Remaining: 1,000,000

"This…" Yin's eyes bug out of her head. I rush over to her, no longer caring about anything else as I drag her away from the other Hunters before they can see the truth.

"Get away from me!"

A second later, the atmosphere completely changes. The previously congratulatory looks from the muscle-bound freak and Harem Leader are not suspicious. No one wants to turn their back to another.

"Hahaha! That's rich! Really rich!" Jian has regained consciousness on the other side of the platform. He and the Hawaiian shirted man stand up, dragging their companion, the boy with wavy red-hair head with them. We enter a tense standoff. The remaining parties stare at each other, waiting for someone to make the first move.

"W-Wait! We shouldn't fight! There has to be a way out of this…" The girl, Penelope, who has somehow managed to survive to this point runs out between our parties. She's a part of our group so I reach out to her, but I'm too late.

*Weng!*

"You really think I give a damn?" Harem Leader fires a warning shot at Penelope's feet. The energy of a System generated arrow explodes and sends the girl stumbling to the ground. "We helped bring the boss down but got none of the rewards! And now a member of the Boss-slaying party wants to avoid fighting? How about we all team up and kill your party first! Otherwise, you'll use the System Reward to wipe us out!"

"Y-YEA! Let's work together!" Jian catches on to what Harem Leader is saying and raises his sword. "They also got a System Reward from the Daemonic Minotaur! That's what that girl used to hurt the boss! Be careful, they're the most powerful party in the whole Secret Dungeon! That bastard is crafty, he stole the Mini-Boss from me!"

"You piece of…" I mutter angrily, wishing I had killed Jian when I had the chance. "Guys…let's get out of here." I grab Penelope's arm and pull her off the ground. However, when I try to help Yin up, her face turns white and she collapses back to the roof.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Hei! My leg won't…work." She grunts, trying her best to work through the pain. But it soon becomes apparent she can't move. Instantly, my expression grows worse.

This isn't happening.

Damn…it really is.

"Hahaha! She's hurt isn't she!" Jian takes a step towards us, as Harem Leader walks towards us from the other side. The muscle freak with the shield is the only exception. There's a big black streak of ash running through his shield from when he blocked the Demon Lord's lightning. He turns away from the scene, addressing his retinue of body builders.

"Disgraceful. We won't be a part of this. I, Liang, will not allow it!" His declaration is followed by a roar from his followers.

However, even if he says that…there is still a problem.

The other parties stare at us hungrily, watching Jian and Harem Leader close in from either side. Penelope and Tatsuya huddle closer as I give up on getting Yin to her feet.

"Hei…you know…you can just go, right?" Yin pleads with me from the ground. "You have the System Reward from killing the boss! If it's you…that should be enough to survive this right? I'm just going to drag you down. So…take my sword and go!"

"Mmm…" I make a dark noise from deep inside my throat. Reaching down, I pick up Yin's sword.

I already know what I need to do.

My resolve is born from multiple lifetimes of suffering. My cleaver comes out into my left hand. Wielding both dented katana and bloody cleaver, I stretch, allowing my black coat to flow out. Yin's face grows teary eye as she sees me take her sword.

"T-That's right! Just go! Quickly!" She insists one more time. But I sigh, reaching down and tapping her head with my hand on the hilt of her sword. Yin's eyes go wide as I declare something for everyone to hear.

"I bet you all are wondering what the System Reward for killing Belziarde was…right?"

I stand up as Jian and Harem Leader as well as all the other creeping party's freeze. Greed clouds their minds and they halt their advance to listen to my words. Straightening, I open my System Notifications and read it out loud.

"The System Reward is pretty simple. I only got one thing. It's a passive skill called Demon Lord's Devouring Hunger. You know what that means?" My words cause silence to pass over the rooftop. In the corner of my eye, I can see the Hunter Counter refreshing continuously. It no longer takes a full hour to display the new count. Now it automatically changes all the time.

973,413

There is a slaughter going on below Tiendas Tower. We're sealed off because Belziarde blocked off the grand staircase to the roof, but faint screams are still coming from beneath the rubble as people kill each other trying to be the last party standing.

"No one wants to guess? I suppose I'll tell you then." My eyes gleam, and I suppose I must look terrifying right now beside the fallen Demon Lord. "My current level is Lvl. 25 after killing the boss. And the power of the Demon Lord's Hunger means that for every one of you I kill, I don't get half your experience. I get it all."

"…"

You could hear a pin drop right now. No one has anything to say as they consider the implications of my skill.

"Nothing to say? Good." I chuckle darkly, pushing Penelope and Tatsuya beside Yin. "Take care of her for me. It seems we have 10 hours before this city kills everyone in it. Then I'll just have to finish this fast!"

Once I know Yin is safe, I turn to the surviving parties on the roof. And I no longer hide my killing intent. I let them all see it. The Black Butcher inside. In the past, I did not discriminate between System and human monsters. Those who wished to do me harm were all treated equally. It's time to return to that person. Today, the first Death God is reborn!

"Prepare yourselves. I'm coming."

#

"He's insane!" Jian yells, backing a way a step. He points at me with his sword, his voice trembling though he's the one in full armor, "Look at his eyes! My god, how many people has he killed!"

"W-What are you talking about? He just looks like a…" Harem Leader is behind me, but he doesn���t understand. I suppose only a corrections officer who has dealt with murderers and scum would know. I put every single one of my points in agility.

I don't need stamina, none of this trash will touch me anyways.

Then I take a step. Like a flash, Jian stumbles backwards as I appear in front of him.

"Yes…you see it don't you?" My voice is dead as I swipe sideways with my cleaver. He doesn't even have time to react before it arrives at his neck.

*Crack*

The thick blade crunches through his thin plate armor and sheers into his throat. Gasping, he drops his sword and puts both hands to his bleeding neck.

"Huurk! W-Who are you? What are you!?" He cries out before falling to the ground. A few seconds later, I see my level rise.

Congratulations, you are now Lvl. 26.

"I was a Death God." My whisper causes Jian's face to twitch as his eyes cloud over. The terror bleeds out of him and his hands stop scrabbling at his neck as life leaves him behind. He seems almost glad to be leaving behind this world. Perhaps he would prefer to meet the Reaper in the next world rather than stay here with me.

"S-Stop! Hey, shield guy! Help me out!" Harem Leader loses his confidence when I disappear. My agility stat could not be higher. I intend to use every point to increase my speed and find each soul in this city.

No party can survive but mine.

It's too late for anyone to help you.

Though his girlfriends try to get in-between him and me, I slip between them without a care. Suddenly though, a thick object swings in front of my path.

*Dong*

"Sorry, friend. But if you're really planning on participating on this madness, I can't just sit by until you come to kill me!" The muscle-bound freak holds his shield steady as my cleaver smashes into it. I'm annoyed. But he's actually pretty strong. With a dark expression, I spit on the barrier and flip away to the center of the rooftop.

"Fine. You can live a little longer."

Going over to the collapsed rubble blocking the grand staircase, I kick a piece of rubble out of the way. Once a hole is open, I beckon the rest of my party over. Penelope and Tatsuya help Yin limp across the top of Tiendas Tower. The wind begins to howl as a new storm brews. Looking back at the terrified remaining Hunters on the roof, I shake my head. Suddenly they're not so tough now that they've seen one of their number die.

"I'll be back."

When the party is through, I reclose the exit, stranding the other participants of the boss fight on the roof.

"W-What are we going to do, Mr. Hei?" Penelope asks in terror as she sets Yin down on a boulder. The poor salary woman shrieks in fear as she sees piles of dead bodies all the way down the staircase. "Oh! OH NO!"

"Heh…so it seems they turned on each other." Tatsuya doesn't look particular surprised. The white-robed priest-like man hefts his mace. "What will you do now, Mr. Hei?"

"Nothing. You all are going to stay here with Yin and make sure she's okay." I don't look at the girl I'm determined to protect. Even still, I know exactly what her face must be saying as I walk down the steps. "I'm going hunting. I'll be back when it's over. Stay here."

"Hei! You don't have to do this!"

I ignore Yin's cries. She can't follow me with her leg like that. It doesn't matter what she says. The truth has been determined by the System.

"H-Hey wait!"

There Can Only Be One