Kaelen felt that familiar rush stir inside him. Behind his back, a faint crimson glow coiled like a living thing, twisting and shifting with every heartbeat. His fingers dug into the hilt of the Bloodthirsty Battle Axe, savoring the surge of power. After a moment, he lowered it, letting his eyes linger on the lingering blood-red light. A faint understanding crossed his face. This was the Killing Value.Among professional adventurers, killing each other was taboo. Their fight wasn’t against one another—it was against the Demon God. Constant infighting? That just drew divine attention, and not the kind you wanted. The Killing Value was a warning. Push it too far, and the gods might turn their backs. But Kaelen didn’t care. Gods might ignore him—but the Demon God wouldn’t.In truth, the Killing Value was a kind of gateway to darkness. Many who succumbed to despair, who let it overwhelm them, ended up in the arms of the Demon God, transforming into Dark Professionals.For Kaelen, it was n

The day had slipped by faster than Kaelen realized. Dusk was settling over Purple Thorn Castle, painting the sky in streaks of blood-red and gold. And today, unlike most days, the castle wasn’t quiet. Adventurers came and went like a steady trickle, breaking the usual pattern where spotting even one in weeks felt like a rare stroke of luck.Kaelen ran a hand over the tower’s smooth surface. A chill crawled up his palm. Whatever this material was, it wasn’t anything he recognized.The skeleton warrior at the tower’s base lay defeated. The others? They patrolled at a distance. As long as they stuck to their paths, the tower was safe from their reach.Climbing? He hadn’t planned for it. No ropes in the bag. But Kaelen always found a way. He pulled out his black tent, gripped the Bloodthirsty Battle Axe, and slashed the fabric.“Crack! Crack! Crack!”The tent tore into strips. He gathered them carefully, tying pieces together, testing each knot as he went. Soon, he had a makeshift rope st

The Bloodthirsty Battle Axe sliced through the air, glowing crimson as it carved a perfect arc of destruction. It slammed into a ghoul bursting with pale white essence energy, sending the thing tumbling off the edge of the tower with a nasty, bone-cracking crash.Kaelen kept the motion going, again and again, until it became less about skill and more about endurance. He’d been at it for so long his arms burned. Up here, though, he had the advantage—no more than three ghouls could reach him at once.Perched high on the tower, Kaelen hacked down anything that came close. Each ghoul he struck fell screaming, either crushed by the ones below or shattered by the fall itself. The work was repetitive, almost boring—but safe. And in this hellhole, safety was rare.You have gained combat experience...The notification kept blinking across his log like a taunt. Kaelen couldn’t help but grin. As dull as it was, this was hands-down the fastest way to level up. Nothing else came close.By the time

The warrior hit the ground. Dead.Monsters howled all around, drawn to the chaos like sharks smelling blood. In just a few short minutes, four professional adventurers had already fallen to Kaelen’s hand.Now only the Paladin remained. He stood frozen, his face drained of color, eyes wide and glassy with terror. The confidence he’d shown just moments ago was gone—completely replaced by the cold grip of fear.He didn’t run, though. No, he wasn’t that far gone. He knew that turning his back meant instant death. His only shot at surviving was to stand and fight, even if that meant dying on his feet.Kaelen didn’t hesitate. He charged straight at him, Death’s Grim Shield raised high. The Paladin’s instincts kicked in—he darted to the side. He remembered their last clash, remembered just how much power Kaelen could pour into a single hit. He couldn’t hope to block that head-on.Dodging felt like the right move.Or at least, it should’ve been.But there it was—that glint in Kaelen’s eyes, s

Level 12.A faint smile tugged at the corners of Kaelen’s lips. High risk, high reward—that had always been the rule. Purple Thorn Castle had lived up to it. In just a few hours, he had jumped from level 10 to level 12, something few adventurers could ever claim.He glanced at the corpse of the Fake Ghoul Nest sprawled across the ground. Perfect leveling spot… probably a once-in-a-lifetime find. Every last ghoul had fallen to his hand alone.Climbing down from the tower, Kaelen sifted through the remains. One word came to mind: worthless. Not a single item had dropped.His thoughts shifted to the real Ghoul Nest. A spark of determination flickered in his eyes, only to fade quickly. Destroying it? Not yet. Finding it would be enough for now. From his last encounter, he knew his limits. The true nest was far beyond his current strength. All he could do was locate it and report back to Archbishop Aurelia in Faust.Days passed quietly. Slowly, the ghouls began to reappear, scattering in s