Chapter 1

“The dragons attacked Hytopia,” Ezra said.

“We have to get ready to fight them!” exclaimed Rowan, chief of the dragon-hunting organization Klaudstion.

The Hunters went to stand on the roofs of every home and building. They raised their swords, arrows, and spears to the skies, fearlessly and without trepidation, to greet the dragons.

Almost every day this year, Hunters and Magic Hunters fought dragons, resulting in a 20% decline in the human population.

All Hunters and Magic Hunters all over the world were determined to eliminate dragons. Still, the number of dragons continues to rise, as if the animals with gigantic wings were ridiculing them.

“Prepare to attack them!” Rowan instructed the Hunters to focus on the dragons that were getting closer to Klaudstion's territory.

A dragon flew in the front, leading the other dragons, throwing fire from his mouth toward the iron gate as a warning and hint that they would burn whatever they came along. The five Magic Hunters quickly extinguished the flames with water magic.

Rowan and the Hunters, standing on top of a building not far from the gate, showed serious faces, gazes fixed on the dragons, and held their swords tightly.

"Attack!" Rowan shouted as he pointed two swords at the brown dragon with two horns on its head who was leading the dragons.

The dragons quickly spread throughout the Klaudstion territory, some fighting alongside the Hunters and others soaring away from the Magic Hunters to spit forth their lethal flames.

Some Magic Hunters were able to extinguish the fire that erupted out of the dragons' mouths before it devoured the structures, while others were busy directing the water that came from their hands to save the burning buildings.

“What a pity for the Magic Hunters. They ran after the dragons who loved to spew fire.” Alexander commented.

“Just focus on shooting the dragons to help them.” Luca hits Alexander on the head with the binoculars.

Alexander grimaced. “I'm always focused!” He couldn't rub his throbbing head because his hands were holding a bow and arrow.

During the year, Alexander had the task of shooting arrows at the dragons using a giant bow and arrows at the top of a 30-meter-high tower, while Luca was tasked with indicating the whereabouts of the dragons and controlling the wind so that the arrows hit the target.

The giant arrows, made of iron and coated with fire magic, always managed to penetrate some part of the dragons' bodies but couldn't kill them; they could only restrict their movement and limit their flying abilities.

“Damn it,” Alexander growled. He didn't know how to express his frustration every time he saw the dragons not fall to the ground after giant arrows lodged in their wings. “They have no pain.”

"Dad?" Alexander's eyes widened when he saw a dragon flying past the tower. His father's sword was stuck in the dragon's stomach, and his father was holding tightly to the hilt of his sword.

“Hey, you can't stop archery!” Luca clicked his tongue. “The Magic Hunters need our help. Why are you worried? I believe in your father.”

Even though Luca said that, he pointed his binoculars at Chief Rowan, and he breathed a sigh of relief because the chief wasn't injured. "Your father is trying to remove his sword, which is stuck in the dragon's stomach."

Alexander took a deep breath and exhaled; he had to believe in his father.

“Why is the sky turning black?” Luca couldn't believe what he saw in the binoculars. He raised his head to look at the sky without binoculars.

“The sky looked like it was going to explode,” Alexander said.

A second later, a tremendous wind blasted them, sending their bodies slamming into the wall well behind them.

The sound of thunder reverberated like hundreds of whips hitting the floor. Everyone covered their ears to protect their eardrums.

"What happened?" Luca helped Alexander, who was having trouble standing.

“Hello, human!” Everyone raised their heads at him after hearing his booming voice, which was almost as loud as thunder. "This is the day that we, devils, have been waiting for for a long time."

Everyone wondered if this enormous monster with a terrible visage floating in the air was a devil because they didn't believe in it.

“I am the devil king!” The devil king growled. He was furious that many humans had neglected the presence of devils who had existed hundreds of years before humans were created.

"We've lived with you for so long. You're too stupid not to notice us." The devil king laughed heartily, happy to have succeeded in deceiving the humans.

Suddenly, thousands of devils appeared behind the devil king. The atmosphere became strained, and their presence made the air difficult to breathe.

“I'm pleased because, until the last day, you all were alive; you didn't know that the dragons who were attacking you all this time were my subordinates,” said the devil king.

Everyone just realized that the dragons had disappeared; no one knew where they had gone.

“The dragons living in the forests are not my subordinates. They refused to become my subordinates, and it's a shame that we couldn't kill them because they have powerful magic energy.” Devil kings weren't shy about revealing their weaknesses because all humans would die.

“You all will die, just like humans from other countries." The devil king laughed loudly, and the sound of booming thunder burst every human's eardrums.

All of the devils combined their forces to destroy all of the buildings. The Hunters and Magic Hunters couldn't protect themselves from being attacked by numerous flying items.

Those hiding in their basements could hear the commotion outside. When they emerged from concealment, their house collapsed, and their panic made it impossible for them to think clearly.

The devil king laughed happily, watching the suffering of the humans.

Alexander couldn't hear anything because his ears were no longer functioning due to the devil king's laughter and the scary thunder. Still, Alexander understood Luca was terrified and invited him down before the 50-year-old tower collapsed.

However, just as they had descended two flights of stairs, Luca's concerns were realized. The tower crumbles, and they fall free. They lay on the floor, and the rubble of the structure became their blanket. No one could hear their cries for rescue.

Alexander tried to get rid of the rocks that were burying his lower body with his gaze looking for Luca.

The white light flashed intensely up there, making Alexander's eyes hurt. The ground shook severely. Alexander grimaced in pain as falling tower debris struck his back and head.

"Damn devil," Alexander grumbled. He hoped his father and mother were safe and they wouldn't be sad about his loss for too long.

He believed that not all humans die. Those who survive must be able to kill the devils and their subordinates.

Slowly, his consciousness vanished, and his breathing became shallow.

“Alexander, wake up. Mom has made you breakfast."

Alexander opened his eyes and frowned. Then he hurriedly jumped out of bed, opened the window, and saw his father having a serious conversation with Ezra outside.

An unfamiliar voice echoed in his head, causing him to feel dizzy.

[5 days after the devil king's subordinate dragons attacked humans.]

"What?" Alexander was so shocked.

[Congratulations on being chosen as a hero to save all humanity from the devil and the devil king's subordinate dragons.]

[Welcome to the Hero System.]