Chapter 16 – Hell Difficulty
BOOM!
Kaden's back slammed against an invisible wall with such force that something cracked. Pain exploded through his body, momentarily blinding his mind with agony.
Cough! Cough!
Blood splattered from his mouth as he dropped to one knee, the world spinning violently around him. He sucked in a ragged breath, trying to steady his pounding heart—but he had no time.
The hobgoblin loomed over him, its massive club already raised for the killing blow.
"Blood Wall!"
A crimson wall of liquid shot up in front of Kaden, intercepting the strike. The wall shattered instantly under the force of the blow—but it disrupted the beast's stance, just enough.
Reditha materialized in Kaden's left hand as he slashed low, cutting across the creature's left leg with brutal force.
SPLASH!
Black blood erupted from the wound.
"KAAKAAKKA!!" The hobgoblin howled in pain, dropping to one knee, stunned by the sudden damage.
Kaden didn't waste a second. His eyes, now glowing red with fury, locked on the beast as a blood spear shot forward toward its head.
CLANK!
The hobgoblin blocked it—but that was the bait.
Two more blood spears shot out from Kaden's side, both aimed at the already-injured leg.
CLANK!
TCHAK!!
One was blocked. The other pierced through.
"KKGGHHH!!"
The beast cried out again, unable to support its weight anymore. Its mobility was gone.
That was all Kaden needed.
BOOM!
Kaden dashed forward in a burst of speed. His fist clenched tight, he appeared in front of the hobgoblin and—
BAAAM!!
His punch crashed into the beast's skull with such force that the creature dropped instantly.
THUD!
The hobgoblin collapsed, mouth open, foaming—unconscious.
Kaden stood over it, his eyes still glowing cold and red. He raised his hand. Reditha materialized.
STAB!
He drove the blade straight through the beast's heart, killing it in a single blow.
As the life drained from its body, Reditha pulsed with hunger, absorbing the black blood.
Kaden collapsed to one knee, panting hard.
Huff... Huff... Huff...
"Fuck..." he hissed. Now that the adrenaline was fading, the pain returned tenfold. His entire body throbbed in agony.
"Reditha... heal me," he muttered weakly. His instincts screamed—this wasn't over yet.
Reditha glowed red as the beast's absorbed blood flowed back out, wrapping around Kaden's body. His wounds began to mend—slowly.
He sighed in relief.
During his training, he'd learned the truth: he'd been misusing Reditha. She wasn't just a sword. She was his Origin. A living weapon. A part of him.
She could heal him—though not much. After all she can only heal light injuries. At least, for now.
"But it's better than nothing," he whispered.
With a groan, Kaden pushed himself back to his feet. His eyes shifted toward the door again.
It was pulsing.
"Seriously... what the fuck is this?" he muttered.
His body was still damaged. His mana reserves were dangerously low. And yet—the trial continued.
Another beast stepped out.
Larger than the others. Muscular. Black-skinned.
An orc. Also awakened-rank. But far stronger than the goblin or hobgoblin.
"Of course," Kaden said sarcastically. This time, he wasn't going to let it make the first move.
BOOM!
He charged forward, and at the same time, a dozen blood javelins materialized above the orc and rained down.
The beast snarled and deflected most of them—but two found their mark: one in the shoulder, one in the hand.
As the orc roared, looking for its attacker, Kaden was already beneath it—crouched just under its chin.
He struck.
Reditha pierced upward, through the throat, and out the back of its neck.
THUD—!
The orc fell, lifeless. Dead before it even realized what had hit it.
Reditha absorbed the blood again, wrapping Kaden in healing energy.
He smiled faintly, his body trembling. His vision blurred.
He wanted—no, needed—to collapse. To lie down. To close his eyes.
But—
The door pulsed again.
Kaden gritted his teeth. "Same process. Let's not give it time to react, Reditha."
She pulsed in response—concern clear in her energy.
She knew. Kaden was barely holding on.
Three fights back-to-back. No rest. No reprieve.
But Kaden smiled at her warmth. "Don't worry. I'll manage."
He raised his arm.
A massive pool of blood formed above the arena. His body was drenched in sweat, shaking uncontrollably. It took everything he had left to hold the spell.
Reditha flared, assisting him, lightening the burden—but even so, his mana was nearly gone.
Still, he endured.
The blood coalesced into a massive spear, trembling in his grip.
And then—
Another beast emerged.
A black troll.
The moment it stepped through the gate—
BOOMM!!
SPLASH—!!
The blood spear ripped through its skull, exploding it on impact.
THUD!
The body crumpled.
Kaden dropped to his knees, gasping. Reditha wrapped him again, healing what little she could.
His body might still function—but his mind was fading. Drained. Empty.
He raised his head.
The door didn't pulse.
It remained still.
Hope flickered in his chest. "Is it... finally over?" he muttered.
Then—
A voice echoed across the arena.
"Aren't you cheating? Ambushing my children like that?"
Kaden froze. Goosebumps erupted down his spine. He rose instinctively, Reditha already drawn.
He looked toward the voice—and saw him.
High above the shadowy gate, a figure sat on the arch.
Pitch black. With pure white skeletal wings stretching behind him. The contrast was unsettling.
But more than that—it was his aura.
Suffocating. His aura was heavy and reeked with death. This was not an awakened-level aura, not even close.
This was something above.
And in that moment, Kaden couldn't help but ask:
'What's the difficulty level of this quest?'
[Hard.]
Kaden let out a hollow laugh.
'Fucking bullshit. Hard? This is Hell level!'
—End of Chapter 16—