Otto’s eyes got serious as he replied with no hesitation. "I do. I am certain."

  "Good."

  Immediately, Otto felt an explosion of warmth inside him, one that dwarfed anything he’d ever felt before. His body was filled with energy, power, and life. All his wounds closed, his exhaustion disappeared, and he felt so damn powerful!

  He could feel this warm breath of life and power course through his body, changing everything that he was. His blood boiled before becoming a river of power. His skin tingled, his muscles tightened, his mind raced. Everything was new, everything was powerful.

  Golden light radiated from Otto as the god watched on with a calm smile, arms crossed behind his back, and the orcs behind Otto could only gaze in wonder.

  When the light receded, Otto looked the same as before. Nothing seemed to have changed. But everything had.

  Congratulations! Class evolved!

  Berserker -> Champion of the Warrior God (Elite)

  Skill ‘Berserker’s Rage’ transformed to ‘Battle Zone.’

  Skill ‘Pipe Down’ transformed to ‘Martial Weapons Proficiency.'

  Skill ‘Apex Warrior’ acquired.

  STR -> + 5

  DEX -> +5

  CON -> +5

  CHA -> +5

  Congratulations! Due to your Elite Class, Champion of the Warrior God, you will be awarded 1 point in STR, DEX, and CON per Level.

  Congratulations! Race upgraded!

  Half-orc -> Half-orc (R)

  Racial skill ‘High Bloodburn’ acquired.

  Otto didn’t know what had occurred to him, but he knew one thing. He was massively stronger than he used to be.

  "Thank you, Uncle." He lightly bowed his head in gratitude. When someone did you good, it was only right to thank them.

  The god smiled back. "I have very few champions, Otto. Make sure you live up to the name."

  "Otto lives for Otto," he replied, drawing an approving nod from the god, "but why Otto still half-orc? Otto thought Otto would become orc."

  Gruum chuckled.

  "Be proud of who you are, Otto. You are a half-orc, and half-orcs aren’t inferior to orcs or any race, even if others regard them as such. Now, whether the orcs will accept a half-orc as their leader is their own issue, but…you have something to do first."

  Gruum glanced behind Otto, and following his gaze, Otto crossed eyes with Garon, the orc chieftain. Otto grinned.

  "Garon, if you win, then you will be my champion," was all the god said before fading away, his last words still echoing through the courtyard. "Be warriors, my people. It’s in your blood."

  The orcs cheered, rocking the forest with their shouts, while Garon and Otto faced off. After his Class Evolution, the new champion was fully rested.

  "I challenge you," said Otto.

  "I accept," Garon growled back, throwing Otto a pair of pants and a greataxe. "But I will not fight a naked or unarmed opponent."

  Grinning, Otto quickly slid into the pants and tightened them. They fit him, meaning they were probably Garon’s. Then, he swung the axe in a circle, gauging its weight. It was similar to his trusty iron pole. Usable. Meanwhile, Garon drew his own greataxe.

  The orcs formed a wide circle around them as they cheered. Otto and Garon crouched, getting ready to fight. The heated space was flooded with adrenaline and testosterone.

  Then, both at once, the two men lunged forth.

  Blade met blade. Warrior met warrior.

  EIGHTEEN

  A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL

  Invisible Rain stepped into the corridor. Following the plan, Feraya had disguised herself and snuck through the guards and out of the dungeon. She’d hid in a small warehouse, let Rain out, made him invisible, and was going to wait for him there.

  To his left was now a rotten wooden door, their meeting point with Feraya after he’d completed his mission. Assuming he lived to that point, of course.

  He shelved such thoughts; the invisibility wouldn’t last long, and he had to make it count. With no devils in sight, he shot through the corridor as fast as he could, still trying to maintain his silence.

  Feraya… Has she replaced her? Rain clenched his teeth. That woman made him upset. Not because she did something bad, but because she reminded him of someone. Someone he’d love to forget that he loved.

  Feraya fills in Meadow’s role… Is she never coming back? No, I know she’s never returning. She betrayed us. But deep inside, he couldn’t believe that. He was unable to extinguish that ember of hope that maybe, somehow, Meadow would come back to him. Yet, she was a woman who stuck with her decisions. Rain liked that about her. She would not return.

  But maybe if… If I wasn’t so useless… If I had told her how I feel… Rain grimaced. Goddammit! It’s done! Why does this hurt so much!? It’s unfair.

  Biting his lip, Rain grimaced and pushed the thoughts out of his mind. They’d been bugging him for days, throughout their stay with the orcs and their expedition into Hell. Whenever he wasn’t actively doing something else, these thoughts would pop up from the woodwork, hurting him. He didn’t need to remember, he didn’t need all these doubts, and yet he couldn’t help himself. His mind was just…there.

  But not now. Now, he couldn’t afford being distracted. If he was, both he and everyone else would die.

  Rain shook his head and forced himself to refocus, staring right ahead at the corridor he was running through. The thoughts will come later, he promised himself, and it seemed to do the trick, for now.

  At the middle of the corridor, it branched to the right, leading to the building’s entrance, but he skipped that. He was aiming for the staircase leading upstairs, which now lay before him. If he was a devil boss living in a two-story building, he would certainly like to be on the top floor.

  Rain reached the spiral stairs with about fifty seconds of invisibility left and was about to bolt upward when a Goatee Devil came down the stairs and almost collided head-first with him.

  Luckily, Rain wasn’t sprinting. Unluckily, stopping without making noise wasn’t an easy task, and it took him longer than he would have liked. In short, Rain almost kissed the devil before finally bringing himself to a stop and quickly sticking to the wall.

  The Goatee Devil couldn’t see Rain, as he was invisible—but be it the sound of Rain’s feet or the sudden warm gust of breath that hit its face, the devil suspected something was up.

  Tightly grasping its glaive’s shaft, the Goatee Devil widened its bloodshot eyes and bleated low, challenging whoever was there to appear.

  "Show yourseeelf!"

  Rain, of course, had absolutely no intention of showing himself. Then again, if the devil stalled him for just a little bit, the invisibility spell would wear off. He couldn’t sneak by; it was too risky. The devil was covering almost the full width of the staircase. The clock was ticking. However, even after half a minute went by, the Goatee Devil showed no intention of stepping aside. As befitting of a goat, it was too stubborn to assume that the air and sound was just its misconception.

  Goddammit, of course it’s a fucking goat. Why the hell not!

  Resisting the urge to whisper a curse, Rain slowly began walking again, intent on making it around the bend of the staircase before he became visible. He had no choice but to get through the devil.

  The bipedal goat stood in the middle of the staircase’s landing, covering most of the corridor with its constantly moving body and glaive. As a result, Rain had to bend his body to make it past the devil, almost touching the foul creature on multiple occasions, but his high Dexterity once again proved useful.

  Just as he’d made it past and was rushing to climb the stairs, the devil harrumphed, and looking back, Rain could almost swear he saw steam come out of the creature’s nose.

  "Fucking goat," he whispered to himself as he rounded the bend of the spiral staircase, exiting the Goatee Devil’s field of vision. At the same time, the invisibility spell wore off, revealing Rain in all his panting glory.

  Alrighty, I’m still alive. Good.

  Now that he wasn’t in a rush, Rain could proceed with more caution, and that was exactly what he did on the second floor. Another corridor stretched before him now, covered in a bright red carpet, this one smelling much better than downstairs.

  There were also no devils in sight.

  The doors were no longer simple wooden ones, but were instead double doors, taller, wider, and generally grander. Without wasting time, Rain approached the first door to his left. It seemed to be made of oak wood, and on its top was an emblem depicting two horns and a trident.

  While pretty sure this wasn’t the room he was looking for, Rain peeped through the keyhole for what little he could make out.

  The room was decorated exclusively in shades of red, with a big, wooden desk covering its other side. Sitting on a chair in front of the desk, back turned to Rain, was what he supposed to be the castle master. A humanoid much taller than even Otto, with big black wings wrapped around its back and a tail ending in a triangular appendage hovering behind it. Rain couldn’t see its head or body, hidden as they were by the wings and the chair’s back, but two sharp horns could be seen protruding over its wings. On the wall next to it stood an enormous black trident, its three tips tinted red.

  The castle master seemed focused on his desk, and Rain gladly let the devil be as he continued on his way. Sweat was pouring down his forehead. This thing, whatever it was, was strong. Very strong. He could feel it; a formless, invisible pressure pushing him down even without the devil having noticed him. Was this the thing they wanted to fight!?

  Wiping the sweat off his brows and renewing his resolve, Rain continued exploring. After two more doors that proved to be a kitchen and a small warehouse, he eventually reached the final one.

  This door simply had an emblem of a skull above it. An ominous sign, usually, but a good sign for Rain, as he was, after all, looking for a Boner Devil. Peeking what little he could through the keyhole, he saw a room decorated in shades of white, along with a library seemingly made of bones. This was the room he was looking for, and as he thought about his next steps, Rain regretted volunteering for this mission.

  Here he was, in the middle of devil territory, entering the lair of a devil strong enough to easily overpower him.

  Well, at least the room seems to be empty. Oh God and all Gods, please let the room be empty.

  His heart beat in his temples, his hands were sweaty, and he really, really wanted to step away from this door, but he steeled himself. He had a mission to accomplish, and even if things went south, he could probably escape. This was what he was geared for, his element. Even if he could do nothing else, he could at least escape.

  Armed with that hopeful confidence, Rain slowly and soundlessly slid one side of the double door open, creeping inside and checking the rest of the room, besides what little he could see through the keyhole.

  It was indeed covered in shades of white, with all furniture seemingly made of bones. There was a library—indicating that the devil might be smart—a desk with some sheets of paper on it, and even a bed that seemed to be made entirely of bones. In front of said desk was a chair also made of bones, and above it, a window overlooking the castle’s north side.

  Finally, to Rain’s absolute horror, the room wasn’t empty.

  Casually sitting on the bed and facing Rain was the single most terrifying creature he had ever seen. It wasn’t purely made of bones, as the imp had told them. Instead, it looked like a humanoid husk, with thin, dried skin stretched taut across its skeletal frame. It had a skull-like face, and from the back of its head, the protruding, sharp bones of its spine stretched all the way down its body and across the length of its long, scorpion-like tail. Moreover, from its back, two large, insect-like wings made their way out of the devil’s body.

  Its hands ended in long, thin, sharp claws, while its legs bent the wrong way, much like the Goatee Devils’. Moreover, between its legs extended a short, spine-like appendage made of multiple sharp-edged, round bones stacked on top of each other, and it was this appendage which apparently gave the Boner Devil its name. It didn’t wear a loincloth or anything at all, unlike the other devils, and was instead fully—and even proudly—exposing its private parts.

  If Rain had thought that its name sounded funny, the thing between its legs made him reconsider. It was disturbing, disgusting, and wrong. Rain could only hope that it was decorative because it looked too painful to be anything else.

  The abomination, although sitting, seemed to be at least two and a half meters tall, and its red, devilish eyes regarded Rain with morbid, predatory curiosity.

  "Who are you?" When it spoke, its voice was shrill, deep, and harsh, like sandpaper on the ears.

  Rain was not a fearful man. He had met and slain monsters. He had fought for his life, risked himself multiple times, and even stared a god down without losing his cool.

  Yet, this thing… It terrified him. It was ugly, disturbing, evil, and unnatural, taken straight out of his worst nightmares, the kind you don’t tell anyone about for fear of even remembering them. His stomach turned, his heart raced, and the fear coupled with disgust almost made him puke or panic. However, mustering every sliver of willpower he had, Rain wrestled back control of himself.

  "Do not be…afraid…" the devil spoke again as Rain was silent, chuckling at the last word, and this time, its unsettling voice bore deep into Rain’s mind. Then, raising one of its clawed hands, it waved behind him. "Clossse the door," it hissed like a snake.

  At least it sounds willing to talk… Does it know why I’m here? Did it know I was coming?

  Too many questions, too little time.

  Rain, of course, wanted nothing more than to stay as far away from this abominable thing as possible. However, if he didn’t close the door, there was danger of other devils overhearing, and then, he’d be a goner. But if he did close the door, it would be like surrendering himself to this thing, and then, he’d be a goner. Boy, did he not want to be in a closed room with this devil.

  But he had to. Ever so slowly, Rain closed the door as dread settled inside him. He was going to die. He felt it.

  Shitshitshitshitshit.

  The Boner Devil grinned, and it was the ugliest smile that Rain had ever seen.

  "You are brave, mortal… Sssspeak,” it hissed again, and for some reason, Rain didn’t at all like how the devil pronounced ‘brave.’ It was spoken almost in…envy? Hunger? Desire?

  "We can help you take down Vrohathor,” he said quickly, doing his best not to stutter.

  "Relaxxx, mortal..." The devil cackled, the tip of its scorpion tail lazily floating by its head. "Your kind likes to hurry, but we have all the time in the world. Ssspeak to me. Tell me...everything."

  At that moment, Rain Inspected the Devil.

  Boner Devil

  Level: 33

  A Greater Devil, and part of Hell’s middle management. These devils are filled with envy, hatred, lust, and sadism. They are often tasked with keeping other devils in order, a task they are brutally efficient at, not because they care about order itself, but because they are constantly looking for opportunities to punish others. This same trait makes Boner Devils lust for power and causes them to be hated, but also respected, amongst other devils.

  While awkward-sounding, their name is nothing but. With their bone appendage, they enjoy—

  Rain willed the screen to go away. He didn’t want to read any further.

  "Sssso weak…" mumbled the Boner Devil. Its scorpion tail slowly approached the water mage, the tip hovering close to his face even as he struggled not to step back. He could even see the sharp tip glimmering as if it was moist. Poison?

  "Why is sssomeone ssso weak approaching me?" Bonin cupped its chin, its red eyes looking Rain up and down as it stood and circled around him.

  "Who I am is not important," spoke Rain, and he knew that he shouldn’t seem weak-willed. As the devil circled around Rain, so did Rain walk circles in the room. Meanwhile, his words projected as much confidence as possible. "Our interests align with yours, devil. We can take Vrohathor out of the picture."

  "Heh." The devil chuckled. "What you give me is not enough, mortal. The…devil…hides in the details."

  Rain raised a brow. "I didn’t expect your kin to be able to crack humor."

  "We crack many things, humor included. But it is usssually not what your kind enjoys." Bonin chuckled, seemingly in a good mood. "False confidence will get you nowhere, mortal, and my patience has its limitsss. Ssssspeak."

  Seeing how Bonin did not react to his disrespectful words, a wave of confidence suddenly surged inside Rain. The devil was just scary, that’s all. Not aggressive. He could do this.

  "We have the dungeon," continued Rain, still circling around the room. The two of them were now stuck circling each other as if they were about to fight, which they might well be. Rain didn’t want to be stationary in case Bonin got any ideas. "We also have strong warriors. Stronger than me. I’m confident we have at least one person who can go toe-to-toe with you. In total, we have four people whose strength is above Level 25, and I’m not one of them. That’s not including the almost thirty souls who, while not too strong, are willing to fight."

  If Baruzak and Treea are on the same level as Makaran… They should at least be Masters, right?

  "Oh, I ssssee…" The devil crossed its arms behind its back, but the scorpion tail still lingered in the air. "Keep ssspeaking."

  "No, you speak now," Rain talked back to the devil. Even though his confidence was false, it had to be shown. "You know what we offer, and we only ask that both we and the souls are allowed to escape. Defeating Vrohathor should be more important to you. The question is, do you dare go against him?"