Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 452

A fragrant aroma of wine tickled the nose.

Rows of long chairs.

Exquisite gourmet dishes, enough to make one’s mouth water at a glance.

The extravagant interior was filled with the most influential figures of the Demon Realm.

Clunk!

The door opened, and the final participant of the meeting made his entrance.

“You’ve arrived.”

“…Heh. For someone with a fire under his feet, you seem rather relaxed.”

“Kekeke. The great Guntafer, humiliated by a mere human? Even when I saw it myself, I still couldn’t believe it.”

“Come in, Guntafer. Berial isn’t attending this time, so you don’t have to waste your time looking for him.”

Each Demon King had something to say.

Among them, a man with long green hair cascading down to his waist sneered openly.

“Honestly, I’m starting to think Berial has better judgment when it comes to dealing with Climbers. Look at the results—while you were gathering up a bunch of demons and putting on a show, Berial stuck to one path. And now, here we are.”

“Quit your yapping, Asmodeus. My patience isn’t big enough to tolerate you right now.”

A sinister aura of killing intent radiated from Guntafer.

Under normal circumstances, such pressure alone would have been enough to suffocate anyone present.

“Ah, my apologies. I always forget you and Berial are rivals.”

“A rival? To that fool who practically sold off his entire territory? He’ll be gone soon enough.”

“Well, yeah. I can’t even imagine you losing.”

Asmodeus nodded.

Having witnessed Guntafer’s path firsthand, he knew better than anyone that he would never leave an enemy alive.

Glance.

Guntafer’s gaze shifted toward the banquet hall’s upper seat.

“The Demon God isn’t attending this time either?”

The seat of honor remained empty.

The Demon God rarely showed up for official gatherings, so this meeting consisted entirely of Demon Kings who held the rank of Legion Commanders.

“Unless Eden declares an all-out war, he won’t bother moving from his throne.”

“Tch! The future of the Demon Realm looks grim.”

“More importantly, Guntafer.”

A large-built man seated next to Asmodeus spoke.

A Demon King with striking red hair and a heavily muscled physique.

Mammon.

The one who governed Greed, as recorded in Enochian texts.

At the same time, he oversaw the Demon Realm’s economy.

“What do you want?”

“You’ve probably realized this by now, but we consider this situation quite serious. Killing each other isn’t uncommon among Demon Kings, but this time, you crossed a major line. And by a lot.”

“…Because of the 30th Floor’s theme?”

“Yes. We’re not supposed to interfere in the Climbers’ floor progression. But for personal reasons, you interfered with the system’s rules on a massive scale.”

Naturally, there would be consequences.

Instead of the battle taking place on the 30th floor, it had now spilled into the heart of the Demon Realm.

Had it been anyone other than a Demon King, they would have been executed on the spot for this.

Thus, this wasn’t just a banquet.

It was a gathering to hold someone accountable.

To demand responsibility for the reckless actions of a single Demon King.

And to decide what to do next.

“If you’re eyeing the reward for taking down Berial, just say so, Mammon. Spare me the nonsense about ‘protecting the Demon Realm.’”

“Kukuku… You can think whatever you want. But now that things have escalated this far, there’s no room for mistakes. That’s why…”

Clack.

Mammon placed a small, round stone on the table.

A symbol of crossed axes and a shield was engraved on it.

“This is…”

Guntafer’s face hardened.

A relic of the Barbarians.

—

Meanwhile, at Berial’s stronghold, preparations for war were in full swing.

Now that the flames had been ignited, survival depended on creating as many variables as possible.

Jinhyuk studied a large map spread across the wall.

It depicted every terrain and landmark of the Demon Realm, including the territories and military outposts of each Demon King.

“Hmm….”

The key now was predicting who would move and how.

Most of the other Demon Kings would likely remain neutral.

None of them would want to risk tampering with the system themselves.

Given that, there was only one possible answer.

A faction that had never once violated the system’s regulations.

A group whose intervention in another floor’s affairs wouldn’t cause severe backlash.

The “World of the Barbarians”, located on the 31st floor.

Barbarians.

A race of muscle-brained war fanatics with no regard for age or gender.

They considered bashing in skulls the most entertaining pastime.

There was no point in explaining further—just thinking about them was exhausting.

Thanks to their overblown pride and embarrassingly low IQs, they were constantly butting heads with other races.

Simply put, it was best to avoid dealing with them altogether.

In fact, aside from climbing the Tower, they were one of the most unpleasant factions to encounter.

Guntafer must have known this, which was why he chose the Heavenly Demons over the Barbarians in the first place.

However—

‘If Mammon has that relic, everything changes.’

The Warrior’s Coin.

At a glance, it was nothing more than a stone with a symbol.

But to Barbarians, it held extraordinary significance.

Every chieftain of the Barbarian clans had carried these coins through history.

Owning one granted the bearer the absolute trust of the Barbarian race.

It was one of the few items capable of rallying the stubborn warriors.

Without proper countermeasures, this could become a major headache.

‘If only their opponent wasn’t me, this plan might have actually worked…’

Jinhyuk clicked his tongue, almost feeling sorry for them.

“Hmm. There you are.”

Just then, Berial’s voice rang out.

Through the slightly opened door, Berial entered, accompanied by an elderly demon.

“Berial? Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought I’d take some time to get a full grasp of the situation….”

“I see. More importantly, I’ve gathered all the forces you requested. You can see them from the window.”

“Oh? Really? Thanks.”

Jinhyuk moved toward the window.

The view from the five-story-high fortress stretched out before him.

Usually, in movies, when a commander appears, a long horn blast echoes, followed by a roaring cheer from the assembled soldiers.

He had expected a grand, awe-inspiring spectacle.

…But was this real?

‘This is way worse than I imagined.’

The number of soldiers in the territory barely reached a hundred.

Even worse, they were completely undisciplined, their formation utterly disorganized.

No, that wasn’t even the worst part.

Their helmets, weapons, and shields were all mismatched, some missing pieces altogether as they laughed and chatted amongst themselves.

Jinhyuk had known Berial was on the verge of financial ruin, but this?

This was practically a ragtag band of street brawlers.

“Haha. Well, what can we do? We have our own circumstances to consider.”

“And you are…?”

Jinhyuk turned to the elderly demon, noting his low magical power, meaning he wasn’t one of the high-ranking demons.

“Ahem. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the steward of this territory.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Seherth. I have served Lord Berial for centuries. This is my first time hosting a human in our land, so if there is anything lacking, please let me know. I will do my best to assist you.”

Seherth greeted him with a warm, kind smile.

It was… surprisingly warm for a demon.

Almost nostalgic, like seeing his grandfather who passed away fifteen years ago.

“This is my apostle, Kang Jin—”

“Hrk! Ptooey! X%#!! You mean to tell me this is that bastard?! Kang Jinhyuk?! You should’ve told me sooner! I wouldn’t have even come here! X%#&!”

…Forget everything I just thought.

A demon with multiple personalities?

And that foul mouth… it was enough to make anyone’s ears bleed.

“M-My apologies, Steward, that’s…”

“Apologies, my ass! Do you have any idea how much I’ve suffered trying to keep this godforsaken dump afloat?!”

“I… I do. I really do. But…”

“The great Demon King, huh? Recklessly sacrificing our land, forests, and resources all because of one human. But oh! His ego is so fragile that he refuses to bow to the other Demon Kings! What a load of— And why the hell won’t you accept my resignation?!”

Seherth was absolutely losing it.

The sheer resentment and frustration in his voice were enough to make veins pop on his forehead.

“B-But still… I am your lord and the Demon King you serve, so…”

“Oh, then just kill me. Whether I die from overwork, from stress, or at Guntafer’s hands, it’s all the same. What’s there to be afraid of?”

Seherth had completely given up.

Even Berial, normally a Demon King with pride, was visibly flustered.

The fact that he had kept Jinhyuk’s identity a secret from Seherth until now… showed just how much guilt he carried.

But honestly, this was a blessing in disguise.

At the very least, someone in this place still had the motivation to work.

Jinhyuk grinned.

“Well, for our hardworking steward here… I think it’s time we talked about something that smells like profit.”

Now… it was time to redraw the board.

—

Even if the enemy had overwhelming military power, that alone didn’t guarantee victory.

In war, the real key was creating the right variables and striking at the enemy’s weak points.

On the third day since arriving in the Demon Realm,

Jinhyuk made his first shocking move.

“Are you seriously doing this?”

Chun Yoosung cursed under his breath.

He had barely regained his footing in the martial world, salvaging his Heavenly Demon training with Heimdall’s help.

But his moment of relief was short-lived.

Because they had ended up here—in the upper floors of the Tower, within the Demon Realm itself.

And right in front of them was one of Guntafer’s key strongholds.

The Blain Fortress.

It was packed with elite vampiric demons and fortified to be nearly unbreakable.

Even from below, the scale of its defenses made it seem impossible to breach.

“Yeah… the more I look at it, the worse it gets.”

“This is beyond reckless. You think we can take that fortress with this army?”

“Ever heard the phrase ‘the best defense is a good offense’? If we stay holed up in our territory, we’ll just get hunted down.”

“…I should stop talking. Every time I listen to you, I feel like I’m going to die young.”

“Come on. Haven’t I always had a plan?”

Besides—this wasn’t a bad move.

For Guntafer, this war wasn’t just about winning.

He had to completely dominate the enemy.

In front of all the Demon Kings, he had to prove his supremacy.

No matter how careful Guntafer was, that pressure would be unavoidable.

‘By launching the first attack, we’re adding even more weight to that pressure.’

Perfect.

The stage was now set.

Snap!

Jinhyuk snapped his fingers.

And then—

“Grrrr…”

“Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!”

From all around, the sounds of beasts growling and howling erupted.