Being a hero meant a great deal. It meant risking one’s life, regardless of logic and self-preservation, to rescue the lives of others — both the innocent and the guilty.

It was a noble pursuit. A revered and respected occupation as without a hero, the world would be nothing but suffering and apathy.

Lancet had no plans of being a hero.

Even now, as he dashed through the tunnels and headed for the back gate, ready to risk his life and slaughter every Demon that came in his way, he wasn’t prepared to call himself a hero.

But he also wasn’t a villain either.

This mission in Hebthej had all been for one thing in his opinion: to get stronger. With kills from Astensia, Thor, and even himself, Lancet knew just how much his EXP gains were going to be.

Not to forget the Character Points which he now had in abundance, more than enough to mass create five Platinum-Rank Heroines... eight if the Narrative Coupon was charitable.

After this mission, Lancet always knew that he was going to come out ten times stronger than he was. That was why he had gone all in. And by killing the second Demon Head, he would be twenty times stronger.

Although now, after everything he’d seen so far: the suffering these civilians had gone through, Renan’s words about helping people, the Kingdom Rangers and Brigadiers outside the walls, and Astensia’s drive to protect everyone, Lancet felt like he’d been a little selfish.

His eyes opened to a whole new perspective. This wasn’t just about him at all. Even though this was just the world of the novel he loved/hated, these were still real people whose lives were at stake. He had the power to help.

It didn’t mean the plan had changed. Not at all.

Lancet simply had an extra boost to fuel his drive.

"Flash feet!" he cried, using a Thor Skill. The Phantom Ring glowed once and the charges reduced from 177 to 176.

Lancet sped through the tunnels, blue streaks of lightning crackling beneath his feet as he cleared the long dark passageway in seconds. He burst out of the end, leaping high over the thick foliage of red goo, miasma and nesting Demons.

Their ugly heads raised, watching him jump over them with wide, hungry eyes.

Lancet spun in the air and landed on the far opposite end, his greaves scraping the ground to friction his fall. Once he was firm on the scorched cobblestones, he drew out his sword, the Radiant Guillotine, and spun it once before angling it in front of him.

"Alright, you ugly shits," he whispered, then tore a smile. "Let’s dance."

KRAAAAAAARRRRR!!!

The devilish monsters screeched and roared as they ran towards him, their eye-heads and mouth-heads snapping open with stinky saliva drooling out.

"Glorious Slash!" Lancet cried, swinging his blade in a front arc. A golden light expanded out and slashed four approaching Demons, cleaving them in halves.

Two more pounced on his position, causing him to roll out of the way, but he returned immediately with a spin slash, cutting both their heads at once.

[ You have killed 6 6-Star Fallen Demons ]

[ You have gained 2000 EXP ]

[ The Radiant Guillotine - Soul-Trap Activated ]

[ 6 Demon Soul has been stored. ]

[ Soul Count : 7 ]

Seeing their brethren slaughtered, the rest of the nest were whipped into a deeper, starving frenzy.

More than twenty Demons scrambled over the pulsating red foliage, their multiple heads shrieking and snapping.

Lancet made a face as he prepared himself. "These things are so damn hideous!"

A four-armed Humanoid Demon reached the front first, leaping into the air with its claws extended to tear Lancet’s throat out.

Lancet engaged his Level 11 attributes, using it to sharpen his reflexes. He stepped to the side, letting the Demon’s trajectory carry it past him. As it fell, Lancet swung the Radiant Guillotine backhand.

The golden blade sheared through the Demon’s waist. The top half hit the cobblestones while the legs kept running for two steps before collapsing in a spray of purple ichor.

[ You have killed a 1-Star Descending Demon ]

[ 1 Demon Soul has been stored. ]

[ Soul Count : 8 ]

Before Lancet could reset his stance, two more Humanoids flanked him. One thrust a jagged bone claw at his ribs.

Lancet brought his sword up, catching the strike on the flat of his blade. A CLANG echoed out. The kinetic force was heavier than he expected— reminding him that while he was stronger, he wasn’t a Platinum-Rank legend with maxed-out stats.

His boots skidded backward a few inches, jarring his shoulders.

"Get off me!" Lancet grunted.

He violently pushed the blade forward, parrying the claw outward to open the Demon’s center.

"Trinity Slash!"

The Phantom Ring on his finger flashed.

[ Charges: 175 → 174 ]

Even though Lancet slashed the blade once, two consecutive air-slashes followed. The first slashed off one of the Demon’s hands, then both legs, and the final one cleaved the Demon from its middle head down to its pelvis.

Without pausing, Lancet used the momentum of the swing to pivot on his heel, driving his elbow into the face of the second flanking Demon.

The cartilage in the creature’s face shattered. As it stumbled backward, Lancet lunged, driving the Radiant Guillotine directly through its chest. He twisted the hilt to maximize internal damage and yanked it free, dodging a geyser of purple blood.

[ You have killed 2 1-Star Descending Demons ]

[ 2 Demon Souls have been stored. ]

[ Soul Count : 10 ]

"Who’s next?" Lancet yelled, a battle-crazed grin spreading across his face. The adrenaline was intoxicating. "Come on, I’m on a schedule here!"

The ground suddenly ruptured beneath his boots.

A Bug Demon—the size of a small carriage, its scythe-like legs clicking furiously—exploded from the dirt, almost skewering the excited Awakener from below.

Lancet’s eyes widened. His footwork was fast, but not fast enough to completely dodge the ambush. One of the scythe-legs scraped against his Duskguard armor.

The S-grade mythril held, but the force of the hit knocked Lancet off balance, sending him tumbling backward onto the acidic cobblestones.

The Bug Demon shrieked and lunged, its massive mandibles snapping open to bite his head off.

Lancet hit the ground hard, but he didn’t panic. He rolled backward over his shoulder, getting his feet under him, and thrust his left hand forward toward the charging beast.

"Chain Lightning!"

A bolt of white-hot plasma erupted from Lancet’s palm. It slammed directly into the Bug Demon’s compound eyes. The creature shrieked, its momentum halting instantly as the millions of volts surged through its nervous system.

The lightning arced violently, leaping from the Bug Demon to five other Humanoid Demons that were charging right behind it.

They all seized up, their bodies jerking uncontrollably as the electricity flash-boiled their blood.

Not waiting for them to detonate, Lancet kicked off the ground, closing the distance between him and the Bug Demon.

The creature shrieked, shooting out an unexpected splash of acidic goo. Lancet quickly lowered his entire body, sliding through the ground as the goo shot overhead.

He pushed himself off the ground with his hand and skyrocketed high in the air. Gripping his sword with both hands, he descended with the Radiant Guillotine, slamming it down like an executioner’s axe right into the gap behind the Bug Demon’s armored head.

The blade sank to the hilt. Lancet ripped it sideways, completely severing the monster’s neural column.

At the same moment, the five chained Humanoids exploded, their chests bursting outward in a shower of splintered ribs, charred flesh, and vaporized purple mist.

Like a firework to celebrate his tenacity.

[ You have killed 1 5-Star Descending Bug Demon ]

[ You have killed 5 6-Star Fallen Demons ]

[ The Radiant Guillotine - Soul-Trap Activated ]

[ 6 Demon Souls have been stored. ]

[ Soul Count : 16 ]

Lancet landed in a crouch, breathing heavily as the corpses rained down around him. He flicked his wrist, shaking a thick coat of sizzling purple sludge off his blade.

The immediate area of the smuggler tunnel exit was now a graveyard of dismembered monsters and cooked meat.

The remaining younger Demons at the far edge of the nest screeched, backing away into the shadows, suddenly much less eager to charge the boy in the golden armor.

Lancet stood up, rolling his shoulders to ease the ache from the block earlier. He was getting the hang of it, but he definitely needed more actual combat experience if he wanted his movements to be as flawless as Astensia’s or Renan’s.

He looked around. The ground was clear of monsters, but the air was still suffocatingly thick with the red-black miasma, pulsing from the pulsating organic webbing that coated the town walls.

"The miasma is going to have to be a ’them’ problem," Lancet said to himself, wiping a splatter of purple blood from his cheek. "Darian and Renan can handle clearing the air when they get here."

He knew more Demons would eventually flock to this exit—the smell of blood and battle always attracted them. But the vanguard’s evac team was heavily armed, highly trained, and packed up with enough magical supplements to harness Grace. They could handle the stragglers.

His job here was done. He had helped make a path for the civilians, and had sealed a good number of Demon Souls.

Lancet sheathed the Radiant Guillotine and turned his back to the tunnels. He looked down the ruined, branching road that led away from the safety of the perimeter and deep into the silent, eastern outskirts of Hebthej.

Towards the cemetery.

Towards the second Demon Head.

Lancet’s eyes hardened. He looked at the Phantom Ring to inspect how many charges he had left.

[ Charges : 172 ]

"With the Demons I’ll face in the way, I might be down to 150 before I face the Demon Head. But that’s more than enough to take him down."

Lancet made a fist to braven himself, eyes bright with determination. Then he broke into a dead sprint down the road, his greaves knocking against the cobblestones as he vanished into the red fog.