I was Born in the Final Demon Realm of a Dark Fantasy

I ultimately had no choice but to change direction.

Breaking through the fifth wall was still a distant goal.

I hadn’t even glimpsed the fifth wall yet. It was different from when I could easily raise my level just by deciding to. I had moved beyond the stage of simply improving my understanding of techniques through practical experience; now I needed deeper contemplation.

However, when I was struggling just to survive in the forbidden zone, I couldn’t afford such luxury.

If I could only escape this place someday, then I could take sufficient time to think deeply. But not right now.

So instead of boldly heading straight toward the fortress, I had to make a realistic choice.

Making the decision wasn’t difficult. It was impossible to go further forward anyway, and since threatening monsters weren’t showing themselves at the moment, I could also secure time to calmly check my plans.

After organizing my thoughts, I turned in the completely opposite direction.

No matter how I thought about it, my current location was the deepest part of the forbidden zone. I had the vague idea that if I went in the opposite direction, I might be able to escape…

As I left the deepest area, monsters that had disappeared for a while began to appear one by one again.

Fortunately, the first ones I encountered were scout locusts. The scouts were few enough to be manageable.

After quickly finishing the battle with them, I dragged the corpses of three locusts and roasted them whenever I got hungry.

As expected, they were nutty and delicious.

Once again, a journey of walking vaguely forward began.

What surprised me was the existence of magic in this world.

The first snake-like beast I encountered in the forbidden zone. Of course, it was large enough to be called a dragon.

At first, I thought it was just a beast with a massive body. But the moment it opened its mouth, huge flames burst forth.

Thanks to my sixth sense, I barely threw myself aside to avoid it, but the heat of the flames that passed by swept over my arm.

Fortunately, my body didn’t burn. Other than a burning sensation, I didn’t even suffer a burn.

It was thanks to my body changing after breaking through the fourth wall.

However, I couldn’t be careless. If a beast had survived in the forbidden zone, its power would be extraordinary as well.

My prediction was accurate.

I jumped up by stomping the ground, put all my strength into my hands, and struck the snake’s massive head several times. The beast, staggering and unable to regain its senses from the impact, soon opened its mouth wide with a resounding scream.

What gathered in front of that mouth wasn’t the red flames from before, but deep and dark black flames.

My sixth sense warned intensely. It would be serious if I got hit.

I hastily rolled my feet to distance myself and escaped the range of the flames. Right at that moment, the black flames spread like an explosion, devouring the surroundings.

The beast, having dyed the entire surroundings with black flames, laughed triumphantly.

It was just a “kaa-ak kaa-ak” crying sound, but having faced countless beasts, I could tell.

The black flames wouldn’t extinguish easily. Even the land, sturdy enough to remain intact despite massive beasts running freely, was melting fluidly.

If this wasn’t magic, what was it?

Indeed, the kingdom where I lived must have been full of fools. Because they hadn’t even seen magic that even beasts could use.

The black flames were on a different dimension from before. The moment they touched the skin, it was clear they would melt not just causing simple burns, but right down to the bone.

It was the same even when I infused my intent to defend.

But I couldn’t just keep avoiding.

I maintained my distance until the flames subsided, and when things calmed down, I rushed at the beast again.

Kicking off the ground, cleaving through the air, I rushed toward the beast’s head.

A red aura imbued with killing intent was set in my fist.

Having approached the beast’s head in an instant, I swung my fist.

Large beasts were typically slow in movement but had formidable defense instead.

Despite striking the same spot several times already, it had endured. This time was no different.

Rather, it quickly turned its body and struck me with its massive tail.

I infused my forearm with the will to defend, the defensive intent. As soon as black energy gathered on one forearm, the tail struck it.

Boom-

A sound that resonated through the space spread.

It penetrated my intent but couldn’t deliver a hit, yet the impact sent my airborne body flying tens of meters through the air.

And the beast spewed black flames at the spot where I was about to fall.

I had no choice but to hastily retreat again.

The heat of the flickering flames in front of me swept over me. It was a suffocating heat that felt like it could burn me just from the heat alone.

I had no choice but to wait again until the flames subsided. During that time, the beast would calm the impact on its head.

There was no help for it.

Several exchanges occurred.

I think I fought this beast all day long.

Thud!

In the end, it was the beast that rested its head on the ground. Daggers were deeply embedded in both of its eyes.

I retrieved those daggers and tied them back to my thigh.

These daggers were made by refining ten claws found in the cave where the bear lived.

Using the same claws, I crafted a total of five daggers, and the handles were made of purple metal I accidentally found in this forbidden zone.

Of the daggers that had been used conveniently while pioneering the path here, only three remained tied to my thigh now.

“Whew…”

I steadied my breathing and touched my burning leg.

I couldn’t avoid all the black flames.

Even though they only grazed me a few times, my skin melted and burned away fluidly.

It would probably recover soon, but it seemed this time would leave a scar too.

My body already bore the marks of hundreds of battles. Some wounds were deep enough to truly endanger my life, and those marks hadn’t disappeared.

If others saw it, they would probably think it was hideous.

‘…But will I ever meet other people anyway?’

I erased these useless thoughts with a bitter smile.

And I moved forward again.

Three months passed.

I walked continuously in the opposite direction from the fortress.

Once I set a direction, I had to stick to it unless something significant happened.

Here, neither compass, nor stars, nor terrain could guide me.

I had to navigate relying solely on my senses.

And I realized that my assumption that weaker beasts would gradually appear if I went in the opposite direction was wrong.

Equally challenging beasts appeared one after another.

Even though I paid attention to proper energy distribution based on my long experience here, the continuous battles without rest were wearing me down.

It was an environment where fatigue was impossible to avoid.

Perhaps it was a miracle that I had endured until now.

The last battle was the final straw. After a life-or-death struggle surrounded by dozens of locusts, unable to escape.

I was sitting down with my tired body, making a fire to roast the locusts when it appeared.

What appeared before me was a werewolf with a smooth, shining silver mane. No, it was unfair to even attach the word ‘human’ to it.

It was just a giant wolf beast standing on two legs.

Eyes blazing blood-red. They were the eyes of a pure predator, far from human.

Those eyes glared at me as if to devour me.

Another battle with that wolf beast ensued, already in a state of depleted energy.

From the middle, my consciousness became hazy. I moved my body instinctively, relying on my sixth sense and the experience accumulated from battles with beasts.

Sharp claws grazed my body several times. It was impossible to avoid everything. The wolf beast was overwhelming and agile. It seemed like it had learned systematic martial arts.

Depleted energy and increasing wounds. Blood flowing from torn skin soaked my entire body.

The burning pain and pounding heartbeat held onto my consciousness.

How long did the battle continue?

Did I win? Where did the wolf beast go?

In my hazy consciousness, I was just moving forward.

My roughly cut bangs had grown long again and covered my eyes. Normally, I would have pushed them away as they bothered me. But now I didn’t have the energy to care.

I trudged forward.

I walked aimlessly for days and nights.

Occasionally, I encountered beasts and fought instinctively. The process was blurry. I couldn’t remember it clearly.

My body moved on its own, and my memories were fragmented.

I walked and walked. My appearance wasn’t different from the beasts wandering this place.

At some point, a massive red wall appeared blocking my path. Looking around, there was no way to bypass the wall.

With no mental capacity left for deep thinking, I mindlessly threw a punch at the wall.

I kept hitting it, hoping the wall would crumble.

Boom- Boom-

But the wall didn’t even budge. Only a tingling pain spread through my fist. Yet I didn’t stop. Ignoring the pain, gradually assuming a proper stance, I concentrated all my nerves and threw another punch.

Like the moment I broke through the first wall. Like that time in the deep mountains of the abandoned village, in front of Ger, when I focused solely on posture, disregarding everything else.

The system of martial arts I established while breaking through the fourth wall.

As if reviewing it from beginning to end, I incorporated all my techniques into striking the wall.

Boom- Boom- Boom-

From the first form to the final secret technique. Following the trajectory of training, I poured everything out. I didn’t stop even when drowning in fatigue. My body swayed as if about to collapse, but my fists continued to pound the wall.

Crack-

After striking hundreds of times, a fissure finally appeared.

I struck with even more force. I didn’t care about the blood forming, or the bones screaming. Finally, the wall split, creating just enough space for me to pass through.

Without pushing myself further, I crossed through that hole in the wall.

And…

What unfolded before my eyes was a lush green forest.

The red blazing sky was nowhere to be seen. A clear blue sky covered above.

Had I escaped the forbidden zone?

Did that mean I had returned to the kingdom?

I walked slowly through the forest. The soft touch of soil and leaves beneath my feet felt unfamiliar.

Cutting through the grass, I moved forward for quite a while.

But… I couldn’t hold on any longer.

Strength left my legs. Fatigue weighed down my body. My eyelids heavily closed.

I collapsed into the grass with a thud.

I need to get up. I need to confirm if I really returned to the kingdom…

The continuing thoughts were eventually cut off without being completed.

♦♦♦

Two figures carefully moving through the dense forest.

They were two girls wearing light leather armor.

One was a woman with a calm demeanor, characterized by her long flowing white hair. Her composed expression carried meticulous caution.

The other was a girl with a more youthful face. She also had white hair, but it was tied up on both sides, giving her a lively impression.

Both had bows slung over their shoulders.

Among them, the youthful-faced girl spoke first. She was the younger sister of the long-haired girl.

“Haven’t we come too deep? Shouldn’t we turn back now?”

The long-haired girl stopped walking and looked around.

“Hmm… I think so. I unconsciously went too deep. We’re out of luck today.”

“Let’s come back tomorrow. It’s not like we’re short on food yet.”

“I thought it would be good to prepare in advance since winter is coming…”

“That’s true, but…”

However, going deeper from here would mean getting closer to death.

They decided to turn back at this point.

At that moment. The long-haired girl’s expression stiffened. She raised her hand to quiet her sister.

And whispered softly.

“…There’s something around.”

She lowered her body and carefully approached the direction of the sound.

Hiding her body behind a tree and peering ahead slightly, she discovered a man lying on the ground.

It was a man with long hair that seemed to have been neglected for months. White hair just like theirs.

However, his white hair was slightly faded, and above all, it was dyed with red stains.

No, not just his hair, but his entire body was dyed with blood.

Was he dead?

Though covered in blood, the flesh revealed underneath formed a perfect balance as if sculpted meticulously by a god. His tightly built muscles flowed in elegant curves, and his skin, if not stained with blood, was as smooth as if untouched by the mundane world.

Having seemingly fought a fierce battle, his completely naked body made these features even more vividly apparent.

The girl instinctively controlled her gaze that tried to wander downward and approached carefully. Her sister followed behind.

The moment she got close, she realized the man was still alive. He was breathing, though faintly but clearly.

However, his injuries looked serious at a glance. Urgent treatment seemed necessary.

At that moment, her sister following behind suddenly exclaimed.

“…It’s big!”

For a moment, the girl looked at her sister, wondering what she meant, and soon realized that her sister’s gaze was focused on one part of the man’s naked body.

She also followed her sister’s gaze.

And ended up seeing the sight she had been avoiding.

Her face heated up on its own.

“W-what are you saying!”