Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 409 – No Brakes In Han-Yeol’s Growth (5)

Chapter 409 – No Brakes In Han-Yeol’s Growth (5)

“Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am the demon responsible for one of the seven deadly sins and the root of all evil: pride. I am Demon Lord Lucifer.”

‘W-Whaaat?!’

Han-Yeol was so shocked after the entity revealed his identity that he heard the sound of thunder in his head.

Krwaaang!

There was no way he would not recognize the name Lucifer when he had spent hours and hours reading about demons he could potentially make a contract with.

Lucifer was arguably one of the most famous demons known to man, as evidenced by the numerous mentions of him in modern media. He was the most famous demon known to man, and his name was synonymous with evil itself.

That Great Demon was currently standing right in front of Han-Yeol, wearing a neat purple suit like a gentleman.

“Hahaha! You looked surprised.”

“Why wouldn’t I?!”

“Ah, of course you’d be surprised. You are, after all, meeting me, the Great Lucifer of Hell! I would’ve been disappointed if your reaction was lackluster.”

“Hahaha...”

All of Han-Yeol’s skills and abilities were sealed right now, and this meant that all of his thoughts were exposed to Lucifer. He was going to be in huge trouble if he thought of various things while thinking his thoughts were safe against the demon lord.

“B-But why did you want to meet me...?” Han-Yeol asked. He immediately dove right into the topic he was most curious about, and that was why a demon lord like Lucifer would have business with him.

“Ah, that’s right. It seems I’ve been a rather inhospitable guest after inviting you here.”

Snap!

Lucifer snapped his fingers after coming to a realization. Then, the darkness instantly disappeared, replaced by a restaurant reminiscent of what European nobles would dine in during the Renaissance.

There were three candlesticks, each holding three expensive-looking lit candles that were equally distributed across the table.

“Hoho! This should be enough to welcome a guest. Please have a seat! My chef has informed me that we have high-quality meat in stock today! You should consider yourself lucky!” Lucifer said as he walked over and sat down.

Meanwhile, Han-Yeol was still on the ground, completely clueless as to what was happening.

‘W-What in the...?’

He could not understand what happened just now, and he wondered if he had become dumber due to his ability being sealed or not.

“Hmm... I see... I should take care of you since you’re my guest,” Lucifer muttered before snapping his fingers once again.

Snap!

“Waah!”

One of the chairs slid back the moment Lucifer snapped his fingers, and an invisible force picked Han-Yeol up and brought him all the way to a chair, which slid back toward the table the moment he was seated.

The table, empty except for the candlesticks, was suddenly filled with all sorts of delicacies never before seen in the human world.

‘Am I... dreaming right now...? It doesn’t seem like it though...?’ Han-Yeol had pinched himself earlier to check if this was all a dream, but he could not help but doubt it once again after witnessing what he saw just now.

Growl...!

On the other hand, his stomach did not care if this was a dream or not. It growled at the sight of the delicacies served on the table.

“I apologize for the modest preparation, but I hope you will enjoy it as my chef has poured his heart and soul into cooking these for us. Please help yourself. I’m sure you’re famished from fighting all day.”

“Ah...”

Han-Yeol managed to collect himself thanks to his grumbling stomach.

‘Yeah, I barely managed to win against Woo Han-Jong, and I had to deal with that madman, Dr. Santinora, from the Freemasons. Then, I lost my temper after losing my Transcendent Master-Rank prey to a weakling like him and... Ah, just thinking about how that madman got one over me is making me mad again...’

Then, he realized his rage had led Lucifer to bring him to this place in the darkness.

‘And this happened? I’m with the demon lord representing one of the seven deadly sins, pride?!’

He was shocked after piecing the puzzle together and understanding why he was here.

“Hahaha! As expected of the human I chose! You can understand what’s going on without anyone’s help!” Lucifer burst into laughter and exclaimed.

Krwaaaang!

The demon lord only laughed, but the sound of thunder filled the entire hall.

“Now that you’ve realized the reason why we’re here, why don’t you enjoy the meal first? I have prepared this modest feast for you and only you.”

‘Can I... really eat this...?’ Han-Yeol wondered. His eyes and nose were already captivated by the delicacies, and he could see from the presentation alone just how much effort had been poured into preparing all of these dishes. Not only that, but the aroma from each of the dishes mixed together, creating the scent of temptation itself, slowly seducing him to reach for his fork and knife.

Han-Yeol exerted superhuman self-control to resist the temptation of the delicacies. His self-control was literally superhuman right now as his mana was sealed, and he was purely relying on his discipline alone.

Growl...!

On top of the seduction from the various delicacies, Han-Yeol was famished from exerting so much energy in the duel against Woo Han-Jong, and his manaless body was in extreme hunger right now.

However, there was one good reason why he hesitated to eat the food in front of him.

‘I’ve dealt with numerous demons, and one thing I’ve learned is that you can’t be too careful with them. I can’t afford to drop my guard because it’s just food,’ he thought.

Demons were not the type of creatures who would take losses to benefit others. They demanded something of equal value whenever they gave something to others, and they would do the same whenever they were on the receiving end.

Han-Yeol knew that it would be the same here. The moment he picked up the fork and ate any of the food on the table, that would give Lucifer the right to demand something from him. Thus, he tried his best to resist the temptation of the delicacies laid out before him.

Gulp!

However, the temptation was really strong. It was as if the food were alive and seducing him to take a bite.

‘N-No...! I must resist...!’ He closed his eyes and gathered all of his willpower to resist.

Munch... Munch... Munch...

Lucifer smirked while cutting a piece of the steak and then put it in his mouth. This piece of meat was very rare even in the demon world, and it was arguably a high-quality meat that only a select few could enjoy.

‘It’s over. These delicacies emit an extremely fragrant aroma, and closing your eyes will make their smell ten times more tempting,’ Lucifer thought as he took another bite.

Munch... Munch...

“Hmm... The meat is extremely tender and well-seasoned. Ah, it’s truly befitting of something that only I, Lucifer, can enjoy in the demon world.”

Sniff! Sniff!

Han-Yeol's nose started squirming as the fragrant aroma infiltrated his nostrils, just like Lucifer predicted. He had never smelled something so good in his entire life, and the scent alone was more than enough to tempt him.

‘Ah...! N-Nooo...!’

He was slowly starting to think he should help himself. It did not matter whether it was dangerous or if he could lose his soul in exchange for this meal, as the only thing that mattered right now was to have a taste of these delicacies.

Clack...!

He held the fork and knife in his hands.

“Hahaha! You’re mine now!” Lucifer exclaimed.

Han-Yeol was going to be forced to accept Lucifer’s demand the moment he ate the food. Lucifer purposely filled the table with all sorts of delicacies that even the most high-ranking demons would never taste in their lives for the sole purpose of demanding Han-Yeol’s body in return for the meal.

Finally, his dream of having a high-quality body to use in the human world was coming to fruition!

Han-Yeol was about to take a piece of the food with his fork, but he was interrupted by a shrill voice that reverberated throughout the entire hall.

“Stop right there!”

The woman’s voice was infused with mana and directed at Han-Yeol.

Wooong!

“Ah...!”

Thanks to that, Han-Yeol was able to snap out of the trance.

Bam!

Lucifer slammed his fist on the dining table and cried out, “Astaroth!”

He was well aware that Han-Yeol was already acquainted with Astaroth. This was the reason Lucifer had secretly planned for the longest time to strike the moment Han-Yeol’s pride got the better of him and quickly dragged him to this secret place he had prepared before Astaroth had the chance to realize what was happening.

These kinds of secret places were something only the demon lords were capable of creating, and only the owner of the secret place was able to use their mana within it. It was still possible for demon lords to infiltrate another demon lord’s secret place and use their mana in it, but that was quite difficult and came at a hefty price.

However, Astaroth was doing that right now.

C-Chwaaak!

A section of the hall’s walls was ripped open, and a door was created in its place. Then, a beautiful demon, whom others might mistake for a goddess, emerged from the door.

Whoosh...!

A breeze blew, and her fragrant scent filled the entire hall. The snake coiled around her left arm hissed.

Hiss!

She crossed her arms over her chest and icily said, “Don’t you think you’re being too brave, Lucifer? You dare pull this kind of cheap stunt on the human I already have relations with? Don’t you think this is against the law we demons have to abide by?”

“It’s funny for demons like us to abide by rules in the first place, and this is especially true for Demons of Pride like me, Astaroth. Bwahaha!” Lucifer retorted with a laugh.

Astaroth had caught Lucifer red-handed, but he did not seem bothered by it even in the slightest. In fact, he seemed disgruntled by the fact she had ruined his plans, and he did not bother hiding how he felt right now.

“But how did you enter this place? This is a space created solely for me, and only I can use mana in here. That human is here since I brought him here while he was drowning in his arrogance, but I don’t recall ever bringing you here,” Lucifer said while ogling Astaroth’s body with lustful eyes.

Slurp!

He seductively licked his lips while looking at certain parts of her body.