The sole heir to a ruined world

Chapter 21

*Crackle, zap!*

Lightning shot out in all directions.

While it wasn’t a one-shot, one-kill situation, two strikes were enough to take down a slime.

Lee Hank-yul defeated all five slimes in front of him and returned to Asgard.

As he stepped through the gate, his clogged nose cleared, and fresh air filled his lungs, washing away his fatigue.

His body felt relaxed, and even the small wounds he’d accumulated while exploring the gate were instantly healed.

“Nice,” he murmured, smiling faintly as he looked down at his now-perfect condition.

The transformation had taken just a second.

But he didn’t linger.

Lee Hank-yul quickly returned to the gate.

**Invasion Countdown: 1 hour 27 minutes remaining.**

*“I need to clear this gate and get out fast.”*

The gate was vast.

Even after moving around for over two hours, he still hadn’t found the gate’s core.

If the invasion started while he was still inside, things would get complicated.

He had to clear the gate before that happened.

*“The problem is, where is the core?”*

Despite searching for a long time, there was no trace of it.

If he were Thor, he could’ve flown up and found it instantly.

Just as Lee Hank-yul sighed deeply and took another step—*zzzt!*

A strange sensation prickled through his body.

His fingertips tingle, and instinctively, he summoned lightning.

“What’s this?”

He looked around, holding the lightning in his hand.

No slimes or monsters were in sight, but the tingling sensation grew stronger.

It didn’t fade.

Lee Hank-yul turned his head toward the direction of the sensation.

Deep inside the gate, the feeling intensified.

He didn’t know why, but he felt the core he was searching for was there.

As he trusted his instincts and moved forward—*whoosh!*

An attack from nowhere struck his side.

*“Ugh!”*

Lee Hank-yul gasped and rolled to the side.

Having only fought in Asgard, where wounds healed instantly, this was the first time he’d felt real pain.

It was excruciating.

*“Damn, that hurts like hell.”*

He gritted his teeth and rolled again.

*Boom!*

The ground where he’d just been was smashed.

His eyes narrowed as he identified the attacker.

It was a vine.

A vine wrapped around a tree had attacked him.

But it wasn’t just the vine.

Branches and roots were tightening around his ankles.

It felt like the gate itself—the world itself—was rejecting him, trying to kill him.

Another attack came flying, and Lee Hank-yul hurriedly returned to Asgard.

*“Phew.”*

As soon as he returned, his body healed.

The pain vanished, and he was back in perfect condition.

He stood up and examined himself.

His clothes were torn at the side.

“What kind of F-rank gate is this? What the hell are hunters even doing?” he muttered, sitting down on the grass.

Fighting slimes wasn’t hard.

It was similar to dealing with goblins.

With his lightning abilities, taking down monsters wasn’t a challenge.

But when the gate itself—the world itself—was trying to kill him, it was a different story.

*“How can I survive when the world itself wants me dead?”*

If he hadn’t been able to return to Asgard, he would’ve died right there.

The problem was, he couldn’t leave the gate until it was cleared.

While you could enter a gate from the outside, leaving from the inside was impossible.

*“I need to move fast. Destroy the core and get out as quickly as possible.”*

And then reconsider entering gates in the future.

If an F-rank gate was this dangerous, how terrifying would higher-ranked gates be?

Lee Hank-yul gripped his sword tightly and headed back into the gate.

It was going to be a long, grueling battle.

—

**Meanwhile, in the Demon Realm.**

In a world where only demons could survive, a knight moved through rivers of blood and mountains of monster corpses, heading toward the Demon King’s castle.

The castle of the second-ranked Demon King, Baal, was as grand as its ruler.

The knight entered, and the demons inside immediately bowed in submission.

She walked through the castle, receiving the respect of countless demons, until she reached Baal’s throne.

Kneeling before him, she spoke.

“My King.”

Astera.

A grotesque voice filled the throne room..

A voice so terrifying it could make anyone faint.

“I’ve heard. You went to Midgard.”

“Yes.”

“Even if it was just an avatar, as a Legion Commander, you should have paved the way for me.”

Asteria bowed her head lower.

“Third Legion Commander, Astera. I should have prepared the path for you, but I failed. I dare to admit this before you, my King.”

“What?”

Baal’s gaze turned murderous.

“Even Satan couldn’t succeed there, and now you, a Legion Commander, dare to say you failed?”

Baal’s anger was unbearable.

In the Demon Realm, there were seven Demon Kings.

While they were ranked, the difference between them was minimal.

They were rivals, always ready to kill each other.

Satan, one of the Demon Kings, had once sent an avatar to Midgard, the world of humans.

Midgard was a place no demon dared to covet, protected by Odin’s Asgard.

Even after Asgard’s fall, its protection lingered.

But now, gates were appearing, and the protection was weakening.

Baal had thought it was finally time to claim Midgard, but Satan had made the first move.

And now, Astera has failed.

“Asgard has returned.”

“What?”

At Astera’s words, Baal froze.

Asgard.

The name alone was a humiliation to demons.

Odin had once made the Demon Realm bow its head.

Even the mightiest Demon Kings had been crushed by Thor’s hammer.

And now, Asgard is back.

“Thor… I met him,” Astera continued.

Baal’s expression twisted.

Thor.

The God of Thunder, the warrior who had conquered countless realms single-handedly.

Baal himself had nearly died at Thor’s hands many times.

“He said Asgard has returned.”

Legion Commanders did not lie.

Before their King, they couldn’t even hide their thoughts.

“But Thor’s condition was strange,” Astera added.

“What do you mean?”

“He seemed weaker. He didn’t have Mjolnir. His equipment was shabby.”

Baal’s eyes widened, and then he burst into laughter.

“So they haven’t fully returned! They haven’t regained their power!”

The gods of Asgard were deeply tied to the worlds they ruled.

Only when their world was strong could the gods be strong.

But without Mjolnir, it was clear Asgard hadn’t regained its full strength.

“Find them,” Baal commanded, rising from his throne.

“Find Asgard. Crush that reborn world before it can fully bloom!”

His voice echoed across the Demon World.

“Asgard has returned! Those cursed gods are trying to rise again! Brothers! Warriors drenched in blood! Be vigilant! Hunt them! Slaughter them! Let their blood stain our bodies!”

The demons roared in response.

“Asgard!”

“Cursed beings!”

“We’ll feast on their flesh and blood!”

“Tremble, gods! The eyes of the Demon World are everywhere!”

The seven Demon Kings, who had been silent until now, began to stir.

—

**Meanwhile, in the Gate:**

*Crackle!*

Lightning struck near the core of the B-rank gate.

One of the guardians protecting the core was instantly killed.

“Found it,” Lee Hank-yul muttered, his expression cold as he stared at the gate’s core.

The remaining guardians charged at him, but he unleashed his lightning, wiping them out in an instant.

The monsters around him were swept away by the storm.

“Damn gate,” he cursed.

It had taken him over an hour just to reach the core.

The gate itself had tried to kill him repeatedly, making every step dangerous.

“Let’s end this.”

He stepped closer to the core, lightning crackling in his hand.

Suddenly, the ground shook.

Dark energy surged, and the entire gate trembled as if reacting to something.

*Groooowl!*

A strange sound came from the core.

Lee Hank-yul didn’t wait.

He slammed his lightning into the core.

“No tricks,” he said coldly.

The system message appeared:

**B-rank Gate – ‘Slime Habitat Corrupted by Dark Energy’ has been cleared.**

**Rewards have been transferred to Asgard.**

“B-rank?”

Lee Hankyul’s eyes narrowed as he read the message.

—