Monster World, Richard returned and found more people.

He came in an unassuming manner, yet it seemed the residents of the capital already had sharp instincts toward extraordinary figures.

He received countless stares in a short span of time.

"Is that him?" Someone who hadn't seen Richard directly wondered.

"Yes," replied one who had.

"He's truly in the Aether Will Realm? Even defeated a Tier 12 Primordial Beast?"

"Yes, I saw it myself."

"He's truly that young? My artifact can't possibly be wrong." One man used a special artifact to detect Richard's age, without even needing direct contact.

"He should be the boy who recently went viral in the Eight-Star Province. But it's hard to believe some random boy could possess such immense talent. He must have a particular background."

"That's right. Even though many famous figures started untalented, their achievements came from accumulated luck. But to be this young, it must be innate talent inherited from some clan lineage."

"..."

Richard heard every word, his sharp hearing catching it all.

Even though the final tournament of the entire kingdom was so near, the spotlight seemed to be shifting onto him.

As he, followed by Sister Lisa, entered the Monster World, people instinctively stepped aside to make way for him.

No one dared to be rude—only admiration lingered.

And they wanted to see him act once more.

Richard's gaze swept over the Tier 16 and 17 portals.

He felt no need to go through the Tier 15 portal.

Compared to the others, the Tier 16 portals numbered only three—lion, wolf, and rat, each colored crimson.

As for Tier 17, there was only one portal, guarded not by a Primordial Beast, but by a Primordial Demon—a humanoid creature with wings and crimson scales covering its body, a single horn protruding from its forehead.

Primordial Demons possessed intelligence, yet they could not be considered part of the intelligent races due to their overwhelming instincts to kill and destroy.

When encountering other races, they acted like beasts that immediately sought to devour.

Instead of being counted among the intelligent races, they became a common enemy.

Even so, they too could compete for the World Magic Aether.

Some among them had even once emerged as winners.

The fortunate thing was that when they did win, they could control their killing instincts well, no longer living solely on primal urges.

Of course, the eras in which they triumphed were still dark times for the world.

'What if I just go straight in?' Richard wondered.

He possessed the strength and had confidence he could avoid risks—so why take detours?

Perhaps he was even stronger than he realized.

Who knew whether Tier 17 was even his limit?

His confidence swelled, and he smiled.

'Good. Straight ahead, no need to waste time.'

He stepped into the Tier 17 portal.

In an instant, his decision shocked everyone—including Sister Lisa.

"Wait!" The woman tried to stop him, but it was too late.

He was already faster, stepping into the portal.

"This boy..." The crowd could only widen their eyes.

"He dares? Even someone like Lady Rebecca could only defeat a Tier 14 Primordial Beast."

"Could an Aether Will Realm Magus truly contend with Tier 17? That makes little sense—I know firsthand how powerful Tier 17 truly is."

"In theory, it's possible—or impossible—that the kingdom would place a Tier 17 Primordial Demon here. Yet those capable of such feats are usually creatures with innate talents that aid them in battle. Such talents can only be possessed by mixed-blood humans. Pure humans never have them."

Richard no longer heard their discussions, already inside the portal.

He emerged in a battlefield that could only be described as hellish.

It looked like the inside of a volcano, molten lava flowing beneath his feet.

Fortunately, there were large boulders scattered about, serving as footholds.

The heat was evident, thick black smoke rising from the lava—but Richard only felt a slight warmth.

The heat hardly affected him at all. Not only due to his high affinity with the Fire Element, but also because of his mastery of the Codex of Endless Flame, which granted him a body of fire.

Naturally, fire would not suffer from fire.

Yet the sight of the Primordial Demon—crimson scales, horn, wings—instantly pressed down on him.

Its aura was devastating, steeped in destruction.

The moment the Primordial Demon saw a human appear, its claws suddenly elongated to twenty centimeters, gleaming sharp enough to cut through anything.

Whoosh!

It lunged straight toward Richard, its speed astounding.

The air itself seemed pulled toward the creature. Richard even felt as if a suction force was dragging him toward it.

His eyes trembled slightly as he saw the space itself tearing when the Demon's claws passed through.

There was no doubt—the claws could easily shred his body.

Boom!

A loud detonation burst from Richard's body, his eyes widening, unblinking.

At that moment, black lines spread across his body—not tattoos, but his veins, turned black and bulging.

The hidden power within his heart finally surged forth, flooding his entire body.

Richard felt an immense increase in strength—nearly double his original power.

Even the rock beneath his feet cracked merely from his presence.

The Demon's oppressive aura drastically weakened against him, though Richard still recognized it as an extremely formidable opponent.

'Not yet!'

He chose not to use a Mind Attack immediately—it was better to wait and unleash it suddenly, delivering a fatal strike when the opportunity came.

The Demon arrived before him, slashing downward with its claws, clearly aiming to split him in two.

Richard drew his sword, swinging upward, counterattacking directly.

Clang!

A deafening metallic clash rang out, sparks erupting.

The Demon's claws were like steel, its force crushing.

Richard's sword trembled, his body forced downward.

Crack!

The stone beneath him shattered.

But then—the Demon's mouth suddenly stretched wide open, revealing rows of teeth like iron spikes.

"Human, die!" The Primordial Demon actually spoke, attempting to devour his head whole. Its voice was rasping, terrifying.

Richard struggled to evade, pressured heavily by the Demon's claw pinning him down.

The force pressed his body mercilessly.

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