A Demon's hand

In a place ruined and ravaged by monsters, a young man, draped in a black robe, strode forward, with a group of robed figures closely following behind.

Any monsters that dared to block the young man's path were swiftly dispatched by the surrounding robed figures, revealing the white skeletons concealed beneath their robes.

It had been eight hours since Shiva and his not-so-little skeletons emerged from the dungeon. With nothing holding him back, Shiva had ascended to level 10. Meanwhile, the Corruption Giant had also leveled up to level 12, significantly increasing its power. 

It now carried the glass coffin with two of its four hands on its back, closely trailing the group and crushing anything in its path.

Furthermore, Shiva's small army had expanded alongside him. He now commanded four orc skeletons, two wolf-like skeletal beasts, and a two-skulled ogre skeleton—one of the guardians he had vanquished upon exiting the dungeon.

"Wait here and await my signal," Shiva commanded, though met with no audible response, the skeletons comprehended their orders.

***

A group of people patrolled the perimeters of a makeshift fence constructed from various materials, while in the distance, many others could be seen bustling about, engrossed in their tasks. It was a survivor's camp, assembled by those who were lucky enough to survive and had banded together to enhance their chances of survival.

Amidst this organized chaos, a man in tattered clothing slowly approached the camp, dragging his feet along the ground, clearly injured. 

The patrolling men, noticing the newcomer, sprang into action, moving swiftly towards him and shouting, "Halt! Stop right there or we will shoot!"

With pistols and air pellet guns aimed at him, the young man halted and raised his arms in surrender, imploring for help.

"Don't shoot! Please, help me. I'm injured," he cried out.

The patrolling men exchanged a brief glance before cautiously approaching, still keeping their weapons trained on him. One of them inquired, "Where did you come from, kid?"

Clearly distressed, the young man replied, "I... I was at the university when monsters suddenly attacked. I managed to escape, but I got injured while fleeing from them."

Seeing his state, the men softened their stance slightly.

"You're lucky you stumbled upon us. Get inside; the leader will brief you on everything," one of them said.

Gratefully, the young man bowed before being led into the camp by another member. 

As they moved through the camp, a small smile crept onto the young man's lips as he whispered to himself, "Sneaking in successfully."

****

It was the third day after the start of the tutorial, and millions of humans had already perished due to the sudden invasion of tower creatures. 

The sudden appearance of the tower and the emergence of strange creatures caught humanity completely off guard, leaving them unprepared to face the looming threat. 

As a result, in just two days, the civilization painstakingly constructed by humans over millennia crumbled into ruin.

Those that had miraculously survived had no choice but to group up and try to defend against the monsters, barely managing to stay alive!

And just in this short time a new law had taken over the world, a law that was more primal and universal.

The Law of the Jungle.

The individuals who acquired strength by defeating the monsters had already begun preying on the weak, and what was happening now was a classic example of it.

"Ugh... Leave me alone... You bastard, let me go... Sob sob," a young woman pleaded.

A middle-aged man, with a well-built body and a semi-automatic pistol in his hand, was dragging a young woman by her hair, while a young man desperately clung to his leg. 

The scene was akin to a three-year-old being dragged by adults. It was evident that the middle-aged man's stats were already beyond human level.

"Leader, I will do anything, please let her go. I beg you, leader... Please, let her go," the young man pleaded in desperation.

On closer inspection, it could be seen that the young man was already injured, blood trickling down his forehead and numerous bruises scattered across his body.

"You scum, you thought you could hide her from me, haha," the middle-aged man sneered.

I don't think I need to explain what's going on here, right?

A group of survivors watched the scene unfold. Some looked on with pity, some with anger, some with rage, but not a single one came forward to help.

"Someone, please help me. Please help my sister. I will do anything for you, please... Please," the young man screamed, begging for assistance.

But not a single person stepped forward. They knew better than to challenge someone with a rare class if they valued their lives.

"Leave me, you bastard..."

"You moron, let her go. I'll kill you..." The young man clung desperately to the leg of the middle-aged man, attempting to bite him. But before he could, a powerful kick sent him flying.

"Scum!" the middle-aged man sneered in disgust, while the young woman cried out in worry.

"Brother!" She tried to reach her fallen brother a few meters away, but she was yanked back by the middle-aged man, who held her hair like a ragdoll.

"Arhhh!!"

The siblings' cries echoed in the surroundings, but not a single soul intervened to save them.

This was reality.

This was the bitter reality.

But all hope was not lost yet.

A figure cloaked in tattered black robes strode forward, chuckling.

"Keke... You said you wanted help, right?"

There was a momentary hush, followed by murmurs rippling through the crowd.

"Is he insane? Who does he think he is?"

"He's challenging that man? He must be out of his mind."

"Why is he trying to play the hero? He's only going to get himself killed."

Amidst the murmuring, the middle-aged man spoke up, "Hey, do you have a death wish or something? Step back while I'm being generous."

Ignoring the warning, the ragged man turned to the young man. "Hey, kid, answer me. Do you want my help?"

The young man was taken aback by the unexpected offer. "Yes?" he replied, bewildered.

"Are you asking for my help or not?"

"Huh...!! Please...! Please help us, sir. I don't know who you are, but I'll be forever grateful," pleaded Karna, his desperation evident.

Karna, the young man pleading for help, didn't know who it was, but it didn't matter now; he was in desperate need of a helping hand, even if that hand turned out to be the demon's.

"And? What good is your gratitude to me?"

But the young man was seriously mistaken if he thought that the ragged man would help him for free... because the one who stood before him was none other than the Demonic Emperor himself!

---***---