Due to the method of energy infusion being similar to that of the array, Sterl slightly closed his eyes to calculate and deduce the time it would take for the demon to level up.
This meant that the [Transcendence] side needed to break through the hell players' defenses and kill the demon within a day.
At this moment, Sterl looked at the group of hell players—these bizarre-looking players were now idly chatting with one another.
The [Transcendence] translation system faithfully fulfilled its duty.
"Damn it, why do we have to guard this demon for such a garbage task?"
"When are those cowards from the main world going to show up?"
"If I run into them, I'll make sure to tear them apart..."
...
The hell players were continuously spewing foul language, yet Sterl remained as steady as a mountain, not preparing to take action.
If he caused trouble now, killing these hell players would earn him quite a bit of merit, but it would also expose flaws in his disguise.
Why did the entire hell player squad mysteriously get wiped out, and who was involved?
If someone were to investigate, even if Sterl didn't get exposed, the attention on his disguise would increase.
Sterl wasn't adept at plotting; he simply knew that rather than relying on superb concealment techniques, it was better not to show any signs from the start.
Sterl waited patiently until the hell squad's noisy bickering faded as they left the underground area to patrol elsewhere.
Only then did he slowly reveal himself.
Sterl's fingers trembled slightly as he tossed several items into the river of blood, also inserting some materials into his space.
A minute later, Sterl's form flickered, and he activated Shadow Stealth again, returning to the surface.
The items he had just thrown in served as catalysts, enabling the demon in the river of blood to forcibly break through to the Supreme level at a critical moment.
The cost was that this demon would quickly die afterward.
But that was of no concern to Sterl; his goal was to obtain the Supreme-level loot, and he only needed to complete the kill before the demon perished.
As for why he was doing this...
Earlier, Sterl had used Star Insight to check; the attributes of those hell players were not much different from those of his team, perhaps slightly weaker at most.
If Sterl wanted to ensure that the demon favored by the hell consciousness leveled up to Supreme, he had to make some moves.
...
Soon, Sterl returned to his team, and the other players were not surprised to see him come back safely.
After all, he was also a demigod from the Hall of Valor, which carried some weight.
Hell players came in various tiers; some, trained from powers comparable to the Hall of Valor, were stronger due to the harsher environment they fought in.
However, ordinary hell players were at most evenly matched with the players from the Hall of Valor.
Even as a newcomer, Leo had a decent probability of completing the scouting mission.
The purple-skinned man rarely showed a hint of a smile and approached with concern.
"How did the scouting go, Leo Bro?"
Sterl reported truthfully.
"There are four perfect-level demigods, and the others are incomplete demigods."
"Additionally, a few of them seem to carry Flame-type elemental powers. One hell player, who specializes in defense, may have a weak point three inches to the left of his chest..."
Using Star Insight, he had nearly uncovered all the trump cards of those hell players, but Sterl naturally couldn't reveal everything. Otherwise, it would make "Leo" seem less straightforward and quite exceptional...
However, just the information he shared was enough to delight his teammates. With this intel, their chances against the hell players increased by at least twenty percent.
Instantly, they became enthusiastic: "Leo, you've worked hard."
"Now it's our turn to put in the effort; you just follow behind and collect some heads."
"Alright, with this skill, it looks like you'll soon earn enough contribution points for the Platinum Skill."
Helpless, he used Star Insight again to assess the situation, ultimately concluding that the appearance of the documents seemed to be related to the players' potential.
It appeared that the higher the talent and rank of a profession, the more legendary abilities and rules they possessed, the greater the chance of producing documents.
The first batch of hell players Sterl encountered was capable of suppressing the elites of the Hall of Valor; their potential was extremely high, hence the probability of dropping documents was quite significant.
"But why is it like this?" Sterl muttered to himself.
"Could it be that players with higher potential attract more attention from Swallowing Heaven, and the power contained in the document contracts within them is stronger?"
He was deep in thought when...
The atmosphere on the battlefield shifted ominously.
Sterl felt as though he had only casually claimed a few heads, but nearby, some players were already cursing loudly.
"Damn it! After fighting for so long, I haven't gotten a single kill!"
"Which bastard is secretly stealing my kills?"
"Don't let me catch you; you'll regret it!"
...
The members of the Hall of Valor looked grim, while Sterl continued to play the role of Leo, joining his companions in condemning the kill-stealers.
"How shameless! How can people behave like this?"
He spoke with righteous indignation.
At the same time, notifications were constantly ringing in Sterl's merit ring.
[You have killed a Swallowing Heaven player (incomplete demigod), earning 50 merit points.]
[You have killed...]
[You have killed a Swallowing Heaven player (perfect-level demigod), earning 100 merit points.]
His ranking rapidly climbed from the bottom 100% to the top 60%.
...
As for the hell players, they had initially been caught off guard, and many of their frontline demigods had already fallen.
At this moment, they were utterly defenseless, shouting frantically.
"Scum! Are you brave enough for a fair 1v1?"
"How can I die here?! Impossible!"
...
However...
Seemingly in response to the hell players' unwilling cries, Sterl suddenly changed his expression and instinctively took several steps back.
A tear opened in the sky, and as it rapidly healed, multiple sealing formations spread around.
"Is this a formation to conceal presence?"
"What's happening?"
Sterl glanced from a distance and felt a chill run down his spine as he saw that the place where the spatial rift opened was filled with a strange pink aura, accompanied by echoes of wails and bizarre filth.
It was unmistakably another layer of hell!
Then...
As the spatial rift dissipated, a long spear, engulfed in blazing flames and intense heat, plunged straight into the ground.
Boom!!
In an instant, both sides of players were blown back!
Sterl was no exception; he was pushed away by the flames, stumbling backward in a disheveled manner...
Soon, the long spear began to emit thick crimson smoke, gradually transforming.