Aniket says, "It seems we''re in deep trouble." Smiling faintly, he adds, "But it''s worth a try."


    Saying this, Aniket pulls out a P-grade grenade from his pocket, removes the pin, and throws it directly at the Demon Queen.


    The Demon Queen catches it with one hand and examines it.


    Demon Queen (to herself): "What a strange object. It doesn''t seem to hold any Mana."


    However, she had no idea what was about to happen. Ten seconds later, the grenade explodes. Though it didn''t cause much damage, the blast startled the Demon Queen slightly.


    This moment of distraction allowed Avinash to break free from the mental restraint. Understanding Aniket''s signal, he immediately moved away from the Demon Queen.


    The Demon Queen watched him leave but didn''t react much.


    "Everyone, fall back!" Aniket shouted loudly.


    He pulled out a mana bullet magazine from his pocket, loaded it into his gun, and stood ready to shoot at the Demon Queen.


    The Demon Queen stared into Aniket''s eyes as if daring him, "Do whatever you want. I fear nothing."


    Aniket cursed under his breath, "Shameless fools! You''ve been hyping yourselves up as heroes for days, and now look at you, standing frozen in place. I could curse you all day, and it still wouldn''t be enough!" With that, he fired a shot.


    The bullet was about to hit the Demon Queen, but the result was the same as before. She tried to stop the bullet with her hands, but this time, the explosion was far more intense, leaving everyone stunned.


    Her hand was severely damaged, the upper layer of her skin badly burned.


    Seeing the bullet work, Alice shouted loudly, "Attack again!"


    Aniket, with a blank expression, replied, "They''re all gone."


    Hearing this, the hopes of everyone standing there were completely shattered. Beads of sweat dripped from Avinash''s face as he stood there, feeling as though he was facing the final boss while still at Level 1.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The abilities of those who had come to help were not working, and no one was foolish enough to try and approach the Demon Queen.


    Avinash couldn''t even open his gaming window, which clearly meant his skills were now useless.


    Park Seo, who had stepped forward to fight with full enthusiasm, quietly said to his companions, "I think she hasn''t noticed us yet. It''s best if we quietly blend back into the crowd."


    Li Mei, nodding in agreement, replied, "For the first time, I completely agree with you. I have no desire to die young."


    Their courage had completely evaporated.


    The Demon Queen, in a cold voice, said, "I can hear you, little mice."


    "The time has come for all of you to witness hell. Attack!"


    She trapped everyone with her mental energy.


    The Demon Queen moved forward with a deadly blow, ready to finish off Alice .


    Alice quickly fires bullets at the Demon Queen, but they prove utterly useless. Death was creeping closer to her.


    Just then, Saira steps in front of her.


    The punch was still racing toward them, packed with such brutal force that it was about to obliterate Saira when, suddenly, countless glowing threads appeared out of nowhere. They began wrapping tightly around the Demon Queen''s punch one after the other, restraining its momentum. At that moment, the sky was filled with millions of threads entangled with the surroundings, helping to contain the Demon Queen''s brutal strength.


    A calm voice echoed, "Looks like I took too long to rest."


    Victoria stepped forward and said, "Demon Queen, I think you should stop here."


    The Demon Queen glared at him coldly and replied, "Who are you to give me orders?"


    Victoria smiled and said, "I''m not worthy enough to order you. This is merely a request."


    The Demon Queen smirked slightly and asked, "And what if I refuse?"


    Victoria replied calmly, "I think you misunderstand. This isn''t my request. It''s actually a directive from Maxwell Griffin." Suddenly, his tone turned sharp and bitter like venom, "And I don''t think you''re in a position to deny his request."


    "Stand down, Demon." Victoria flashed a devilish grin.


    In his mind, he thought, If you believe humanity has grown so weak that it will bow easily before you, you are mistaken. We are not that fragile yet.


    "So, stay in your limits."


    The Demon Queen swallowed her anger and said, "You people have no reason to gloat so much. Maxwell Griffin, the envoy of dragons, is the only thing keeping you afloat. Without him, you are nothing."


    "Power, territory, people, economy—you''re inferior in every single way."


    Victoria replied calmly, "And yet, we have Maxwell Griffin."


    The Demon Queen turned to leave, saying, "Prepare a room for me to stay."


    Victoria smiled and said, "Have an unlucky day."


    Then, turning back to the group, he asked, "Are all of you alright, heroes?"


    Aniket, with crocodile tears streaming down his face, replied, "Enough already, uncle...or aunty...or whatever you are. your entry on time making us cry?"


    Meanwhile, Park Seo noticed that his window reappeared in front of him, and his respect level had significantly increased. Looking at it, he thought to himself, Looks like this wasn''t such a bad thing after all.


    He was receiving a little respect from everyone present, and his percentage count was about to surpass 10,024%.


    Just as the people there were beginning to breathe a sigh of relief, a loud explosion echoed through the air.


    Aniket shouted, "That came from my room! That''s where my bazooka is! James!"


    Thinking to himself, I left my room unlocked, and there''s only one person who could have gone in there. James! The same guy I promised to give a toy in exchange for mana water! If you''ve blown up my room, I swear I''ll shove a bamboo stick straight up your ass!


    Ignoring Aniket''s theatrics, Avinash started reflecting on what had just happened. His body still felt stiff, refusing to move properly. Avinash knew that this was a foolish thing to do, and he wasn''t some saint who always meddled in other people''s affairs. So, why had he done it today?


    Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "Forget it. But today, I''ve realized something—I need more skills. What I have now is completely useless. I need to become stronger and more capable."


    "Alright then. Tonight, I''ll try a new game to gain more skills so that I don''t end up in this situation again."


    Avinash wasn''t the only one feeling his weaknesses. Everyone present had come face-to-face with their shortcomings. A burning desire to become stronger had ignited in all of them.