《Infinite Competitive Dungeon Society》


 Chapter 0 - Prologue

    Everyone, as you know Wuxiaworld started off as a Chinese-only trantion and reading tform, so during the past year or two our primary focus has mainly been on working with Chinese rights holders. Starting with the Gravity exodus, we have gradually been branching out to Korean novels as well, and now that our Chinese rights situation is more-or-less settled it has been time to turn my attention to our Korean novels as well. A week or two ago, I flew to Seoul for discussions with Munpia, thergest Koreannguage  tform which hosts many of the novels our trantors have brought to you to read and enjoy. Our talks were fairly positive, but they did make a big request - that during this process of negotiations, Wuxiaworld temporarily pause and take down our Korean trantions as a show of good faith.


    The Korean scene is a bit different from the Chinese scene; authors (or their respective agencies) have much more say and often own their own works, whereas the Chinese  scene usually sees the tform holding the rights. Munpia has expressed a willingness to reach out to their author/partners and convey our offers for their Englishnguage rights, but exined to us that (once again, unlike the Chinese scene) authors generally have a bad reaction to their works being tranted to English without explicit contractual authorizations, and it is difficult for them to serve as mediator while these novels are already on Wuxiaworld. Hence, they have requested us to temporarily take down these trantions during this negotiation period, which is expected to take roughly a month or so.


    We did our best to suggest alternatives, including offering thousands of dors of no-strings attached ¡¯goodwill gifts¡¯ to authors (on top of <i>expensive</i> royalty payments) to keep these novels up during this period of time, as we really did not want to disrupt the reading experience for all of you. Unfortunately, Munpia still strongly advises that the best way forward is to take these novels offline for a few weeks, although they did suggest a ¡¯grace period¡¯ for us to let the readers know. After a period of reflection, we¡¯ve decided to ede to their request as a show of good faith and hopefully build a stronger foundation of rtionships for the future.


    <strong>Hence, allpleted Korean novels will be made invisible in one week (November 19, 2018), while all in-progress Korean novels will be made invisible in two weeks (November 26, 2018). Hopefully, we will have them all back up roughly a month or so after that, just in time for Christmas (December 25, 2018)</strong>. All sponsorship tiers have also been made invisible, to prevent new sponsors from joining for now. For those who still have a few days of sponsorship on a Korean novel after November 26, the n is to either ¡¯pause¡¯ those sponsorships and then credit the amount of time remaining once the novelse back online, or just provide credit equal to the amount of time left - this will mainly be a technical consideration.


    I think it goes without saying that I don¡¯t like this, and this is a very imperfect solution, but it¡¯s the best one we have if we want to proceed with putting Wuxiaworld in a good position to continue doing Korean novels for you in the future. If we cannot sort out the rights situation, in the long run we¡¯ll most likely have to begin transitioning out of Korean novels entirely, which is something which I think no one wants to see. So, I¡¯m incredibly sorry for this temporary inconvenience, but in one/two weeks time we¡¯re going to start invis¡¯ing these novels. If you havepleted Korean novels you¡¯ve been meaning to take a look at, don¡¯t wait, get to reading soon!


    Thanks so much,


    RWX

 Chapter 1. Boy becomes a Dungeon Explorer (1)

    Chapter 1. Boy bes a Dungeon Explorer (1)


    My father was the direct heir of a n known for its spearmanship. There were other ancient martial art ns scattered throughout Korea, but my father was strong even amongst the heirs. While growing up, I never once saw my father lose. Even so, my father wouldin every day of his ill fortune, saying things I could not understand.


    ¡°Tsk, what use is there being strong on the outside? With no qi, it¡¯s all looks and no substance.¡±


    ¡°Key? Shin has a key!¡±


    ¡°Haha, not key, but qi. It¡¯s the energy you build up inside the body.¡±


    Of course, as I was only eight years old, I didn¡¯t understand what my father meant by building energy inside the body.


    I was more interested by other things. Seeing my father smash boulders with his bare fists or drilling a hole in a concrete wall with a wooden spear in less than 10 seconds, I thought I wanted to get strong just like him.


    ¡°You can do it too.¡±


    ¡°Really? I can be as strong as you, Dad?¡±


    ¡°Of course! You just have to train hard.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    I was at the age where I admiredic book superheroes. It was also why I fell for my father¡¯s sweet talk so easily.


    He had purposely left out the detail that it would take dozens of years of training. He forced me, his less than ten year old son, to scale mountains and even abandoned me in the forest. He said it was a necessary process to be a hero.


    Did I obediently do what he said? When I was only eight? Of course not! At first, I was bawling my eyes out. However, the only person who could cheer me up in this situation, my mother, was in Korea. I, on the other hand, was in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest with my father. Without any way ofmunicating with the outside world, my cries for help went unheard.


    ¡°Uwaaaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Shut up! There won¡¯t be dinner until you kill that snake!¡±


    ¡°I hate you Dad! Uwaaaaah!¡±


    My first ever summer break, which happened when I was eight, seemed tost forever. It was the same for that year¡¯s winter break, the following summer break, and the following winter break...


    For two years, I learned the basics of martial arts. At ten, I was able to at least take up a cool stance. My body becamerge, unlike others my age, and my once-tender arms had turned a little muscr.


    Although the boys my age said that I looked cool and followed me around, the girls distanced themselves from me, saying that the cute Shin had turned into a monster.


    Hmph, girls. Once they grew up, they would no doubt go crazy at the sight of muscles... Of course, back then, I was young too, and seeing my body keep changing, I whined to my father to bring my arms back. He beat me up. He had long since stopped treating me like a cute son.


    And so on the my tenth birthday, my father finally brought it up.


    It was a story about a ¡¯dungeon¡¯ that would stay with me for the rest of my life.


    ¡°In the dungeon, there are lots of precious things. Mana Stones, magical weapons... heck, even orc skin would be treated as new material never-before-seen on Earth!¡±


    ¡°Wow! So how do you go to the dungeon?¡±


    My fatherughed as he stroked my head. ¡°Through Dad¡¯s cellphone.¡±


    ¡°Can I go too?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, kiddo. You¡¯re not strong enough.¡±


    ¡°Dad, what¡¯s a Mana Stone? Can I see it?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s...¡± At my inquiry, my father¡¯s smooth talk came to a crashing halt. I should have noticed then that something was wrong.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll show you thatter. No, there¡¯s no reason to. You can enter the dungeon and bring one back yourself!¡±


    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll go to the dungeon! I want to see it for myself!¡±


    My ten year old self was detached from modern technology. In this day and age where even elementary school kids had smartphones, I instead received a kid-sized wooden spear as my school entrance gift. There was no way I could have known what dungeons really were.


    Some kids my age were already ying dungeon exploring fantasy games on their smartphones!


    Without knowing that dungeons were imaginary, I bragged to my friends that I would enter a dungeon when I grew up. When my friends understood the severity of my delusion, they showed me all kinds of novels and games to convince me that dungeons did not exist in the real world. Unfortunately, my two years of training had turned even my brain into muscle.


    In other words, I was slow to understand what people were saying.


    At school, I talked and talked about be a dungeon explorer. What do you think happened? In what was dubbed ¡°Kang Shin¡¯s Dungeon Explorer Incident,¡¯ I lost my two of my best friends, MinSoo and SooChan.


    Kang Shin was my name, of course. Kang was my family name and Shin was my given name. My father chose my name, saying that single syble names seemed strong. My mother had also agreed that it was a good name.


    Regardless of how others reacted, my grand ambition of bing a dungeon explorer never disappeared. I trained harder and harder. Having trained systematically under my father, who had already half-transcended the limits of a human, when I became fifteen-years-old, my father was the only person left on Earth who I was afraid of.


    Guns were scary, to be honest, but I was able to dodge a bullet with about a fifty percent chance. It was then that I realized that I had surpassed the realm of a human being. The next thing I knew, I had no one to call friends, and even my own beautiful younger sister was avoiding me.


    On my fifteenth birthday, I took my clothes off and stood in front of a mirror. Because I couldn¡¯t see my whole body if I stood too close, I had to stand far back.


    In it was a Hulk.


    ¡°Nooooo, this can¡¯t be...!¡±


    Well, maybe I was exaggerating a little. In any case, my body was far from normal. I was 2 meters tall and was only in my third year of middle school. My body looked like a gori¡¯s. It was all muscle and barely any fat. It was at the stage where my limbs were better described as deadly weapons. It was not something the human body could have normally.


    Something was definitely wrong. Not even my father looked like this.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost like an orc. Your handsome face takes after me, but your body...¡±


    ¡°Dear husband, you must mean his face takes after me. His body is just like yours.¡±


    My mother treated only my head as her son. Even though she was my true mother, I sometimes suspected her of being a protractor. How else could she be so sharp and ruthless in her measurements of me?


    ¡°Father, why did I be so big?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe it¡¯s because you started training at a young age.¡±


    ¡°When did you start your training?¡±


    ¡°Sixteen, I think.¡±


    ¡°You crook!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I only wanted to make you a dungeon explorer!¡±


    On my fifteenth birthday, I beat my father in an official match. It was the moment where youth beat out experience. But even after taking a loss at the hands of my shoulder throw, my father said with bitterness, ¡°So you didn¡¯t manage to obtain qi...¡±


    ¡°There is no such thing as qi! The thing about dungeons is a lie too!¡±


    ¡°A lie... You¡¯ll find out soon, son, so spare my back.¡±


    On the same night that I carried out my sweet revenge, I received a message on the smartphone my mother bought me for winning against father. When I saw it, my eyes opened wide.


    - Unlock by entering your password.


    ¡°Ku... I can¡¯t open it...¡±


    Because my head was full of muscle, it was impossible for me to remember the basic password mother put in.


    The next day, I asked mother to unlock the phone. Lost for words, she got rid of the lock entirely. I don¡¯t understand why she didn¡¯t do so in the first ce. I nodded my head as I epted the phone. When I looked down, this was the message I received.


    [You have been acknowledged by the self-proimed Strongest on Earth ¡®Kang YungOong,¡¯ and have acquired the Dungeon Explorer¡¯s License. As of this moment, you have be one of the five dungeon explorers on Earth. Would you like to enter the dungeon now?]


    Dungeon explorer it said! My eyes became wide in surprise as I realized the dream I had since I was ten years old wasing true. Watching my surprised face, mother walked toward me, looked at the phone screen, and crossed her arms.


    ¡°This old man dares to mess with his son with KaTalk? Today, he won¡¯t go unpunished.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s KaTalk, Mom?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the messenger you¡¯re looking at now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a messenger?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I became embarrassed when she didn¡¯t reply, so I went to my younger sister to ask. She had just graduated elementary school and was in her first year of middle school. When I knocked on her door, she ran towards it happily and opened it. After seeing my appearance, she let out a shriek and shrunk in fear. When I exined my situation, she kindly exined it to me with a shy smile. I looked scary on the outside, but she still cared for me deeply.


    After about five hours of exnation, I became a bit more used to modern technology.


    ¡°Yua, how do I reply to this?¡±


    ¡°Ah, mm, oppa, like this...¡±


    Ah, what a cute angel! Seeing my sister trying to help even as she stuttered made me want to hug her. But because I didn¡¯t want to scare her again, I held myself back.


    After learning how to reply to the KaTalk I received, I told her I would pay her back with a Mana Stone from the dungeon. Then, I typed ¡®Yes¡¯ into my phone.


    The next moment, I was inside the dungeon. An endless grey hallway, walls made out of stones and torches hanging on them. It was exactly like what father had described. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t lying after all.


    There was more. The moment I realized where I was, I heard someone¡¯s whisper in my ears.


    [Kang Shin, Bronze Rank 9 Dungeon Explorer, has entered the dungeon.]


    [This is your first time. Beginner Dungeon Explorer Support has sent you 5 Lowest-grade Potions.]


    [Analyzing your abilities...plete. Beginner Dungeon Explorer Support has sent you a Sharp Wooden Spear.]


    [Confirming rank...plete. You are 5th of the 5 Dungeon Explorers from Earth. You are 146,298th of the 146,298 total dungeon explorers. Rankings will be renewed at 6 A.M. tomorrow morning.]


    [You have obtained a Status. Would you like to confirm? Yes/No]


    Sorry for dragging it out so long. Everything was leading up to this moment.


    The moment where I became a true dungeon explorer.


    ... The dungeon explorer, titled ¡®Crown Prince of 5F.¡¯

 Chapter 2. Boy Becomes a Dungeon Explorer (2)

    Chapter 2. Boy Bes a Dungeon Explorer (2)


    I couldn¡¯t calm myself hearing all these alerts. The first thing I thought of was ¡®Yes! I¡¯m finally a dungeon explorer!¡¯ The next thing was ¡®is Bronze Rank 9 high or low?¡¯ Thest was ¡®what¡¯s a Potion?¡¯


    Anything more was hard to put into my head.


    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m getting dizzy. Can you say that slower?¡±


    [Would you like to check your message log?]


    ¡°What¡¯s a message log?¡±


    [It contains the messages Kang Shin-nim received.]


    ¡°Yes, show me!¡±


    As soon as the words left my mouth, a translucent window appeared in front of my eyes. Startled, I took a step back. To think it could trick and appear before me, who has better senses than my father... But when I realized that it did not have a real form, I let my guard down and approached it. There, the voices I had been hearing were recorded. It was amazing.


    ¡°Sharp Wooden Spear?¡±


    [It is inside your inventory. Would you like to confirm?]


    ¡°Confirm how?¡±


    [You just have to say the word inventory.]


    ¡°Inventory...? Uwoah!¡±


    It was the same as before. A translucent window suddenly appeared before my eyes. The only difference was that this one did not have words on it, and that it was long in height and short in width. There were 10 fist-sized spaces next to each other. There was nothing above or below them, so it was 1x10. And on the first space was picture of a ss bottle filled with red liquid. The number 5 was written next to it. It seemed this was the potion the voice was talking about. In the second space was a wooden spear. When I reached toward it subconsciously, my hand went into the window.


    ¡°Uwoah!¡±


    What was more surprising was that my hand didn¡¯te out the other side. It really felt like my hand was ¡®inside¡¯ the window. I wriggled my hand in surprise, but I stopped when I felt something touching my hand. It was thick and long. This was... a spear! I instinctively grabbed onto it and pulled it out of the window. As expected, a sharp-looking wooden spear was in my hand. As I stared at it, a small window popped up in front of me.


    [Sharp Wooden Spear (Normal)


    Durability ¨C 70/70


    Attack ¨C 10


    Equipment Limit ¨C None


    Exnation ¨C A wooden spear perfect for a beginner to use. It has no special abilities.]


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    I will be honest. I had no clue what this meant. For me who had never yed a single game before, the terms ¡®beginner¡¯s weapon¡¯ and ¡®basic weapons¡¯ were foreign. In any case, I knew it was a weapon I could use. That was enough.


    I hung the wooden spear on my back and proceeded to check out this thing called potion. It said it would restore 100 HP, but I didn¡¯t know what that meant. Then, the voice told me to check my status. I didn¡¯t know whose voice this was, but I thought of it as a nice noona¡¯s, and just like she told me, I yelled out ¡®check status.¡¯


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: None Title: None Rank: Bronze 9


    Level: 1


    HP ¨C 240/240 MP ¨C 0


    Strength ¨C 18 Dexterity ¨C 16 Constitution ¨C 17


    Intelligence ¨C 5 Magic ¨C 0 Charm ¨C 7 Luck ¨C 10


    Skill ¨C Low-rank Martial Arts (Lv 4), Low-rank Spear Technique (Master), Mid-rank Spear Technique (Lv 3)]


    Strange. I see two zeros there. And if my strength is 18 but my intelligence is 5, is my strength high or is my intelligence low?


    ¡°What¡¯s HP and what¡¯s MP?¡±


    [HP represents your life. When you get attacked by monsters, your HP will decrease. When it reaches 0, you will be kicked out of the dungeon. In that case, you will not be able to re-enter the dungeon for one week.]


    [MP represents your mana. It is used to cast magic or skills. It is also called Qi.]


    ¡°Qi!¡±


    [Your MP is 0. It other words, you have no Qi.]


    ¡°How can I get it?¡±


    [Those from worlds other than Earth know methods to umte mana in their bodies. Also, those who already have mana can increase the amount of mana they have by clearing the dungeon floor and leveling up.]


    ¡°Leveling up?¡±


    [It will be exined to you soon. In conclusion, there is currently no way for Kang Shin-nim to obtain MP.]


    ¡°What can I do to get it?¡±


    [You need to obtain a mana cultivation method.]


    ¡°How can I obtain that?¡±


    [You can buy it at the Floor Shop located at the end of dungeon floors. Note, it can only be bought from Floor Shops above 10F, and they are very expensive.]


    ¡°10F! Since I¡¯m on 1st floor, I just have to climb to 10th, right?¡±


    [That is right.]


    ¡°How much does it cost? ...is it more than 50,000 won?¡±


    I was in my 3rd year of middle school, and with my monthly allowance being 10,000 won, 50,000 won was an enormous amount of money. As I was wondering, the voice answered me.


    [You cannot buy Floor Shop items with the won currency. You may only trade gold or monster remains dropped by the dungeon¡¯s monsters.]


    ¡°Gold!¡±


    Okay, there was hope! From what I understood, there were monsters in the dungeon and they dropped gold when defeated. I could climb to a higher floor when I defeated all of them, and when I reached the end of the 10th floor, I could buy a mana cultivation method from something called the Floor Shop. Then, I could finally obtain Qi! I could fulfill my father¡¯s dream as well!


    I was awed at my brain¡¯s ability toprehend all this.


    Of course, my brain wasn¡¯t yet capable of thinking ¡®if it was so easy, my father would have done it already.¡¯ My intelligence was 5, and it was only a yearter that I learned the average level 1 stat was 10. I even forgot why I wanted to be a dungeon explorer, and set my eyes on obtaining Qi.


    I signaled noona that I wanted to begin exploring by asking her where monsters lived. Noona kindly told me I could begin by shouting ¡®Commence Exploration.¡¯ I shouted as soon as I heard it.


    ¡°Commence Exploration!¡±


    Then, all the windows that had been surrounding me disappeared in an instant and an ominous aura began to surround me. A few of the torches were extinguished and only the ones closest to me remained lit, burning strongly. Because I traveled the world with my father every break, darkness could not faze me. However, the prickling sensation I felt on my skin was concerning. Then, I felt a presence I did not feel before.


    I held my wooden spear and put up my guard. This presence was like that of the 10m long anaconda I fought at the Amazon...!


    Sss, sss. I could sense the anacondas crawling towards me from all sides, and I gulped. I knew I couldn¡¯t defeat an anaconda with my strength alone. Previously, father and I had barely defeated it with me drawing its attention and my father delivering blow after blow. But could I defeat several of them? Alone? I didn¡¯t want to be kicked out when I finally became a dungeon explorer!


    Thinking this, I tightly gripped my wooden spear. I saw them walk out of the darkness, and my eyes opened wide in surprise.


    ¡°Uwaaa...aah?


    50cm long and 30cm wide. What seemed like puddings seemed to be diligently crawling towards me. Topare these things to anacondas... I felt sorry to the anacondas. I doubted whether these things were even alive. I stabbed my spear through one to check and it easily pierced through.


    [You obtained a Slime Piece.]


    [You obtained 1 gold.]


    It exploded with a bang. I stood still, stupefied, but soon gave a shout of joy and jumped.


    ¡°Whoo! I¡¯m a dungeon explorer now!¡±


    The curtains had lifted for the legendary stage of the dungeon explorer Kang Shin!


    ... Or so I thought before I knew any better. It didn¡¯t take long until harsh reality set in.


    When I first felt it was when I reached the 3rd floor, past the 2nd floor when honey bees attacked. Compared to the 1st and 2nd floor, which were rtively easy, monsters called goblins appeared on the 3rd floor, giving me trouble.


    At first, I did not even know what happened as my HP reached 0 and I was chased out. I couldn¡¯t re-enter the dungeon for a week. The next week, I grit my teeth and entered the dungeon. Then, I finally figured out how I had died. Poisonous darts. The goblins had shot out poisonous darts and I had beenpletely paralyzed.


    When monsters hit me, it usually hurt as much as when my father hit me. But because of the paralyzing poison, I couldn¡¯t feel any pain whatsoever. Not feeling pain was scarier than one might think. Because there were so many of them, it was hard to dodge every single poisonous dart. As a result, my HP reached 0 multiple times and I couldn¡¯t enter the dungeon for a whole month. In the end, I asked my father for advice.


    ¡°Father, the goblins keep shooting poisonous darts at me.¡±


    ¡°Hm? You¡¯re already at the 3rd floor? It hasn¡¯t even been three months yet.¡±


    ¡°Am I fast?¡±


    ¡°It took your father a whole year to reach the 2nd floor.¡±


    It turned out my father had not yet awoken his sixth sense and was unable to feel the slimes approaching. As a result, it had taken him a year to take the initiative. Since you couldn¡¯t enter the dungeon for a week once you were kicked out, it wasn¡¯t surprising it had taken so long. Even I made no progress for a month.


    ¡°So you¡¯re level 3 now?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    When you cleared the dungeon floor, your level increased by 1 and you were given 5 bonus stats. With it, you could raise your strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, and others. Because I was unhappy with my intelligence being at 5, I put all my stats into intelligence when I reached level 2. Thanks to that, my intelligence had reached the level of an average person.


    Of course, even with my increased intelligence, because of the long years I lived out of touch with reality, I still believed I could easily reach the 10th floor. I tried to raise my magic stat when I reached level 3, but I couldn¡¯t put any points into a stat that was 0. In the end, I put 2 into strength, 2 into dexterity, and 1 into constitution.


    ¡°You must have made some money then.¡±


    ¡°Money?¡±


    I tilted my head. Money? I had gold, but no money. What rtion was there between the dungeon¡¯s gold and money? What my father said next made my ears perk up.

 Chapter 3. Boy Becomes a Dungeon Explorer (3)

    Chapter 3. Boy Bes a Dungeon Explorer (3)


    ¡°You can exchange it at the Floor Shop.¡±


    ¡°Exchange? You mean you can exchange gold for won? Is there a bank?¡±


    ¡°At the Floor Shop, stupid.¡±


    Even if my intelligence stat was 10, I had lived too long as a fool. Even though I increased my intelligence stat, it was still difficult to breach the level I was born with.


    I talked back to my father, not fully understanding what he meant by going to the Floor Shop. In the end, I had to pay with my body. It was true that the body suffered if the mind was stupid.


    A weekter, when I could re-enter the dungeon, I did not shout mence exploration,¡¯ but rather turned back and went to the 2nd Floor Shop.


    Because I was told what I wanted was at the 10th Floor Shop, I had not visited the 1st and 2nd Floor Shops. It was because I felt I would waste my gold if I saw what was on disy.


    ¡°Yes, customer, you can exchange 2,400 won for 1 gold.¡±


    ¡°2,400 won!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, customer. The exchange rate changes at 6 A.M. every morning, so I suggest you exchange it now when the rate is high.¡±


    I gasped in front of the Floor Shop owner, who was a pretty noona.


    2,400 won!


    The first floor¡¯s slimes usually dropped 1 gold for every three killed and the 2nd floor¡¯s honey bees dropped 2 gold at the same rate. Although I had not killed many goblins, they dropped 4 to 5 gold.


    This number was likely to increase exponentially as I went higher into the dungeon. Currently, I possessed 655 gold. Although my mental math wasn¡¯t perfect, I knew I would have well more than 1,000,000 won if I exchanged all that I had.


    1,000,000 won! It was an unimaginable amount for the fifteen-year-old me. Even a single Sin Saimdang[1. Sin Saimdang is the woman on the Korean 50,000 won bill.] would make me tremble, but 1,000,000 won meant twenty Sin Saimdangs!


    I was certain 1,000,000 won would be arge amount for any fifteen year old. It was then that I realized what my father meant by dungeon explorer being the highest-paying job.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    I stood in awe. Soon, I opened my mouth to ask the shop noona to exchange all the gold I had. Suddenly, I remembered. To obtain Qi, I had to buy a mana cultivation method. To do that, I had to go to the 10th Floor Shop, and I had to buy it... with gold.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    My shoulders dropped. Then, the shop noona looked at me with worrying eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, customer?¡±


    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s nothing. Thank you.¡±


    Although I was conflicted, I swallowed my tears and turned back. Qi! I gave up 1,000,000 won for this thing called qi! However, I remembered my father always talking about the importance of having qi. Thus, I chose to prioritize qi rather than 1,000,000 won.


    Once I obtained qi, I vowed to exchange all the gold I had and eat all the delicious things in the world! With that, I jumped into the 3rd floor.


    Of course, I became paralyzed by the goblins¡¯ darts and was beaten to death again.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do, father!? I got kicked out because of you!¡±


    ¡°For my son, you really are stupid. You could have just left the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Kuk, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier?¡±


    ¡°Haa. When you level up, increase your intelligence stat first, got it? I¡¯ll tell you how to deal with the poisonous darts first...¡±


    What my father said was simple. I just had to buy and consume the paralyses recovery potion from the 2nd Floor Shop. With just one, I would be immune to paralysis for a whole hour. Why didn¡¯t I buy it when I went there before!? I regretted not checking what was being sold.


    That day, I made two vows. One was that I would visit the Floor Shop every time I cleared a floor and check what was being sold. The second was that I would increase my intelligence stat when I leveled up.


    As a result, I was able to safely reach the 5th floor. It had only taken me half a year.


    ¡°Chwiik! Human!¡±


    ¡°Human, bigger than us!¡±


    What appeared on the 5th floor were pig-headed humans speaking humannguage. ording to the message noona that spoke to me from time to time, they were monsters called orcs. Although I felt a sense of closeness to them because of our simrity in size, I was annoyed by their tendency to treat me as food and attack.


    However, I was at a disadvantage when I faced them directly. I had put 15 points into intelligence, and my intelligence was now at 20. Although I had gotten smarter, my other stats were low. Because I did not yet know any other method of raising my status points, I was forced to fight the orcs when my overall spec was below them.


    ¡°Chwiik! Human, weak! Weak!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s weak!? Agh, I shouldn¡¯t have put everything into intelligence. Agh!¡±


    I could finally think of it once my intelligence had reached 20. Of course, I was forced out, unable to defeat any of them.


    At this time, I began to learn with my smarter brain and I could finallymunicate with others my age. I had stopped talking about dungeons at school after the ¡®Kang Shin¡¯s Dungeon Explorer Incident,¡¯ and after my intelligence reached 20, I came to understand that it wasn¡¯t normal that I could enter dungeons. I also learned it was abnormal to have family spear techniques to learn.


    Realizing that I might end up a loner for the rest of my life, I started to furiously studymon sense, and after the 10th time I was kicked out of the 5th floor, I was able to act like a normal human being. There wasn¡¯t much I could do about my huge frame, but I had finally managed to make some friends.


    It was also the first time I learned of the existence of online RPG games.


    ¡°Uh....¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Shin?¡±


    ¡°No, this dun...¡±


    The word dungeon almost came out my mouth before I swallowed it back down. The RPG game character¡¯s ¡®status¡¯ was too simr to the status I had. That said, I couldn¡¯t show my status to my friends. I could open my inventory and bring out my wooden spear, but I didn¡¯t, as I was afraid the government woulde to take me away.


    However, I was now certain. Although the interface was different, there were many things inmon, like the inventory, status, and monsters. Thus, I began to learn games with the hope that it would help me in my future dungeon exploration.


    Unlike in RPGs, I couldn¡¯t gain experience and level up no matter how many monsters I killed. All I could get from them were their body parts, gold, skill experience, and the extremely rare equipment. From this, I found my answer.


    If my stats were too low, I had to make do with skills. My attack power got stronger with increased skill levels. It was what I learned from ying games.


    ¡°Uraaaaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Chwiik, mere human!¡±


    ¡°Mere orc!¡±


    I quarreled with the orcs as I stabbed them with my spear. When I told my father about it, he treated me like a weirdo.


    The mid-rank spear technique that had started out at level 3 had slowly grown as I fought the orcs on the 5th floor. Half a year after I entered the 5th floor, when I had entered my first year of high school, I had finally reached level 10, the master level.


    [You have mastered the Mid-rank Spear Technique! You can strike even more fiercely and sharply with your spear. You can intimidate others whose skill level is lower than yours.]


    [You must possess mana to learn High-rank Spear Technique. You cannot learn the High-rank Spear Technique.]


    Here, mana once again held me down. However, I did not give up. I knew I could gain mana once I reached the 10th floor.


    In truth, I had already realized it. My father was unable to gain mana even after 20 years of being a dungeon explorer. Not long after my intelligence increased, I finally understood what it suggested. However, I did my best to ignore it. I didn¡¯t want to ept the fact that I... could not obtain mana. Afraid of knowing the truth, I didn¡¯t ask my father.


    The 5th floor was different than the other floors. Unlike the 1st through 4th floors where my level had gone up automatically once I reached the end of the hallway, there was arge door at the end of the 5th floor hallway. When I stood in front of it, the calm voice once again entered my ears.


    [The Floor Master, Orc Lord, is beyond this door. Would you like to enter alone? Or would you like to request a party with yers from other dimensions?]


    What was beyond the door was undoubtedly the ¡®boss monster.¡¯ As this was the first time I had faced it, I was extremely excited. I didn¡¯t know what the voice meant by other dimensions, but I found requesting for help without even giving it a try to not be in the spirit of a man¡¯s pride. As such, I mmed the door open.


    ¡°Orc Lord! Fight me!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Chwiik.¡±


    Inside the room were about fifteen orcs, all of whom were ring at me. Deeper inside was arger pig-human sitting on arge chair and biting down on a piece of meat. He raised his head and I realized just how big he was.


    He was wearing a thick steel armor and had a ive leaning next to him. Without mistake, he was the Orc Lord. I let out a light smile.


    ¡°Oh, I came to the wrong ce.¡±


    Although I quickly stepped back, the door had closed behind me automatically. The orcs slowly got up one by one as they picked up their weapons.


    ¡®Fudge, those things hurt like hell,¡¯ I whispered as I dropped my head.


    It had been a while since I was kicked out.


    I was beaten to oblivion.

 Chapter 4. Boy Becomes a Dungeon Explorer (4)

    Chapter 4. Boy Bes a Dungeon Explorer (4)


    I had no pride to save, nor did I need to. The next week, I stood in front of the same door and obediently shouted that I would enter a party. Then, a translucent window appeared.


    [This is the party recruitment board. Click on the one you want and enter a party.]


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. Hunting the Orc Lord, looking for healer. Must be above level 5. How stupid, isn¡¯t everyone on the 5th floor level 5?¡±


    Thinking that there were people even more stupid than me, I slowly scrolled through the window and found one that was looking for a front-line damage dealer. Because I started ying games, I knew what a front-line damage dealer was. They were people who attacked in melee range using close-range weapons.


    The moment I clicked on that post, I felt stunned briefly and soon found myself among nine other people.


    ¡°Wee. You¡¯re a front-line damage dealer, right?¡±


    A handsome western-style man began talking to me. Thinking it was English, I was about to yell out ¡®I cannot speak English.¡¯ Fortunately, I found that I could understand what he was saying without problem.


    ¡°Y-Yes, I use a spear.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a spearman! Are you from the Edias continent?¡±


    ¡°N-No, I¡¯m from Seoul.¡±


    ¡°Seoul? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard of it. Anyone else?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not from the Luka continent.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not from Pilos either.¡±


    The people around me murmured as they shook their heads. When I nced at them, I noticed that most of them had white or dark skin, and had blonde, red, or brown hair. They were all foreigners! As I cowered slightly, the man who first talked to me approached. He was wearing a small shield on his arm and had a short sword attached to it. With a sigh, he reached his hand out to me.


    ¡°You must be from a minor ce. Nice to meet you. I¡¯m the party leader Ellos Von Kasina. Paul, Celtine, and I are from the Edias continent.¡±


    ¡°Gasina[1.Gasina means b*tch in Korean.]?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Kasina.¡±


    I grabbed the hand of the party leader, who looked slightly disappointed. Having yed games for a while, I knew what a party was. It was just that I never thought I would be in a party with people from other worlds...


    ¡°I¡¯m Kang Shin. Nice to meet you.¡±


    After a brief introduction with the other party members, I thought we would immediately fight the Orc Lord. I was mistaken.


    ¡°Hold on.¡±


    It was a small girl from a ce called the Luka continent. Besides this small girl, three other members, a woman carrying a rapier, a long-eared beauty with a quiver on her back, and a weak framed girl barely holding onto her wooden shield came from this continent. The small girl was a blonde, twin-tailed beauty, whose hair shone like gold and whose wooden staff matched well. However, the way she talked wasn¡¯t cute in the slightest.


    ¡°Wait, look at his clothes. Aren¡¯t those the beginner¡¯s clothes?¡±


    ¡°Beginner¡¯s clothes?¡±


    What was wrong with my clothes? I looked down at the clothes I was wearing. Because I wanted to be in clothes suited for moving around, I always came into the dungeon wearing my training clothes. Even if they were ripped, they were restored once I got out of the dungeon.


    ¡°... You haven¡¯t gone to the Floor Shop?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    Because the other side was talking informally, I did the same. The girl asked again, surprised. ¡°They sell defensive equipment there. Why didn¡¯t you buy them?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    I did remember the Floor Shop selling defensive equipment. However, my goal was to reach the 10th floor and buy a mana cultivation method. I couldn¡¯t thoughtlessly spend gold before then. It was the same for my weapon. I continued to use the Sharp Wooden Spear given to me at the beginning. Of course, it wasn¡¯t so sharp anymore.


    ¡°I have to save money to buy a mana cultivation method.¡±


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t have a mana cultivation method? What family are you from?¡±


    ¡°Family? The Kang family I guess?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that family have a mana cultivation method?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh no, we got the wrong party member. Kick him out!¡±


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s going to be difficult if you don¡¯t have a mana cultivation method.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a mana cultivation method?¡±


    The other party members began to whisper to each other. Realizing that something was going wrong, I talked to Ellos, who seemed to be the most understanding.


    ¡°Does everyone else have a mana cultivation method?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Wait, I don¡¯t know about the other dungeons, but it¡¯s known to be impossible to climb to the 5th floor of the First Dungeon without a mana cultivation method. How did you get this far?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I raised my skill level. I mastered my mid-rank spear technique...¡±


    ¡°Mid-rank master!?¡± This time, another person in the back yelled out in surprise. It was a brown-haired man carrying arge shield and wearing a thick leather armor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie. I practiced my shield technique for 10 years and it¡¯s only just gotten to mid-rank level 2. You said you mastered the mid-rank spear technique!?¡±


    ¡°I did... is that weird?¡±


    ¡°It is! Mastering a mid-rank weapon skill without even a mana cultivation method, I don¡¯t believe it! Don¡¯t tell me, you have the high-rank spear technique?¡±


    ¡°No, it said I couldn¡¯t learn it because I don¡¯t have mana.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    All the party members fell silent. Then, Ellos spoke out. ¡°Let¡¯s bring him in.¡±


    ¡°But Ellos...¡±


    ¡°We barely climbed to the 5th floor with the three of us. With the rule, [all yers below the 10th floor can only be partied with people from their own continent], he must have climbed to the 5th floor on his own. If he had his own party, he wouldn¡¯t need to enter ours. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    When I nodded, Ellos seemed to gain more confidence and talked louder.


    ¡°See. Kang Shin alone has the ability of all three of usbined. I can¡¯t speak for the future, but at least on this 5th floor, he has more than enough qualification to fulfill the damage dealer role. He¡¯s a mid-rank spear technique master!¡±


    ¡°But look at his armor...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like him...¡±


    ¡°Kick him!¡±


    The twin-tail kept on saying to kick me. I held myself back from ring at her, but she got more arrogant and red at me.


    ¡°Kick him!¡±


    ¡°Miss Palludia, please calm down. We haven¡¯t seen his skills yet.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to! Look at him, he¡¯s using a half-broken wooden spear!¡±


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be toote if we take the time to see it. I don¡¯t know how your continent is, but mine is in a fierce war against the demon race. If I lose the opportunity to get stronger for a whole week, we¡¯ll fall behind in the war!¡±


    ¡°My continent is also at war with invaders. Hu, fine. Just give us some time. Mister Kang Shin, I apologize, but you¡¯ll need to show us your power. There should be an orc further back, so show us your abilities by defeating it.¡±


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s not a hard request.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...¡±


    The brat named Palludia stepped back from the negotiation with Ellos, but still bit down on her lips in displeasure.


    ¡°You¡¯re an orc yourself...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an orc!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but yell out when she picked on my weak spot. When I faced her and red, she seemed to be intimidated as she turned away.


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    I also snorted. Then I sauntered off. Because there were no orcs near the door, I had to walk for 5 minutes.


    ¡°Chwiik, human!¡±


    Found one. It was wearing a worn-down leather armor and carrying a fearsome ive. Confirming that the others were watching, I ran toward it. My spear spun in my hand, and I soon snapped my hand, grabbing onto it tightly. Now!


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    I lightly dodged the orc¡¯s ive attack, and the spear I struck out like lightning pierced its target. The orc that was running toward me stopped in its track, let out a burping sound, and began to fall with blood foaming at its mouth. As he fell, I quickly pulled back my spear to prevent it from breaking. Without anything to lean on, the orc fell with a thud.


    At first, I fought with monsters with brute strength, blocking their attacks with the spear. But because the durability of my spear wore off and fell below 10, these days I was doing my best to kill the orcs in a single blow. Because of my mastery of the mid-rank spear technique, it wasn¡¯t too difficult to do.


    ¡°W-With just one hit...!¡±


    ¡°No way, did you see that? I didn¡¯t even feel a hint of mana!¡±


    ¡°I did! Mana aside, that¡¯s not even a skill!¡±


    ¡°Amazing...¡±


    Ellos and the other party members seemed to be awed by my technique. Hm, I guess these days, I¡¯m evenly matched with father just with pure spearmanship. Unfortunately, there was always that one person who likes to rain on your parade.


    ¡°Hmph, that was just a coincidence! If he tried again, there¡¯s no way he can draw such a clean and beautiful trajectory!¡±


    ¡°M-Miss Palludia, even if it was a coincidence, he is undoubtedly skilled. He is more than suited to be our party member.¡±


    ¡°Eeek, if you can¡¯t agree with me, I¡¯ll just leave! It¡¯s either my party or him! Your choice!¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just defeat another one.¡±


    Because Ellos looked troubled, I spoke out. Ellos looked at me with teary eyes. Disgusting. Palludia, on the other hand, snorted and said, ¡°Try it!¡±


    ¡°How convenient, there¡¯s one right there.¡±


    An orc archer. They were an annoying bunch that shot arrows from afar. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t appear often. When they appeared with other orcs, I had to be prepared to receive injuries as I charged in. But now, there was only one orc archer. For me who could avoid even bullets, avoiding arrows wasn¡¯t much of a problem.


    ¡°Chwiik! Orc shoot arrow!¡±


    ¡°Human stab orc!¡±


    Having hunted alone for a year, it became my hobby of sorts to talk back to monsters like them.


    With ease, I tilted my head and dodged the orc archer¡¯s arrow. I took a step forward and shot towards the orc archer. Just like before, my spear beautifully pierced through orc archer¡¯s neck.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°Ee... Eeeek....¡±


    Although Palludia¡¯s eyes were ring, she clenched her fists and looked down. She had epted her loss. I didn¡¯t know just what part of me she didn¡¯t like, but I could think of quite a few possibilities by myself. As such, I decided to not care.


    What was important was not the outside, but the inside! I am Kang Shin, the son of the world¡¯s strongest spearman. I¡¯ll show you the strength I gained by giving up my ordinary life!

 Chapter 5. Boy Becomes a Dungeon Explorer (5)

    Chapter 5. Boy Bes a Dungeon Explorer (5)


    I felt much better knowing that I forced her off her high horse. Ellos seemed to be at a loss as therades from Palludia¡¯s continent went to console her, but he soon pped his hands and livened up the mood.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll take it that no one has any problems with Mister Kang Shin joining the party. Once Mister Kang Shin is rested from his fight with the orcs, we will go right away.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Take good care of me, mate.¡±


    ¡°Take good care of me too.¡±


    I greeted the other party members, then nced at Palludia. My eyes met hers when she had briefly raised her head, but because she red at me so intently, I hurriedly looked away. Because I had no contact with girls other than my sister and my mother, I felt awkward making eye contact with girls for more than 2 seconds.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll enter.¡±


    ¡°Haa, I hope we seed this time.¡±


    ¡°Not being able toe back here for a week... it¡¯s too cruel.¡±


    As the party members murmured and prepared themselves, Ellos slowly pushed open the door. A familiar sight filled my eyes. There were fourteen orcs and the Orc Lord was at the deepest part, biting off on a piece of meat.


    You bastard, you¡¯re going to be a pig at this rate. Ah wait, you already are.


    ¡°Commence battle! We¡¯re going to kill the other orcs first! Paul, hold off the Orc Lord!¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    ¡°Miss Palludia, focus your healing on Paul! Miss Esis, support Paul! Everyone else, we¡¯re going after the orcs one by one, starting from the left!¡±


    I ran out. Although the orcs attacked me, unlikest week, I hadrades. In this party, we had two archers. One aimed at the Orc Lord and the other aimed at the orcs attacking me. I made use of the time he earned me, shooting out with my spear and quickly killing an orc.


    ¡°Next!¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re doing great, mate!¡±


    ¡°Haaaap!¡±


    ¡°Guooooo!¡±


    As the party members and I fiercely fought off the attacking orcs, the Orc Lord¡¯s cry resounded throughout the room. To even consider fighting against him alone... how foolish I was.


    I could hear Paul, the warrior who was fighting the Orc Lord, letting out several grunts.


    ¡°My HP is going down fast! Miss Palludia!¡±


    ¡°I know! Healing!¡±


    No way, that healing is THE healing from games? I was just about to turn and see with my own eyes when I realized it might trouble other people. I turned back to the orc I was facing. Like hell I¡¯d leave myself open for attack!


    ¡°Hap!¡±


    ¡°Another one-hit kill. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it!¡±


    ¡°You can do it too!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. Ah, herees another one!¡±


    ¡°Haaaaap!¡±


    ¡°Kuhahahaha! Orcs, RISE!¡±


    [Orc Lord used ¡®Warcry¡¯! All orcs have been cleared of any negative status effects! All orcs temporarily be super-armored. Their attack power increases by 50%!]


    ¡°Bullshit! A mere orc is able to use Warcry?¡±


    A female swordsman who was swinging her sword next to me yelled out and cursed. She was one of the women from Palludia¡¯s Luka continent. She was using a rapier and had an elegant appearance. Realizing that you really can¡¯t judge a book by its cover, I silently attacked with my spear.


    I didn¡¯t know what a super-armor was, but I could still kill orcs with a single blow. When I diligently killed my sixth orc, I suddenly heard Ellos¡¯ shout.


    ¡°Paul!¡±


    ¡°Cough! I¡¯ll go on ahead, see you at the pce.¡±


    [Party member Paul Von Cravis has died.]


    Seeing the message use an ominous word like death, Iined to the message noona. As this was the first time I was doing a party y, it was something I did not want to experience. It seemed Ellos was more shocked than me, which made sense considering they seemed to from the same continent and had even climbed to the 5th floor together.


    ¡°Kuk, super-armor it says. Damn it... I¡¯ll tank! Miss Shuna, help me! It¡¯ll be difficult with just me alone!¡±


    ¡°G-Got it!¡±


    A delicate girl, who was using her wooden shield to barely block the orcs¡¯ attacks, answered with a weak voice. Then, as she ran towards Ellos, she tripped on a dead orc¡¯s ive and fell.


    ¡°Ow! Hueee...¡±


    ¡°Miss Shuna!¡±


    ¡°Hueee!¡±


    How did a girl like her end up with a shield...? As I pierced my spear through the eighth orc, I made an expression of disbelief as I looked at Shuna running to Ellos while crying. As if she had read my expression, the rapier-using woman looked at me and said with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Shuna is a princess of a small kingdom. ording to her, everyone in her lineage is blessed by their guardian god to have an abnormally strong constitution. But because she had no talent with any weapons, she was left with no other choice than to wield a shield.¡±


    ¡°Wow, a blessing?¡±


    It really was like a fantasy world. Well, I guess my life wasn¡¯t that different.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look away!¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry!¡±


    There was only one orc left other than the Orc Lord. Because of this super-armor, it seemed unfazed by iing attacks as it charged forward. As such, another party member got kicked out. It was Palludia¡¯s job to heal him, but she was preupied with healing Ellos and Shuna.


    ¡°Kuaaa! Die!¡±


    ¡°Kuk! Miss Palludia!¡±


    ¡°Hiing, Ludiaaaa!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best! Healing!¡±


    ¡°We should take care of him quickly and go help!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, thising from someone who killed more than half the orcs... it sounds like a taunt...¡±


    I defeated thest orc with the other party members. Now, only the Orc Lord was left. However, the situation didn¡¯t call for any peace of mind. Unsurprisingly, Shuna had been unable to handle the Orc Lord¡¯s attacks and was kicked out.


    ¡°Shunaaa!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaa!¡±


    When Shuna¡¯s body turned to small particles and scattered, Palludia¡¯s eyes rolled back and she charged toward the Orc Lord as she swung her staff. She almost looked like Jeanne d¡¯Arc. In other words, it seemed like she would be whisked away with fire.


    ¡°T-This mad princess!¡±


    ¡°No, why is our healer charging forward!?¡±


    Now, I was beginning to understand how simr this dungeon was with a game. I knew fully well what would happen if our healer got kicked out. As such, I charged toward the crazy girl. Thankfully, it seemed like the super-armor had ended as Ellos managed to hold off the Orc Lord¡¯s attacks. Even so, Palludia would be in danger if she entered the Orc Lord¡¯s attack range.


    ¡°You pig!!!!¡±


    ¡°Kuoooo!¡±


    Palludia charged forward swinging her staff. The Orc Lord seemed to respond, as it raised its fists up.


    ¡®Damn it, I¡¯m going to bete!¡¯


    I ran forward as fast as I could.


    ¡°Diiiieeee!¡±


    ¡°Kuooo!¡±


    ¡°You crazy...!¡±


    Right before the Orc Lord¡¯s fist fell on Palludia, I managed to reach her. I quickly pushed her to the side, and as I saw the Orc Lord¡¯s fist about to pour down on me, I could only think of one thing. ¡®Gee, that¡¯s one big fist.¡¯


    Kwang!


    I died.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t re-enter the dungeon for a week.


    The week where I couldn¡¯t enter the dungeon always went by in a breeze. Sweating blood as I traded blows, sword against spear with monsters, was vastly different than spending my days going to school and talking with friends.


    If being a dungeon explorer was casting forth my life, then my school life was like dreaming of peace and happiness.


    Dreams were nice. They were happy, were not painful, and were fun. But it wasn¡¯t fun when it continued for a whole week. There was no meaning to such a life. It felt suffocating and irritating. For me who was used to living the intense life of fighting monsters, a life of no danger and pain was... terrifying.


    Although my father now entered the dungeon to earn money as the head of a household, his initial goal must have been different. Just like me, it must have been with an excited mind that he charged into the dungeon to show off his strength.


    I had devoted my entire life to my spear technique. It was powerful enough to send any slime, honey bee, goblin, or orc flying. It was a sense of pleasure hard to describe with words. It was almost like... a drug.


    ¡°I wonder if they seeded.¡±


    A weekter, I once again stood in front of the boss room. I had thrown away any thought of trying to kill it by myself. I let out a sigh. Just as I was about to open the party recruitment window, a voice itched in my ears. In the corner of my eyes, a small window had appeared.


    [Ellos Von Kasina invited you to a party. Would you like to ept?]


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    What¡¯s this? Don¡¯t tell me they couldn¡¯t finish it off? I tilted my head and epted the invite. Just like before, I felt a tinge of dizziness engulf me. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by all the members of the previous party.


    ¡°Ah, you epted, Mister Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°Mister Ellos...¡±


    I stared at him with a look of bewilderment. He reached out with his hand and I met it with my own hand. I looked around and once more reaffirmed that everyone from the previous party was here. Although I would have preferred otherwise, Palludia and the others of the Luka continent were also here. However, unlike her past confident self, she was looking down, dejected. It wasn¡¯t hard to understand why.


    ¡°Did you guys... fail?¡±


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s embarrassing to admit, but yes. We were wiped out.¡±


    ¡°Wiped out...¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, floor masters are said to be extremely strong. It would be weird if we seeded on our first or second try.¡±


    Although Ellos was trying tough it off, Palludia wasn¡¯t buying it. This time, however, the target of her resentment was different.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault...¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s not just Palludia-nim¡¯s fault.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I got too heated and let Orc die...¡±


    ¡°If by Orc, you¡¯re talking about me, it looks like you haven¡¯t learned your lesson yet.¡±


    ¡°Eeek! ... huu.¡±


    Palludia seemed like she would burst after what I said, but she calmed herself back down when the rapier-woman poked her side. When I looked at Ellos, he made a bitter smile as he shook his head. I knew she wasn¡¯t really feeling apologetic, but it would be enough if she wouldn¡¯t repeat the same mistake asst time. I let out a sigh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to kill two orcs again before I enter, right?¡±


    ¡°Haha, of course not. We know fully well how capable you are. If you perform likest time, we¡¯ll do our best to fulfill our roles.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...¡±


    ¡°Please, mate. We all believe in you!¡±


    ¡°You were amazingst time.¡±


    ¡°T-Take care of us.¡±


    ¡°Mm, you¡¯re reliable[1. In Korean, the word for reliable is also used to describe someone with a heavy frame.] just like your looks. Oppa, you would be just my style if you lost some weight. Your face is handsome too...¡±


    Thest one was from the rapier-carrying woman. No matter who looked, I was the younger one! Also, this wasn¡¯t fat, it¡¯s muscle!

 Chapter 6. Boy Becomes a Dungeon Explorer (6)

    Chapter 6. Boy Bes a Dungeon Explorer (6)


    ¡°Kuaaaaa! Humans, I¡¯ll take care of you at once!¡±


    ¡°Tankers go take its aggro! Miss Shuna, stand by so you can take their ce at any time!¡±


    ¡°Orc Lord you bastard, it won¡¯t be so easy this time!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    ¡°Everyone else, start taking care of the other orcs!¡±


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t say that, Mr. Kang Shin¡¯s on his fourth orc!¡±


    Perhaps because we had experience coordinating before, the battle this time went much smoother. The man named Paul wielded his shield proficiently and blocked the Orc Lord, and the rest of us took care of the orcs more quickly than before.


    ¡°Kuaaaa!¡±


    [Orc Lord used Warcry! It cleanses itself of all negative status effects. Because there are no orc minions in range, Orc Lord¡¯s attack power increases by 100% and defense lowers by 50%. It temporarily bes super-armored.]


    ¡°Paul!¡±


    ¡°I know, I can take it!¡±


    Even though Orc Lord used Warcry again, Paul was prepared for it and did not die like before. He skillfully dodged its attacks and pushed it back with his shield. Palludia also looked on with her eyes opened wide as she furiously cast heal after heal.


    ¡°We¡¯ll sweep from the left!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an orc archer!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s shooting!¡±


    ¡°Oppa, your side is open!¡±


    ¡°You just pay attention to that iveing at you from behind.¡±


    Wemunicated to each other continuously as we defeated the orcs one by one. As a result of our hard-fought effort, we were able to take care of all fourteen orcs without suffering a single casualty. Paul was also still holding his ground against the Orc Lord.


    ¡°Alright! We¡¯ll start going after the Orc Lord now!¡±


    Just like we had nned before, we took turns and attacked the Orc Lord. Although the Orc Lord turned its attention to the one that dealt a blow, we quickly weaved out afterwards and Paul redrew its aggro with his shield blow. It was just like tanking and dealing damage in an online game.


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    ¡°Kuaak!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, Mister Kang Shin, your attacks are so strong that it¡¯s hard to retake the Orc Lord¡¯s focus!¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry, I¡¯ll be lighter next time.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, as expected, Orc is no good!¡±


    ¡°¡°Miss Palludia, just focus on your healing!¡±¡±


    ¡°Hiing...¡±


    Because the other party members took the initiative to silence Palludia when sheshed out at me, she could only swallow her words and focus on healing. Serves you right!


    Sometime after we started to attack the Orc Lord, just as we were thinking it should fall soon, the Orc Lord suddenly let out an eerie shriek.


    ¡°KUAAAAAA!¡±


    [Orc Lord used Warcry! It cleanses itself of all negative status effects. Because there are no orc minions in range, Orc Lord¡¯s attack power increases by 100% and defense lowers by 50%. It temporarily bes super-armored.]


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Everyone fell back. Only Paul was capable of withstanding the Orc Lord¡¯s attack under its normal condition. With its attack power doubled, even he couldn¡¯t speak for certain.


    ¡°I will kill all you humans!¡±


    The Orc Lord put strength into its ive. In that instant, I saw a ck aura gathering on the ive¡¯s de. It was simr to some of the skills the other party members used. Could that be mana? So that¡¯s qi! Although I knew how dangerous it was to get worked up, I couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous! Everyone fall back!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s useless! Guaaaaaa!¡±


    It held its ive horizontally and cleaved through the air. Surprisingly, the mana gathered on the ive followed the ive¡¯s trajectory and shot forward. It was like a game character using a sword st.


    ¡°You¡¯ll die if you get hit! Everyone run!¡±


    ¡°Uwoooooh!¡±


    Everyone scattered frantically. Although I wanted to run as well, I caught sight of Palludia who was standing in ce frozen.


    ¡°What are you doing, run!¡±


    ¡°M-My feet won¡¯t move...¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t really die anyways! What are you afraid of!?¡±


    ¡°T-Then it¡¯s fine if I die!¡±


    ¡°What!? Last time, you said something about a week being important!¡±


    Ugh, there was no time to argue! I quickly rushed to her, grabbed her in my embrace and flung my body. Right afterwards, I sensed my hairs being pulled as I fell to the ground with Palludia. Dust went in my mouth and I felt a strong sense of disgust.


    ¡°Mister Kang Shin, Miss Palludia! Are you okay!?¡±


    ¡°W-We¡¯re alive!¡±


    ¡°Cough cough...¡±


    Because it was still dangerous, I got up in a hurry. I still held Palludia as I ran back as fast as I could. The Orc Lord let out a bloodcurdling cry as it chased after us.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Two archers aimed at the Orc Lord¡¯s eyes. Although one missed, the other correctly pierced through the Orc Lord¡¯s right eye. The Orc Lord then held its eye and cried out miserably.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°H-How long are you going to hug me, Orc!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hugging you because I want to!¡±


    Setting the Orc Lord¡¯s cry as the background music, I threw Palludia down on the ground. Even until the end, she did not say thanks. Her bottom hit the ground and she red at me with teary eyes. I couldn¡¯t feel more satisfied. Who cares if you¡¯re pretty? I wouldn¡¯t want a truck-load of irritating brats like you!


    ¡°Orc, you meanie!¡±


    ¡°Shut it, you mean bit... person.¡±


    I considered calling her a b*tch, but it seemed wrong to curse at a girl, so I toned it down. Even so, she seemed to be shocked. As we were about to fight, Ellos shouted at us from afar.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the time have a lover¡¯s quarrel! We have to quickly finish it off!¡±


    ¡°¡°It¡¯s not a lover¡¯s quarrel!¡±¡±


    We red at each other onest time then split. I went toward the Orc Lord, she went toward the safer backline to focus on her healing. Although the Orc Lord used its sword st move again, we were able to dodge it, having seen it before. In fact, right after it used the sword st attack, it left itself wide open for attack.


    In the end, the Orc Lord fell, its throat pierced by the spear I had put all my strength into.


    ¡°Kuk, strong humans... good... fight...¡±


    ¡°This bastard¡¯s acting cool at the end.¡±


    Watching the Orc Lord annoying me until the end, I kicked its head. The Orc Lord didn¡¯t manage to finish what it was saying and fainted. Everyone else pped and told me I did a great job. Immediately afterwards, shes of light surged out from our body. This was the fifth time it had happened ¨C a level up.


    [You reached level 6. You obtained the qualification to enter the 6th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You obtained 1,000 gold. It is distributed evenly amongst party members. You received 100 gold.]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    Ah, I see. Just like in games, it seemed boss monsters dropped several items. Additionally, because my contribution was the highest, I was the first one to choose a reward. A boss fight really was different.


    Before I looked at the list of rewards, I eyed the other party members. Everyone simply nodded in agreement.


    ¡°We acknowledge your contribution. You should rightly be the first one to choose!¡±


    ¡°It would indeed have been hard without you. I can¡¯t believe they expect anyone to beat this thing. I understand why some people have been stuck for over 10 years.¡±


    ¡°Everyone worked hard, but you worked the hardest. You dealt the most damage too.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. You were cool, oppa.¡±


    ... Eh, why did I feel like crying? How long had it been since anyone hasplimented me? My father rarelyplimented when we trained. Before I raised my intelligence, my grades at school weren¡¯t good, so teachers neverplimented me either.


    My mother didn¡¯t acknowledge anywhere below my head to be her son. Even my sister acted awkward around me. Because I felt like crying, I desperately held it in.


    ¡°T-Then I will...¡±


    Because this felt like Palludia¡¯s time to interrupt, I nced at her, but she simply gave a light humph and said nothing. Smiling, I looked at the list of rewards.


    [ 1. Orc Lord¡¯s ive


    2. Power Earring


    3. Rescue Balm


    4. Power Potion


    5. Steel Boots


    6. Steel Shield


    7. 200 Gold


    8. Muscle Compressing Elixir


    9. Fireball Magic Book


    10. Mana Potion]


    At first nce, only number 1, the Orc Lord¡¯s ive, seemed to be a rare item. Considering its sheer size, it could easily be considered a spear. It indeed looked very nice to have, but...


    8. Muscle Compressing Elixir


    The moment I saw it, I reached out and touched it. Then, a small, ck pill appeared in my hands. I instinctively examined its info.


    [Muscle Compressing Elixir (Rare)


    When consumed, the body¡¯s muscles will bepressed to be more shapely and strong. The muscle size will decrease, but their strength and dexterity will increase. It is the ideal item for a warrior. However, if one does not have enough muscles, it will have little effect. In fact, it may deal permanent damage to the body.]


    ¡°T-This is it.¡±


    I muttered unconsciously. Although Ellos who was 2nd in contribution stared at me with confused eyes, seeing that the best item was still on the list, I did not care. Muscle Compressing Elixir! This was it!


    ¡°Thank you, God!¡±


    I finally found a way to put these overly grown muscles to rest! I thanked God I never paid attention to the jeers and let out tears of joy. Everyone else was looking at me like I was crazy.


    Well, although I had expected it to some extent, just eating one elixir didn¡¯t make me slender. However, I did feel that my body¡¯s width had decreased by a bit. At the same time, an alert popped up in front of my eyes.


    [Your muscles bepressed, making them more powerful and dexterous. Both strength and dexterity stat permanently increases by 1.]


    ¡°Great, great.¡±


    Unlike the saying you couldn¡¯t be content after one cup of beer, I was very content. I finally found a way to reduce my muscles.


    ¡®I¡¯ll first climb to the 10th floor and obtain a mana cultivation method. Then, I¡¯ll just go around looking for more Muscle Compressing Elixirs!¡¯

 Chapter 7. Boy Becomes a Dungeon Explorer (7)

    Chapter 7. Boy Bes a Dungeon Explorer (7)


    As I was lost in my thoughts, everyone had finished collecting their rewards. Ellos pped his hands and drew everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Good work today everyone. Without each and every one of you, we would have failed to defeat the Orc Lord. As fellowrades climbing the dungeon, it would be great to stay in touch.¡±


    ¡°Stay in touch? How?¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you don¡¯t know. You can send a friend request, and you¡¯ll be able to contact each other whenever you are both in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    At Ellos words, I realized there was still a lot to learn about the dungeon¡¯s functionalities. I registered Ellos as a friend. Although I didn¡¯t really want to register Palludia as a friend, because she sent a deathly re my way, I friended her as well. If I friended Ellos and not Palludia, it seemed she would throw a tantrum.


    ¡°Then will you be heading to the 6th floor now, Mr. Kang Shin?¡±


    ¡°Yep. My goal is to beat the 10th floor.¡±


    ¡°Uh... that...¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Ellos seemed to want to say something, but he dropped his head down.


    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s nothing. Um... good luck. Call me if you ever need help. I will help you as much as I can.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.... Got it.¡±


    What could it be? I tilted my head in wonder, but because I felt Ellos¡¯ sincerity, I nodded my head.


    The party disbanded. I was sent back to the ce I was before. It was the ce beyond the boss room, the Floor Shop next to the stairway to the 6th floor. I went to the Floor Shop to check if there was anything special to buy, but confirmed that there was nothing. As I walked to the stairway energetically, the shop noona cheered me on with a smile.


    ¡°Do your best! Ghosts suck out and consume human energy!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, noona! ... Ghosts?¡±


    Thinking that the 6th floor sounded more grim than the 5th, I yelled mence exploration.¡¯ In an instant, darkness surrounded me.


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    - Shuuu


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    Did I hear something? I felt goose bumps running down my arm.


    ¡®This is just the atmosphere I hate.¡¯


    I gulped down my saliva and walked forward. The next moment, something crept up on me abruptly.


    ¡°Ugyaaaah!¡±


    As I let out a scream I could never let my father hear and fell, something white attacked me with a curious sound.


    ¡°Hukiiiiiii!¡±


    ¡°Ugyaaaah!¡±


    Ghosts are scary! I thrashed out with my fists, but they passed through it easily. It wasn¡¯t defeated. I instinctively felt that it had not even been hit.


    [Wraith has tainted your soul! Because you have no MP, your HP will decrease continuously.]


    ¡°Hukiiiii!¡±


    ¡°Ugyaaaah!¡±


    There was more than just the one! Several ghosts appeared and attacked me. I didn¡¯t even consider using my spear as I screamed from the top of my lungs and thrashed out with my arms and legs. They had no effect whatsoever, and my HP continued to be drained. In the end, my HP had reached 0 and I was kicked out of the dungeon. It was a rather embarrassing exit.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°Uwoah! What are you yelling for!?¡±


    ¡°You lied to me!¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a single mana stone this entire time. There are wraiths on the 6th floor. Without qi, you can¡¯t defeat them at all! Tell me honestly, what floor are you on?¡±


    ¡°... Well, you see, son.¡±


    ¡°What floor are you on?¡±


    When I red at him intently, my father finally answered.


    ¡°T-The 6th.¡±


    ¡°Faaaaatheeeeer!¡±


    When I shouted, my father flinched.


    ¡°Ehem. What¡¯s wrong, Shin? You can earn a lot of gold just by defeating orcs on the 5th floor. It¡¯s with that money that I bought this house, car, and your mother¡¯s bag. See, your father makes good money.¡±


    ¡°For someone who¡¯s only been to the 5th floor, you sure talk big...!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you won¡¯t be much different. You¡¯ll be hunting orcs forever.¡±


    ¡°Fatheeer!¡±


    Rather than cheering me up, he was making fun of me! I thought about grabbing him by the cor and fighting, but seeing mother and Yua staring at us through the door crack, I put away the thought.


    ¡°Huu. I didn¡¯t be a dungeon explorer just to hunt orcs...¡±


    ¡°Shin, this is not a chance everyone can have. Orcs give 10 gold, which can be exchanged for 20,000 won. Three orcs for 20,000 won. Do you realize how rich this mine is?¡±


    ¡°But father...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I want to have qi!¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Father looked at me with a touched expression. His body was trembling. Suddenly, he embraced me. No, it was more like a wrestling move.


    ¡°Like you can obtain qi when even I couldn¡¯t! You better not get it before I do!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re done father! DONE!¡±


    In the end, I went back to the 5th floor. But I didn¡¯t want to just hunt orcs all day. Having experienced the thrill of fighting the Orc Lord, ordinary orcs were no longer enough to satisfy me. Now that things hade to this, I decided to obtain more musclepressing elixirs. I chose to enter a party and fight the Orc Lord again.


    Of course, there were many hurdles. First, it turned out that I could only fight the floor master once a day. Even if I seeded, I could only try again the next day. Of course, if I failed, I couldn¡¯t enter the dungeon for a whole week. The Orc Lord was not a weak foe by any means. As a result, I was kicked out of the dungeon with a fifty percent chance no matter what party I was in.


    Plus, the musclepressing elixir did not alwayse out. I wasn¡¯t always the one to get the 1st ce contribution either. Sometimes, I was left with just power potions, which temporarily granted a strength bonus, and low-grade potions.


    There was a good news as well. The reason my body was so big was not only because my muscles were overinted, but also because my bones themselves wererge. Simply put, I had the bones of a dragon. About half a year after I seeded in my first Orc Lord hunt, when it was the 14th time I defeated the Orc Lord, a newpressing elixir had appeared.


    [Bone Compressing Elixir (Rare)


    When consumed, the body¡¯s bones will bepressed to be smaller and stronger. However, if one¡¯s bones are alreadypressed to the maximum, consuming it may have no effect or even kill in the worst case scenario.]


    ¡°Whoo!¡±


    I jumped in ce just like the first time I obtained the Muscle Compressing Elixir. I immediately consumed the Bone Compressing Elixir, and this time, my constitution went up by 1 permanently.


    Consumingpressing elixirs didn¡¯t always increase my stats, but they did increase from time to time. As such, it wasn¡¯t such a bad thing that I repeatedly hunted the Orc Lord. Most importantly, fighting a strong opponent like the Orc Lord yed a vital role in quickly increasing my low-rank martial arts skill.


    After a whole year passed, it was getting easier and easier to hunt the Orc Lord. It seemed like there was an unknownwork amongst the dungeon explorers as when I created a party, the people who joined would ask if I¡¯m the ¡®Crown Prince.¡¯ When I asked them what they meant by Crown Prince, they answered it was the nickname given to me who specialized in hunting the 5th Floor Master. The official title was Crown Prince of 5F.


    ¡°C-Crown Prince...¡±


    I somehow gained a humiliating nickname. Of course, I knew it was a way of acknowledging my strength. Having faced the Orc Lord for a year, I grew strong enough to defeat the Orc Lord without losing a single party member.


    My stats that were going up slowly through the muscle and bonepressing elixirs was one reason, but the more important reason was the stronger martial art skill, which had grown just as strong as my spear technique. With it, I could quickly read and react to the orcs¡¯ every move.


    Someone had also contacted me after a year. It was Ellos. He had told me he was now going through the 9th floor.


    [Sorry. If only I could teach you my mana cultivation method...]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know it¡¯s your family secret. I heard you couldn¡¯t trade things bought from the Floor Shop either. That¡¯s my luck, I guess.¡±


    [In other dungeons, ghosts don¡¯t appear until after the 10th floor. It¡¯s unfortunate you became an explorer of the First Dungeons... what a shame.]


    ¡°Like I said, that¡¯s just my luck.¡±


    I could feel Ellos¡¯ concern. I also understood what Ellos was about to tell me a year ago.


    Three months after Ellos contacted me, someone unexpected contacted me. It was Palludia. I never thought I would see or talk to her again.


    [... I heard you¡¯re still on the 5th floor.]


    ¡°Tsk, where are you?¡±


    [H-Hmph, I¡¯m already on the 13th floor. I¡¯m different than you.]


    ¡°Good for you...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t sarcasm. I really was jealous of her. I didn¡¯t be a dungeon explorer just to make money. Treasures, monsters, exploration! I wanted to experience new things. I wanted to fight with more diverse, stronger monsters.


    Although I knew Palludia would make fun of me, I didn¡¯t really care much about it now that a whole year had passed.


    [I-If... If it angers you that much, hurry up climb up! There¡¯s no time to dawdle on the 5th floor!]


    ¡°But I have no mana.¡±


    [Eek, do something about that with your spirit! You saved me twice, so you should be able to do at least that!]


    ¡°... Heh.¡±


    What, is she trying to cheer me up? Although I could only hear her voice, I knew she wasn¡¯t making fun of me. I felt like I had received a surprise present.


    [W-What...]


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    [Uet!? I didn¡¯t do anything you should be thankful for!]


    ¡°I¡¯m just thankful. You cheered me up. I¡¯ll try harder.¡±


    [Uuuu... do what you want! Next time, you contact me first, stupid!¡±


    Then she hung up. I kept my eyes closed for a while, then pped my cheeks and got up.


    ¡°Alright, let today¡¯s hunting begin!¡±

 Chapter 8. The World Becomes a Dungeon (1)

    Chapter 8. The World Bes a Dungeon (1)


    About two years after I first defeated the Orc Lord, any party I was in no longer knew defeat.


    No matter how messed up the partyposition was, even if a worthless explorer joined, I had no problem defeating the Orc Lord.


    I defeated an Orc Lord everyday without exception, and the 100 gold reward stockpiled slowly.


    With the increased number of times I seeded in defeating the Orc Lord, I naturally had more opportunity to obtain a Muscle or Bone Compressing Elixir. Now, just eating one or two wasn¡¯t enough to raise my stats. I had to eat at least ten.


    The amount of free stat points I gained through muscle and bonepressing elixirs was 28. It was just short of the amount gained from 6 level ups. I knew I was level 6, yet not really level 6.


    One day, because no Muscle or Bone Compressing Elixir had dropped, I chose the Orc Lord¡¯s ive. It was just about when my wooden spear waspletely worn out. In truth, it was surprising Isted so long with a wooden spear. Once I began carrying around the ive, the way people saw me changed. It became easier to find my ce in parties. It was the first time I realized the importance of weapons.


    Once I had the Orc Lord¡¯s ive, my attack power increased exponentially. Sometimeter, I found myself wearing a leather helm, leather gloves, and leather armor. They were all equipment dropped by the Orc Lord.


    ¡°Crown Prince...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Crown Prince...¡±


    ¡°Yes, after 5 years, I can finally escape the 5th floor!¡±


    My name became more and more well-known. When I began recruiting party members, all ten slots filled up in an instant. Other dungeon explorers also called me the ¡®one who leads the path past the 5th floor¡¯ and ¡®Savior Incarnate.¡¯ Although I tried to stop the embarrassing nicknames from spreading, it was of no use.


    Because I didn¡¯t want to make money by hunting orcs like my father, once I defeated the Orc Lord, I left the dungeon and studied. I had to make use of my 20 intelligence stat. My grades at school went up. My mother was happy and the number of universities I could attend went up.


    No matter how much money I made from the dungeon, it was my mother¡¯s opinion that I had to attend a university when I graduated from high school. I could do little to resist my mother. In truth, the thought of attending a university excited me. It was something I couldn¡¯t have even dreamed of when my intelligence of low.


    Yes, other than the fact that I couldn¡¯t obtain mana, everything was perfect.


    I focused my efforts on the Orc Lord Raids and paid little attention to maintaining a social life at school (not that I had one to maintain in the first ce). One day, I was called to part of the school teachers rarely visited.


    I was nervous, wondering if delinquents were trying to pick a fight with me. Instead, a familiar girl had appeared. She was from my ss. Contrary to her usual cheerful and enthusiastic self, her head was drooped down like she was an entirely different person.


    ¡°I-I like you.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Who? This cute girl? Me? She likes me?


    I thought it was a joke. Even though I was taking muscle and bonepressing elixirs, I was still the person who was once called an orc. When I asked if she was joking, she began crying and ran off.


    ¡°Why are you crying!?¡±


    ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t kidding! Uwaaah!¡±


    A rumor had spread throughout school that I was rejecting girls. When I came home and told my mother and sister about it, they stared at me as if they had just heard the most ridiculous thing.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t notice?¡±


    ¡°Oppa... stupid...¡±


    ¡°Eh? Stupid? I¡¯m not stupid anymore...¡±


    ¡°Stupid.¡±


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    An unsolvable mystery was created that day.


    Half a year after that, I began to think whether I needed all ten members to defeat the Orc Lord. Just as a test, I went into battle with just eight people, but it was still extremely easy. The ones who came in with me made expressions of disbelief.


    ¡°It worked...¡±


    ¡°But how?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... a bug...¡±


    Bugs referred to monsters that dropped an unusually high amount of gold or a high-grade item that normally would not drop on that floor. They were considered treasures, created from mistakes by the ones who operated the dungeons. But it seemed I was being treated like a bug.


    ¡°Hahahaha.¡±


    ¡°This is noughing matter, Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right, Crown Prince. You should hurry up and head to a higher floor.¡±


    ¡°Stop calling me Crown Prince.¡±


    I retorted bluntly and checked the list of rewards. It was then that I seemed to be struck by lightning.


    [1. Orc Lord¡¯s ive


    2. Power Potion


    3. Middle Potion


    4. Skin Compressing Elixir


    5. Orc Lord¡¯s Boots


    6. Muscle Compressing Elixir


    7. Mana Potion


    8. 230 Gold]


    ¡®No way! Am I seeing this correctly?¡¯


    I washed my eyes and looked at the list of rewards again. Orc Lord¡¯s Boots. This was the first time I had seen it in 2 years of hunting the Orc Lord. There was something else that surprised me. Skin Compressing Elixir! I was thinking about how my skin wasn¡¯t reducing at the rate that my muscle and bones were reducing.


    Without a shred of hesitation, I chose the skinpressing elixir.


    [Skin Compressing Elixir (Rare)


    Warning. When someone who has not consumed both muscle and bonepressing elixir consumes this elixir, one could experience severe pain and permanent bodily damage. For those that consumed both muscle and bonepressing elixir, this elixir will make one¡¯s stretched out skin tighter and stronger, boosting one¡¯s defense and giving the skin a clean, hard texture.]


    I ate it, and my constitution increased. It was the start of a new grind.


    When the number of people decreased, new items appeared on the reward list. When I thought about it, it made sense. Quantity decreased and quality increased.


    I hunted in a party of eight for a while, then switched to seven, then six, then five. Even then, everything went smoothly. Skinpressing elixirs appeared more often, and muscle and bonepressing elixirs always appeared.


    Ipressed my body endlessly. The more I repeated it, the smaller and stronger I became. When I realized my 210cm height had gone down to 190cm, the winter break of my 3rd year of high school had started.


    ¡°No way...¡±


    Standing in front of a mirror, it was all I could mutter. The mirror was now capable of capturing my whole body without problem. Did I be blind when I focused on a topic? Although I washed myself every day, it was only now that I was seeing the changes in my body.


    The me in front of the mirror was a normal young man. No, I wasn¡¯t exactly normal. Those who worked out could easily see through the strength hidden in my muscles.


    On the outside, I was more than enough to be described as slim. More importantly, my muscles weren¡¯t repulsing to look at anymore. In fact, it was the opposite. My body finally matched my face, which took after my mother¡¯s good looks. Although I felt like I was still a bit too tall, it was nothing toin about.


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    Feeling a sense of fulfillment, I sighed silently. It was a long journey, but I had finally done it. To be exact, no matter how muchpressing elixirs I took, my stats wouldn¡¯t increase anymore. So I quit.


    After taking elixirs for almost 3 years, I had gained a total of 40 stat points. 10 strength, 10 dexterity, and 20 constitution. Just with my status alone, I would be evenly matched with level 14 explorers.


    ¡°Ellos and Palludia must have passed the 15th floor now...¡±


    I murmured bitterly and let out another sigh. The fact that I couldn¡¯t use mana had tied me down to the 5th floor for 3 years. I felt sorry for myself. I then realized my father must have felt the same.


    It must be why he was going around talking about getting qi at such an age.


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: None Title: None Rank: Bronze 7


    Level: 6


    HP ¨C 1,940/1,940 MP ¨C 0


    Strength ¨C 34(+2) Dexterity ¨C 30 Constitution ¨C 39


    Intelligence ¨C 20 Magic ¨C 0 Charm ¨C 16 Luck ¨C 10


    Skill ¨C Low-rank Martial Arts (Master), Low-rank Spear Technique (Master), Mid-rank Spear Technique (Master)]


    Was this the status of a level 6 explorer? The answer was yes. I didn¡¯t believe it either, but it was the truth.


    What was strange was that my charm stat had gone up by itself. It was 7 initially, but it had gone up until it was 16. Because the charm and luck stat were bonus stats and you could not distribute status points to them, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to them.


    Most importantly, my magic stat was still 0. Compared to the HP I had, it lookedpletely barren.


    My equipment were entirely from the Orc Lord. Its helmet, chestte, leggings, boots, gloves, and ive. On one ear, I even had an Orc Lord¡¯s Earring, which raised the strength stat by 2 points.


    If I walked around Myung Dong like this, would they think I was cosying? I quickly erased the thought from my mind. With how the world was these days, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if someone really attacked me thinking I was a monster.


    ¡°It looks like I¡¯m ready.¡±


    If you ask what I¡¯m ready for, it was obvious. It was killing the Orc Lord solo!


    I had always kept the possibility in my mind. The reward increased as the number of explorers in the party decreased. If I seeded in defeating it alone, what reward would I get? As far as I knew, there was no one who managed to defeat the Orc Lord alone. The reason was simple. Once one defeated the next floor master, it was impossible to go back and hunt the previous floor master.


    In other words, explorers above level 11 could note back to the 5th floor to kill the Orc Lord. Those below that did not even think about hunting the floor master alone. If there was such a person, it would be someone who grinded through elixirs year after year just like me. I had asked father about the elixirs, but he said that as the man in charge of the house, he gave up hunting the Orc Lord and focused on hunting as many orcs as possible. It was likely to be the same with others in a simr situation as father. Someone who could pass the 6th floor did not need to kill the Orc Lord.


    That is, I was the first. I should be. I would like to be.


    I did not want to just try it. If I was doing it, I wanted to seed. Pressing down on the Orc Lord¡¯s Helmet, I stood in front of the huge stone door.


    ¡°Huu... here I go.¡±


    Then, just like 3 years ago, I pushed open the stone door and shouted.


    ¡°Orc Lord! Fight me!¡±

 Chapter 9. The World Becomes a Dungeon (2)

    Chapter 9. The World Bes a Dungeon (2)


    ¡°Orc Lord! Fight me!¡±


    ¡°Chwiiiik!¡±


    The spawn locations of the fourteen orc minions were limited. The moment I entered the room, I realized which spawn pattern the orcs were in, and charged towards the orc closest to me.


    Because of Warcry, it was impossible to kill the Orc Lord while ignoring the orc minions. As such, you had to quickly take care of the minions. The Orc Lord¡¯s attacks hurt no matter what, but when he used Warcry alone, his defense also decreased by 50 percent. As such, it was necessary to kill all the minions.


    ¡°Kuwaaak!¡±


    ¡°Chwiik!¡±


    ¡°Human!¡±


    ¡°Fast!¡±


    Now, I could send the trash mob orcs¡¯ heads flying by just shing with my weapon. It was one of the pros of using a ive. It could stab, but it was more powerful when used to sh. Plus, the Orc Lord¡¯s ive was a rare-grade item. It was different than a wooden spear.


    ¡°Kuaaa!¡±


    Seeing his minions drop like flies, the Orc Lord stretched his back and roared. He was using Warcry! However, I had already cut down more than half the orcs.


    ¡°You won¡¯t have a chance to!¡±


    One more, one more! My body moved exactly like I had calcted. Like a farmer harvesting his crops, I quickly cut down the orcs¡¯ heads. With the slight speed bonus from the Orc Lord¡¯s Boots, it seemed even easier. When the Orc Lord finally finished his Warcry, there were no orc minions left in the room.


    [Orc Lord used Warcry! It cleanses itself of all negative status effects. Because there are no orc minions in range, the Orc Lord¡¯s attack power increases by 100% and defense lowers by 50%. It temporarily bes super-armored.]


    ¡°Kuaaaa! You dare!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that line over a thousand times already!¡±


    I charged toward the super-armored Orc Lord without hesitation. I knew the Orc Lord¡¯s attack patterns in and out. I had already experienced it to near boredom. In truth, the fight was already over when I cut down all the orc minions.


    A super-armored monster ignored iing attacks and focused on its own attacks. However, it had its disadvantages. Because you did not stop at all, you sometimes ended up taking more damage.


    As a result, it was much easier tond a critical hit, which dealt more than double the usual damage and sometimes even damaged the target permanently. Of course, it was easier for the Orc Lord to deal critical damage to others under the super-armor effect, but you just had to not get hit.


    Like now!


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaak!¡±


    [Critical Hit! You dealt a deadly blow!]


    As I rolled on the ground to dodge his attack, I swung my ive and cut his Achille tendon. Because he was in his super-armor state, he kept charging forward regardless. As a result, his wound only became worse. When its super-armor state ended, it would face an unimaginable pain.


    ¡°HUMAAAAN!¡±


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t tell me, both the heavens and my cute sister know I¡¯m human!¡±


    At the Orc Lord charging forward due to super-armor, I continuously attacked with my ive from the back. When it hit the wall and stopped, I shed down on his back and jumped back.


    ¡°You will not escape alive!¡±


    Here ites! The Orc Lord raised his ive and ck mana began to gather around it with a ringing sound. It was the skill that drove me mad with jealousy every time I saw it! Sword st! I had already figured out the time it took to charge, and all the angle and direction patterns. I slid to the side, dodging the Sword st with ease. Using the small opening it had after using Sword st, I stabbed my ive through his belly.


    ¡°Kuaaak!¡±


    ¡°Whoops, that was close.¡±


    I distanced myself from the Orc Lord thrashing about randomly. At least 10 minutes had passed since the battle began, but the Orc Lord still seemed healthy as it roared incessantly. If there was a difference between games and the dungeon, it was the HP bar. No matter how much I wished for it, I couldn¡¯t see how much HP the enemy monsters had left.


    ¡°DIE, HUMAAAAN!¡±


    After the Sword st was the random thrashing. It swung its arms and legs everywhere and made aplete mess of the surroundings. This skill gave off powerful vibrations and powerful blows, which easily disrupted even the most well-organized parties. I couldn¡¯t find a good solution to this attack even after fighting it close to a thousand times. If I approached it now trying to attack, I could die with a single misstep. When the Orc Lord was also under the super-armor effect, the damage done couldn¡¯t be described with words. That was exactly the case now.


    ¡°DIEEE!¡±


    ¡°Would you jump into a charging bulldozer because someone told you to?¡±


    ¡°DIEEE!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll kill you, just wait a little.¡±


    Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t so difficult to dodge it. I just had to keep running back when it started thrashing around. If it chased after me, I just had to draw circles around it as I retreated. Because the room was ratherrge, it wasn¡¯t so hard to do. Additionally, after this phase ended, it stood in ce and drew its breath for a little while.


    This was the best chance to counterattack.


    ¡°DIEEE!¡±


    Ignoring the fact that I was making fun of its speech earlier, I charged toward the Orc Lord shouting the same thing it had been shouting. In my hands were the Orc Lord¡¯s ive. My target was... its thigh!


    Crack!


    ¡°Kuaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Alright, it went in!¡±


    The super-armor state had already ended. The Orc Lord dropped its weapon in pain and wrapped its arms around its thigh. When the Orc Lord received damage surpassing a certain threshold, it dropped its weapon. This was another great chance to attack. Excited, I stabbed my ive through the other thigh.


    [Critical Hit!]


    With luck, I even got a critical hit! When the Orc Lord received huge damage while it had its weapon dropped, it would just fall in ce. It would then faint and stay unconscious for a period of time. I won. This battle was mine!


    ¡°Haaaaap!¡±


    I aimed my ive at the Orc Lord¡¯s throat, which was at a perfect height for me to do so. Although I couldn¡¯t pierce through it, I had dealt the damage. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with just one attack. I stabbed with my ive a couple more times. Then, a thick stream of blood exploded out.


    Did I get too excited? I forgot to control myself and stabbed its throat one more time. It was then that the Orc Lord opened its eyes.


    ¡°Kuaaaaa!¡±


    [Orc Lord used Warcry! It cleanses itself of all negative status effects. Because there are no orc minions in range, the Orc Lord¡¯s attack power increases by 100% and defense lowers by 50%. It temporarily bes super-armored.]


    ¡°Damn! Kuk!¡±


    He swung his fist and hit me. With just that, I flew back as my HP dropped tremendously. Thankfully, I did not hit the wall and just fell on the ground.


    [Your HP fell below 30 percent. You are in need of urgent treatment.]


    ¡°Agh, damn it...!¡±


    Losing too much blood too quickly, I couldn¡¯t move my body for a moment. Setting aside the pain I was feeling, I would definitely have died without the Orc Lord¡¯s defensive equipment set.


    ¡°DIEEEEE!¡±


    It¡¯s charging! I put strength into my knees and got up. My legs were shaking. It wasn¡¯t easy to digest the damage from its fist.


    ¡°HUMAN, THIS IS THE END!¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    I hurriedly took out a potion from my inventory and drank it. Once my HP recovered a little, it would be easier to move. However, the message I received was not the one I was expecting.


    [You used a Power Potion. For 15 seconds, your strength is increased by 10.]


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    It seemed like I would have to face him directly. I didn¡¯t have the time to drink an HP potion anymore, and my legs weren¡¯t fully recovered. They could only manage standing their ground.


    ¡®Although this isn¡¯t what I had nned...¡¯


    I tightly gripped my ive and looked forward. The Orc Lord was charging toward me in a straight line, its eyes glowing red. Its eyes were burning with love and the ive in its hands were full of passion. It was truly the worst love confession.


    ¡°Whew... let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Don¡¯t look down on my spearmanship because it¡¯s only mid-rank. What I learned could not be described by ranks like low and mid. It was a technique passed down from my ancestors. Their breath still lived on in it! Faster than lightning, stronger than a dragon, grander than Mt. Tai, and more delicate than the ocean! This was...


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    Well, it didn¡¯t have anything embarrassing like name! Thinking rather useless things as the Orc Lord neared me, I thrusted my ive toward the Orc Lord¡¯s chest. If it could survive this, then I would be the one to die!


    Puk!


    I heard a sound. My attack had definitely hit its mark. The question was whether it died or not. Because my eyes were shut, I couldn¡¯t see if it was dead or if I was about to die. In an instant, everything became quiet as if all sounds in the world had disappeared. It like when you turned off the TV in the middle of the night.


    Slowly, I opened my eyes.


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    The Orc Lord¡¯s face was right in front of mine. When I pulled out my ive and stepped back, the Orc Lord fell with a thud. I blinked. This... could this be?


    ... Did I seed?


    [A Grand Aplishment! You have defeated the Floor Master, Orc Lord, alone! Amazing!]


    [You obtained the title ¡®Orc Lord yer.¡¯ All stats permanently increase by 1. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You have be Bronze Rank 6. Congrattions.]


    [You defeated the Orc Lord alone. You have obtained the special reward, Orc Lord¡¯s Pauldron.]


    [You obtained 1,000 gold.]


    [Choose your reward.]

 Chapter 10. The World Becomes a Dungeon (3)

    Chapter 10. The World Bes a Dungeon (3)


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Deific Manifestation Magic Book]


    ¡°Agh, I¡¯m getting dizzy.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t the messagese slower?¡± I asked the message noona I had grown rather ustomed to as I checked the message log.


    Let¡¯s see... mm, a Grand Aplishment. Just as I was thinking it only sounded grand and gave no rewards, I saw that I had gotten a title. Not to mention, it raised all of my stats by 1. I didn¡¯t think my stats would increase again.


    And the special reward, the Orc Lord¡¯s Pauldron... I see it¡¯s for my shoulders. Now that I thought about it, I had never seen the Orc Lord¡¯s Pauldron before. That could only mean that it only dropped when you defeated the Orc Lord alone. In other words, it was impossible to collect all of the Orc Lord¡¯s equipment until you defeated it alone.


    ... There was no equipment set this hard to collect in any game that I¡¯ve yed.


    ¡°Here it is. Wow, it looks amazing.¡±


    I opened my inventory and equipped the Orc Lord¡¯s Pauldron. My body was now entirely covered with the Orc Lord¡¯s leather armor.


    I hadsted until the 5th floor with just training clothes, but now that I thought about it, I might as well have been naked. I didn¡¯t understand how I even thought of going into the dungeon like that. Even though you couldn¡¯t re-enter the dungeon for a week if you died, I had only thought that they were easy to move in. Not to mention, I was also using my wooden spear... Thinking about those days, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh in embarrassment.


    As I was standing still in reminiscence, another message was heard.


    [You equipped the Orc Lord Set. Your strength and constitution increases by 5. When the Orc Lord Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry¡¯ once per day.]


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    No way, it went up again! Although it seemed a little smallpared to how hard it was to gather the full set, upon more careful consideration, 2 levels worth of stat points seemed fairly big. Not to mention, it would be weird if something from just the 5th floor was even better than this.


    Althoughpleting the Orc Lord Set or consumingpressing elixirs wasn¡¯t what I had nned from the very beginning, now that I had experienced it, I thought that perhaps this was the result that the one who led explorers into the dungeon had nned.


    Checking how I looked in the full Orc Lord Set, I nodded my head with satisfaction and read the next line in the message log. 1000 gold. This was to be expected. The Orc Lord always gave 1,000 gold when defeated. The next was choosing my reward... but because I defeated the Orc Lord alone, there was only one reward on the list.


    ¡®There¡¯s no choice here! Looks like message noona has to level up and raise her intelligence!¡¯ Only thinking about such things and not letting it out of my mouth, I looked at the reward.


    [1. Deific Manifestation Magic book]


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®What¡¯s... this?¡¯ I never expected to see a magic named after me[1. The MC¡¯s name, Kang Shin, directly trantes to Deific Manifestation, the name of this skill (so he¡¯s confused)]. Was it just created? What was it for? Was it something only I could use?


    Although I had numerous questions, I held myself back. Because of myck of mana, I couldn¡¯t use magic anyways. Just as I was thinking that...


    [You have obtained the Deific Manifestation Magic. You can use all of your MP and half of your HP to call upon a soul connected deeply to your roots. The duration of manifestation will depend on the amount of MP and HP you use. You can only manifest someone of the Legendary rank or above, and you cannot use this skill again if you fail. On sess, the skill has a cooldown time of one month. This magic has no skill level.]


    ¡°...¡±


    It felt like someone was ying a trick on me. Come to think of it, a lot of people use to do that when I was little, though it stopped as I became abnormally big...


    This Deific Manifestation Magic. For a second, it reminded me of psychics. .


    Of course, this magic would be useless on me. After all, I had no MP. There was no way I could use this skill. I let out a sign. To think something I worked so hard to get would be of no use...


    ¡°Agh! Deific Manifestation, Deific Manifestation!¡± I shouted at the top of my lungs. Although I knew nothing would happen, I poured my heart out as I shouted. I will admit, I was slightly worried that I may have looked a little crazy shouting out my own name. But...


    [All of your MP has been consumed.]


    [Half of your HP has been consumed.]


    [You used 20 MP and 1,020 HP. For 1 minute and 40 seconds, you summon the Mythical Heroic Spirit, Peruta Rello Vatifoa.]


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡®What? Did I see that right? 20? I thought I didn¡¯t have a single MP?¡¯ As I looked puzzled, I suddenly began to feel that my body wasn¡¯t mine anymore. It was like I was wearing hundreds of clothes and could not move my body like I wanted.


    Then, a voice rang out inside me.


    [Oh, what is this boy? What a talent he possesses. Yet, he has no mana. Strange, very strange.]


    ¡°W-Who are you?¡±


    I didn¡¯t look around like an idiot. I had already done so the first time I entered the dungeon.


    [You were the one who called me. I am Peruta Rello Vatifoa, a spearman now long forgotten.]


    ¡°A spearman? You¡¯re a spearman? Wow! I use a spear too!¡±


    [Hm? Hahaha! That¡¯s what I thought! Someone who can call me should no doubt use a spear! But this is concerning. Because of yourck of mana, I cannot stay for too long.]


    ¡°But I have no mana at all...¡±


    [That¡¯s what I thought, but it turns out you have an extremely tiny amount! By the looks of things, I would guess you don¡¯t have a mana cultivation method. Am I correct?]


    ¡°Yeah, I have none. Sorry.¡±


    [No need to be sorry. Since fate has connected us together, I will help... kuk, I already have to go back. Next time, I¡¯ll first teach you a mana cultivation method!]


    ¡°Y-Yes! Take care!¡±


    Not knowing where exactly he was going, I shouted. When the stuffy feeling disappeared, I no longer heard any voices. At the same time, I felt my body go limp and became devoid of energy. Even after realizing Peruta disappeared, I remained still. I could not quite understand what had just happened.


    ¡°I thought I didn¡¯t have mana? What happened...? Status!¡±


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: None Title: Orc Lord yer Rank: Bronze 6


    Level: 6


    HP ¨C 1,010/2,240 MP ¨C 1/20


    Strength ¨C 34(+8) Dexterity ¨C 30(+1) Constitution ¨C 39(+6)


    Intelligence ¨C 20(+1) Magic ¨C 0(+1) Charm ¨C 16(+1) Luck ¨C 10(+1)


    Skill ¨C Low-rank Martial Arts (Master), Low-rank Spear Technique (Master), Mid-rank Spear Technique (Master), Deific Manifestation]


    ¡°... Ha... Haha...¡±


    I see, that was it! It was an extremely simple reason. 20 mana. I understood where this small amount came from.


    When I earned the title Orc Lord yer, all my stats had gone up up by 1. Naturally, my magic went up as well!


    I could not distribute points into it with the points I gained from leveling up, but it seemed that this was fine. This had to be a bug!


    Of course, I had no intention of reporting it to a GM like I would in an online game. Well, not that I knew how to contact one anyways. In truth, I didn¡¯t know for sure whether this was a bug or not. What was important was that I finally had mana!


    Excited, I couldn¡¯t help but dance.


    ¡®YES! I finally have mana! I can learn a mana cultivation method from Peruta too! I can have qi! I can learn the high-rank spear technique!¡¯


    Just like that, on the winter break of my senior year of high school, I found a solution to my goal of obtaining qi.


    Of course, it took another month before I could meet Peruta again. He seemed prepared as the first thing he did upon being summoned was to imprint his mana cultivation method in my body.


    Because of the pain where it felt like liquid iron was poured into my body, I couldn¡¯t stop my tears from streaming down. However, tenacious to impart everything onto me, Peruta gave little care for the pain I was experiencing. After finishing his work in just 1 minute and 7 seconds, Peruta disappeared, saying,


    [If you guide and circte your mana through the pathway I left in your body, mana will naturally grow inside you.]


    I stood still, looking like a woman who had just been raped by her trusted lover. What was more irritating was that Peruta was right. At first, it was hard to control the mana in my body, but as I moved it through the pathway he left, I became more rxed and I could feel my body start to gather mana.


    The only weird part was that cultivating mana became noticeably slower outside the dungeon. As such, I had to increase the time I spent inside the dungeon. I worked diligently to increase my mana. It was because Peruta said he would teach me spearmanship in a month. Although I heard that my family had an explosive spear technique that made use of qi, it was a story from long ago. Just when I thought I would have to learn the high-rank spear technique on my own, I hade across the perfect teacher, Peruta.


    When I could wield the high-rank spear technique to a certain level, I could finally conquer the 6th floor filled with those damned ghosts. It would have been well past 3 years and 2 months!


    It had been a while, so I contacted Ellos and told him about what had happened. Surprised, Ellos shouted,


    [Did you just say Peruta Rello Vatifoa!?]


    ¡°Yep. He said he was a spearman. You know him?¡±


    As we had exchanged messages for 3 years, we had long since be friends.


    [I more than just know him. He¡¯s from my continent. Well, even if I say that, he¡¯s... from my continent¡¯s myth.]


    ¡°Myth?¡±


    Now that he mentioned it, I did seem to remember message noona saying something about a myth when I first summoned him.


    [Yep, the creation myth at that. One sword, one spear, one shield, and one light. Theyid a foundation in darkness and spread light into the world. Peruta Rello Vatifoa is the spear from that story. I thought it was just a myth, but you said you summoned him!?]


    ¡°... Since you say that, I¡¯m starting to think it¡¯s not the same guy. He might be a fake.¡±


    [There is power behind names. Even if he isn¡¯t the same one from the myth, someone with the name Peruta Rello Vatifoa shouldn¡¯t be ordinary. How much mana did you say you had?]


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just over 700 now.¡±


    [You... didn¡¯t you say you started cultivating mana a month ago? That speed of growth isn¡¯t normal. It can¡¯t be an ordinary mana cultivation method.]


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    [Haha. You really know how to surpass my expectations. Alright, let¡¯s beat the 25th Floor Master together.]


    ¡°That¡¯s asking for too much.¡±


    [Hahahaha.]


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    I also tried contacting Palludia, but she didn¡¯t pick up. Now that I thought about it, a year and a half had passed since she told me to contact her. It was when I was infatuated withpressing elixirs. Ah...


    Because Ellos always contacted me first, I had naturally spent a lot of time talking to him. But Palludia had never contacted me since then. This was my fault. If she was mad, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. In the end, I left her a message and called it quits. In truth, I didn¡¯t regret it at all!

 Chapter 11. The World Becomes a Dungeon (4)

    Chapter 11. The World Bes a Dungeon (4)


    Apart from light shining down on my future as a dungeon explorer, my final day as a high schooler was approaching. It was graduation.


    ¡°The scent of the evergreen pine tree...¡±


    At the auditorium, the school¡¯s old fashioned and childish song was ying. Of course, none of the graduating students were paying attention to the song nor the principal¡¯s instruction. Only when a few students were going up to the podium to receive awards did anyone check to see if it was someone they knew.


    Just like that, my graduation ended. My sister came and handed me a flower bouquet.


    She had long, straight hair and a doll-like face. Although her short height could be considered a w, other than that she had a body even a model would be jealous of. Her chest which wasn¡¯t all that big could also be considered a w as well, but to my eyes, it was one of the things that made her perfect.


    ¡°Oppa, congrattions on graduating!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Yua. How pretty.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I picked it myself.¡±


    ¡°No, I meant you¡¯re pretty. I wonder who your lucky brother is?¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, oppa.¡±


    Seeing my sisterugh with such a lovable smile, I lightly hugged her. As my height went down to 190cm and my body no longer looked massive, Yua stopped instinctively trembling when she saw me. It was the dungeon that turned me into a human capable ofmunicating with my sister!


    As I was enjoying happiness by holding the bouquet and embracing my sister, my mother pped me on the head.


    ¡°Hey, stop right there! You¡¯re both my son and daughter, so don¡¯t get any weird ideas. If you want, I¡¯ll even let you do a DNA test.¡±


    ¡°Eh, M-Mom.¡±


    ¡°Of course we¡¯re your son and daughter. We take after your pretty looks.¡±


    ¡°Whew, after you started going to that dungeon, only your talking has gotten smoother.¡±


    As I partied with explorers from other worlds for thest 3 years, I too noticed that I had be a lot more sociable. Even in the short span of time where party members gathered to defeat the Orc Lord, a lot of internal problems could happen, just like what had happened between me and Palludia.


    As a party leader, I learned to deal with situations like those. It almost felt like I learned a passive ttery skill, not that that¡¯s a good thing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to a restaurant! We can celebrate oppa¡¯s graduation with steak!¡±


    ¡°But Dad¡¯s not here.¡±


    ¡°Father¡¯s probably fooling around somewhere. Let¡¯s just go eat without him.¡±


    A few days ago, when I met Peruta for the third time, he taught me the high-rank spear technique that made use of mana. The first technique allowed one to attack for a long time by lightly imbuing the spear with mana. The second technique was an explosive thrust where one instantly imbued arge amount of mana into the spear. With just these two techniques, I was able to easily tear through the wraiths on the 6th floor.


    I could now move forward. What was more important was my father. He still did not have mana, and could only remain on the 5th floor.


    Some time ago, I showed myself swinging my spear with mana. He then said as he grabbed my shoulders, ¡°teach me.¡±


    ¡°Father, you see...¡±


    I could not leave a mana pathway in his body like Peruta had done for me. He couldn¡¯t summon Peruta to his body either.


    As a result, he decided to walk the same path I had. He would grind forpressing elixirs, obtain the Orc Lord equipment, and try for a 1-man boss fight. But because he was a lot smaller than me, I was worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to ingest too manypressing elixirs. I made sure that he knew the negative effects of overdosing onpressing elixirs. As my father was the type to worry for his safety, I did not worry too much.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying your father¡¯s in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yep, he¡¯s probably fighting for his life right now.¡±


    ¡°Whew, when will he grow up...?¡±


    ¡°You know, he¡¯s going to get slimmer like me.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll get stronger too.¡±


    ¡°...Gulp.¡± My mother swallowed.


    In truth, father wasn¡¯t so bad looking. It was just that his body made him look muscle-brained. Seeing mother change from disparaging father to looking forward to his transformation, Yua made a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°Whew, who¡¯s the adult here?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    Seeing my sister act grown up was too cute, and I couldn¡¯t help myself from petting her head. Thinking how happy I was, Iughed. If only things continued like this... Of course, I knew my life would always be slightly more special than others¡¯.


    But life didn¡¯t always go as one expected.


    That day, two moons rose above the sky. The world had begun to change.


    Monsters appeared. Not inside the dungeon, but in the outside world.


    ¡°Breaking news. In Seoul¡¯s Ahyeon-dong, a 2 meter tall wolf appeared and began attacking people.¡±


    ¡°The two moons and the mutant animals. The rtionship between the two will be discussed by our panelist...¡±


    ¡°After ¡®Two Moon,¡¯ reports say that parts of the mountain ranges have changed formation and that the oceanic crust are acting up...¡±


    ¡°Members of the government are saying that a state of martialw must be proimed...¡±


    ¡°Reports say that mutant marine life have begun to attack major harbors and vessels. This incident, which is estimated to affect seamerce, is...¡±


    ¡°Breaking news. A man seemingly fighting against the mutant life forms, which have shown to take little damage from guns and knives, saved several nearby citizens. Experts say this is an effect of the ¡®Two Moon¡¯...¡±


    ¡°At the same time that mutant life forms began appearing, people with the power to fight against them also appeared...¡±


    ¡°Mutants that suddenly struck humanity with cmity. Would you believe that these mutants possess a secret that could advance our medical and chemical knowledge by 100 years?¡±


    After the so called ¡®Two Moon,¡¯ the world became a mess. The government had even barred its citizens from stepping outside our homes. Because of strange creatures that suddenly began appearing all over the world, 20 percent of the human poption suddenly died. Although various countries¡¯ militaries managed to drive them out, guns, knives, and even missiles were ineffective against them. These monsters t out drove some countries to ruins, and feeling the danger of these monsters, the remaining countries formed an allied force against them. However, even the allied forces could only stop their advances by a little.


    In this situation where Earth was going crazy, like vines, people that could fight against the monsters appeared.


    Some beat down monsters with strange auras they imbued into their weapons, some burned them down with strange fires, and some twisted their necks off with telekic power.


    Although they were weak by themselves, they could fight well against monsters in groups. As a result, the government began to gather these people with powers and formed new divisions to fight against the monsters.


    In humanity¡¯s sudden moment of crisis, there was no time for countries to fight amongst themselves. Soon, a global anti-monster institution was established and monsters were chased out until they no longer appeared in areas popted by humans. Consequently, monsters began to gather in previously unpopted areas or areas that had been abandoned by humans.


    With this, the fight between ability users and mutant life forms seemed to slow down.


    Ironically, the war resumed when scientific analysis of the mutant life forms, now called monsters, finished. Surprisingly, the monsters¡¯ corpses themselves, substances extracted from them, and blue nuggets very rarely found inside them all seemed to possess significant value for use in science, medicine, the military and energy.


    As a result, the government began to change the way they worked. They began to use these special divisions, formed to protect citizens, to instead collect these resources. People were very sensitive to this change, and under the pretext of protecting the rights of ability users, many left the government divisions and formed their own institutions.


    Such phenomenon urred on a global scale. In the end, two main structures emerged for ability user institutions. One was ¡®Guardian,¡¯ formed under the government. The other was ¡®Freedom Wing,¡¯ formed by independent ability users.


    What was at first considered a cmity for humanity was now considered an important resource for human advancement.


    ¡°Father.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°The world became a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°It did.¡±


    We spoke as we watched an interview from a representative of Freedom Wing.


    ¡°Between fighting monsters in the dungeon and fighting monsters here, what do you think will earn more?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care about money, but wouldn¡¯t the monsters here give more money? They say it¡¯s 200 million won for just one.¡±


    ¡°It looks easy, doesn¡¯t it, son?¡±


    ¡°It does, father.¡±


    ¡°Want to go hunt some together?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be annoying if anyone finds out.¡±


    ¡°Who cares? We can just say we¡¯re rogues.¡±


    There were, of course, ability users who were not part of either Guardian or Freedom Wing. As Freedom Wing was once part of Guardian, it still had remnants of an organized structure. Ability users who disliked being tied down hunted individually or in small parties, then sold monster corpses to those that wanted them. It seemed trading centers for monster corpses were also in the making. ording to the rumors, America already had them set up.


    ¡°It will be really annoying if we get branded as ability users. I¡¯d rather go to dungeons. Besides, even if I hunt monsters here, I don¡¯t get any stronger.¡±


    ¡°Is getting stronger all you care about?¡±


    ¡°Yep. I want to conquer the dungeon all the way to the 100th floor.¡±


    ording to Ellos, no one had ever reached the 100th floor of the dungeon. I wanted to see the 100th floor with my own eyes.


    Although I was only level 7, if I traded all the gold I had umted from 3 years of hunting the Orc Lord, I would have more than 500 million won. It was an awful lot of money for someone who had not even gone to college yet. Ah, of course, colleges were currently closed due to monsters. The point was, I didn¡¯t n on doing anything bothersome just for money.


    ¡°Father, do you want to obtain an ability user license?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°But you already earn a lot.¡±


    ¡°You can never have enough money.¡±


    ¡°What do you need more money for?¡±


    ¡°I can buy a bigger house, a bigger car, a bigger ring for your mother, more expensive clothes for Yua...¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡±


    ¡°You can make your own money.¡±


    Father did not get licensed right away. It was partly because he had yet to obtain mana, but more importantly because the world wasn¡¯t yet stable. I agreed with his decision.


    Although ability users were amazing human resources, beside the fact that they could fight against monsters, they were no different than normal human beings. It was impossible to know whether anything untoward would happen.


    It took another half year before everything calmed down. It was a stormy period where the paradigm of human history was changing. Some sang of the end, while some sang of a new beginning.


    My mother busily stockpiled canned food and ramen, my sister studied at home as schools were still closed, and my father continued to fight the Orc Lord in hopes of obtaining mana.


    Of course, in that half a year, I devoted my entire time to the dungeon.

 Chapter 12. The World Becomes a Dungeon (5)

    Chapter 12. The World Bes a Dungeon (5)


    ¡°Haaaap!¡±


    ¡°Wooooo.¡±


    ¡°Shut it!¡±


    I struck down a wraith with my mana-imbued spear. Although the weapon I was using was technically a ive, because of the way I was using it, I often called it a spear. The wraith seemed to want to phase through my attack, but, unable to do so, it scattered into little pieces. Wraiths could not be damaged by physical attacks, but they were incredibly weak to magical attacks or attacks imbued with mana. It seemed the 6th floor was a ce where those who could use mana were separated from those who couldn¡¯t.


    ording to Ellos, because no one in their party had a high-rank weapon technique, to fight against the wraiths they had to learn an applied skill that used mana. I, of course, knew the high-rank spear technique, so I could deal with the wraiths using that.


    In any case, I was no longer on the 6th floor, but the 7th. Late at night two days ago, when I managed to plow through the 6th floor¡¯s wraiths and arrive at the 7th floor, I was met with even more wraiths. When I asked Ellos, he answered that wraiths appeared all the way until the end of the 10th floor.


    For a little while, I was confident I wouldn¡¯t be fazed by any horror movies. With the wraiths popping out incessantly, I had grown too desensitized to be surprised.


    I now had about 850 mana. Just when I was thinking that the growth speed was beginning to slow down, it jumped by about 100 when I leveled up to level 7. It was then that I realized that level ups acted as breakthroughs for slowed growth.


    Level ups were like mini evolutions. It was raising my entire self to a higher realm of being. Together with the fact that you could choose the direction of growth by means of your status points, level ups were truly an overwhelming and grand authority.


    That said, it was still important to have a mana cultivation method. With constant training, not only would the mana¡¯s speed of growth get faster upon leveling up, its speed of recovery would also get faster.


    My mana cultivation method positioned itself in my status by the name ¡®Peruta Circuit.¡¯ Perhaps because it did not have a rank like low or mid, it was still level 2 even after two months of training.


    ¡°All of you,e at me!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    Using Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry, which was a perfect skill other than the fact that I could only use it once a day, I charged towards a flock of wraiths. I had no time to waste on guys that didn¡¯t drop anything!


    ¡°Kiyaaaaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Tempest!¡±


    Tempest. It was one of the skills I learned from Peruta. Using a special breathing methodbined with a special mana cirction method, it took the artificial current of mana that was generated around my spear and exploded it forward. Everything in its path was torn up by des of wind. There was truly no skill better to open up a straight path.


    The downside was that it used up over 300 mana.


    ¡°I see the stairs!¡±


    I also saw the Floor Shop next to it. I once again swung my ive and killed the wraiths flying toward me. Then, I rushed toward the Floor Shop and was greeted by the same noona I always met.


    I had begun to question whether this noona was the same as the ones from all previous floors. Not only did she look the same, she also knew me extremely well.


    ¡°Oh, you were quite fast. You broke through the 7th floor in just two days. Others take two months or even half a year.¡±


    ¡°I should be able to keep going at this rate for a while.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? You remained bound to the 5th floor for over 3 years, but it looks like you didn¡¯t spend your time in vain.¡±


    The shop noona made an odd smile as she looked at me.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you prove your worth?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    [A quest appeared!]


    ¡°... Quest?¡±


    Upon hearing about it, Ellos spoke excited.


    [A quest? Amazing!]


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    [Of course! I¡¯m on the 21st floor now, but I¡¯ve never encountered a quest!]


    ¡°What¡¯s a quest?¡±


    I of course knew what a quest was. It was something easily found in games. When someone epted a request from an NPC and fulfilled it, he would receive experience points and rewards. Simply put, a quest was fulfilling a request and earning rewards for it.


    But I never imagined that the dungeon would have quests. I couldn¡¯t hide my surprise at this revtion, and I contacted Ellos to obtain whatever information I could about it.


    [A quest is... a quest. It¡¯s like a surprise present. No one knows what triggers it.]


    ¡°A surprise present.¡±


    [Yep. In my continent, there is an explorer who conquered the 50th floor of the Third Dungeon. From what I heard, he could only climb so high because of a quest he triggered on the 17th floor. Like I said, no one knows what conditions triggers quests, but we do know one thing. If you do as the quests say, you can obtain skills or items unobtainable by normal explorers.]


    [Through that quest, the explorer I mentioned learned a skill that would be his iconic move. Growing along with it, he climbed all the way to the 50th floor!]


    ¡°Wow, so what happened to him?¡±


    [He fell while fighting against the invaders. It was a truly heroic death. It¡¯s a shame. If he was an explorer of the First Dungeon instead of the Third, he could have be much stronger.]


    ¡°You mean the reward is greater if the dungeon¡¯s difficulty is greater.¡±


    [Yep. The number in front of dungeons denote how difficult it is.]


    ording to Ellos, his home continent, Edias, always had magicians, priests who used God¡¯s power, and knights who manifested auras. It was only about 300 years ago that dungeon explorers began to appear. Ellos called these first ones to be dungeon explorers the ¡®Pioneers.¡¯


    The Pioneers raised their levels by exploring dungeons, and became the strongest in the continent by equipping items from the dungeons. By the time Followers, ones who obtained the qualifications to enter the dungeon by the Pioneers¡¯ acknowledgement, appeared, invaders began to appear in their continent.


    These invaders arrived withrge armies, and their goal was to massacre and conquer all residents of the continent. No words got through to them, and the residents of the continent were left with no choice but to fight back.


    Against these enemies that used mystical weapons and magic, it was obviously only the dungeon explorers who could face them. This war that began 200 years ago still seemed to be raging on.


    After bing a dungeon explorer, Ellos also obtained a key position in his country. Now that he had climbed above the 20th floor, he was on the front line fighting against the invaders. When I first heard his story, I was shocked. I found it regrettable that all I could do to help him was to cheer him on.


    ¡°Does the First Dungeon have less explorers?¡±


    [Yep. A dungeon explorer¡¯s qualities determine which dungeon he gets to go. Not that I¡¯m bragging or anything, haha.]


    ¡°Consider it ttering me then.¡±


    [What? Hahahaha! Anyways, congrattions on getting a quest, friend. I¡¯ll pray for your sess.]


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡±


    [Quest ¨C Charge through the Ghosts


    Content - Although you dawdled, unable to break through the 6th floor for over 3 years, you were able to somehow break through the 7th floor in two days. The First Dungeon¡¯s Floor Shop owner, Loretta, wishes to test the potential she sees in you.


    If you can break through the 9th floor in a day, Loretta might give you a rare item unavable for purchase.


    Time Left Until Quest Ends: 23:46:14]


    ¡°Kiyaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Hm, breaking through the 9th floor in a day... it shouldn¡¯t be too hard if I... eh?¡±


    As I read the content of the quest in front of the 8th floor, lightning seemed to strike me as I finally realized something.


    ¡°I have to break through two floors in one day!?¡±


    W-What!? I checked the amount of time I had left. ¡®Oh no, my precious 14 minutes!¡¯ I hurriedly began charging with my ive in hand. The wraiths from the 8th floor went after me like ants that had just found a lollipop on the ground.


    ¡°Screw off! I don¡¯t have time to y around with you guys!¡±


    I had 600 mana left.


    ¡®If I seed inpleting this quest, I swear I¡¯ll focus on the Peruta Circuit!¡¯ Making a bted vow of regret, I bravely held up my spear and charged forward like Don Quixote tilting at windmills. The only choice I had left was to rush forward!


    [Stupid! I told you to contact me first. Why didn¡¯t you for so long!? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to stop with just a single message? You stupid Orc!]


    It seemed like someone sent me a message, but I was too busy to pay attention to it.


    ¡®I am one with the spear. My spear is the spear that will pierce the heavens!¡¯


    [Y-You, I finally contacted you, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to ignore me? ... Fine, you Orc. I don¡¯t know you anymore! I hope you slip and break your nose!]


    ¡°Kiyaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Huaaaaaaaa!¡±


    ¡®Ah, I wonder who can stop this wonderful feeling I¡¯m having! One with the spear, I shall rush forward! My only goal, the staircase!¡¯


    [Stupid! Stupid! I hate you!]


    [... I don¡¯t know you anymore... stupid...]


    After about 15 hours, I finally reached the end of 8th floor.


    ¡°Haa... haa...¡±


    ¡°Oh, you look tired. You have 9 hours left. Are you sure you can do it?¡±


    ¡°Hu, huhu... O-Of course... Hu...¡±


    Clearing away the annoying windows in front of me, I answered. So she really was the same person! Strange. How was it possible? I stared at her trying to figure it out, but the noona who¡¯s straight hair was memorable looked away with reddened cheeks.


    ¡°Even if you stare at me so passionately, I won¡¯t increase the time.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°Compared to when you first arrived, you became much manlier. Even so, you¡¯re still 5 years too early. I prefer men who can protect me.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it either.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to waste any more time talking to her, so I sat down and began eating beef jerky. Then, store noona began another conversation.


    Her eyes were shining, unlikest time.


    Author¡¯s note: Did you expect a 6 month time skip? Nope! You¡¯ll be seeing how our MC grew over the six months!

 Chapter 13. The World Becomes a Dungeon (6)

    Chapter 13. The World Bes a Dungeon (6)


    ¡°Did you notice any difference between the wraiths on the 7th floor and 8th floor?¡±


    ¡°Mmm... the 8th floor wraiths were a bit stronger. Their defense seemed to be higher.¡±


    Unlike the wraiths on the 7th floor, the wraiths from the 8th floor didn¡¯t die in one hit. But noona didn¡¯t seem satisfied with my answer.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t feel anything else?¡±


    ¡°Anything else? Uh... oh, yeah.¡±


    There seemed to be ones that spit out something from their mouths. They were almost like goblins with their poisonous darts. Because I became temporarily paralyzed when they hit me, they were quite annoying to deal with. Without them, I could have reached the end of the 8th floor a few hours quicker.


    ¡°Do you think the 9th floor won¡¯t have wraiths like those?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    Even though I asked, I knew what she was going to say. Just as I had expected, the shop noona shoved a strange object in front of my face and shouted.


    ¡°Here! This here is Spiritual Shield, something that can block the wraiths¡¯ ectosm arrows 100 times! It¡¯s only 5,000 gold! If you buy this, you might be able to break through the 9th floor in under 9 hours!¡±


    ¡°... Did you give me a quest just to sell me things?¡±


    Noona clearly turned her eyes away at my inquiry. Then...


    ¡°But customer, you nevere to the shop...¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°For over 3 years, no less! Not once! Do you know how much my performance has fallen during that time?¡±


    ¡°P-Performance...¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we help each other, customer? You make so much. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to spend some at the shop, would it?¡±


    ¡°But 5,000 gold is too much.¡±


    Since the exchange rate was 2,100 won, that would mean 10.5 million won. Now that I did the conversion in my mind, I really didn¡¯t want to buy it. I couldn¡¯t buy such a high price item on a whim...


    ¡°Without this, it probably will be impossible to break through the 9th floor in 9 hours. Ah, it¡¯s 8 hours, 57 minutes, and 58 seconds now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too meticulous with time!¡±


    In the end, I reluctantly bought the Spiritual Shield. It was a sticker, and when I put it on the back of my hand, I felt an instant zap. The sticker then disappeared and the sticker mark seemed to be tattooed onto my hand.


    I regretted it. It was a Pokemon sticker.


    ¡°Damn it, I have to quickly use these up...!¡±


    If mother or father saw me with a Pokemon tattoo on my hand, they would no doubt look at me with strange eyes. I quickly rushed up to the 9th floor, leaving behind the shop noona cheering me on.


    ¡°Next time you buy it, I¡¯ll give you a 10 percent discount!¡±


    ¡°Like I will!¡±


    I ran. Although my mana rose to over 1,000 after hitting level 9, I did not pay any attention to it. I only had 8 hours 55 minutes and 34 seconds left!


    ¡°Commence Exploration!¡± I shouted with a ringing voice.


    Wraiths surged out from all directions. Just like shop noona said, there were more wraiths that shot out ectosm arrows. Although I doubted whether I needed to spend 10.5 million won to block them, I managed to leave the thought behind, believing that the quest reward would be much better.


    [Quest Sess]


    [Seeing you break through the 9th floor in 24 hours, the shop owner regrets making a bet. But a promise is a promise. She will give you a worthy reward.]


    [You received a system reward. You obtained 1 skill point. You can raise the level of a skill by 1.]


    ¡°You really seeded.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You really... seeded...¡±


    ¡°Noona, your face.¡±


    Unable to take on shop noona, Loretta¡¯s depressed expression directly, I turned away. I was more concerned with this skill point. Raising a skill level, wasn¡¯t this an amazing reward? It seemed better to save it than to use it now.


    Loretta seemed to have found her calm as she grabbed my hand and handed me a translucent circr object.


    ¡°Huu, a promise is a promise. Here is your reward.¡±


    [You received Soul Bomb x2.]


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re Soul Bombs, customer.¡±


    Although I was thankful she talked to me nicely, her eyes were still dead. I thought about pointing this out, but I just chose to check the information on these Soul Bombs.


    [Soul Bomb (Rare)


    A magical tool created by a great sage who wields soul magic and Kaloha race¡¯s cksmith, ¡®Hand of Creation.¡¯ When this magical tool is thrown and shock is applied, the ¡®Spiritual Burst¡¯ skill will be used, dealing fatal damage to all existences in soul form. It deals 500 ~ 5,000 damage to all souls in a 20 meter radius.]


    ¡°These are consumables!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I gave you two!¡±


    ¡°So I can only use it twice!¡±


    ¡°Well, customer, would you like to make another bet?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s breaking through the 10th floor, right? I don¡¯t even need to be told!¡±


    To think she¡¯d make use of her reward and make another bet! What a vicious woman!


    ¡°But there won¡¯t be a time limit this time.¡±


    ¡°Ho?¡±


    ¡°You canplete it whenever you want.¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, I¡¯ve got him.¡±


    ¡°Your inner thoughts areing out, noona.¡±


    ¡°The bet is simple. You have to defeat the 10th Floor Master, the Wraith Queen, by yourself!¡±


    [A quest appeared!]


    ¡°Race Queen[1. ¡¯Wraith¡¯ and ¡¯Race¡¯ are homophones in Korean]?¡±


    I hoped she didn¡¯t ask. Thinking about a racing girl in a miniskirt upon hearing ¡®wraith queen¡¯ only proved that I was a man.


    ¡°Will you ept the challenge?¡±


    Loretta looked at me provokingly. I smirked and answered.


    ¡°I will. Something like that will be no challenge for me.¡±


    [You epted the quest.]


    ¡°Oh, how bold for someone who stayed on the 5th floor for three and a half years.¡±


    ¡°I ended up defeating the Orc Lord alone, so...¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°... You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    In an instant, Loretta¡¯s face turned pale and froze. Then, she suddenly grabbed onto my arm. She looked like she was about to cry.


    ¡°Let... let me take that back.¡±


    ¡°The die is cast.¡±


    ¡°T-Then let me add a time limit.¡±


    ¡°A girl¡¯s words carry the weight of a thousand gold.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such saying!¡±


    ¡°Visiting the doctor after death.¡±


    ¡°Agh, you evil customer! At least buy more Spiritual Shields!¡±


    ¡°The one I¡¯ve got still has 72 uses left, so I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°Ah, really! You¡¯re evil!¡±


    Just like that, I epted my second quest. Mm, it seemed like I was forgetting something... must just be my imagination. Yep, just my imagination.


    The 10th Floor Master, Wraith Queen. It was apanied by 50 wraiths, and used fear magic, confusion magic, and ectosm arrows to torment dungeon explorers facing it. However, it had a clear weakness. It was that its HP was much lowerpared to the Orc Lord.


    Loretta was also selling items that blocked fear and confusion magic. These items that only blocked the Wraith Queen¡¯s magic for 5 minutes were 5,000 gold a piece. ording to Ellos, dungeon explorers who challenged the Wraith Queen suffered under her insatiable desire to devour money.


    ¡°I still won¡¯t buy them.¡±


    ¡°Why!? With them, it¡¯s impossible to beat it alone!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to beat it alone for now.¡±


    ¡°Ku...¡±


    Priest-type explorers knew spells that could cleanse the fear or confused status effect. Rather than challenging it alone from the beginning, I chose to enter a party and experience a boss raid.


    In this chaotic time when mutant life forms were appearing on Earth, being unable to enter the dungeon for a week meant my time stopped flowing. Even if I hunted the mutant life forms, not only would my level not rise, I would risk exposing myself as an ability user. As such, the only ce I could train was in the dungeon.


    I had no n of ever being kicked out of the dungeon again.


    ¡°Take good care of me. I¡¯m Kang Shin from Earth.¡±


    ¡°Earth? Are you... that Kang Shin?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I¡¯m that Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°No way, the Crown Prince has advanced to the 10th floor!¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s really the Crown Prince?¡±


    ¡°Whoa, the Crown Prince is in our party!¡±


    Amazing. I had just entered a random party, but it seemed everyone knew who I was. I wonder how the rumor spread.


    ¡°This is my first time fighting the Wraith Queen. I might get in your way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be more than enough help just by clearing all the wraiths. The priestesses can take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to us!¡±


    There were three priestesses in this party. Oddly enough, there were no priests. Although the priestesses were beautiful, they were uglypared to my beautiful Yua. Just as I was thinking this, one of them talked to me.


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim, do you perhaps know her highness?¡±


    ¡°... Who?¡±


    I was about to say, ¡®Crown Prince is my nickname. By her highness, do you mean Yua?¡¯ her serious eyes stopped me.


    ¡°I mean Ehuir Empire¡¯s crown princess, her highness Palludia Gren Ehuir! I heard you partied with her previously!¡±


    ¡°Eh, Palludia? Yeah, I know her, but... crown princess?¡±


    When I told the priestess that this was the first time I¡¯ve been told about it, she gave me a dumbfounded look.


    ¡°You mean you couldn¡¯t tell from her graceful and beautiful appearance?¡±


    ¡°Graceful? She was just a noisy brat...¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡®Ah, whoops...¡¯ Just like that, I had to spend the next 5 minutes hearing about Palludia¡¯s beauty. Why did I have to go through such an unreasonable treatment? What part of that t-chested twin-tail was so beautiful? Of course, I didn¡¯t say anything out loud.


    ¡°You understand how beautiful and splendid Palludia-nim is now? She is the rising morning star of our continent, the ever-burning me of hope, a flower that must not fight against the demon kind!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I understand, so let¡¯s just go hunt the Wraith Queen.¡±


    ¡°By your half hearted response, it look like you didn¡¯t understand in the slightest! I¡¯ll tell you one more time, so wipe your ears clean and listen!¡±


    My ears were very clean, thank you very much. In fact, hearing more about Palludia would only make my ear go... wait. Palludia? Come to think of it, yesterday...


    ¡°AAAAAAHHHHHH!¡±


    ¡°Kyaa! You surprised me!¡±


    When I screamed, the shocked priestess fell on the ground. However, I wasn¡¯t in a position to pay attention to her.


    ¡°Oh no, I ignored Palludia¡¯s messages.¡±


    That noisy girl wasn¡¯t the type to stay silent after having her messages ignored. With my rising fear, I began to sweat. Now that things hade to this, should I keep ignoring her? No, I couldn¡¯t avoid her forever. Eventually, I would meet her again in the dungeon. Plus, ignoring her would be too rude. Although she wasn¡¯t likable, she wasn¡¯t detestable either...


    ¡®Alright, I¡¯ll contact her as soon as the Wraith Queen raid ends.¡¯ Making a vow, I spoke to the party members.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry and do this!¡±


    ¡°CROWN PRINCEEEE!¡±


    ... Although I made an enemy in an unexpected way, I chose to ignore it.


    Not paying any attention to the burning gaze behind me, I opened the door to what was a haunted house.

 Chapter 14. The World Becomes a Dungeon (7)

    Chapter 14. The World Bes a Dungeon (7)


    ¡°Kiyaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡±


    Menacing ghosts turned their attention toward us. I quickly scanned the room to find the Wraith Queen. Just like I had expected, she was looking down at us from a throne in the innermost area of the room. She appeared to be 3 meters tall and took the form of a woman.


    ¡°Humans dare to enter my territory? I shall extract your souls and make you suffer for all eternity!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the wraiths first!¡±


    The attack strategy was not too different from the strategy for the Orc Lord. Against all the wraiths flying toward us, I used Tempest and paved open a path.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    Since I spent 300 mana to kill about 30 wraiths, I felt it was justified. However, my party members seemed to disagree. I remember the party leader saying that the Wraith Queen had a skill that summoned wraiths when their numbers got low and that we had to take care of them quickly. What was wrong?


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°What level are you?¡±


    ¡°10. Aren¡¯t we all?¡±


    ¡°Are you really level 10?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I really am.¡±


    It felt a bit weird hearing them repeatedly say ten[1. ¡¯Ten¡¯ in Korean sounds simr to the F-word equivalent, although not exactly]. When I replied in a displeased tone, the party leader retorted as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing.


    ¡°What skill allows a level 10 to kill 30 wraiths of the same level?¡±


    ¡°The high-rank spear technique.¡±


    It was level 2 high-rank spear technique, to be exact. High-rank weapon techniques really were hard to level up.


    ¡°H-High rank...¡±


    ¡°This is the power of the Crown Prince...¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince...¡±


    I felt like dying from embarrassment. In the meanwhile, the Wraith Queen was making a summoning gesture.


    ¡°More wraiths areing out! I have a limit to my mana, so I can only use that skill two more times!¡±


    ¡°Ah, everyone, charge! Priestesses, prepare your status effect cleansing spells!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    With the party leader taking the lead, everyone rushed forward. Although I also ran while taking care of the iing wraiths, the Wraith Queen re-summoned ten wraiths in one go. The summoned wraiths flew toward us the moment they were summoned, and the Wraith Queen went back to her summoning gesture.


    ¡°She¡¯s one annoying ghost for sure. When the number of wraiths fall below twenty, she starts summoning more!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the wraiths so you can focus on dealing damage!¡±


    ¡°Got it! Everyone, use auras!¡±


    A bluish aura wrapped around the party leader¡¯s sword. As I struck down the wraiths, the party leader and five other people all used their swords, des, and spears to attack the Wraith Queen. Even as she screamed out in pain, the Wraith Queen didn¡¯t stop summoning wraiths.


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    I let out a spirited shout and activated Tempest to sweep the wraiths once more. Mana surged from my body as it traveled from the heart, ran down the arm, and wrapped around my spear. It formed a spiral current as I thrusted it forward!


    BOOM!


    ¡°Kiyaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Syaaaa!¡±


    A majority of the leftover wraiths were swept away by the Tempest. The Wraith Queen stopped her summoning and let out a rageful scream.


    ¡°KIYAAAAA!¡±


    [Wraith Queen used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail! All party members fall under a state of confusion! All party members fall under a state of fear!]


    [You attempt to resist. With 22 charm and 11 luck, resistance chance is 28 percent... Resist failed! You fall under confusion and fear!]


    What? What just happened? Suddenly, I couldn¡¯t bnce myself properly. My head was spinning and I wanted to fall down. I didn¡¯t understand why I was here. I just wanted to lie and rest.


    When I raised my head, I was surrounded by several Palludias. Huk! No way, Palludia!


    ¡°You Orc!¡±


    ¡°Bastard Orc!¡±


    ¡°You dare ignore me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just an Orc!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°Sorry! I didn¡¯t meant to ignore you!¡±


    ¡°Like I care!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaak!¡±


    All the Palludias suddenly jumped at me. I¡¯ll die, I¡¯ll die right here! At that moment...


    ¡°Save those who fell under darkness! Purify!¡±


    [You have been cleansed of status effects.]


    ¡°Uwak, Palludia, I¡¯m sor... Eh?¡±


    When I snapped out of it, all the Palludias disappeared and turned into wraiths. No, they couldn¡¯t have been Palludia in the first ce. They were wraiths from the very beginning. Did I mistake them for Palludia in the confused state? Why was I so afraid of her in the first ce!?


    ¡°Leader!¡±


    One of the priestess suddenly shouted. When I hurriedly turned my head, I saw the Wraith Queen endlessly shooting out ectosm arrows at the party leader. He seemed to not have any Spiritual Shield or have run out as he turned pale and soon fell.


    ¡°Damn, the leader died!¡±


    ¡°The Wraith Queen is summoning again!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, at this rate...¡±


    The next thing I knew, the raid was about to end as a failure. Didn¡¯t I have an item for this exact situation? I hurriedly took out a Soul Bomb from my inventory and threw it at the Wraith Queen. The moment the bomb made contact and exploded, a boom sounded out and the Wraith Queen staggered.


    Kwang!


    [Spiritual Burst activated! Wraith Queen received 1,496 damage.]


    [Wraith received 700 damage.]


    [Wraith received 4,700 damage.]


    ¡®Damn it, it could deal up to 5,000 damage and it only did 1,500!?¡¯ Although I was disappointed by the Soul Bomb¡¯s power, it managed to stop her. The two wraiths standing near her also died in the st. Now was the time to turn the tide! I decided to use the skill I kept hidden.


    ¡°EVERYONE, CHAAAARGE!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    ¡°W-What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the Orc Lord¡¯s skill? Who used it?¡±


    ¡°No way, it¡¯s the Crown Prince!¡±


    ¡°Stop babbling and attack!¡±


    Feeling my body glow under the effect of super-armor, I rushed toward the Wraith Queen. When I thrust my spear in, I could feel a definite response. As expected of a 50 percent attack power increase!


    ¡°Kiyaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m going to have to work on my habit of shouting out in fights.¡¯ Even as I scolded myself internally, on the outside, I was acting wild like a boar that had just been hit. The party members seemed to understand that questions were forter as they followed my lead and attacked the Wraith Queen.


    Attacks from the entire party! Not to mention, they were strengthened by 50 percent! The Wraith Queen could not finish her summoning gesture and stumbled down. When a beautiful woman fell, it would be a man¡¯s instinct to help her rise. Unfortunately, none of the men here had the desire to escort the Wraith Queen.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡±


    [Wraith Queen uses Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail. Super-armor state ignores status effect.]


    ¡®Wow! I didn¡¯t know super-armor had such an effect.¡¯


    In truth, because the super-armor was such an unusual state, I did not fully know all of its uses. However, I did know that this was the best opportunity to finish off the Wraith Queen.


    I checked the amount of mana I had left.


    ¡®Still about 300. What should I do? Save it? No, if I saved it and Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry ended, it would be terrible.¡¯ I did not doubt I would seed, but I did not want to unnecessarily send other party members on week-long vacations.


    ¡°Kuk, we¡¯re being pushed back!¡±


    ¡°This Wraith Queen! Even her physical attacks are strong!¡±


    ¡°Sinoa¡¯s about to die! Heal her!¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaaa! Let the vengeful spirits burn you alive, humans!!¡±


    In the end, I came to a decision. Brushing aside the wraiths that were nearing me with a single swing, I pulled my spear back slightly. This was not a spear technique I learned from Peruta, but a Kang family spear technique I learned from father.


    It focused the entire body¡¯s power into the spear tip and prated the enemy. By pouring all of one¡¯s concentration into the spear tip, it created a single blow that surpassed the limit of humans.


    With it, I wrapped the spiral current of mana used in Tempest. The spear tip began to tremble, and I held it back with my willpower alone. For a move that poured everything into a single attack, not a shred of hesitation or wavering could be allowed.


    ¡°Eh, Crown Prince is doing something.¡±


    ¡°Someone hold down the Wraith Queen! She¡¯s trying to run out!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince, hurry!¡±


    I did not even have the energy to reply. Damn, controlling mana and controlling the entire body¡¯s strength. Doing these two things at once gave me a splitting headache. Was it really impossible to do both of these at once? ... No, wait. Wasn¡¯t mana part of my strength? Why was I trying to stick to the shape of Tempest? It was an attack focused on a single point. Why couldn¡¯t I just focus my mana with it?


    The moment I realized it, the current of mana wrapping around the spear disappeared. Instead, my mana began to flow from my body to the spear tip. The stream of pure white light flowing and gather at the spear tip made it look like I was gathering energy for an energy st.


    But I had to end it quick. I could feel my mana draining. The only thing to do was to draw my breath and thrust out. In this tranquil state, I stared fixedly at the Wraith Queen¡¯s chest, the target of my attack.


    ¡°N-No way... That light is...¡±


    ¡°Hero? I see, Crown Prince was his world¡¯s Hero. I thought he was overly strong...¡±


    No words entered my ears. The only important thing to me right now was this attack. I devoted my entire focus on this attack.


    The attack timing came in a surprise. It was the moment right before the Wraith Queen tried to use another Vengeful Spirit Wail and also the moment right before Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry ended.


    I thrust out with my spear.


    Puuuk.


    Surprisingly, a soft sensation like sticking a fork through cake flowed through me. I smiled. I knew this attack was a sess. There was no chance that it failed.


    ¡°KIYAAAAAA!¡±


    The Wraith Queen let out a bloodcurdling scream, slowly turning transparent. At the same time, in front of us eight members (someone else seemed to have died without me noticing), arge window appeared.


    [You became level 11. You obtained the qualification to enter the 11th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You obtained 3,000 gold. It is distributed evenly amongst party members. You received 375 gold.]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    ¡°Kyaa, we did it!¡±


    ¡°We won, we won!¡±


    ¡°All hail Crown Prince!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince is the best!¡±


    After standing nkly for a while, everyone threw themselves onto me. Because most of them were women, I almost lost my sense of reasoning from their sweet scent and soft touch.


    ¡°Everyone, let go of Crown Prince. He has to choose a reward before we do.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. Sorry, Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Crown Prince, but you looked so cool back there!¡±


    ¡°That aside, why do you all keep calling me Crown Prince...?¡±


    Expressing discontent at my nickname that seemed have be fixed, I checked the reward list.


    [1. Wraith Queen¡¯s Headdress


    2. Middle Potion


    3. Mana Potion


    4. Soul Tempering Elixir


    5. Rescue Nut


    6. Animate Dead Magic Book


    7. Wraith Queen¡¯s Ghost Shoes


    8. Emergency Medical Kit]


    ...Hu, huhu, huhuhu.


    ¡°Hiik, Crown Prince isughing.¡±


    ¡°Hm? What could havee out?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m 3rd in contributions. I hope there are at least 3 Wraith Queen drops...!"


    ¡®Huhu, don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll obtain what you want. Of course, I will too!¡¯ Would I choose anything else at this point? Without a shred of hesitation, I chose number 4, the Soul Tempering Elixir.


    [Soul Tempering Elixir (Rare)


    All souls be dirty and mixed with impurities as they live their lives. When the body experiences sudden growth, the soul often is unable to adapt to the new body and even degrade. The Soul Tempering Elixir purifies the soul and strengthens it to fit the body. A tempered soul not only affects the body positively, but it also positively affects one¡¯s mana.


    Note, when someone whose soul has already been tempered to the max or when someone who has both weak soul and body consumes this elixir, it may deal permanent damage or even kill in the worst case scenario.]


    As I expected! When I swallowed the Soul Tempering Pill without hesitation, it felt like hot water was pouring inside me. However, I endured it with my willpower. When the feeling had disappeared, a message I had been expecting appeared.


    [You tempered your soul. As a result, your magic and charm increases by 1.]


    ¡®Eh, why did charm go up?¡¯ Although this was something I hadn¡¯t expected, since it was a good thing, I decided not to put much thought into it.


    ¡°Wow! There are two Wraith Queen items left!¡±


    ¡°This raid was amazing on so many levels!¡±


    ¡°Kya, a magic book!¡±


    ¡°¡°Crown Prince! Crown Prince!¡±¡±


    Can you guys stop chanting Crown Prince!? Please, I beg you!

 Chapter 15. Dungeon Explorers Can Awaken Too? (1)

    Chapter 15. Dungeon Explorers Can Awaken Too? (1)


    What did I do after that? I, of course, went straight to the 11th floor. My situation was different than before. Three years ago, I had to remain on the 5th floor hunting the Orc Lord because I couldn¡¯t advance through the 6th floor. Now, I could do things a little smarter.


    Dungeon explorers became unable to challenge Floor Masters once they defeated the next one. In other words, as long as they did not defeat the next Floor Master, they could always go back and challenge the previous Floor Master. In short, before I defeat the 15th Floor Master, I could always re-challenge the Wraith Queen.


    Between level 11 and level 15, there was at least a 500 mana difference. There was no need to take the hard path when the easy one was so readily avable. As such, I decided to explore the 11th floor. When Loretta saw me heading up from the 10th floor, she trembled and said, ¡°T-That method is... unfair.¡±


    ¡°Unfair?¡±


    ¡°What I wanted was for customer to challenge the boss at level 10...¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t say that yesterday.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Haa. I understand, noona. I agree that leveling up to level 15 and challenging the Wraith Queen is slightly unfair.¡±


    ¡°Customer! Then...¡±


    ¡°But the world ofpetition is cruel.¡±


    Loretta made a sulking expression. Because it was too cute, I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡°Hahahaha! Even so, as far as I know, defeating the Wraith Queen alone should be hard even at level 15.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is. I have only seen it happen twice.¡±


    ¡°Hm, so there is precedent.¡±


    ¡°Of course. If you think you will be the first in everything you do, you are mistaken. Though, you are the first in the past 200 years...¡±


    ¡°What was that at the end?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Well, customer, it looks like you discovered a loophole in my quest. Then, try your best.¡±


    ¡°I sense great malicious intent in what you said...¡±


    ¡°What was that? Ah yes, the item you need for the 11th floor is this! The Rat Trap! This great item is now selling for a mere 100 gold.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask!¡±


    I had more or less expected it when Loretta talked about Rat Traps, but the monsters on the 11th floor were the infamous ratmen. You could simply think of them as 1 meter tall rats walking around on their hind legs. They had long, sharp tails that swung around like whips and were difficult to attack due to their quick movements.


    Moreover, they did not travel alone. When you spotted one, there would undoubtedly be five more behind it. Their reproductive capabilities were like that of cockroaches. That said, I already had experience stabbing flying cockroaches to death. It wasn¡¯t so hard for me to follow some rats¡¯ movements.


    ¡°Ugh, I get goosebumps every time I see them!¡±


    ¡°Kiaak! Human kill rat!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, today will be an extermination day!¡±


    Fighting against ratmen who always ambushed in groups, my battle sense grew significantly. As I always stayed alert, predicting where they woulde from next, I began to acquire the ability to grasp my surroundings. Because I was not on a timer this time, I spent about a week to slowly grow my battle sense.


    All the ratmen on 12th and 13th floor would also be stronger, I knew their movements couldn¡¯t be too different. As such, I decided to grasp all their movement patterns on the 11th floor. This took an additional week.


    ¡°Huhu, it¡¯s not so easy anymore, is it?¡±


    After seeing me for the first time in two weeks, Loretta asked with a satisfied expression. It seemed she thought I wanted to give up on the Wraith Queen quest, so I smirked and answered her.


    ¡°Hey, do you want to make an additional bet?¡±


    ¡°... No, I don¡¯t,¡± said Loretta making a triangle mouth. I couldn¡¯t help butugh again.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t make fun of this noona!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be that much older than me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised. I¡¯m much older than you could ever imagine!¡±


    ¡°Really? Can I still call you noona?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, only a pervert like customer would call a strange shop owner noona.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to continue working with you, Loretta noona.¡±


    ¡°Kuu...¡±


    In truth, I had no experience interacting with women. Besides my angelic younger sister Yua, there was no one of the opposite sex that I talked to regrly. Although I had quite a few close female friends when I was in elementary school, things changed when my muscles began to grow.


    As a result, Loretta was the first girl outside of my family that I talked with for such a long time. I couldn¡¯t help but feel that I was pitiful. How did thingse to this...?


    ¡°Whew, I know I¡¯m beautiful, but I¡¯ll be troubled if you approach me.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not really interested as a man.¡±


    When I told her t out, Loretta smacked me.


    ¡°How rude! Apologize! Apologize and buy this Rat Trap!¡±


    ¡°What does the Rat Trap have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Come on, hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Sigh. Then I¡¯ll buy five for now.¡±


    ¡°That will be 500 gold, customer. Since you didn¡¯t apologize, you should buy five more.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, five is fine.¡±


    Just like always, my conversation with Loretta ended with gold. Seeing her undying professionalism, I pledged to never judge a woman by her looks.


    With five Rat Traps in hand, I walked up to the 12th floor. As I did, I thought, ¡®I seem to be forgetting about something... well, whatever. It can¡¯t be anything important. Yep.¡¯


    One month from then, on the 14th floor, I was running from a hailstorm of lightning.


    ¡°Come on, what kind of rats shoots out lightning!?¡±


    ¡°Pika... pika pika!¡±


    ¡°Shut it, you fakes!¡±


    ¡®Pika my ass!¡¯ I silentlyined as I ran away from the five-for-one Electric Ratmen.


    I had wondered why the 13th Floor Shop was selling Lightning Resistant Robes. Because it cost 10,000 gold, I left without turning back, but now I was regretting it.


    ¡°Pika!!¡±


    ¡°Agh, shut up! Tempest!¡±


    My Orc Lord¡¯s ive trembled and shot out a gale in a straight line. Tempest tore apart the ratmen¡¯s lightning along with their bodies.


    ¡°Pikaaaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Just die already!¡±


    I shuddered and stopped in ce. Gasping for breath, I checked and saw that I had about half my mana left. Adjusting my breath calmly, I initiated Peruta Circuit. Of course, even as I circted mana, I didn¡¯t forget to use my ears.


    Ratmen were fundamentally different than orcs and wraiths. They knew all too well exactly when and how to annoy explorers. They popped up from the most unexpected ces at the most unexpected time. They were driving me crazy.


    If I wanted to rest, I had to throw down a few Rat Traps in the area. I was only using the Peruta Circuit because I had some strength left.


    KaTalk!


    At that moment, my phone buzzed. What was that? You didn¡¯t think phones worked in the dungeon? Nope, they worked perfectly fine. How else would Imunicate with the outside? I needed to run to Yua if she ever needed me!


    I picked up my phone. It was a message from father.


    [I awakened.]


    ¡°.... What?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but speak my thoughts out loud. He uh... what? Awakened?


    ¡°...¡±


    I calmly thought about what he meant. Because I had been too focused in fighting the ratmen, I couldn¡¯t think critically.


    ¡®I see...¡¯ I knew what it meant when someone ¡®awakened¡¯.


    KaTalk!


    [You might find it hard to believe, soe see it for yourself.]


    ¡°Father awakened!?¡±


    That meant father had be an ability user!


    I quickly left the dungeon. As long as I wasn¡¯t in battle, I could exit the dungeon at any time through my phone. The moment I came out, I saw father waiting for me on the couch.


    ¡°Father, you became an ability user?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t think it was possible. You jealous?¡±


    ¡°What ability is it?¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll show you. Here.¡±


    Father¡¯s eyes turned serious. He pulled his fist back, then pushed it forward. Suddenly, I felt like his fist was flying toward me. He had clearly not moved his fist, but I trusted in my instincts honed by experience and quickly ducked. Surprisingly, something passed over my head in an instant and hit the wall, leaving a crack.


    ¡°A shockwave.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Freaking awesome.¡±


    ¡°Freaking awesome indeed.¡±


    Father nodded his head in agreement. He was already strong, but to think he would obtain a shockwave ability! I was dying from jealousy. I was recently thinking that I had gotten stronger, but just like this, the scale had been flipped.


    ¡°How did you awaken, father?¡±


    ¡°You see, I saw a dream.¡±


    ¡°A dream? What dream?¡±


    ¡°Dungeons.¡±


    ¡°... Dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Countless dungeons appeared on Earth. They were not like the First Dungeon we are familiar with. From them, countless monsters began pouring out, and us humans did our best to stop them. Some had swords d in auras, some shot out mes from their hands, and some used telekic power. Various abilities were being used to stop the monsters¡¯ onught.¡±


    ¡°I was among them. I held a spear in my hands and was beating down monsters one by one. Then, I used shockwaves to kill a knight wearing strange armor. When I woke up, I could use shockwaves just like in my dream.¡±


    No ability users had revealed how they had obtained their abilities. As such, I had no way of knowing whether father¡¯s method was normal. Assuming that everyone obtained their abilities in the same way, were these precognitive dreams or triggers for obtaining abilities? Perhaps they were both true.


    Regardless, I was still extremely jealous.


    ¡°Huhu, son, guess what? In the process, I even gained some mana. Jealous?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Then what about the Orc Lord?¡±


    ¡°... cough.¡±


    ¡°Okay, never mind.¡±


    It seemed repeatedly hunting the Orc Lord was hard even for father. To maintain father¡¯s honor, I decided not to ask about it.


    Just like that, father became an ability user. He quit the Orc Lord raid and advanced to the next floor.


    Two months after Two Moon, two weeks after father had awakened, I reached the 15th floor.


    [You became level 15. You have obtained the qualifications to challenge the Floor Master.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: None Title: Orc Lord yer Rank: Bronze 4


    Level: 15


    HP ¨C 4,540/4,540 MP ¨C 1,840/1,840


    Strength ¨C 45(+8) Dexterity ¨C 42(+1) Constitution ¨C 51(+6)


    Intelligence ¨C 20(+1) Magic ¨C 28(+1) Charm ¨C 17(+1) Luck ¨C 10(+1)


    Skill ¨C Low-rank Martial Arts (Master), Low-rank Spear Technique (Master), Mid-rank Spear Technique (Master), High-rank Spear Technique (Lv 3), Peruta Circuit (Lv 2), Deific Manifestation]


    My current self could easily handle three of my level 10 selves. I felt confident that I could even deal with the 15th Floor Master. Of course, I didn¡¯t have the leisure to y around with Dark Ratman. I immediately turned back. 14th Floor Shop¡¯s Loretta was already ring at me.


    ¡°Customer, you really went all the way to level 15. That is not adult-like.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, this is exactly what an adult would do.¡±


    ¡°Meanie...!¡±


    ¡°Take good care of me. After all, we are in a rtionship of mutual dependence.¡±


    I taunted her with a wink, and as expected, Loretta became angry.


    ¡°I won¡¯t give you any discounts, customer!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. You¡¯re very cute.¡±


    ¡°Kuaaa! This is the first time a human called me cute! How humiliating!¡±


    ¡°Then see youter!¡±


    ¡°Go die!¡±


    I rushed down to the 10th floor. Of course, climbing down posed no problem whatsoever. This was where it began!


    ¡®The Wraith Queen grind starts now! I swear, I¡¯ll hunt one of you every day!¡¯

 Chapter 16. Dungeon Explores Can Awaken Too? (2)

    Chapter 16. Dungeon Explores Can Awaken Too? (2)


    I first decided to hunt the Wraith Queen with 10 party members. If I seeded without anyone dying, I would reduce the number to nine, then eight, and so on until I could defeat it alone.


    ¡°Our party leader¡¯s level 15.¡±


    ¡°Why did hee back to the 10th floor?¡±


    ¡°There are people like them from time to time. You know, the equipment set the boss drops. They want to collect them.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s impossible to collect them all though.¡±


    ¡°Shh, just leave him be.¡±


    Of course, I nned to do that as well. Well, perhaps it wasn¡¯t really a n, since I knew they would naturally fall into my hands as I collected Soul Tempering Elixirs. Without answering the party members¡¯ questions, I opened the door where the Wraith Queen was waiting.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Human, live humans!¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Everyone go in! Two tankers hold her off! Damage dealers, get in position! Tempest!¡±


    As I gave out orders, I blew away the group of wraiths flying toward us with Tempest. With half of the wraiths suddenly gone, the remaining wraiths panicked and flew around in circles. At the same time, the Wraith Queen started her summoning gesture. Seeing my party members¡¯ dumbfounded expressions, I smirked andmanded, ¡°The Wraith Queen is in her summoning gesture! Everyone attack!¡±


    After two months, I sessfully changed from the Crown Prince of 5F to the Crown Prince of 10F.


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim!¡±


    ¡°No way, this is Crown Prince-nim¡¯s party!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim, how many are you epting into your party today?¡±


    Three blonde beauties teleported in front of me. Because I had partied with all kinds of people from other worlds, I was no longer fazed by average people like them.


    Kang Shin, you grew up! To think a day woulde where you could call such eye-catching beauties average.


    ¡°It will be just us four.¡±


    ¡°... But you didn¡¯t ask what our sses were yet.¡±


    ¡°One of you is a healer, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve found that parties of three or more always have a healer in them.¡±


    I gave a quick reply and checked my equipment. I had consumed 53 Soul Tempering Elixirs so far, and had raised my magic and charm stats by 9 each. The Muscle, Bone, and Skin Compressing Elixirs all stopped having any effect after raising 10 of their respective stats, so I safely assumed it would be the same for the Soul Tempering Elixir. In other words, once I raised my magic and charm by one more stat point, I would be done with Soul Tempering Elixirs.


    On the seven times when the Soul Tempering Pill did not drop, I picked up the Wraith Queen equipment for six of them and a Middle Potion for one. I now possessed Wraith Queen¡¯s Headdress, Wraith Queen¡¯s ck Jacket, Wraith Queen¡¯s White Pants, Wraith Queen¡¯s Silk Gloves, Wraith Queen¡¯s Ghost Shoes, and Wraith Queen¡¯s Leather Whip.


    The Wraith Queen¡¯s equipment were made of lightweight fabric, but because I didn¡¯t know what skill they came with, I decided to collect them all. That said, I couldn¡¯t get myself to like the Wraith Queen¡¯s weapon, a whip.


    ¡°The grind is almost over.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Over? You¡¯re leaving the 10th floor?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll still be around for a little while, but I¡¯ll eventually have to go to the 15th floor.¡±


    ¡°Wow, as expected of Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°So cool...¡±


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s head inside.¡±


    The Wraith Queen was much easier to hunt than the Orc Lord. At least, I thought so. The reason was simple. The minions could all be blown away in one hit, and the ectosm arrows the boss shot out crazily could be blocked easily with Spiritual Shields. Most importantly, the Wraith Queen¡¯s special skill, which drove countless dungeon explorers to despair, could be blocked by my Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry.


    I simply had to use my skills properly and beat on the Wraith Queen. In the past, when the Orc Lord used Warcry, I felt like I was barely hanging on at the edge of death. In contrast, the Wraith Queen fights had be so easy that I even yawned in the middle.


    In truth, I already had full confidence to defeat the Wraith Queen by myself. The only reason I had not done so was that I was still looking for more Soul Tempering Elixirs.


    Most important was the fact that I was level 15. Setting aside the fact that I was strengthened by Muscle, Bone, and Skin Compressing Elixirs, there was a huge difference in challenging the first Floor Master at level 5 versus challenging the second Floor Master at level 15. Additionally, I had grown exceedingly used to boss fights from over 3 years of grinding the Orc Lord Floor Master.


    The only reason I needed a healer in the party was to ensure other party members would survive. Among dungeon explorers, there were some who stayed on the same floor for several years due to theirck of ability. While I was at it, I wanted to help them safely advance to the next floor.


    In RPGs, you gained experience points and leveled up whenever you killed monsters. However, it wasn¡¯t so easy in the dungeon. To level up, you had to prove your qualifications by conquering dungeon floors or by defeating floor masters.


    You did not get stronger by leveling up. Proving your strength was what allowed you to level up. As such, the strong only got stronger and the weak remained weak.


    In the beginning, I wasst out of some 140,000 dungeon explorers. Now, I was in the top 100,000. In other words, there were 40,000 people who could not advance past the 15th floor. Of course, this number included people in Second, Third, and Fourth Dungeons. That said, as I was in the First Dungeon, it was safe to assume none of these 40,000 people were stronger than me.


    Of the 5 dungeon explorers on Earth, I was now ranked 3rd. Father was still lower leveled than me, and there seemed to be someone else at a lower level. Although I was curious who the 1st ranked dungeon explorer was, because I couldn¡¯t do anything about it, I decided not to concern myself with them for now.


    Why was I talking about this? To prove my point that this dungeon ced great emphasis on strength.


    Having defeated the Wraith Queen in under 10 minutes, the three blonde beauties had entirely different expressions.


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim... you really are incredibly strong.¡±


    ¡°Gulp... Um, Crown Prince-nim.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    As I was about to look through the reward list, my head turned toward the three beauties.


    ¡°Starting from the 11th floor, you know you can party with people from other continents, right? ... Would you like to continue partying with us?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Crown Prince-nim. I don¡¯t usually say this, but if it¡¯s you, I would be happy to...¡±


    Temptation like this was something I had not received on the 5th Floor Master fights. It was likely because they had not yet learned the dungeon¡¯s charm or the importance of having a strong party member. Starting from the 11th floor, however, it became possible to party with people from other continents. It was natural that people would want to recruit strong people into their parties.


    Climbing the dungeon made one stronger. Borrowing others¡¯ strengths to do so wouldn¡¯t change that fact.


    In truth, it was incredibly foolish. If people focused solely on leveling up, they would undoubtedly neglect to improve their skills. In the end, they would have no choice but to bow down somewhere in the dungeon.


    However, these women weren¡¯t thinking about such things as they offered me tempting looks. One even used the excuse of fixing my clothes to whisper, ¡®I wouldn¡¯t mind offering you my body if you entered our party.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t the first time this happened. Even parties that wereplete with five people offered to kick someone out to recruit me. My response was always the same.


    ¡°Sorry, but I want to test just how far I can go by myself.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Crown Prince-nim.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯m off. I hope you can find what you¡¯re looking for in the dungeon.¡±


    Confirming the Soul Tempering Elixir in the reward list, I quickly grabbed it and disbanded the party. When I exited the boss room and closed the door, it began to wane and disappear. Those three likely went back to the dungeon they came from. I found Loretta staring nkly at me, and returned a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You haven¡¯t given up on the quest yet?¡±


    ¡°Haha, you see... Gulp...¡±


    Unable to think of what to say at the sulking Loretta, Iughed and swallowed the Soul Tempering Elixir. Then...


    [Your soul is tempered to pure white. Your magic and charm stats increased by 1. A perfectly tempered soul strongly affects the body, making it easier to control mana and making it look more charming to others. Your affinity to all souls has increased. Consuming more Soul Tempering Elixirs will likely have no effect.]


    [The duration for Deific Manifestation skill increased. The skill¡¯s cooldown time decreased by one day.]


    ¡°... Haha.¡±


    The moment I saw the message, Iughed. I couldn¡¯t help it. I never imagined there would be an additional effect. At Loretta who was looking at me like I was crazy, I exined, ¡°Loretta noona, I¡¯ll clear your quest tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Eh? I thought you were putting it off because you weren¡¯t confident. Wait, hold on, the thing you just swallowed. It was a Soul Tempering Elixir, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m asking just in case, how many Soul Tempering Elixirs did you consume?¡±


    ¡°54. That one was thest one.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Loretta noona turned into stone. Because she didn¡¯t respond even when waved my hand right in front of her, I lightly pinched her cheeks. Only then did she finally regain consciousness.


    ¡°Ow, what are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I thought you were frozen.¡±


    ¡°Of course not! I just spaced out from surprise!¡±


    ¡°Is it that surprising?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone could consume so many Soul Tempering Elixirs. Even the ones who were lucky enough to obtain Soul Tempering Elixirs stopped after one... Wait.¡±


    Thinking just maybe, Loretta asked, ¡°Did you also consume Muscle Compressing Elixirs?¡±


    ¡°And Bone and Skin Compressing Elixirs.¡±


    ¡°Uwah, I was wondering how someone so big could be so slim... Plus, this is the first time I¡¯ve heard of Skin Compressing Elixirs.¡±


    ¡°So there are things even noona doesn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m usually only at the Floor Shops. If my customers don¡¯t sell me the boss drops, I have no way of knowing the Floor Masters¡¯ rewards.¡±


    ¡°The people who obtained Skin Compressing Elixirs must have consumed it for themselves. Just like me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯re amazing, customer. Ehew, I picked the wrong person to make bets with. So that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t die a single time in these two months.¡±


    She pouted andined, but soon made an expression of relief.


    ¡°Well, it might better this way. Huhu, try your best, customer. I, Loretta, will watch just how far you can go.¡±


    Her words, ¡®try your best,¡¯ had a different nuance than thest time she said it. At her heartfelt support, a smile appeared on my face. However, that was that and this was this.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just watch, continue helping me.¡±


    ¡°I am a shop owner. My role is to sell you items objectively and fairly. I will be sure to sell you the right items at the right time, so be satisfied with that.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, you suddenly became cold. You were cuter when you were angry.¡±


    ¡°C-Cute...!¡±


    Loretta¡¯s face suddenly turned red. Sensing danger, I quickly opened my phone to leave the dungeon, but was a step toote.


    ¡°Stop, you rude customer!¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow!¡±


    I, of course, waved my hands at her and turned to leave. I could only challenge the Wraith Queen once a day. In my spare time, I trained my spearmanship, practiced my mana cultivation method, read books, or helped mother with chores.


    ¡®Alright, let¡¯s go practice my Peruta Circuit!¡¯


    ¡°Waaaaait!¡±

 Chapter 17. Dungeon Explores Can Awaken Too? (3)

    Chapter 17. Dungeon Explores Can Awaken Too? (3)


    Four and a half months after Two Moon, the invading monsters had been mostly killed or chased out of cities. At the same time, repair on the areas ravaged by monsters was fully under way.


    With Guardian and Freedom Wing¡¯s increased activities, the world that seemed to be on the way to ruin turned back. It was now a time of transition.


    Although school had not yet resumed, there were rumors that colleges would reopen around fall term and have their opening ceremonies. It was likely that high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools would open around the same time.


    ¡°Oppa, you¡¯re really strong.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    Yua and I were sitting side by side on the couch, watching TV. If there was something that I deemed the strangest while I was watching TV at a young age, it was seeing my family sitting side by side on our couch.


    We couldn¡¯t fit even on a 4-person couch!


    Although mother and Yua were incredibly slim, father was tall and muscr and I looked like an orc. It was physically impossible to sit on the couch with other people.


    But it was different now. We could lean on each other¡¯s shoulders and watch TV like a loving brother and sister. It was God¡¯s blessings.


    ¡°Oppa, aren¡¯t I heavy?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re light like a feather. Don¡¯t ever go on a diet, Yua. You¡¯ll shrivel up and die.¡±


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯m not that skinny.¡±


    Yuaughed bashfully. In truth, Yua was a pitiful child. At the age where she should have been spoiled by her older brother, he was too busy sweating and swinging his spear, talking about going to the dungeon. She could only act spoiled in front of mother.


    Even so, mother had a tendency to not spoil us, so Yua grew up to be calmer and more adult-like than her age.


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty. I wanted to make it right. Yua was hesitant at first, but she seemed to have gotten used to it as she now often acted spoiled around me.


    [Here is a footage from Korea¡¯s only SS-rank ability user, the Goddess of Magma Ye Hwaya, hunting the S-rank monster Wyvern.]


    [She is the pride and joy of the Republic of Korea.]


    On the TV screen was a woman who looked to be in her early 20¡¯s burning up a Wyvern, which resembled a 10 meter long dragon. Perhaps because of her awakening, not only her hair that reached her waist, but also her eyes, were dyed in me-red. The burning Wyvern looked to be in excruciating pain. ¡®If that me touched me, I¡¯d be burnt up in an instant,¡¯ I thought.


    The world really was unfair. I started off as level 1 and had to work for years to be strong, but others got lucky and awoke to SS-rank, easily defeating such terrifying monsters.


    Then again, there were people who awoke to weak abilities and could only stay in E or D-rank their entire lives. Simrly, as long as I continued to climb the dungeon, I surely could get stronger than her. I was given a possibility greater than instantaneous strength.


    And below the ability users were ordinary people. Too many died in situations where they could have survived had they awoken to even the weakest ability. There were even more people refused to step outside their houses because they had not awakened.


    I learned spearmanship from a young age, but there were plenty of other people who learned martial arts but could not be dungeon explorers. Luck was the sole factor in determining who became ability users and who was eaten by monsters.


    In that case, did I have the right to look down on those weaker than me? Did these ability users on TV have the right to be looked up by so many people?


    Even with my 20 intelligence stat, I could note up with answers to questions like these. Suddenly, my thigh itched.


    ¡°Ow! Uuu...¡±


    For some reason, Yua looked teary and in pain. Blowing on her thumb and index finger that had turned red, she looked extremely adorable.


    ¡°It looked soft, so I pinched it, but it¡¯s way too hard.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry, Yua. Are you hurt? Um, let¡¯s see... a potion...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, oppa. You kept staring at the woman on TV, so I...¡±


    ¡°Mm? No, Yua, oppa was just thinking about something.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t looking at her because she was pretty?¡±


    At her words, I looked at Korea¡¯s only SS-rank ability user, Ye Hwaya smiling after she defeated the Wyvern.


    She was indeed beautiful. I didn¡¯t know how much the awakening had affected her, but she was tall and slim, had snow-white skin and a well-defined facial structure. Even as her hair fluttered in the wind, she did not flinch and instead looked forward with her me-red eyes.


    Above all, she had an amazing chest. That was a D! It was at least a D! How shameful. That was an insult to D-rank ability users. No, perhaps they were E. No, F! Uneptable, an SS-rank with Fs!


    ¡°... Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Cough, no, Yua. You¡¯re the prettiest in the whole world.¡±


    ¡°Really? Ehehe.¡±


    Of course, I really thought Yua was the prettiest in the world. Although that Ye Hwaya definitely had a superior figure...


    I patted Yua¡¯s head and buried the thought deep inside my mind. Otherwise, my hard-acquired position as her oppa could get shattered.


    Then, the day of Wraith Queen solo arrived. After spending some time debating whether to contact Ellos or not, I decided against it. I would do so after I seeded. And Palludia too... Palludia.


    ¡°No!¡±


    I forgot again! I felt a chill running down my back. I was screwed, definitely screwed! What could I do? That was no chance she wouldn¡¯t get angry. I was certain. If I talked to her, things would get annoying, extremely so.


    Hm.


    Should I just ignore her? I could pretend she never existed.


    It felt like an outstanding solution. However, I knew I shouldn¡¯t. Although Palludia was sharp-tongued and rude, she had messaged me in concern. Plus, after we separated three and a half years ago, I was the one who did not contact her and ignored her messages!


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll contact her when the raid ends. This time, I won¡¯t forget.¡±


    I vowed to myself and clenched my fists. Then, I opened the door to where the Wraith Queen was waiting.


    ¡°Kiyaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Tempest!¡±


    The moment I entered the room, I used Tempest. Having raised my magic with Soul Tempering Elixirs and Peruta Circuit, I now had over 2,200 MP. If my MP was low, I could simply drink a Mana Potion. Although Mana Potions were extremely expensive at the Floor Shop, I had over 100 lowest-grade Mana Potions, which restored 100 MP each. Not considering the one minute cooldown time for potions, I had over 10,000 spare mana.


    ¡°Gulp, gulp. Again! Tempest!¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaaaa!¡±


    Every time I thrust forward with my spear, dozens of wraiths screamed and died. The flustered Wraith Queen quickly began to summon more wraiths. It was exactly what I hoped would happen.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! ... Ha!¡±


    I immediately rushed toward the Wraith Queen. Wraiths that had survived my attack flew toward me, but I sent them flying back with a simple swing of my spear. Although the Wraith Queen summoned 20 wraiths at a time, it required her to chant for a long time. It was more than enough time for me to arrive in front of her and deal a blow. One that concentrated my body¡¯s entire mana and strength!


    Having practiced this move against the Wraith Queen for two months, I could now perform it pretty easily. Because other people kept saying hero this hero that, I came to call it ¡®Heroic Strike.¡¯ In truth, it was quite embarrassing.


    ¡°Haaaaat! Eat this!¡±


    ¡°Kiyaaaaaaa!¡±


    A dazzling white light gathered on my spear tip. The moment it pierced the Wraith Queen¡¯s stomach, it exploded beautifully. The Wraith Queen¡¯s throne shattered as she was sent flying back, hitting the wall. I knew all too well what she would do next. So I made my move first.


    ¡°DIEEEE!¡±


    I collected all nearby energy and exploded it outward. The resonating sound seemed to shake the entire room. The Wraith Queen was no exception as she trembled with her half-transparent body.


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    ¡°KIYAAAAA!¡¯


    [Wraith Queen used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail. Your super-armor state ignores its effect.]


    Just like I predicted! Looking at the Wraith Queen staring at me nkly, I smirked. Taking out and drinking a lowest-grade Mana Potion, I announced to her, ¡°I don¡¯t even need to use my trump card. I¡¯ll end this within 5 minutes!¡±


    What followed was an easy battle. Like I thought, the Wraith Queen was much easier than the Orc Lord. Her strength lied in Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail, a status effect magic, and her ability to shoot out hundreds of ectosm arrows at once. My Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry directly countered her Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail and her ectosm arrow attack had a fatal weakness of stopping when she took a critical hit.


    Before my Spiritual Shield wore off, I could deal a critical hit. Then I just had to use my restored mana to use Heroic Strike again.


    Although it took over 3 years topletely conquer the Orc Lord, it only took a little over 4 months to conquer the Wraith Queen. How long would it take to conquer the next Floor Master, Dark Ratman? I snickered and checked the message windows popping up in front of me.

 Chapter 18. Dungeon Explores Can Awaken Too? (4)

    Chapter 18. Dungeon Explores Can Awaken Too? (4)


    [A Grand Achievement! You defeated the Floor Master, Wraith Queen, alone! Amazing!]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Wraith Queen yer.¡¯ All stats permanently increase by 1. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You defeated the Wraith Queen alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Wraith Queen¡¯s Shirt.¡¯]


    [You obtained 3,000 gold.]


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Spirit Mastery Magic Book.]


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    As expected, I obtained another title. Along with the Orc Lord yer title, all of my stats were now permanently increased by 2.


    I stood speechless for a while, then pinched my cheeks to wake myself up.


    The first thing I did was to check the Wraith Queen equipment¡¯s set effect. I took off the Orc Lord equipment and put on the Wraith Queen equipment. I wondered if I also needed to equip the whip, but it appeared that wasn¡¯t the case.


    [You equipped the Wraith Queen Set. Your magic and charm increases by 5. When the Wraith Queen Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail¡¯ once per day.]


    ¡°As expected...¡± After staring at the message window with lingering attachment, I shrugged. Then I switched my equipment back to the Orc Lord Set. Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail, a skill that changed the entire battlefield by affecting the enemy with confusion and fear status effects. It was undoubtedly a good skill. However,pared to the Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry, it felt too weak.


    Why? Because it was possible that the enemy was immune to confusion or fear, or could use a priest-type cleansing skill. In that case, the skill would be useless. On the other hand, unless there was a monster that canceled the buff, Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry would always be useful.


    I could only use one of the two skills, so I decided to choose the Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry. Although the Wraith Queen was a higher rank Floor Master, her equipment was cloth, inappropriate for a warrior type like me.


    However, its ck jacket, white pants, and shirt all had a good texture, making me want to wear them in my daily life.


    Next up was the rewards. 3,000 gold was the normal amount given for defeating the Wraith Queen. What was important was the reward given for defeating it alone.


    [1. Spirit Mastery Magic Book.]


    ¡°Another magic book? Spirit Mastery, huh.¡±


    It made sense. Wraiths, the Wraith Queen, and the Soul Tempering Elixir all had to do with souls, so a magic book like this was expected to a certain extent. However, I hoped it would be a skill powerful enough to bring my strength to a new level.


    ¡°No, I shouldn¡¯tin. Magic books are said to be rare after all. Be more respectful, Kang Shin.¡±


    It seemed I got greedy after seeing someone vastly stronger than me. I could get stronger. If I try to rush it, it would only work against me. I had to do it my way, slowly and steadily. I vowed to myself once again and put my hand inside the half-transparent window.


    [You obtained the Spirit Mastery skill. Your affinity to souls and spirits increase. The strength of all soul and spirit-rted skills increases. As the skill level increases, your affinity with souls and spirits will also increase.]


    In other words, my Deific Manifestation skill would be stronger. I had a partner I could call once a month, Peruta. If Spirit Mastery¡¯s skill level rose, I might be able to summon him more often and for longer durations. When I thought about that, I was finally convinced that Spirit Mastery was a good skill.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    It was time to collect the long-awaited quest reward. How would Loretta react? Excited for her reaction, I couldn¡¯t hide my smile.


    [Quest Sess!]


    [You conquered the Floor Master Wraith Queen alone. As a feat unseen in 200 years, the Floor Shop owner, Loretta, is in awe. She is regretting her decision to make a bet out of revenge. However, she will still give out her reward. After all, she is an honest shop owner.]


    [You received a system reward. You obtained 1 skill point. You now have 2 spare skill points.]


    ¡°Aguhueforkuralo.¡±


    ¡°Can you say that in humannguage? It seems I haven¡¯t mastered aliennguage yet.¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaah, you really did it...¡±


    She showed a reaction surpassing my expectation. Just yesterday, she seemed full of doubt, but now that I had really done it, she was spouting out strange words with a soulless expression. After I talked to her a few times, she started crying. How shameful.


    ¡°Sob, you¡¯re right, I¡¯m a bad woman who gives quests but hates seeing it bepleted. Are you disillusioned?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing new.¡±


    ¡°Uhuhuk!¡±


    ¡°Um, Loretta noona?¡±


    When I called her hesitatingly, she turned toward me instantly.


    ¡°What? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m crying?¡±


    ¡°Um... Give me my reward.¡±


    Like I¡¯d fall for your tricks to skimp out on my reward.


    ¡°Hueeeee!¡±


    ¡°Now, now. Stop crying and give me my reward.¡±


    ¡°HUEEEE!¡±


    It took a long time before I could calm her down. Although her intentions were crystal clear, I had no choice as I had to collect my reward. Only after I made a promise to bring her ramen did she stop crying. It seemed a dungeon explorer from Earth had treated her before.


    ¡°You¡¯ll really bring me one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Sob... Okay, I¡¯ll trust you.¡±


    Loretta wiped away her tears, then handed me something.


    ¡°Take it. It¡¯s the best reward I can give you, customer.¡±


    ¡°This...?¡±


    After receiving it, I tilted my head. It was a pocket watch. When I opened the lid adorned with fancy jewelry, I saw a clock with only one hand. Just when I was wondering where the hour hand was, I realized the clock did not have any numbers written on it. Instead, in the ces where the numbers should be were twelve small holes. The minute hand remained fixed between the 11th hour hole and the 12th hour hole.


    The pocket watch was on a silver chain. Unlike its outer appearance adorned with fancy jewelry, the inside looked antique and rustic. I couldn¡¯t help but be disappointed when I opened it up. It... didn¡¯t even have a crown.


    ¡°Can I get angry?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, tsk. You have no eye for valuables. Try reading the item info.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that would change my mind. Let me see.¡±


    Even as I sent Loretta looks of doubt, I checked the information of the pocket watch. Immediately afterwards, my eyes seemed to pop up from their sockets.


    [???? (Secret ¨C Subss)


    A pocket watch filled with unknown powers. Its beholder will eventually obtain a ss befitting it.]


    ¡°... ss!?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, now you realize what a precious treasure that is!?¡±


    ¡°N-Noona, there¡¯s a way to obtain a ss?¡±


    When I first entered the dungeon, I realized that I did not have a ss. I expected to get a ss like spearman, but even after all this time, I could not get a ss. It seemed Ellos and Palludia had received the Knight and Priestess sses, so I couldn¡¯t help but think something was wrong.


    Not too long ago, when father became an ability user, he obtained a cool sounding ss called Wave Attacker. Although heined, saying that a traditional spearman like him should not have such a superhero-like ss, I knew he was secretly bragging as he talked about getting bonus stats and few additional skills. My father really was childish.


    In any case, I was the only dungeon explorer I knew that didn¡¯t have a ss! I felt bad, as it was like being told I had no ability. If possible, I wanted to at least have Crown Prince of 5F as my ss.


    But it was brought up now when I least expected it.


    ¡°Of course there is. In the first ce, dungeon explorers from other continents who are appointed as knights or ordained as priests already possess sses before entering the dungeon. But customer is different.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I haven¡¯t been appointed a knight or ordained as a priest.¡±


    ¡°Nor did you have the qualification.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t have a ss?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I see, there was a reason I was treated like an unemployed person. Then, I remembered my father who had the Wave Attacker ss, and asked Loretta.


    ¡°What about father?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that ¡®ability¡¯? That¡¯s like a seal engraved directly on one¡¯s soul. It would be a different story if he already had a ss, but since he didn¡¯t, of course he would get a ss.¡±


    ¡°... There¡¯s more that you know, right? About the things happening on Earth.¡±


    ¡°My, that¡¯s a secret, customer.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think my inquiry on sses would lead to this. Although I always wanted to find the rtionship between the dungeon and what was happening on Earth, I didn¡¯t think I would hear it from the Floor Shop owner, Loretta.


    Now that I thought about it, something was strange. Both Edias continent where Ellos came from and Luka continent where Palludia came from were being attacked by invaders, the so-called Demon race. Earth was in a simr situation, having to fight against invaders. This did not seem to be mere coincidence.


    When I thought this far, I could feel my hair stand on end. However, before I had the chance to speak, Loretta ced her hand on my mouth to block it.


    ¡°Remember, customer. In the end, I am a shop owner that sells items to customers in need. I am on your side. As long as your willpower stands tall, the dungeon, too, will be of help to you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So for now, don¡¯t ask anythi- Kyaa! Why did you lick me!?¡±


    Loretta screamed as she hurriedly pulled away her hand. I also experienced a strange sensation of licking woman¡¯s hand for the first time.


    ¡°It tastes weird... a bit salty, maybe?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not salty! Don¡¯t say something like that so casually!¡±


    ¡°What should I say then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Hehe, this is fine then, right?¡±


    At my smiling expression, Loretta¡¯s face reddened. Forgetting all about her anger, she smiled.


    ¡°... Really, what a strange customer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one to talk, Loretta noona.¡±


    ¡°You can just call me Loretta, customer. Noona sounds like you¡¯re emphasizing our age difference.¡±


    ¡°Loretta.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t call me without a reason. Really.¡±


    The day I conquered the Wraith Queen, I obtained many things and learned a lot about the situation surrounding me. I felt that I had taken one more step toward bing a true dungeon explorer.


    The next day, I challenged the 15th Floor Master, Dark Ratman. I died. For a week, I could not enter the dungeon.

 Chapter 19. Falls New Students (1)

    Chapter 19. Fall¡¯s New Students (1)


    ¡°Kyaa! Mom, oppa¡¯s looking like his soul¡¯s been sucked out!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been like that for a while. He seems depressed. Go console him, you guys get along.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I defeated the Wraith Queen alone... Mm, yup. That won¡¯t change. But the Dark Ratman...¡±


    ¡°Oppa, oppa! Snap out of it!¡± An angel from above... no, Yua shook my shoulders and I flopped about with no resistance.


    Yua had a cute voice. She was the support that prevented me from falling. If Yua ever got a boyfriend, what should I do? Should I tear his limbs apart or should I kidnap... huk!


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yua.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay? Haa.¡±


    When her scream woke me up from my daze, Yua let out a sigh of relief. Was she really worried that something was wrong with me? Kuk, how cute.


    ¡°Haha, no need to worry, Yua. Oppa is fine.¡±


    ¡°But you looked so soulless. You were murmuring something to yourself too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right... well, oppa just experienced some failure, is all.¡±


    ¡°Failure?¡±


    ¡°Yep. It looks like I was too arrogant.¡±


    I remembered what happened just a moment ago. After saying goodbye to Loretta on the 10th floor, I rushed to the 15th floor boss room. I entered a random party and challenged the Dark Ratman.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this over with and move up!¡±


    The party leader was a middle-aged swordsman. That was perhaps why he was talking down to the party members. It was then that I started to feel apprehensive.


    Including me, the party consisted of dungeon explorers from five different continents. No party could be sessful without harmony among its members. However, with the party leader being so oppressive, it was hard to do. Sure enough, my apprehensive feeling came true.


    ¡°Come on, kill the ratmen!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just charging straight at the ratmen! We should have discussed beforehand who would tank and who would lure the ratmen!¡±


    First, the party leader and our damage dealer began to argue, while I silently hunted ratmen on the side. If not, the boss fight would have ended much quicker.


    There were two healers, both from different continents than the party leader. As such, they made unsightly expressions at party leader¡¯s oppressive tone. At the same time, our tanker, who was from the party leader¡¯s continent, got along well with him.


    ¡°Kikikiki! Don¡¯t look down on me just because I¡¯m a rat!¡±


    ¡°Kill that rat bastard!¡±


    The Dark Ratman was 2 meter tall,paratively smaller than the other Floor Masters. As such, I thought that our tanker would be able to handle him. Of course, I was wrong.


    ¡°Kikik! Kikik!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, this rat¡¯s attacks are too heavy! Heal!¡±


    ¡°Fuck...¡±


    The tanker had the same personality as the party leader. The healers seemed almost reluctant to heal. As a result, there were times where their timings were off. The party leader was clearly focused on attacking the Dark Ratman to collect contribution points. Our damage dealer, who had argued with the party leader, ended up missing some ratmen, which headed towards our tanker.


    ¡°What? Hey, what are you doing!? Get these off of me!¡±


    ¡°Fuck, just focus on the Dark Ratman!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    As the tanker and party leader yelled irritably, the Dark Ratman became free to do as he wanted. I was hunting the ratmen one by one, but when I heard this, I rushed toward the Dark Ratman.


    Although our smart magician instantly changed his target to the Dark Ratmen and cast an attack magic at it, the Dark Ratman was unfortunately too fast.


    ¡°Kikikik! I¡¯ll burn you all up!¡±


    [Dark Ratman uses Dark Thunder Explosion!]


    What followed was an unforgettable sight. In an instant, a dark light burst out from the Dark Ratman¡¯s body and struck the party leader and tanker who were closest to it. The two of them burnt up in an instant and kneeled. I thought it would end there, but I was wrong. It was only the start.


    ¡°Kikikik! It¡¯s a lightning party! Kikik!¡±


    BOOM!


    Just like the name suggested, ck lightning exploded out. Both the party leader and tanker died in an instant, and I, who ran after the Dark Ratman, was no exception.


    Neither my high HP nor my Orc Lord equipment were of any help. They only made the painst longer. I lost consciousness, and when I woke up, I was outside the dungeon.


    It was my fault. Or at least, I thought it was.


    I had thought I could defeat the Dark Ratman no matter what these idiots did. For that reason, I didn¡¯t try to stop their arguments nor did I say anything against the party leader¡¯s foolishmands.


    Now that I thought about it, I shouldn¡¯t have stayed in that party in the first ce. The moment I realized how dysfunctional it was, I should have left and looked for another one.


    Finally, I should have attacked the Dark Ratman myself instead of relying on my party members. At the time, I was ying around too much. So much so that I was done in while I was hunting the ratmen minions. It was inexcusable.


    I was too excited from defeating the Wraith Queen alone. Even though I clearly knew there were 100,000 people above me! On Earth, not to mention the SS-rank, even the A-rank were stronger than me! No, perhaps even the B-rank were stronger. The dungeon was a ce where one had to be alert at all times. Since I was fooling around with my guard down, it was only obvious that I died.


    As I was reproaching myself, Yua suddenly ced her hand on top of my head.


    ¡°You can do it, oppa.¡±


    ¡°Yua...¡±


    ¡°I believe in oppa. You can definitely do it.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Everyone makes mistakes, oppa.¡±


    Yua slowly rubbed my head. I closed my eyes and waited for her words. At the same time, I became more rxed.


    ¡°Oppa, someone who learns from his mistakes can do anything. So it will be the same for you, oppa.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right. Thanks, Yua. I promise you, I won¡¯t make another mistake. I won¡¯t be kicked out of the dungeon ever again.¡±


    Yua¡¯s words gently healed my broken self-esteem. If I stayed depressed after hearing that, I wouldn¡¯t be a man. I resolved myself to never let my guard down, to never make such mistakes, to never be kicked out of the dungeon again!


    I patted my admirable sister¡¯s head. Yua squealed with her cute voice and twisted her body in delight without letting go of me. It was the sibling rtionship I had wanted for such a long time.


    Knowing how tofort her brother... Yua had all grown up! Oppa swears he will make you happy! Hm, that doesn¡¯t sound right. Right, I will protect this angel¡¯s smile!


    Having regained my energy from Yua¡¯s magical words, I clenched my fists. Suddenly, a crashing sound rang out. When I looked, mother was trembling as she stared at us from the kitchen. On the ground was a frozen pork neck. She should really buy pork belly with how much father makes.


    ¡°N-No, you can¡¯t! You guys are blood rted! Don¡¯t you dare think about it!¡±


    ¡°I said that¡¯s not it! Is that all you think about, Mom?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s too suspicious! Why else would two grown-ups be all over each other on the couch!?¡±


    Damn, being too awkward was a problem, but being too close is a problem too...!? With no one toin to, I could only hold in my anger at the unfairness.


    A weekter, I challenged the Dark Ratman to a revenge match. This time, the party I was in gave off a good vibe. That said, I had nned to continue until I could defeat the Dark Ratman alone. It was best if I did not rely too much on my party. It would be fine as long as they didn¡¯t hinder me.


    ¡°Could it be...? Crown Prince-nim?¡±


    However, the female party leader seemed to know me. Who was she? She was a beauty with pearl white skin, a blonde ponytail, and a sparkling green iris.


    I had no recollection of meeting such a pretty girl. I asked if she heard of me from rumors, but she shook her head.


    ¡°Thanks to Crown Prince-nim, I broke through the 5th floor two years ago. I¡¯m still grateful for it. Back then, I couldn¡¯t fulfill my role no matter what party I was in, so I became depressed, thinking I wasn¡¯t suited for the dungeon. I challenged the Orc Lord as a final challenge, and that was when I entered your party.¡±


    ¡°Ah... I see.¡±


    ¡°You were really cool that day... Following Crown Prince-nim¡¯smands, I gained confidence in myself. I was able to defeat my fear and stab my sword through the Orc Lord. After we defeated it, my confidence grew and I arrived here, partying with myrades from the Luka continent.¡±


    10 floors in 2 years. Although it was slightly slower than Ellos or Palludia, they were among the top in both talent and effort. A girl who was stuck on the 5th floor climbing this far in two years was undoubtedly praiseworthy.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate to reveal my thoughts.


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible. You must have put in a lot of effort.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you were less informal then... can you talk casually like in the past? It would be too awkward otherwise...¡±


    ¡°No, how could I?¡±


    Casual? I talked like that to a grown-up woman like her? Where were my manners?


    Seeing me act flustered, she shook her hand as she giggled.


    ¡°No, you did. Because two years ago, I was a little kid who wasn¡¯t even 130 sihai.¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    Sihai. It was Luka continent¡¯s unit of measurement, equivalent to about 1.1 centimeter. In other words, she would have been about 143cm two years ago. But how was that possible? She looked well over 160cm now. How could anyone grow so much in two years? Now to mention, her amazing chest size... kuhum.


    ¡°Huhu, you¡¯re cute when you¡¯re flustered.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so surprised. People from the Luka continent experience a huge growth spurt at a certain age. It¡¯s a little more than people from other continents, so I suspect it¡¯s our people¡¯s special trait.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    It made sense. Even though we all looked like humans, we were from different worlds. Our growth periods being different wasn¡¯t so hard to ept. But for some reason, the word Luka continent seemed to remind me of someone.


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s probably nothing.¡¯ With that, I put away the thought.

 Chapter 20. Falls New Students (2)

    Chapter 20. Fall¡¯s New Students (2)


    ¡°So? You¡¯ll talk more casually, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm... Okay, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then can you call me by my name? I¡¯m Shina, Shina Gren Ehuir.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Shina. I¡¯m looking forward to working with you. I¡¯m Kang Shin. Call me Shin instead of an embarrassing name like Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim!¡±


    As Shina and I were exchanging our names, the other explorers from Luka continent looked flustered.


    ¡°Hold on...¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°K-Kuhum.¡±


    ¡°... Eh? Did I do something wrong?¡±


    When I tilted my head and asked, their mouths twitched. However, they soon shut their mouths, and only one person replied with a strange voice.


    ¡°It... It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Shina, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, did I?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fine! Huhu, I was nervous after hearing how strong the Dark Ratman was, but with Shin-nim, I¡¯m not afraid of anything!¡±


    Shina quickly retorted and changed the topic immediately. She was right. We had to focus on fighting the Dark Ratman, not reminiscing about the past. It also wasn¡¯t important that Shina seemed to remind me of Palludia, or that Ipletely forgot to contact her a week ago.


    ... I should really start begging Palludia for forgiveness. No, that¡¯s absurd. We are only close enough to contact each other asionally. Well, I should focus on the Dark Ratman first.


    Although Shina might have been a little kid 2 years ago, she was now a brilliant party leader. She used all the information avable about the Dark Ratman and formted a solid battle n. She calcted each party member¡¯s abilities, and made sure each of them knew what they should do at any given moment. It wasn¡¯t something anyone could do.


    ¡°Are we good to go? Shin-nim, everyone?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡®Sorry to be a downer everyone, but I have no ns to focus on party y. Because I n to conquer the Dark Ratman quicker than I conquered the 10th floor¡¯s Wraith Queen.¡¯


    I gave myself one month. Of course, this excluded the time it would take me to get to the 20th floor. I knew that it was impossible to defeat the Dark Ratman alone at level 16.


    Just like I always did, I nned to slowly lower the amount of people in my party. Of course, this was assuming that the Dark Ratman didn¡¯t drop a stat increasing item like the Compressing Elixir or the Soul Tempering Elixir.


    That said, I wouldn¡¯t do something like deliberately offending or hindering other party members. I would follow the party leader¡¯s n. However... I would not take things slow like in Shina¡¯s n.


    ¡°Alright... let¡¯s go!¡¯


    The moment the door to the boss room opened, I ran in. Although priests were casting elementary buffs to other party members, I did not receive then. I had to practice for when I would defeat the boss alone. I could not rely on buffs.


    ¡°Kikik, Human... Kugagak!¡±


    I stabbed my ive through the first ratman I saw. The Orc Lord¡¯s ive I had been using since the 6th floor was still effective. Although ratmen had high attack and maneuverability, they had low defense topensate. As such, I could kill the ratman in one blow. Mana really was amazing. Just by coating my spear with it lightly, it had such effect.


    ¡°Wow, Crown Prince-nim.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t receive a buff... right? You killed a ratman in one blow without receiving a buff?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Shin-nim, so cool...!¡±


    ¡°L-Leader! Snap out of it!¡±


    The party members began to make their move. They were a beat slower than me, and that was enough. I had only fought the Dark Ratman once. I did not yet know how the raid flowed or how the Dark Ratman fought. Before I couldpletely grasp the flow of battle, I still needed their help.


    What I had to do now was clear. My job was to kill the 40 ratmen scattered through the boss room as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Everyone focus on the Dark Ratman! Don¡¯tmit on the attacking ratmen. Just send them flying back, I will take care of them!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim¡¯s hunting them so fast, it doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯ll need to.¡±


    ¡°Free damage dealers, stick to the Dark Ratman! I heard it uses a strong skill if left open!¡±


    ¡®You¡¯ve done your research! Myst party was massacred because no one knew about it.¡¯ Remembering what happened in thest raid, I vented my anger on the ratmen.


    ¡°Kikik, kill that human!¡±


    ¡°Strong human! Too strong!¡±


    ¡°Steal his spear!¡±


    Compared to the wraiths or the orcs, the ratmen were much more intelligent. They were the first to try to steal my ive. However, ratmen began appearing from the 11th floor, and of course, it wasn¡¯t the first time I faced ratmen trying to steal my spear. They had never seeded once. They were always killed before they could.


    ¡°Haaaap!¡±


    I pushed mana into my spear and thrust it forward. In an instant, the mana surged to the spear tip, forming a de of mana and crushing the iing ratmen. Although I could only maintain this state for less than a second, it was able to extend my spear for an instant. I called this Extending Spear, though I never said it out loud since it was such a senseless name.


    ¡°A-Aura!¡±


    ¡°No, rather than aura, it¡¯s... pure mana?¡±


    ¡°Healers, don¡¯t just watch. Use your heals! The boss is incredibly strong!¡±


    The tank cried out as he endlessly repeated between being attacked by the Dark Ratman and kiting it. The healers then apologized profusely and began to pour their heals on him.


    Suddenly, the Dark Ratman let out a strange cry.


    ¡°Kagugagak! I¡¯ll burn you all up!¡±


    ¡°Someone stop him!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s trying to use Dark Thunder Explosion!¡±


    The tank who understood my urgent call quickly raised his shield and bashed the Dark Ratman¡¯s head with it.


    ¡°Kugagak! Don¡¯t disturb me!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    The Dark Ratman continued to try to use Dark Thunder Explosion. In response, the tank, Shina, and other damage dealers all bombarded the Dark Ratman when they saw a chance. However, it was only enough to slow down the skill activation, not stop it. How absurd!


    Feeling rushed, I took care of the rest of the ratmen with Tempest. A maelstrom of mana rose up, creating countless cuts on the ratmen and sending them flying to a single space. Just Tempest was not strong enough to kill them, so I d my spear with mana and attacked the ratmen who were gathered together.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    The spear I thrust out with a spirited cry sent several ratmen¡¯s heads flying. I then cut down the remaining ratmen one by one. Suddenly, message windows popped up in front of me.


    [Dark Ratmen uses Dark Thunder Explosion!]


    [Party member Kart Von Jinas-nim died.]


    [Party member Dezihard-nim died.]


    [Party member Jieria-nim died.]


    B-B-BOOM!


    A small explosion followed by arge explosion instantly took out three party members. I quickly turned to the Dark Ratman. Its hair was standing, shing out with ck lightning. However, that was not a skill, just the aftermath of one. Dark Thunder Explosion had already ended, taking out all the damage dealers. The tank was alive due to using a life-saving skill in thest moment.


    ¡°Heal! Heal!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t die!¡±


    The tank was trembling in ce. Was it a reaction from enduring such a powerful skill? Or did the skill inflict some status effect on him? Then, I noticed Shina, who was a damage dealer, was still alive.


    ¡°I ran back when I got a strange feeling. Before it activated Dark Thunder Explosion, it used another skill that froze nearby enemies. The other damage dealers who were hit by it couldn¡¯t dodge in time.¡±


    ¡°As I thought...¡±


    It seemed Shina was alive due to being outside Dark Thunder Explosion¡¯s area of effect. To escape in time, you needed to dodge the paralysis skill that came before. Alright, I remembered it. It seemed Dark Thunder Explosion was a skill you could not block.


    There was only one way to survive it. That was to not get hit, like Shina had just done.


    That said, now wasn¡¯t the time to leisurely think about its skill area of effect. The tank was unable to protect himself as he was hit by the Dark Ratman, and the heals couldn¡¯t keep up with the damage being taken.


    As if we had nned it out before, Shina and I ran toward the Dark Ratman, our weapons in hand.


    ¡°Ho Pierce!¡±


    Shina¡¯s attack was the first to hit the Dark Ratman. Her sword was dyed purple, and when it prated the Dark Ratman¡¯s abdomen, the Dark Ratman¡¯s face was also dyed purple. Its ws attacking the tank stopped midair. Then, as if it was drunk, it began to spin in ce. Could that be?


    ¡°It¡¯s poison! It will stay like that for a moment!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how long a moment was, but I stopped Tempest I was in the middle of using and stood tall. Then, I held my spear up high and began to focus on energy on it.


    ¡°Kuk, such a huge mana pool... is he really level 15!?¡±


    ¡®Well, the Soul Tempering Elixir and Peruta Circuit helped a lot.¡¯ Answering him in my mind, I poured all the mana I had into the spear in my hand. It wasn¡¯t just mana. To burst out with as much strength as possible, I concentrated my entire strength into the tip of the spear.


    Father always said to thrust out with the resolve to copse the world. My ancestors called it the Heaven Copsing Strike. I called it the Heroic Strike.


    From the spear tip, white light exploded out, dyeing the entire boss room.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    ¡°So the rumors are true. He really is a Hero.¡±


    I would eventuallye to know what this white light signified. For now, I was focused solely on concentrating my energy in one ce.


    ¡°Prepare to die!¡±


    ¡°Kugagak!¡±


    The Dark Ratman seemed to be somewhat recovered from Shina¡¯s poison as it sensed danger and tried to distance itself from me. Unfortunately for the Dark Ratman, it was toote.


    I smirked andunched my spear forward. That is, I threw it. A spear imbued with energy did not lose that energy just because it was separated from the body. If anything, the forward momentum made it stronger.


    ¡°Kugaga, kugagagak!¡±


    The spear stabbed into the Dark Ratman¡¯s chest. Perhaps sensing its death, the Dark Ratman let out a finalugh. Thinking it was annoying even until the end, I raised my body, which had bent down after throwing the spear, up. Immediately afterwards, the light on the spear tip exploded.


    BOOM!

 Chapter 21. Falls New Students (3)

    Chapter 21. Fall¡¯s New Students (3)


    ¡°Shin-nim, why are you taking something like that?¡±


    The fight ended. I, of course, had the highest contribution. Because three people died, there were only seven rewards to choose from. From them, what I chose was the ¡®Thunder Crystal.¡¯


    On the outside, it looked just like a transparent crystal, but ck sparks filled in the inside, making it look like a sma globe. The moment Iid my eyes on it, I was sure it was a medicine just like the Compressing Elixirs or the Soul Tempering Elixir. However, it seemed Shina thought I refused the good reward.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to hunt a lot of Dark Ratman, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes? So there was a reason why you hunted the 5th Floor Master for 3 years?¡±


    Mm... there was, but at the same time, there wasn¡¯t. I debated whether to exin to her or not. In the end, I nodded my head.


    ¡°Yep. You know about it, right? That Floor Masters drop items that increase stats.¡±


    ¡°I do, but I heard the chances are low and that there are limits to how much you can consume them. I even heard that they weren¡¯t guaranteed to raise your stats, so I didn¡¯t think anyone would challenge the Floor Masters for them. Not to mention, Floor Masters are dangerous. If you die, you wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the dungeon for a week.¡±


    ¡°Muscle, Bone, and Skin Compressing Elixirs all have pretty high drop rates, though you have to meet certain conditions to consume them. What¡¯s important is how high your contribution is. If they really don¡¯t drop, you can always lower the number of people in the party.¡±


    ¡°Also, it¡¯s not that they don¡¯t work sometimes. It¡¯s just that after the first one, you have to consume several of them to have the same effect. Whoever told you must have been confused. Ah, of course, there is a limit. Each stat can only go up by 10 at most.¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Hearing my words, Shina gasped. Staring at me, she asked.


    ¡°Could Shin-nim have... for all the Floor Masters...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only the 5th and 10th Floor Master, but yeah, I consumed all the stat increasing elixirs to the limit.¡±


    ¡°As expected, my eyes weren¡¯t wrong... Unni¡¯s too...¡±


    ¡°Unni?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing, Shin-nim.¡±


    Shina shook her head, then said with a sigh, ¡°Fighting the Floor Master dozens of times... I don¡¯t have the confidence. I can¡¯t even imagine doing it. The week where I can¡¯t enter the dungeon after dying is... like hell. I know how strong you are, but to think you could take the risk to continually challenge the Floor Master. Huhu, in that way, your strength makes sense. It¡¯s not just the body¡¯s strength, but the mind¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re praising me too much.¡±


    All explorers had reasons to enter the dungeon. Although slightly different than others, it was the same for father. Because the dungeon was the source of ie for our family, he could not be careless.


    Although he put himself at risk to obtain mana, once he awakened, he never challenged the Floor Master again. Explorers from other continents were under even more dire circumstances, and thus could not act carelessly. Of course, there were still those who acted arrogantly and caused their parties to be annihted.


    In any case, I was in a much better situationpared to them. Although a crisis struck the world I lived in, the situation was not that serious yet. Well, I wondered what would happen at first, but the situation never came down to threatening my family.


    That was why I could be bold in exploring the dungeon. That was why I could slowly and leisurely seek to get stronger.


    I was just lucky. That was what I thought. If Earth was in a desperate situation like Luka or Edias continent, I would not have been able to spend several months just to fight the same boss. I would not have had the chance to even find out I could increase my stats through grinding the boss. After all, I would have known a mana cultivation method if Earth was like the other continents.


    Regardless, it seemed hard to convince this girl staring at me with eyes full of admiration. As such, I kept my silence. Shina seemed to be drawing her own conclusions.


    Anyway, I sessfully defeated the Dark Ratman and obtained the qualification to advance to the 16th floor.


    [You consumed a Thunder Crystal. Your resistance to lightning increases slightly. Your affinity with lightning increases.]


    ¡°... Haa?¡±


    The Thunder Crystal I swallowed expecting a stat increase gave a result that was both hard and not hard to ept. Even if my affinity with lightning increased, it did not matter since I was not a magician.


    I did like the increased resistance to lightning. Since consumable item effects seemed to stack up to ten times, my resistance to lightning could increase nine more times. When that happened, I would not need to worry so much about lightning magic.


    ¡®What a shame.¡¯


    Compared to the sweet fruit the 5th and 10th Floor Masters gave, the Thunder Crystal felt disappointing. It seemed I could only look forward to the Dark Ratman Set and the Dark Ratman yer title. I didn¡¯t know whether to be happy about having a shorter grind or sad about not having the chance to increase my stats.


    With a sigh, I stood in front of the stair to the 16th floor. I could not repeat the same mistake forever.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    With a serious expression, I opened the friend window. Including Shina, I had only friended three people. I looked for Palludia¡¯s name. It was there. She was inside the dungeon.


    I clicked on her name and sent her a message.


    ¡°Palludia, it¡¯s me.¡±


    [...]


    ¡°Sorry, Palludia, for not replying to your messages before. I was in a dangerous situation, so I meant to contact youter, but...¡±


    [Who is this?]


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Kang Shin.¡±


    [I don¡¯t know anyone with that name.]


    ¡°No, I... sorry.¡±


    [I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re sorry about. Like I said, I don¡¯t know an orc like you.]


    ¡®You do remember! Also, I¡¯m not an orc!¡¯


    ¡°Whew, I was wrong. Forgive me.¡±


    [That¡¯s what you have to say after ignoring me for so long? That¡¯s it?]


    ¡®What else would I do?¡¯ I felt the urge toin, but I calmed myself down by thinking of Yua¡¯s smiling face. Yep, I calmed down right away.


    ¡°Sorry, if there¡¯s anything you want me to do, tell me.¡±


    [Hmph, like you could heal my wounded pride. Don¡¯t be stupid.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. A chance like this doesn¡¯te often.¡±


    [You don¡¯t sound sorry at all! Do you know how much I... uk.]


    ¡°Hm? What?¡±


    [Don¡¯t ask!]


    Palludia. She was like a medical book. I couldn¡¯t understand her from start to end.


    [... You¡¯ll do anything?]


    ¡°If it¡¯s within my ability.¡±


    [Fine, you cowardly Orc.]


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    [...]


    Palludia was silent for a moment. Just when I was wondering if she was fed up and about to delete me from her friend list, she sent me a message.


    [Hurry up.]


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    [Climb up quickly! To the 25th Floor Master!]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    [I¡¯m saying I¡¯ll wait for you! So hurry to the 25th floor! We can defeat the Floor Master together!]


    ¡°Uh, let¡¯s make that 30th floor.¡±


    [Hey!]


    It would take me several months to grind in the 15th and 20th floor. However, Palludia seemed uninterested by my offer.


    [I¡¯ll give you three months, so you better reach the 25th floor by then! Otherwise, I won¡¯t meet you ever again!]


    ¡°H-Hey!¡±


    [No buts!]


    With that the message ended. I tried to contact her again but she did not respond. This girl, did she even know what floor I was on? And what did she mean she wouldn¡¯t meet with me again? Wasn¡¯t thest time we saw each other almost four years ago?


    I was speechless.


    ¡°Three months? That¡¯s impossible. What an unreasonable girl...¡±


    I murmured to myself and sighed. Although she called me Orc, I knew she considered me to be her friend. Because I knew I was in the wrong, I wanted to make up for it, but that did not mean I would ruin my pace for it. If she didn¡¯t want to see me, then she wouldn¡¯t. I made my resolve.


    However, Loretta from the 15th Floor Shop smiled at me.


    ¡°Customer, you had a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s just a friend. Can you stop smiling like that? It¡¯s creepy.¡±


    ¡°You made fun of me before, customer, so it¡¯s only fair that I do the same.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd. Besides, Palludia is really just a friend. One that easily gets angry, treats me like an orc, is short, and has a small chest.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s your friend? That sounds more like a mortal enemy.¡±


    Loretta made a rare serious expression and advised me.


    ¡°You should sever all ties with her immediately. From what I see, she¡¯ll do something perverted to customer. Like kidnapping you and using you as a sex ve.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    I gave Loretta the coldest look I made in my entire life.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t look at me like that! I just happened to read a novel like that recently!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ah, your eyes got colder! My heart¡¯s going to freeze, please look away!¡±


    Loretta spent the next 10 seconds unfreezing herself, then took something out from her pocket as I was heading up to the 16th floor.


    ¡°Customer, here¡¯s a special offer from the Floor Shop!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to sell me something again?¡±


    ¡°This here is a very special item. It¡¯s a ticket that ignores the once a day limit for battling the Floor Master and allows one to challenge it again! It¡¯s the ¡®Floor Master Battle Voucher!¡¯


    ¡°If you had something like that, why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s being sold at the cheap price of 3,000 gold!¡±


    ¡°6 million won!?¡±


    I almost passed out from the shock. I understood why she only told me about it now. Each time I defeated the Wraith Queen alone, I got 3,000 gold. The Dark Ratman gave 5,000 gold, from which I only received 500. I would be losing 2,500 gold every time I used it.


    ¡°That¡¯s crazy expensive.¡±


    ¡°But customer, isn¡¯t it enticing? In truth, I¡¯m selling it at the manufacture cost because no one has bought any in the past 300 years. They aren¡¯t normally this cheap!¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s so unpopr that no one bought any in 300 years, can¡¯t you make it cheaper?¡±


    Loretta didn¡¯t seem to flinch at my reasonable im.


    ¡°I have to at least take the manufacture cost! Customer, I¡¯m already being generous with my offer. Not to mention, this isn¡¯t something anyone can buy. Ah, by the way, you can only use up to two per day. So, in total, you would be able to fight the Floor Master three times a day!¡±


    Looking at Loretta¡¯s sincere eyes, I knew she wasn¡¯t lying. It was true that I had a lot of gold stockpiled. But if I continued to buy those things to fight the Dark Ratman, I would eventually dry.


    That said, if I used them, I would be able to finish grinding the 15th and 20th Floor Masters and reach the 25th floor in 3 months. I was certain. Setting my promise with Palludia aside, just the prospect of quickening my growth tempted me. In that case...


    ¡°... Fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh! So you¡¯ll buy them!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy them after I reach the 20th floor.¡±


    ¡°Aww.¡±


    Loretta made a disappointed expression. I smiled and waved my hand at her. Then, I continued on my way to the 16th floor. Three months, huh. I wonder why she was so bent on meeting me in three months.


    ¡®Well, Palludia, I¡¯ll see you then. Don¡¯t be too surprised after seeing my changed appearance.¡¯

 Chapter 22. Falls New Students (4)

    Chapter 22. Fall¡¯s New Students (4)


    Since the Two Moon incident urred around the school entrance season, all schools had to dy their opening by at least half a year. The teachers, who were on paid vacation, were the only ones happy about the situation. When things settled down and society returned to normal operations, schools began their semesterte opening.


    ¡°School starting in the fall, huh.¡±


    I, who was hard at work to break through the 19th floor, received a notice from my college. It was now the start of September, a time when cool winds washed away the heat of summer.


    Thinking how the graduation would be messed up, I headed towards the school opening ceremony. With all the freshmen gathering with their puffed up cheeks, one would think it was a toad reunion. As Iughed to myself silently, someone silently brushed past me.


    ¡°Whoa.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Who I thought was a guy turned out to be a girl. She was covering herself with a grey hoodie, but her clear eyes and full lips strongly suggested her sexual identity. She seemed surprised by my shout as she stared at me fixedly, then tilted her head and walked away.


    I noticed something strange. She was clearly brushing past people, but no one seemed to notice. Although it could have been a coincidence, I knew the more likely answer.


    ¡°Damn, she was an ability user.¡±


    I almost revealed my identity. Ability users were not required to join Guardian or Freedom Wing and fight monsters. I told myself to act more unmoved by strange happenings as I continued on my way.


    ¡°Everyone must know by now how fortunate it is to enter college at such a tumultuous time and be taught by professors equipped with new found knowledge and passion! Before we send you off into society as a proud alumni of our school...¡±


    The university president¡¯s speech was simr to my high school principal¡¯s in that they both seemed to have strong sleep-inducing skills. As I pinched my thighs to keep myself awake, I suddenly felt a strange gaze.


    It was not a gaze filled with killing intent, but rather one of curiosity. Was it the ability user from before? As I promised to act more cid a moment ago, I ignored the gaze that was growing sharper. Although it seemed to contain a hint of killing intent, I continued to ignore it.


    The opening ceremony was a very long and boring event. Thinking I would rather fight two Dark Ratman at once, I endured through the ceremony.


    After the opening ceremony, the tradition was for new students to attend an introductory party, but as I had the important mission of going to the dungeon, I chose to skip it. As I secretly snuck out of the auditorium, I felt a presence approaching me.


    ¡°Haa.¡±


    With a sigh, I started walking away, trying to ignore the presence. However, the presence continued to follow, approaching from the right side. Should I ignore it? Or should I avoid it? After a short contemtion, I decided to ignore it. However, the presence immediately clung to me. As expected, it was the hoody girl from before.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you surprised me!¡±


    I acted surprised and brushed her aside. I was truthfully surprised. I did not expect her to jump on me like that. As I red at her, she red back at me.


    ¡°Who are you? How did you see through my stealth?¡±


    ¡°What about you? At first, you brush past me, now you suddenly jump on me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an ability user.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Well, I knew that. I should have thought the question through more.


    ¡°I¡¯m not affiliated with any group. You came after me on purpose, right? To take me to Guardian or Freedom Wing?¡±


    ¡°No, sorry to inform your ego, but I¡¯m just an ordinary person. Guardian or Gardevoir, Freedom Wing or Gundam Wing, I don¡¯t care. Are we good? I¡¯m off then.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait!¡±


    ¡°Adios!¡±


    ¡®If you¡¯re an ability user and you want to avoid people¡¯s attention, you¡¯ll have to do more research!¡¯


    Everyone was lined up along the parking lot, seemingly waiting for rides to the freshman opening party. I would have escaped without anyone knowing had it not been for that hoody girl.


    However, I was not afraid. A man had to bold! I ignored the several gazes falling on me and continued onward. You had to be bolder in situations like this. Unfortunately, the hoody girl kept following me.


    ¡°Are you really an ordinary person?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you see through my stealth? That was the first time it happened.¡±


    ¡°Stealth is walking through people with your head down? I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Kuk, my stealth is like that. As long as I didn¡¯t release it or attack something, I wasn¡¯t discovered. At least, until now.¡±


    ¡°Then you can modify your data with what happened today. Good? I¡¯m off then.¡±


    ¡°Uuu, you said that just to make me reveal details about my ability, right?¡±


    My blood pressure was rising. I thought Palludia was the most annoying girl in the world, but it seemed there was someone else. Toozy to even reply, I walked out of the za, but the hoody girl ran toward me in a hurry and clung to my arm.


    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the freshman opening party?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re asking about that?¡±


    Thinking that this hoody girl might be an idiot, I replied, ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a freshman?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Your name?¡±


    I felt like I was getting investigated. Since I was already at it, I decided to continue acting twisted.


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say it because you¡¯re not a freshman, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying it because I don¡¯t want to. And if you want to ask for someone¡¯s name, you should give your own first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Su Ye-Eun from the business department.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Take care, Su Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°Your name!¡±


    ¡°I said to give your name if you wanted to ask mine. I never said I¡¯d tell you my name.¡±


    ¡°Eeeek! You¡¯re dodging the question!¡±


    Su Ye-Eun continued to cling to my arm. I was beginning to grow angry from the hoody girl¡¯s incessant behavior. Should I make her let go of me using my power? Wouldn¡¯t it get annoying afterwards? ... I¡¯m going to have to continue my act. Agh, I got bit by the worst kind of dog.


    ¡°Can you let go of me, please? I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m not an ability user. Ah, the bus is leaving.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Su Ye-Eun made a nk expression. Buses holding students from their respective departments were leaving. It did not take long for all the freshman to find their way onto their bus. It was rather surprising. Regardless, Su Ye-Eun who seemed to want to go to the freshman opening party was now left alone.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off. Good luck, abandoned Su Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°Hey, who¡¯s abandoned!?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t say that at all.¡±


    ¡°You totally did!¡±


    Su Ye-Eun frowned and continued pulling on me. The bus was already gone so I don¡¯t know why she was pulling on me for. Regardless, I continued walking forward. Su Ye-Eun naturally was dragged with me. Sadly, I was also in the business department. What if I saw her in my sses?


    ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! I missed the opening party!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you kept clinging onto me.¡±


    ¡°Delinquent, liar, crook!¡±


    ¡°Shut it hoody girl!¡±


    ¡°H-Hoody girl...¡±


    My university had a clear separation between the engineering and liberal arts campus. The engineering campus was a little ways away from Seoul. The opening ceremony was held at the engineering campus, while the graduation was held at liberal arts campus. That is, we were now the only ones left in the countryside.


    After Ipletely left the campus, Su Ye-Eun seemed to have grown tired of being dragged around as she let go of my arm and was walking by me silently. Inside her hoody, her expression was all frowns.


    ¡°Haa, because of this guy... this is the worst...¡±


    ¡°Stop murmuring. It¡¯s all your fault.¡±


    ¡°Are you really not an ability user?¡±


    ¡°Stop asking will you? I¡¯m going to report you otherwise.¡±


    ¡°... Then buy me food.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    This woman¡¯s way of thinking was definitely out of the ordinary. My head began to hurt. Before I noticed it, we were at near the station. With all the people and cars around, I was thinking about making a run for it. It was then that Su Ye-Eun murmured quietly.


    ¡°I have no money... I¡¯m hungry...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    For the first time since Palludia, I felt like hitting a girl.


    I brought Su Ye-Eun to a nearby McDonald¡¯s. I watched her order a Big Mac withrge fries plus extra, then ordered whatever for myself.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need more fries?¡±


    She looked at me strangely, almost like ordering more fries was the norm. I ignored herpletely, took my te from the employee and walked to a seat by the window. Su Ye-Eun asked why we were going there when there were better seats open, then she stole the te out of my hands and walked to a seat at the center. She then murmured, ¡°Is he really stupid?¡±


    ¡°Ah... Ah....!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t toote. I¡¯ll first put in a hook to her stomach, then...! However, she was currently holding on our food. Since I couldn¡¯t waste it, I decided to hold back. Feeling pitiful, I followed her and sat down.


    ¡°Thanks for the food.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±


    Su Ye-Eun unwrapped her Big Mac then took a big bite. Then, with her eyes sparkling even from inside the hoody, she took a handful of fries and ate it. Then, she took another handful. Seeing her cheeks puffed up like a hamster, I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡°You must have been really hungry.¡±


    ¡°Nom nom... nom...¡±


    She sounded like she was chanting some ck magic, but she was probably saying she starved since the morning. I gave her my share of fries. Then, she looked surprised, staring between me and the fries.


    ¡°... Angel?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a quick change.¡±


    ¡°You bestowed fries upon me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that, it creeps me out.¡±


    I also unwrapped my burger and bit down. It was delicious. Since mother never let me eat like this at home, it had been a long time since I had junk food. Mm, maybe Yua would like it too. She might even give me a kiss on the cheek!


    In the end, while Su Ye-Eun was in the restroom, I secretly ordered another burger set, entered the restroom, and stored it in my inventory. It was the perfect crime. Time was frozen inside the inventory, so it would be hot and crunchy no matter when I took it out.


    When we left McDonald¡¯s, she seemed to remember what situation she was in, as she separated herself from me and stood guard. She lookedpletely different from the one who just called me an angel. Was she simply an idiot? Yep, she must be.


    ¡°Are we good? Go home now.¡±


    ¡°You... You really aren¡¯t an ability user?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, and you¡¯re an ability user that begged an ordinary person for food after bugging and annoying him.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So can we just go home now... Eh?¡±


    Su Ye-Eun looked strange. It wasn¡¯t an expression of anger. Rather, it seemed to be frozenpletely. Sensing that something was off, I turned around.


    In front of us was a 2 meter tall pigeon, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere.

 Chapter 23. Falls New Students (5)

    Chapter 23. Fall¡¯s New Students (5)


    Because it was the first time I saw a monster outside of the dungeon, I tensed up for a second. But because the monster looked exactly like a pigeon, I rxed. Of course, I knew better than to let my guard down around a monster, regardless of its looks.


    As I made this mental note, my body shook. I thought I had received a KaTalk, but it turned out Su Ye-Eun was shaking like a vibrating cellphone.


    ¡°M-Monster.¡±


    ¡°... Oy? Ability user, oy.¡±


    ¡°S-S-S-Scary.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you an ability user?¡±


    ¡°I-I c-can¡¯t do a-anything with my a-ability.¡±


    ¡°Not with that a-a-a-attitude.¡±


    The people nearby were already running away screaming. With that size, it probably couldn¡¯t chase us underground. I took the frozen Su Ye-Eun by her arm and began running.


    ¡°Snap out of it! We¡¯re running!¡±


    ¡°N-N-N-No, scary. W-We¡¯re going to die.¡±


    ¡°Come on, what happened to the person cornering me asking me if I was an ability user!?¡±


    Fortunately, Su Ye-Eun was light, so it was not too hard running while dragging her. However, it seemed that pigeon wasing after us. Before we could reach the underground road, the pigeon pped its wings andnded in front of us,pletely blocking the way. I clicked my tongue and began running towards the opposite direction.


    ¡°Did you ster yourself with honey? Why is it chasing us!?¡±


    ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m scared, save me!¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t open your mouth! Screw it, I¡¯m holding you.¡±


    ¡°H-H-Holding me?¡±


    In an instant, I lifted her legs and put her in a princess carry. Feeling that my arm had gotten lighter, I continued to run. I was much faster running while carrying her than while dragging her along.


    Should I go to where lots of people are? No, that would only make it dangerous for others. Was that the only underground road entrance? No, but the others were already filled with evacuees. I couldn¡¯t bring the pigeon there. Then do I continue running until either Guardian or Freedom Wing showed up? That would be announcing that I¡¯m an ability user. Then...!


    ¡°Ugh, Su Ye-Eun, you¡¯re making this so much harder for me!¡±


    ¡°M-M-Me? Why?¡±


    ¡°Stop shaking!¡±


    I changed my direction to a deserted alleyway. Would others think of me as a hero leading the monster away from others? Or would they just think I¡¯m a fool? When I reached the alleyway, people watching from the windows screamed and shut their windows. Looking around, I found security cameras installed nearby.


    ¡®Not here.¡¯ I continued running. Buildings became sparse. It seemed I was at a construction site, as building materials were stacked nearby.


    ¡®Alright, perfect.¡¯ It was crucial that I was in a ce where no security cameras could watch me.


    I nced back. The pigeon flew past my head andnded at the construction site. I first let Su Ye-Eun down. She shouted with teary eyes, ¡°W-Why did youe here? Why did you bring me too!?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Su Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°You better keep this a secret.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    I picked up an iron pipe from nearby. It was 2 meters long with the ideal thickness and weight. Although it bothered me that it had a dull end, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it now.


    Seeing me pick up the iron pipe by my strength, Su Ye-Eun¡¯s eyes opened wide.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re an ability user!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret. Keep it.¡±


    I held the iron pipe with both hands and red at the pigeon. It was hard to understand why it was targeting us. Was it targeting me or Su Ye-Eun? Although I wanted to know the answer, with no way of talking to it, I could only kill it.


    The pigeon began to p its wings. Before it could fly up, I switched the iron pipe to one hand and threw it forward. White light spiraled around the entire pipe. It was my mana, one that caused other dungeon explorers to call me a Hero.


    Boom!


    That was it. The iron pipe prated the pigeon, pinning it to the wall. Mm, although its size was big, it was incredibly weak. Now I just had to get rid of all the evidence.


    I checked around one more time for security cameras or anyone watching. Then, I put my hand on the bleeding carcass and stuffed it in my inventory. My inventory expanded by 10 slots each time I leveled up, so I now had 190 slots.


    ¡°So it actually goes in.¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    I ignored Su Ye-Eun¡¯s screampletely and stuffed the bloodied iron pipe into my inventory. Now, I only had to clean the pigeon¡¯s blood. As for the carcass, it woulde in useful one day. For example, when father registered as an ability user, he could turn it in for money. It was the perfect crime!


    ¡°Su Ye-Eun, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Y-You...¡±


    She still seemed unable to calm down as she trembled with her mouth opened wide. I sighed and held her hand, dragging her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re going to get found out otherwise.¡±


    ¡°A-Ability user... You lied.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an ability user.¡±


    I refuted her in anger. Then, with a face full of pride, I told her, ¡°I¡¯m a dungeon explorer.¡±


    ¡°... What¡¯s that?¡±


    Of course, I regretted it immediately. It seemed I needed to raise my intelligence stat more.


    *


    19th floor of the dungeon. Along with the past three floors, it was a ce filled with lizardmen, humanoid lizards with hard scales.


    Strangely, these guys wielded spears. Although I battled them at first thinking I could learn something from them, I soon found out they could only stab with brute strength.


    However, because they attacked simultaneously in groups, their attacks were difficult to dodge. Of course, that was for ordinary dungeon explorers, not me. My training wasn¡¯t so soft that they were a match for me.


    ¡°Shwik, attack the scraggy human!¡±


    ¡°He looks vorless.¡±


    ¡°Mind your own business!¡±


    With a spirited shout, I swung my Orc Lord¡¯s ive and shook away the approaching spears. I then lowered my center of mass and charged straight at them. Because the lizardmen¡¯s spears were 3 meters long, there was a huge opening once they missed their attacks.


    Even now, they couldn¡¯t take a counter offensive stance as they watched me rush towards them.


    ¡°Shwik, dodge him!¡±


    ¡°Toote!¡±


    With a short curse, the ive I struck out pierced through a lizardman¡¯s neck. However, there was more than just one lizardman. I hastily took out the ive and confirmed my next target.


    ¡°Avenge our brethren!¡±


    ¡°Shwik, avenge him!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯reing like bees.¡±


    I imbued mana into my ive, once again swinging and striking down their spear attacks. I tightly gripped my ive and, in a sequence of fast and borate moves, pierced the necks of the lizardmen one by one. Of course, having fought the lizardmen for over a month, I knew their movement patterns in and out, making it easy.


    The only problem was my mana. Because of the lizardmen¡¯s hard leather, it was impossible to kill them in one blow without using mana. As a result, my hunting speed naturally slowed down and it took over a month to climb to the 19th floor.


    Of course, when I told Ellos about it, he bitterly said, ¡°You bugged bastard!¡± In truth, I wanted to encounter a real bug. Apparently, Ellos had found one on the 22nd floor and obtained a Unique-grade sword. I was dying of jealousy.


    ¡°Kuaaak! Strong human!¡±


    ¡°Call for reinforcement!¡±


    ¡°Reinforcement, called!¡±


    ¡°Reinforcementing! Krunaing!¡±


    ¡®Hm?¡¯


    When I began to quickly dwindle their numbers, they began to spout something different. It was the first time something like this happened since I entered the dungeon.


    Kruna. If I understood correctly, it did not mean reinforcement. It was a name. I had heard of it before. Normally, monsters from dungeon floors did not have names. However, it seemed a named monster appeared with an extremely low chance.


    These named monsters were much stronger than normal monsters and could even use skills. In exchange, they had a low chance of dropping a rare item. Most of the time, however, it ended in disappointment.


    ¡®A named monster on the 19th floor. Curse my luck.¡¯


    Why did it have to be a named monster and not a bug? Iined as I fixed my grip on the ive. Although I had been repairing it at the Floor Shop, I started to want a new spear. Since all the lizardmen were carrying spears, I expected the 20th Floor Master would as well. No, I sincerely hoped so.


    I leisurely hunted down the lizardmen, when suddenly, I felt a sharp presence. I backed off a little. When Iid my eyes on the presence, I was dumbfounded.


    ¡°There was a female!? Shouldn¡¯t you be called a lizardwoman then?¡±


    ¡°Human, don¡¯t stare! You, not my type!¡±


    How did I know? For one, there was a light pink ribbon on her smooth, scaly head. Unlike the lizardmen who were carrying spears, this guy... or rather, gal, was wearing a fancy robe and carrying a wooden staff. But wait, what did she just say?


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    ¡°Shashak, kkueek!¡±


    Angered by her words, I instantly imbued all my energy in my spear and threw it. It was no doubt the Heroic Strike. Without even a chance to react, Kruna screamed and perished when the spear prated Kruna¡¯s abdomen.


    Until now, I had to spend dozens of seconds to concentrate the energy in my body on the spear. However, I had just seeded in activating the skill in an instant. If possible, I didn¡¯t want it to happen this way!


    [You defeated the named monster, Kruna. You obtained the reward, ¡®Headband of Wisdom.]


    [High-rank Spear Technique became level 4! Your insight into the Way of the Spear increases. The amount of mana required for High-rank Spear Technique decreases slightly. You can disy your full strength with any spear.]


    [You created the skill Heroic Strike! It concentrates the body¡¯s energy and mana into one point and strikes out. It uses the HP and MP of the user proportional to the charging time. This skill may only be used by its creator. The skill level is adjusted to lower-rank level 7.]


    [You created a skill! Heroic Strike is a skill that never existed elsewhere. Created with the most exquisitebination of energy and mana, this skill is a feat which must be passed down to future generations. You obtained 1 skill point as reward. Current skill points: 3]


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    Wait, what¡¯s this? Creating a skill?


    I could not understand why Heroic Strike had suddenly been systematically recognized as a ¡®skill.¡¯ Regardless, an extra skill point was always appreciated. Not to mention, bing a skill meant that its might was guaranteed. All in all, it was nothing but good news.


    At this unexpected gain, I grew excited and even forgot about the disgust I felt from Kruna. As I was about to check the skill, I finally noticed the lizardmen growling and surrounding me.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°He killed Kruna!¡±


    ¡°Male killed pretty female!¡±


    ¡°Kill Human!¡±


    ¡°Pretty? What is? The ribbon?¡±


    At my inquiry of sincere curiosity, the lizardmen reacted sensitively.


    ¡°Shaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Killed precious female! Kill male!¡±


    ¡°Shwik, we cut it!¡±


    ¡°C-Cut what? Y-You bastards! Don¡¯t get near me!¡±


    Taken by surprise, I couldn¡¯t help but stutter. Only after I blew them away with Tempest did I find my calm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so harsh. You wouldn¡¯t be able to tell she¡¯s female without the ribbon anyways!¡±


    ¡°Shwiik! Kill Human!¡±


    ¡°Human insult dead Kruna!¡±


    ¡°Kill Human!¡±


    [You created the skill, ¡®Provoke.¡¯ Shouting out with a bit of mana, it draws the nearby enemies toward you. A skill suited for a warrior of noble mindset that wishes to protect his weak allies by means of self-sacrifice, it requires 10 MP per use.]


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    Something was strange. I had not gained any new skills since Spirit Mastery, but I just created Heroic Strike and Provoke out of the blue. But was it me or was this skill description trying to make fun of me?


    ¡°Alright, fine! All of you,e at me! I¡¯ll reach the 20th floor today!¡±


    [You used the skill, Provoke! You draw nearby enemies toward you!]


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°Kill Human!¡±


    ¡°Shwik, avenge Kruna!¡±


    ¡°Human meat!¡±


    ¡°Meat down there!¡±


    ¡°Down where? Where do you think you¡¯re aiming!?¡±


    After that, I ran around so much gathering up lizardmen that blisters formed and popped.


    Killing the gathered up lizardmen with Heroic Strike was much more efficient. The downside was that I paid too big a price to find out. It seemed I needed to raise my intelligence more.

 Chapter 24. I Can Hear Your Voice (1)

    Chapter 24. I Can Hear Your Voice (1)


    [You became level 20. You obtained the qualification to challenge the Floor Master.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You became Bronze Rank 1. If you defeat the 20th Floor Master, you will be acknowledged as a Silver Rank dungeon explorer.]


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: None Title: Wraith Queen yer Rank: Bronze 1


    Level: 20


    HP ¨C 6,270/6,270 MP ¨C 2,940/2,940


    Strength ¨C 55(+9) Dexterity ¨C 49(+2) Constitution ¨C 59(+7)


    Intelligence ¨C 20(+2) Magic ¨C 47(+2) Charm ¨C 31(+2) Luck ¨C 10(+2)


    Skill ¨C Low-rank Martial Arts (Master), Mid-rank Martial Arts (Lv 9), Low-rank Spear Technique (Master), Mid-rank Spear Technique (Master), High-rank Spear Technique (Lv 4), Low-rank Spirit Mastery (Lv 2), Low-rank Heroic Strike (Lv 7), Low-rank Provoke (Lv 1), Peruta Circuit (Lv 2), Deific Manifestation]


    ¡°Oh, you obtained a named drop item?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Loretta.¡±


    As I wrapped myself in bandages (5 gold) after fierce hours of battle, I answered Loretta at the 19th Floor Shop.


    Although leveling up restored HP and MP, it strangely did not heal all wounds. As such, I would sometimes copse after breaking through a floor.


    She received the pink ribbon Kruna dropped and examined it. Then, with a satisfied expression, she offered, ¡°I¡¯ll buy it for 500 gold.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not selling it.¡± I replied immediately.


    ¡°Ueh!?¡±


    Loretta seemed surprised by my clear-cut answer. I snorted as I tied the bandages shut.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I would sell a named drop item so easily. I couldn¡¯t see the item description, don¡¯t you have an item that lets me see it?¡±


    At my spot-on question, Loretta made a cute pout. Then, she retorted bluntly.


    ¡°... You¡¯ve grown, customer.¡±


    ¡°All thanks to you.¡±


    When I poured a potion over the bandages, the wounded area heated up and then subsided. Seeing that my HP had stopped decreasing, I nodded and looked back at Loretta. Loretta, who was watching me wrap myself in bandages, looked away at the same time that I looked up at her. I didn¡¯t yield to herints and asked, ¡°So? You have it right? How much is it?¡±


    ¡°Chet. It¡¯s 100 gold.¡±


    ¡°Here, 100 gold.¡±


    Even as she grumbled, she took the gold from me, returning back the Headband of Wisdom along with a scroll. I always wondered, just where was she taking these things out from?


    ¡°It¡¯s an Appraisal Scroll. Because items dropped by named monsters aren¡¯t registered with the dungeon, Appraisal Scrolls are needed to check their item description. With this, you can see the description of any items! Since you can alwayse across cursed or magical items with unknown effects, it¡¯s best to always carry some around.¡±


    ¡°Before using this, is it impossible to find out the headband¡¯s effects?¡±


    ¡°A magician with the Appraisal skill would be able to do the same thing.¡±


    I learned more good information. I followed Loretta¡¯s instruction and ripped the scroll above the hairband. Then, a translucent window popped up in front of me.


    [Headband of Wisdom (Rare)


    Durability ¨C 50/50


    Defense ¨C 3


    Equipment Requirement(s) ¨C Female only


    Option ¨C Intelligence +5, Magic +5, Charm +7]


    ¡°Here, let me see. Gek.¡±


    Loretta stuck her head next to me, letting out a fragrant scent. When she saw the item description on the window, she frowned and made the sound of a frog being run over by a truck. She then murmured, ¡°I should have bought it for 1,000 gold...¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have sold it anyways. This is good, right?¡±


    ¡°Setting aside the charm stat, it has the stat value of two levels. Plus, it¡¯s an essory. Of course it¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s as I thought then. One problem though, I¡¯m not female.¡±


    ¡°You can gift it to your girlfriend!¡±


    ¡°Loretta, are you picking a fight with me?¡±


    Like I¡¯d have a girlfriend! Can¡¯t you see by the fact that I¡¯m always in the dungeon hunting? When I shot Loretta a look of resentment, she made a sly expression and poked my shoulder. It hurt.


    ¡°What do you mean, customer? You promised to meet someone, remember?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    She had to be talking about Palludia. That wasn¡¯t funny, even as a joke. Why would I make a choice equivalent to throwing my life in the dumpster?


    However, regardless of what Loretta said, Palludia was still mad at me. If I gave her a gift, she might forgive me.


    The only other female explorer I knew was Shina, but I was much closer to Palludia than Shina. Alright, then it was decided. I made up my mind to give the Headband of Wisdom to Palludia. After returning the hairband to my inventory, I talked to Loretta again.


    ¡°Loretta, I want to buy 20 Floor Master Battle Vouchers.¡±


    ¡°20!? T-That¡¯s 60,000 gold!¡±


    And it was also 102 million won. Kuk, now that I made the conversion in my head, I felt just how much money that was. However, it wasn¡¯t such a big amountpared to how much I had.


    Excluding the few items that Loretta forced on me, I never used gold or exchanged it for won. As such, they were just piled up in my inventory. For reference, the lizardmen from the 19th floor gave 170 gold for every three that I killed. It meant each of them gave over 50 gold, or 100,000 won.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I still have about 500,000 gold saved up.¡±


    It was 1 billion won.


    ¡°Amazing, customer. Just when did you get so much?¡±


    ¡°It must be from all those Floor Masters I hunt every day. Alright, hurry up and give them to me before I change my mind.¡±


    ¡°Customer, I¡¯m seeing you in a different light. You¡¯re a man when you want to be!¡±


    ¡°Just fork it over!¡±


    I snatched the twenty battle vouchers from Loretta. Since I could only use two per day, I had bought enough tost for the next ten days. After taking the 60,000 gold from me, Loretta gave her money bag a slight look of reluctance. Then, she sighed and returned 10,000 gold to me. I received the money, confused.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a discount, customer. Discount. Don¡¯t you know?¡±


    ¡°I know what a discount is, but why?¡±


    I could not understand why Loretta gave me such a benefit, especially given what she said about them being sold at manufacture cost. However, after handing over the gold, Loretta looked almost relieved as she replied with a light smile.


    ¡°I was a little meanst time trying to sell them at their manufacture cost. No one buys them anyways. Humans are truly too weak. Even though the dungeon guarantees to save their lives, no one dares to adventure. For hundreds of years, everyone only thought to climb higher while avoiding Floor Master battles. Even in this First Dungeon where the brave and strong have been gathered... Ah, I can¡¯t say anything more than that. Regardless, customer is a Hero I haven¡¯t seen in a while. I shouldn¡¯t be punished for supporting you this much.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that too, Loretta. I¡¯m not something like a Hero. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not desperate right now. I can be adventurous because I¡¯m not afraid of losing a week¡¯s worth of time.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, customer, you see...¡±


    As if it was a secret, Loretta lowered her voice to near silence, bringing her lips to my ear. As I was about to tear myself away, Loretta seemed to have read my thoughts as she whispered,


    ¡°The more desperate the situation, the more necessary it is to adventure.¡±


    I held my breath. She was right. My existence proved she was right.


    I understood. Saying that the continent¡¯s in dire straits, or that every second is important. They were all nothing less than excuses. Perhaps they said that as they never had the chance to see Muscle Compressing Elixirs or Soul Tempering Pills. However, there had to be people other than me who discovered and consumed them.


    Yet, the thought of dying and wasting a week caused them to give up re-challenging the Floor Master, and they continued their climb. I, on the other hand, was different. That¡¯s how I got stronger. Although I may be weaker than them now, I would continue to grow stronger. Stronger than them. I was confident.


    ¡°Now you get it? The fruit of adventure is always sweet... Hero-nim.¡±


    Loretta whispered sweetly with small teardrops hanging from her eyes. Seeing her bewitching figure, I couldn¡¯t help but gulp down a mouthful of saliva. Wait, was she...


    ¡°Are you that sad about the 10,000 gold? You shouldn¡¯t have given it to me then.¡±


    I seemed to have hit the bull¡¯s eye, as she yelled with her teardrops flowing midair.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it! I was trying to forget about it, but now it¡¯s on my mind again!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Uuu, meanie.¡±


    The Floor Shop owner, Loretta, with a cute personality. It seemed the yful rtionship between me and her would continue.


    ¡°Whew, alright. I¡¯m going to start my Dark Ratman conquest today.¡±


    ¡°Customer, are you going for aplete conquest again?¡±


    Complete conquest. If it referred to consuming the Thunder Crystal to the limit, collecting the Dark Ratman equipment set, and defeating the Dark Ratman alone, then my answer was clear. Although I thought over the benefits of consuming Thunder Crystals, since Loretta already confirmed the path I was walking was right, I no longer hesitated.


    ¡°Of course. See youter!¡±

 Chapter 25. I Can Hear Your Voice (2)

    Chapter 25. I Can Hear Your Voice (2)


    The Dark Ratman was fundamentally different from the Wraith Queen or the Orc Lord. The Orc Lord had nothing but brute strength and the Wraith Queen had a clear weakness. However, the Dark Ratman was fierce, possessing a strong attack power and a powerful skill. His minions were also nothing to scoff at.


    I led a party of ten to challenge the Dark Ratman. Although we seeded, three of us had died.


    ¡°Thank you! Thanks to Crown Prince-nim, we can finally challenge the 16th floor!¡±


    ¡°As expected of the One Who Leads the Path!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince! Crown Prince!¡±


    Just like the explorers from the 10th floor, the six surviving members bowed and thanked me, or chanted my name. At this rate, they might even pick me up and toss me into the air. I knew it wasn¡¯t my ce to say, but if they continued climbing up by relying on others and not on their own strength, they would eventually be brought to their knees.


    After saying my goodbyes, I left the boss room. Then I fell on my butt and murmured, ¡°Whew, strong. Too strong.¡±


    When my level was low, a small difference in stats made a big difference. However, the Dark Ratman was the Floor Master of the 15th floor, and I was level 20. Now, it seemed a difference of 5 levels was only a mere difference of 5 levels. Even though my stats were abnormally high from the Compressing Elixirs and Soul Tempering Pills, it was still not enough to make a decisive difference.


    Since my stats could not overwhelm it, I could only do so by experience. I needed to read all the ratmen minions¡¯ movements and prevent the Dark Ratman from attacking me while I took care of them. I also needed the ability to escape from the Dark Ratman¡¯s fearsome skill without failure.


    Of course, the goal was to let all the party members avoid it, not just me. From my experience, it was rather simple. As long as the ratmen minions were taken care of that is.


    ¡°Now! Get back!¡±


    ¡°Kugagagak! It¡¯s a festival of lightning!¡±


    That bastard¡¯s way of talking was the same as ever! At my shout, the party members backed off, and the Dark Ratman¡¯s lightning only burnt through empty air. I disregarded the burning smell and charged at his body. Shining out with radiant white light, my Heroic Strike prated his abdomen. Now that it had be a skill, it had a wonderfully short charging time.


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Kugagagagak!¡±


    As Dark Ratman cried out in its death throes, I let out a sigh of relief and looked around. One, two, three... eight, nine. Perfect. Everyone was alive.


    ¡°Oh, Crown Prince!¡±


    ¡°All hail Crown Prince!¡±


    ¡°To defeat the Dark Ratman without any casualties!¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of such a thing happening. To think I¡¯d be the witness of history. Crown Prince...¡±


    It took 3 days until I seeded in defeating the Dark Ratman with all party members surviving. In other words, it had taken me 9 boss fights. Of course, with me taking the top contribution for all of them, I was able to take the Thunder Crystal 8 times and the Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Vest for the other.


    It seemed I was getting the hang of it now. Thinking about slowly lowering the number of party members andpletely destroying the Dark Ratman, I could not help but get excited like a child. As I was immersed in my thoughts, the party members suddenly pounced toward me.


    ¡°Crown Prince, Crown Prince!¡±


    ¡°Hey, prepare to pick him up!¡±


    ¡°Whooooo!¡±


    Stop! Just go up already!


    Then one day, just as I finished eating breakfast and prepared to go the dungeon, my mother stopped me.


    ¡°Shin, school starts today, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s September 2nd, the first day of school.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    I sometimes wondered if my intelligence stat was really 20. Perhaps the dungeon was lying to me. Today was another one of those days.


    When I asked Loretta about it, she said, ¡°How can someone born with the intelligence stat of 20 be the same as someone who raised their intelligence stat to 20?¡± I was speechless.


    It seemed this applied to not just intelligence, but also strength, dexterity, constitution, magic, and other stats. When I thought about it, it made sense. I was originally adept in using my strength and moving my body, but when I saw other explorers, I wondered why they couldn¡¯t move as well. Loretta¡¯s words had solved this mystery.


    In short, raising one¡¯s stats did not immediately make one stronger. There needed to be some time to adjust. Loretta jokingly called this ¡®updating.¡¯


    But how could I forget the first day of school!? It had been years since I raised my intelligence stat, how could it still be updating? Was it because I didn¡¯t use my brain enough?


    With mother giving me the ¡®don¡¯t tell me you forgot¡¯ face, I smiled bashfully.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy with the dungeontely.¡±


    ¡°Dungeon this, dungeon that. Your father¡¯s been saying the thing. Do you have gold hidden in there?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t father bring you some every day?¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Well, I...¡±


    I turned away from her gaze. Sorry mother, with all the gold I¡¯m spending to meet a friend, I don¡¯t have any to bring home. But if I told her this, I got the feeling she would cut our tie of kinship. That would be troublesome. It meant I would not be Yua¡¯s brother anymore.


    ¡°How can I be the same as father? I don¡¯t make as much. In fact, I spend more than I make.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I thought. Your father, though. Why isn¡¯t he registering as an ability user?¡±


    Currently, father was frantically breaking through a dungeon floor. He should be on the 14th floor. As expected of the self-proimed Strongest on Earth, he swept through so many floors in just a few months.


    I knew exactly what father was thinking.


    ¡°He¡¯s a bit too weak right now.¡±


    When I told her that he was raising his level and Shockwave¡¯s skill level, she tilted her head. It seemed there was something even mother did not know.


    I had no idea how an ability user developed their ability. I could only suspect that they grew with frequent use. It was also possible that abilities could not grow. After all, if it was so easily doable, there wouldn¡¯t be so many F-rank ability usersining on inte forums.


    However, it was simple for an awakened dungeon explorer to develop his skills. He just had to repeatedly use the skill and raise its skill level. As a bonus, he could also raise his mana stat with the level up stats points, making it all the more easy for skills to develop. All in all, there was no other bug like a dungeon explorer awakening as an ability user.


    When ability users awakened, they visited the government owned Ability Appraisal Center, and determined what category their ability fell into, as well as the amount of mana they held and their rank. Of course, since father did not have any ns to register as an ability user, he could only guess his rank from the power of ability users shown on TV worldwide. The result was D-rank.


    F and E-rank ability users were not deployed to fights against monsters. If they were, it was only as supports. Only at the D-rank did one have the power to fight against monsters. Of course, with father¡¯s spearmanship and strength as a dungeon explorer, his real strength was well over D-rank. However, his ability itself was D-rank.


    Father, who thinks he should be the strongest on Earth, jumped at the prospect of his ability beingbeled D-rank, and rushed into the dungeon.


    As a result of leveling up Shockwave¡¯s skill level along with his own, he now had the strength of an upper C-rank ability user. Of course, he would continue to get stronger. Yup, I was jealous.


    However, father gave up on everything like Compressing Elixirs, Soul Tempering Pills, Orc Lord Set, and titles. He focused solely on climbing higher and raising his skill levels.


    Although it was a decision he made to quickly increase his strength and earn more money, I did not think it was wise. Complete conquering of the dungeon. I believed that this path I was taking was the way to infinitely grow stronger.


    ¡°So... Shouldn¡¯t you go to school?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will, Mom.¡±


    As I regretted scheduling my first ss to be at 9 A.M. in the morning, I had to walk up the school¡¯s annoying hillside road. Seeing the ginkgo trees[1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba] lined up along the path, I smiled.


    ¡°In a while, they¡¯ll be extremely beautiful.¡±


    Ginkgo nuts fell and exploded, their pungent odor spreading out into the air.


    [Let¡¯s do our best so more will grow next year!]


    [Ehew, I¡¯m annoyed by all these old women picking up the nuts. We have to give them to the Queen.]


    Fall, a season wrought with the smell of ginkgos, was nowing to an end. There was less than two weeks before winter began. When the time came, I vowed to take the shuttle bus, instead of treading uphill in the cold.


    The lectures happened on the 2nd floor of the business management building. It was a ss with over 100 people. Somehow the students had already gotten to know each other, as they chatted like they¡¯d known each other for years. I, on the other hand, was standing outside the door, staring at them like I was from a different country. I had the feeling that campus life I dreamed of would not be happening.


    It was then that I felt a hand pulling on my sleeve. I turned around.


    ¡°Gek, hoody girl.¡±


    ¡°Su Ye-Eun!¡±


    ¡°Right, Su Ye-Eun. It was nice seeing you again.¡±


    As I made a 180 degree turn and began to head towards a corner seat, Su Ye-Eun grabbed onto my sleeve again.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know your name yet.¡±


    Su Ye-Eun was again covering up her head with a hoody. Even so, at a close distance, her face was in full view. Round eyes, aquiline nose, and full pink lips. She had all the qualities of a beauty. Of course, even if her beauty could topple Cleopatra off her throne, I wanted nothing to do with her!

 Chapter 26. I Can Hear Your Voice (3)

    Chapter 26. I Can Hear Your Voice (3)


    If I involved myself with her, others might find out that I¡¯m an ability user. Even worse, the fact that I¡¯m a dungeon explorer might be revealed. Mm, I still couldn¡¯t believe that I told Su Ye-Eun that I was a dungeon explorer. What was I thinking? I could only hope that she wouldn¡¯t sell out someone who saved her life.


    ¡°Kang Shin. Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, hi.¡±


    I tried to turn away again, but this time, she held onto my arm.


    ¡°Hey, stop!¡±


    ¡°Why are you avoiding me?¡±


    ¡°Put your hand on your chest and ask yourself.¡±


    ¡°... Pervert.¡±


    ¡°Can I hit you just once?¡±


    Su Ye-Eun let go of my arm then asked in an even quieter voice.


    ¡°I want to know what your ability is.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know yours.¡±


    ¡°... Do you hate me?¡±


    ¡°Now you know?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bother.¡±


    This time, she didn¡¯t grab onto my arm. I wondered if I was too harsh, but soon told myself I wasn¡¯t. It was because Su Ye-Eun was still following me.


    ¡°Are you picking a fight?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t go to the opening party because of you.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any friends to talk to.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was I wrong to sympathize with her? No, I wasn¡¯t! We were both innocent! I suddenly felt my hostility dwindling and I let her sit in an open seat next to me. She seemed surprised at this unexpected action as she opened her eyes wide under her hoody and smiled.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°... Hmph, it¡¯s not like I did it for you. I just didn¡¯t want to talk more.¡±


    Ah, maybe that wasn¡¯t the right response. I regretted inwardly. What I knew for sure was that I couldn¡¯t fully shake myself loose of her, and that she became my first friend at college. Haa, life really didn¡¯t turn out as one expected.


    *


    I had a dream. I was shouting, but I couldn¡¯t hear myself in the noisy background.


    The sky was dark and full of storm clouds. Crimson devils filled the earth and the sky, and only she was by my side. There wererades nearby that weren¡¯t human, but she was the only human.


    [If I told you that I love you, what would you say?]


    I stopped my shouting and looked at her unbelievably beautiful face.


    [I¡¯d say that I hate you. Because I do.]


    [... Nothing ever goes my way with you, huh?]


    I looked lovingly at her zing eyes. Before she obtained her ability, she set herself aze. After she obtained her ability, she set everything apart from her aze.


    I held in my desire to embrace her and said,


    [This isn¡¯t the end. The end won¡¯te. Ever.]


    [I¡¯m surprised you can say that in this situation.]


    [We¡¯re going to survive, XX... until the end, together.]


    [And if we do?]


    [Then I¡¯ll tell you I love you.]


    [... Stupid Orc, acting superior.]


    [XX said that! XX said that! Grr!]


    I opened my eyes. It was the worst wake up I¡¯ve ever head.


    ¡°H... Huh?¡±


    My head hurt and so did my eyes. My throat was parched. Did I dream? No, I couldn¡¯t remember anything. I felt like I saw a dark sky but my head hurt when I tried to remember it. I gave up and opened the windows, letting the autumn wind tickle my hair.


    [Good morning~]


    [I came all the way from West Sea~]


    [Ah, the smell of the sea!]


    I shook my head to shake the sleepiness off. It seemed fatigue had built up from staying in the dungeon for too long. Plus, I had to go to school now too. Two weeks had passed since school started, which was enough to take its toll on me.


    ¡®Let¡¯s not overdo it,¡¯ I murmured to myself. Immediately after, I was preparing to fight the Dark Ratman three times in the morning. My sses were in the afternoon.


    *


    [Palludia contacted me recently.]


    ¡°To meet on the 25th floor?¡±


    [Yup. As I thought, it¡¯s because of you.]


    ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s because of me?¡±


    [Haha, Shin, you aren¡¯t good with women, are you?]


    ¡°Oh, and you are?¡±


    [At least more than you, friend. I have a fianc¨¦e after all.]


    ¡°Fianc¨¦e!?¡±


    It surprised me. Ellos sounded content as he chuckled.


    [Mm, yes. Well, you better hurry, friend. There¡¯s only a month left until the promised day.]


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try. What floor are you on now?¡±


    [I¡¯m on the 24th floor. Since I¡¯m near the end, I should be able to reach the 25th floor in time.]


    ¡°Alright, then see you on the 25th floor.¡±


    [Yes, see you there.]


    I finished my conversation with Ellos and thought back to the boss fight I just had. It was overall a sess. There were three people including me and we all survived without a hitch.


    However, I could not see the path ahead. I did not have the confidence to take on so many ratmen along with the Dark Ratman. I had the key to the solution, but using it would decrease my attack and defense significantly...


    When I noticed the stinging gaze and turned to face it, I found Loretta staring at me intently.


    ¡°Wah!¡±


    ¡°Customer, why do you always leave me standing here like a fool while you exchange messages with others? Are you mistaking the Floor Shops as rest stops?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t? There are lots of foods to eat and a beautiful server as well.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t fall for any lip service. Not to mention, I¡¯m not fazed by such an obvious truth.¡±


    ¡°Then give me a 5 gold fruit juice.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, customer!¡±


    Loretta really was simple-minded. I took the fruit juice from Loretta (it had an effect of quickly relieving fatigue), and asked her a question that suddenly popped up in my head.


    ¡°Loretta, you¡¯re always at the Floor Shop whenever Ie.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Isn¡¯t it the duty of a shopkeeper to meet her customer?¡±


    ¡°Then what do you do when I¡¯m not here?¡±


    I¡¯ve been meaning to ask it for a while. She was there on every Floor Shop I went to. I was curious what she did when I wasn¡¯t here. Loretta answered with a chortle.


    ¡°My, customer, are you hitting on me? Not yet, it¡¯s too early for that.¡±


    ¡°No, not at all.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ow ow ow.¡±


    Loretta approached me without any change in her expression and pinched my cheeks without mercy. It hurt extremely.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t tease girls like that, customer.¡±


    ¡°Eh? When did I... Sorry, spare me.¡±


    Seeing Loretta bring out a double-sided axe from the back of the shop, I acquiesced. Loretta returned the axe with a humph.


    ¡°What was the question? What I usually do? That will be 500 gold, customer.¡±


    ¡°You cheapskate! I won¡¯t ask!¡±


    ¡°Huhu, girls have many secrets, customer.¡±


    ¡°A secret worth as little as 500 gold?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun. How will you get along with your girlfriend like that?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, she¡¯s not my girlfriend.¡±


    Loretta remained silent at my tiresome reply, and only when I was about finished with my juice did she speak out of the blue.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m not a human, right?¡±


    ¡°I expected as much.¡±


    ¡°I am a member of a race well known for our aptitude for magic. I won¡¯t tell you what race it is untilter, though.¡±


    ¡°Magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Did you think you were my only customer in this dungeon?¡±


    ¡°... Eh? You mean you trade with other dungeon explorers as well?¡±


    Loretta lightly nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s the power of magic and also the power of the dungeon. I can take pieces of my consciousness and put them in puppets, thus spreading my consciousness to countless ces in the dungeon. Although I don¡¯t trade with all dungeon explorers, I do trade with about 10 percent of the First Dungeon explorers.¡±


    ¡°Uk, that sounds exhausting.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, are you worrying about me? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m also resting in my house located somewhere in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡±


    In other words, the Loretta I was talking with was a puppet. I was truly surprised. It was something I had never considered. After all, her skin was just like a person¡¯s, her eyes were also...


    ¡°Do you want to try touching me?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°As I thought, I¡¯m scary, right?¡±


    ¡°Scary? What is?¡±


    When I asked with a look of confusion, Loretta naturally answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not normal. Being able to split one¡¯s consciousness and control puppets. Even dungeon explorers can¡¯t help but be shocked when they hear it.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly shocking, but I don¡¯t see why it would be scary?¡±


    ¡°... Are you not scared of me, customer? I hate to be the one to say it, but I¡¯m an amazing magician, you know?¡±


    ¡°The moment I saw you sitting in the Floor Shop of this mysterious dungeon, I knew you were someone amazing.¡±


    ¡°The one in front of you is nothing but a puppet controlled by a piece of consciousness. Doesn¡¯t it disgust you?¡±


    Disgust? I took the time to think about it. What was in front of me was a puppet with Loretta¡¯s consciousness. It was seemingly no different than a real person. Through this puppet, Loretta cried,ughed, and got angry.


    ... What disgust?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯m supposed to be disgusted by... Loretta is Loretta. Just because you are in a different form, doesn¡¯t change the fact that you are Loretta. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, um... mm.¡±


    Loretta suddenly stuttered. Her cheeks were slightly red.


    ¡°Uuu. Certainly, this is how I hoped you would react, but...¡±


    ¡°Yes? What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing! You can go now!¡±


    ¡°Mm? No, why so suddenly? Okay, I¡¯ll leave, stop pushing!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and leave!¡±


    Loretta screamed and tried to chase me out. She was now red as a tomato.


    Hm. Did I just make Loretta mad? What did I do wrong? I wasn¡¯t sure exactly what I did wrong, I told myself to apologize to her the next time I saw her. Then, I got out of the dungeon. It was now time to go to school.

 Chapter 27. I Can Hear Your Voice (4)

    Chapter 27. I Can Hear Your Voice (4)


    She did not cry. Even when her country fell to ruin, even when her continent copsed, even when her sister was dragged away by the Demon Lord, even when the emperor and empressmitted suicide.


    As the crown princess and thest surviving member of the Empire, she stood tall until the end.


    [I¡¯lle back to reim what is mine!]


    [My lovely Crown Princess, what a shame it is to have you leave. I will await the day I see you again.]


    The Demon Lord whispered to the girl in my embrace with a sly expression, then faced me and said.


    [Savior, Hero. For what reason have you arrived at this fallen world?]


    [Agh, you have a severe case of eighth-grade syndrome. I¡¯m just here to save my friend.]


    [... The reason I will not kill you now is-]


    [Because you can¡¯t, idiot. I¡¯m leaving. Next time I see you, the first thing I¡¯ll do is punch you in the face. Return!]


    [How arrogant, Human.]


    At my shout, my surroundings shone with a brilliant light and a door appeared in midair. I opened the door and stuck my middle finger out at the Demon Lord who was trying to look cool until the end.


    [If you don¡¯t like it, why don¡¯t youe over to my world!?]


    *


    ¡°... Again.¡±


    It was another unpleasant morning. Was it because I only said I¡¯d go easy and really didn¡¯t?


    My entire body felt out of sorts and I had a splitting headache. I sat down cross-legged on my bed and initiated Peruta Circuit. Whenever my body felt out of bnce, Peruta told me to use the Peruta Circuit to rebnce it.


    Mana, which circted with my body as the center, was extremely intense, but at the same time, extremely pure and dynamic in movement. Once I began to circte it, it moved mostly by itself.


    Circting the mana inside of me and epting the outside mana, I spit out the impurities that had umted inside of me.


    [Kyaa, cool prince!]


    [The mana is so bright. I¡¯m being sucked in~]


    [Someone hold him!]


    I knocked on my ear a few times and stretched. Today was the weekend, so I headed to the dungeon right after breakfast. It was the day I would challenge the Dark Ratman with just two people. My partner was none other than Shina.


    ¡°Are you sure? You left your party members behind. Plus, it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re only making small progress on the 17th floor. Plus, all the party members are busy today.¡±


    Shina answered as if she had it prepared beforehand. On one hand, she held a round shield, and a longsword on the other. As expected of a party leader, her equipment looked good.


    She would be my tank for today. She was stable and had the sense to dodge the Dark Ratman¡¯s skill. She was the best choice for a partner.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m slightly worried, but I know I¡¯ll be fine with you, oppa!¡±


    ¡°Yep. Like I said, you just have to dy the Dark Ratman for a little.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Take good care of me!¡±


    Exchanging messages with her from time to time, we became close enough for her to call me oppa. She was usually mature, but she also knew how to spoil herself and act affectionately. She was overall a very likable girl. Though, of course, she wasn¡¯t a match for my Yua!


    With the boss fight in front of us, she put on her Lightning Resistant Robe. I had my Wraith Queen Set on as well.


    Although Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry was a fantastic skill, even if I could ignore the Dark Ratman¡¯s attack, just a single dark lightning would kill me. As such, it wasn¡¯t particrly useful in the 15th Floor Master fight.


    Wraith Queen Set¡¯s Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail had the effect of inflicting confusion and fear on surrounding enemies. With it, I could take care of all the ratmen minions while the Dark Ratman was stupefied.


    Thus, whenever I fought the Dark Ratman, I took off the Orc Lord Set I liked and wore the Wraith Queen Set which I still felt awkward in. I also couldn¡¯t help but shiver at the lightness of this armor set.


    However, Shina seemed to be paying attention to another side of the Wraith Queen Set.


    ¡°Wow, you look so cool, oppa.¡±


    ¡°M-Mm?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, it goes well with your handsome face. Like royalty.¡±


    ¡°R-Royalty... you¡¯re ttering me too much.¡±


    With how much I was being called Crown Prince, it would be bad if I confused myself for an actual royalty. With a bitter smile, I held up the Orc Lord¡¯s ive.


    ¡°Alright, you can tter me after the fight.¡±


    ¡°Got it! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    We stood side by side and kicked the door open. Inside, there were 40 ratmen and the Dark Ratman. It was the same as always.


    I shouted at the top of my lungs.


    ¡°COME FIGHT ME!¡±


    [You used the skill ¡®Provoke¡¯! You gained the attention of nearby enemies!]


    ¡°Kigik!¡±


    ¡°Kugagak! Kill him!¡±


    ¡°Human male!¡±


    From above, it would give anyone watching the unpleasant feeling of a bunch of rats running. While I gripped my spear tightly and prepared to use Heroic Strike, I yelled toward Shina.


    ¡°Take care of the Dark Ratman!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The Dark Ratman was among the ratmen running toward me, and Shina rushed toward it to take the aggro. Sure enough, the Dark Ratman changed target, swiping at her with its ws.


    For some strange reason, the ratmen had low defensepared to their high attack. Their mental defense was even weaker. It was clear to see by how they were so easily provoked by a low-rank skill. Modifying the trajectory of my spear as I went, I included as many ratmen as possible in my attack.


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    d in white light, my spear thrust forward and ughtered about a dozen ratmen in its path. I then wrapped mana around the spear and began to pierce the other ratmen¡¯s throats.


    ¡°Kueek!¡±


    ¡°Human!¡±


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    I continually used Provoke, making sure none of them went toward Shina. By piercing the ratmen¡¯s throats one by one, I made sure that they were dead.


    ¡°Kyak! It¡¯s using its skill!¡±


    ¡°Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail!¡±


    [Kiyaaaaaa!]


    Although I wanted to save it since I could only use it once a day, Shina had already been hit by the lightning. She would be able to dodge the follow up attacks if she dodged the initial lightning, but she had no choice but to die if she was hit. Not unless I used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail.


    [You used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail! All enemies have be confused! All enemies have be feared!]


    ¡°Kigigik! Human, too many humans!¡±


    ¡°Scary, dark scary!¡±


    The surroundings had be chaotic. Some of the ratmen began to fight each other, while others fell and trembled in fear. The Dark Ratman had also canceled his skill and was fighting the nearby ratmen with reddened eyes.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time. Deal as much damage as you can!¡± I shouted as I took care of several Ratmen with Tempest. Shina seemed to have recovered from the paralysis thanks to the Lightning Resistant Robe, as she gasped for air and concentrated mana on her sword. Her mana was the same color as her eyes.


    ¡°Take this! Ho Pierce!¡±


    ¡°Kueeek!¡±


    While Shina was attacking the confused Dark Ratman, I continued to take care of the ratmen minions. With them fighting by themselves or trembling in fear, they werepletely defenseless. When I killed thest ratmen, the effect of Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail wore off, and the Dark Ratman once again used his skill.


    ¡°Kigigik, I will cook you until you¡¯re charred ck!¡±


    ¡°I think you mean burn, idiot!¡±


    [Dark Ratman uses Dark Thunder Explosion!]


    It was here! The moment ck lightning began to explode out from his body, Shina and I jumped back. Alright, we dodged it!


    ¡°Kugagaga!¡±


    The Dark Ratman continuously shot out lighting in madness. Of course, we weren¡¯t just watching from the side. I drank a Mana Potion and prepared my Heroic Strike, while Shina drank a Health Potion.


    ¡°Whew, this is hard. You¡¯ve always been fighting like this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well... It¡¯sing!¡±


    ¡°Kugagagak! Humans!¡±


    ¡°Eat this!¡±


    Seeing the Dark Ratman charge toward us the moment his skill ended, I threw my spear forward. When I felt the condensed energy on the spear, I felt an unprecedented feeling of satisfaction. At the same time, I had a feeling that my spear would hit exactly where I aimed it.


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Kugagagak!¡±


    The Orc Lord¡¯s ivepletely pierced the Dark Ratman¡¯s chest,ing out of his back and nailing him to the wall. Blood spurted out from the Dark Ratman¡¯s chest as he copsed on the ground. He was either dead or was on the verge of dying.


    ¡°A-Amazing. To pierce through a Floor Master¡¯s defense. Ah...¡±


    ¡°Shina! Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes!¡±


    Shina and I both charged toward the Dark Ratman. Although he twitched its body, unwilling to die, Shina¡¯s and my attack easily finished him off.


    ¡°Haaap! Die!¡±


    ¡°Eit!¡±


    ¡°K-Kiiii!¡±


    Hearing thest bloodcurdling shriek of his dying breath, Shina and I high-fived. We had seeded.


    [You consumed a Thunder Crystal. Your resistance to lightning increases slightly. Your affinity with lightning increases. Your magic increases by 5. It seems taking more will not have any effect.]


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    I finished consuming Thunder Crystals to their limit much earlier than I anticipated. It was also unexpected that it would increase my magic by 5. As I was checking my status with satisfaction, Shina, who obtained the Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Boots, looked at me with an apologetic expression.


    ¡°Is it really okay, oppa? I hear the Leather Boots are a rare part.¡±


    ¡°I already have it. I only need two more toplete my set.¡±


    ¡°A-Amazing.¡±


    One of them woulde from hunting the Dark Ratman alone, so I really only had one more to go. Once I had that one piece... I would solo the Dark Ratman. I still wasn¡¯t confident, but I had no choice.


    ¡°Good luck, oppa! Although I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re doing, I know oppa can do anything!¡±


    ¡°Haha, are you trying to cheer me up? Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Call me if you ever need me again. I will always be avable!¡±


    ¡°Alright, see you againter.¡±


    I said my goodbye to Shina who was acting cutesy with sparkling eyes.


    ¡®Alright, I¡¯ll obtain thest piece of the Dark Ratman Set by the end of the day. Then, I¡¯ll challenge him solo tomorrow.¡¯ I murmured, trying to ease my anxiety.

 Chapter 28. I Can Hear Your Voice (5)

    Chapter 28. I Can Hear Your Voice (5)


    The sky was dyed ck. Under the artificial sky where not even a stream of light shone through, the dungeon, having swallowed all challengers, opened its mouth as if to seek more prey. From it, the screams of the dead and the smell of blood were still leaking out.


    [Son, are you ready?]


    Holding a spear over 3 meters long, he looked back at me. He was a veteran Hero, a Hero of the human race. Not just him, but all those who gathered to clear the dungeon were the same.


    [Yes.]


    Answering him lightly, I checked my equipment before entering the dungeon. An armor made from five-colored metal, a strange gauntlet emanating otherworldly aura, and te boots that wouldn¡¯t melt even inva. Finally, in my hand, a spear of pure white that rejected all darkness.


    Finally.


    [Sharana, Ruyue, Peika, Dortu.]


    [I¡¯m ready!]


    [What? Let¡¯s just go in already. I¡¯m ready to rampage.]


    [Let¡¯s get this boring dungeon over with! Then we can go y.]


    [I¡¯m Dortu. I will follow Master¡¯smand.]


    With them by my side, I would not be afraid no matter who I was up against. I gave the girls a big smile, and they also smiled back. I could do this. I was filled with confidence.


    I raised the pure white spear in my hand and pointed it at the entrance to the dungeon.


    [We¡¯re going in!]


    *


    ¡°...¡±


    I woke up. I calmly raised my hand. It was my hand, the one I had seen for 19 years. I then touched my body. It was the same, wearing the same shirt I always wore as pajamas.


    ¡°Huu... Huu...¡±


    I felt like vomiting from a splitting headache. How many times had I now seen dreams like this? I could remember at least three... five... twenty...


    I could not remember the faces of people that appeared in my dreams, but I vaguely remembered our conversations or the scenery. Were the dreams from my future? No, it could be from a ruined...


    [Prince-nim!]


    [Ce-le-bri-ty-!]


    [He smells nice.]


    [Kyaa! He looked this way!]


    By the slightly open windowsill, I saw the air swirling. A few masses of blue light were frolicking about. They must be the owners of the voices I¡¯d been hearing recently and trying to ignore. These small and rowdy existences held iprehensible powers. Elementals.


    I became certain at this moment. I had awakened.


    Spirit Mastery and Deific Manifestation. Was it really coincidence that I learned these two skills? I remained doubtful. At first, I thought Deific Manifestation was a skill that would allow me to learn a mana cultivation method, and I thought Spirit Mastery would only make Deific Manifestation stronger.


    Now that I had awoken to my ability, these two skills had entirely different purposes. Was this by someone¡¯s design? If so, who was this someone? Was it the one who created the dungeon? Would that existence even be a person?


    Things I had never thought about flooded my mind. However...


    p!


    ¡°Alright¡±


    As I rubbed my swollen cheeks, I returned to reality. Even if I tried to remember, I couldn¡¯t remember what I couldn¡¯t remember. I just had to do the things within my power. Then what were they?


    It was to form a contract.


    ¡°There are many elementals on Earth, but I can¡¯t just go around searching for my partner.¡±


    I realized from hearing the voices of many elementals in the past few days. Earth was full of elementals. Though, I did not know whether they were always there, or whether they appeared after Two Moon.


    I slowly recalled my ability. Elementalist. If I were to call it something, that would be it. I could feel elementals, see them, and use their powers by forming contracts with them.


    Contracts.


    Thenguage for it was already prepared. Almost as if I had known it my entire life, it was ingrained into my mind. Although I felt unfamiliar with myself, I soon became numb to the feeling. I had to acknowledge what I had to acknowledge. However, I was curious as to whether all Awakened experienced the same feeling.


    Of course, just because I could hear the voices of elementals and form contracts with them, it did not mean I could form a contract with any random elemental. An Elementalist could only see and form contracts with elementals on the same wavelength as the Elementalist¡¯s soul.


    As the quality of the Elementalist¡¯s soul increased, he would be able to see more elementals. However, I was still a rookie Elementalist who had not formed a contract with a single elemental. The first thing I had to do was to find an elemental on the same wavelength as me.


    How could I go about doing that? I, of course, couldn¡¯t travel the world searching for the right elemental. That was why the contract circle existed. It was something ingrained into my mind when I awakened as an Elementalist. It was a magic circle that connected me to the elemental whose wavelength matched mine.


    First, I pushed my bed to the side, then began to draw the magic circle on the ground. I bit down on my finger, tracing the outer perimeter of the circle with blood. Then, I engraved the inside of the circle with symbols that popped up in my head. At the same time, I imbued my mana into the symbols, giving them power.


    [Look! It¡¯s a contract circle!]


    [Really?]


    [It¡¯s an Elementalist!]


    [I¡¯ve never seen one in this world before.]


    [I want him to contract me! Then, I¡¯ll ask him to embrace me snugly.]


    [Dream on, weakling.]


    The nearby elementals seemed to have noticed what I was doing as they made circles around me. However, I ignored thempletely. Although I could hear their voices, I could not clearly see their forms. It meant their wavelengths did not match mine.


    I used over three hours to draw the circle. Of course, I had my door locked. I did not want to be disturbed. It was Sunday, so I did not have to worry about much.


    After I finished drawing the circle, I imbued my mana into it to check that it worked properly. There was no problem.


    I got down on one knee and chanted as I ced my left hand on the contract circle.


    ¡°I, Kang Shin, request the world¡¯s help. Draw a connection between me and the one who will be my friend and strength. Let use together like we were in the beginning of the world.¡±


    Ooong.


    As soon as I finished, the contract circle began to vibrate, radiating light. It not only sucked in my own mana, but it began to absorb the mana in the atmosphere.


    [Kyaa, run! We¡¯re being sucked in!]


    [As I expected, he¡¯s a-ma-zing-!]


    [It¡¯s the birth of an Elementalist!]


    [You stupid elementals! I said run!]


    Even as the elementals near me ran away in a hurry, the contract circle sucked in more and more mana. This continued for a while before it began to calm down. Then, after radiating out with a final burst of light, it calmed downpletely. At the same time, I confirmed that a connection had been made between me and someone beyond the contract circle.


    I whispered softly.


    ¡°Can you hear me?¡±


    [Who... are you? This strong and familiar feeling of lightning...]


    I consumed Thunder Crystals to the limit. Since my affinity to lightning increased, it was obvious that I would be connected to a lightning elemental. I continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kang Shin. Who are you?¡±


    [I am a lightning elemental, Peika. I¡¯ve been sleeping in a ce where no one could find me.]


    ¡°I found you. I want you to be my strength.¡±


    [I am the same. I also want you who holds the power of lightning. I want the outside world.]


    ¡°Then form a contract with me.¡±


    [Okay.]


    In the next moment, the contract circle let out a resplendent light. It was so bright that I could not help but close my eyes. When I opened them, an adorable girl, whose height did not seem to reach 20cm, was floating above the contract circle. She wore a delicate ck silk dress and silk gloves, and had straight ck hairs that curled at the ends.


    She had snow-white skin, eyes that shone with noble gold, and appearance like a porcin doll. It was a shame. If she were human, she would have been a girl of iparable beauty.


    She closed the folding fan in her hand with a thwack, then pointed it toward me.


    [I¡¯m here to form a contract.]


    ¡°My name is Kang Shin. In exchange for my mana, I wish to form a master-servant contract with you.¡±


    [My name is Peika. Until the day I perish, I solemnly swear my loyalty to thee.]


    In that instant, the connection between me and Peika transformed to an inseparable bond. An indescribable pleasure swept through my body. At the same time, I heard messages that I could only see in the dungeon.


    [You formed a contract with the lightning elemental Peika! Your affinity and resistance to the lightning element greatly increases!]


    [You obtained the ss, ¡®Elementalist!¡¯ Sessful 1st ss advancement increases your magic and charm by 10.]


    [You obtained the active skill, ¡®Spirit Aura.¡¯ By infusing a weapon with one¡¯s elemental, you can increase the weapon¡¯s strength. The strength increase depends on your mana and your affinity with the elemental.]


    [You obtained the passive skill, ¡®Elemental Contract.¡¯ As the skill levels increase, the number and quality of elementals you can form contracts with also increases. At the same time, it has a positive effect on already contracted elementals. Summoning elementals and maintaining them increases skill proficiency. Currently avable number of contracts: 1]


    [You obtained the ss passive skill, ¡®Elemental Control.¡¯ You can further control your contracted elemental. You can temporarily call upon ownerless elementals in nature in exchange for your mana. As the skill level increases, you can use less mana to more strongly control more elementals. Commanding andmunicating with elementals increases skill proficiency.]


    [List of Contracted Elementals


    1. Peika ¨C lightning elemental. Unique elemental. Locked. Locked. Unawakened.]


    [Low-rank Spirit Mastery bes level 4! Your affinity to all souls and spirits increase, allowing you to wield even stronger power.]


    ¡°Huu.¡±


    I finally obtained a ss. Although I had lingering attachment to the Spearman ss, it was easy to see that Elementalist was a much rarer ss. No, setting aside the matter of its rarity, I knew I could not be anything else but an Elementalist. I was certain that it was coded within my soul¡¯s essence. Was this what awakening was? Was this what bing an ability user was? I did not know how the dungeon managed to find out and turn my ability into skills, but at this moment, I was too enraptured to care.


    Elemental Contract. It allowed me to feel an existencepletely different than my own, and the feeling of being able to control it allowed me to experience a drug-like ecstasy. I felt her powerful existence, and even as it scared me, I smiled. Peika floated up and came right in front me. Then, using the hand not holding the folding fan, she touched my left eye.


    [I will engrave the contract symbol in Master¡¯s eye. It¡¯s going to hurt a bit, Master.]


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    It was a pain like stabbing one¡¯s eyes with a needle. However, the pain onlysted for an instant. When I picked up a mirror to check my eye, I was startled. The center of my iris was radiating with a golden light.


    [You won¡¯t notice it unless you look closely.]


    Peika grinned and spoke. I could see the symbol of our contract on her as well. A ck dragon symbol was tattooed on her cheek.


    ¡°What¡¯s that, a dragon?¡±


    [It¡¯s the creature closest to the essence of Master¡¯s soul. That¡¯s what a contract symbol is.]


    ¡°I see... Well, it¡¯s nice to meet you, Peika.¡±


    [Nice to meet you too, Master. I don¡¯t know why, but Master has a very nostalgic scent. It¡¯s very fragrant, I like it. I hope Master can continue summoning me.]


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I n on doing.¡±


    If I summon an elemental and maintain the summoning, I would increase my proficiency in Elemental Contract, Spirit Mastery, and Elemental Control. This applied not only inside the dungeon, but also outside in the real world.


    Although my mana would be drained continuously, that was an issue I could easily solve by periodically initiating Peruta Circuit. Peika made a happy smile and sat on my shoulder.


    I put my bed back in ce so that the contract circle was covered, then stepped out of my room.


    The world looked different. It was full of elementals.

 Chapter 29. I Can Hear Your Voice (6)

    Chapter 29. I Can Hear Your Voice (6)


    [Wow, a lightning elemental!]


    [It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen one!]


    [How beautiful. She stole my heart.]


    [Heart... Thief?]


    [Ah, she¡¯s an Elementalist¡¯s contracted elemental!]


    I could hear the chatter of elementals all around me. Their radiant souls were lighting up the world in a way I had never seen before. The noble scenery charmed mepletely, leaving me speechless.


    This all happened in the instant when I became aware of myself as an Elementalist. Although the elementals¡¯ wavelengths did not match mine, just knowing how many elementals there were in the world filled me with an indescribable emotion.


    [Master doesn¡¯t need to look at other elementals. Master has me.]


    ¡°Haha, how reliable. But aren¡¯t you still weak?¡±


    [T-That¡¯s... I¡¯ll get stronger soon!]


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight of Peika standing on my shoulder and dering her intentions with her folding fan held high. I knew that Peika was a strong elemental and that she would continue to get stronger. She was a unique elemental with self-awareness and a name. She also had secrets I was unaware of. However, Peika right now was still weak.


    All elementals were like that. They were existences that grew stronger by continuedmunication with their contracted master. No elemental was strong from the moment it formed a contract. Well, there were, of course, exceptions.


    In general, by spending time together, the souls of the elemental and the Elementalist became simr, thus making the elemental stronger. The speed and the limit of growth, which differed for each elemental, determined the strength of an elemental. However, they all started at the same starting line.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get along, Peika.¡±


    [Leave it to me! I am the lightning elemental Peika!]


    As I was enjoying my talk with my lovely partner, I suddenly recalled what I had nned for today.


    ¡®Onest part.¡¯


    The Dark Ratman solo. I trembled slightly. Today¡¯s circumstance was a lot different than yesterday¡¯s. Let alone the Dark Ratman, I felt like I could defeat even the 25th Floor Master alone. With Peika¡¯s strength and Elemental Control...!


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Vest


    2. Middle Potion


    3. Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Fedora


    4. 600 Gold


    5. Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Glove.]


    There! I clenched my fists. If the equipment part I wanted did not drop, I would have had to fight the boss again. Thankfully, bringing four other people did the trick. Choosing the Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Glove, I smiled.


    ¡°Wow, Crown Prince-nim already picked an item, but there are still two set items left.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim is truly unparalleled in boss fights.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an Elementalist. They are people the likes of us can¡¯t begin toprehend.¡±


    ¡°Howe I¡¯ve never heard of Crown Prince-nim being an Elementalist?¡±


    ¡°He must have been hiding it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Like I said, Elementalists are people we can¡¯tprehend.¡±


    As my party members were writing a novel of their own, I confirmed the six Dark Ratman set equipment. Because weapons did not count towards the set, I never chose the Dark Ratman¡¯s w. The Wraith Queen Set had six parts to it, but it seemed the Dark Ratman Set would have seven.


    What I had now was the Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Fedora, Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Vest, Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Belt, Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Glove, Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Pants, and finally, Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Boots. Since it was unlikely that a shirt would be made out of leather, I suspected thest one would be a leather jacket. I was about to find out.


    ¡°Good work everyone. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Crown Prince-nim! As expected of a Hero!¡±


    ¡°An Elementalist, I¡¯m so jealous. I hope to see you on the 20th floor too!¡±


    ¡®That probably won¡¯t happen. By the time you¡¯re on the 17th floor, I¡¯ll have long since left the 20th floor.¡¯ Of course, I didn¡¯t let my thought escape my mouth. Wishing them good luck, I left the boss room. On the other side was Loretta, who I was seeing for the first time today.


    ¡°C-Customer?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Um, on your shoulder...¡±


    Eh? She could see Peika? Although Elementalists could let others see their elementals, I had not done so. This could only mean that she was an Elementalist whose wavelength matched Peika, or...


    [Faerie race! It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a member of the Faerie race!]


    Peika shouted in surprise when she saw Loretta. With my guess having been confirmed, I nodded my head. The Faerie race, a mystical race that was represented by the well-known elves, fairies, hobgoblins, and dwarves. Although elementals could be considered true faeries, they were different from elves or dwarves who had settled down on the material world.


    Members of the Human race could not wield mana, or the select few that could had to learn it through their own efforts. However, members of the Faerie race were born with the ability to wield mana. Although they had their shorings, in terms of their magical abilities they were unparalleled.


    Of them, the Elves had the greatest affinity with mana and elementals. Whether they could form contracts with them or not, they were born with Elemental Eyes, which allowed them to see elementals.


    It seemed Loretta was a Faerie, and an elf at that. I imagined that an elf would have long, pointy ears, but since she said her form was a puppet she created, she must have hidden her racial features.


    But how could she see elementals with through her puppet? Ah, I see. It was an ability rooted in the mind, not the body.


    ... Wait, how did I know all this? Was it part of the knowledge ingrained into me when I became an Elementalist?


    ¡°Customer, you became an Elementalist! Wow, that was unexpected!¡±


    ¡°That... doesn¡¯t sound like apliment.¡±


    ¡°I mean, a few years ago, you were muscle-brained and muscle-bodied! If anybody said you would be an Elementalist... a hellhound passing by wouldugh.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to be in a ce where a hellhound is randomly passing by anyways!¡±


    [You, did you ridicule Master?]


    When Peika red at Loretta and asked, Loretta shook her head with a smile.


    ¡°Elemental-nim, customer and I share a special rtionship. We were just having a friendly conversation.¡±


    [Hmph, I don¡¯t like you. Not to mention, you¡¯re hiding in a puppet.]


    With a humph, Peika snorted and turned away. As I gently rubbed Peika¡¯s head, I talked to Loretta.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back. It shouldn¡¯t take long.¡±


    Loretta seemed to have understood what I meant as a faint smile flickered around her mouth.


    ¡°Good luck. I¡¯ll pray for your safety.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I inspected my Wraith Queen Set onest time and made sure I had all sorts of potions ready on my body. Finally, I patted Peika on the head.


    [I¡¯m not a child!]


    Although Peika shouted and puffed out her cheeks, she did not refuse my patting. How cute. I already knew what she thought with the connection we shared.


    I stood in front of the door I just closed. With my spear in hand, I kicked it open.


    ¡°Kugaga! Human, a human!¡±


    ¡°Tasty looking human!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll turn you all into rat meat steaks!¡±


    [You used the skill, Provoke! You draw nearby enemies toward you!]


    ¡®Not that I¡¯d eat it.¡¯ Thinking rather useless things, I charged forward, paving forth a way with my spear.


    ¡°Peika, I¡¯ll leave it to you!¡±


    [Got it!]


    As I swung my spear amongst the sea of ratmen, Peika calmly flew up. Then, as if to make fun of the ratmen attempting to block her way, she leisurely flew past them and towards the Dark Ratman.


    Although the rattled Dark Ratman tried to attack her, she was a lightning elemental. As a wind elemental was swift, as a water elemental was soft, as an earth elemental was sturdy, and as fire elemental was hot, she, as a lightning elemental, was fast and sharp.


    ¡°Little fly, kugagak, I¡¯ll crush you!¡±


    [F-Fly? You darepare this noble lightning elemental to a fly!? I¡¯ll kill you!]


    I could feel mana draining out of me. Peika had taken it to manifest her elemental lightning. Although the Dark Ratman had its ck lightning, it seemed the elemental lightning attack worked, as it let out a pain-filled shriek. Good. It seemed I could leave the Dark Ratman to her.


    Feeling an infinite trust in my elemental, I drank a Lowest-grade Mana Potion, and focused again on the ratmen in front of me. I continued to use Provoke to draw them near me, then used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail.


    ¡°Kiyaaaa!¡±


    [You used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail. All enemies within its area be confused and feared!]


    The gathered ratmen made vacuous expressions and began to roll around on the floor or attack each other. It was now! I raised my spear up high.


    ¡°Elementals!¡±


    [Prince is calling!]


    [What do we do? What do we do?]


    [Ugly rats, ew.]


    ¡°Come to my spear! Together, we¡¯ll exterminate those ugly rats!¡±


    [Whoo, I¡¯m first!]


    [Whee~]


    What I prepared was Tempest. At my calling, the nearby elementals let out small lights as if to assert their existences and flew toward my spear. Along with Peruta Circuit¡¯s flow of mana, a spiral current formed around my spear and the elementals naturally began spinning along the current.


    [Fun! It looks fun!]


    [Me too, me too!]


    [Put me in too!]


    No matter how faint the lights were, when they gathered together in mass, the spear was radiating with bright light. If Heroic Strike shone with a pure-white radiance, then the countless elementals on my spear shone it with a festival-like rainbow.


    In front of such beautiful sight, I almost forgot to attack. However, I soon remembered what situation I was in due to the elementals slowly draining my mana.


    ¡°Here I go, Tem-¡±


    No, this was different from the Tempest Peruta had taught me. My technique as a spearman and strength as an Elementalist. It was a technique that embodied my identity.


    ¡°Here I go, Elemental Tempest!¡±

 Chapter 30. I Can Hear Your Voice (7)

    Chapter 30. I Can Hear Your Voice (7)


    ¡°Here I go, Elemental Tempest!¡±


    Shouting out the name that suddenly crossed my mind, I thrust out my spear d with the enormous elemental storm. As always, my naming sense was rather simple.


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Kuaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Kigik, Kuak!¡±


    Immediately afterward, I staggered as dizziness swept over me. I had lost too much mana in an instant. I bit down on my cheek to rouse myself, and quickly took out and gulped down a Middle Mana Potion.


    1,000 mana slowly filled me up, soothing my dizziness. Middle Mana Potions were sold at the Floor Shop for 500 gold. In other words, they were each worth one million won. Although I would have preferred to save them, now was not the time. The Dark Ratman was still alive and kicking.


    I raised my head to see the result of my attack. What I saw was shocking. The dungeon¡¯s stone floor was a mess as numerous holes were scattered about. The ratmen that once filled the room were all dead, torn to shreds. Although I had somewhat expected it, it was still a surprising sight to behold.


    At that time, I heard a message that I had heard once before.


    [You created the skill, ¡®Elemental Tempest¡¯! A technique thatbines elemental power with the ancient spear technique designed to handle many enemies. It possesses a domineering force, obliterating nearby enemies! It uses half of the user¡¯s MP. This skill may only be used by its creator. The skill level is adjusted to lower-rank level 5.]


    [You created a skill! Elemental Tempest is a skill that never existed elsewhere. Created with the most exquisitebination of mana, spearmanship, and elemental power, this skill will remain a legend for future generations of Elemental Spearman. You obtained 1 skill point as a reward. Current skill point: 4]


    ¡°Ha, hahaha.¡±


    I created another skill! An indescribable feeling of satisfaction swept over me.


    Attack skill.


    Shina¡¯s Ho Pierce was considered an extremely rare skill. Attack skills were as rare as magic, and would serve its user for his or her entire life. As such, I was surprised I would create a second attack skill after Heroic Strike.


    Not to mention, one was a single-target attack perfect to use against a boss, and the other was a multi-target attack perfect for fighting mobs. With these two, I would be invinci... no, wait.


    ¡®I could apply elemental power to Heroic Strike too!¡¯


    Of course, Heroic Strike was different from Tempest. It was easy to harmonize elementals with Tempest because it used a current made from mana. However, Heroic Strike was a pure concentration of my energy. If other elementals interfered, it would be weaker instead.


    However, that did not mean I could not make use of elemental power. Spirit Aura. If I infused my spear with Peika, it would be possible. How strong would that be? Luckily, I did not need to imagine its strength.


    I could just test it now.


    ¡°Kugagak! I will fry you along with your wings!¡±


    [You wish!]


    When all of its minions died, the Dark Ratman became noticeably anxious. It tried to use Dark Thunder Explosion, but Peika was none other than a lightning elemental. She absorbed the Dark Ratman¡¯s paralyzing electric shock and let out an even more dazzling light.


    It was to be expected. Elementals had a 100 percent resistance against their own elements. In other words, they werepletely immune to their own elements. Now that I saw Peika, however, it seemed she had an absorption ability as well. Although I suspected it when I first read the information about her, but it really seemed Peika was not an ordinary elemental.


    ¡°Kahahaha! It¡¯s a festival of lightning!¡±


    [Try it, I dare you!]


    As Peika fearlessly taunted the Dark Ratman, I escaped Dark Thunder Explosion¡¯s area of effect. Even if Peika was immune to it, that did not mean I was immune as well. It might be different if Peika developed further and our affinity rose to the extreme, but that was not the case now.


    As expected, Dark Ratman¡¯s ck lighting was absorbed by Peika the moment it came out, and she let out an increasingly dazzling light. When the skill finally ended, the Dark Ratman panted and screamed.


    ¡°Kugagak! Tough fly!¡±


    [Stop calling me that, you rat!]


    ¡°Kugagaga!¡±


    The Dark Ratman¡¯s physical resistance was close to zero with its leather burnt from Peika¡¯s endless lightning attacks. It had exhausted its mana with Dark Thunder Explosion as well. As it was now, it was no different than a sandbag.


    ¡°Huu. Hap!¡±


    The Dark Ratman was exhausted to the point it could not even shoot out a single bolt of lightning. However, it swung its long ws in the air in attempt to attack Peika. Meanwhile, I charged toward the Dark Ratman. Although it noticed before long, I was prepared.


    ¡°Peika, stop his movements!¡±


    [Eit!]


    At mymand, Peika let out a cute shout and raised her hand toward the Dark Ratman. Parts of the lightning that danced around her shot forward toward the Dark Ratman, paralyzing it. I knew she was my elemental, but she really was perfect.


    ¡°Now, Spirit Aura!¡±


    At the same time I activated my skill, Peika turned into a small particle of light and got sucked into my spear. I could feel my spear vibrating like it was alive and breathing. Above the spear, white lightning flickered about.


    [Tell me in advance before you use it!]


    ¡°Sorry, I was in a hurry!¡±


    Peika¡¯s lightning could not paralyze the enemy for long yet. I could not afford to waste the precious opportunity she created. Within that short period of time, I tensed my muscles and squeezed out all the strength and mana into one point on my spear. Then, I thrust out.


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    ¡°Kugagagak! Kak!¡±


    I targeted the left side of its chest where its heart was located. Lightning rippled and white light radiated out as my spear burnt its leather to crisp, broke its muscles and bones, and prated its heart.


    The Dark Ratman shrieked as it coughed up blood. Before long, its head drooped down. It was dead.


    I couldn¡¯t believe it even after I did it myself. No matter how much Peika¡¯s lightning had drained its energy, I had just defeated a Floor Master in a single blow. So this was the power of an Elementalist! This was the power of an Awakened!


    Even though it was mine, I was scared that I would be addicted to this power, that I would neglect my martial arts training. I had to remind myself.


    ¡®My strength lies in my spearmanship honed through 10 years of hard work. Never forget it. Don¡¯t be drunk on this new power.¡¯


    Then, as always, I was flooded with messages.


    [A Grand Achievement! You defeated the Floor Master, Dark Ratman, alone! Amazing!]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Dark Ratman yer.¡¯ All stats permanently increase by 1. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You defeated the Dark Ratman alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Jacket.¡¯]


    [You obtained 5,000 gold.]


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Return Magic Book.]


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    Only after I heard the flurry of messages did I rx. Although I felt like copsing on the floor, I held on and first deactivated Spirit Aura. Having returned to her elemental form, Peika sat down on my head and pulled on my hair here and there.


    [Next time, tell me beforehand! It was scary suddenly being sucked in like that!]


    ¡°Yeah, sorry, Peika.¡±


    [Okay! I forgive you!]


    Peika seemed to have been appeased as she gently stroked the hair she was pulling. Perhaps it was because she was an elemental, but she was extremely pure. Absent-mindedly, I went over the message log.


    The Dark Ratman yer title was something I expected to get. Having defeated the third Floor Master alone, all stats were now increased by 3. No matter how small it seemed, piled up over a long time, it would have a significant effect.


    And as I expected, I received thest part of the Dark Ratman Set, the leather jacket. I suspected that this equipment set had that skill. If so, I would dly rece the Orc Lord Set I spent a long time to gather. Of course, I was currently wearing the Wraith Queen Set.


    I took off the Wraith Queen equipment one by one. Leaving behind just the shirt, I put on the Dark Ratman equipment. After wearing the leather pants, leather boots, and leather belt, I wore the leather glove, put my the leather jacket, and pushed the leather fedora on my head.


    Although they were heavier than the Wraith Queen equipment, they were lighter than the Orc Lord equipment. Although I was worried that the Dark Ratman Set¡¯s defense would pale in front of the armor-type Orc Lord Set, the equipment dropped by the 15th Floor Master were fundamentally different.


    When I finished putting on thest equipment part, a fanfare rang out in my ear.


    ¡®What was that? I never heard something like it when I got the Wraith Queen¡¯s skill!¡¯


    The messages that followed made me freeze in ce.


    [You equipped the Dark Ratman Set. Your strength and dexterity increases by 10. When the Dark Ratman set is equipped, you can use ¡®Dark Thunder Explosion¡¯ once per day.]


    Up to this point, it was within my expectation. Still, it made me dance in happiness. I could now use that powerful skill! Like the Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry and Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail, equipment-based skills did not use mana.


    Even though they could only be used once a day, being able to use such powerful skills without mana was a great merit.


    What surprised me was what followed.


    [You satisfied the opening condition of ¡®Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch.¡¯ You obtained a subss! Opening condition: learn 5 skills, collect 3 skill equipment, create 1 skill.]


    [You obtained the subss, ¡®Skill Collector.¡¯ Your magic and luck increases by 10 through ss advancement bonus.]


    [You obtained the ss active skill, ¡®Endow Skill.¡¯ You can extract skills from equipment and endow the pocket watch with them. The skills will then be useable without having the equipment set equipped. You can endow up to 12 skills and they will be usable once per day. This skill has no level.]


    [You obtained the ss passive skill, ¡®Spirit of the Collector.¡¯ Upon defeating Floor Masters or Event Dungeon bosses, or clearing Event Dungeons, the chances of items you need appearing on the reward list increases. The chance increases based on your charm and luck stat. This skill has no level.]


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    The pocket watch. I had forgotten about it! I didn¡¯t even remember when I got it in the first ce!

 Chapter 31. From Today, Im an Official Explorer (1)

    Chapter 31. From Today, I¡¯m an Official Explorer (1)


    Since I had already gotten the Elementalist ss, I had forgotten about it. I left the pocket watch stuffed into my inventory and never looked at it. But to think it would turn out like this. As always, the best feeling came from unexpected gains.


    More importantly, it was a subss. Unlike the Elementalist ss, it did not grant me any amazing abilities that changed the way I fought. That said, it would have been weird if my ss changed from Elementalist to something else. Being able to use Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry, Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail, and other equipment set skills without having to equip them was certainly beneficial.


    Not to mention, the ss passive skill ¡®Spirit of the Collector!¡¯ Although this skill seemed to rely on luck for the most part, it was clear that the skill would not be harmful in any way. As a passive skill, it would help me for a long time.


    After organizing my thoughts, I hurriedly took out the pocket watch. The pocket watch was shining with dazzling light from the jewels on the lid. It was as if a switch had been turned on.


    The moment I opened the lid, the minute hand, which was between 11 and 12 o¡¯clock positions, suddenly began spinning. At the same time, I heard a voice in my ear.


    [You used the skill, ¡®Endow Skill.¡¯ You currently possess 3 skill equipment. Which of them would you like to endow?]


    [1. Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry


    2. Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail


    3. Dark Thunder Explosion]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Although it wasn¡¯t like I had doubted it, but I could not help but smile seeing it with my own eyes. Without erasing the smile from my face, I spoke out.


    ¡°Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry.¡±


    [Designate the hour.]


    ¡°Hour? Ah, it¡¯s asking where. Then 1 o¡¯clock.¡±


    As soon as the word left my word, the Orc Lord Set flew out of my inventory and fell on the ground. Then, the Orc Lord Set began to shine with red light. Soon, a red jewel flew up amidst the red light and went into the pocket watch.


    Thinking I was being attacked, I almost let go of the pocket watch. But seeing that I was unhurt, I turned my gaze toward the pocket watch. The spinning minute hand had stopped and was now fixed on the 1 o¡¯clock position. A red jewel was embedded there, recing the number 1.


    I now realized that these holes weren¡¯t actual holes where something came off. They were empty sockets where skills would be embedded.


    ¡°Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail.¡±


    Like before, the Wraith Queen Set shone with a gloomy grey light and spit out a grey jewel. It then entered the 2 o¡¯clock socket. I continued with the Dark Ratman Set, which went into the 3 o¡¯clock socket. For some reason, however, the jewel was yellow. Was it because lighting was yellow? But it¡¯s called dark thunder... how mysterious.


    ¡°Hu, so this means I don¡¯t need to wear the full set anymore. Though, since the Dark Ratman Set is the best, I¡¯ll continue wearing it.¡±


    It increased my strength and dexterity by 10 points each. That was a stat bonus equivalent to 4 whole levels! The Dark Ratman wasparatively difficult to solo, but I had also gained a lot from doing so. Feeling all around happy, I smiled from ear to ear as I patted Peika¡¯s head.


    [Stop, my hair will get tangled.]


    Since Peika said it while flushing her cheeks and twisting her body, I continued to pat her.


    Hm? Why did I feel like I was forgetting something?


    ¡°Oh yeah, the reward.¡±


    The reward from defeating the Floor Master alone. I had almost forgotten about it. When I checked, it was a Return Magic Book. Return? Tilting my head, I used it immediately.


    [You learned the Return skill. Using 80 percent of your remaining mana, you can teleport to any predetermined location. You can bring up to two people. You can only choose two locations at any given time, and you must have visited these locations before. You can only use this skill twice a day. You can change these locations every two weeks. The number of locations and the number of times Return can be used will increase with levels.]


    [You cannot bring non-dungeon explorers to the dungeon.]


    [You cannot bring those belonging to other worlds into your own.]


    ¡®Geez, why is there so many twos!? It¡¯s easy to memorize at least. Wait, now that I think about it, this skill...¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s... amazing.¡±


    There was no better skill for going to and from school! Imagining myself teleporting to the school and teleporting back as soon as sses ended, I could not hide my excitement.


    ¡®Ah, going from school to home should be easy since I can just go into the restroom, but the other way would be hard... I¡¯ll need to look for a secluded area at school. Well, I¡¯ll think about thister.¡¯


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: Elementalist (Sub ¨C Skill Collector) Title: Dark Ratman yer Rank: Bronze 1


    Level: 20


    HP ¨C 5,870/5,870 MP ¨C 3,860/3,860


    Strength ¨C 55(+15) Dexterity ¨C 49(+13) Constitution ¨C 59(+3)


    Intelligence ¨C 20(+3) Magic ¨C 74(+3) Charm ¨C 43(+3) Luck ¨C 20(+3)


    Normal Skill ¨C Mid-rank Martial Arts (Lv 9), High-rank Spear Technique (Lv 4), Peruta Circuit (Lv 3), Mid-rank Heroic Strike (Lv 2), Low-rank Provoke (Lv 7), Return (Lv 1), Deific Manifestation.


    ss Skill ¨C Low-rank Spirit Mastery (Lv 5), Low-rank Spirit Aura (Lv 1), Low-rank Elemental Control (Lv 1), Low-rank Elemental Contract (Lv 2), Low-rank Elemental Tempest (Lv 5)


    Subss Skill ¨C Endow Skill, Spirit of the Collector]


    Huu. Now that I looked at my status, one thing stood out in particr. It was that my highest stat was magic. It was because I received bonus magic stats when I became an Elementalist and a Skill Collector.


    Of course, since magic could strengthen spear techniques, it was not a bad thing. Other closebat sses most likely received bonus strength, dexterity, or constitution stats. But thepressing elixirs I consumed easily covered that difference. Not to mention, the bonus from the Dark Ratman Set should have made me surpass them. I knew for certain that equipment that raised strength and dexterity by 10 were rare.


    When I visited the Floor Shop afterwards, Loretta was smiling without saying anything. Even when I showed her my sparkling pocket watch, she seemed to have expected it as she maintained her tranquil smile. Her leisure irritated me for no apparent reason.


    ¡°So you¡¯ll be challenging the 20th Floor Master next.¡±


    ¡°Yes, although I won¡¯t go for aplete conquer until I¡¯m level 25.¡±


    At my words, Loretta seemed to ponder over something, then said, ¡°Customer, the 20th Floor Master, Lizard Knight, is a monster that separates the Bronze rank and the Silver rank. It is a cruel and formidable monster that ughters explorers who do not meet the qualifications to rise to the Silver rank.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? But why are you telling me this?¡±


    ¡°For customer, it might be easier to defeat the Lizard Knight than the Dark Ratman.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Loreta stayed silent for a moment before she opened her mouth again.


    ¡°Customer, if the Dark Ratman appeared with a stronger defense, but without its ratmen minions, what would you have done?¡±


    ¡°I probably could have defeated it at level 15. I would just have to dodge its skill.¡±


    There was only one reason the Dark Ratman fight was so hard. It was because of how difficult it was to fight the fierce ratmen minions while dodging the Dark Ratman¡¯s lightning. But if there were no ratmen minions to worry about, defeating the Dark Ratman would have been easy. In fact, it might have been easier than the Wraith Queen fight. No matter how much its defense increased, it would not stand a chance against my skills. I just had to use it a couple more times.


    But at my answer, Loretta became speechless and stared at me fixedly. When I gave her the ¡®why are you looking at me¡¯ face, she cleared her throat and continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly how the Lizard Knight is. He does not have any minions that fight for him. However, he is strong, fast, and robust. With these qualities, he has forced countless explorers to kneel and despair. But if customer is confident, it would be fun to challenge him alone.¡±


    ¡°Dare to adventure. That¡¯s what you¡¯re saying, right?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what I told you? That the fruit of adventure is always sweet.¡±


    Loretta was giving me a hint. But what did she mean by the fruit of adventure being sweet? The title of Lizard Knight yer should be the same no matter when I earned it. What difference was there in getting it now orter?


    Ah.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, there¡¯s a difference if I seed in a solo raid in my challenge?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Hwi hwi~!¡±


    Loretta avoided my gaze as she whistled. It was obvious to the point it was doubtful, but Loretta had never said anything to put me at a disadvantage. She did try to con me into buying more items though.


    ... Could I trust her?


    ¡°One more thing, customer.¡±


    As I was wondering whether a mere level 20 adventurer like me should try to do something that doesn¡¯t seem particrly appealing, Loretta added, as if to put the nail on the coffin.


    ¡°The ¡®first¡¯ is always special.¡±


    The first. I felt a strong attraction to that word. It also implied that I had never truly been the first. Being the idiot that I am, I felt my pride being provoked. Even her eyes seemed to be saying ¡®you can¡¯t even do this?¡¯


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it. The first.¡±


    Loretta stared into my eyes for a moment before flushing her cheeks and turning away. Then, she shouted as she took something out of her pocket.


    ¡°Then here¡¯s an offer from the Floor Shop, customer! This here is a magical item that holds down the enemy¡¯s movement for 5 seconds! Now it¡¯s only 10,000 gold!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not buying it.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    I¡¯ll challenge it. At level 20, I will solo the 20th Floor Master! Without that magical item, of course!


    Author¡¯s note: Mastered lower-ranked skills have been removed from that status to avoid cluttering!

 Chapter 32. From Today, Im an Official Explorer (2)

    Chapter 32. From Today, I¡¯m an Official Explorer (2)


    Trusting Loretta¡¯s words, I stood in front of the door to the 20th Floor Master and ignored the rmendation to find a party. I put my hand on the door, but soon took it off again. No matter how easy Loretta said the Lizard Knight would be, if I went in blindly, I might face the same situation as I had with Orc Lord 4 years ago.


    Instead, I sent somebody a message. Thankfully, he was in the dungeon.


    ¡°Ellos.¡±


    [Oh, Shin. What¡¯s up?]


    ¡°I want to ask you about the Lizard Knight.¡±


    [Wow, you¡¯re already on the 20th floor? Amazing. You might really end up meeting us on the 25th floor.]


    ¡°Of course I will. More importantly, tell me about Lizard Knight¡¯s fighting style or skills.¡±


    Normally, I learned these things through experiencing them directly. But now, I was in a situation where I had to defeat it on my first try. Since Loretta guaranteed a hefty reward, I had to defeat it even if I had to break my usual style.


    [You usually don¡¯t ask these things. I wonder what happened. Well, I¡¯ll tell you anyways. Lizard Knight appears alone unlike the other Floor Masters, and wears a set of scaled armor made from its own scales. With it, he has a truly formidable defensive power. He uses an incredibly swift and powerful spear. If anyone who¡¯s not a tank is hit by it, they will most likely be half killed.]


    ¡°Hm, fast and powerful...¡±


    [And if a lot of people jump at him at once, he suddenly swipes with his tail. This attack has a bigger range that you¡¯d think. Not to mention, it hurts incredibly. Watch out for it.]


    ¡°Actually, that seems like something I can exploit. What else?¡±


    [Oh, yeah. When he feels like he¡¯s at a disadvantage, he strikes down on the ground with his spear. The ground then rumbles and a huge damage is dealt to all explorers touching the ground. You need to dodge this one for sure.]


    ¡°He strikes down on the ground with his spear? So I can just dodge it by jumping?¡±


    [Yep. But if you do, he immediately attacks you with a spear thrust, so be careful.]


    ¡°Alright. What else?¡±


    [After that attack, he uses a skill called Dragon Skin. His body bes red and incredibly tough. For the next 5 minutes, no attack will work on it. The worst part is that he continuously strikes down on the ground in that state.]


    ¡°That does sound bad. Wait, his armor gets harder too?¡±


    [Yep. That¡¯s what makes it so troublesome. Neither physical nor magical attacks work when he¡¯s in that state. But if youst long enough for Dragon Skin to end, your victory is mostly secured. Because when Dragon Skin runs out, he¡¯s exhausted. All the party members can just throw out their attacks and kill it.]


    ¡°How many tries did it take you?¡±


    [... 7 tries. For the record, that¡¯s considered outstanding. It¡¯s even considered good if you defeat him in 20 or 30 tries.]


    ¡°Haha, thanks. I¡¯ll contact you again once it ends.¡±


    [Kuk, you mean you have the confidence to beat him on your first try. Alright, we¡¯ll see.]


    I ended my conversation with Ellos and grinned. It tooks Ellos 7 tries with a party of 10 to defeat the Lizard Knight. He would never expect that I¡¯d try to defeat the lizard alone.


    [Master can do it! Because I¡¯m here!]


    ¡°Yeah, I can do it. Because Peika is here.¡±


    I formed a n based on what Ellos told me. After checking over it multiple times, I nodded my head and boldly opened the door.


    ¡°Fight me, Lizard Knight!¡±


    ¡°... A human.¡±


    The Lizard Knight was standing alone in the spacious room. He was about 2.3 meters tall, and as Ellos said, on top of his scaled body was a set of full body armor made from its own scales. In its hand was a 5 meter long spear with a razor sharp head.


    ¡°You are challenging me alone? This is a first.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am.¡±


    I smiled at him. He was trying to look cool unlike the other Floor Masters, but to me, he was no different.


    When I first heard Ellos¡¯s description of him, I was nervous. I had once imagined what would happen when monsters, who were born strong, took the time to train in martial arts. However, that wasn¡¯t the case for the Lizard Knight.


    In fact, he fell below my expectations. I could tell from the fact that he had not taken even the most basic stance. It was likely the result of easy growth from his natural-borne strength. How foolish.


    ¡®I¡¯ll show you what a true spearman is.¡¯


    I held my spear up and took my stance.


    ¡°Peika, can you go inside?¡±


    [I like the way you asked!]


    At the same time Peika nodded her head looking pleased, I activated Spirit Aura. She was sucked into my spear in an instant, and my Orc Lord¡¯s ive began to flicker with sparks. ¡®You worked hard too. I¡¯ll let you rest soon.¡¯


    ¡°You, you¡¯re a spearman. Great.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s great. Great indeed.¡±


    I was father¡¯s one and only disciple. No matter how busy I was as a dungeon explorer, as father¡¯s son, I often had friendly matches with rising stars in Korean martial arts. Father ran a dojang that was in name only, and one of the only times we actually used it was when we held friendlypetitions.


    I didn¡¯t know anything about the validity of father¡¯s ims as being undefeated or strongest on Earth.


    However, I knew that I had never lost in a formal match.


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    When I charged at the Lizard Knight, he opened his vertically slit pupils wide and thrust out with his spear fiercely. However, the spear Ellos described as swift wasckluster, almost like the swing of a baby. I easily dodged his attack and stabbed the center of his armor.


    ¡°Kuk! For a human, you aren¡¯t so bad!¡±


    ¡°This is the 5th time I¡¯ve heard that since I came to the dungeon, Lizardman!¡±


    Even as I retorted, I continued to attack. Repeatedly stabbing his armor with my spear, I made sure that the shock damaged him. Realizing what situation he was in, the Lizard Knight tried to step aside, but I followed his movements tightly and continued to attack.


    Although I knew my attacks would not pierce his skin, I knew Peika¡¯s lightning was effective. Electric sparks flickered on his armor, slowly breaking it.


    ¡°Kuk! Human, you were an Elementalist! You tricked me!¡±


    ¡°I said I was a spearman, I never said I wasn¡¯t an Elementalist!¡±


    ¡°Kuhaaaap!¡±


    He let out a rough shout as it swung forward with his spear. Of course, that was within my expectations. I ducked in a hurry, and ran forward into him. At the same time, my spear was shining out with white light.


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Parts of his armor broke off and flew into the air. The Lizard Knight himself also flew back and hit the wall. When I was about to run after him, he seemingly ignored the shock from hitting the wall as he stood tall and spit out blood. At least he knew how to look cool.


    ¡°Kukuku, not bad. To think you could drive me into a corner like this...¡±


    ¡°Stop bbering ande! I¡¯ll show you my strength!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    ¡°Kuk, what is this loud noise!?¡±


    ¡°Good question.¡±


    As I approached him, I shouted.


    ¡°Dark Thunder Explosion!¡±


    ¡°Kuk!?¡±


    ck lightning shot out from my body and struck the Lizard Knight. Although it tried to jump back in surprise, having taken the initial hit, it could no longer dodge the attack.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Although I did not think it would die with just this, I shouted out in hopes that it would. Immediately afterwards, countless bolts of lightning shot out from my body enough to block out my vision. Even with Floor Master¡¯s sturdiness, it seemed impossible to endure an attack of such scale as the Lizard Knight screamed out in pain.


    ¡°Kuaaak! W-What¡¯s this!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my skill. Eat up!¡±


    Even though I had never lost a formal match, this was the dungeon. It was natural to fight the explorer¡¯s way!


    Dark Thunder Explosion was truly powerful. Perhaps it was because of the 50 percent boost from Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry, but when the Lizard Knight emerged after being swept by the flood of lightning, its armor was almost entirely worn out. In addition, I could see blood spurting out from parts of its body.


    ¡°Kuk, Human! I won¡¯t forgive you!¡±


    ¡®Eh? He¡¯s already using it?¡¯


    The Lizard Knight raised his spear up high and struck down. It was the earthquake attack. What followed would be Dragon Skin. Ellos said I just had to endure for 5 minutes.


    ¡®You¡¯re wrong, Ellos.¡¯


    ¡°Tempest!¡±


    I shot out Tempest, aiming at its spear. Almost in an anticlimactic way, Tempest forced Lizard Knight to drop his spear. In an instant, the Lizard Knight made a panicked expression.


    This was a chance. A chance to beat it to death.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    I did not need to use any skills. While he stood nkly in ce, I stabbed forward with my lightning d spear. First, I destroyed the armor that barely hung on his body. Then, before he could snap out of his daze, I crushed his knees and his right arm.


    As I swung my spear at his left arm, he cried out in pain and used Dragon Skin, blocking my attack. However, it was toote. Three of his four limbs were no longer in a state to fight.


    ¡®See, Ellos, it¡¯s as I thought.¡¯


    If he knew the Lizard Knight would use Dragon Skin after the earthquake attack, why would he just leave it to use it freely? I knew from my own experience with using skills that they had clear openings.


    As such, before I used any of my skills, I made sure to put myself in the super-armor state with Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry, or to immobilize the enemies with Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail, or to be at a good distance away from the enemies. If I could not do any of the above, I made sure to mix in my skill with my normal attacks as well as possible to ensure I was safe from counterattacks. Of course, even with all that, I could not say I was 100 percent safe. That was the nature of skills.


    Although the skills Floor Masters used were extremely powerful, they had their moment of weakness. And as long as there was even a single weakness, I could exploit it. In truth, it was shocking that someone like Ellos failed to see through it. It seemed I needed to tell him about itter.


    ¡°Kuk, you! I will kill you! Try attacking me!¡±


    After activating Dragon Skin, the Lizard Knight shed his crooked teeth and provoked me. With a snort, I picked up its spear and threw it far away. Then, I deactivated Spirit Aura and threw my spear down.


    ¡°Human?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a martial artist. I don¡¯t just know spearmanship.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t tell it that I learned martial arts because I liked the feeling of beating people up with my bare hands!

 Chapter 33. From Today, Im an Official Explorer (3)

    Chapter 33. From Today, I¡¯m an Official Explorer (3)


    There was a technique developed around the principle of using an attacker¡¯s energy against him. It was jujitsu. Spearmanship was a martial art that hurt the opponent regardless of whether the spearhead had a de or not. As such, my family also passed down a jujitsu technique to neutralize opponents without hurting them.


    In truth, it was a modified version of Japanese judo, and thus shared many simrities. Although it also took from several other close-quarter martial arts, judo was the main martial art.


    Of course, even though jujitsu could neutralize opponents without hurting them, that was on top of gymnastic mats. If someone inexperienced received a hip or shoulder throw on concrete, his back and spine would undoubtedly break along with the rest of his life. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t need to worry about that now.


    ¡°Hap!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, what are you trying to do by grabbing me? Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re trying to throw me...!?¡±


    You thought I couldn¡¯t? If you thought I couldn¡¯t pick you up with 9 levels of mid-rank martial arts, you¡¯re mistaken! I grabbed the arm he tried to strike out with and proceeded to do a hip throw. With his awful stance, I did not need to work hard to ruin his bnce. The only slightly hard part came from the fact that he was much taller than me.


    When his heavy body hit the ground, it was as if a meteorite had struck and a thundering roar boomed out. Seeing the ground crack, I realized this guy had potential as a weapon. Maybe I should carry him around instead of my spear!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    ¡°Your head¡¯s going to ring! Especially with that hard head of yours!¡±


    Dragon Skin was most likely a skill that maximized the outer skin¡¯s defense. However, that did not mean it protected the internal organs. Rather, if enough force struck the hard outeryer, the impact would travel inside and hurt the internal system. It was the same concept as when one got hit by a bullet while wearing a bulletproof vest. The bullet wouldn¡¯t prate the skin, but the force from it would break one¡¯s ribs.


    By picking him up and throwing him down on the ground, I essentially pitted the Lizard Knight and the hard ground against each other. Although I would have preferred to continue with a joint lock, I knew it wouldn¡¯t work on the Lizard Knight whose entirely body has been hardened by Dragon Skin. If he wanted to continue lying on ground, I could only leave him be.


    Of course, being the idiot that he was, the Lizard Knight got up and sent a kick toward me. Unwavering courage, undying vigor! I didn¡¯t hate him for that. In fact, I liked it.


    ¡°Hook kick!¡±


    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±


    ¡°Shoulder throw!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaak!¡±


    For the entire 5 minutes when his body was hardened, the Lizard Knight became a testing object for my jujitsu techniques. Every time he fell, he got up, without knowing to stop. Eventually, after taking a two-handed grip shoulder throw, he coughed out ck blood and copsed.


    ¡°Kaaaaak!¡±


    At the same time, his reddened skin turned back to its normal color. It seemed that Dragon Skin had run out. I once again picked up my spear. His once fierce gaze was now nkly chasing the tip of my spear. It seemed the effect of Dragon Skin ending ovepped with the effect of the intense date he had with the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you what real spearmanship looks like.¡±


    I was truly too kind. The skill Heroic Strike was so fast that no enemy could see through how it worked. As such, I did not use the skill, but manually concentrated my body¡¯s energy and mana on the tip of my spear. With this, I was positive that even this idiot could see ¡®real spearmanship.¡¯ Real spearmanship wasn¡¯t some cheat like hitting the ground withrge amount of mana and strength.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s...!¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to die soon anyways!¡±


    With ring eyes, I shot my spear toward his face. With a rather unpleasant sound, the light in his eyes dimmed. Like Loretta said, the Lizard Knight really was easier than the Dark Ratman. Though, my Dark Thunder Explosion did y a big part.


    Immediately afterwards.


    [Amazing! You are the first in First Dungeon¡¯s history to seed in soloing the Lizard Knight on the first try! The dungeon will remember you as a Great Explorer. You obtained 2 skill points as a reward. You obtained a Special Mansion Free Purchase Ticket. Remaining skill points: 6]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Lizard Knight Master.¡¯ All stats increase by 2. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You defeated the Lizard Knight alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Lizard Knight¡¯s Scale Armor.]


    [You obtained 10,000 gold.]


    [You received the only reward left hidden for the First Explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 1.]


    [Secret. Divine Speed Magic Book]


    Looking over the reward from defeating the Lizard Knight, I found it hard to calm myself.


    First. So this was the ¡®first¡¯ that Loretta was referring to. 2 skill points. It was the amount equivalent to creating two skills orpleting two quests. There was also the Special Mansion Free Purchase Ticket, not that I knew what it was.


    The title was also different. Lizard Knight Master. It gave 2 points to all stats instead of 1. If I had defeated the Orc Lord, Wraith Queen, and Dark Ratman in the same way, then... No, let¡¯s not think about meaningless things. I needed to focus on now and the future.


    I would have received the gold and the scale armor regardless, so what interested me next was what came after. The only reward left hidden, Divine Speed Magic Book. Just the word ¡®secret¡¯ made it seem extraordinary. Just when I was about to learn it, a fanfare rang out.


    [You became level 21. You obtained the qualification to climb to the 21st floor.]


    [You became Silver Rank 9. You are no longer an apprentice explorer, but an official explorer.]


    [You can appoint one person as a First Dungeon Explorer. This is a right given only to Bronze Rank explorers who explored the dungeon for 20 years, or to explorers who have been promoted to the Silver Rank. When you be a Gold Rank explorer, you can appoint an additional person as a dungeon explorer.]


    [As a Silver Rank explorer, you obtained the right to enter Event Dungeons. You can enter Event Dungeons by hunting monsters or finding hidden areas while exploring.]


    [You obtained the right to participate in Event Raids! Event Raids are created when specific Event Dungeons are cleared, or when the necessary conditions are met. The Event Raid¡¯s creator bes the host and can invite others to participate. One can join a raid by epting the host¡¯s invite. One¡¯s levels or qualifications may prevent him or her from participating, and the host maintains the right to enter and exit raids.]


    [You can buy a residence in the dungeon by going to the dungeon¡¯s Residential Area. The residences of explorers from various worlds are located here, and support and recreational facilities exist to ensure explorer¡¯s can make the best use of their time of leisure. Explorers can privately meet with other explorers, and a market exists where various foods are sold. However, to enter the Residential Area, one must use a Residential Area Entrance Ticket, dropped by monsters above the 21st floor. Other dungeons¡¯ explorers cannot enter the First Dungeon Residential Area.]


    ... Eh? I was an apprentice until now? I suddenly felt irritated. So all this time when I was gloating in self-satisfaction, it was like a baby being proud after learning how to walk! The pride I felt from being the First to defeat the Lizard Knight suddenly shrunk.


    ¡°No, this is where it begins!¡±


    Let¡¯s not be so hard on myself. I¡¯ve only been a dungeon explorer for 5 years. Not to mention, I spent 3 years of that period stuck on the 5th floor unwillingly. I was doing well! I can continue to do well! It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t know how much I had left to travel. There was no need to be down. I just had to keep running and keep getting stronger. More so than the superheroes I dreamed of being when I was young!


    Perhaps because I was now an official explorer, I found out many things about the dungeon that I did not know before. The first was the Event Dungeon. I already knew about it since I had heard from Ellos. I could explore a unique dungeon using an Event Dungeon Entrance Ticket that monsters dropped with an extremely low chance. And of course, I could expect a hefty reward when it was cleared.


    There was also the Event Raid, which happened at a fixed rate when an Event Dungeon was cleared. A minimum of 50 explorers could gather to fight a boss monster iparable to the Floor Masters. Just thinking about it made my heart beat. I wanted to quickly participate in an Event Raid. Of course, not that anyone would include me with my low level.


    This was the first time I had heard about the Residential Area. I never expected something like that to exist in the dungeon either. It seemed I could just stay there without ever going back to my own world. Although, I would never do so as a college student and Yua¡¯s older brother. The Residential Area also seemed like the ce where I could use the Special Mansion Free Purchase Ticket. Special Mansion... I was curious, but I had no way of going there as of yet.


    In summary, there were four benefits I gained from bing an official explorer.


    1. Authority to appoint one person to be a First Dungeon Explorer.


    2. Ability to find and join Event Dungeons.


    3. Ability to participate in Event Raids.


    4. Right to enter the Residential Area.


    After I organized the info, it did not seem soplicated anymore. With that, I finally checked the Divine Speed skill I received.


    [You learned the active skill, ¡®Divine Speed.¡¯ By using 20 percent of your mana, you can quintuple your speed for 0.5 seconds. The skill duration and speed increase goes up with increased skill levels, and the required mana decreases with increased skill levels.]


    ¡°Huu.¡±


    I let out a deep breathe. I focused on the fact that this skill was a growth type skill. Although it only increased my speed for 0.5 seconds for using 20 percent of my mana, 400 percent speed increase was amazing. Since every aspect of the skill increased with increased skill level, I eagerly anticipated its growth.


    [Master?]


    ¡°No, Peika. It was thanks to you that I could beat the Floor Master. Thanks.¡±


    [Hu, Huhu! Now you realize my true worth!]


    Busy looking over all the information, I randomly replied to Peika¡¯s murmur. Thankfully, she seemed extremely satisfied with whatever I said as she crossed her arms and puffed out her chest. Seeing her cute reaction, I couldn¡¯t help but pat her on the head, and ended up being scolded again.


    Trantor¡¯s Note: Divine Speed quintuples (x5) your speed, which is a 400% increase.

 Chapter 34. From Today, Im an Official Explorer (4)

    Chapter 34. From Today, I¡¯m an Official Explorer (4)


    College was boring. It wasn¡¯t that different from high school. I had no expectations in the first ce. I was a dungeon explorer. My stage was the dungeon, not the school.


    However, as member of society and citizen of Korea, I had to be in a social position appropriate for my age. Even with my above 20 intelligence, I couldn¡¯t quite understand these things.


    Mother knew that I was a dungeon explorer just like father, and thus could make just as much money as him. Even so, she insisted on me attending college because ¡®I was at that age.¡¯


    This way of thinking seemed... fake. It was doing something for appearances¡¯ sake. Perhaps, this was what was keeping society afloat, especially now when the world flipped upside down with the appearance of monsters and the Awakened.


    As I was having a rare moment of serious contemtion, Su Ye-Eun gobbled down fries.


    ¡°I can really eat it all? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can.¡±


    ¡°A-Angel... I love you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t.¡±


    Herrge-size love was only worth 6,500 won. I rejected her hot and cheap love and nkly stared at her eating fries. Today was Thursday. sses ended at 5:30. It was also the day when my ss ovepped with Su Ye-Eun¡¯s.


    Midterms wereing up, but Su Ye-Eun persuaded me to go out for fries and beer. Her aim was clearly fries rather than beer, but I didn¡¯t particrly reject her offer.


    ¡°What are you thinking about, Shin?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Su Ye-Eun had a monsterphobia. It was why she shook so uncontrobly and froze when we met that pigeon.


    Monsters. Surprisingly, people living in the 21st century found it hard to understand these strange creatures who possessed unusual sizes, appearances, and abilities. Not only did people feel natural aversion towards them, but they also froze in front of these creatures who possessed iprehensible strength. Monsterphobia emerged as a new word to describe people like them. In truth, most people who did not awaken to an ability possessed some degree of monsterphobia.


    However, Su Ye-Eun was an ability user. Although she was found out by me immediately, her stealth ability was one of the best abilities to survive a monster encounter. I suspected that there was a good reason why she was so afraid of monsters.


    Although I was curious, I didn¡¯t really try to find out. I didn¡¯t want to be involved, though if she asked for help, I would oblige to a certain degree.


    ... I wondered if the fact that I was thinking all this meant I considered her to be a good friend, but I soon threw that thought in the trashcan. Damn, I really should have found someone else to be friends with. All those times I spent in the dungeon and not attending to my social life wasing back to bite me.


    As I was thinking these rather useless things, it happenedpletely out of the blue.


    [A dungeon explorer from Earth conquered the 50th floor and became a Gold rank dungeon explorer! A dungeon explorermunication channel will now open on Earth! Those who wish to talk may do so by putting their left hand on their mouth. When you don¡¯t want to hear from themunication channel, you can just say ¡®channel off.¡¯]


    [Earth¡¯s dungeon explorers, you heard that right? I cleared the dungeon¡¯s 50th floor. Can you all hear me?]


    I shot up from my seat. Although Su Ye-Eun stared at me with strange eyes, I wasn¡¯t in a state of mind to pay attention to her. I first took out my cellphone and texted my father, ¡®don¡¯t say anything.¡¯ I then sat back down, trying to act calm. Meanwhile, I could hear voices whispering in my ear.


    [My name is Hwaya Eleni Mastiford, an SS-rank ability user and a dungeon explorer of the Second Dungeon. My Korean name is Ye Hwaya. I have British citizenship so keep that in mind.]


    I clicked my tongue. An SS-rank ability user was a dungeon explorer! Both father and I knew other dungeon explorers could have awakened too, but we didn¡¯t expect the ability to be an SS-rank ability! She said her name was Ye Hwaya. She was that fire girl from TV.


    A wall I felt I could jump over someday suddenly felt a few hundred times, a few thousand kilometers higher. Biting down on my lips, I paid attention to her words.


    [You all should know that there are only five dungeon explorers on Earth. I want to keep it like that for a while. That is, I don¡¯t want any new dungeon explorers to emerge. After all, we can¡¯t just let anyone be a dungeon explorer.]


    Her silvery voice continued to ring out like a bell.


    [We have toe together. Aren¡¯t we a bit special to be considered the same as other ability users? When we gather, we¡¯ll have synergistic effects. Of course, since I have an SS-rank ability and became the first on Earth to conquer the 50th floor, I would be the leader. I want to create an organization of dungeon explorers, and I want you all to be in it.]


    [... Interesting n, Mastiford.]


    It was the deep voice of a man. It was not father¡¯s voice, so it had to be a dungeon explorer I didn¡¯t know. I closely listened to his voice.


    [I admit you¡¯re the strongest among us. But that doesn¡¯t mean we should be under yourmand.]


    [I¡¯m not saying I¡¯llmand you however I wish. It¡¯s just that if wee together, the leader position should belong to the strongest one.]


    [Ha. Your offer isn¡¯t very tempting nor convincing. Even withouting together, dungeon explorers have the potential tomand over other ability users.]


    [We can be stronger if we¡¯re together! We¡¯ll have a stronger voice as well! Plus, I¡¯m not saying we shoulde together for a mary reason. What about the others? You should know about it, right? What happened to other worlds with ess to the dungeon.]


    I did. A demon lord was rampaging in the Luka continent, and invaders appeared on the Edias continent. The residents of their continents were truly fighting to determine their fates. Our world too... monsters began to appear.


    ¡°Shin?¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡±


    Su Ye-Eun who was worrying about me nking outpletely. I waved my hand to shush her, and focused on themunication channel. This time, I heard another voice chime in. It sounded like a young girl¡¯s.


    [I-I¡¯m Su... Sumire Violet Minami. So is Mastiford-ssi[2. Korean equivalent of the Japansese ¡°-san¡±] saying... that if we gather, we can defeat all the monsters in the world?]


    [Oh, you¡¯re a half too? But yes. We can grow until we reach the end. When wee together, no country or institution can ignore or take advantage of us. Plus, as long as we have the power to appoint dungeon explorers, we can use that power to expand our organization.]


    [A-Appoint? We can appoint other dungeon explorers?]


    [... It seems little miss here is still an apprentice.]


    The man spoke with a disappointed voice. Tsk, that girl. I knew it from when she revealed her name, but she wasn¡¯t so bright. She should have pretended to know.


    [You¡¯ll be Silver rank when you break through floor 20, Sumire. Then you¡¯re given the right to appoint one dungeon explorer. When you be Gold rank, you can appoint another.]


    [Ah, I see. I¡¯m still on the 18th floor. It¡¯s only been 2 years since I came to the dungeon.]


    18 floors in 2 years!? Well, I didn¡¯t know which dungeon she was in. If I had mana, I could have done it too... No, don¡¯t mind it. Calm down, calm down.


    [Huhu, Sumire. You shouldn¡¯t give out your information so freely. Unni¡¯s worried.]


    It seems Mastiford favored how pure and innocent the girl was. But hey, you revealed that you were from the Second Dungeon too! Why don¡¯t you worry about yourself?


    Minamiughed at her and answered.


    [Aren¡¯t we allrades? I don¡¯t think we need to hide ourselves.]


    This girl. She¡¯s telling me and father toe out, right? You level 18! Father¡¯s weak to these things!


    [You¡¯re right, youngdy. Sorry for staying silent. I just wanted to listen in on the beautiful voices for a bit.]


    As expected, father appeared with some nonsense drivel. Beautiful voice my ass. ssic music makes you fall asleep in less than 5 seconds!


    [Then there¡¯s only one left. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to stay silent?]


    It was the deep voiced man. I thought for a while, then came to a decision. Putting my left hand on my mouth, I talked.


    [I didn¡¯t really want to cut in on your conversation. An organization of dungeon explorers. It sounds interesting and will probably be effective. I just don¡¯t see how it would be different from Guardian or Freedom Wing.]


    [It will be different! Dungeon explorers will have their say. The organization¡¯s goal will be to find the underlying reason why the monsters appeared and solve it.]


    [Mastiford-ssi, all organizations start out with righteous causes. Guardian is an example, and the result is as you see.]


    [How cheeky.]


    It seemed Mastiford wasn¡¯t happy with being told off by me, as a hint of anger shed in her voice. I could almost feel the heat in my ears.


    [To be honest, I¡¯m quite interested in the organization you¡¯re nning to make and its goal. I agree that if we don¡¯t take care of this monster crisis, our world might be in danger like the other worlds.]


    [Then why did you say what you just said?]


    [I¡¯ll be honest. I¡¯m weaker than you, but I¡¯m not the type of person to crawl between someone¡¯s legs. So we can talk again when I be stronger than you. I¡¯ll happily join your organization, though I¡¯ll be the boss then. I won¡¯t need to worry about the organization losing its focus either.]


    [Pft.]


    [Now that¡¯s a man! But I¡¯ll be the one to be the boss, so... kuhum, boy!]


    The deep voiced man snorted while father made a childishment. Not to mention, he almost revealed that we were father and son. Mastiford replied.


    [Pft, you? You want to surpass me? A Second Dungeon¡¯s Gold rank explorer? An SS-rank ability user?]


    [Mm, so that¡¯s the first thing you say. If you were really worried about the world, that wouldn¡¯t be the first thing on your mind. It wouldn¡¯t matter who the boss is, right?]


    Of course, I knew I was just picking apart her words. I was digging into her hubris and making her lose her train of thought. Mastiford was baited in perfectly.


    [But it¡¯s obvious that I would be the leader as the strongest! Aren¡¯t you the one overestimating yourself? How are you going to surpass me!? Plus, I¡¯m really thinking about the future of us dungeon explorers!]


    [No, I agree with the boy, Mastiford. I can see clearly just how this organization of yours is going to run. Good luck, but I¡¯m out.]


    [Mm, I¡¯m still weaker than the youngdy too. I also don¡¯t want to work under someone. Best of luck!]


    Did my words lead to this result? No, father probably wouldn¡¯t have joined anyways, but him leaving with the deep voiced man leaving made Mastiford look like a fool. Nice assist, father!


    [W-What¡¯s with everyone!? I think unni has a point. She¡¯s the strongest one right now, and she¡¯s also the one who brought up the idea of making an organization!]


    [It¡¯s not about that, little miss. It¡¯s just that Mastiford isn¡¯t trustworthy.]


    [N-Not trustworthy? You haven¡¯t even met me...]


    The young girl was just as innocent as her name suggested[1. Both violet and sumire refer to violet flowers which means innocence]. She didn¡¯t know how to doubt someone. Of course, I wasn¡¯t so innocent to trust someone asking me to join her organization.


    [I don¡¯t know about Miss Minami, but I have a strong pride, so I can¡¯t work under someone like her.]


    In truth, I didn¡¯t think Mastiford had any ill intentions. She was quick to show that she favored Minami and revealed information about her that she did not need to. She was probably as hot-blooded and honest as her ability, mes.


    However, she had strong self-esteem and wanted to be above others. I had no ns to work under someone like that. Even if I had something to gain, it would only bring more pain thanfort.


    I was no pushover. Until I at least held the same position as her, I had no intention to talk to her.


    [Are you saying you¡¯ll ignore a global crisis just because of your pride!?]


    [Global crisis, you say. Then I¡¯ll ask you a question, Miss Minami. What can we do together? Can we not do anything when we¡¯re apart?]


    [T-That¡¯s... But being together will be more...!]


    [I think I¡¯m done here. Mastiford-ssi, I assume you¡¯re done as well?]


    [Hmph! I wouldn¡¯t ept a narrow-minded person like you anyways! Sumire, let¡¯s just talk between the two of us.]


    [Y-Yes, unni...]


    Girls were truly mysterious. They could talk so friendly within minutes of meeting each other. As I was about to shout ¡®channel off¡¯ with such prejudiced thoughts, the deep voiced man cut in.


    [I¡¯m Edward Walker, also British and 26 years old. Boy, may I know your name?]


    [British!? You said you¡¯re British! Then how can you say that to me?]


    Two of the five explorers were British. Of the 7 known SS-rank ability users, there was another British ability user besides Mastiford.


    It wasn¡¯t like Britain had a huge poption, so how did this happen? Well, it was most likely just a coincidence. That said, it seemed Britain would have stronger authority than other countries. It was mildly infuriating. Although I wasn¡¯t exactly a patriotic person, I knew it wasn¡¯t a good thing for one country to possess so many powerful ability users.


    No, with me and father around, Korea was the strongest country in the world!


    After hearing Edward Walker introduce himself, I contemted whether to reveal my name or not. Then, I came to a decision.


    [I¡¯m Yeon Hwawoo. I¡¯m Korean and 23 years old.]


    I lied.


    [Y-You! You¡¯re Korean!? I should¡¯ve known from the irritating way you talked! You do something about your government and media! They keep insisting that I¡¯m a Korean ability user! I¡¯m British! A proud British noble!]


    [Ehh, a noble in this day and age... Sorry Mastiford-ssi, but I didn¡¯t even know you were a half until today. Plus, I couldn¡¯t give a crap whether you¡¯re from Korea, Britain, or Antis.]


    [Antis is fictional!]


    [Good bye, fictionaldy. I won¡¯t remember you.]


    [Ugaaaah!]


    [Mm, Yeon Hwawoo. I¡¯ll remember that name. It seems you¡¯re worth watching over.]


    [Feel free.]


    With that, I turned off themunication channel. I received a text from father immediately afterwards.


    [When did you ster your tongue with oil[3. Equivalent to sugarcoated tongues], son?]


    It¡¯s none of your business! Well, maybe it was.


    ¡°You must be stressed from all those testsing up. Want me to take you to a doctor?¡±


    ¡°You mind your business, you potato demon!¡±


    Why was no one around me normal!?

 Chapter 35. From Today, Im an Official Explorer (5)

    Chapter 35. From Today, I¡¯m an Official Explorer (5)


    I always wondered why so many people knew my Crown Prince nickname. When Mastiford broke through the 50th floor and themunication channel among dungeon explorers was created on Earth, I finally understood why.


    It all began on the 5th floor. In the 3 years that I stayed hunting the Orc Lord, word quickly spread that there was someone helping others pass through the 5th floor easily. That was when I got the nickname, Crown Prince.


    The people that passed the 5th floor with my help must have talked about me on their continent¡¯s dungeon explorermunication channels. And just like that, people were able to recognize me on the 10th floor.


    ¡°Really, that¡¯s a vition of my privacy.¡±


    Confirming that my party had been filled up to the max the moment I created it, I murmured in a tired voice. Soon, nine explorers began to appear in front of me. Three women and six men. Two of the women were priestesses and one was an archer.


    Two of the men held shields and swords, one wore a magician¡¯s robe, then there was an archer, a priest, and a young man with a ymore on his back who looked to be my age.


    ¡°It really is Crown Prince-nim!¡±


    ¡°Kyaa, it¡¯s Crown prince-nim!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just as handsome as the rumors say.¡±


    ¡°He looks soft, I don¡¯t see how he¡¯s so strong.¡±


    ¡®I can hear you guys, you know?¡¯ As I looked at them with a dumbfounded expression, the magician came up and talked to me.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard that Crown Prince-nim advanced to the 20th floor. Are we your first party?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor!¡±


    I didn¡¯t refuse his hand shake. He was wearing a smile that made people feel good. It might just be my subjective judgement, but dungeon explorers were generally good people. There were some like Palludia or that party leader from the Dark Ratman raid who were narrow-minded, but even they weren¡¯t evil or heinous.


    I thought about why and soon came to an answer. The first generation of the First Dungeon¡¯s dungeon explorers were specifically chosen, and those that followed were chosen by these Pioneers. As such, they had upright personalities.


    Of course, I did not mean that evil people could not be talented enough to be chosen as a Pioneer, nor would all Followers chosen by the Pioneers be kind.


    But I remembered Loretta saying that dungeon explorers did note to the dungeon just because they were talented or strong. In other words, there were other reasons they were chosen. I suspected that one¡¯s character was one of them.


    As I said before, I was not certain that there were no heinous explorers. However, I had yet to meet one. I was certain that if they existed, they were few in number.


    ¡°Are you that Crown Prince?¡±


    As I was greeting the other party members, the man with the ymore approached me and asked. He had a lion-like hair style and a scraggly beard. He had a sense of wildness that drew people in.


    I answered.


    ¡°Yes, I am. People have been calling me that for some time. Although I don¡¯t really like it, I can¡¯t do much about it.¡±


    ¡°Hm. To be honest, I don¡¯t understand why your name is so popr among other explorers, but I know it¡¯s foolish to judge a book by its cover, so I¡¯ll make my judgement after the raid.¡±


    His way of talking was strange, but since I didn¡¯t feel any malicious intent, I decided not to care too much about it. Then, as the party leader, I began to tell them my strategy, though I was ashamed to even call it that.


    ¡°Alright, here¡¯s the n. First, we¡¯ll separate our attack team into two.¡±


    ¡°Two?¡±


    ¡°Yep. One will be me, and the other will be all the other damage dealers with the ymore warrior-nim as the center.¡±


    ¡°... Aren¡¯t you a being a bit too self-confident?¡±


    The ymore warrior looked at me with worrying eyes. Mm, it was a reasonable response. However, the magician stepped in to answer him.


    ¡°You may not know it warrior-nim, but Crown Prince-nim is extremely famous among lower level explorers. He overwhelmingly crushed the 5th, 10th, and 15th Floor Masters and allowed countless number of explorers to advance.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s no guarantee that the same will happen on the 20th floor.¡±


    It was yet another reasonable response. I began to like the ymore warrior. However, the magician seemed to be at a loss for words, so I stepped in and talked to the ymore warrior.


    ¡°You¡¯re right... Your name?¡±


    ¡°... Ren, you can call me Ren.¡±


    ¡°Ren. At the very least, my method will work on the 20th floor. I¡¯ve already confirmed it.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you say this was your first time fighting the 20th Floor Master?¡±


    ¡°I said it was my first party for the 20th Floor Master.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Isn¡¯t that the same thing? I¡¯m not quite understanding what you...!?¡±


    Ren suddenly seemed thunderstruck as he opened his eyes widely. It was the same for others around me. With a teasing smile, I asked.


    ¡°Are you good now?¡±


    ¡°Y-You... Is that true!? You fought against the Floor Master alone and won!?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Impossible! Didn¡¯t Crown Prince-nim always fight against Floor Masters in parties?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, when I fight the Floor Masters alone, no one would be around to see it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°C-Crown Prince...¡±


    ¡°Crazy. Could he be telling the truth?¡±


    ¡°What would Crown Prince gain from lying? He¡¯s already famous through all the worlds.¡±


    ¡°We can just confirm it. Regardless, it¡¯s true that Crown Prince-nim is strong.¡±


    ¡°I heard rumors that Crown Prince was collecting Floor Masters¡¯ equipment sets. So it was true...¡±


    ¡°C-Could that be the full Dark Ratman Set? No way, I didn¡¯t think it was possible.¡±


    As the party members murmured among themselves, Ren looked at me with sparkling eyes and asked.


    ¡°Can you spar with me once?¡±


    ¡°If you can wait until the raid ends, then sure.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s a promise! Let¡¯s hurry up and finish this then!¡±


    When I dly nodded my head, Ren suddenly became upbeat and urged the other party members on, and I had to stop him with a bitter smile.


    ¡°We only decided on the attack teams. The next is the support team. We have two archers, right? You guys make sure that the Lizard Knight doesn¡¯t attack the priest and priestesses. When I give the signal, focus on attacking the Lizard Knight, especially in ces like his eyes.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Crown Prince-nim.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The two archers seemed to have epted my orders without any objection. What I said was just an embellished version of ¡®stand around and attack when we¡¯re pummeling him.¡¯ It seemed saying it like this made them think they were ying important roles.


    ¡°Magician-nim, can you use debuff type magic?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Enun. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t. I¡¯ve only learned amplification magic and ice element magic.¡±


    ¡°Amplification?¡±


    ¡°I can amplify someone¡¯s ability by about 50 percent for 3 seconds. It¡¯s a pretty rare skill. If the timing is right, it can show great results.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just ttery. Amplification truly did sound like a good skill. Although it had a short time period of 3 seconds, that was something I could ovee with my ability. I requested that he use it on me or other damage dealers when I gave the signal, and he easily epted it.


    ¡°I trust that the healers know what to do.¡±


    ¡°I can use buffs.¡±


    ¡°I can cast shields and recovery spells.¡±


    ¡°Same.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll leave it to you then. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Confirming that all party members were ready, I opened the door boldly. The Lizard Knight was in the same position as he was yesterday, waiting for us toe in. It was slightly irritating.


    ¡°Challengers? So many of them, too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the first to go. The second team can go behind him and just deal as much damage as possible. I¡¯ll block all his attacks. Just be careful of his tail.¡±


    When I fought the Lizard Knightst time, he did not use his tail attack. I didn¡¯t know why. Did he think he didn¡¯t need to against one man? Or was it his pride as a spearman?


    My Dark Thunder Explosion could have also forced him to skip the tail attack phase and go straight to the earthquake attack phase. No matter what the answer was, it did not matter. The only disappointing part was that I could have killed him quicker if he used his tail since he would have been more open to my attacks.


    ¡°Good luck, Crown Prince-nim!¡±


    ¡°May the blessing of the Goddess be with you. Bless!¡±


    [You received a blessing. Your resistance to physical attack increases. Your physical and magical attack power increases.]


    ¡°Peika, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    [Got it.]


    Following Bless, Peika silently went into my weapon. There were ways to use Peika other than Spirit Aura, but Spirit Aura was the most efficient when fighting in close range. The party members, who didn¡¯t know about Peika, were startled, but I ignored them and charged toward the Lizard Knight.


    ¡°Kuwaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Your breath stinks!¡±


    The moment Lizard Knight¡¯s long spear shot toward me, I slid on the ground and shot my spear up from underneath. Although he was wearing a full body armor, it was not attached to his body. From underneath, I could easily see the gap between his armor and skin. It was one of the pieces of information I picked up from myst fight with him.


    ¡°Uwaaak!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to tingle. Tempest!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaak!¡±


    Oh, interesting. The Lizard Knight floated in air for a second. While I stopped my sliding and got up, the Lizard Knight screamed out in pain without being able to hold himself steady. Meanwhile, the second attack team safely got behind him.


    ¡°... What did we just see?¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim charged in, and it seemed like he was about to get hit by the Lizard Knight¡¯s spear...¡±


    ¡°Before we noticed it, the Lizard Knight was screaming in pain mid flight.¡±


    Ignoring the useless people wearing their spectator goggles, I continued to attack the Lizard Knight.


    ¡°You really are weak to pain. How did you manage to be a Floor Master?¡±


    [You used Provoke! The enemy¡¯s focus falls on you!]


    ¡°Kuaaaak! I¡¯ll kill you, Human!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that line over a thousand times, and here I am!¡±


    I did die a few times, but they didn¡¯t count since I only got kicked out of the dungeon!

 Chapter 36. From Today, Im an Official Explorer (6)

    Chapter 36. From Today, I¡¯m an Official Explorer (6)


    The Lizard Knight roared and thrust his spear toward me. Before his spear could touch my body, I parried it with my ive. His spear shot up into the air, and as he was unable to withstand my strength, it separated from his grip. I used my ive and quickly pushed it away.


    All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in the space of a second. Although I wasn¡¯t weak, I was no match for the Lizard Knight in a direct exchange of strength. I had to rely on my techniques.


    ¡°No way, the Floor Master let go of his weapon!¡±


    ¡°I saw it too, so stop shaking me by my neck!¡±


    I took my stance and pulled my spear back. The Lizard Knight let out a rage filled roar and swung his tail. It was exactly at the same time when the second attack team made their move.


    ¡°Whoa, dodge his tail first!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, Lion Strike!¡±


    While the other damage dealers were running back, Ren shouted out and swung his ymore down at the Lizard Knight¡¯s tail. Since he said Lion Strike, it was likely a skill.


    His ymore, dyed gold, collided with the tail with a boom. Along with the explosive sound, I heard the Lizard Knight¡¯s scream. I did not wait to find out what happened. I was certain Ren had crushed him.


    ¡°Enun, amplify me!¡±


    ¡°Got it! Amplification!¡±


    The moment Enun used Amplification, I felt an instant surge of strength. I could certainly feel the amplification. It felt like the mana around me was flooding toward me. At the same time, I instinctively felt that this state would notst long.


    ¡°Everyone get back! Heroic Strike, Divine Speed!¡±


    This was my first time using the Divine Speed skill, which quintupled my speed for 0.5 seconds. With faster speed, it was obvious that the attack power would increase. Although I could also use it to dodge attacks, the Lizard Knight¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t so fast that I needed to use Divine Speed to dodge them.


    Divine Speed was truly powerful. When I thrust out with my spear as I normally did, I heard the sound of my spear cutting wind as it entered the Lizard Knight¡¯s stomach. White light enveloped my ive as it flickered with lightning from Spirit Aura. With the incredible boost from Divine Speed on top of everything else, my spear was no different from Zeus¡¯ lightning.


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    The Lizard Knight¡¯s armor, as well as the scales protecting him, broke in an instant. With a shrill cry, the Lizard Knight coughed out a mouthful of blood. It seemed the amplification did its job.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t doing so well either. Heroic Strike normally had a strong recoil. With the momentum from Divine Speed added, my arm throbbed like it was going to be ripped off.


    ¡°Is Ren okay!?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s alive! I¡¯m healing him at the moment!¡±


    ¡°Kuk... I¡¯m... fine!¡±


    It seemed he received a huge recoil from his attack. As I was worrying about Ren, the Lizard Knight threw away his broken armor and became bare-skinned. It seemed that¡¯s when he realized he did not have his spear as he rushed to where the spear went flying. Even I had no ns to block his charge head on. As such, I stepped back and shouted to the archers.


    ¡°Archers, attack!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    To stop the Lizard Knight¡¯s movements, the two archers endlessly shot out their arrows. Meanwhile, the priest and priestesses managed to restore Ren to fighting condition. Spitting out some blood, Ren held up his ymore and asked, ¡°What happened to his tail?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s dangling, half-severed.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see...¡±


    I answered Ren as I watched the Lizard Knight happily picking up his spear. Although Ren seemed depressed that he was unable topletely sever the Lizard Knight¡¯s tail, I was surprised on the inside.


    It was extremely difficult to cut the limbs or tail of a Floor Master. Their bodies were builtpletely different from normal monsters. Rather than cutting their limbs, it was much more efficient to continuously attack their pressure points.


    However, Ren managed to crush a Floor Master¡¯s tail with a single use of a skill. It was a questionable attack from a warrior¡¯s point of view since he destroyed his body in the process, but that was why healers existed.


    In truth, although the way he used his strength seemed foolish, I had to at least acknowledge the force it carried. Frankly, he was stronger than the current me. As his ymore suggested, his ss likely put great emphasis on his strength.


    As I was thinking about Ren, the Lizard Knight, who managed to retrieve his spear, raised it up high. I, of course, would not miss this opening. Just as I pulled my spear back slightly to use Tempest...


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    Ren cut in with his stupidlyrge ymore.


    ¡°Lion Upper!¡±


    Unlike hisrge body suggested, he moved rather nimbly. Having approached the Lizard Knight, Ren swung his ymore from the bottom to the top toward the Lizard Knight¡¯s spear. It wasn¡¯t a bad approach. However, unless he had a technique to make use of the enemy¡¯s strength to maximize the counteractive force, it was better to just strike from top to bottom to mess up the enemy¡¯s breathing!


    ¡°Kyaha! Human!¡±


    ¡°Die! Ugh, uwoaah!¡±


    It was just as I expected. Ren was unable to win against the downward force of the Lizard Knight¡¯s spear. His ymore was sent flying and the Lizard Knight¡¯s spear ended up hitting the ground like he wanted.


    Me? Because Ren made me miss my timing to use Tempest, I used Divine Speed to approach the Lizard Knight the moment his spear struck the ground.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°Uwaaak!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, damn it!¡±


    [Party member Sherbitz died.]


    [Party member Enun Von Karbia died.]


    [Party member Rodlin Von Ionard died.]


    [Party member Deruin died.]


    Damn, just a single earthquake attack had killed four party members. They were the three healers and the magician, Enun. It seemed all he did was use Amplification once. At least the priest and priestesses healed Ren...


    Me? I had leapt forward with Divine Speed¡¯s 0.5 second boost and was flying toward the Lizard Knight.


    ¡°Kuaaak!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, hang on! Use your potions!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim!¡±


    I was going to take care of it even if you didn¡¯t call me!


    I was near the Lizard Knight before I knew it. At a spear¡¯s thrust distance away, I first attacked the Lizard Knight¡¯s eye. Although he tried to intercept me, I was faster. My spear hit its eye perfectly, causing blood to explode out.


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    ¡°Tempest!¡±


    I first stunned the Lizard Knight from holding his spear up. In the instant when his body lost its tension, I once again made him lose his spear. After the earthquake ended, the Lizard Knight swung his half-severed tail at me with fury.


    I was waiting for this moment.


    ¡°Elemental Tempest!¡±


    [Whoooo!]


    [Everyone gather up! Prince-nim is going to scold us otherwise!]


    [Hurry, hurry! We¡¯re going to bete!]


    [That looks delicious! Someone fry it up!]


    [There are no fire elementals here!]


    I couldn¡¯t believe it. Even the process in which the elementals gathered was shortening. Seeing the usuallyx elementals rush to my spear, I shot my spear directly at the cut on the Lizard Knight¡¯s tail.


    With the swooshing sound of air being cut, a storm ripped the Lizard Knight¡¯s tail apart.


    ¡°Kuaaak!¡±


    ¡°The tail got cut!¡±


    ¡°Please, does that look like it got cut? It got shredded!¡±


    As expected, a skill that used half of my MP was indescribably strong. Heroic Strike, Divine Speed, and Elemental Tempest. Thanks to these skills, my MP waspletely drained. As a result, I felt nauseous and my head throbbed.


    Gulping down a lowest-grade Mana Potion, Inded. As it only restored 100 mana, it only helped to slightly alleviate the symptoms.


    Lizard Knight was now using Dragon Skin.


    ¡°Kukuku, humans, you are strong, I admit! But that won¡¯t matter now!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the one I met yesterday said something simr.¡±


    ¡°Kuk, I¡¯ll finish him off!¡±


    Ren the eager warrior said as he got up with his ymore. He was exactly the type of person who kept getting up after he was knocked down. However, if things were left to Ren, he would undoubtedly mess up like before. As such, I silently waved my hand at Ren.


    ¡°Just stand there and watch.¡±


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°Because you couldn¡¯t block his attack, four people lost a week of their time.¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    I deactivated Spirit Aura. I put my ive aside and charged toward the Lizard Knight bare handed. He had to be severely damaged from Heroic Strike, Lion Strike, Elemental Tempest, and the archer¡¯s focused atta... well maybe not that. In any case, his condition was obvious from his shaking legs. It was almost like he was begging for me to use my techniques!


    ¡°Here¡¯s a two handed grip shoulder throw!¡±


    ¡°Uwuuk!¡±


    ¡°N-No way!¡±


    ¡°C-Crown Prince picked up and threw the Lizard Knight!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop myself. I¡¯m falling in love with him. I must marry him now!¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re a guy!¡±


    Before I noticed it, the damage dealers from the second attack team had gotten up and were now spectating with popcorn in hand. However, as I was focused on the fight, I could not hear what they were murmuring about. I did not want to either!


    I threw the Lizard Knight over and over again without stop. Because I had no mana left, I knew my body wouldn¡¯tst the moment I missed a technique. I was in a more dangerous situation than yesterday. This was all Ren¡¯s fault.


    ¡°Human! A mere human!¡±


    ¡°It happens, and sometimes you die before you know it!¡±


    ¡°Humaaaaaan!¡±


    ¡°What, Lizard Kniiiight! This is the end! Floating drop!¡±


    This was the power of level 9 mid-rank martial arts technique and body strengthened with mana! As I threw the 2.3m giant down on the ground, the Lizard Knight coughed out blood.


    ¡°Kuk, human... Hero...!¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t even Heroic Strike, you fool!¡±


    In case it was still alive after spitting out a mouthful of blood, I made sure it was dead with my spear. He soon disappeared and we finally heard the system message we were all used to hearing.


    [You defeated the Floor Master!]

 Chapter 37. From Today, Im an Official Explorer (7)

    Chapter 37. From Today, I¡¯m an Official Explorer (7)


    [10,000 gold is distributed evenly among party members. You received 1667 gold.]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Lizard Knight¡¯s Silver Spear


    2. Middle Potion


    3. 1,000 Gold


    4. Mid-rank Mana Potion


    5. Scale Knife


    6. 1,500 Gold]


    Looking at the list of rewards, I became speechless. Could it get any worse!?


    Although I got unlucky from time to time, today was too much. Was it because of Ren¡¯s stupid move in the middle? Because I was interested in what ¡®medicine¡¯ the Lizard Knight would drop, I couldn¡¯t help but be disappointed. In the end, I grabbed the Lizard Knight¡¯s Silver Spear.


    I¡¯d been meaning to rece my Orc Lord¡¯s ive. I couldn¡¯t keep tormenting it. It was time to use a spear that matched my level.


    Silver Spear was certainly a good spear. It was made out of some silver-colored metal and was very hard. Although it wasn¡¯t as long as the one Lizard Knight used, it was still about 3 meters long and had a very good thickness to it.


    The de on the spearhead seemed long enough to be used for shing, and the tip of especially sharp. I loved it. Whether in function or look, it satisfied mepletely.


    Unlike with the Orc Lord¡¯s ive, the moment I held the Silver Spear, a message popped up.


    [By equipping the Lizard Knight¡¯s Silver Spear, your strength and dexterity increase by 2. The Lizard Knight Master title grants another 3 strength and dexterity.]


    That¡¯s right. It was about time that weapons had effects like this! With a satisfied smile, I looked around at my party members.


    There wasn¡¯t a happy atmosphere like I expected. Usually, when I defeated the Floor Master, everyone was happy no matter how big of a loss we suffered. However, the party members seemed to be angry. They were also all ring at Ren.


    ¡°People died because Ren-nim did unnecessary things!¡±


    ¡°Your contribution points must have been cut too.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim was doing perfectly fine on his own! Because of Ren-nim¡¯s charge, Crown Prince-nim had to cancel his skill!¡±


    ¡°Haa, this is why you can¡¯t party with people from Panan continent.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s all my fault. I have no excuse.¡±


    Ah, so that was it. I smirked. Dungeon explorers were people too. Most of them did nothing to contribute in the raid, and they must have felt bothered by it on the inside. It was a case of inferiorityplex.


    In that situation, however, someone who was worse than them appeared: Ren. Although he was eager and passionate, his actions almost led to the party being wiped.


    These people just wanted to gain self-satisfaction by confirming that there was someone who was worse than them. They were telling themselves that they were better than that person. That they had more qualification.


    It was trulyughable.


    What really surprised me was Ren. Unlike the fiery temperament he showed in battle, he fully acknowledged his faults and was bowing his head in apology. Although it wasn¡¯t particrlymendable, most people in his ceshed out rather than apologize. He left a favorable impression on me. Since I also thought differently, I decided to cut in.


    ¡°Sorry. I should have told everyone about Lizard Knight¡¯s skill. Because of my hubris that I could stop it easily, I forgot. It¡¯s my fault. I apologize.¡±


    ¡°N-No! Crown Prince-nim did fantastic given the circumstances!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We could only beat the Lizard Knight thanks to Crown Prince-nim!¡±


    ¡°Ren-nim, you realize Crown Prince-nim is trying to cover for your mistakes, right?¡±


    ¡°Kuk... I apologize, your highness Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not a crown prince. Don¡¯t naturally treat me like royalty!¡±


    Thanks to me, the party members that were scolding Ren calmed down and left with their rewards. Even though Ren made the great contribution of almost cutting the Lizard Knight¡¯s tail, because of a crucial mistake that led party members to their death, his final contribution was the lowest. As such, he held a Middle Potion and wore a mncholic expression. Middle Potion... I had only grabbed that thing once...


    Ren clenched the hand with the Middle Potion and murmured as he trembled.


    ¡°Damn it, whenever I enter a battle, I...!¡±


    ¡°You can think calmly in normal situations, but you be hotheaded in battle, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Ren looked at me with nk eyes.


    ¡°You want to challenge even though you know the taste of losing. You want to surpass those stronger than you. Because you don¡¯t want to lose, you do your best, or even bluff. Even when you end up bing a mess and feel self-loathing, you can¡¯t stop yourself from doing it again.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right! How did you know?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple.¡±


    I was once like that. Answering him with that, I smiled at Ren. Excited, Ren jumped at me.


    ¡°H-How can I fix it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s even simpler. Do you want to fix it?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m the Panan continent¡¯s only hope. Whether it¡¯s for those that died or for Sir Lebuik who chose me to be the dungeon explorer rather than other talented young men, I have to get stronger!¡±


    ¡°I see. I like your determination. I think I can be of help.¡±


    I wanted one too, hehe. With all the new abilities I¡¯d gathered, I wanted to organize them. Although fighting against monsters was nice, beating up... I mean, sparring with someone strong was also good. I nodded my head in satisfaction and took out the Silver Spear I just got.


    ¡°Alright, fight with me first. You¡¯ll find your answer then.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh! Thank you, thank you! Crown Prince really is different!¡±


    ¡°Not really. You won¡¯t thank me for long.¡±


    ¡°No, I will thank you from the bottom of my heart!¡±


    You really won¡¯t. Even as I murmured that, I smiled kindly. Just like that, I obtained a sturdy sandb... I mean, sparring partner.


    *


    ¡°I hate you.¡±


    Ren, who was copsed on the ground, blurted out with malice. He was still alive, surprisingly. Sipping on Loretta¡¯s Fatigue Recovery Juice, I answered him.


    ¡°I told you, you won¡¯t thank me for long.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d really kill me!¡±


    ¡°Without killing intent in your spear, how can you expect your enemy to bring out his all?¡±


    I plugged a Fatigue Recovery Juice in Ren¡¯s mouth as well. Ren began to immediately suck it down.


    Loretta, who was watching me nkly from the side, asked.


    ¡°Customer, you know you can¡¯t dispose corpses at my shop, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not dead yet, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    Ren coughed out the juice he was drinking. It was a joke... but Ren seemed to have thought otherwise. I crouched down next to Ren.


    ¡°So? Do you feel better after the spar?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You were attacking me with a do-or-die attitude just now, but you¡¯re not now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m all out of energy.¡±


    He was panting like he was about to die. However, his eyes were zing even now. I liked it. He was just like me.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying, once you get your energy back, you¡¯lle at me again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I really can¡¯t do anything about mypetitive instinct.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll get fixed soon. Give it a month.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a rather specific number.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how long it took for father to fix my bad habits.¡±


    With a refreshing smile, I answered Ren as I reminisced about the old days. It was when I was 14 years old. I had just dominated the friendly matchpetition against other martial arts ns¡¯ heirs and was feeling overly self-confident. I believed there was no one I couldn¡¯t defeat. It was also the time when I pestered father to quickly let me be a dungeon explorer.


    I still remembered it clearly. Fatherughed, and staring into the sky, murmured, ¡®so it¡¯s that time for you too.¡¯


    That afternoon, I sparred with father. He beat me up into oblivion. Really. From head to toe, the only ce where his wooden spear didn¡¯t hit were my testicles. Feeling spiteful, I challenged him again and again, like a moth to a me. Father didn¡¯t go easy just because I was his son and really beat me up. He really was childish in that respect.


    That continued for a month.


    ¡°And during that one month, I learned not to charge at the enemy directly, but to take my time and analyze the opponent. I learned how to wait for an opening to strike, and learned that it was always better to go for a gap in defense than to fight head on.¡±


    ¡°Apparently, people from my lineage always had a phase where our strength went over our heads. During this period, whoever our teacher was had to beat us to discipline us. Because the teachers thrashed us so much, we called it the thrashing phase.¡±


    When I first heard father talk about the thrashing phase, I felt it made great sense. However, Loretta who was listening from the side seemed to disagree.


    ¡°Customer¡¯s father really is stupid. I didn¡¯t think there could be a stupider person than customer in the world...¡±


    ¡°Like father like son...¡±


    ¡°Ren, if you¡¯ve recovered enough to spout nonsense, you should be ready to go for a second round. Ah, we¡¯re going on another Lizard Knight raid in an hour too.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Raid? How?¡±


    Ren tilted his head and asked. I was about to ask why he was asking such a stupid question, but realized that Ren did not know about the battle vouchers. When I looked at Loretta, she answered Ren¡¯s question.


    ¡°Customer, do you wish to fight the Lizard Knight again?¡±


    ¡°T-There¡¯s a way to do that? Of course I do! I¡¯m Panan¡¯s Ren. If I don¡¯t get my revenge on the Lizard Knight, I will not be me anymore! I can only get stronger if I ovee him!¡±


    ¡°How about it, Loretta? He seems to have the qualifications you were talking about.¡±


    That¡¯s what I liked about him in the first ce. His fiery nature that was unlike other dungeon explorers. Of course, if I didn¡¯t think he had talent, I would have just thought he was stupid.


    When I asked Loretta with a wink, Loretta flushed her cheeks and dodged my gaze. Eh? Did I do something wrong just now?


    ¡°K-Kuhum. Fine. Although he doesn¡¯t quite meet my standards, since cus... since Shin-nim is with him, I¡¯ll sell it.¡±


    ¡°Sell? Sell what?¡±


    Ren tilted his head and asked with a na?ve expression. Loretta beamed as she took out a handful of battle vouchers. Then, as usual, she said her sales line.


    ¡°The Floor Master Battle Voucher! Allowing you to ovee the limit of once per day fight and rechallenge the Floor Master! If you buy it now, you can get them for 4,000 gold each! Just 4,000 gold each, customer!¡±


    You scammer!

 Chapter 38. Event Dungeon (1)

    Chapter 38. Event Dungeon (1)


    Ren bought the battle vouchers in bulk. He seemed to be the same type of person as me, as he preferred not to buy equipment or consumables. As a result, he had gathered quite a bit of gold. Even as he used all of it up because he met the wrong person, he did not seem to mind.


    A look of resolve could be seen on his face.


    ¡°I finally met someone who would put in effort for me. If I don¡¯t believe in you, I don¡¯t deserve to call myself Ren!¡±


    Did Ren have to put in an exmation mark every other sentence? He really was hotheaded.


    ¡°Kuk... Take it, shopkeeper. In exchange, I¡¯ll take those vouchers!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Thank you, customer. Come again!¡±


    The scene of Ren buying battle vouchers looked like exchanging money for chips at a casino. Luckily, with me around, he would always hit the jackpot.


    ¡°Loretta, I¡¯m almost out of battle vouchers too. Can you give me 30 more?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim. 30, right? That will be 70,000 gold total.¡±


    Strange. For some reason, the discount rate was higher for me. I was thankful for it but unfortunately, Ren picked up on her words.


    ¡°Eh? Shopkeeper, isn¡¯t the number wrong? 30 vouchers should be...¡±


    ¡°Customer, it¡¯s 70,000 gold. For Shin-nim, that is.¡±


    Loretta exerted an intimidating aura with a smile. However, that wasn¡¯t enough to prevent stupid Ren.


    ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t you give it to me for that price too? I gave you 4,000 gold per voucher.¡±


    ¡°Huu. It seems customer isn¡¯t very knowledgeable about the Floor Shop yet.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Shouldn¡¯t the price be the same?¡±


    Loretta stared at Ren with her smile, thenughed. Her smile was so scary that I was afraid it would appear in my dreams.


    ¡°Shin-nim is a premium member, and premium members can buy items for a cheaper price. Do you understand? As expected of someone Shin-nim brought, you are dense.¡±


    ¡°Mmm? Premium? So that was it...¡±


    No, there¡¯s no such thing. I¡¯ve never heard of it before either.


    Wanting to make the two idiots stop talking, I quickly took out the gold.


    ¡°Here, 70,000 gold. As always, thank you, Loretta.¡±


    ¡°... Hurry up and go do your raid. Being thanked by Shin-nim gives me chills.¡±


    Like the saying went, women¡¯s hearts were as fickle as the weather. After she happily sold battle vouchers for a cheap price, Loretta¡¯s mood seemed to have turned for the worse as she tried to chase me away with a flushed face. Dejected, I left the Floor Shop wondering if a day woulde when Loretta and I would be totally unreserved around each other. Suddenly, Ren asked me a question.


    ¡°Are you dating the shopkeeper?¡±


    It took me a moment to process what he said. After standing around as if I suffered from ag, I barely managed to reply.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°No matter how I look at it, that was a lover¡¯s quarrel.¡±


    Our conversation from just now? I suddenly thought of a possibility. Ren certainly had a masculine face and a healthy body. But...


    ¡°Ren, have you been single your entire life?¡±


    ¡°H-How did you know?¡±


    I was right. I could tell because I was the same. Damn it, I didn¡¯t want to rte to him like this!


    ¡°You think any man and woman talking friendly are in a rtionship, right?¡±


    ¡°Huk!¡±


    ¡°If you see a girl staring at you, you fix your hair and think about what to say when she starts walking toward you, right?¡±


    ¡°Huk!¡±


    I nned to continuously tease Ren as we walked to the boss room. But because I felt like I was tormenting myself, I stopped.


    Although I didn¡¯t tell Ren yet, only he and I would be fighting the boss. Topletely crush his overlypetitive spirit, just sparring with me wasn¡¯t enough. Plus, I had to take lesson fees as well. I couldn¡¯t work for free, could I?


    That¡¯s why...


    ¡°Lion Striiiiike!¡±


    ¡°That idiot¡¯s doing it again.¡±


    ¡°Shishik! Die, Human!¡±


    Ren who was in charge of the Lizard Knight¡¯s backside bravely lunged at Lizard Knight¡¯s tail flying toward him. I was like Sancho Panza watching Don Quixote tilting at windmills[1. Tilting at windmills ¨C attacking imaginary enemies]. With a wishful expression, I prayed for him to return alive. At the same time, I stabbed the Lizard Knight with my Silver Spear to prevent him from focusing on his tail.


    ¡°Kuaaak, Human!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a human!¡±


    After the Lizard Knight sent Ren flying, he rushed toward me. I first threw him off with a light sidestep, and made him fall by making him trip on my spear. Then, I stabbed at his neck. Although my spear carried bountiful mana, it was only enough to break a few scales and damage him lightly. As expected of a Floor Master. His defense was nothing to scoff at.


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    ¡°Whoa, don¡¯t suddenly get up! You almost scared the crap out of me!¡±


    I quickly jumped back and dodged his counterattack. Whenever I saw an opening, I attacked him. This fast-paced switch between offense and defense continued until the Lizard Knight raised his spear to use his earthquake attack. This time, either because he received a bigger shock or because there were no healers to help him, Ren had not gotten up. As such, I was able to smoothly use Tempest to send the Lizard Knight¡¯s spear flying.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    ¡°If you lost your weapon, you need to attack me without it! Don¡¯t just stand around! No, wait, why am I lecturing you, not Ren!?¡±


    It was a piece of cake to toy with the Lizard Knight who had lost his spear. This time, I didn¡¯t even give him the opportunity to use Dragon Skin.


    Once when I defeated it alone and once when I defeated with party members. Using these two opportunities, I memorized the change in his stance when he was about to use Dragon Skin. Now, whenever I saw him getting into that stance, I delivered a critical blow to prevent him from using Dragon Skin.


    It was onlyter that I found out it had a technical term called Skill Cancelling. Ellos, who exined it to me, bbered on about it being a legendary secret technique or whatever, but I had long stopped listening to him.


    ¡°Kuaaak! A mere human dares to attack this Lizard Knight! Kuk!¡±


    ¡°For a lizard, you sure know how to talk.¡±


    After piercing his neck with Heroic Strike added with Divine Speed, I murmured leisurely. I called Ren who was sent flying after being unable stop himself from charging at the Lizard Knight¡¯s tail.


    ¡°It¡¯s over, so get up!¡±


    ¡°Ku.... I-I hit my head.¡±


    ¡°At least you¡¯re tough. I was thinking I liked the feeling I was getting in my hand...¡±


    ¡°Can you repeat that?¡±


    ¡°Wow, look at the rewards!¡±


    I tantly ignored Ren¡¯s question and looked at the reward list with just two items. Then, I unconsciously grinned from ear to ear. The item I was waiting for had finally appeared.


    [1. Muscle Strengthening Elixir


    2. Lizard Knight¡¯s Iron Boots]


    In the second raid, where I brought in nine other people, I wondered why an elixir-type item did not drop. Until now, no matter how badly the other people did, my achievements were enough to make elixir items drop. However, that wasn¡¯t the case for the second Lizard Knight raid. I wondered what I was missing.


    The answer was simple. I wasn¡¯t missing anything. In fact, I had too many. Too many of what you ask?


    People. It was people. With four people dying, there were only 6 of us left to get rewards. Even then, we had too many people to bring out a rare item. The solution was simple. I just had to lower the number even more.


    What caught my attention then was Ren. He had the guts to pounce on a Floor Master, and he had the strength to back it up. Of course, he was still a problematic explorer who wascking in techniques. This time, my brain was uncharacteristically clever. I formed a n where both Ren and I benefitted.


    ¡°Alright, Ren. I¡¯ll take the reward as promised.¡±


    ¡°Uuu, I do have a gain of 1,000 gold, but...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the lesson fee.¡±


    After taking the Muscle Strengthening Elixir, I received the Iron Boots from Ren. Ren bought Floor Master Battle Vouchers for 4,000 gold each. With the 5,000 gold he gained from the raid, he was earning 1,000 gold without doing much of anything. Not to mention, I was personally training him and preventing him from dying.


    As for me, I could shorten my Floor Master grind by receiving two rewards every time. It really was the perfect n.


    There was only one thing I didn¡¯t take into consideration. It was that Loretta would sell the battle vouchers for 4,000 gold. I expected Ren to make 2,000 gold, but now that he was only earning 1,000 gold, it felt a bit weird. Of course, since we would be doing the raid three times per day, he would be making 3,000 gold in total.


    ¡°3,000 gold is certainly not a small amount... with personal training from the Crown Prince on top...¡±


    ¡°3,000 gold per day plus personal training from me. Isn¡¯t it great, Ren?¡±


    ¡°Hm. I have a lot to say, but I don¡¯t quite know how to put it into words. Agh, my sides hurt.¡±


    ¡°You reap what you sow.¡±


    I swallowed the Muscle Strengthening Elixir like candy. For a moment, I was worried that my muscles would bulge out like before. Thankfully, nothing of the sort happened. The moment I ate the elixir, I felt every muscle in my body tighten like they were being squeezed. Then, a fiery heat spread out across my body in an instant, followed by a wave of exhaustion.


    [Every muscle in your body bes tougher and stronger. Strength and dexterity both increase by 1.]


    Nice! Two stats increased at the same time. With this, I could get stronger once again. Excited, I urged Ren on.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go do our final raid for the day.¡±


    At my words, Ren paled and his lips trembled.


    ¡°You... Are you human?¡±


    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong? What happened to your spirit from earlier, Ren?¡±


    ¡°My entire body hurts! It hurts too much!¡±


    Ren had an extremely desperate expression. He was finally wearing an expression befitting of his young face. With a calm smile, I consoled him.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said I would massage you well.¡±


    ¡°Aaak! Crown Prince is murdering a dungeon explorer!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re free to enter, but not free to leave.¡±


    Like this, the curtains were raised to our fun party raid.

 Chapter 39. Event Dungeon (2)

    Chapter 39. Event Dungeon (2)


    Midterms ended. I had no sses on Fridays, so Thursday was thest day of my midterms. It was also the ss I happened to share with Su Ye-Eun.


    I vaguely thought she¡¯d hit me up to go eat fries again. Since I started having sses with Su Ye-Eun, I started avoiding food with potatoes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s celebrate the end of midterms with beer and fries!¡±


    ¡°I expected nothing less.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Shin!¡±


    ¡°How did the test go?¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    Su Ye-Eun answered my question with a scream. How did this girl get into college?


    ¡®Something always happens when I eat fries with this girl...¡¯


    When themunication channel openedst time, I was almost scared out of my wits. It was almost like it happened because I went to eat fries with her. In a displeased tone, I asked Su Ye-Eun.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any friends other than me? Anyone you have sses with?¡±


    ¡°N-No one talks to me.¡±


    ¡°Then stop always wearing your hoody.¡±


    With the hoody covering her face, Su Ye-Eun¡¯s presence disappearedpletely. I almost thought it was some passive skill. With her pretty face, people would be all over her if she just dressed up a little...


    ¡°I hate getting attention.¡±


    ¡°You really have a tiresome personality.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I have you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    For a moment, I saw tentacles with suction cups stretching out from her body and wrapping around me. Was I caught in a trap? By this zero social skills, zero presence, monsterphobia, potato witch?


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ming.¡±


    They said words sowed seeds. I didn¡¯t believe in it, but I decided to believe it from today. When I was taking a breath after ordering a beer and fries, the TV on the wall was showing a strange ce.


    It was suspicious. I began to hate this shop famous for its fries.


    [Breaking news. At a shopping mall in Seoul¡¯s Yeongdeungpo District, a ck pir of light suddenly shot up to the sky. This phenomenon which was first seen two minutes ago is also being observed in other countries¡¯ main cities...]


    On TV, I saw a shopping mall I visited in the past totally enveloped by ck light. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, the ck light was shooting up into the sky, forming a pir visible from quite a distance away. There were also images from major cities in other countries. Japan¡¯s Osaka, America¡¯s New York, China¡¯s Beijing, Britain¡¯s London, etc. They were allrge cities with huge poption densities.


    [Experts consider this phenomenon as a continuation of Two Moon, and have advised governments to dispatch Guardian to affected areas. ording to Article 7 Section 1 of New Moon Act, the government has begun to evacuate all Yeongdeungpo District residents and has dispatched Guardian¡¯s Special Forces.]


    New Moon Act. It was aw created after Two Moon to deal with monsters and monster-rted work. It outlined the government¡¯s response when a monster-rted disaster urred. For example, the code of conduct, safety measures for citizens, and federal assistance for any material damage received.


    Although it had many faults and led to endless protests, it was still convenient in times of crisis like this.


    ¡°S-Scary... Right?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I wonder what it is.¡±


    ck light. Major cities.


    Just looking at them through the TV screen, I could feel the ominous aura emanating from them. However, I knew what those lights were. That was the feeling I had.


    ¡°Dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Shin, did you say something?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Did I say something?¡±


    Su Ye-Eun looked at me like I was acting strangely.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say something about pancakes[1. The ¡®geon¡¯ in dungeon sounds like the word for pancake]? I like pancakes too.¡±


    ¡°Pancakes? What pancakes? I¡¯m not in the mood to eat. In fact, I think I have to go to the... dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Dungeon!¡±


    I shouted out loud. As if in response, the ck light shooting up from the shopping mall subsided and revealed the building¡¯s appearance. No, it was wrong to say it was a building. It was a whirlpool of ck smoke emanating an ominous aura. It was just like teleportation portals in games!


    At the same time, I heard message noona¡¯s voice in my head. She¡¯d been making a lot of business trips recently.


    [Event Dungeons have been created on Earth! When cleared, you can obtain various rewards such as stat points or skill points!]


    All Awakened on Earth likely thought this: It¡¯s finally here.


    All dungeon explorers on Earth likely thought this: Those are Event Dungeons!?


    I quickly opened themunication channel. Sure enough, Mastiford was chatting away in it.


    [You all heard it right? Those are Event Dungeons!]


    [Unni, you¡¯re going to go?]


    [Of course! You shoulde with me, Sumire!]


    [B-But...]


    [If you die in an Event Dungeon, aren¡¯t you dead for real?]


    At Edward Walker¡¯s words, the two girls became quiet. I was thinking the same thing, even if it was something I did not really want to admit.


    This world was different from the dungeon. We were not given second chances.


    As such, adventuring had a danger iparable to losing a week¡¯s worth of time.


    [These Event Dungeons are dangerous. I can smell it. The sweeter the reward, the more lethal the poison they bear.]


    [Then are you just going to leave them be? The rewards will disappear if other Awakened clear them. Are you that much of a scaredy-cat? How can you call yourself a British citizen?]


    [Shut it, Mastiford. I don¡¯t see what that¡¯s got to do with it. Me being British has nothing to do with acting like a fool who doesn¡¯t know fear.]


    Well said, Mister Walker!


    [The dungeons we¡¯ve been going to until now were like games. There was no risk involved. Although being hit by monsters may have hurt, you were guaranteed your lives. And when you won, you were guaranteed rewards. But not now. It¡¯s a gamble with your life on the line. No matter how sweet the reward seems, it¡¯s not worth it.]


    [Ho, you¡¯re more prudent than I imagined, or should I say cowardly? Shouldn¡¯t a man charge in no matter how dangerous it is ande out victorious!?]


    Father, who had fought against a tiger barehanded and won, had the right to say that. That said, I won¡¯t forgive him for making me fight one when I was only 13 years old! Even if I won in the end!


    [Hmph, are you saying you¡¯ll go into those dungeons?]


    [Think about it. I¡¯m not active yet as an ability user. If I go into a dungeon, I would be advertising to the whole world that I¡¯m an ability user.]


    [So you were just talk after all.]


    [... You, do you want to make a trip to Korea? I¡¯ll wee you wholeheartedly. With my spear, that is.]


    Father... I felt I needed to interfere before father started fighting Walker. I also needed to point out something everyone was missing.


    [Sorry everyone, but before we talk about the benefits we can gain as dungeon explorers, there¡¯s something important we need to address.]


    [Ah, Yeon Hwawoo! Great! Why did you ignore me until now!? I¡¯ve been calling you for a while!]


    [Hm? I had themunication channel turned off, why?]


    [Ugggaaaah! How annoying!]


    I ignored Mastiford¡¯s screaming and continued.


    [You guys know what happens when you clear an Event Dungeon, right?]


    [I haven¡¯t entered one before, but I¡¯ve heard about it.]


    [Ah, I¡¯ve cleared it before. Huhu, twice in fact! And for one of them, an Event Raid hap... Ah!]


    Mastiford who was excitedly bragging cried out in shock. It seemed everyone had an idea what I was trying to say.


    [The Event Raid... You¡¯re right.]


    [That¡¯s right. I remember now.]


    Eh? Father, you¡¯re on the 21st floor now!? I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d catch up to me so quickly. Though, as I waspletely into raising my stats through the Muscle Strengthening Elixir, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to leveling up.


    [That¡¯s right. If we rashly clear one, a raid boss might appear and make the situation worse. We need toe up with a solution before we do anything.]


    [Hmm, but even if we don¡¯t do anything, wouldn¡¯t the Awakened be dispatched?]


    [That¡¯s true... Mastiford, didn¡¯t you brag about being a SS-rank ability user with public trust? This is your opportunity to shine. Send the world a warning.]


    [Mmm, I¡¯ll try. I¡¯ll try but... I don¡¯t really have much power, you know? Britain has another SS-rank ability user so my words won¡¯t have much weight. Plus, Korea isn¡¯t a powerful country. This is exactly why I wanted to create an organization of dungeon explorers!]


    [Miss Mastiford, I¡¯m saying you should use your personal authority as a SS-rank ability user. Don¡¯t you understand the weight your words carry? Don¡¯t talk to the government, talk to the mass media! You can even hold a press conference if you want. We need to prepare the entire world, whether we clear the dungeon or not!]


    [E-Even if you suddenlypliment me, I can¡¯t do anything! Hmph!]


    [Unni...]


    As I was chatting in themunication channel, I naturally had my hand over my mouth. Su Ye-Eun, who had three fries sticking out of her mouth, was staring at me like I was the weird one. I ignored her gaze and turned to the TV. There, I saw a letter written on top of the Dungeon Gate. It was undoubtedly the letter ¡®A¡¯!


    [Mister Walker, if you knew what difficulty the Event Dungeon you had to enter was, what would you do?]


    [I would still hesitate. That said, given that I have some information about the dungeon, I could prepare myself to challenge it. Compared to the huge danger I would have to eventually face, oveing the current smaller danger would have some merit.]


    [Good. Korea¡¯s Event Dungeon Gate has the letter ¡®A¡¯ above it. I think this is like the rank that ssifies ability users. How about other countries?]


    At my words, everyone became quiet. Sumire was the first to respond.


    [It¡¯s true! Osaka Castle¡¯s Gate says B+!]


    [The entire Osaka Castle disappeared!? I wanted to go see it eventually!]


    [That¡¯s not important right now, Miss Mastiford!]


    [Hey, you stop picking faults at whatever I say. I¡¯m at my mom¡¯s house right now, so I can only see Yeungdeungpo¡¯s Gate! I¡¯m a Yeundeungpo resident too!]


    ¡®Like I care! Turn on your TV and look at the other countries! I¡¯m in a ce where I can¡¯t even change the TV channel!¡¯ I growled at her in my head.


    [I confirmed it. Britain¡¯s Event Dungeon says A+. It seems America¡¯s Event Dungeon is S.]


    [Hm. France has B, China has C. Although China has the lowest difficulty, five Event Dungeons appeared there. 3 Cs and 2 C+s.]


    If the alphabet above the Gates were really based on ability users¡¯ rankings like I thought, wouldn¡¯t a single S-rank ability user be enough to clear a S-rank dungeon? Wasn¡¯t solo y the standard for all dungeons?


    [Huu, this is hard. If you consider a 10-man party as the standard... No, since you can¡¯t quit ande out like in the dungeons we go to, we¡¯ll have to consider at least 20 people for taking shifts. Since they don¡¯t have inventories like us, we¡¯ll need to add 5 more people to carry daily necessities. That¡¯s 25. Even if porters can be low-rank ability users, wouldn¡¯t America¡¯s S-rank dungeon need 20 S-rank ability users? That¡¯ll be difficult.]


    [There¡¯s a possibility that only 10 people can enter a dungeon. In that case, we¡¯ll need ability users with higher ranks than the dungeon itself.]


    I decided to stay quiet. Although I was also a dungeon explorer, the amount ofmon sense knowledge I knew seemed light years apart from theirs. Not to mention, not all ability users on Earth were dungeon explorers.


    [Plus, if an S-rank raid boss appears, we¡¯ll need at least 100 to 300 people toe out victorious. That¡¯ll be a disaster among disasters.]


    [Now that you put it that way, Yeungdeungpo¡¯s boss would be A-rank too...]


    Mastiford seemed to be immersed in her thoughts, when she suddenly said,


    [Everyone, I need your help. My mom¡¯s feeling uneasy. I want to get rid of the dungeon quickly and calm her down. Help me beat this dungeon. As a magician, although I have strong firepower, I¡¯ll be taken out if I leave any openings. I can¡¯t do it alone.]


    ... Just like I thought from the beginning, she was honest. People usually found it hard to acknowledge their weaknesses. For someone like Mastiford who seemed like a blob of self-esteem, I didn¡¯t think she would so easily admit her weakness. Right now, she not only revealed it, but she was also asking for help. It meant she knew her weaknesses just as much as her strengths. I began to see her in a more favorable light.


    Plus, I knew she really liked her mother.


    [I refuse. There¡¯s no reason for me to put myself at risk.]


    Edward Walker was the first to answer. In a way, it was the logical answer. On the other hand, Minami¡¯s answer was theplete opposite of Walker¡¯s.


    [I¡¯ll help, unni. I¡¯ll fly to Korea right now! I have confidence in my defense, so I can withstand most attacks!]


    [Sumire! Thank you, I love you!]


    That girl was still too kind. She should really think things through a bit more.


    [Miss Minami, I¡¯m not trying to be condescending, but I don¡¯t think a explorer on the 18th floor can take on an A-rank monster.]


    [Y-You¡¯re right, but I have confidence in my defense! I can even take a Floor Master¡¯s attack head on!]


    [Really?]


    This youngdy was certainly not normal. Climbing 18 floors in 2 years, plus... Eh? 2 years? There were 5 dungeon explorers right now, and there were 5 dungeon explorers when I became one 5 years ago... A question emerged in my mind. But now was not the time to ask. I reluctantly put it away in the back of my mind.


    [Miss Mastiford, what are our ns if a raid boss appears when we clear the dungeon?]


    [Don¡¯t worry. I have an SS-rank firepower. If I¡¯m properly protected, I can deal with an A-rank raid boss by myself.]


    With that, I made my decision.


    [I¡¯ll participate too. Although I might becking, I can at least protect Miss Mastiford.]


    [W-What¡¯s up with you suddenly? What are you scheming? Is it the stats? Is that what you¡¯re aiming for?]


    [That one thing. More importantly, I¡¯m confident I won¡¯t die in an A-rank dungeon. Plus, if someone can guarantee to kill the raid boss without suffering losses, it would only be proper to lend a hand to the person capable of doing it.]


    Objectively, I assessed my ability to be about B+ rank. Of course, that was only taking Peika¡¯s ability into ount. Adding on my physical strength and techniques, plus my abilities as a dungeon explorer... I was probably A-rank. Even without my spear that is.


    [Hmph! Even if you change your mind now, I won¡¯t put you in our organization!]


    [I don¡¯t want to go in your organization, you witch.]


    [W-Witch!?]


    [I¡¯ll cooperate too. Since my so... I mean, since Yeon Hwawoo is cooperating, it¡¯s only proper as a fellow Korean to join in.]


    ¡®Just say the word son, father!¡¯ Iined in my head. That said, father seemed to be worried about sending his son to such a dangerous ce alone as he also joined in.


    But do dungeon explorers have to be the ones to go?


    [Miss Mastiford, you¡¯re a SS-rank ability user. Why can¡¯t you just bring other ability users instead?]


    [What other ability users? Do you think people would choose to barge into a suspicious and dangerous ce like that without receiving any rewards?]


    [An SS-rank ability user¡¯s name doesn¡¯t even have that much weight?]


    After hearing what I said, Mastiford let out a deep sigh.


    [You see, British Guardians are busy with the Gate that appeared in London. Korean Guardians would be all over me, but I¡¯m afraid of the aftermath.]


    [Aftermath? Ah.]


    The scene of Mastiford entering Korea¡¯s Gate with other Korean ability users would be the perfect advertisement for the proud Korean image the government was trying to sell. Once I understood, I nodded my head instinctively.


    [Even though we¡¯re doing a good thing, we have to sneak into the Gate. Do you understand, Yeon Hwawoo?]


    [Yeah, I got it. You have it rough, Miss Mastiford.]


    [Thanks for noti... wait, why am I talking so friendly with you!?]


    Mastiford suddenly yelled after talking well for a while. Reaffirming that this woman wasn¡¯t normal, I shook my head. At the same time, Mastiford put the conversation to rest.


    [Then we¡¯ll gather in front of that shopping mall in two hours!]


    [That¡¯s too fast! Miss Minami has to fly over from Japan! I know you want to take care of the dungeon as fast as possible, but calm down.]


    [Ah, you¡¯re right... Then 2 o¡¯clock tomorrow afternoon.]


    [Fine.]


    [Got it, unni!]


    [That¡¯s fine with me.]


    [Ho? The four of you are gathering? Yeon Hwawoo, I thought you¡¯d be different... well, good luck.]


    With that, Walker went silent. It seems he turned off themunication channel.


    [I¡¯m off too. I¡¯ll be there on time so don¡¯t worry.]


    [W-Who¡¯d worry for you!? Ah, wait, you¡¯re about to turn themunication channel off, right? Don¡¯t--!]


    I turned it off. Letting out all the tension I built up with a sigh, I gulped down on lukewarm beer in front of me. At the same time, I caught sight of Su Ye-Eun staring at me strangely.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Shin? You seem to be trembling.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just nervous. It looks like I¡¯ll be doing something dangerous.¡±


    I stared at the Gate on TV. A whirlpool of grey smoke. Although Mastiford didn¡¯t say much about it, I still had a lot on my mind.


    It was different from the dungeon.


    If I died, that was it.


    Wouldn¡¯t they be fine even without me?


    ¡°Tsk. I can¡¯t turn tail in front of just this much danger.¡±


    It had been a while since I thought about it, but I remembered.


    The superhero I dreamt of bing when I was a little kid was not a coward. From the dungeon, I learned that a coward cannot get stronger. If everything ended when I died, I just had to not die.


    What was the reason I raised my strength in the dungeon? Before monsters began appearing on Earth, it was to see just how far I could go. I also wanted to know what was at the end of the dungeon. That was the same even now when monsters began appearing on Earth.


    Until now, I ignored Earth¡¯s monsters because I could not gain skills or level up from hunting them.


    It was different now. If that dungeon¡¯s difficulty really was based on A-rank ability users, then it was worth taking it on with my current strength. If things went badly with that dungeon, there was the possibility that ordinary people, not ability users, would die. Just like when the second moon first rose in the skies.


    ¡°Though, I only said I¡¯d go because I was confident I wouldn¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°D-Die? It¡¯s that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I won¡¯t die.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t a saint. I had no ns to throw my life away for someone I didn¡¯t even know. But Yeungdeungpo wasn¡¯t that far from here. If a raid boss appeared, it was possible that someone I cared about would get hurt. I had to prevent that at all costs.


    ... Most importantly, there were rewards in that dungeon. Although it was only temporary, I had an SS-rank ability user in my party! It would be hard to find another opportunity to leech rewards so easily! Whoops, my real intentions were leaking.


    ¡°Huhu, huhuhu.¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t suddenlyugh. It¡¯s scary...¡±


    ¡°Ah, the world is vast and there are truly lots of things to grind.¡±


    I¡¯ll get stronger! Oveing danger and getting stronger from it is what excites people! Thinking that, I tightly clenched my fists. Although I sneered at father¡¯s simple personality, I had yet to realize I was just like him in the most crucial area.


    ¡°I should really take you to the doctor... Uuu, I¡¯m worried.¡±


    ¡°You mind your own business!¡±

 Chapter 40. Event Dungeon (3)

    Chapter 40. Event Dungeon (3)


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Shin-nim.¡±


    As if she had been waiting for my question, Loretta nodded her head.


    ¡°The Gates are certainly marked ording to Earth¡¯s standard for ability users. An ¡®A¡¯ marked dungeon would mean A-rank ability users could take care of it.¡±


    ¡°So it really is as I thought. I¡¯m curious how you know about it, but I won¡¯t ask for now.¡±


    ¡°Even if you do, I¡¯m unable to give you an answer. But I can tell you this, Shin-nim. That ce is a dungeon, yet not a dungeon. If something goes wrong...¡±


    Seeing Loretta¡¯s worried expression, I nodded my head with a bitter smile.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s dangerous, but I have confidence. I have strong reinforcements as well. Thanks for worrying about me.¡±


    ¡°Haa, I still have misgivings... but it¡¯s not like I can go with you, huu.¡±


    ¡°More importantly, there¡¯s something I want to buy. Do you sell masks? Something that canpletely hide my appearance.¡±


    ¡°I do. A mask that prevents others from reading your information and even slightly changes your height, build, and hair. It¡¯s called ¡®Otus¡¯ Secret.¡¯ Today, this amazing magical item is only 50,000 gold!¡±


    ¡°50,000!¡±


    That¡¯s over 100 million won! Well... it¡¯s probably going toe in handy from now on. There was a huge merit to being able to act as an ability user while hiding my face. Whenever an Event Raid urred, it would let me participate without revealing my identity. That way, I could act without reserve.


    I bought the mask with tearful eyes. I messaged father while I was at it. We of course had each other on our friend lists.


    ¡°Father, buy Otus¡¯ Secret from the Floor Shop.¡±


    [Hm? What¡¯s that?]


    ¡°It¡¯s a mask. Are you going to reveal your face?¡±


    [Mm, I was going to tell youter, but I registered as an ability user today.]


    ¡°You act too quickly!¡±


    I remembered the talk father had with Walker not long ago. Although I thought he was rather calm about it, it seemed he fell for Walker¡¯s provocation. He was my father, but he really was simple.


    [My ability has grown quite a bit too now. I can¡¯t stay hidden forever, so I registered as an ability user and ignored the requests from Guardian and Freedom Wing. Huhu, I¡¯m an A-rank ability user now!]


    ¡°Congrattions on getting A-rank, but you could have registered with your identity hidden, father.¡±


    It was true. Many rogues who did not want to join Guardian or Freedom Wing disguised themselves when they registered as ability users. What was important for ability users were their abilities, not their faces.


    That said,pared to Guardian, who were officially recognized by the government, or the worldwide organization Freedom Wing, who had their own independent system, rogues were a lot less trustworthy. They were also unable to enjoy the benefits other ability users had such as tax cuts, memberships to government facilities, or free entrance to certain public and private facilities.


    Simply put, they were things I didn¡¯t care about.


    [Eh? Really? Well, it¡¯s toote for that.]


    ¡°Huu. Well, I¡¯m only going to be fighting barehanded tomorrow. Also, don¡¯t make it obvious that we are father and son.¡±


    [Shouldn¡¯t you take this opportunity to register as well?]


    ¡°I will. With my mask on. I¡¯m still not confident in my ability, so I don¡¯t n on revealing myself so openly.¡±


    [A man shouldn¡¯t be so spineless.]


    ¡°It¡¯s being cautious.¡±


    [My stupid son has grown so much...]


    Thinking that my father¡¯s intelligence stat couldn¡¯t be that high, I purchased Otus¡¯ Secret. It was a ck, metallic mask that covered my forehead, eyes, and even my nasal bridgepletely. However, I felt that it wasn¡¯t perfect.


    ¡°Won¡¯t I get discovered? It doesn¡¯t hide my mouth or jaw line.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it changes your build. Try wearing it first, Shin-nim.¡±


    When I equipped the mask and imagined myself getting slimmer, my body really did get slimmer. Plus, my height, which had reduced to 190cm with all the Bone Compressing Elixirs I consumed, reduced further to about 185cm. My hair then became a little longer and was dyed grey. My appearance really did change ording to my imagination.


    Loretta who was watching from the side suddenlyughed. I didn¡¯t like the way her eyes curved to a crescent shape.


    ¡°Shin-nim, is that Shin-nim¡¯s ideal form?¡±


    ¡°Uk!? N-No! I only dyed my hair grey so my identity wouldn¡¯t get revealed!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe you. Wow, how cool. I might fall in love with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking in monotone!¡±


    I had to admit Loretta got me there. Just as I vowed to get my revenge one day and took my mask off, someone shot me a question.


    ¡°Are we not doing any more raids today?¡±


    It was Ren, who was quietly watching Loretta make fun of me. After two weeks of fighting the Lizard Knight 3 times every day, Ren charged at the Lizard Knight¡¯s tail much less than when we began. I had also collected all of the Lizard Knight set, and only needed a few more Muscle Strengthening Elixirs.


    By the way, the Lizard Knight Set was a te armor set with much better effects than the leather armor. It raised strength and constitution by 10 points, and allowed me to use ¡®Dragon Skin¡¯, the ultimate defense skill that reduced iing physical and magical damage by 90 percent.


    Of course, it was notpletely effective against attacks from enemies that exceeded a certain level. In addition, it reduced my movement speed by 50 percent. However, it was still an amazing skill. Bing tougher meant that my attacks became stronger as well. I stored this skill on the 4 o¡¯clock position of the pocket watch.


    ¡°Mm, I like that the gauntlet is metal. I didn¡¯t really like the leather glove.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Crown Prince. I asked if we were done for the day?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, Ren. We still have one more raid to do.¡±


    ¡°Kuk, my back hurts though.¡±


    ¡°Please, we both know you¡¯re going to go wild once the raid begins.¡±


    After making Ren shut up, I checked myself out onest time. Metal armor and mask. Although they weren¡¯t really a goodbination, it didn¡¯t matter. I was exploring the dungeon, not going on a fashion show.


    ¡°Loretta, wish me luck so that I cane back safe.¡±


    ¡°... If it¡¯s Shin-nim, I believe you can crawl up from even the deepest depths of hell.¡±


    ¡°Haa, can¡¯t you just say e back safely¡¯? You don¡¯t have to exaggerate so much.¡±


    ¡°Uuk! Come back safely. I won¡¯t forgive you if youe back hurt! There, happy!?¡±


    If you say that in an angry tone, it doesn¡¯t sound sincere!


    The next day, I decided to leave early in the morning. I equipped Otus¡¯ Secret and wore the most formal attire I owned, the Wraith Queen Set. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I had to admit that I looked great. Although I was thankful that I had grown slimmer by consuming Compressing Elixirs, I wished I had be a bit slimmer, just like how I looked right now. Until I was 16, I had enough muscles for orcs to call me big brother. As such, I always yearned to be slimmer.


    When I went out to the living room, Yua, who was drinking milk, found me and tilted her head.


    ¡°Oppa, why are you wearing a mask?¡±


    ¡°Mm, oppa is going to go register as an ability user today.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    Yua¡¯s eyes sparkled at my words.


    ¡°Then can I brag about oppa to my friends?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Mm... As you can see from the mask I¡¯m wearing, I¡¯m registering under a fake name. Sorry, but can you wait a bit longer?¡±


    ¡°Ei... Okay. I wanted to brag about oppa.¡±


    Watching Yua murmuring with lingering attachment, I patted her head. She quickly cheered up and saw me off. If she knew that I was going to clear a dungeon that appeared on Earth, she would be crying and trying her best to prevent me from going. For that reason, I didn¡¯t tell her anything about it.


    As I walked on the sidewalk, I could feel the gazes of people passing by. With the rather fancy Wraith Queen Set, the metallic mask that covered my eyes and nose, and grey hair, I couldn¡¯t me them for looking at me like I was crazy. Kuk, it was painful. Why did I sign up for this!? I had to hurry to New Moon Agency. It was where people registered as ability users and received ability user-rted jobs.


    ¡°Yeon Hwawoo-nim, you¡¯re here to register as an ability user? With the mask?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just like this.¡±


    ¡°Follow me. You¡¯ll have to show us your ability.¡±


    The employee led me to a room with all sorts of random things. I saw arge boulder, thousands of bean-like things scattered on the ground, and weapons like swords and spears.


    ¡°If you need a tool to use your ability, do tell us.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    I asked Peika to infuse herself into my glove.


    When lightning began to flicker from my hand wearing the scale glove, the employee became startled and jumped back.


    ¡°I-Is it lightning? Nature-type abilities are rare...¡±


    ¡°Huu... Hap!¡±


    Since there was a good target in front of me, I shot my fist flickering with sparks toward therge boulder. Although I wasn¡¯t using Heroic Strike, I had grown familiar with focusing my strength into one point. I could thus maximize my fist¡¯s destructive power. As expected, the boulder turned to dust and copsed.


    ¡°This... I¡¯ll have to measure the value in detail, but it seems to be at least B+. To get such a high rating on your first assessment, amazing!¡±


    ¡°Haha, thank you.¡±


    No, not B+! Father will make fun of me. Please, give me an A! Damn, if I knew this would happen, I would have used a spear!


    Even though I happily replied to the employee, I was feeling grim on the inside as I walked out of the assessment room. The employee who had left for a while then came back with the data extrapting my mana and strength.


    ¡°The results are out. Just looking at mana, Yeon Hwawoo-nim would be at B+ rank. However, taking into ount the ability¡¯s uniqueness, suitability to the user¡¯s body, and control, ites out to A rank. A-rank ability users are only about 12 percent of ability users worldwide. Yeon Hwawoo-nim is beginning from that starting line. The New Moon Agency is happy to havee across someone with such a strong potential. If you¡¯d like to join the Guardian, under the government¡¯s direct supervision, then¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯d like to get my license now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, follow me. After taking a picture, you just need to pay for the license application fee.¡±


    Carrying the license with my masked face on it, I left the New Moon Agency. When I looked at the time, it was nearing 1 P.M. In about an hour, I would enter the Event Dungeon... I felt my body tensing up from nervousness, but I somewhat enjoyed it. The dungeon was nice, but martial artists really shone when they trained themselves in a pit of danger!


    At around 1:50, I was sitting in a caf¨¦ near the shopping mall, sipping on an ice coffee. With the Lizard Knight set I put on along with Otus¡¯ Secret, the gazes I was receiving were no joke.


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°An ability user, right?¡±


    ¡°Why is there a fully armed ability user sitting here drinking coffee?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s that thing. The Gate.¡±


    The entrances to the Event Dungeons were officially called Gates. Feeling goosebumps at people¡¯s deductive ability, I silently drank my coffee.


    Sitting across from me was my father, happily sipping on a caramel mhiato, wearing thick leather armor and with a thick silver spear sitting by his side. Every time his Adam¡¯s Apple moved, his muscles bulged in an unsightly manner.


    ¡°Mm? What¡¯s wrong, Yeon Hwawoo!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Why were the two of us the first two arrive? Because we couldn¡¯t act like father and son, the current situation felt incredibly awkward. I just wanted to quickly go into the dungeon. Why was this happening? Let me enter the Event Dungeon! I¡¯ll go in alone if I have to! I just want to fight!


    ¡°Hm, so... I mean, young man, why did you make such a dangerous decision?¡±


    Father could have texted me at any time, but it seemed he wanted to ask me face-to-face.


    ¡°My master and father told me that martial artists grew by fighting with their lives on the line.¡±


    ¡°Ho, what a splendid father you have. I¡¯d love to meet him.¡±


    Father praised himself shamelessly, and retorted with a but.


    ¡°But when a real situation of life or death arrives, it isn¡¯t easy to move words into action. I¡¯m curious how you so easily made your mind to go to the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I epted Mastiford¡¯s request without thinking much about it.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Father¡¯s eyes seemed a little deeper. Ah, they were the same eyes he had when he began to lead my 10 year old self onto the path of a dungeon explorer. In other words, I couldn¡¯t trust him right now.


    ¡°I knew the Event Dungeon¡¯s difficulty and had trustworthyrades to help me. Furthermore, Yeongdeungpo is close to where I live, so not only would it have been unwise to back out in this situation, it also would have not been honorable as a martial artist.¡±


    ¡°Rather than make-say, I want to hear the real reason.¡±


    He found me out in an instant. With a shrug, I replied.


    ¡°Even now, all ability users are fighting against monsters with their lives at risk. Although their goals are likely money, they are undoubtedly getting stronger in blood battles. I¡¯m different. I¡¯m getting stronger leisurely in the dungeon where my limbs would grow back when they are cut, where I would not die even if I were killed. If I kept advancing in the same way, although I would be stronger, I felt that I wouldck the ferocity required of a warrior.¡±


    ¡°Hm...¡±


    ¡°The fact that others were advancing without me was unbearable. I also need ferocity. Otherwise, when the timees where I need to put my life on the line, I might be a coward who would try to run to safety. I don¡¯t mean to throw my life away, but I don¡¯t want to miss a chance to get stronger just because it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°... Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    That was the truth. The dungeon was certainly exciting and thrilling. It was full of danger, and it hurt incredibly when enemies stabbed me with a knife. The pleasure I felt from breathing a living monster¡¯s breath, exchanging blows with our lives on the line, and finally plunging my spear into its heart was real.


    At the same time, it was fake. I knew I would not lose my life even if I died in the dungeon. I acted knowing that I would always have another chance. Of course, if monsters did not start appearing on Earth, this would have been fine.


    But that wasn¡¯t the case now. The moon had be two, and the world became a ce where it wouldn¡¯t be weird for a monster to pop out at any time. Event Dungeons had appeared as well. Let¡¯s say a situation arrived where I had to face monsters on Earth. If I fought with the same mindset as the one I had in the dungeon, if I fought without knowing the ferocity of my life being at risk, a knife would pierce my heart in a moment of carelessness and that would be it.


    Could there be anything more foolish? I did not want to be such a pathetic warrior. I did not want to be a warrior from a game where losing my life was an eptable oue. Although it could be a way of getting stronger, I could not let it be a mindset for battle.


    Life was not in easy mode where I could try again and again. It was always in hell mode.


    ¡°Only in this way do I think I can truly be strong. Be... the strongest. Fath... Kang Yungoong-nim.¡±


    It was father¡¯s name[1. Yungoong means ¡®hero¡¯], which was rather embarrassing to say.


    ¡°Haha, I like your honesty! Too bad, I¡¯ll be the one to hold the title of strongest!¡±


    ¡°Haha, you kid. That will be me.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not kidding. It¡¯ll be me!¡±


    ¡°MMM!¡±


    ¡°MMMM!¡±


    We began to re at each other. At the same time father grabbed his spear, lightning began to flicker from my hand. When a fight was about to break out to determine who was superior, we were interrupted.


    ¡°Wow, you guys get along pretty well.¡±

 Chapter 41. Event Dungeon (4)

    Chapter 41. Event Dungeon (4)


    ¡°Wow, you guys get along pretty well.¡±


    ¡°H-Hello.¡±


    When I stopped ring at father and looked up, Ye Hwaya, or rather Hwaya Eleni Mastiford, was there. She was even more beautiful than on TV.


    Her fiery red eyes and me red hair stole people¡¯s attention and refused to let go. Plus, she had a provocative hourss figure that entuated her curves! For the sake of Yua, I almost wanted to ask what she ate to grow so well.


    Most importantly, the red dress she was wearing left a strong impression. I opened my mouth staring at her dress fixedly.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Mastiford-ssi. Are you sure you should wear a fluttery dress like that for battle?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, what do you know? This is a battle dress I personallymissioned the 45th Floor Shop to make with material dropped from a named monster. It raises my magic by 50 points! Though, it decreases my strength, dexterity, and constitution by 10...¡±


    I was thinking her Korean was excellent when I realized her words didn¡¯t match her mouth¡¯s movement. I suspected that the dungeon tranted our words when we were talking in themunication channel. It seemed I was right.


    ¡°Mastiford-ssi, whatnguage am I using right now?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s Engli... Eh?¡±


    She seemed to have noticed too. We were both talking and listening in our mothernguage. I thought this trantion service only worked in themunication channel, but it looked like all conversation between dungeon explorers was tranted automatically.


    Thinking back, this was probably why I could talk to explorers from other continents with no problem. Without thinking more about it, I put the thought away and smiled.


    ¡°As you know, I¡¯m Yeon Hwawoo. Nice to meet you, Mastiford-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m not really interested in getting along with someone suspiciously covering his face, but I¡¯ll ept your handshake for now.¡±


    Mastiford reached out and met my hand with a sour look. For someone who was called the me Witch, her hands were incredibly cold. I then looked at Minami standing behind her.


    I had heard she was mixed before. She had a ck ponytail with grey streaks, and had emerald eyes. Although it wasn¡¯t as pronounced as Mastiford, she was still a beautiful youngdy. Moreover, although she was slightly shorter than Yua, she was more grown in other areas. Ah, just what do I do about Yua!?


    With aplicated heart, I reached my hand out toward her as well.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Minami-ssi. I¡¯m Yeon Hwawoo.¡±


    ¡°N-Nice to meet you. Uuu. Sorry, b-but I¡¯m not really good with men...¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡±


    I doubted whether she couldn¡¯t even do a handshake, but I still retracted my hand. Immediately afterwards, father got up from his seat and spoke in a deep voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kang Yungoong. Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Mm, nice to meet you, Ajusshi. You aged well.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you are quite beautiful yourself, youngdy! Your mother must be a beauty as well!¡±


    This was the first time I was hearing father¡¯s societal tone of voice. Scratching the goosebumps I was getting, I asked Mastiford.


    ¡°By the way, is the mana surrounding us an istion magic? No one is looking this way.¡±


    As much as Mastiford herself did not want to admit it, she was Korea¡¯s only SS-rank ability user. If she appeared at a caf¨¦ at a metropolitan area, the surrounding people should have gone wild, as if they just saw a top-ss celebrity. However, it was too quiet. It was so quiet that it was impossible not to notice.


    Mastiford smiled contently and nodded her head.


    ¡°Yep. I used an anti-recognition magic to prevent people from noticing us and a magic to erase our traces. I was originally a magic practitioner from Britain.¡±


    ¡°Before you even became a dungeon explorer?¡±


    ¡°Correct[1. This was in English, i.e. it wasn¡¯t tranted by the dungeon¡¯s system]! I was chosen as Second Dungeon¡¯s dungeon explorer thanks to my outstanding talent in magic.¡±


    I was surprised. The first surprise was the fact that magic existed even before Two Moon incident urred. The second was that she was directly chosen as an explorer of the Second Dungeon. Finally, it was that ¡®correct¡¯ wasn¡¯t tranted to its Korean equivalent. This dungeon trantor was even better than I thought!


    In any case, it seemed Mastiford was extremely proud of the ¡®Second Dungeon¡¯ title. I told myself to never tell her which dungeon I came from before my level surpassed hers.


    ¡°I-I... from a shrine, my father was a priest...¡±


    This time, Minami started introducing herself. Ah, a Japanese shrine. I¡¯d visited one with father before during our training. When we drew our fortunes, father got Great Curse and I got Great Blessing. He then proceeded to snatch my fortune, and a deathmatch ensued between us. For the record, I managed to defend it, and it was still enshrined in my room.


    In any case, if Minami¡¯s father was a priest, then she was...!


    ¡°A shrine maiden!¡±


    ¡°A part-time shrine maiden. I suddenly felt mana one day as I was working part-time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, I heard there weren¡¯t real shrine maidens nowadays... but how is that fair? Are Japanese shrines overflowing with so much mana that a part-time worker would feel it!? Oh, how much I suffered to gain mana!


    ¡°Father used to be a Second Dungeon explorer, and he let me be a dungeon explorer after knowing I obtained mana. He passed away soon after that...¡±


    I see. So until two years ago, her father was the fifth dungeon explorer, but he passed away after making his daughter a dungeon explorer. I finally understood. Father, Mastiford, and I became quiet after hearing that her father had passed, but Mastiford soon shouted cheerfully.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hurry into the dungeon before my magic runs out!¡±


    ¡°I agree. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    We left the caf¨¦ and headed to the Gate. On the way, Minami¡¯s clothes caught my eyes. Its light, semi-transparent fabric revealed a hint of her skin.


    ¡°Minami-ssi, didn¡¯t you say you were a tank? Are you okay with clothes like that?¡±


    ¡°Ah, thanks for worrying about me, Yeon Hwawoo-ssi. But this is a drop from a named monster, so it¡¯s strong and sturdy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see...¡±


    I¡¯m wearing a Floor Master set. I¡¯m not jealous in the slightest! I walked forward embarrassed, and saw fatherughing. Like I said, I¡¯m not jealous!


    In a bit, we arrived in front of the Gate, a whirlpool of grey clouds. On top of it, the letter ¡®A¡¯ could clearly be seen. Mastiford first nced at the ability users guarding it and confirmed that they would not notice us.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go in.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Mastiford-ssi.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t form a party yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    It was extremely simple to form a party. After expressing the will to form a party, you just had to shake your hands with the people you wanted to invite to your party. After the four of us formed a party, she nodded and put her hand on Gate. At the same time, we all heard a message.


    [Would you like to enter the A-rank Event Dungeon, ¡®Spider Den¡¯?]


    ¡°... I suddenly don¡¯t want to enter anymore.¡±


    Mastiford¡¯s face suddenly lost color. As I knew the reason, I urged her on.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait. I-I hate spiders!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s toote for that!¡±


    I lightly pushed her in.


    ¡°Uwaak!¡± Like in a manhwa, she screamed as she fell into the Gate. Because the party leader had gone in, we were sucked into the dungeon too.


    ¡®I feel like I¡¯m riding a rollercoaster.¡¯ With that, I lost my consciousness.


    ¡°Yeon Hwawoooooo!¡±


    That was the first thing I heard when I woke up. I looked around. I was in apletely dark forest, dense with trees I had never seen before. The sky was no longer blue, but jet-ck. At the same time, two moons, one yellow and one red, were lighting up the world.


    We were all together, though Mastiford was ring at me with a demon-like face. I retorted lightly.


    ¡°I know what my name is, even without you yelling it.¡±


    ¡°You pushed me! My heart wasn¡¯t ready for it!¡±


    ¡°Mastiford-ssi, think about it. Who was the one that made use here?¡±


    ¡°Me.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the party leader that has to go in first?¡±


    ¡°... Me. BUT!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one that has to understand our situation and make ns?¡±


    ¡°... Me. Hiing, Sumireeee!¡±


    ¡°Yes, unni. Don¡¯t cry. There, there.¡±


    It was nice seeing two beauties hugging each other, but I wondered if Mastiford understood what I said. Excited by the new environment, father was looking around fiddling with his spear. He was better than the two of them by a wide margin.


    ¡°If you¡¯re done crying, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°You, I¡¯m going to burn away all your hair one day.¡±


    ¡°Just tell me when so I can get it insured.¡±


    ¡°As if I would!¡±


    Strange. Why did jokese out so smoothly when I was with Mastiford?


    ¡°I can feel something all around us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly different from the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Event Dungeons usually have various environments. However, there is always only one clear condition.¡±


    ¡°Killing the boss.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Mastiford answered as she lit up a ball of me on her hand. Immediately afterwards, something flew toward us from every direction.


    [Spider webs! Master, burn them!]


    Following Peika¡¯s advice, I let her infuse herself in my gauntlet so she could shoot out lightning as she pleased. Her lightning then collided with the webs flying toward us, burning them to crisp. Minami, who was watching from behind, flinched and took a step back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the front!¡±


    Father seemed to have discovered the enemy¡¯s position as he charged at a direction with his spear. I had also mostly figured out the number of spiders flying toward us and their positions.


    ¡°Those are some huge spiders. They¡¯re almost as big as Mastiford.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡±


    Mastiford screamed as she shot out fire everywhere. It was perfect, except her overly strong mes burned up the trees along with the spiders crawling down from them. Not even ashes were left of the spiders. I felt slightly regretful that the expensive monster remains were disappearing into the skies.


    ¡°Mastiford-ssi, can you freely extinguish your fire?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can just withdraw my mana.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s burn up all the trees as we go. That way, we won¡¯t need to worry about ambushes from above. Haat!¡±


    As I talked, I stabbed my gauntlet into the head of a spider that used its string like a rope to fly from a tree across me. Pzzt. With a crackling sound, the lightning and the spider¡¯s head exploded.


    Its disgusting bodily fluid sshed out in all direction. It did not drop a Bluestone either. It was not untilter that I¡¯d learn that Bluestones, blue nuggets that were found in monsters, were rather rare. That is, they didn¡¯t drop from just any random monsters. I dissected the pigeon from long ago, but it didn¡¯t have one either.


    As I was thinking that, the two girls who saw the spider exploding in front of their eyes screamed.


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡±


    ¡°My ears!¡±


    ¡°I-I hate spiders!¡±


    Mastiford stretched her arms out and sent dozens of balls of mes flying. Any spiders and trees that were hit by them were burnt up in an instant. There was truly no environmental destruction like it. Even an arsonist would bow down to her skills. Father, who was watching after killing a spider with his shockwave spear attack, gasped.


    ¡°So strong. Khm, if only I awakened to an ability like that!¡±


    ¡°Just do your job.¡±


    Mastiford was truly powerful. She was proving the worth of an SS-rank ability user. No matter where a spider came from, when she stretched her arms out and sent her mes out, that would be the end. There wasn¡¯t much for the rest of us to do. The few times that we had to take action was when spiders that were lying hidden underground suddenly popped up.


    The spiders had tough carapace that were hard to prate with pure strength. However, I had my fists strengthened with Spirit Aura and mana, and father had his shockwave-infused spear techniques. We both had no problem killing the spiders in one blow. Although I was ready for a certain amount of risk, it seemed I didn¡¯t need to worry too much.


    For the record, we did not find even a single Bluestone. It was because Mastiford burned the majority of spiders we came across to a crisp. Since we were here to clear the Event Dungeon and not to farm money, I stayed quiet.


    I was rather down from seeing Mastiford¡¯s ability, but it seemed Minami thought differently. Seeing father and me killing the spiders so easily, she spoke in awe.


    ¡°You two are really strong. I heard monster spiders were at least B-ranked and had hard carapaces that many abilities could only scratch.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t underestimate this Kang Yungoong!¡±


    ¡°I understand, so keep looking forward.¡±


    Exploring a dungeon with father was more embarrassing than I imagined. Swinging my fist out and throwing spiders by their legs, I did my job silently until one hourter, when I sensed something and stopped everyone.

 Chapter 42. Event Dungeon (5)

    Chapter 42. Event Dungeon (5)


    About an hour after we entered the dungeon, I made everyone stop. I sensed something strong, and there was more than one of it.


    ¡°I feel something. It might be the boss.¡±


    ¡°Mm... Ah, there really is. One, two... there¡¯s three.¡±


    ¡°Wait, let me use detection magic.... Kyaaak!?¡±


    Because I forgot to say they were hidden underground, I ended up hearing a soprano scream. Just like father said, three spiders suddenly appeared from underground, and I quickly pulled the party back. Each spider was about 3 meters tall. Spiders this big, where did I see them before? Ah, that¡¯s right, Harry Potter!


    ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡±


    Mastiford seemed to have received huge shock from the spider¡¯s visual as she kept on screaming. As if it had been annoyed by all the screaming, one of the giant spiders shot a stream of white spider web like a bullet, aimed at Mastiford. Minami then stepped forward and help her shield up.


    ¡°Haaaap!¡±


    Boom! The sound of a cannon shell colliding with metal rang out. Such destructive power for a mere spider web! I looked back, worried about Minami¡¯s status. Thankfully, although she looked a little pale, she was fine. It seemed she didn¡¯t say she was good at defense for nothing.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, so take care of the spiders!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    I clenched my fists and charged at one of the giant spiders in front of me. Father was also shooting out shockwaves at the other giant spiders, handling two at the same time. As I could not do long-range attacks with Spirit Aura yet, I could only fight one spider at a time.


    ¡°Eat this!¡±


    I kicked the ground and approached a giant spider. Before it could tilt its body and dodge, I plunged my lightning d gauntlet in the hole where it had shot spider webs earlier. When I let the lightning flow, the giant spider trembled and shrieked.


    ¡°Kyaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Eat another one!¡±


    Left hand this time! Right hand again! When I consecutively punched with my fists, it tried to use its two front legs to strike down at me. Although they were fast, I could easily dodge them as I had seen the legs¡¯ initial movement. The two legs only hit empty air and dug into the ground with an explosive sound.


    Immediately afterwards, I threw a right cross at one of its front legs. ng! A sound like I had hit a metallic pir rang out. I had to clench my teeth to endure the recoil, but I obtained the result I wanted.


    ¡°Kiyaaa!¡±


    ¡°An opening!¡±


    When it screamed and raised its body half way up, I instantly ducked and jumped under it. I then pushed it with my lightning d fists, making it fall on its back.


    ¡°Wow, amazing!¡±


    Leaving behind Minami¡¯s awestruck shout, I leaped up andnded on its belly. Although it struggled and tried to attack me with its legs, it was in vain. I held its carapace on one hand and rained my other hand down like a hammer.


    ¡°Die! You! Spider! Bastard! Stop! Shooting! Out! Webs!¡±


    Every time I struck down with my fist strengthened with mana and lightning, the spider twitched. It let out a bloodcurdling scream and struggled every time it was hit, but his reaction lessened as time went on.


    Eventually, my fist seeded in prating its belly. With my hand inside it, I let as much lightning flow out as possible.


    Pzzzzzt!


    ¡°Ki¡ª!¡±


    The giant spider let out a short scream, then became calm as it dropped its eight legs on the ground. After confirming that it was dead, I dropped back down. It was then that I heard a message in my ear.


    [You mastered Mid-rank Martial Arts! Attacks that make use of your body will be quicker and stronger. It can intimidate enemies possessing lower proficiency skills.]


    That was considered martial arts? I was just punching it! When I was about to rebuke the message in my mind, more shocking messages flowed in.


    [You satisfied the condition and learned High-rank Martial Arts skill. Your body bes even tougher. It bes easier to use highlyplex skills, and your attacks will be effective against enemies stronger than you.]


    [You satisfied the condition and learned ¡®Thunder Beast¡¯ skill. Thunder Beast is abat-type special active skill thates from possessing high-rank martial arts and a lightning ability.]


    [Thunder Beast is a dangerous technique that attacks the enemy by exploding the user¡¯s superb physical ability and the power of lightning. This technique puts a burden on its user¡¯s body, so using it without high constitution may hurt the user instead. With its huge magic consumption, your magic stat must be high as well. It uses 1 percent of total mana per 1 second it is active. Using it for a long period of time may have negative effects on the user¡¯s constitution. It uses 1 percent of HP and MP per second when used inside the dungeon.]


    My eyes became wide. Obtaining high-rank martial arts was somewhat expected, but the Thunder Beast skill was something I would never have imagined. It was like a surprise present. I knew what skills like it were called.


    Compound skill. It was when two or more skillsbined to create a stronger skill, or when achieving a certain level created a new skill bybining two or more skills. In my case, Thunder Beast was the result of my high-rank martial arts skill and lightning ability, or more specifically, lightning elemental Peika¡¯s Spirit Aura,bining. Although I had heard of it before, I never thought it would happen to me. I remembered Ellosining about wanting to get apound skill...


    The skill itself had an immense drawback befitting of its strong-sounding name. Using 1 percent of my mana every 1 second meant that I could only use it for 100 seconds at most. Not to mention, it said it also put a burden on my body. I could easily see how much burden it would be by looking at its HP consumption in the dungeon. Although it would undoubtedly be strong, I could feel how dangerous it was.


    There was a reason for the difference in consumption inside and outside of the dungeon.


    Outside of the dungeon, it was impossible to check one¡¯s HP and MP. Both HP and MP were values that only applied in the dungeon. They were safety mechanisms there to prevent dungeon explorers from dying. When the HP hit 0, the explorer would be kicked out of the dungeon. Likewise, MP was the safety mechanism on the explorer¡¯s mana.


    No one exined this difference to me. As I explored the dungeon, I naturally learned the difference on my own.


    In truth, there was not a big difference in my ability inside or outside the dungeon. It was just that I could not check my HP and MP outside the dungeon. That was just how it was.


    Although Thunder Beast seemed to be a dangerous skill, the fact that I could use a powerful skill without my spear made me happy. I thanked my good fortune. With this, I really did not need to use a spear outside the dungeon.


    When I finished going over all the messages I received, Mastiford had finally snapped out of it.


    When I was about to say something to her, father¡¯s shockwave zed a spider and hit the ground. It was then that I realized father was dealing with two spiders at once. Uwak, he¡¯s going to scold meter!


    ¡°Yeon Hwawoo, Miss, I need help!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ming!¡±


    ¡°A-Ah! Sorry, Ajusshi!¡±


    Even Mastiford¡¯s mes could not instantly burn up the giant spider. Plus, the two remaining spiders teamed up, as one attacked with its legs and the other attacked from the back by shooting out its webs.


    In the end, Minami stood forward and blocked the spider¡¯s web bullets as father and I dealt with the spider fighting with its legs. Mastifold then managed to burn them up with yellow mes she created with few seconds of concentrating her energy. I thought it was a decent teamy.


    ¡°Since we burned them up, we won¡¯t know if they had Bluestones.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to look through spider corpses! That one too!¡±


    ¡°Mastiford-ssi, that one¡¯s mine. Don¡¯t burn it up.¡±


    I leisurely picked apart the giant spider¡¯s corpse, and found a fist-size Bluestone near its head. As it was the first Bluestone I found, I was especially attached to it. ¡®So this Is the reason why so many ability users gritted their teeth to fight monsters?¡¯


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s huge! With that size, it should easily go for 40 million.¡±


    ¡°40 million won? This thing?¡±


    That was equivalent to about 20,000 gold. The giant spider was certainly strong, but that was still the amount I got from two Floor Masters. I was suddenly disillusioned by the job called dungeon explorer. But Minami still had more to say.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s 40 million yen.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Wait, then taking 100 yen as 900 won, that¡¯s... 360 million won!?


    ¡°Why are you so surprised? It¡¯s an elite monster even amongst A-rank monsters. Not only are their numbers small, Bluestones don¡¯t always drop. Since we¡¯re fighting with our life on the line, it¡¯s only appropriate. In fact, isn¡¯t it too small?¡±


    ¡°You should take this spider corpse too. I¡¯ve never seen a spider this big, and its carapace is only broken around its belly. It should go for as much as the Bluestone.¡±


    ¡°7, 720 million won...¡±


    ¡®... Maybe I should work as an ability user on the side.¡¯ Realizing just how much money ability users made, I fiddled around with the Bluestone in my hand. However, as father was also eyeing the Bluestone with sparkling eyes, I left the detailed scrutiny to ater time. For now, I stored the Bluestone into my inventory along with the spider¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°Is this mine? Or do we have to split it somehow?¡±


    ¡°Since Yeon Hwawoo-ssi killed it alone, it¡¯s yours. We didn¡¯t help you in any way.¡±


    ¡°... Mm.¡±


    It still felt weird to take it all by myself. I could focus on the one because father was handling the other two, and the two girls then helped take care of the other two.


    ¡°I can give 10 percent to each. As a chippu.¡±


    ¡°Yeon Hwawoo-ssi, that¡¯s Japanese.¡±


    ¡°Mm... as a tip[1. In English] then.¡±


    How picky from a Japanese. Tip was in English and Mastiford didn¡¯t say anything!


    ¡°By the way, that wasn¡¯t the boss just now, right?¡±


    ¡°No. The Event Dungeons copse when the boss dies. Uuu, with elite monsters like them, the boss monster would be... uuuu.¡±


    Mastiford murmuring to herself with a frown was rather cute. But I just ignored it and walked forward. Of course, father¡¯s eyes were still fixed on me. I won¡¯t give it to you no matter how much you re at me, father! Be happy with the 10 percent!

 Chapter 43. Event Dungeon (6)

    Chapter 43. Event Dungeon (6)


    As we walked further forward, the forest became more and more like a vast in. How could a forest be a in?


    It was simple. You just had to put a bunch of spiders in the forest along with Mastiford. With that, you¡¯ll be able to see the forest be a in with your very eyes. More precisely, the forest would be a field of ash.


    ¡°Mastiford-ssi, are you fine on mana?¡±


    ¡°Yea, light mes like these don¡¯t use up much mana. Impressive, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s impressive.¡±


    ¡°H-Hmph! Even if you honestly praise my ability now, I have no intention of letting you enter my organization!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    ¡°I wonder why.¡± I mumbled.


    Why were all girls around me so strange? There was Yua, who was strange as her cuteness went beyond the realm of humans, Palludia, who after seeing me only once 4 years ago, shamelessly asked me to climb to the 25th floor in just three months, Su Ye-Eun, who had a bigger monsterphobia than ordinary people even with her cheaty stealth ability, and Mastiford, who I couldn¡¯t tell if she wanted to fight me or draw me into her organization... and Loretta too.


    Loretta was tooplicated a person, no, elf, to describe in just one sentence.


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    Mastiford who was excitedly setting the forest aze suddenly frowned.


    ¡°It won¡¯t burn.¡±


    ¡°Where? Oh.¡±


    It was true. In contrast to the barren surroundings, there was one area of ck trees where her mes could not invade. She tried once again using her sun-yellow me, but it was only enough to burn a few branches of the trees. The ck trees were clearly special.


    Suddenly, ck smoke began to rise amongst the trees. It was as if the trees were calling us.


    ¡°Mastiford-ssi, we should go in. It doesn¡¯t look like we can burn them.¡±


    ¡°B-But! What if a spider falls from above!?¡±


    ¡°Then just burn the spider to your heart¡¯s content.¡±


    ¡°Eeek! You think I won¡¯t!?¡±


    She became angry at my words and produced a white me this time. I was curious what rank her different colored mes were ssified as, but I decided to just watch for now.


    The white me she shot out flew like an arrow and seemed to envelope the entire forest, but before we noticed, it suddenly disappeared. It was almost like...


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your mes are the problem. Doesn¡¯t it look like the trees are absorbing the mana?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. The trees got bigger too.¡±


    With that, Mastiford bit on her lips, drawing blood. She then used the blood to draw something on her palm.


    ¡°Tsk. I¡¯m forced to use a skill. Hmph, I don¡¯t like it. Go, me Beast!¡±


    I doubted my eyes. Blue mes erupted from her palm and took the form of a tiger as big as the giant spider from before.


    ¡°If you had a skill like that, why didn¡¯t you use it before?¡±


    ¡°I have to concentrate to use it, so I couldn¡¯t use it staring at the spiders.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that so proudly!¡±


    The giant blue me tiger wagged its tail once, then ran toward the ck tree forest. Meanwhile, we dealt with the spiders appearing from the t earth. As they did not appear from hard-to-see trees, but from an open field, we didn¡¯t even break a sweat dealing with them.


    When the tiger reached the forest, it swiped at the tree with its huge front paw. This time, there was a reaction! As the attack wasn¡¯t purely made of mana, containing some of the tiger¡¯s physical strength, the tree broke and fell. The tiger seemed excited as it set its fire aze and rampaged. Suddenly, however, something swooped down and pounced on the tiger.


    ¡°Ah, Cutie!¡±


    ¡°It has a name!?¡±


    I wanted to ask just what part of that 4 meter tall tiger was cute, but now was not the time. A spider leg that suddenly popped out from the ck trees had pierced the tiger¡¯s body. The huge spider leg, which looked sharper than des, then dealt a second and third blow without giving the tiger any chance to escape. In the end, the tiger disappeared into mes. Mastiford¡¯s eyes were set ame.


    ¡°You dare kill my Cutie, I won¡¯t forgive you! I shall transform a piece of my soul into an undefeatable army! Army of mes!¡±


    Mastiford chanted in rage. Although I thought the chant was cringy, father thought it was cool. Soon, the temperature around us shot up, and me incarnations like the tiger Cutie began to appear around us. Tiger, lion, bear, wolf, leopard, elephant, eagle, hawk, owl... the entire animal kingdom was here.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the animal kingdom.¡±


    To my dismay, father had thought the exact same thing. Mastiford quickly turned around and red at father, then ordered the animal king... the Army of mes.


    ¡°Burn up all the spiders in that forest!¡±


    The animal army answered with their own cries and charged at the forest. Seeing the army, I understood why she was an SS-rank ability user. Who could possibly fight an army of intelligent me incarnations? If they were my enemies, the result would be tragic.


    Just like that, the rampage of the animal army began. Their goal, to destroy the forest. If this was a movie, it would undoubtedly be a blockbuster. An army of animals destroying the environment and the me witchmanding them.


    But there was one animal who did not join in on the environmental destruction, but was instead wagging its tail on Mastiford¡¯s shoulder. The other animals were white or red, but this one was made of blue mes. Mastiford seemed to have noticed my gaze as she said, ¡°Isn¡¯t my Cutie cute?¡±


    ¡°Is it the same one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s smaller now because it was reverse-summoned once.¡±


    When it was big, it looked like a tiger. Now that it was small, it was more like a cat. me Witch and her pet me cat. It was the perfect picture.


    Kuk, for someone who looked like an evil witchmanding her demon soldiers, how could she look so lovely now...? I shook my head and looked away to prevent myself from being sucked in by her charming appearance. My body then stiffened.


    Rather than shrinking, the ck forest was expanding!


    The barren ground became dyed in ck. Seeds sprouted up and grew to ck trees in an instant. The ck earth continued to expand and approached where we were. Although the animal army roared and set the trees on fire, spider webs that endlessly shot out from the trees restrained them as sharp spider legs cut them in half. Every time the army went down in number, the ck forest¡¯s rate of expansion was increasing.


    [Kiyaaaaa!]


    A deafening shriek rang out from the forest. At the same time, a killing intent sharper than razor des shot out toward us. There was no doubt. The owner of the forest had locked onto us.


    ¡°Mastiford-ssi, cancel your skill! They¡¯re only fertilizer for the forest at this point!¡±


    ¡°Unni, hurry!¡±


    ¡°Kuuuk... Sorry, guys! Big Bang!¡±


    Our shouts and Mastiford¡¯s judgement were both swift. The moment she yelled Big Bang, an explosive boom rang out. It was undoubtedly a self-destruction skill. All the animals besides Cutie, who was standing on Mastiford¡¯s shoulder, had exploded!


    The result was enough to instantly shrink the expanding forest. At the same time, a sharp shriek flew out.


    [Kiyaaaaa!]


    ¡°Everyone prepare for battle! Minami-ssi, protect Mastiford-ssi!¡±


    ¡°G-Got it! Haap, Guardian!¡±


    Minami shouted something and she began to shine with a golden light. I was curious as to what skill she used, but I decided not to look her way as the light was almost blinding.


    Father and I stood on guard on the left and right side respectfully when suddenly something flew toward us.


    [It¡¯s poisonous! The spider web is poisonous!]


    ¡°It¡¯s poisonous, be careful everyone!¡±


    Thanking Peika for warning me, I punched at the spider web and burned it up with Peika¡¯s lightning. Not one or two streams of spider webs, but hundreds flew toward us consecutively. Damn, if collected, there were enough to make several shirts!


    Mastiford also created a few balls of mes in mid air, and was freely controlling them to burn up iing spider webs. Father consecutively shot out light shockwaves and exploded spider webs mid flight. Watching it, I realized people¡¯s abilities could be used in various ways. I thought to develop new ways to use my ability as an Elementalist.


    By the time all the spider webs had been leisurely taken care of, someone¡¯s voice flowed out.


    [Ah, humans. I finally meet you.]


    Because the voice was so sweet, I stopped moving for an instant. Where was this voiceing from? Who¡¯s was it? I was shaking just by hearing the voice.


    [Come,e to my embrace.]


    I raised my head. Everyone else did so as well. That¡¯s where the owner of the voice was.


    From beyond the burnt up trees, the abdomen of a spider appeared. It was slightly bigger than the giant spider from before at about 5 meters, but on the ce where the spider¡¯s thorax should be, there was something one would not expect to see on a spider.


    [Spider Den¡¯s boss monster, Arachne, appeared! Defeating Arachne and clearing the dungeon will grant special rewards!]


    [Come, hurry. I will give you everything you desire.]


    ¡°A girl...?¡± Father quietly whispered.


    Yes, it was a human. An extremely beautiful one at that. She had flowing ck hair and a pair of big eyes. The irises which carried a web shape left a deep impression.


    It was a beauty that could not exist in reality. A mystical, illusionary beauty.


    She had the power to grasp people¡¯s attention and not let go. Without wearing any clothes, her seductive figure was hard to describe with words...!


    [Master, snap out of it!]


    The moment Peika¡¯s shout rang out in my head, I bit down on my cheek. Although it bled, it roused mepletely. Thinking that I was about to run into its embrace, I couldn¡¯t help but get goosebumps all over me. Not to mention, the temptation had not ended yet!


    However, with my years of experience as an explorer, I knew what I had to do now. It was something that never let me down once!


    ¡°Ut!? Who¡¯d fall for it!? A mere monster, you¡¯re a hundred years too early to try and seduce me!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    In that instant, my somewhat hazy mind became clear. The girl on the spider¡¯s abdomen was certainly beautiful, but it was still a monster. How could anyone be mesmerized by a girl with a spider body and spider legs!?


    ¡°W-What!? I, just what happened?¡±


    ¡°M-Monster! It¡¯s a monster!¡±


    ¡°... Huk! W-Wife! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Father, we¡¯re going to need to have a deep conversation about thister!

 Chapter 44. Event Dungeon (7)

    Chapter 44. Event Dungeon (7)


    After questioning what thoughts father had in my mind, I urged everyone on.


    ¡°Attack! Now!¡±


    ¡°D-Did you do that, Yeon Hwawoo?¡±


    ¡°Less questions, more attacking!¡±


    With that, I charged at Arachne. Warcrysted for 5 minutes. If we couldn¡¯t defeat Arachne in 5 minutes, her charm would likely wipe us out.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t have mana right now! I used it all up exploding the army!¡±


    ¡°Are you really SS-ranked!?¡±


    ¡°Hey, we wouldn¡¯t be doing so well without me! I¡¯m recovering, so wait!¡±


    It was true that she yed a big role. Arachne¡¯s most feared weapon, the ck Forest, was restricted for now. The huge explosion from just now seemed to have reached Arachne too, as one of her legs were missing and green goo wasing out of what should be a hard carapace.


    That said, Mastiford was a magician. Shouldn¡¯t she have learned how to manage her mana from the time she spent exploring the dungeon? For someone with such a powerful ability, she wasted too much energy in using her skills. In a way, her ability was something that went beyond her league.


    For the record, Arachne¡¯s bodily fluid sizzled upon contact with the air and rose up as smoke. It was poisonous as well!


    [Kiaaaaaak!]


    What sounded like the singing of a beautiful voice was now nothing more than a monster¡¯s roar. At the same time, two of Arachne¡¯s legs flew toward us. I instinctively knew that if I was hit, I¡¯d die! The goosebumps I instantly received urged me on. Using Divine Speed, I charged past its attacking legs and sent a punch toward its upper body.


    [Kiaaak!]


    ¡°Letting a grappler approach, it¡¯s over! Thunder Beast!¡±


    Since I used 20 percent of my mana with Divine Speed, I could only maintain Thunder Beast for 80 seconds. The moment I activated Thunder Beast, the lightning that was staying in my gauntlet expanded to cover my entire body. I could feel it strengthening my muscles and nerves. I could tell that this powerful ability had at least doubled my overall power.


    From the outside, I looked like I was simply shining, as if I was shooting out lightning from my body. So that¡¯s why it¡¯s called Thunder Beast! To anyone looking at me, I probably looked more like a lightning beast than human.


    [Master, something is forcefully taking my power!]


    ¡°Just hold on a little, Peika. I¡¯ll end it soon!¡±


    [O-Okay, I¡¯ll do my best. Do Master¡¯s best too!]


    With Peika¡¯s cute voice cheering me on, I struck my lightning d fist on Arachne¡¯s face. Although it looked like a weak woman¡¯s face from the outside, there was not even a scratch, as expected of a boss.


    In fact, Arachne screamed and tried to bite down on my fist. At the same time, she raised her two legs to attack me. Thankfully, father was there to stop it.


    ¡°You dare seduce me, when I have a wife!? I¡¯ll take your silk and make my wife and Yua a dress! Mega Wavnce!¡±


    Father seemed to have used a major skill as Arachne screamed as her huge eyes trembled. Using this opening, I quickly wrapped my legs around her waist. Although she was a monster, I had stille in close contact with a naked woman¡¯s body. As such, her sweet scent and soft skin distracted me. After seeing this, father shouted, ¡°You bastard! I¡¯ll tell Yua about this!¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Kang Yungoong-nim!¡±


    ¡®Can you not make it obvious that we¡¯re father and son!?¡¯ After shouting at father, I continuously punched Arachne¡¯s fair face. Tactile feeling aside, she was still a monster! Her beautiful looks made me feel like I was doing something inhumane, but I chose to ignore it.


    [Kiaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Don¡¯t open your mouth, your spit¡¯s getting on my fist!¡±


    Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk!


    After continually pummeling her face with all my strength, Arachne¡¯s face finally tore up from the heightened impact from Thunder Beast, and poisonous blood began to shoot out.


    However, the lightning enveloping my entire body did not let the poison reach me in the slightest. I continued to punch her to do as much damage as I could before the time ran out. At the same time, just in case I couldn¡¯t finish her off in the time frame I had, I did not forget to prepare the highest-grade Health and Mana Potions I had.


    [Kiaaaaaaaa!]


    Arachne seemed frustrated that she was unable to do anything as she wildly shook her human arms to attack me. Although they looked like a frail girl¡¯s arms, the impact they had upon hitting my armor was indescribably painful. Although they weren¡¯t as strong as her spider legs, they were as strong as my own arms. Furthermore, as time went on and she realized the life-threatening situation she was in, she crazily shot out spider webs from her bottom half.


    The streams of spider webs flying out in all directions then joined into a singlerge stream and attacked father and me. As we were both super-armored, receiving the attack didn¡¯t hinder our movements by much. That said, we would still be injured. At that moment...


    ¡°Uuu, if I copse from anemia, it¡¯s you two¡¯s fault! Cutie, hold out a little longer!¡± Mastiford shouted.


    As if to prove the saying that ¡®a diamond on a dunghill was still a diamond,¡¯ Mastiford made her final move. I felt something flying past my shoulders like an arrow. At the same time, the poisonous spider webs that were attacking me were burnt up and disappeared.


    Not only that, a white ball of me that was flying through the air struck Arachne¡¯s body, making her cry out in pain. In just this short moment, Mastiford had recovered enough mana to use another skill! Although she was regretful in some areas, her ability was undoubtedly shocking.


    In truth, I almost fell for Mastiford who managed to y such a pivotal role even after using skill after skill. Thankfully, I held on with Warcry¡¯s effect. As I thought, love was a status effect! It wasn¡¯t normal! I converted all of my emotions into rage as I pummeled Arachne.


    ¡°Haaaaaa! Diediediediediedie!¡±


    [Kiaaaaaaak!]


    ¡°Die! Wave Gatling!¡±


    It was the moment where I found out from who exactly that I inherited my harsh tongue. Father and I both yelled out crudely as we beat up Arachne. She in turn screamed and thrashed about with her two human arms and five spider legs. In response, I used Dragon Skin. When Arachne hit my body, her eyes opened wide in pain.


    [Kiik! Kiiik!]


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s what I wanted to hear! A mere arthropod should not try to seduce a human! You¡¯re 5 million years too early for that! Die!¡±


    I considered using Dark Thunder Explosion, but I saved it in case an Event Raid broke out afterwards. Plus, I felt it wasn¡¯t necessary now either.


    Because of Dragon Skin, the speed brought up by Thunder Beast was halved. Even so, I was fast enough that Arachne could not dodge me. My fists hardened by Dragon Skin had more than enough destructive power to make up for the decrease in speed.


    Eventually, the end arrived. My fists pummeling her face finally prated skin and broke her bones.


    [Kiii!]


    The headless Arachne let out a short shriek and went limp. I finally got up from my mounted position and deactivated Thunder Beast. The party members then eased their tension after knowing the boss fight had ended.


    ¡°Whew, haaa.... I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Good job, so... Yeon Hwawoo!¡±


    ¡°Nice finish!¡±


    ¡°You looked cool!¡±


    The moment the Thunder Beast¡¯s effect went away, exhaustion swept over me. I felt like copsing in ce. The drained mana gave me a headache and the overexertion of my body made my muscles convulse. Dragon Skin was the only thing keeping me from falling on my knees.


    When I tried to pull my hand out of Arachne¡¯s head, I felt something in the way. When I dug through its brain and looked, a Bluestone glowing deep-blue came out. Although it was small, its brilliance was iparable to the giant spider¡¯s. I suddenly felt strength in my body again. With sparkling eyes, I showed everyone the Bluestone.


    ¡°Oh, this looks expensive! Everyone, look!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I know it¡¯s a monster, but you shouldn¡¯t dig through a beautiful woman¡¯s head like that...¡±


    ¡°Mastiford-ssi, you yourself called it a monster. Don¡¯t be so picky...¡±


    ¡°You were cool, Yeon Hwawoo-nim! Really cool! You were like the incarnation of Takemikazuchi[1. Japanese god of thunder]!¡±


    Unlike Mastiford who gasped and backed away, Minami apuded me with sparkly eyes. I didn¡¯t know what Takemikazuchi was, but I let it be since it sounded like apliment. I gave her a thumbs up and slid down Arachne¡¯s body. I then saw father rubbing his chin while staring at Arachne¡¯s leg that he had ripped off. When he saw me looking at him in anticipation, he knocked on the leg¡¯s carapace with his spear and said, ¡°This. Don¡¯t you think it would taste great if you fry it? Like crabs.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s poisonous!¡±


    He calmly said something I never would have imagined. Then, a fanfare suddenly rang out.


    [You defeated the Event Dungeon boss monster, Arachne!]


    [100,000 gold is distributed evenly amongst party members. You received 25,000 gold.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Arachne¡¯s Silk Dress


    2. Arachne¡¯s ck Earthen Spear


    3. Arachne¡¯s Cobweb Earrings


    4. Arachne¡¯s Cobweb Bracelet]


    Gasp! My contribution was the highest!? I definitely thought Mastiford would have the highest contribution. Now that I thought about it, although Mastiford showed great firepower throughout the dungeon, the only damage she did to Arachne was through the initial explosion and Cutie¡¯s final attack.


    She would have high contribution points, but it seemed it wasn¡¯t higher than mine, as I dealt most of the damage against Arachne and even dealt the final blow.


    As expected, Mastiford wasining.


    ¡°What? Who has the highest contribution? Why isn¡¯t it me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Mastiford-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, if it¡¯s you, then... though I don¡¯t want to admit it...¡±


    Thankfully, it seemed other people couldn¡¯t see the [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution...] message. I had forgotten about it, but my real name would have been found out.


    After answering Mastiford, I slowly examined the reward list. Perhaps because it was an Event Dungeon, or because all four of us made good contributions, all four items seemed excellent.


    That said, I knew the items higher up on the list were better than the ones below. Since the dress and earrings were likely for females only, I had to choose either the spear or the bracelet. I nced at father. His weapon was the Silver Spear just like mine. I wondered if I should give father the spear under the ¡®elder¡¯s first¡¯ spirit.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I contemted for about 0.01 seconds before I picked the ck Earthen Spear without hesitation. I then quickly stuffed it into my inventory so father wouldn¡¯t see it. It was the perfect crime.

 Chapter 45. Event Dungeon (8)

    Chapter 45. Event Dungeon (8)


    ¡®Sorry, but I¡¯ll be the first to get stronger, father. I¡¯ll pay you back for letting me be a dungeon explorerter!¡¯ I said in my heart. I knew that if I said it out loud, father would continue the fight we couldn¡¯t finish before. I decided to call it even by forgetting about his shameful act when Arachne first appeared.


    As I finished up the negotiation with father in my head and looked at the spear in my inventory with smiley eyes, Mastiford flinched slightly. It seems she got 2nd in contribution.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m 2nd. Good, It would have been too shameful otherwise. Let¡¯s see... ek.¡±


    Mastiford clicked her tongue as if she didn¡¯t like what she saw. Mm, I couldn¡¯t fault her. There were really two items she could choose from. The Silk Dress was obviously the better one, but she already had an excellent battle dress. There was also no guarantee that the reward from the A-rank dungeon, Spider Den, would be better than the battle dress she made using 45th floor¡¯s named monster drop.


    She would obviously choose the earring, which meant Minami would end up with the dress. Even if her contribution was higher than father¡¯s, she would not choose the bracelet over the dress. However, the dress wasn¡¯t a suitable equipment for a tank like her.


    Although father would dly take the dress if that was what was left, Minami, who didn¡¯t know how much father cared for mother, would undoubtedly take the dress to be considerate of father. Mastiford likely knew all this, and thus could not easily pick the earring. She was thinking of Minami.


    Mastiford mumbled to herself and asked Minami. It seemed she wanted Minami to make the decision.


    ¡°Sumire, between an earring, bracelet, and a dress, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°U-Unni can choose what you want. You don¡¯t have to be considerate of me. My contribution is probably the lowest anyways.¡±


    ¡°How can I!? I could freely use skills because you were protecting me! I¡¯ll get angry if you keep saying that.¡±


    I expected as much, but she was too good a person! How could she act sopassionately toward girls!? I wondered if she was bipr. No, maybe it was a scheme to draw Minami into her organization!


    If so, she had a terrifying acting skill... Of course, I could only feel sincerity from Mastiford¡¯s words. It was unlikely that it was false. Minami must have felt it too as she looked deeply touched.


    ¡°Unni...!¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t look at me like that. I only said what was on my mind.¡±


    ¡°Unni!¡±


    Seeing the two girls embracing each other, I looked away. Stop showing off and pick your items, so we can check whether a raid boss appeared or not!


    In the end, Mastiford chose the dress which would have no meaning in Minami¡¯s hands. With this, Minami had the chance to get the earring. Mastiford looked quite content with the ck web-patterned silk dress, as she was smiling.


    It was father¡¯s turn next, and he unexpectedly took his time.


    ¡°What are you thinking about!?¡±


    I wondered if I needed to treat father like a pervert from now on. Of course, father quickly dispelled my worry.


    ¡°No, I was just thinking how beautiful my wife would look with the earrings.¡±


    ¡°You can stop with the devoted husband act... just buy her some other pretty earrings. Minami-ssi would prefer the earrings over the bracelet, too.¡±


    ¡°Ajusshi¡¯s wife is quite fortunate. She has a husband who thinks of her before his own reward.¡±


    ¡°Kuhum, right... Yeon Hwawoo is right. Earrings would be better than a bracelet for a youngdy.¡±


    In the end, father took Minami into consideration and chose the bracelet. There was only one other reward left. Before Minami picked it, we gathered in one ce as promised before.


    ¡°Make sure your health and mana is recovered. If a raid boss appears, I¡¯ll tie him down with a huge skill, so use your strongest skills before it causes any casualties. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we have just warned the other ability users? If people end up getting hurt, it¡¯s on you, Mastiford-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Raid bosses automatically focus on the party that cleared the Event Dungeon. Other people won¡¯t get hurt unless they try to get in our way. Don¡¯t look down on an SS-rank ability user!¡±


    ¡°Mm, well, okay.¡±


    ¡°Ugaaaah!¡±


    I was kidding of course. Once Mastiford¡¯s mana waspletely recovered, I believed she could restrain the raid boss just like she said. Now that I had experienced clearing a dungeon with her, I fully understood where her confidence came from.


    If only she was a bit more serious about her fights, she could be much stronger... Perhaps her clumsiness was a side-effect of obtaining such a strong ability so suddenly. I didn¡¯t need to worry. I believed she would realize it by herself one day. I just hoped it wouldn¡¯t be in a situation of life or death.


    After we all had a good rest, Minami took the earrings and finished the reward distribution. Everyone tensed up and prepared for the raid boss to appear. However, a fanfare rang out once again.


    [Youpletely cleared an A-rank Event Dungeon! All party members gain 1 bonus stat!]


    [You will now return.]


    ¡°Eh? What about the raid boss?¡±


    ¡°There is none! When a raid boss appears, the clear reward is given out, then it pops out after the ground copses. In any case, hurry up and gather! I¡¯m going to cast anti-recognition magic!¡±


    Leaving behind the sense of emptiness we felt, we quickly gathered around Mastiford. She mumbled something to herself then opened her hands. At the same time, a ck whirlpool appeared below us, and I once again lost consciousness.


    When I woke up, we were at the shopping mall where the Gate was. When the Gate suddenly disappeared and revealed the shopping mall, the Guardians protecting the area became startled and started looking around. We did our best to hide any trace of us being there as we made our way out. Just like that, we took care of a source of trouble without having to face a raid boss.


    Since I had to deal with the giant spider¡¯s corpse and Bluestone, Arachne¡¯s corpse and Bluestone were also left for me to take care of.


    Ability users could create an ability user-specific ount at the bank, meaning the ount could be under an assumed name. Although there was a catch that the ability user needed some way to prove his identity to use the ount, it was more than made up for by the fact that it could be used anywhere in the world.


    I wrote down everyone¡¯s bank ount to evenly distribute the gains from Arachne and to give each of them 10 percent of the gains from the giant spider. As we had partied together, there was at least that much trust between us.


    After we had nned everything out, we were done with our day.


    ¡°Huu, thanks for listening to my request. Sumire, Yeon Hwawoo, Yungoong Ajusshi. With this, I¡¯ll forgive the two of you for refusing to enter my organization.¡±


    ¡°You were still holding that against us?¡±


    ¡°Shush!¡±


    I remembered her saying she was weak in closebat, but her elbows certainly hurt. After silencing me, Mastiford offered father a handshake.


    ¡°I liked how you charged in without fear, Ajusshi. You were pretty strong.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you were cool too, youngdy. I¡¯d be happy to be in a team with you in the future.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more honest now! If it¡¯s Ajusshi, just contact me at any time. You¡¯ll always be wee!¡±


    After fighting together, we were much less on guard against each other. Moreover, by fighting together, we confirmed that we were virtuous people. After shaking hands with father, Mastiford hugged Minami again.


    ¡°Sumire! Thanks foring all the way from Japan for me. I love you!¡±


    ¡°Me too, unni!¡±


    Although I only found outter, it seemed they had met each other before after talking in themunication channel. That was why Minami had flown over from Japan so wholeheartedly. Perhaps it was because they were both actively working as ability users, but they were certainly quick to act.


    ¡°You can sleep over at my ce today. Mom said she¡¯d prepare something delicious.¡±


    ¡°Wow, thanks, unni!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m off.¡±


    Because the two of them looked like they¡¯d continue for a while, I wanted to quickly get away. When I tried to leave after waving my hand, Mastiford hurriedly grabbed my wrist.


    ¡°Whoa!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeon Hwawoo.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Th... Thanks foring. Although it wasn¡¯t as much as me, y-you at least had the strength to back up your confidence.¡±


    She was still embracing Minami, not showing me her face. However, I knew she was being sincere. Feeling my impression of her bing better and better, I answered, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good that you know. I¡¯m off then.¡±


    ¡°D-Do you... want toe too? To my ce.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. Who knows what¡¯ll happen if I go?¡±


    ¡°My house is a normal home!¡±


    I found it funny that an SS-rank ability user who could build a mansion out of gold was living in a normal home. Well, she did mention she was staying at her mom¡¯s ce. With a smile, I lightly shook her hand and let go.


    ¡°Then see youter. Same for you Minami-ssi. You really were tough. I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. Take good care of me, Yeon Hwawoo-nim!¡±


    ¡°... Nim?¡±


    ¡°Yeon Hwawoo, I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Kang Yungoong Ajusshi.¡±


    After exchanging a strange goodbye with Minami and an awkward goodbye with father, I turned around. Lizard Knight¡¯s Scale Armor was making a pleasant clicking sound.


    A lot had happened. It was a good opportunity to see other dungeon explorers¡¯ strengths, and a good opportunity to explore a dungeon that had appeared on Earth.


    I felt good. The bone-chilling danger I felt for an instant while fighting Arachne. The Divine Speed that I activated at the perfect moment without saying anything. Plus, the Thunder Beast I obtained.


    Everything was satisfactory.


    ¡®How fun. I might be addicted.¡¯


    If I were to give it a review, I would rate it all 5 stars. I felt an exhrating surge of strength that went beyond what could be described with numbers, and came not from heightened tension, but from something more fundamental. I couldn¡¯t hide the smileing out of my mouth.


    The world was a beautiful ce.


    Dungeons! Monsters! I didn¡¯t know who set these dangerous things loose in this world. But I knew one thing for certain: They were making me stronger!


    ¡°I will be the strongest.¡±


    The strongest that no one could dare to go against! Pledging to myself once more, I began to head toward the trade center. It was then that I received a call from Yua.


    [Oppa, where are you? Did you register as an ability user yet?]


    ¡°Yua! Yeah, oppa hit a jackpot in his first hunt too!¡±


    [Really? So cool! ... How much did you make?]


    ¡°Hundreds of millions! I¡¯ll bring some fried chicken on my way back. If there¡¯s anything else you want, just tell me.¡±


    [Fried chicken! I love you, oppa!]


    ¡°Yeah yeah, oppa loves Yua too. Just wait a little longer!¡±


    Ah, it was truly a perfect day. There was nothing better than eating chicken with one¡¯s younger sister!

 Chapter 46. Hermes (1)

    Chapter 46. Hermes (1)


    There was only 1 week left from the 3 month period Palludia made me promise.


    And today, with the Muscle Strengthening Elixir I gained from the first Lizard Knight I hunted, I had reached my limit.


    [Your muscles be strengthened to their limit, greatly increasing your explosive power. Your strength and dexterity both increase by 3. It seems there will be no further effect if you consume more of the same item.]


    The moment the 10th increase appeared for Muscle Strengthening Elixir, I saw my strength and dexterity increase by 3 for a total of 12. Combined together, they were almost 5 levels worth of stats.


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: Elementalist (Sub ¨C Skill Collector) Title: Lizard Knight Master Rank: Silver 9


    Level: 21


    HP ¨C 7,650/7,650 MP ¨C 5,460/5,460


    Strength ¨C 70(+22) Dexterity ¨C 63(+15) Constitution ¨C 60(+15)


    Intelligence ¨C 20(+5) Magic ¨C 77(+5) Charm ¨C 45(+5) Luck ¨C 21(+5)


    Normal Skill ¨C High-rank Martial Arts (Lv 1), High-rank Spear Technique (Lv 4), Peruta Circuit (Lv 4), Mid-rank Heroic Strike (Lv 3), Low-rank Provoke (Lv 9), Return (Lv 1), Deific Manifestation


    ss Skill ¨C Low-rank Spirit Mastery (Lv 9), Low-rank Spirit Aura (Lv 6), Low-rank Elemental Control (Lv 7), Low-rank Elemental Contract (Lv 7), Low-rank Elemental Tempest (Lv 8), Thunder Beast (Lv 1)


    Subss Skill ¨C Endow Skill, Spirit of the Collector]


    ¡°Wow, 22 bonus stats just in strength.¡±


    5 from the title¡¯s effect, 2 from the Power Earring I obtained on the 5th floor, 10 from the Lizard Knight set effect.


    The other 5 came from ck Earthen Spear, which had a cheaty effect of increasing my strength by 5 and dexterity by 10. As expected of a reward from an A-rank dungeon.


    There was more. All attacks done with the spear applied poison damage, and poisoned the enemy with a fixed chance!


    I didn¡¯t regret picking the ck Earthen Spear at all. Although it had not been long since I got my Silver Spear, it was simply iparable to the ck Earthen Spear, both in terms of stat bonuses and extra effects.


    ¡°Though I¡¯d love to enter another Event Dungeon...¡±


    After Korea¡¯s Gate suddenly disappeared, other countries went on high alert and increased the security on their Gates. Although many countries investigated why Korea¡¯s Gate disappeared, unless a dungeon explorer told them, they had no way of knowing. Mastiford had also gone on TV to warn the world about the danger of Gates.


    With the excuse that she saw it in her dream when she awakened, she warned that a disaster might strike if they were cleared hastily. Her words had also increased security around the Gates.


    As there was no guarantee that a raid boss would not appear, I couldn¡¯t just randomly clear an Event Dungeon. Even if I knew a raid boss wouldn¡¯t appear, there was no way for me to enter an Event Dungeon without being found out by other countries, not unless I had Mastiford¡¯s help, anyways. Knowing stat points and other delicious rewards waited, I could not do anything about it.


    ¡°So there¡¯s only one thing I can do.¡±


    I looked at the scene in front of me and grabbed a handful of popcorn, which I took out from my inventory. Then, I shouted in a mumble, ¡°Keep going Ren!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince! I hate you!¡± Ren shouted as he frantically ¡®parried¡¯ the Lizard Knight¡¯s attack with his ymore. That was right. I was currently watching Ren¡¯s one-on-one fight against the Lizard Knight. It was a fight that really had you on the edge of your seat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give up! Put more strength into your legs!¡±


    ¡°Ugaaaaaah!¡±


    Ren squeezed out all the strength he could muster as he swung his ymore. His form had been honed through 3 weeks of training. As he had an abnormally high strength from the beginning, if he learned enough techniques, there was a good chance he could defeat the Lizard Knight alone.


    In truth, the ¡®thrashing phase¡¯ was supposed tost a full month. However, there was no need to break my promise with Palludia and stay for one more week.


    ¡°The tail¡¯sing!¡±


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    The moment I yelled out, Ren instantly reacted and slid toward the Lizard Knight. The tail swung empty air, and having approached the Lizard Knight, Ren rushed into close quarters of the Lizard Knight whose form had been disrupted from swinging its tail. Then, he shouted as he raised his ymore.


    ¡°Lion Upper!¡±


    ¡°Kahak!¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    I pped. Not facing the enemy directly, but going for a fatal blow using the inevitable opening the enemy created. That was at the core of my teaching. Ren had just done exactly that.


    Realizing I had seeded in putting down his hot-blooded temper, I felt like crying tears of joy. With this, he could proudly say he had passed the thrashing phase.


    ¡°Shiiik! Human, die!¡±


    ¡°As if! Lion Strike!¡±


    Even though I was eating popcorn as I cheered Ren on, I tensed up when the Lizard Knight raised its spear. If Ren failed, I had to jump in and pick up where he left off. It was why I was here in the first ce.


    However, it seemed I had worried for nothing. Ren used the perfect skill for the asion, making the Lizard Knight let go of his spear. When he became flustered, Ren¡¯s attack poured in.


    ¡°Lion Cross Attack!¡±


    ¡®Ren really likes lions.¡¯ Thinking absent-mindedly, I watched a cross-shaped wound appear on the Lizard Knight¡¯s chest. It was deep. He didn¡¯t consume elixirs by grinding Floor Masters like me, so why was he so strong? Even though I raised my strength with the Muscle Compressing Elixir and Muscle Strengthening Elixir, I felt like I would lose by a slight margin if Ipared my strength with Ren directly.


    As I tried to wrap my head around this mystery, Lizard Knight used Dragon Skin. At this point, Ren started using the tactic I had taught him.


    That is, he picked up the Lizard Knight¡¯s spear faster than he could, and ran away.


    ¡°Give it back, Human!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, Lizard Knightttt!¡±


    Ren picked up my way of talking as well. I called it the IED (Intermittent Explosive Disorder[1. behavioral disorder characterized by explosive outbursts of anger and violence, often to the point of rage, that are disproportionate to the situation at hand (e.g., impulsive screaming triggered by rtively inconsequential events).]) Reflection. It was because monsters who heard it would almost die from IED. I wondered if the dungeon would let that be a status effect. Today, Ren¡¯s and my Provoke skill proficiency was diligently increasing.


    ¡°Give it to me now, Human!¡±


    ¡°Like I ever would!¡±


    The Lizard Knight became slower in his Dragon Skin state. As such, he always used his earthquake attack to deal great damage. However, if you made him drop his spear, he would always try to pick up his spear first.


    If you took his spear and ran away, the Lizard Knight would always chase after the one who took it. He could try to use his hands to attempt the earthquake attack, but he never did, no matter what. He always tried to get his spear back.


    With the 50 percent decrease in speed from Dragon Skin, it was hard to catch up to someone focused on running away. Even so, he chased after Ren with his reddened skin. Against such a horrifying sight, the one running away would also be motivated to run faster. Since the runner would die the moment he was caught, he quite literally ran with his life on the line.


    The result was a game of tag that made any spectators watchingugh hysterically.


    ¡°Ren, I can see your legs!¡±


    ¡°If you couldn¡¯t see my legs, I¡¯d be a ghost, not a human! Uhuk, he¡¯s going to get me!¡±


    ¡°HUMAAAAAN!¡±


    The Lizard Knight roared as he chased after Ren. Oh! Ren was getting faster! Humans truly showed greatest growth in the most desperate situations. I came to such conclusion as I shoved some more popcorn in my mouth.


    ¡°H-HUMAAAAN!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not deaf, you lizard bastard!¡±


    ¡°Kushaaa!¡±


    Ren and the Lizard Knight were makingps around the wide boss room. The Lizard Knight, who saw me in the middle of chasing Ren, came after me as if to finish me off first. When I grabbed him and sent him flying back, he coughed up blood, got back up while shaking his head, and continued chasing Ren. It seemed he instinctively understood that he was no match for me without his spear. When the Lizard Knight began chasing him again, Ren frowned and shouted.


    ¡°Unfair, Crown Prince! Why are you so rxed!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not rxed at all, Ren. In fact, I¡¯m tensed. My hands are all sweaty from thinking about whether you¡¯ll be caught or not. Nom.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that as you eat popcorn!¡±


    Their runningpetition ended in less than 5 minutes. Once Dragon Skin had worn off, the Lizard Knight had caught up to Ren.


    ¡°I caught you, Human!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who caught you!¡±


    At that moment, Ren instantly turned around and threw the spear randomly at his face. The Lizard Knight instinctively grabbed the spear, then made a regretful expression.


    ¡°Lion Rage Rush!¡±


    Immediately afterwards, Ren¡¯s ymore radiating with a golden aura pierced its chest. It was a clean and powerful strike.


    Although the Lizard Knight tried to strike down at Ren with his spear, his trembling arms no longer had any strength. In the end, he dropped his head without ever stabbing Ren. He was dead.


    [You defeated the Floor Master!]


    [10,000 gold is distributed evenly among party members. You received 5,000 gold.]


    Holding his ymore, Ren stood still silently. I pped as I put the popcorn away.


    ¡°Congrattions, Ren.¡±


    ¡°I... I...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You defeated him alone.¡±


    ¡°Hu... Huhuhuhu. Thank you, thank you, Crown Prince! I never thought I would seed in hunting the Lizard Knight alone!¡±


    Ren raised his ymore into the air with a happy expression. I also smiled and responded.


    ¡°You did well. Well, you¡¯ll have to do it again by yourself if you want to receive the special reward and title.¡±


    Ren looked at me with a nk expression, then asked.


    ¡°I, I see... Then what was this?¡±


    ¡°The thrashing phase graduation test.¡±


    After hearing my words, Ren became silent for a long time. His hands holding the ymore trembled as he opened his mouth.


    ¡°A-Are you saying... that I have to do another Floor Master solo raid?¡±


    ¡°Yep. You did it once, who¡¯s to say you can¡¯t do it again?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ren slowly turned to face me. His hands were holding his ymore.


    ¡°CROWN PRINCEEE!¡±


    Smacking my lips, I cleaned the popcorn crumbs on my mouth. Getting up with my spear in hand, I mumbled regretfully.


    ¡°Tsk, it hasn¡¯t been fully fixed yet.¡±


    3 weeks. Although the time I spent with Ren was short, it was enough to form a close bond between us. Standing in front of the Floor Shop, I shook hands with Ren, who currently looked like a mess.


    ¡°I taught you everything I could. If you seed in the Lizard Knight solo raid, you can go around calling yourself a warrior.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Crown Prince. But it hurts where you hit me.¡±


    ¡°You reap what you sow. Alright, then. I wish you luck.¡±


    ¡°... Before you go, there¡¯s something I want to confess.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m into women.¡±


    ¡°I like women too! That¡¯s not the confession I¡¯m talking about!¡±


    Ren shouted angrily. Iughed at his predictable reaction.


    ¡°Then what confession are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... not human.¡±


    Eh? That wasn¡¯t what I expected at all. Not knowing how to respond, I just stiffened with my smiling face. Ren then put strength in his body with a humph.


    In the next moment, two triangr tufts of fur appeared. No, rather than tufts, those were ears.


    ... Ears?


    ¡°I¡¯m a beastman. You¡¯ve probably heard of them before. A race that possesses the traits of both beast and human.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve heard of werewolves before. Ones that turn into wolves under the full moon.¡±


    ¡°Full moon? I¡¯m not sure what you mean, but I am thest surviving member of the lion beastman, called werelions. Although we can¡¯t turn into lions, we do have strength that vastly surpasses that of humans. In exchange, our wild nature explodes out often...¡±


    So that¡¯s why he was so strong! The mystery had been solvedpletely. A race possessing traits of both human and beast. As I was thinking rather stupid things like how Panan continent also had lions, I noticed Ren¡¯s lion ears twitch. With Ren¡¯s handsome, but not at all cute, face, it created somewhat of a weirdbination. Looking at it, I could feel something boiling inside of me.


    ¡°Ren, put away your ears.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince, why are you holding up your spear? Why are you pointing it at me?¡±


    I shouted at Ren who was asking such an obvious question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need animal ears from men!¡±


    ¡°Uwoaaah! C-Calm down! Uwaaak!¡±


    Just like that, it would take a little longer until Ren could go do his solo raid.


    ¡°Thanks for everything. I¡¯ll report to you once I seed.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Ren. Try not to take your ears out.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I have no ns to show them to anyone other than Crown Prince. Then, I¡¯m off.¡±


    After confirming that we had each other on our friend lists, we disbanded the party. Ren returned to the dungeon he came from. Confirming that he had disappeared, I let out a deep sigh. Now that arade I spent some time with was gone, I felt a little empty. Unconsciously, I mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯m alone again.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean alone, Shin-nim? I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    When I turned around, I saw Loretta with her elbows on her shop desk and her chin on her hand, staring at me with her oval eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been by your side.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry, Loretta. You¡¯re right. It¡¯s us two again. I feel a bit happy since Loretta pointed it out.¡±


    Because I felt like a connection other than that of shopkeeper and customer existed between us, I felt happy. Hearing my words, Loretta¡¯s face reddened. Then, as if to hide her face, she put her hands over it.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Loretta? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim. You did that on purpose, right? You did it fully knowing everything, right?¡±


    ¡°Knowing what?¡±


    ¡°Aaaaaah! You¡¯re really frustrating! Go away, don¡¯te back!¡±


    ¡°Even if I do, I¡¯ll see you again on the 21st Floor Shop.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Just go for now! Ah before you go, here¡¯s Holy Water! 1,500 gold per bottle!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still selling!? Your business spirit is astonishing as always!¡±


    A woman¡¯s heart was indeedplicated. I didn¡¯t know just which rhythm to beat to! I climbed to the 21st floor grumbling. In my hand were five bottles of Holy Water, which was 7,500 gold.


    There was one week left. To appease the little crown princess¡¯s anger, it was time for me, who wasn¡¯t some knight nor hero, to run to the 25th floor!

 Chapter 47. Hermes (2)

    Chapter 47. Hermes (2)


    Zombies. They were creatures with the terrifying appearance of rotting skin, moving erratically without hints of human consciousness. They were said to be able to infect those that they bite or wound, turning them into zombies. It was why so many people watched zombie movies on the edge of their seats.


    In these movies where everything was realistic except for the existence of zombies, the main characters awaited their doom. All humans on Earth turned into zombies, and the main characters, who were always among thest surviving humans, trembled in fear at this unprecedented terror.


    But what if you added another element to this form? For example, what if by having high constitution and a bit of mana, you could disinfect yourself of the zombies¡¯ poisons? Or even if you didn¡¯t have those things, you could just spray some Holy Water on your wound, and even melt the zombie by spraying it in Holy Water?


    Of course, I did not believe zombies could break through my armor anyways. Even if they could, they would have hard time breaking through my skin that was strengthened by my high constitution.


    In any case, what was left in that situation was the irritation caused by smell of rotting corpses and the concern about my eyes that were forced to see rather unsightly things.


    ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Tempest!¡±


    Tempest used in conjunction with the ck Earthen Spear swept up dozens of zombies like they were paper airnes. Most of these zombies died, and the ones that didn¡¯t soon copsed from being poisoned. As I fought Floor Masters most of the time, I was like a wolf in a flock of sheep when fighting normal monsters.


    ¡°Tempest! Tempest!¡±


    ¡°Kyagyaaa!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaa!¡±


    When I used Tempest like consecutively shooting out bullets, the zombies around me exploded out in all directions like bowling pins. Blood from those that died from ck Earthen Spear¡¯s poison scattered on other zombies and infected them as well. I felt like I was ying some first person shooter. Of course, no matter how much mana I had, because Tempest used 300 MP every time I used it, I had to drink a lowest-grade Mana Potion every minute.


    ¡°Peika, take care of that side.¡±


    [Got it, Master!]


    Since the zombies weren¡¯t strong enough to make me use Spirit Aura, I left Peika to act independently. As her lightning was getting stronger by the day, she could easily take care of the zombies by herself as long as she had my mana. The 21st floor¡¯s monsters were weak individually, but there were many of them. As such, I couldn¡¯t just leisurely hunt them.


    [You obtained 70 gold.]


    [You obtained 80 gold.]


    [You obtained 75 gold.]


    As they were so weak, each of them gave less than 100 gold. However, with so many of them, the gold piled up at an incredible rate. Ignoring the annoying messages ringing out in my ear, I quickly made my way through the dungeon. Ellos had described the 21st floor as ¡®turtle-paced advances in a situation where tension devoured reason,¡¯ but I didn¡¯t know just where the tension was or where I was supposed to be turtle-paced.


    Gulping down the lowest-grade Mana Potions I was overflowing with, I ran forward as I used Tempest. Peika flew in front of me, burning the zombiesing from directions I didn¡¯t face. Just like that, I seeded in breaking through the 21st floor in just two hours.


    [You became level 22. You obtained the qualification to enter the 22nd floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [In all of First Dungeon¡¯s history, you broke through the 21st floor in the shortest amount of time. This record will remain for long time toe. You obtained the title, ¡®Master of Divine Speed.¡¯ Your speed permanently increases by 3 percent.]


    [Divine Speed bes level 2. When used, it uses 19 percent of your mana and multiplies your speed by 550 percent for 0.55 seconds.]


    ¡°Shin-nim, why are you ba... Eh? This is the 21st Floor Shop, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep. I just broke through. Why didn¡¯t you tell me there was a reward for breaking through the dungeon quickly?¡±


    Loretta had her mouth open like an idiot. She then spoke as she stared at me.


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t think someone would break through the 21st floor in just two hours... Usually, two months is considered fast.¡±


    ¡°Is the 22nd floor like the 21st floor?¡±


    ¡°Yes? Ah, yes, it¡¯s more or less the same until the 24th floor. That¡¯s when ghouls start to appear. But wait, ah, Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°See you in a bit!¡±


    [You became level 23. You obtained the qualification to enter the 23rd floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You swiftly broke through, sweeping through the 21st and 22nd floor zombies. You obtained the title, ¡®Zombie ughterer.¡¯ You gain 10 percent increased damage and resistance when fighting undead monsters. This effect bes 20 percent when fighting zombies and ghouls.]


    [You became level 24. You obtained the qualification to enter the 24th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [The dungeon will remember this day for all eternity. You set a grand record of clearing the 21st through 23rd floors in just 5 hours. You obtained the title, ¡®Incarnation of Lightning.¡¯ Your speed permanently increases by 3 percent. Your affinity to the lightning element increases greatly.]


    [You obtained the special passive skill, ¡®Dash.¡¯ When you run, your speed increases greatly and you will not get tired easily. The skill proficiency will increase the more you run.]


    When I was about to enter the 24th floor to do the same, Loretta hurriedly ran out from the Floor Shop and blocked my way. It was the first time I saw here out of the Floor Shop.


    ¡°Shin-nim, stop! It¡¯s dangerous to recklessly charge through the 24th floor!¡±


    ¡°Huff, huff... O-Okay. Let me take a breath then.¡±


    I became stronger with titles. Focused solely on that, I overworked myself. I first put some oxygen back in my tired body and regained myposure. When I looked back up, I saw Loretta ring angrily at me.


    ¡°No matter how good titles are, how could you use brush past the 22nd Floor Shop where I was waiting? What a rude explorer!¡±


    ¡°Eh, that was the problem?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Loretta turned away silently. She seemed angry.


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll always visit the Floor Shop from now on, so don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    ¡°... Ramen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll bring you some.¡±


    ¡°Mm, okay. Then take some rest now.¡±


    Loretta appeased her anger and smiled. Since she had brought it up, I decided to eat here as well. Taking out the necessary tools from my inventory, I cooked up some ramen for Loretta and me. Loretta cheered loudly as she stared fixedly at the boiling ramen.


    ¡°By the way, Loretta, I heard monsters above the 21st floor dropped Residential Area Entrance Tickets.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Shin-nim. What about it?¡±


    Loretta¡¯s eyes were still fixed on the boiling ramen. It was almost ready now.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t drop any. I must have killed at least ten thousand monsters as I charged through thest 3 floors.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t think so simply. Residential Area Entrance Tickets are super rare.¡±


    ¡°Super?¡±


    ¡°Super.¡±


    Loretta picked up her chopsticks as she answered solemnly. She was silently telling me to give her ramen. Putting ramen in her bowl, Iined in a murmur.


    ¡°Damn it, when will I get to go? What use is there if I have a Special Mansion Purchase Ticket if I can¡¯t use it?¡±


    ¡°... Special Mansion?¡±


    Loretta¡¯s eyes suddenly became wide with her mouth still full of ramen. Watching her trying to swiftly swallow the ramen, I couldn¡¯t help but think how cute she looked.


    ¡°Yep, Special Mansion. I got it from hunting the Lizard Knight alone.¡±


    ¡°The only ownerless Special Mansion in the First Dungeon is Marianne¡¯s Garden. Then... WHOO!¡±


    Loretta suddenly clenched her fist and shot it up in the air as she shouted in joy. Watching her with a curious look, my eyes then met her own. Loretta seemed to have regained herposure as she slowly dropped her fist and avoided my eyes.


    ¡°Whoo?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s nothing! Nothing at all!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat ramen! Ramen~!¡±


    Another unsolvable mystery had appeared.


    After filling my stomach with ramen, I did some quick equipment maintenance and bought five more bottles of Holy Water. Then I heard about the 24th floor from Loretta.


    ¡°Shin-nim, you know about ghouls, right?¡±


    ¡°Kind of. If zombies were resurrected corpses, then aren¡¯t ghouls monsters that appear in graveyards and feed on corpses?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what Earth¡¯s dungeon explorers say. However, their origins or methods of reproduction don¡¯t matter. What¡¯s important is how strong they are.¡±


    She exined that ghouls were in a different league than zombies. First was in speed. Ghouls were iparable to zombies in speed. They were also strong and tough. Their skin could easily make steel bounce off and their powerful ws even possessed strong neurotoxins. Furthermore, even if they were injured, they could recover by devouring the flesh of other zombies.


    Not only did it have high attack, defense, and speed, it also had portable potions all around it! Just from their description, they couldn¡¯t be more terrifying. Loretta put up her index finger and advised.


    ¡°The moment you see them, send its head flying or pierce its heart. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, looks like I¡¯ll have to give up on progressing quickly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try. If the number of ghouls start increasing, even Shin-nim would be in dire straits.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the kind exnation, Loretta.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯ll be 500 gold for the information, customer.¡±


    At my words of gratitude, Loretta put out her hand and looked away with an ¡®oops¡¯ expression. I wondered why she was asking for gold when I thanked her. Life really was full of mysteries.


    The dungeon generally had the same structure across floors. It was as wide as a castle¡¯s hallways and the ceiling was high so that you couldn¡¯t actually see it. Torches hung on the side stone walls, lighting up the passageway. If you kept following the hallway, the path twisted and turned. If you kept following the path, you would end up in front of the staircase to the next floor. Although there were some crossroads, they all led to the same destination. It was just a matter of going straight or taking a roundabout way.


    However, the 24th floor different. First, the pathway was narrow and the floor wasn¡¯t hard. Second, there were cross-like objects stuck here and there. The fire of the torches also gave off an ominous aura. It felt like my HP would drop just by being in this ce.


    [This is a ce full of death, Master.]


    Peika spoke, brushing her dress as if something had gotten on it. I tightened my grip on the ck Earthen Spear and observed my surroundings. Even the undead could get poisoned, as they still had flesh and blood. As ck Earthen Spear¡¯s poison was one that burned blood and devoured bones, I had nothing to fear as long as I had it.


    I believed in Loretta, but I didn¡¯t let myself be too nervous. If I let myself get scared by something like ghouls, I couldn¡¯t be the strongest!


    ¡°Commence Exploration!¡±

 Chapter 48. Hermes (3)

    Chapter 48. Hermes (3)


    ¡°Commence Exploration!¡±


    The moment I shouted out with spirit, the crosses nearby trembled and then shot up. As I thought, they were graves. What popped out from them were, of course, zombies. As if to show that they were different from the 23rd floor zombies, their corpse bodies were much more intact. They even carried swords and shields, or bows and arrows.


    ¡°Guoooo...¡±


    ¡°Warrior¡¯s... blood...¡±


    Zombie warriors. Unlike zombies that were born from corpses imbued with mana, the zombie warriors were said to be born inrge numbers when the night¡¯s magic power seeped into the corpses of low-ss soldiers left on battlefields afterrge-scale battles.


    They were known to always appear inrge numbers, and they would sometimes turn the people they killed into zombies, adding to their zombie army.


    However, there weren¡¯t that many zombie warriors in front of me. They were likely poor souls who were forced to fight when they were alive and could not rest even after they died.


    ¡°Blood... war...¡±


    ¡°Calls... us...¡±


    I gulped down a mouthful of saliva as I watched them slowly getting up with their weapons and rolling their eyes in their decayed eye sockets.


    ¡°Tempest!¡±


    When I lightly attacked with my spear, the zombie warriors exploded into pieces and scattered.


    They were extremely weak.


    ¡°Guoooo!¡±


    ¡°So it still works.¡±


    [It¡¯s because Master is strong!]


    Although they were stronger than normal zombies, I was strengthened by all sorts of elixirs and even had the level 4 high-rank spear technique. It was slightly embarrassing to say with my own mouth, but I was in apletely different league than normal explorers on the 24th floor.


    It seemed that even after hearing I had cleared 21st through 23rd floor in 5 hours, Loretta did not know me well. My overwhelming superiority would not change just because zombies were upgraded to zombie warriors or because ghouls appeared.


    ¡°Guooo! Human, living, breathing human!¡±


    ¡°Hot blood, soft skin! Human!¡±


    More zombie warriors got up from their graves. At the same time, I saw ghouls trying to ambush me by shooting out of the gaps in the dungeon¡¯s walls. They were certainly faster than the zombies, had tougher bodies, and had ws that gleamed threateningly.


    Moreover, their eyes clearly showed signs of intelligence. That said, they only seemed to think about devouring me.


    ¡°Come, you ghoul bastards! I¡¯ll return you to your graves!¡±


    Previously, as I heard Loretta¡¯s words, this was what I thought. Even if they were fast, could they be faster than ratmen? Even if they were strong, how much stronger could they bepared to the lizardmen? As for their ws containing neurotoxin, I could just avoid them. Even if I were hit, I wouldn¡¯t be poisoned unless they could break through my helmet and armor.


    Of course, because Loretta warned me about them so much, I decided toe to a conclusion after fighting them first.


    ¡°Guooooooo!¡±


    ¡°Humaaaaaaan!¡±


    They were slightly faster than ratmen. However, my physical ability waspletely different than when I fought the ratmen. I could see the ghouls¡¯ movements clearly.


    If I wanted to dodge them, I could do so with ease. However, if I faced many of them at once, I was bound to be hit by one or two attacks. In that case, knowing how strong their attacks were would help me clear the 24th floor more easily.


    Thinking all this in the short instant that the ghouls wereing toward me, I stood in the trajectory of its ws. Bracing myself for impact, I prepared to counterattack.


    However, the moment their ws hit my armor, an absurdity I never expected happened.


    Snap.


    ¡°Ghoul, w broke! Ghoul hurt!¡±


    ¡°Hurt!¡±


    ¡°Ghoul w hurt!¡±


    ¡°Ghoul weak! Super weak!¡±


    I had not even used Dragon Skin, but the ghouls¡¯ ws broke upon hitting my armor, and they ran away with pained faces. Why did this happen, again? Oh, right! I had heard that if my defense was overwhelmingly higher than their attack, the weapons of the attacking enemies would break.


    Defense was calcted using HP, constitution, equipment, and how much mana you used to strengthen your body. With high-rank martial arts, my body was further strengthened, which then affected my defense as well.


    ¡°Ghoul hurt!¡±


    ¡°Ghoul return. Ghoul hurt!¡±


    ¡°Ghoul call stronger ghoul! Strong ghoul take revenge!¡±


    ¡°Can you guys stop crying like little kids!? And don¡¯t talk like you¡¯re calling your older brother after being hit by the local delinquent!¡±


    As I was wearing the Dark Ratman¡¯s Leather Armor set until the 20th floor, my defense wasn¡¯t all that high. Now that I was wearing the Lizard Knight Set and had increased my constitution, normal monsters couldn¡¯t pierce through my defense anymore. As I had never let myself be hit by the zombies, it was only now that I found out. Even if I did let the zombies hit me, I wouldn¡¯t have thought that even the 24th floor¡¯s ghouls couldn¡¯t do any damage...


    After realizing all this, I stood still and nkly stared into the sky. Meanwhile, the injured ghouls (except the one that went to call his... brother) were devouring nearby zombies whileining about how much pain they were in. Once they finished, they attacked me again, broke their ws, and went back to eating zombies...


    ¡°Ghoul recover!¡±


    ¡°Eat zombie, recover!¡±


    ¡°Ghoul attack! Ghoul hurt!¡±


    ¡°Ghoul w hurt!¡±


    ¡°Ghoul go back!¡±


    What did they call this? Macro? Looking at the ghouls sprawled around me with disappointed eyes, I held up my ck Earthen Spear and aimed at them. Although I was starting to like the way they talked, I didn¡¯t need to hesitate now that I knew how weak they were.


    ¡°Peika, take as much mana as you need and open a way in front of me. I¡¯m going to run.¡±


    [Okay, Master! I like running too!]


    Under my permission, Peika, who started to freely take my mana, shone with a radiant light. Soon, sparks flickers from her body. She then charged forward, burning every zombie and ghoul in her path to crisp. The zombies were, of course, killed instantly, and the ghouls staggered after taking huge damage. Without hesitation, I lifted my foot off the ground. It was time to make use of my special passive skill, Dash.


    ¡°Uooooooo! Clear the paaaaath!¡±


    The moment I lifted my foot off the ground, the surrounding scenery began to be pushed backwards. The zombies stared at me with nk expressions. The ghouls that came after me bounced right off.


    They then clumped up and tried to block my path forward. However, like exploding grenade shells, they were sent flying in all directions by Peika¡¯s lightning and my charge.


    ¡®Fast! This Dash skill, I like it!¡¯


    If Ren saw me right now, he would regretfully say, ¡®So it really was possible to make your legs disappear!¡¯ Now that I thought about it, Ren had not contacted me since we parted. Did he lose after challenging the Floor Master alone? If so, I was going to need to start thrashing phase season 2...


    ¡°Guooo!¡±


    ¡°Ghoul dying!¡±


    Just by pointing my mana-strengthened spear forward as I ran using Dash, the zombies and ghouls in my way were all sent flying. Even if the ghouls¡¯ bodies were stronger than steel, I could pierce a 5-centimeter-thick te of steel with my spear at the age of 14. My current strength was iparable to back then. Ghouls were no different than zombies in the face of my dashing.


    I didn¡¯t check whether the monsters sent flying were dead or alive. I didn¡¯t need them to be dead to clear the floor. I just had to get to the end of the pathway alive.


    In the past, I believed I needed to kill all the monsters to clear the floor. However, that was only because I would likely be killed by the monsters otherwise. Killing all the monsters wasn¡¯t a necessary condition to clear a floor. I had heard some dungeon explorers honed their stealth abilities to the max so they could clear dungeon floors while avoiding battles as much as possible.


    Regardless, I was currently running while ignoring most of the zombies and ghouls. Even so, because of all the monsters Peika was killing and the ones who died after colliding with me, I constantly heard gold piling up.


    At some point, I hit arge ghoul and realized he was not sent flying after colliding with my spear. I realized at that point.


    ¡°Krrrrrr! Kruka punish human!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the older brother ghoul!¡±


    ¡°Krrrrrr!¡±


    I first cut off the head of a ghoul ring at me from the side, and checked my remaining mana. Because Peika was continuously taking my mana, I only had about 50 percent of my total mana left. Therge ghoul was over 2 meters tall, and had a freakishlyrge right arm. Judging by the color of the right arm¡¯s skin, it was undoubtedly stronger than other parts.


    ¡°Peika,e in my spear!¡±


    [Okay!]


    ¡°Krrrrr! I kill! Then I beat and make tender!¡±


    The moment I activated Spirit Aura, Kruka swung his massive right arm at me. Although I dodged the attack, fully aware of its trajectory, its direction suddenly changed mid-air and chased after me. Startled, I hurriedly ducked and rushed to his body. Whether it was monster or human, fighting became easier when the enemy was an arm¡¯s distance away than when he was right up to your shoulder. Kruka was no exception. Without knowing what to do, he tried to strike me using his entire arm.


    ¡°Hap!¡±


    With a short, spirited shout, I shot my spear toward his head. He was still a named monster. His much tougher head did not explode out like all the other ghouls¡¯ heads. He only let out a painful scream. Immediately afterwards, I was struck by his forearm. Although it was heavy enough to make me groan, I did not receive much damage, as I had minimized the amount of impact force I received.


    Holding in my pain, I shot out my spear again. It hit the same area, and his poisonous blood spurted out into the air.


    ¡°Kruk! Annoying prey!¡±


    ¡°Only eating meat isn¡¯t good for you! In your next life, eat some goddamn vegetables!¡±


    Kruka attacked once again with hisrge arm. This time, however, his arm split into two mid-flight. Was he still considered a ghoul? He was a mutant! I would be severely injured if that thing hit me, I didn¡¯t particrly think to dodge it.


    I simply concentrated my body¡¯s energy and mana and shot forward with my spear. It was an attack that used 20 percent of my HP and MP!


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    White lightbined with Spirit Aura enveloped the spear, giving it an imposing look simr to Heavenly God¡¯s lightning. At the same time, it exploded Kruka¡¯s head into oblivion. His arm had no chance to strike me.


    In the next moment, a messaged flowed into my ear.


    [You defeated the named monster ¡®Kruka¡¯! You obtained ¡®Event Dungeon Entrance Ticket: Giant Zombie¡¯s Attack!¡¯ as a reward!]


    ¡°... Why did I get a zombie-rted dungeon from a ghoul?¡±


    Wait, that was the wrong reaction.


    ¡°Yes! An Event Dungeon!¡±


    That was the right one!

 Chapter 49. Hermes (4)

    Chapter 49. Hermes (4)


    [You became level 25. You obtained the qualification to challenge the Floor Master.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [Above those that fly are those that leap through dimensions. You cleared the 21st through 24th floors in under 7 hours. Just your courage, audacity, and swiftness are enough to ce you in the ranks of Great Explorers. You have a choice. You can obtain the title ¡®Hermes¡¯ by giving up the three titles obtained from clearing 21st, 22nd, and 23rd floors. Or, you can obtain the title ¡®Incarnation of Light¡¯ bybining the ¡®Master of Divine Speed¡¯ and ¡®Incarnation of Lightning¡¯ titles.]


    [Divine Speed bes level 3. When used, it uses 18 percent of your mana and multiplies your speed by 570 percent for 0.7 seconds.]


    [Dash bes low-rank level 5. You can run swiftly for a longer time without feeling tired. You receive bonuses to instantaneous evasive maneuvers.]


    Loretta looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. I smiled bashfully in response.


    ¡°It¡¯s been two hours.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim... You became level 25 in just two hours... How?¡±


    ¡°I wonder? Hahaha.¡±


    When I smiled awkwardly, Loretta puffed her cheeks angrily. She then reached forward with her hands and pinched my cheeks. It didn¡¯t hurt at all.


    ¡°I was worried. That Shin-nim would go wild without heed to my warning. It was just as I expected, too. Though, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually seed.¡±


    ¡°The ghouls couldn¡¯t get through my defense.¡±


    ¡°Haa, really, what am I going to do with you?¡±


    Loretta let go of my cheeks and let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Do you understand, Shin-nim? Shin-nim just leveled up four times in just 7 hours. I assume you already distributed your level-up stat points. No matter how confident you are in your physical ability, you won¡¯t be able to fully bring out the power of level 25 for a while.¡±


    ¡°Because of the update, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. I don¡¯t even need to ask, but you were nning on going through the 25th floor and challenging the Floor Master right away, right?¡±


    I flinched at her pinpoint uracy. To be honest, I was feeling quite self-confident after breaking all the way through the 24th floor. I remembered my fight with the 20th Floor Master, and was excited from thinking about the reward I would get for being the first to defeat the 25th Floor Master solo in my first try. I nned to keep running forward... but it seemed my ns were discovered. As expected, after 5 years of watching over me, Loretta knew me quite well.


    ¡°No way. You need to rest. Just do some light exercise if you want to work out. For at least 5 hours! Although even 5 hours shouldn¡¯t be enough, with Shin-nim¡¯s physical ability, you¡¯ll at least grow somewhat used to it. Make sure you rest for 3 hours afterwards. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I got it, so don¡¯t look at me with such scary eyes.¡±


    I smiled bitterly. Then, I remembered the message I got when I broke through the 24th floor. The message that asked me to make a choice. I decided to ask Loretta about it since I was curious.


    ¡°Loretta, if you had to choose between Hermes and Incarnation of Light, which would you choose?¡±


    ¡°Hm? What an interesting question. Why do you ask?¡±


    Loretta became absorbed in thought. She had her index finger on her cheek and was tapping on it as she thought seriously about my question. It seemed she had soone to a decision as she told me.


    ¡°The incarnation of an element, or a god. Although I¡¯d prefer to choose the element, the other side isn¡¯t an incarnation, but a god¡¯s name. In that case, there¡¯s really only once choice. A god¡¯s true name possesses his equivalent power. So Hermes. Hermes is what I¡¯d choose.¡±


    ¡°I see. I didn¡¯t really understand though.¡±


    When I said that, Loretta gave me a cute grin, as if to say ¡®that¡¯s what I thought.¡¯ She then asked.


    ¡°Where did Shin-nim hear about that? Regardless of which myth, to hear a god¡¯s name in the dungeon, you should at least be on the 50th floor... Are you friends with a Gold rank explorer?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, I¡¯ve just been told to choose between those two titles.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°You know, between Hermes and Incarnation of Light.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!?¡±


    Loretta¡¯s eyes quickly widened. Then she grabbed my shoulders abruptly.


    ¡°Hermes! Hurry, hurry! Before another miracle happens and some other explorer takes the true name before Shin-nim! Hurry!!!¡±


    ¡°O-Okay! I¡¯ll choose Hermes!¡±


    Even as I was being shaken by Loretta, I made my will known. In that instant, a fanfare rang out.


    [You became the first explorer on Earth to obtain a god¡¯s true name! Congrattions! For aplishing this Grand Achievement, you receive 3 skill points. Current skill points: 9]


    [You obtained the title ¡®Hermes.¡¯ Your speed increases by 15 percent. All stats increase by 5. You obtained the qualification. Your affinity to all elements increases, and your affinity to the wind element increases greatly. Once per day, you can summon ¡®Tria¡¯ for 10 minutes. Tria allows you to step in the air freely and even fly. However, when inside the dungeon, you cannot use it for the pure purpose of moving around. As your body familiarizes itself to the true name, more abilities will be open.]


    ¡°D-Did you get it? Did you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The moment I earned the Hermes title, I felt my body be significantly lighter. Even taking into ount two of the three deleted titles that raised my speed by 6 percent, my speed rose by 9 percent. It wasn¡¯t too surprising that my body felt so light. Not to mention, my strength and dexterity went up by 5 each as well.


    Being able to move 15 percent quicker was nice. That said, it seemed I would need more than one or two days to get used to this speed. In fact, until I grasped my physical ability in detail and knew every little change to it, I felt this ability would do more harm than good for a little while. In exchange, once I got used to the change, the increase in my strength would be iparable to if someone else received the same ability.


    Plus, there was Tria. It was the name of Hermes¡¯ winged sandals. Although it was only for 10 minutes every day, being able to fly had great benefits. Of course, this would also take more than a day or two to get used to.


    Most important was the fact that there was more I hadn¡¯t unlocked. As my body familiarized itself to the true name... that short statement was crucial. I would be getting more abilities in the future. I was dazed. I didn¡¯t even know why I was able to obtain Hermes. It was a title in apletely different league than the titles from the 21st through 23rd floors.


    ¡°To think you¡¯d really obtain Hermes¡¯s true name. You did it, Shin-nim! You obtained the qualification!¡±


    ¡°What qualification?¡±


    ¡°Ut! Ah... mm... That¡¯s a secret for now.¡±


    ¡®As I thought.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but smile. A god¡¯s true name must represent something other than just raw stats. I could just slowly find out. If it was necessary to me right now, I knew Loretta would have exined it to me.


    Hermes¡¯ true name was certainly an amazing ability. But in a way, although it was amazing, it wasn¡¯t enough topletely change my identity. It was important that I didn¡¯t get too self-confident. Although I might be the first to have obtained Hermes¡¯ true name, Earth shouldn¡¯t be the only world with myths. In that case, it wouldn¡¯t be weird if there were other dungeon explorers who obtained the true names of gods from their myths.


    ¡°Why would Hermes appear here? Ah, I see. Hermes is the messenger god, but he is also the emissary who guides deceased souls to the Underworld. Since that¡¯s the case, he must have been affected by all the zombies and ghouls that were ughtered in such a short amount of time. Though, the biggest reason had to be the record speed clears that had never happened in First Dungeon¡¯s history...¡±


    ¡°Loretta?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah, it¡¯s nothing! Nothing at all, Shin-nim! In any case, congrattions! Hermes¡¯ power will be of great help to you in the days toe. But...¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    Loretta raised her index finger and advised me in a solemn voice I¡¯d never heard from her before.


    ¡°A god¡¯s true name is heavy, Shin-nim. Remember that a day wille when you will have to pay the cost of using his name, so don¡¯t be too drunk on its power. Thankfully, Hermes isn¡¯t a god known for his battle prowess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something to be thankful about?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, Shin-nim is only a level 25 explorer. It will be hard for you to handle a god¡¯s power at that level. In fact, you have a greater chance of falling from losing yourself in its power. It¡¯s only because it¡¯s Hermes that it would be of help to Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Am I not understanding because of my low intelligence?¡±


    Although I said that, I did kind of have an idea what she meant. For example, let¡¯s say I obtained the true name of Athena, who was known as the goddess of war. I would end up relying on her power more than my own, which would be no different than relying on others¡¯ strengths. Even if I tried to find my own style againter, it would be toote. I could only continue climbing the dungeon with something wrong.


    On the other hand, Hermes¡¯ power was entirely supportive in nature. Using it in battle would only increase my battle prowess. As it needed my strength as a basis, Hermes was indeed an excellent ability.


    I couldn¡¯t help but be incredibly happy at the fact that my desire to quickly climb the dungeon led to such results.


    ¡°Sorry to say this while you¡¯re so happy, but there is bad news as well.¡±


    ¡°Bad news?¡±


    When I stared at Loretta fixedly, she put out her hand.


    ¡°Before that, I¡¯ll need 30,000 gold for the information cost.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to buy it?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, I always want to keep a win-win rtionship with you. Without money, I¡¯m not allowed to open my mouth, and if Shin-nim doesn¡¯t hear what I have to say, you wille to regret it slightly.¡±


    Loretta was giving me a hint. After all, there had to be a reason why she brought it up in the first ce. 30,000 gold wasn¡¯t big enough to risk breaking our friendly rtionship.


    ¡°Okay. Here, 30,000 gold.¡±


    Most importantly, with therge amount of gold I had gained from clearing the Event Dungeon, I didn¡¯t need to worry too much about spending gold frivolously. Loretta mumbled a quiet ¡®yes¡¯ and took my money.


    ¡°The glory of seeding in the 25th Floor Master solo raid on the first try was taken by a foreign world¡¯s Hero 1,500 years ago.¡±


    ¡°Gek!¡±


    It really was bad news! Like Loretta said, I would have regretted it if I didn¡¯t hear it, but I didn¡¯t want to have to pay 30,000 gold to hear it! The satisfaction of obtaining Hermes¡¯ true name disappeared, and I stooped my shoulders.


    ¡°The 30,000 gold was for this piece of information as well as the information about the 20th Floor Master from before. Although it was on credit... with this, Shin-nim and I won¡¯t have to receive any penalties. Whew, thank goodness I don¡¯t need to hear from that oldie aga... Ah.¡±


    Loretta put her hands over her mouth in the middle of talking. I got the feeling she was intentionally doing it to give me some information. When I looked at her with narrow eyes, she stuck her tongue out and said, ¡°ehet.¡± It was so cute that I almost fell for her.


    After letting out a dry cough, I asked her.


    ¡°In that case, can I know about the avability of the ¡®first¡¯ for 30th and 35th floors?¡±


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯ll be 50,000 gold, customer.¡±


    ... Maybe she really was just hungry for gold. Watching her smile so happily, I imagined myself flicking her forehead.


    Trantor¡¯s note: Be sure to check out this chapter¡¯s announcement post!

 Chapter 50. Hermes (5)

    Chapter 50. Hermes (5)


    ¡°The 30th and 35th floor¡¯s first achievement have beenpleted as well by the same Hero from 1,500 years ago.¡±


    ¡°How unfortunate, Shin-nim. Luckily, the next one is... oops.¡±


    For a piece of information worth 50,000 gold, it made me feel nothing but emptiness. However, from Loretta¡¯s ¡®idental¡¯ follow up, it seemed the 40th Floor Master¡¯s first had not been taken. That was enough. Until then, I¡¯d refrain from being too adventurous and focus on obtaining the Floor Master yer title. Afterwards, I could ¡®master¡¯ the 40th Floor Master.


    The only problem left to solve now was to break through the 25th floor and join Ellos and Palludia.


    As the 25th floor had a mix of zombies and ghouls just like the 24th floor, I could easily get through it. However, as it also had a Floor Master room, I could not obtain a title from clearing it. When I arrived in front of the Floor Master door, I stopped and contacted Ellos.


    ¡°Ellos, are you on the 25th floor?¡±


    [Mm, yeah. I¡¯m near the end. I¡¯ll be at the ¡®door¡¯ soon. What about you? Can you reallye here on your own? We can party with you if you want.]


    ¡°I¡¯m in front of the door. The 25th floor¡¯s.¡±


    [... Really?]


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Ellos went silent for a while, then continued afterughing.


    [I see. You are a ¡®Hero¡¯ after all. I¡¯ll hurry, see you in a bit.]


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I then contacted Palludia.


    ¡°Palludia, it¡¯s Kang Shin.¡±


    [What? I told you not to contact me before reaching the 25th floor.]


    For someone who said that, she answered extremely quickly, as if she¡¯d been waiting. As I didn¡¯t want get on her nerves, I only said what I wanted to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m on the 25th floor.¡±


    [Really?]


    ¡°I don¡¯t lie.¡±


    [... Okay, good job. Huhu, Shina you liar. As I thought, rather than you, he prefers...]


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    I felt like I had heard a familiar name. However, Palludia said it was nothing.


    [I¡¯ve been on the 25th floor since two weeks ago! But because I was busy with my world¡¯s war, coincidentally, really coincidentally, I couldn¡¯t enter the dungeon for a while. My first time challenging the Floor Master will be with you. You should think of it as an honor!]


    ¡°That reminds me of the first time we fought the Orc Lord.¡±


    [Don¡¯t bring that up! That was a long time ago. I¡¯m no longer a little kid!]


    If I looked at all the messages she sent me until now, she was undoubtedly still the same little kid. Of course, I didn¡¯t say that to her either.


    ¡°Ellos says he¡¯ll be here in a bit. Let¡¯s wait for him and we can challenge the Floor Master together.¡±


    [Okay. Hey, I heard you stayed in the 5th floor for over 3 years. Are you sure your skills haven¡¯t turned rusty? Since you¡¯ll be in this Palludia Gren Ehuir-nim¡¯s raid party, I won¡¯t allow stupid, orc-like things!]


    ¡°I also climbed to the 25th floor in under a year. Palludia, you¡¯ve heard of my Crown Prince nickname, right?¡±


    [Pfft.]


    Palludia snorted. In that instant, I felt my blood boiling.


    ¡°Don¡¯tugh! It¡¯s not funny!¡±


    [O-Orc is Crown Prince... Pfft, pff.]


    ¡°Eeeek! I¡¯m not an orc anymore, you little kid!¡±


    [I¡¯m not a little kid either! Boo, boo! I¡¯ll be the one to judge whether you¡¯re still an orc or not, so look forward to it!]


    ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll also be the one to judge whether you¡¯re a little kid or not! Hmph!¡±


    In the end, we ended our conversation after a little argument. Ah, I forgot to ask why she wanted to party with me after so long.


    This childish crown princess really was unpredictable. She started an argument when we first met, she charged at the Orc Lord with just her staff because her friend was killed, and she added me to her friend list even though she seemed to hate me.


    I would find out soon enough. Since I promised Palludia, it felt wrong to fight the Floor Master before I met up with her and Ellos. What should I do now?


    Upon thinking about it, the answer was clear. It was to use the Event Dungeon Entrance Ticket I got from the 24th floor and clear the dungeon.


    [Event Dungeon Entrance Ticket: Giant Zombie¡¯s Attack


    An entrance ticket to an Event Dungeon. If ripped in half, it allows up to two people to enter the Event Dungeon. Rmended level: 25-30.]


    Looking at the description, I felt conflicted. Should I contact Palludia again? No, wait, was I high? Why would I enter a dungeon alone with that yappy little kid? With that, I erased the thought from my head. What other choice did I have? Ellos was still trying to get to the door... What about Shina? No, Shina shouldn¡¯t even be at the 20th floor yet.


    In the end, father was the only choice I had. He was the only person I could fully trust to cover my back.


    ¡°Father.¡±


    [What¡¯s up, son?]


    ¡°What floor are you on, father?¡±


    [I¡¯m on the 25th. Why, do you want to party with your father? I refuse. My contribution will go down if I party with you.]


    Since his reason for saying no was a roundabout way of praising me, I felt a bit embarrassed. Scratching my head, I continued.


    ¡°I have an Event Dungeon Entrance Ticket.¡±


    [Hurry up and invite me to the party.]


    Father¡¯s attitude took aplete turn. What fervor, greed, and initiative! Though I didn¡¯t want to admit it, I took after him too much!


    After epting my party request, father appeared. He was wearing the same clothes as when he was in Yeungdeungpo¡¯s Event Dungeon. The only difference was that he was wearing the bracelet he earned as reward on his right wrist.


    ¡°Oh, what an excellent spear! Where did you get it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, mm, a named monster dropped it.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ask that right away! Father¡¯s eyes sparkled at the word ¡®named monster.¡¯


    ¡°Named monsters, I love those guys. I wish they appeared more often. They have a nice tactile feeling too, when I hit them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably the only one who wants to fight them because you like the feeling of hitting their flesh. Anyways, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You see, I cleared the 24th floor pretty quick and got a ¡®One Who Dashes Through Graveyards¡¯ title. It lets me deal 20 percent more damage to all undead monsters with physical bodies. Amazing, isn¡¯t it!?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is, father!¡±


    I didn¡¯t tell him I received a simr title as well as a god¡¯s true name. I knew how to care for father¡¯s pride. I was a filial son, unlike my childish father!


    After confirming that we were in a party, I ripped the entrance ticket in half. In an instant, the surrounding scenery melted. If Earth¡¯s Event Dungeons could be entered through Gates, entering an Event Dungeon in the dungeon was like us being on TV and someone changing the TV channel with us still standing in ce.


    Eventually, the surroundings stopped warping and we found ourselves on a in with arrows raining down.


    ¡°Uwat!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this!?¡±


    We quickly struck the arrows flying toward us and surveyed the area. It was a battlefield. Soldiers wearing different armor were stabbing each other with swords, while archers and magicians were attacking from long-range even at the cost of hitting their allies. It was a ce where humans ughtered humans. When I realized this, I got a dull headache and my breathing became rough.


    ¡®Snap out of it, Kang Shin! Don¡¯t let something like this scare you! How can you be the world¡¯s strongest if you¡¯re so weak?¡¯


    No matter how I tried to regain myposure, it was true that I was in an iprehensible situation. Shouldn¡¯t I be in an Event Dungeon?


    ¡°Who are you!?¡±


    I saw a soldier attacking me with his sword as he asked for my identity. As I couldn¡¯t kill another human being, I lightly parried his spear and sent it flying. The spear thennded about 20 meters away, piercing one of the corpses lying on the ground. At least, I hoped that it was a corpse. I entered an Event Dungeon, I didn¡¯t want to suddenly be a murderer.


    ¡°Father, let¡¯s get away from here for now. We¡¯ll be targeted if we stay here.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    Soldiers from both sides came after us like fire ants. We sent each of them flying as we ran. As we were like erasers making the part of the battlefield we were in empty, everyone on the battlefield began to eye us.


    ¡°Who are they!?¡±


    ¡°Kill them first!¡±


    ¡°Attack, attack!¡±


    Even if the soldiers hit me, they would not even be able to scratch me. However, the magicians were a different story. It was why I was quickly trying to escape this battlefield.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the entrance ticket say ¡®giant zombie¡¯s attack¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it did.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s this? Are these people even real?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, son. Your father isn¡¯t that bright either.¡±


    Because I felt like I was getting stupider the more I talked with father, I stopped thinking altogether. If I knew this would happen, I would have asked Loretta more about Event Dungeons. Was my intelligence not done updating? Just how rarely did I use my brain... ah, a fireball!


    ¡°Father, dodge it!¡±


    ¡°Eit!¡±


    Father lightly swung his spear and shot out a shockwave. The fireball collided with the shockwave and exploded, killing the nearby soldiers.


    Although a countless number of people were already dying in this battlefield, I became annoyed after finding out people had died from the fireball father exploded. I barely held in my desire to curse aloud. Although these soldiers were trying to kill us, I couldn¡¯t help myself from how I felt.


    At that moment, a message rang out.


    [You obtained 70 gold.]


    ¡°... Father, these guys are monsters.¡±


    ¡°I heard it too.¡±


    At least, I did not know any human that dropped gold when they died. Although I had faced numerous humanoid monsters, I didn¡¯t think the dungeon would actually send humans as monsters. I suddenly felt that this Event Dungeon had a terrible personality.


    ¡°Son, they were created when we entered the Event Dungeon. They aren¡¯t actual humans, so you don¡¯t need to feel sorry.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about my mental health, father. I know fully well what they are. I just don¡¯t like the fact that I have to kill them, when they are so much like humans.¡±


    ¡°Then do you want to get away from here first? Going by its name, a giant zombie should appear eventually.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s... Thanks, father.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It gives me goosebumps.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I got goosebumps too from that.¡±


    As we both scratched the goosebumps on our skin, we hurried off the battlefield. Although there were soldiersing after us like flies, we took care of them softly as we made our escape.


    Eventually, we reached a ce where the shouts of the battlefield became faint. It was only then that we realized how big the battlefield was. From the hill we were on, we could see the battlefield stretching out across the horizon.


    In the vast in without even a single hint of greenery, the corpses of soldiers were piled up and blood flowed like a river. Although I had seen a lot of monster corpses, they couldn¡¯t match up to the cruel scene of humans killing other humans. We had escaped the battlefield, but the fight continued. It seemed it would not end until one side waspletely eliminated. Just how many people would die here? 100,000? 200,000?


    ¡°After monsters appeared on Earth, do you think the conflicts between different countries increased or decreased?¡±


    When I was watching this scene nkly, father asked me. After thinking about it for a little while, I answered.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have decreased? After all, we have to fight against the monsters.¡±


    ¡°It increased. Countries that shared borders began fighting as they imed that the other country should be responsible for cleaning up the monsters that appeared on their borders. Countries that had low military strength, but high-valued monsters, were invaded by stronger countries for their monsters, and the ability users of the weaker countries then joined to fight against the invaders. Although it did not lead to full scale war in most cases, there are ces where small conflicts expanded into much bigger ones.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Father went silent for a bit, then continued.


    ¡°Human greed draws blood of other humans. This much hasn¡¯t changed. I won¡¯t tell you to do something stupid like trying to stop it, but be stronger. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be swept away by human greed one day.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I n on bing the world¡¯s strongest.¡±


    ¡°Your father will still be the world¡¯s strongest.¡±


    ¡°It will be me!¡±


    There, we had a minor battle. I hade to add another win to my name.

 Chapter 51. Hermes (6)

    Chapter 51. Hermes (6)


    It was only after about two hours that the situation changed. At that time, father and I were roasting some pork belly over a hot grill. Although the soldiers on the battlefield looked and acted like humans, after we realized they were monsters created by the dungeon, we stopped caring whether they killed or partied with each other.


    ¡°Father, why do you have pork belly in your inventory? Nom, nom.¡±


    ¡°Gulp. Don¡¯t you know? If you put meat in your inventory, it¡¯ll be fresher than if you stored it in the most high-tech refrigerator! You can store it right after you cut it for maximum freshness!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve tested that before too!¡±


    I used the same principle when I bought Yua a hamburger. I see, so that¡¯s why father carried around meat in his inventory! Although I frequently ate my meals in the dungeon, I had never thought to bring meat. As expected of a dungeon explorer of 27 years! So he didn¡¯t just hunt orcs for 20 years!


    ¡°Here, have a drink.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I should really be the one to fill your ss.¡±


    After exchanging some soju, we joked around as we talked. Suddenly, however, I felt a gaze on me.


    ¡°Father, did you notice that?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Notice what?¡±


    I¡¯ve thought this for a while, but father really did have weaker senses than me. I asked Peika who was sitting on my head drinking drops of alcohol from her mini elemental-sized cup.


    ¡°Peika, can you go survey the area?¡±


    [Hmnya? Master, what¡¯s a sumvay?]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s not even a word...¡¯ I realized Peika was immobilized. I didn¡¯t know that elementals were weak to alcohol. It was my mistake. I had fallen for Peika¡¯s cute plea of asking me for a juice she¡¯d never seen before!


    While I was distracted by Peika¡¯s drunk appearance, the gaze watching us had disappeared. It seemed father had finally noticed something as he was looking around, but it was toote.


    ¡°Hm, was it the zombie?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was an wild animal that wanted some meat.¡±


    [Masteeeer! What¡¯s a sumvay!?]


    Of course, I didn¡¯t think it was nothing. Even so, there was nothing we could do now except continue eating meat. As such, I decided to just let things be. Also, Peika, sumvay isn¡¯t a word!


    The twilight had passed and night time approached.


    Father was the first to sleep, and I stood guard. After three hours, father got up and I slept. When I got up after three hours of sleep, it was still middle of the night. Under the dark, starless night sky, only a pale moon was lighting up the world.


    It seemed the soldiers didn¡¯t want to fight at night, as both sides had returned to their camps. However, the corpses of the dead soldiers were still on the battlefield. The nose-piercing stench of blood had permeated the battlefield and was even reaching where I was.


    ¡°It looks like those corpses will rise.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Where else would zombiese from?¡±


    Keeping our eyes on the cruel battlefield, we snacked on some instant ramen. I realized that partying with father kept making me eat things. Usually, people ate less as they aged, but father always had something in his mouth, saying that a martial artist must eat well. With this habit following him into the dungeon, his inventory was most likely filled with food.


    Once I started focusing on the dungeon, I didn¡¯t like to eat anything before I cleared a floor. As such, it was a bit hard to match father¡¯s style. Peika, on the other hand, seemed to like ramen noodles, as she happily ate the ramen one noodle strand at a time.


    [This is yummy. It doesn¡¯t exist in the Spirit Realm.]


    ¡°Eat lots.¡±


    [Master, I love you!]


    When I patted Peika on the head as she slurped more ramen noodles, father interrupted.


    ¡°What have you been talking to since a while ago?¡±


    ¡°I told you, I became an Elementalist.¡±


    ¡°Can I adopt one too?¡±


    ¡°Elementals aren¡¯t pets.¡±


    ¡°Ah, three got up.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t count elementals like... what?¡±


    ¡°Three got up.¡±


    I turned to face the battlefield. Under the moonlight, the once dead were rising. We could notice because of our heightened senses from level ups. It would take a while before each camp found out.


    Father asked, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Hunt them, of course. I hate being backstabbed... so!¡± Answering father, I threw my spear into the darkness. I didn¡¯t have enough time to use Spirit Aura, but Heroic Strike was still activated. With its radiant white light, it flew through the air like lightning. It was much faster than before. I was surprised as I did not know the 15 percent speed increase applied to thrown weapons.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    [You obtained 1,500 gold.]


    ¡°Beldon died!¡±


    ¡°Those guys found out!¡±


    ¡°Kill them before they kill us!¡±


    Immediately afterwards, I pointed my hands toward where the voices came from and ordered Peika.


    ¡°It¡¯s already toote! Peika!¡±


    [Thunder st!]


    After gulping down the ramen noodle in her mouth, Peika shouted as she shone with a golden light. A bolt of lightning as thick as my arm shot out from her body, lighting up the darkness.


    ¡°The shield!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, the shield magic got broken!¡±


    ¡°An elemental? Who are they!?¡±


    Immediately after I called Peika, I grabbed the Silver Spear from my inventory and charged forward. Thanks to Dash, my running speed was iparably faster than before. My aim was the crowd in the distance whom I suspected were the ones responsible for making the zombies.


    Father and I had both noticed them at the same time we noticed the zombies. There were five... no, four of them, since one of them had already died. They all had ck hoods draped over their heads and were carrying small wooden staves. They were the extremely small kind that magicians would carry around to hide their identity. With all the clues in front of me, I figured they were ck magicians.


    ¡°S-Shield isn¡¯t enough to stop him!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, r-run!¡±


    ¡°We should have been under stealth magic!¡±


    They might have been able to deal with us if they immediately used magic, but instead, they panicked and hesitated. It could just be that their chants were too long or that they didn¡¯t have the materials needed to cast magic. However, that was none of my business.


    ¡°W-Wait! Even if you kill us, you can¡¯t stop what¡¯s happening!¡±


    One of them shouted in a high-pitched voice. It was a woman. However, since I had already decided to kill them, their sex did not matter. They were monsters. They were monsters.


    Right. They were monsters.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t kill you, what are you going to do to us?¡±


    ¡°Of course we¡¯d kill¡ª¡°


    ¡°Elemental Tempest!¡±


    [Kukuku, owner of a strong power calls me.]


    [Destruction. Flowing blood amidst ear-splitting screams. That is what I want.]


    [He tore apart the ck magicians. He¡¯s just my type!]


    Because of the ce I was in, the elementalsing to assist me were all dark. Hopefully, they wouldn¡¯t be weaker because of it. My spear was shining with ck light from the elementals. I thrust forward, and a storm swept through the entire area.


    ¡°Darkness Arrow! Kuaaaak!¡±


    ¡°S-Shield! Kuk!¡±


    Elemental Tempest was a skill that gravely injured even the Floor Masters. Some random magicians couldn¡¯t possibly block it. Three of the ck magicians failed in their attempts to block Elemental Tempest and were instantly torn to shreds. Although it was only for a moment, my eyes caught sight of a rather gruesome scene.


    Damn it. I had used Elemental Tempest to kill them quickly, but I ended up seeing something unsightly. It was a good thing that the monsters that died in the dungeon disappeared into thin air, only leaving behind their loot and not their remains.


    ¡°Kuhak! Haa, haa... damn it, so strong...!¡±


    Coincidentally, the ck magician, who had talked to briefly, was the only one who managed to escape the range of Elemental Tempest. It seemed she gave up trying to block it with magic and instead gave her all in using her legs to run. Even so, she could notpletely dodge it. Her hood was ripped apart and her back was severely injured. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, she opened her mouth with great difficulty.


    ¡°Cough, Odd Winged Ravens¡¯ dream won¡¯t end in a ce like this...!¡±


    ¡°Odd Winged Ravens?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s right. From this war, we will make the world know of our exist...¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay. Well, goodbye.¡±


    I cut off her head with my spear. I just had to beat the Event Dungeon. I didn¡¯t really care about the detailed lore. As if to prove she was a monster created by the dungeon, she became particles of light and scattered into the air.


    [You obtained 2,000 gold.]


    [You obtained Odd Winged Ravens¡¯ Journal.]


    [You seeded in sweeping the mastermind! Points will be added to your final clear score.]


    I picked up my ck Earthen Spear as I spit on the ground. Nauseating things were nauseating no matter what I told myself.


    ¡°I feel disgusted.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s normal. They talked like humans too.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re monsters, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re monsters. So don¡¯t worry about it, son.¡±


    I felt much better with father¡¯s reassurance. Although I didn¡¯t expect much from him before entering the dungeon, I was thankful now that he was here. He truly was reliable.


    I didn¡¯t say my thoughts out loud. Between a father and son, it wasn¡¯t necessary.


    I had also realized something important. Event Dungeons were cleared when their boss monsters were killed. However, we received a message saying that points were added to our final clear score. In other words, the Event Dungeons¡¯ clearing process was also important.


    I wondered if it would have been even higher if we went wild in the battlefield. However, I stopped thinking about it, as it was toote.


    Instead, I opened Odd Winged Ravens¡¯ Journal. It showed how much they hated their countries, the things they had done and what they nned to do in the future. I skimmed through most of the information and looked for the part that helped exin the current situation. With luck, I thought I might find a way to further increase the final clear score.


    Yes, it was there.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one thing left to do then. Huk!¡±


    At the same time I tried to change the subject to alleviate the morbid mood, I turned my head to the battlefield and couldn¡¯t help but gasp seeing the zombies getting up one by one. Both armies had realized what was happening, but the number of zombies was increasing too quickly for them to properly respond. In the end, themanding officers of both armies had led their soldiers into a night battle.


    ¡°Those bastards used ck magic on ourrades in arm!¡¯


    ¡°Kill them! Let ourrades rest in peace!¡±


    ¡°Guooooo!¡±


    ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s toote.¡±


    The magicians swept the zombies with arge-scale magic, and the foot soldiers began to fight afterwards. What were they thinking? Unless they were like me or father, they would be zombies the moment zombies even scratched them! Themanding generals who would send their soldiers out to battle in a situation like this couldn¡¯t be sane.


    It turned out, themanding officers really weren¡¯t sane.


    After reading the journal a bit more, I found out that the ck magicians had not used ck magic on just the corpses. They had already made their moves on themanding generals. Being able to affect the higher ups of both countries meant there were spies infiltrating both governments. Surprisingly, this Odd Winged Ravens might be a prettyrge organization.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t really care about all this. I simply wondered if stopping their ns would me more final clear score, but it seemed it was toote.


    The soldiers were fighting each other, and zombies interrupted and bit them. Slowly, the number of zombies on the battlefield was growing. I trembled as I watched what was taking ce on the battlefield. What I was witnessing was surely worthy of making me feel fear. However, a fear-shattering voice then reached my ears.


    ¡°When is the giant zombie going to appear?¡±


    ¡°Father, I really respect this side of you.¡±


    Father was stretching his legs like he was unhappy he missed the chance to fight the ck magicians. He was almost like a puppy waiting for someone to say ¡®catch!¡¯ My tension died along with it.


    ¡°Wow, what are they, cockroaches? They sure are multiplying fast.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re seriously creepy. I feel like there are bugs crawling all over me.¡±


    In the blink of an eye, the zombies were overwhelming the humans. The knights who knew how to wield mana and the magicians seemed to have noticed something was wrong, as they had long since escaped the battlefield or had returned toin to the higher-ups. However, the zombies were rising from their camps as well.


    Realizing that themanding officers became zombies who could only make groaning noises, the knights and magicians sted their mana and ughtered the zombies. The problem was that there were just too many zombies. In the end, most of them ran away after realizing the situation they were in. Now, only ordinary soldiers were left on the battlefield. They were simply food for the zombies. By now, there were more than 100,000 of them. When I was feeling nervous about the sheer number of zombies, father spoke up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. Every two or so drop an average of 70 gold, so that¡¯s 35 gold per zombie. Since there¡¯s two of us, I divide that by two... which means 17 gold per zombie. So if I kill them all, that¡¯s 1.7 million gold. That¡¯s 340 million won! That¡¯s an expensive ne for wife and even solves Yua¡¯s marriage fund. Ooooh, son! This ce is a gold mine!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking of in this situation, father!?¡±


    I cancel what I said about him being reliable! This person didn¡¯t have a moral dilemma in the first ce!

 Chapter 52. Hermes (7)

    Chapter 52. Hermes (7)


    We ran to the battlefield. Other than the ck magicians we took care of, there didn¡¯t seem to be anyone hiding in the shadows. Although we ran into some of the knights escaping the battlefield, they became startled and ran away without talking to us.


    [You obtained 80 gold.]


    [You obtained 72 gold.]


    ¡°Mm, I really like the floors where zombies appear. There are more monsters than usual. Maybe I should grind a bit more on the 25th floor...¡±


    While shouting things like ¡®Yua¡¯s education insurance...¡¯ or ¡®residential home loans...¡¯ father sliced the zombies apart. It seemed he was nning on buying a building in Gangnam[1. A very affluent area in Seoul.].


    In any case, I also joined in. Even if there were 100,000 zombies, we were killing about 3 every second, meaning 360 zombies were disappearing every minute. I didn¡¯t exactly want to calcte how long it would take to kill all 100,000 zombies. I assumed it would take about 5 hours.


    ¡°Guooo.¡±


    ¡°Guo what!?¡±


    ¡°Guooo!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, guo what!?¡±


    ¡°Son, is your head okay?¡±


    ¡°This is just my habit. I can¡¯t do much about it after all these years!¡±


    I responded to each zombie as I crushed their heads. Father and son, a spearman duo drew a future of hopes and dreams as they ughtered their way forward. They were terrifying even in my eyes. Then, I realized I was one of them and despaired.


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Thunder Bomb!]


    A spherical ball of lightning that Peika casually threw out exploded dozens of zombies in an instant. Taking care of the remaining zombies, we ran through the path Peika created. It was toward the direction of one of the camps of the warring countries. I wanted to look for any remaining members of those odd winged bastards just in case, and father was following me.


    ¡°Tempest!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡±


    ¡°Shockwave!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaa!¡±


    Even our weakest skills could easily destroy the zombies, so it did not take long until we took care of all the zombies in the camp. I then went inside the camp¡¯srgest tent, where I was able to find what I was looking for.


    It seemed the ck magicians never thought their journal would be stolen, as they had recorded everything they had done to both camps in their journal.


    Themanding general of this camp apparently liked to drink red tea mixed with brandy. Thus, the spy they nted had gifted him a high-ss brandy cursed with some ck magic. Just by drinking it, the ck magicians would be able to control him whenever they wanted. What I found was this cursed brandy.


    [You retrieved an item of the Odd Winged Ravens. Points will be added to your final clear score.]


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the other camp as well!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying we should go through that battlefield infested with zombies?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    We took about 30 minutes to ughter our way through the battlefield. In the process, we had killed about 10,000 zombies. Just like in the other camp, we cleaned up the zombies in this camp and found the cursed item.


    [You retrieved all of Odd Winged Ravens¡¯ items. Points will be added to your final clear score.]


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    Hm, what was this mysterious feeling of aplishment? I was wiping sweat off my forehead like a farmer that had just finished harvesting all his crops. It was then that father let out an exmation of surprise.


    ¡°Ohhh! Look at that, son!¡±


    ¡°Yes? Huk!¡±


    In the middle of a hill that had be a battlefield for the zombies, something was rising. Just whose corpse was so big? Would the Titan from the myths even be that big? In front of our eyes, a 7-meter-tall giant zombie was roaring.


    [GUOOOOOO!]


    [The boss monster of Giant Zombie¡¯s Attack, the Giant Zombie has appeared! Defeating it and clearing the dungeon will grant special rewards!]


    When the Giant Zombie raised its huge arm and mmed down on the ground, the tremor even reached where father and I were. At the same time, the shockwave annihted hundreds of zombies. I couldn¡¯t help but be touched by the sight.


    ¡°What an epic team kill...¡±


    ¡°Damn! Let¡¯s hurry, son. He¡¯s going to steal all the gold!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably the only one who can say that after seeing what just happened, father.¡±


    I was sad. I didn¡¯t like hunting monsters for the sole purpose of earning gold, but it was the opposite for father. I assumed that¡¯s why he so easily registered as an ability user. Although he had not started being active, with his awakened ability and fame as a martial artist, he would be well-known in no time.


    [GUOOOOO!]


    ¡°Uh, father, he¡¯s looking this way.¡±


    ¡°Does he want to have a staring contest?¡±


    [GUOO!]


    ¡°He¡¯s picking up a few zombies.¡±


    ¡°Is he going to eat them?¡±


    Wrong.


    Instead of eating them, he threw them at us as if they were stones. With an incredible speed no less!


    ¡°Run, father!¡±


    ¡°That crazy bastard is literally throwing gold away!¡±


    ¡°Just dodge!¡±


    [GUOOOOO!]


    Father and I were now the only living humans in this battlefield. The Giant Zombie seemed to like living people more than dead ones, as he ignored the zombies nearby and ran toward us. Thundering booms rang out as he took each step, and any zombies he grabbed on his way were thrown at us like stones. Then, in response to the Giant Zombie¡¯s attack, the tens of thousands of zombies left on the battlefield turned their attention toward us.


    However, that was not what I paid attention to.


    ¡°Wow, look at all the team kills he¡¯s doing while running here.¡±


    ¡°Kuk, 2,100 gold just disappeared in his hands!¡±


    Crack, crack! More zombies were crushed under the Giant Zombie¡¯s feet. No matter how slow it was, with its enormous size, almost a dozen zombies died every time it took a step. I instantly thought I could use the Giant Zombie to easily kill the zombies.


    ¡°Father, do you want to hunt the Giant Zombie and clear the Event Dungeon, or do you want to avoid it and hunt more zombies?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we have to hunt more zombies! 100,000 or 200,000, it makes no difference to me!¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll aggro the Giant Zombie. Father can go to the opposite side and hunt the normal zombies.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Father and I split up. After confirming that he was running to the camp on the opposite side of the battlefield, I shouted as I ran toward the Giant Zombie.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, you idiot! How can you catch me with that slow body of yours!?¡±


    [You used the skill, Provoke! You draw nearby enemies toward you!]


    [GUOOOOOO!]


    Along with the zombies near me, the Giant Zombie fixed its eyes on me. After sweeping through the normal zombies with my ck Earthen Spear, I grinned.


    ¡°Hmph, you think that¡¯s enough? To satisfy me, you¡¯ll have to bring at least 3 times as many zombies!¡±


    [You used the skill, Provoke! You draw nearby enemies toward you!]


    [You mastered low-rank Provoke! Your words be more effective in drawing enemy¡¯s hostility.]


    [You learned mid-rank Provoke! You can let your voice reach an even broader area, drawing even more enemies toward you. It bes easier to provoke enemies with high intelligence!]


    ¡®Provoke became mid-rank!¡¯


    At the same time that Provoke¡¯s rank went up, the hostility of zombies piercing into me becamepletely different than before. The Giant Zombie was also running towards me without a shred of hesitation. Tremors rang out for each step the Giant Zombie took, which was like a human being running in slow motion. With each tremor, more zombies were killed.


    ¡°Good, good, keeping!¡±


    I started walking leisurely. The ordinary zombies couldn¡¯t even scratch me. When one of them stuck itself on me, I grabbed him and swung him around, sweeping away the iing zombies. After a little while, the sky became darker, forcing me to look up. There, I saw the Giant Zombie looking down at me with its eyes full of maggots.


    The dungeon¡¯s genre was definitely horror. It was like seeing a 3D movie, but in real life, not in a theatre. The Giant Zombie was also much more intimidating up close.


    That said, it was still a zombie!


    ¡°Catch me if you can!¡±


    [GUOOOOOO!]


    I know, I also wanted to do this with a cute girl, not some 7 meter tall giant zombie! But what other choice did I have? Father wanted to hunt more zombies, and I wanted to clean up this battlefield crawling with zombies. It was because I had a strong feeling that I would receive another bonus if I killed all the zombies.


    Killing the Giant Zombie would be easy, but the Event Dungeon would end if we did. I suspected that father and I were the only ones who would refuse to clear an Event Dungeon for such a reason.


    [GUOOOOO!]


    ¡°If you want toin, do it after you catch me! Tempest!¡±


    I had no intention of letting him off of his crime of using humans (though they became zombies) as weapons. I used Tempest after Tempest, as I gulped down lowest-grade Mana Potions.


    After running around like that for two hours, I became exhausted. I must have killed at least 10,000 zombies by now. When I looked from above to check the current state, the battlefield had be quite clean.


    In the distance, I saw father gathering up and hunting zombies. I turned around and saw that not many zombies remained in the path the Giant Zombie was taking to run. It seemed it was time to end this game of tag!


    ¡°Peika, take care of the zombies that are still alive.¡±


    [I would need a lot of mana. Is that okay, Master?]


    ¡°Yeah, you can take it all.¡±


    I gulped down a Double Mana Potion, which restored my MP by 2,000. It was worth 3 million won, so I couldn¡¯t help but shake my hands as I drank it.


    From another perspective, it was only worth around 100 zombies! Since growing as a dungeon explorer, I thought I became quite generous. I finished the 3 million won potion in an instant. It tasted like orange juice.


    [GUOOOO!]


    At the same time, the Giant Zombie swept up the few dozen zombies that were left and put them in his mouth. It seemed he was also exhausted from chasing me around for so long. Once Peika began burning up the zombies, the Giant Zombie let out an angry growl and began looking for other zombies to eat. It was truly a stomach churning sight.


    For some reason, however, something felt off with the scene of the Giant Zombie eating the zombies. It didn¡¯t feel like something it did on impulse, but something that had been nned. Regardless, I took care of the zombies nearby quickly. The Giant Zombie tried to stomp on me in anger, but he was hopeless to catch me.


    ¡°Father, if you¡¯re done,e help me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already on my way!¡±


    Father was running toward me while sting away the few zombies that remained with his shockwaves. I was slightly astonished by how much his skill had grown. However, I became frozen soon after from the message I received.


    [Subquestplete! You exterminated all the zombies in the dungeon. Giant zombie absorbed 5.8 percent of the dungeon¡¯s zombies.]


    [With low zombie absorption, Giant Zombie fails to evolve into Giant Ghoul! Giant Zombie loses control and transforms into Flesh Golem.]


    [Guooooo!]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    I let out a short exmation of surprise. After it finished eating up the zombies in its vicinity, the Giant Zombie faced the sky and roared.


    ¡®Ah, a rotten tooth is falling off.¡¯ I quickly dodged, and the tooth crashed down with a boom, forming a crater.


    ¡®Whew.¡¯ I sighed internally as I realized I almost got crushed by a tooth. If Loretta asked how I died, I would have been too embarrassed to tell her.


    In the next moment, the Giant Zombie¡¯s other teeth fell off like raindrops. Not only that, its skin peeled off, its maggot-filled eyes, fingernails, and the few strands of hair all fell off. To me, there was no other disaster like it. Not only were they dirty, but if they were to hit me, I was sure I would take a huge amount of damage. I trembled and quickly escaped the premises.


    [GUOOOOO!]


    ¡°Ah, I wish I could blur it out...¡±


    [I¡¯m back, Master! What¡¯s next? That guy?]


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t want to be here anymore.¡±


    I was tired and cold from thete-night game of tag with a Giant Zombie. Infusing Peika into the ck Earthen Spear, I nced at the Giant Zombie that had turned into a Flesh Golem. The slight resemnce to a human that it had before was now gone. Its outer skin had melted, revealing its veins and ck rotten flesh. I felt an unprecedented appetite for destruction from its indescribably disgusting appearance.


    [KUOOOOOO!]


    However, it was fast and strong. With speed that made it hard to believe it was once the Giant Zombie, it struck the ground with its fist. At the same time, the earth trembled and I received damage. Kuk, it was the same as Lizard Knight¡¯s earthquake attack! With that in mind, I flew up. However, the other dungeon explorer here, my father, had a different reaction.


    ¡°Shock Absorption, Shock Reflection!¡±


    ¡°The hell is that!? So cool!¡±


    Father stood his ground and received the Flesh Golem¡¯s attack. Then, he thrust his spear forward, shooting out a shockwave that was on apletely different level from his usual shockwaves. The shockwave flew forward and struck the Flesh Golem¡¯s arm. Although it looked cool in a way, I couldn¡¯t help but frown at the sight of Flesh Golem¡¯s flesh exploding out and scattering about everywhere.


    [KUOOOOO!]


    ¡°I¡¯ming too!¡±


    If I simply stood still, father would rack up contribution points. I couldn¡¯t let that happen. Resolved, I charged at the Flesh Golem with my lightning d ck Earthen Spear. When it tried to lift the arm that had a huge crater from father¡¯s attack, I jumped above its forearm and shouted.


    ¡°Tria!¡±

 Chapter 53. Hermes (8)

    Chapter 53. Hermes (8)


    [You summoned Tria. For the next 10 minutes, you can freely fly or walk on air. If flying, you will receive an additional 100 percent increase to your movement speed. Remaining time: 09:59:99]


    My boots let out a radiant white light for an instant. When it dissipated, small wings were attached to my boots. I kicked the air and shot up. From below, father¡¯s shout reached me.


    ¡°Woah, that¡¯s super cool! Give me one too!¡±


    I ignored him and shot up further. Of course, since the Flesh Golem was only 7 meters tall, I only needed to shoot up by one more kick. My eyes were now in line with the Flesh Golem¡¯s melting head. Startled, it raised its arm, but my Heroic Strike was faster.


    ¡°DIE! Heroic Strike!¡±


    The ck Earthen Spear left my hand and flew towards him like an arrow. Like lightning, it was radiating a brilliant light. Even if the boss monster was now a Flesh Golem, it could not dodge Heroic Strike, which even the fast ghouls could not avoid.


    [GUOOOOOO!]


    The moment my ck Earthen Spear prated the Flesh Golem¡¯s head, it exploded out, scattering its bones, flesh, and blood in all directions. I hurriedly flew up and maintained my bnce. As it was my first time using Tria, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from staggering when doing the same movements I was used to doing.


    [K-Kuooooo!]


    ¡°Huu, as I thought, you won¡¯t die from just that.¡±


    How great would it have been if a single Heroic Strike was enough to kill it? Even with its exploded head, the Flesh Golem seemed perfectly fine, as it tried to capture me with its two arms. Of course, with me flying in the air, there was no chance for it to seed.


    ¡°Father, it looks like we need to pummel him after we make him fall!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m starting!¡±


    After telling father my n, I took out my Silver Spear and shot Tempest out toward its arms. Every time the small storm of mana struck, its flesh exploded out, causing it to stagger. Annoyed, it went wild trying to catch me. It even shot pieces of its body at me! I had to work diligently to dodge the flying lumps of flesh.


    ¡°Dirty! So dirty!¡±


    [Master, calm down.]


    I shouldn¡¯t havee into an Event Dungeon like this! Regretting my actions, I continued to attack. While the Flesh Golem waspletely focused on me, father used his skill.


    ¡°Take this! I call it the Wave Web Shock!¡±


    ¡°Web?¡±


    When I looked down, something was tying down its two thick legs. Curious, I examined what it was and realized it was silk. Silk threads to be exact. It was connected to the bracelet father had on his wrist.


    ¡°Is that...?¡±


    [KUAAAAA!]


    The moment father flexed his arm, the silk threads tied to the Flesh Golem¡¯s legs reverberated violently. The next moment, I was utterly shocked. His thick legs had been severed! I understood that father transmitted shockwaves through the silk threads, but I didn¡¯t understand why it was so strong.


    The Flesh Golem was just as shocked as it let out a flustered roar and fell backwards. When its huge body hit the ground, a booming sound rang out. Watching this happen as I floated midair, I loudly shouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s a cheat, father!¡±


    ¡°It goes really well with my ability, doesn¡¯t it!?¡±


    Damn, that was even more powerful than the spider webs Arachne shot out! I should¡¯ve picked that! The ck Earthen Spear I loved so much suddenly felt like a mortal enemy. However, I knew my priorities. I had to take care of the Flesh Golem first. With that, I hurriedlynded and picked up the ck Earthen Spear that had fallen on the ground. Seeing Tria, father¡¯s eyes sparkled.


    ¡°Son, do you really not have another one? The winged boots.¡±


    ¡°How can there be another one of something so rare? What about you, father? How about gifting that essory to your precious son?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll trade it for the winged boots.¡±


    If he wasn¡¯t my father, I would have thrown ramen in his face. How unfortunate.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just hurry and wrap this up.¡±


    ¡°It was my dream to fly when I was young... How cheap, son.¡±


    My dream is to not be involved with you! I¡¯d believe you more if you said your dream was to shoot down a flying pterodactyl with your spear!


    [You defeated the Event Dungeon boss monster, Flesh Golem!]


    [50,000 gold is distributed evenly among participants. You obtained 25,000 gold.]


    After losing its legs, the Flesh Golem struggled, trying to regenerate them, but father and I didn¡¯t let that happen. In the end, it was burned, exploded, sliced, or stabbed until it was finally dead. The dungeon determined that father had the highest contribution. I suspected cutting its legs off was what did it.


    This was the first time anyone had stolen the first ce in contribution from me. Of course, that time when I watched over Ren soloing the Lizard Knight didn¡¯t count.


    In any case, not knowing the full list of rewards didn¡¯t feel so bad. It gave a refreshing feeling of anticipation. What woulde about? Since wepleted a subquest, maybe a really good essory woulde out.


    While I was eagerly waiting in anticipation, father spoke.


    ¡°Hm, son, between a finger and a toe, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Neither! Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s what we got!? Even though we cleared that subquest? Father, answer me!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take the toe then.¡±


    ¡°Father!¡±


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Flesh Golem¡¯s second finger.]


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    I was curious which toe father got, but that wasn¡¯t important right now. Still unable to believe that this was the reward, I picked the finger with an empty smile on my face.


    I mean, what was the point of killing the ck magicians, collecting the cursed items, and eradicating the zombies? Don¡¯t tell me we would have gotten something else if we didn¡¯t clear the subquest?


    However, when the item appeared, my puffed-up cheeks simmered down. It was called finger, but it was really a ck metallic ring that gave off a slightly eerie aura. Mm, my Spirit of the Collector worked! Feeling relieved, I checked the item description.


    [Flesh Golem¡¯s Second Finger (Unique)


    Durability ¨C 60/60


    Equipment Limit ¨C One who defeated the Flesh Golem


    Option ¨C Strength +7, Constitution +7


    Skill ¨C Regeneration: Usable once per week. Completely regenerates all damaged areas.]


    ¡°Nice, good options.¡±


    In truth, the words ¡®damaged areas¡¯ were a little vague. For dungeon explorers, if they were involved in battles where their limbs were cut off, they would die. It was because no matter how much one limb was focused, it would not get severed unless the explorer¡¯s HP was extremely low. That said, it was a bit different in the outside world. It seemed the ring would be perfect for when my limbs were damaged outside the dungeon. It would be a reliable insurance of sorts.


    Even without the regenerative ability, the ring was excellent. 7 strength and 7 constitution. That was almost 3 levels worth of stat bonuses! I was happy at the unexpected fortune.


    ¡°What about you, fath... Huk!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s a toe.¡±


    Father took out Flesh Golem¡¯s Gigantic Toe from his inventory and looked at me. It really was a toe!


    ¡°Apparently it¡¯s an install weapon. I can apparently install it near allies to raise their overall stats by 2 percent.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very subtle amount.¡±


    ¡°I can also install it near enemies and make it explode. It says it does great damage.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a one-time use item, then!¡±


    If father had been the one to pick the finger, that toe would¡¯ve been mine! I thanked my luck. Now that I thought about it, the ck Earthen Spear and this ring too... The items I needed seemed to be falling into my possession. Perhaps it was thanks to Skill Collector¡¯s passive skill, Spirit of the Collector.


    ¡°Son, let¡¯s switch.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done, father.¡±


    [You cleared the Event Dungeon and gained 1 bonus stat point]


    [You will now return.]


    Right before we were about to start a deathmatch over our rewards, the scenery warped. We found ourselves back in the First Dungeon. A raid boss had not appeared again. I couldn¡¯t hide my disappointment, but I decided not to worry about it since I had already gotten great rewards.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to switch, just take it, son.¡±


    ¡°NO! This toe is creepy as hell!¡±


    However, father threw the toe at me, left the party, and returned to the dungeon he came from. Left alone in front of the 25th floor door, I stood nkly with the Flesh Golem¡¯s toe.


    ¡°Ah... Should I just give this to Ellos?¡±


    It was the start of First Dungeon¡¯s version of a chain letter.


    The next day was the 9th manifestation of Peruta. Deific Manifestation originally had a cooldown of one month. With a day taken away, it was now 29 days. That said, it did not mean I had to wait 29 days before I could use Deific Manifestation again. I didn¡¯t know whether it was because of some flow of mana or period of the moon, but I assumed there was somethingplicated involved that I didn¡¯t quite understand. In any case, if I used Deific Manifestation in a set period of time, I could use it again the next day if a new period began.


    Simply put, I could ¡®save¡¯ Deific Manifestation in case a dangerous situation urred, and use it on the 29th day if nothing happened.


    And of course, nothing dangerous had ever happened to me. Inside the dungeon, yes, but dying in the dungeon did not hurt even a single strand of my hair. As such, I never called Peruta for situations that urred in the dungeon. Peruta seemed to dislike it, but I didn¡¯t want to concede when it came to this. I was climbing the dungeon to increase my strength. I believed that if I relied on Peruta as an insurance, I could not really grow.


    Only, there was no next time if I died on Earth. That was why I saved Deific Manifestation. No matter how much stronger I wanted to get, it would be the end if I died. So I spent 28 days doing my own thing, and always called Peruta on the 29th day.


    [Have you been well?]


    ¡°Yes, Peruta. How about you?¡±


    [It¡¯s dark where I am. I¡¯m always silently meditating by myself.]


    Because we were both talking from my mouth, anyone watching would feel weirded out. Although I had control over my body right now, I could hand it over to Peruta at any time. Now, both my mana and constitution were much higher than when we first met. I could stay in this state for up to 10 minutes.


    ¡°You see, I obtained Hermes¡¯ true name this time around.¡±


    [A god? It¡¯s a name I haven¡¯t heard of, but I can feel its holiness. So you¡¯ve already obtained a god¡¯s true name. As expected of my disciple.]


    ¡°Ahaha, thank you.¡±


    [But don¡¯t be conceited just because you obtained its power. Don¡¯t forget, the foundation of your strength lies in Peruta Circuit and spearmanship. ... What¡¯s their level?]


    ¡°Peruta Circuit is level 4, high-rank Spear Technique is still level 4.¡±


    Peruta rubbed his chin. It felt a bit weird.


    [As I thought, the problem is that you don¡¯t have suitable opponents. I¡¯ve asked others, but it seemed most dungeon explorers started learning high-rank techniques after the 50th floor. After all, there¡¯s a limit to how high you can raise your skill alone. You could only raise yours so high because of how noble your spear technique is.]


    ¡°Yes, so take good care of me today as well.¡±


    With that I closed my eyes, giving Peruta full control of my body.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start. Imagine World.¡±


    Someone else listening on might think I had some 8th grade syndrome, but it was the only magic Peruta could use when he was manifested in me. Perhaps it was a skill that came with Deific Manifestation itself.


    The moment Peruta said ¡®Imagine World¡¯, he and I were facing each other. We looked exactly alike.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time, so I¡¯ll hurry.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks for the lesson!¡±


    This, of course, wasn¡¯t the real me or the real Peruta. The real me was sitting cross-legged on the ground with closed eyes. I was in an illusory, dream-like world. I had heard I could enter this state freely if I reached the apex of self-introspection.


    Of course, I had no idea what to do to reach this state. All I was doing now was learning a spear technique from a spearman much stronger than myself. Every time we battled, I could feel my skill proficiency shooting up. As such, I couldn¡¯t help but be engrossed in the situation.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting then.¡±


    With a short sentence, Peruta approached me. His spear reached for my forehead as if it was moving freely. I didn¡¯t know when he had thrust, nor when it would hit me. I hurriedly brought my spear forward and focused on blocking his attack.


    ¡°Your reaction speed is faster.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to Hermes... Haat!¡±


    Even as heplimented me, Peruta made his spear much faster. Shoot, Hermes applied to him as well! Because I had shown him first hand the growth of my body, he had quickly adapted.


    ¡°You won¡¯t win by avoiding alone!¡±


    ¡°Hap!¡±


    His spear seemed fast, yet not fast, and strong, yet not strong. That was why it was so scary. Before I even noticed, I felt like it would take my head or heart. Not to mention, when he started using mana, each and every attack would contain an aura of Tempest. It made sense, as Peruta Circuit was a cultivation method that focused on bringing forth a strong rotational force.


    What was scary was that Peruta¡¯s spear did not even shake as it carried all that energy. Since he possessed destructive power and that degree of precision, his attacks could only be strong. Against him, my spear technique only looked like a forced attempt to stab and slice.


    ¡°I¡¯m still trying my best!¡±


    ¡°Good, I like that spirit!¡±


    Peruta easily dodged the spear I sent forward with all my strength, using his spear to tap on my spear. I almost knelt from the sudden force of pressure, but I clenched my teeth and continued charging forward.


    ¡°Haaaaap!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee toe any time!¡±


    Because I knew the difference in our strength, I acted as wildly as I wanted. I knew Peruta would be the only one in this world who could receive my spear without even changing his expression!


    [High-rank Spear Technique became level 5! External mana will naturally flow into your attacks without use of own mana, making it stronger. You are walking towards the peak of spearmanship. More force is added to your thrusts.]


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here.¡±


    ¡°Huu... Okay.¡±


    The moment Peruta gave the signal, I closed my eyes and opened them again. The familiar sight of dungeon walls greeted me. However, Deific Manifestation had not ended yet. There was still a minute left.


    [You became even more skilled.]


    ¡°Hearing that from Peruta doesn¡¯t really cheer me up.¡±


    Although we spent about 90 minutes in the Imagine World, only 9 minutes had passed in reality. During that time, he and I had exchanged a countless number of spears. Of course, it was myplete loss. Although we were using the same body, he was always the one who won. It showed how important the depth of a skill was.


    With father and Peruta around, I couldn¡¯t stay conceited even if I wanted to.


    [I¡¯m not trying to brag, but my spear technique had once reached the peak. Being able to exchange spears with me proves your peerless talent. Keep devoting yourself to cultivating your techniques. Time will build up and be your strength.]


    ¡°Yes. ... Peruta Circuit level 7, high-rank Spear Technique master, right?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, keep working hard. Today was fun, too.¡±


    With that, Peruta disappeared. Left alone, I closed my eyes and remembered the 90 minutes of battle I just experienced.


    ¡°High-rank Spear Technique master... that¡¯s quite a demanding task. However.¡±


    With today¡¯s level up, there were only 5 levels to go. In just 5 levels, I could directly inherit his skills. Of course, skills became harder to level up the higher they were.


    Although it seemed far away now, I would eventually reach it. I was confident. I had never stopped. I always stepped forward, staring straight onward. That much, I was sure of.


    I stood up with my spear. The spear technique I saw and experienced. It was time to review it.

 Chapter 54. What It Means to Climb the First Dungeon (1)

    Chapter 54. What It Means to Climb the First Dungeon (1)


    How much time passed? When I noticed Ellos¡¯ message that he arrived in front of the door, I was dripping with sweat.


    [Thanks for waiting, friend.]


    ¡°Nah, I didn¡¯t wait that long.¡±


    [I¡¯ll make a party right away.]


    When I found the party Ellos made and tapped it with my finger, the scenery warped. In front of me was Ellos, who I now saw for the first time in 4 years.


    ¡°Ellos!¡±


    ¡°... Who are you?¡±


    Ellos had grown a lot since thest time we met. His slightly frail body now had muscles, and his pretty boy face was a lot manlier. If I were to bring him to Earth, he could even debut as an actor straight away.


    However, Ellos was tilting his head as he was staring at me.


    ¡°Sorry, but this party is already full. Can you look for another...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Kang Shin. What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you kid... Eh, you have the same voice!¡±


    Ellos¡¯ expression went stiff. The shield warrior behind him, who I believed was named Paul, stepped forward.


    ¡°No way, the monster from back then became this handsome? What did you pick up and eat?¡±


    ¡°Well I did technically pick and eat things, but...¡±


    Handsome? He was ttering me too much. It was simply a monster bing human again. Taking out Flesh Golem¡¯s Giant Toe from my inventory, I ced it in Ellos¡¯ hand and said, ¡°Here¡¯s a reunion gift, Ellos.¡±


    ¡°Eck? What¡¯s this, a toe? Eh, an install item? How creepy!¡±


    I got the reaction I wanted and was satisfied. I then looked at Ellos¡¯panions. There was Paul who I met on the 5th floor and a woman I had not seen before. If my memory served correctly, there should a man named Celtine... Eh? He wasn¡¯t here?


    ¡°What happened to Celtine?¡±


    ¡°He died. It was a heroic death in battle against dozens of invaders.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ellos¡¯ calm expression while talking about the death of hisrade gave me chills. Ellos then showed a bitter smile and tapped my shoulder lightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. The moment we became warriors, we prepared ourselves for death. He used his life to protect everyone. Even though he¡¯s no longer here, he lives on in our hearts. I decided to honor his death by chasing the invaders away from our continent.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re okay with it, I won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks. Anyways, it¡¯s great meeting you again, Shin. The auraing off of you surprised me. I had heard the rumors, but you really were a Hero.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t really know about that Hero thing, though I¡¯ve heard it a lot.¡±


    I proceeded to shake hands with Paul, then faced the woman standing behind Ellos. It was my first time meeting her. She was a beautiful woman with deep-violet hair which was tied down, and a pair of calm eyes matching her hair¡¯s color. She wore light clothing that made it easy to move, had arge bow in one hand, and wore a quiver on her back. Strangely, a silver ring on her ring finger stood out.


    I looked at Ellos. He was also wearing a ring on his ring finger.


    ¡°So this is your fianc¨¦e!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re unexpectedly not dense. Right, this is my fianc¨¦e, Baru Atuna. Isn¡¯t she pretty?¡±


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Baru Atuna. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from Ellos.¡±


    Baru put her free hand (sorry, but it looked frail) on her chest and lightly bowed. At her formal greeting, I couldn¡¯t help but return the same greeting.


    ¡°We¡¯re both from the Resistance Army.¡±


    ¡°Well done, Ellos. You managed to snatch up a beauty like her...¡±


    At my words, Ellos made a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk. You have the undivided attention of the crown princess, who¡¯s famous even throughout the First Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about Palludia, I can only be disappointed in your eye for people...¡±


    At that moment, an area became warped and four dungeon explorers appeared. Ah, two of them were faces I¡¯d seen before. One was the long-eared woman, who I now knew to be an elf, carrying a bow and quiver like Baru, and the other was the rapier warrior woman who said I had a cute face. Even after all these years, the two of them had the same faces. I knew elves lived for a long time and agedte, but I was shocked the rapier warrior didn¡¯t change at all.


    However, I had never seen the other two before. They were both extremely beautiful. One of them had a shield long enough to cover her body entirely, and was about 175 cm.


    She had pink hair that curled down her shoulders, and had moist, pink eyes that were strangely charming. However, the way she held her shield or the way she trembled like a baby deer unlike how mature she looked, both looked somewhat familiar.


    Where did I see her before...? Ah!


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Miss Shuna! You became so pretty!¡±


    ¡°H-Hello, Crown Prince-nim! I-It¡¯s an honor. Crown Prince-nim is really handsome too. ... Uuu, what do I do, I talked to him. Ludia, I talked to Crown Prince-nim!¡±


    ¡°Why do you only recognize Shuna!? I¡¯m the one you have friended!¡±


    When I was exchanging greetings with Shuna, Palludia, who was standing next to her, hit me. Because it was within my expectations, I blocked her with my arm. Seeing Palludia rolling on the ground in pain, I felt very satisfied.


    Although I didn¡¯t recognize them, I realized who they were when I saw the other two. If four people from Luka continent were here, Palludia and Shuna would naturally be among them. I was simply embarrassed to face her. That¡¯s why I acted that way.


    Palludia got up, holding back her teary eyes. She was vastly different than before. 4 years ago, she was a little kid who had not even been 140 cm, but she had now be a fairly tall, 170 cmdy.


    Her once child-like, twintailed blonde hair was now flowing down to her waistline, glistening a lustrous gold. Her sapphire eyes were deep, like they contained countless years. Furthermore, her white skin looked smooth enough that water droplets could flow down seamlessly. She had a not toorge and not too small nose, which a sculptor seemed to have devoted his heart and soul to creating. Finally, her moist lips glowed with a peach-like light pink.


    Her appearance was terrifyingly beautiful, to the point that it seemed to suck in anyone thatid their eyes on her. It was the type of peerless beauty that I never would have imagined myself seeing. If anyone with a weak heart was watching, his heart would undoubtedly stop at this breathtaking beauty. Just what did she eat for 4 years to grow so much? I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes.


    Wait, no. I remembered Shina saying that people from Luka continent had a sudden growth spurt. Although I had not paid much attention to it before, Shuna and Palludia were both from the Luka continent. I couldn¡¯t believe my stupidity. So that¡¯s why Palludia was saying she wasn¡¯t a little kid.


    That said, it was slightly iffy to say she was fully grown. As her robe that stuck to her figure showed, her chest area was more or less the same. Had they not fully grown yet? Or was that how they were when they were fully grown? If I were to make a hasty judgement, she was like Yua!


    Of course, even without much of a chest, her slender arms and legs, and elegant curves made her figure extremely charming. However, I did not say any of this out loud.


    ¡°Ahahaha, you grew a lot. In height.¡±


    ¡°Why is that the first thing you say, you O... Or... Orc?¡±


    Although her beauty made it hard for me to stare at her, I remembered the Palludia from 4 years ago and barely met her eyes. At the same time, Palludia, who was looking at me from head to toe, made a nk expression.


    ¡°Y-You, are you really Orc?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not Orc, but I am Kang Shin. You still say rude things so easily.¡±


    ¡°... I-It really is you.¡±


    Palludia was frozen in ce like she was hit by an ice magic. For some reason, Shuna, who was standing next to her, kept covering her face with her shield. I turned to face the rapier warrior, and asked.


    ¡°Did they eat something strange while growing up?¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, Crown Prince-ssi is the bad one. I heard stories, but what happened to turn you into such a... Mm, how fine. My eyes weren¡¯t wrong. Wow, look at this toned chest.¡±


    ¡°Um, can you not approach me? Also, please stop touching me like that.¡±


    When I asked her as I slowly backed away, the elf archer pulled the rapier warrior by her ears and pulled her away. As I thought, all elves except Loretta knew manners!


    ¡°W-Wait. Don¡¯t you have anything else to say? To me!?¡±


    After finally snapping out of her frozen state, Palludia asked me. It seemed she only grew up in appearance, as her way of talking had not changed in the slightest. If she didn¡¯t open her mouth, she really was like a princess from a fairy tale. How unfortunate.


    Looking at her, I tilted my head.


    ¡°Mm... Like what?¡±


    ¡°A-A lot! Like how much you wanted to see me, or how much prettier I became!¡±


    ¡°Mm? Well, I did wonder how you were doing asionally, and I do think you became really pretty. But what about it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Palludia became silent. Her face was bright red to the point I was afraid it would blow up. What should I do about this awkward atmosphere? Did I do something to irritate Palludia again?


    Then, I suddenly remembered. The Headband of Wisdom I got from the 19th floor¡¯s named lizardwoman! I had nned to give it to Palludia. Hoping it would ease her anger, I took out the Headband of Wisdom from my inventory. When she saw it, her eyes became wide as she asked.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°An essory. I happened to pick it up. I thought it¡¯d suit you well. It¡¯s a gift. You know, a reunion gift.¡±


    ¡°G-Gift?¡±


    Palludia¡¯s face became redder than the Headband of Wisdom. Did I do something wrong again!? Did she hate headbands? I thought it was perfect for her ss, since it raised magic and intelligence. I didn¡¯t understand where I went wrong.


    Even so, when I put the headband in her hand, she calmly took it and slowly put it in her hair. Mm, it seemed she didn¡¯t hate it that much. When I smiled with satisfaction, Palludia covered her face with her hands.


    ¡°Uuu, y-you¡¯re just, Orc...!¡±


    ¡°Ellos, he...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it, Paul. Don¡¯t say it...¡±


    Eh...? This was different from the reunion I imagined... Looking at Ellos and Paul shaking their heads as they looked at me and silent Palludia, who was still looking down while covering up her bright red face, my mind fell into chaos. This, did I need to use Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry? Seeing that Baru-ssi seemed fine, I went and talked to her. She simply covered her mouth with her hand as she snickered. After hearing what I said, the other party members looked at me with cold eyes and each said a word.


    ¡°Fool.¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim is stupid.¡±


    ¡°Uuuu... you stupid Orc.¡±


    ¡®Hey, I¡¯m not stupid anymore! My intelligence is above 20 now! I¡¯m not an orc either!¡¯ Unable to figure out just what I did wrong, my mind fell into chaos yet again.


    Edias continent, Luka continent, and two more from Pilos continent. A total of 10 people including myself stood in front of the 25th floor¡¯s door. Other than Baru, who reced Celtine, all 9 members were the same as 4 years ago. It didn¡¯t feel different in particr. Ellos seemed to have thought the same thing, as he only made a short speech as the party leader.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think it will be as easy as it was 4 years ago. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all had your fair share of experiences as you climbed to the 25th floor, but Floor Master battles only get harder. This was especially true for the 20th Floor Master, Lizard Knight. However, I believe that with the members present, it is fully possible to defeat the Floor Master within 5 tries.¡±


    He was bbering some weird things.


    ¡°Five tries? Wouldn¡¯t it be hard to seed in five tries even if we know the strategy beforehand?¡±


    An axe carrying warrior from Pilos continent said with a bitter smile. Although he wasn¡¯t that close to me, it seemed the two people from Pilos continent kept in touch with Ellos. It was why they could meet us here today. However, he was bbering even weirder things.


    ¡°Haha, but this time, we have Crown Prince!¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°If we clear it within five tries, we can really jump ahead of others.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, we are so bad ourselves.¡±


    The other party members began bbering. Everyone was only saying things with an overwhelming sense of defeat. I thought this was a dream team of sorts, but what was this feeling of helplessness!?


    ¡°Ellos, is the 25th Floor Master hard?¡±


    ¡°I hear it¡¯s a Giant Ghoul.¡±


    ¡°So this is where he appears!¡±


    Was he trying to vent his anger for being unable to appear in the Event Dungeon? At my shout, the other party members tilted their heads. I figured I would only receive looks of envy if I told them about the Event Dungeon, so I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°As you can expect from what you¡¯ve been experiencing since the 21st floor, tons of zombies are said to appear. Since Miss Palludia, Mitarus¡¯ priestess, is here, we won¡¯t have to worry about being infected, but be sure to have Holy Waters handy in case something goes wrong. Also, the zombies are known to act without set patterns so always stay on your guard and help each other out. Paul, Miss Shuna, can I trust you two to tank the Giant Ghoul?¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, blocking is one thing I¡¯m confident in!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know about Paul, but seeing Shuna, who was an untrustworthy little girl just 4 years ago, now nodding her head confidently with her slender figure and curly pink hair, I did feel rather touched. However, her eyes still had a hint of uncertainty... Ah. When she met my eyes, her face became red, and she dropped her head. It was rather hurtful.


    I thought I wasn¡¯t ugly enough to hurt anyone watching anymore... What was it? My face? But mother said my face took after hers and was very handsome...


    ¡°Shin, you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the minions. I don¡¯t need support so you guys can focus on the Giant Ghoul.¡±


    ¡°H-How reassuring.¡±


    Ellos seemed a bit taken back by my confident speech. Everyone else showed signs of anxiety, but Palludia was silent unlike herself 4 years ago. Rather than having noints, it seemed she respected the name I had built up.


    ¡°There must be a reason you¡¯re called Crown Prince. You better do your job properly.¡±


    ¡°You better heal people properly too.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! I¡¯ll be focusing on the tanks, so don¡¯t you get hurt while you¡¯re distracted!¡±


    ¡°Miss Palludia, how cute. Huhu.¡±


    ¡°I agree. How cute. Kuku.¡±


    ¡°W-What! Why is everyone snickering!? Look away!¡±


    Just what was cute about Palludia there? I could only see her acting grumpy... These guys, as I thought, they¡¯re all weird!


    ¡°Today, we¡¯ll focus on getting used to the Giant Ghoul¡¯s habits and skills. We want to avoid dying without any gains. Let¡¯s do our best. I believe in everyone¡¯s ability that helped us climb to the 25th floor.¡±


    With that, Ellos looked at me. In response, I confidently nodded my head. I mean, I could kill it alone, so why wouldn¡¯t I be able to kill it with 9 other people?


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go in!¡±


    Ellos opened the door to the Floor Master. What greeted us was arge graveyard.

 Chapter 55. What It Means to Climb the First Dungeon (2)

    Chapter 55. What It Means to Climb the First Dungeon (2)


    ¡°Kuk, I heard Fields get created from the 25th floor onward. It was true...!¡±


    ¡°Field?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about that graveyard! It¡¯s the optimal environment to power up undead monsters.¡±


    The instant the words left Ellos¡¯ mouth, dozens of hands began to pop up across the graveyard. These guys had clearly seen some horror movies before. Palludia didn¡¯t seem to want to let it happen, as she took in a deep breath and yelled.


    ¡°O Mitarus of justice and love, shine out with holy brilliance in this evil ce!¡±


    The image of her holding her staff and chanting with her silvery voiceplimented her appearance, making her look even more beautiful. As I was thinking this, the graveyard, which was darker than usual boss rooms, possibly from the effect of the so-called field, became brighter. The majority of the zombies popping up from the ground screamed like vampires that just saw sunlight and returned to the ground. Palludia looked at me and shrugged her shoulders.


    ¡°Huhu, how was it?¡±


    ¡°Mm, I don¡¯t know how to describe it, but it was cool.¡±


    ¡°Uu, Uung...¡±


    Palludia flinched at mypliment. Wasn¡¯t that what she expected? Girls were reallyplicated...


    ¡°The Giant Ghoul is appearing! Paul, Miss Shuna, please!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡±


    Palludia and the other magicians struggled to keep up with the dozens of zombies popping out of the ground like daisies, while a gurgling roar rang out from deep inside the graveyard. I first called Peika.


    ¡°Peika, we¡¯re going to take care of all the zombies. Can you do it?¡±


    [Leave it to me, Master! ... I¡¯m going to need a little mana, is that okay?]


    ¡°Take it!¡±


    [Okay, Chain Lightning!]


    Immediately afterwards, Peika¡¯s body shone and a nearby zombie was swept up in lightning. The lightning then bounced to another zombie near it, then bounced again to other zombies in its surroundings. Strangely, although the lightning was changing its target continuously, it was not losing energy, but gaining it.


    The chain of lightning continued endlessly. It finished off each zombie in just a few seconds and bounced to the next one, expanding further outward. It was like a huge had been cast over the graveyard. It went without saying that it caught the party members¡¯ attention.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s this!?¡±


    ¡°Is it lightning magic? But we don¡¯t have a lightning magician in our party!¡±


    ¡°No, this is elemental magic. Crown Prince-nim has a lightning elemental.¡±


    Oh right, the archer from Luka continent was an elf. When I nced at her, she gave me a courteous bow in return. Eh, wasn¡¯t she acting differently than before? She was courteous before, but I could feel awe and respect from her this time.


    [Master, this won¡¯t harm allies!]


    ¡°Allies won¡¯t be harmed, so charge at the ghoul!¡±


    ¡°Ah, everyone, the zombies¡¯ feet are tied. Now is our chance!¡±


    At my shout, Ellos directed the party members. Paul and Shuna were already heading towards the ghoul with their shields. Ellos and the other damage dealers followed soon after. The Giant Ghoul that was slowly making his appearance seemed to have be angry at his minions being ughtered, as he let out another roar and fully revealed himself.


    Unlike the zombies, he had an entirely hardened body. His steel ws shone with a malicious gleam, and his tworge eyes showed clear hostility. Slightly over 4 meters tall, the Giant Ghoul came off as incredibly intimidating. In truth, I only remembered ghouls as being frail crybabies. I hoped the Floor Master Giant Ghoul would be a bit different.


    ¡°E-Eit! You stupid monster,e attack me!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a line from a cartoon for little kids. It was Shuna using Provoke.


    ¡°Eit, Eit!¡± The sight of Shuna pushing on the Giant Ghoul¡¯s legs with herrge shield was slightly mismatched with her mature appearance. It was cute. However, the Giant Ghoul seemed to have thought differently, as he lifted his leg and tried to stomp on Shuna. In that instant, Shuna¡¯s eyes sparkled as she tilted her shield slightly. It looked like she had her own way of dealing with it.


    I then turned to face the zombies. Peika¡¯s lightning had already killed several hundred of them, but more wereing out.


    [Master, these guys keep popping up! I¡¯m annoyed!]


    ¡°They¡¯re really like cockroaches. Let¡¯s split the work, Peika. You protect the long-ranged damage dealers and healers.¡±


    I yfully spun the spear in my hand twice, then aimed it forward.


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect the guys facing the ghoul. Tempest!¡±


    ¡°Kuooooo!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim, do you not need any assistance?¡±


    After I had turned dozens of zombies into pieces of flesh, the elf archer asked me respectfully. Behind her, Baru was also looking at me. I also saw Palludia ncing at me. You focus on healing Miss Shuna!


    I took out a low-grade Mana Potion and put it in my mouth.


    ¡°You can focus on the Giant Ghoul. Peika will protect you perfectly, and I won¡¯t let the zombies near the other party members.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    After asking Peika to protect them, I shot forward. Seeing the newly popped up zombies heading toward the damage dealers and tanks, I shouted.


    ¡°You half-rotten corpse bastards,e fight me!¡±


    [You used Provoke. You draw nearby enemies toward you.]


    ¡°Guooooo...¡±


    ¡°Human, arrogant, human...¡±


    ¡°Guoooo...¡±


    ¡°Living, human...¡±


    My mid-rank Provoke seeded in drawing the zombies¡¯ attention instantly. These cockroaches were crawling out of the ground even now. Letting out a deep breath, I charged straight forward.


    ¡°Haaaaap!¡±


    The zombies that collided with my spear and armor exploded and flew back. The unintelligent zombies continued to flock to me like moths to a me, and subsequently were sted into pieces. After I cleared the zombies in a straight line to the Giant Ghoul, the number of zombies seemed a lot lower.


    ¡°Amazing. It¡¯s not just his elemental...¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince... So that¡¯s why they call him Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°... O Mitarus!¡±


    The two archers were talking about me instead of shooting out their arrows, but when Palludia chanted her spell, they snapped out of it and began attacking the Giant Ghoul. Of course, I didn¡¯t really mind no matter what they did.


    ¡°The Giant Ghoul is attacking with his ws!¡±


    I heard Ellos¡¯ voice echo across the graveyard. At the same time, an air-severing swoosh rang out. When I turned to face the direction it wasing from, the Giant Ghoul was swiping in a cross with both his arms. Poison seeped out from the tips of his ws and tried to envelope the party members. With shocked expressions, they quickly ran around to dodge it.


    ¡°Nice, we dodged it!¡±


    Hey, don¡¯t be so proud after dodging such an easy attack! Ah, a follow up!


    ¡°PAUL!¡±


    ¡°Cough, I¡¯ll be going first.¡±


    Saying the same thing he said 4 years ago, Paul disappeared. He was the first to die 4 years ago, too! What was this feeling of deja vu? That guy, wasn¡¯t he just weak? How could a tank be so slow? Also, why be a tank if you¡¯re going to die in one hit!? Countless questions and annoyed screams resounded in my mind.


    ¡°Miss Shuna, will you be fine on your own?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t... kyak, worry!¡±


    Although the scream worried me, Shuna was holding her ground, possibly thanks to that blessing by her family¡¯s guardian god. Since I couldn¡¯t run to help her at the moment, I set my worries aside. I decided to first focus on taking care of all the zombies.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m using a lot of potions today.¡±


    That said, the 300 gold Double Potions were truly delicious. While I was at it, I put one hand on my waist and made a refreshing expression like I was filming a sports drink ad. While I was having my fun, the nearby zombies jumped at me with their ws and teeth. The result was as expected. Their ws and teeth shattered without even leaving a scratch on me.


    Even so, I couldn¡¯t just forgive the perverted zombies for trying to bite my neck. I kicked the zombies here and there. Even my kicks could instantly kill these weaklings.


    ¡°Eh, was Crown Prince-nim a tank?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so strong.¡±


    ¡°He can fill all roles and even wields an elemental. He really is...¡±


    [It¡¯s because he¡¯s my Master! Isn¡¯t he cool? Isn¡¯t he awesome!?]


    Peika had joined the party members before I noticed and was bragging about me. There was no problem since she turned the zombies around them into ashes, but it was embarrassing, so I hoped she¡¯d stop.


    ¡°O benign Mitarus, be one with my allies!¡±


    Palludia¡¯s holy chants were especially effective against undead monsters, and had the effect of weakening them. More importantly, it healed Shuna, who was blocking the Giant Ghoul¡¯s attacks with difficulty, and even recovered her stamina.


    ¡°Thanks, Ludia!¡±


    ¡°Focus on your opponent! Reinforcements areing!¡±


    ¡°Warriors, attack! The ghoul¡¯s attacks are blocked. Now¡¯s our chance!¡±


    ¡°Kuooooooo!¡±


    Being in a party raid felt refreshing. Warriors shouted, healers chanted, and party leaders endlessly gave orders. I even felt a bit nostalgic as I remembered our raid from the 5th floor.


    Of course, that was the past, and this was reality. Before I even noticed, two more people had died.


    It was the rapier warrior from Luka continent and a swordsman from Pilos continent. It was just shameful.


    ¡°Kuk, the ghoul is too strong! We can¡¯t even let him scratch us!¡±


    ¡°Miss Shuna, Miss Shuna!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m blocking it!¡±


    The surviving warriors dodged the ghoul¡¯s attacks with their lives on the line, and Shuna was running around, trying to block the attacks with herrge shield. Although she tried her best to draw his aggro, the Giant Ghoul became enraged and changed his target once a damage dealer hit him even once. In that sense, it was more intelligent than any of the Floor Masters from before. He made it much harder for the tank to keep his aggro.


    I reached the conclusion that everyone except Shuna would die if this continued.


    ¡°Ellos, switch!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, switch! ...Switch?¡±


    I held up my ck Earthen Spear and swung it horizontally with great force. With Extending Spear, the spear¡¯s range instantly reached 5 meters, and the zombies in the radius of 5 meters all died in a single swing.


    ¡°Everyone, go protect the long-range damage dealers. I¡¯ll handle the Giant Ghoul.¡±


    ¡°What? Wait, Shin.¡±


    ¡°Make use of what you can. Level-up takes priority over your pride, right?¡±


    At my words, Ellos shut his mouth. He must have realized...


    That I was extremely disappointed in my party members.

 Chapter 56. What It Means to Climb the First Dungeon (3)

    Chapter 56. What It Means to Climb the First Dungeon (3)


    I didn¡¯t expect an overwhelming victory, but I at least expected them to be strong enough to be considered elites. In truth, they were only slightly better than ordinary explorers. Ellos was the only one strong enough to be called an elite. Shuna had high defense and was passionate, but she wascking in all other aspects, and Palludia... Well, I didn¡¯t really know how to judge a priestess¡¯ ability.


    However, the explorers from Pilos continent, Luka continent¡¯s rapier warrior, and Paul, who had died, were extremelycking. They acted like they were ying a game, waiting for the right time to strike, and backing out right after to avoid danger.


    It might have been necessary to survive until now, but with over 30 percent of the party members acting that way, it was only obvious that the Floor Master would make use of the openings they created. As a result, they all died.


    If I remembered correctly, didn¡¯t they say they were fighting the demon race that invaded their continent? How could they be so full of leisure? Why weren¡¯t they more desperate to survive? Not to mention, they were explorers of the First Dungeon, not the Third or Fourth. They should be their continent¡¯s best in terms of potential! I really could not understand.


    It was one thing to becking in ability, but they were alsocking in their mindset. At least Paul was a bit more fierce. Although he died right away from being overzealous, he was much better than the ones attacking asionally, or the ones only using skills when their mana allowed it.


    Another thing I didn¡¯t like was that everyone expected defeat before we even challenged the Floor Master. However, I let that one slide. What was important was that it annoyed me and made me want to vent this frustration with action.


    This is what a real warrior would do!


    ¡°Peika, make a path for me!¡±


    [Okay, Master! Eit!]


    Over 20 percent of my mana drained out of me in an instant, as Peika put her hands out and let out a cute shout. Immediately afterwards, aser-like lightning thicker than her own body shot out toward the ghoul, destroying all zombies in its path. Numerous messages of me receiving gold rang out, but I ignored them.


    ¡°I made the path, so everyone take care. Peika, youe to me!¡±


    [Okay!]


    ¡°We¡¯ll follow Shin¡¯s orders. Miss Shuna, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°B-But, if we just leave everything to Crown Prince-nim, it won¡¯t be a raid!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a raid, Miss Shuna.¡±


    Ellos said with a hint of bitterness.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fight for our continents¡¯ survival.¡±


    After absorbing Peika, my ck Earthen Spear flickered with threatening sparks. I ignored the zombies running towards me. I knew they wouldn¡¯t hinder me in the slightest.


    ¡°Guooo...¡±


    ¡°Hey, Giant Ghoul. It¡¯s a great day to die, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    When I stopped the Giant Ghoul from chasing after Ellos and the others, who were running back, he red at me as if he was extremely annoyed. However, he wasn¡¯t scary in the slightest. While taking care of the zombies, I had already learned its movement patterns.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting.¡±


    I didn¡¯t n on using Tria. I didn¡¯t need to use it. The spear in my hand and Peika. Just the two of them would be enough.


    ¡°Guoooooo!¡±


    ¡°Haat!¡±


    I jumped to the side and dodged his ws easily. At the same time, I stabbed my spear into the back of his hand. He was certainly different from the ordinary ghouls, as his defense was overwhelmingly stronger. My spear could only stab into his skin lightly. It was within my expectations. I stabbed with my spear a few more times. As a result, the spear broke through his skin and blood spurted out.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Haa! It¡¯s going to sting a little!¡±


    In truth, stabbing consecutively was hard to do with a spear, and would have been hard even if I had a sword. I didn¡¯t know about others, but my stabbing movement concentrated my body¡¯s energy into one point and thrust out. If an ordinary person did such movements consecutively, their muscles and bones would shatter.


    However, it was a different story for explorers like myself, whose bodies could grow endlessly. We could protect and strengthen our bodies with the power of mana. Even among dungeon explorers, I, whopressed my bones, muscles, and skin, could easily perform consecutive stabs. I could even do it as I cooked myself some pork belly to eat.


    This was what it meant to truly be strong. It was not using the same techniques as always, just with increased strength and dexterity. It was using techniques that could only be done with increased strength and dexterity!


    ¡°Kuaaaa!¡±


    The enraged Giant Ghoul failed in trying to kick me. Then, he swung his ws at me. The attack swiped up from below and even had a wide range, making it hard to avoid. However, it also served as a good chance. A good chance for me to dig into his chest.


    Because of his swiping movement, his face and chest were both lowered to the point where they were within my reach without me having to jump.


    ¡°Haaaap!¡±


    Another consecutive stabbing. Using the time it would take for his ws to reach me, I stabbed my spear into his face multiple times. Every time my spear collided with his face, it burned with a frightening sound from my Spirit Aura. After receiving a huge injury, the Giant Ghoul became startled and stepped backwards, trying to stomp on me.


    ¡°Kuaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡±


    I concentrated my energy on the ck Earthen Spear. Mana flowed into it following Peruta Circuit¡¯s pathway. In addition, the body¡¯s pure strength that I could control also flowed into it. Gathering in the tip of ck Earthen Spear, they both became concentrated at a single point. This process, which would have taken a longer time without the blessing of a skill, only took an instant toplete, as if a god¡¯s power had guided it.


    As always, a radiant white light spiraled out. Together with Spirit Aura, it became a spiral of white lightning. My ck Earthen Spear took the form of Zeus¡¯ lightning, as it radiated out with a brilliant white light. The Giant Ghoul was clearly ufortable. Undead monsters were naturally weak to light. It wanted to stomp and kill me, but Heroic Strike only took a moment toplete.


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaaa!¡±


    I shot my spear out with all my strength. It pierced the same area on his face that I had attacked before. At the same time, his wild thrashing stopped. All the zombies stopped their movements as well. In that instant, a cold silence hung in the graveyard.


    ¡°Is he dead?¡±


    Ellos whispered quietly. I believed he was dead, but Ellos¡¯ words made me raise my guard. As if to answer my suspicion, the Giant Ghoul got up after a bit of struggle. ¡°Ba-Dum.¡± The sound of a heartbeat rang out from a ce I couldn¡¯t point out. In the next moment, the injuries he received on his face and in other ces were disappearing. It was as if time was flowing backwards.


    [Giant Ghoul uses ¡®Diehard¡¯! Hepletely recovers from all injuries, and regains 50 percent of his max HP!]


    ¡°Guooooo!¡±


    ¡°You sure sound excited!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, I thought we won!¡±


    ¡°So even with Crown Prince, this is how far we go...¡±


    ¡°Kuk, but it was still a good experience. Who knew we¡¯d go so far on our first try?¡±


    ¡°Just knowing that skill exists is a great help. We¡¯ll have to find a way to stop it from being used next time.¡±


    The party members started talking helplessly again. It made me depressed just listening to them. However, I still had some moves left in me. I didn¡¯t n on giving up in the slightest.


    ¡°Palludia, do you have attack chants, too?¡±


    ¡°I-I do! Orc... Are you going for it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Orc.¡±


    Lightly answering her, I tapped on my chest where my pocket watch was always hanging.


    ¡°Have you seen an orc this strong and cool?¡±


    Although it was embarrassing, I had to exaggerate a bit to lighten up this depressing mood of death and defeat. Confirming that the cooldown time on my Double Potion had ended, I gulped down another Double Potion. The ck Earthen Spear had pierced through his head and flown to some unknown area of the graveyard, but I didn¡¯t necessarily need ck Earthen Spear right now.


    ¡°Palludia, attack him however you can! This goes for the archers too! Close-range damage dealers, stay back and protect them!¡±


    At mymand, Palludia nodded her head and began to chant. Baru and the elf archer both seemed to be using a skill as they mumbled something and aimed their bows at the Giant Ghoul. Meanwhile, the fully recovered Giant Ghoul charged towards me as he red angrily. How annoying. If he was smaller, I would have smacked him away. It was truly a shame.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re the only one with skills.¡±


    ¡®I was going to end it with a bang, but you ruined my n with that cheaty skill! I won¡¯t forgive you for that!¡¯ I could use my spear again like an adult, but I wanted to let this ghoul understand the depressing feeling I had. With a deep breath, I shouted.


    ¡°Uwaaaaaak!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    ¡°W-What!?¡±


    ¡°This is Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry!¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯ve heard of it before. That Crown Prince uses Floor Masters¡¯ skills...¡±


    ¡°GUOOOOOOO!¡±


    The Giant Ghoul roared as it faced me, then swung his ws at me. I shouted before he could reach me.


    ¡°Dragon Skin!¡±


    ¡°Kak!¡±


    The Giant Ghoul howled. His ws had hit my chest and shattered. As expected, Dragon Skin worked even against Floor Masters! I lifted my hand, which was slower because of Dragon Skin, and tightly gripped the Giant Ghoul¡¯s arm. Now that it was within my grasp, I would not let go.


    ¡°Kuooooo!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dead. You ever hear of pay to win? This is skill to win! Everyone, he can¡¯t move, so attack!¡±


    ¡°O, O Mitarus! Use your subject¡¯s body and bring down the iron mace on thy enemy who disrupts the world¡¯s justice!¡±


    ¡°Sniping Shot!¡±


    ¡°Arrow Bomb!¡±


    The three girls¡¯ attacks bombarded the Giant Ghoul. Although he shook his body in an attempt to dodge them, his resistance subsided when I grabbed another one of his ws and broke it. Immediately afterwards, a silver mace appeared in the air. A sharp arrow and an arrow imbued with ck aura flew toward the Giant Ghoul, and all three weapons struck the Giant Ghoul. The ck aura arrow even exploded upon contact, leaving behind a ck trace on his face.


    The Giant Ghoul screamed and used his free hand to scour the ground below. I realized he was looking for zombies to eat. Ellos seemed to have noticed it as well.


    ¡°Kill the zombies near his hands!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    The elf archer and Baru crazily shot their arrows the moment Ellos¡¯ words left his mouth. The zombies rising from the ground fell and crumbled. Unable to recover his wounds, the Giant Ghoul let out an angry roar.


    ¡°KIAAAAAA!¡±


    ¡°As always, the final blow should be done by the main character!¡±


    I jumped on his arm. ¡°Uwoah.¡± I was extremely slow from Dragon Skin¡¯s effect. Even so, I focused and tightly gripped on his body, crawling slowly toward his face. Although I thought it looked a bit unsightly, I didn¡¯t pay any attention to it.


    After the short, yet long, climb, I stood on the Giant Ghoul¡¯s shoulder. Although it struggled, trying to make me fall, I tightly grabbed onto his ear. Then, I shouted.


    ¡°Dark Thunder Explosion!¡±

 Chapter 57. What It Means to Climb the First Dungeon (4)

    Chapter 57. What It Means to Climb the First Dungeon (4)


    ¡°Huk, he can even use that skill!¡±


    ¡°Just what is a Hero?¡±


    ¡°Look, the ghoul!¡±


    Dark Thunder Explosion attacked all targets in its area of effect. Even though the Giant Ghoul was huge, his entire body was within Dark Thunder Explosion¡¯s range. He had essentially received the entire force of the attack, which would usually be spread out across dozens of enemies. Plus, at the same time I used the skill, I punched my fist in his head.


    ¡°Die! Die! Die!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaaak!¡±


    By the time Dark Thunder Explosion came to an end, the Giant Ghoul looked no different than before he used Diehard. I wasn¡¯t done yet. I called Peika. Since I had canceled Spirit Aura after throwing the spear, she answered immediately to my call.


    ¡°Peika,e inside my gauntlet!¡±


    [Uu, you¡¯re using that again?]


    ¡°Please, Peika.¡±


    [Okay... But you have to listen to one wish, Master!]


    With a bit ofint, Peika infused herself into my gauntlet. Thinking that her wish was probably for me to y with herter, I shouted.


    ¡°Thunder Beast!¡±


    Seeing lightning shoot out from my body, Ellos seemed exhausted as he said, ¡°I¡¯m too tired to even be surprised.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t pay him any attention. I simply put my first through the Giant Ghoul¡¯s uselesslyrge head.


    Not long afterwards, he copsed. He was burnt to a crisp, but let out a disgusting smell that anyone would run away from.


    [You became level 26 and obtained the qualification to climb to the 26th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [30,000 gold is distributed evenly among party members. You received 4,286 gold.]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Giant Ghoul¡¯s Pants


    2. Double Potion


    3. 10,000 Gold


    4. Skin Strengthening Elixir


    5. Giant Ghoul¡¯s Boots


    6. Rotten Ebony Staff


    7. Giant Ghoul¡¯s Shoulder de]


    Hoping that Giant Ghoul¡¯s Shoulder de wasn¡¯t part of the set equipment, I chose the Skin Strengthening Elixir. I was d it wasn¡¯t like the Muscle Strengthening Elixir, where it would only appear with 2 people. Since the Skin Strengthening Elixir came out this time, I suspected one of the Floor Masters would soon have Bone Strengthening Elixirs.


    While I was picking my reward, the party members were going crazy.


    ¡°We did it!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we cleared it on our first try. This is a miracle!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim, you really are amazing... you single handedly brought us victory.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but be jealous. Just 4 years ago, he couldn¡¯t even advance to the 6th floor as hecked mana...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a Hero. This is his destiny.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I got annoyed, as it felt like she was saying I got stronger only because I was a Hero. I didn¡¯t even know what a Hero was! When I snapped my head at them, they all looked away, pretending not to have said anything.


    I smirked and swallowed the Skin Strengthening Elixir. I wasn¡¯t nning on continuing with them anyways, and I only knew them through Ellos and Palludia. I wasn¡¯t motivated to argue with them in the slightest.


    [By consuming the Skin Strengthening Elixir, your skin bes tougher and more resilient. Constitution and Charm both increase by 1.]


    Since my defense went up, it made sense that constitution went up, but why did charm go up as well? Could this Skin Strengthening Elixir be used as a beauty product? Mother would go crazy if she knew. Alright, I¡¯ll let father grind them. It was his wife bing more beautiful, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯d do it on his own. Yua? My Yua¡¯s skin was and would always be perfect!


    I turned around. Perhaps it was coincidental, but all the party members were staring at me. It seemed they already finished choosing their rewards.


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim, thank you. I¡¯ll be going ahead.¡±


    With just that, the surviving member from the Pilos continent¡¯s party left. I was slightly lost for words at his lightning fast exit, but I wasn¡¯t concerned with him.


    Ellos approached me, handing me my ck Earthen Spear that he likely picked up while I was busy.


    ¡°Friend, we won because of you. Just like 4 years ago.¡±


    ¡°No, you could have won without me, though most people would have been kicked out of the dungeon in the process.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m going to fight him again. I have to help Paul get through.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t help you with that. I joined this party to raid with you, not to help you pass through... I only helped today because I didn¡¯t want to see people dying in front of me for no reason.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Ellos smiled bitterly. He¡¯d made only one miscalction, and that was my strength. He must be thinking our difference in ability made thisughable result.


    However, I thought differently. I didn¡¯t like the mindsets they had showed since the beginning. In attitude during battle or anything else, they could not evenpare to Ren, not even Ellos.


    ¡°Why is everyone so conservative? It¡¯s not like they¡¯ll really die, so why can¡¯t they be a little more daring? I¡¯ve realized this as I watched different dungeon explorers, but that¡¯s just how you guys looked today. Like people that didn¡¯t want to advance to higher floors.¡±


    At my words, the people remaining flinched slightly. What, was that true? My mouth half-opened from the shock. Of course, Ellos was the only one who would answer my suspicions.


    ¡°In truth... you might be right. After bing dungeon explorers, they receive the highest treatment from their respective countries. Although it is to be used as tools for battle against the invaders, the good treatmentes before that. After reaching a certain level... that is, after bing Silver rank, they¡¯re treated almost like royalty. Until they¡¯re sent to the battlefield, that is.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°When their level goes up, their countries would treat them better, but they would also be sent to more dangerous ces... All dungeon explorers want to avoid that to a certain extent, and this sentiment might have been reflected as being conservative in Floor Master battles. If they died in the process, they would be safer and they can use the excuse that they did their best, while fully enjoying the benefits of being a dungeon explorer. It¡¯s probably the same in other worlds. For dungeon explorers, their initial ambition of wanting to protect their worlds bes fainter as they climb...¡±


    After hearing this, I remembered. At the 5th and 10th floors, the explorers were happy and excited at the prospect of advancing forward.


    But starting from the 15th floor, people were more surprised and shocked than happy. Perhaps that party leader from my first Dark Ratman raid wanted to lead the party to its death on purpose.


    In the one raid party I had on the 20th floor, the party members became angry at Ren for making their friends die. They should have been happy first, or thanked me for my work.


    In other words, they might not have been happy to advance past the 20th floor. Of course, that wasn¡¯t to say they weren¡¯t happy in the slightest, but they must have felt equal or greater pressure from having to advance onward. It was absurd.


    ¡°Stupid! That weakness of theirs is going to lead to their deaths one day! That¡¯s simply in the present!¡±


    ¡°... I know. I know full well.¡±


    Why dungeon explorers didn¡¯t adventure. I finally understood a bit of what Loretta and I talked about. These so-called First Dungeon explorers! Even if they were chosen by other explorers and not by the dungeon itself, how could they be so shameful!?


    ¡°But not everyone is like that, Shin! I hope you aren¡¯t too disillusioned about dungeon explorers.¡±


    ¡°I know. If the dungeon only had people like them, their worlds would have been ruined already! ... And I don¡¯t think you¡¯re someone like that either.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but in truth, I¡¯m not that different. Both in terms of ability and bravery, I¡¯m no match for you. I learned a lot from you today. 4 years ago, I came to admire you and aspired to be like you. I remembered that feeling today.¡±


    I hesitated. Ellos¡¯ eyes were sincere. At least in my eyes, his willpower was there.


    ¡°Orc... Kang Shin! I, I¡¯m the same. Don¡¯t misunderstand! I¡¯m only trying to grow stronger so I can fight the demon race!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Palludia, I know. You were a lot different than 4 years ago. Your performance today was dazzling.¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    I meant topliment her, but Palludia let out a strange squeal and shrunk back with a bright red face. She really was weird. Shuna was standing next to her stealing nces at me from behind her shield. I didn¡¯t know why, so I just let her be. Instead, I looked at Ellos.


    ¡°Ellos, how about youe with me for a little while? Climb the dungeon with me.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d continue with him forever. It was just temporary, until he learned something from me. However, in a way, I already knew how he would respond. It was better to say I was going out of my way to sever the lingering attachment he would have.


    As expected, Ellos shook his head.


    ¡°Sorry, Shin. But I have to lead my party members.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, you are a leader before you are a warrior.¡±


    That was enough. Ellos didn¡¯t need to change drastically. Rather, it was his party members that had to change. Both Paul and Baru had the right mindset. It was their skills that werecking. But there wasn¡¯t much they could do about it. They could only keep working hard. If that wasn¡¯t enough, although it was a bit cruel, that was the extent of their talent.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to change your party, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I want to keep going with them until the end. I believe I can.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s good enough. Good luck. You¡¯ll all need to change a lot. I¡¯m off.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks. I¡¯ll contact you again. Today was a great experience.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, wait!¡±


    After saying my goodbye to Ellos and even turning to Baru and bowing goodbye to her, I wanted to return to the dungeon I came from, but Palludia grabbed onto me. When I looked at her, she seemed to be lost for words as she her lips trembled without making a sound.


    When I urged her on with my gaze, she finally managed to open her mouth.


    ¡°R-Resi... Residential Area, have you been there?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°I-If youe... contact me.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Why?¡±


    ¡°Just do it!¡±


    For some reason, Palludia looked like she was about to cry. Plus, her face was bright red like it was about to blow up. She looked dejected, yet also happy. I didn¡¯t know what her face was trying to say. Next to her, Shuna nced back and forth between my face and Palludia¡¯s as if she knew what Palludia meant.


    ¡°Ludia! You... how...?¡±


    ¡°Shuna, be quiet! I have no other choice!¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not what you said before! Liar! Just admit that you just fell in lo... ooop! Ooop!¡±


    Palludia covered Shuna¡¯s mouth with her hands, and dealt a knee kick to her waist. With her high defense, Shuna didn¡¯t seem to be in pain, but seeing two grown-up women in such an active posture made me feel slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact you. Can I go now?¡±


    ¡°H-Hurry up and leave!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince-niiim!¡±


    I turned my eyes away from Shuna, who was trying to tell me something even as Palludia was trying to stop her. My eyes then met the elf archer¡¯s, who gave me a respectful bow. I still didn¡¯t know why she was acting that way. Then I left the party.


    Although a lot of confusing things had happened, the raid had finished sessfully.

 Chapter 58. Event Raid (1)

    Chapter 58. Event Raid (1)


    Warriors needed rest.


    If I said so myself, not signing up for any sses on Friday was a godly move. Sprawled on the living room couch, I nked out. I¡¯d been staying too busytely. I needed some rest. A month had passed since the midterms ended. It was that time of the school season when professors reveled in theints of students as they bombarded them with assignments. However, that had nothing to do with me. Unless it was an absolutely important assignment, I boldly skipped them all. I was busy being a dungeon explorer. How was I supposed to find the time to do assignments?


    As such, I was resting. Since I was fighting the Giant Ghoul three times a day, I believed I had the right. It was why I got up so early in the morning to quickly do my daily Floor Master battles!


    Until the 25th floor, there was no shortage of people to join my party. Even if there weren¡¯t a lot of people, I could easily find four or five people to join my party. But the 25th floor was different. There were people who refused to participate unless it was a full party of 10, and there weren¡¯t that many challengers either.


    20th floor and below was the so-called beginner¡¯s area. There were a lot of apprentice explorers who wanted to challenge the boss raid, but things were different starting from the 25th floor. Those with ability had already gone up and those without ability couldn¡¯t make it here in the first ce. As such, the number of explorers between the 25th and 40th floor was apparently quite small. It¡¯s also said that the dungeon¡¯s difficulty shot up from the 40th floor, resulting in many explorers who were forced to make meaningless challenges without being able to climb up. Of course, that was not important to me right now.


    In a way, since the number of First Dungeon explorers was less than 40,000, it was surprising that I could easily find people to raid with. No matter how famous my Crown Prince name was, there wasn¡¯t much I could do with how few people actually wanted to climb.


    However, if I didn¡¯t find at least one person to join my party, I couldn¡¯t obtain Skin Strengthening Elixirs. When I exined my frustration to Loretta, she made a dumbfounded smile, and took out an item to help with my problem.


    [This is a Party Member Scarecrow! It increases the number of rewards by one. Ah, you can still only pick one though. Don¡¯t be surprised, this miraculous item is only 10,000 gold a piece!]


    [Loretta, your sales results have been skyrocketing thanks to me, right?]


    [... I, I¡¯ll make it 8,000 gold a piece.]


    [I love you, Loretta!]


    [Uuuu... 5... 5,000 a piece! I¡¯ll make it 5,000 gold!]


    [... Eh? Why did you lower it again?]


    [Eh? ... Ah, Aaaaaah! C-Cancel! Cancel what I just said!]


    [A woman¡¯s words are worth a thousand gold!][1. A modified version of the Korean proverb, a man¡¯s words are worth a thousand gold]


    I didn¡¯t understand why Loretta lowered the cost again from 8,000 gold, but thanks to the Party Member Scarecrows I got for just 5,000 gold each, I was able to get Skin Strengthening Elixirs by doing Floor Master raids alone.


    My Giant Ghoul grind was nearing its end. My strength and charm had already gone up by 9 each, and it seemed the Skin Strengthening Elixir¡¯s effect was quite noticeable on my skin, as mother gave me stinging res. It was the kind of re that said, ¡®If you have good things, don¡¯t keep them to yourself and fork some over.¡¯ Sorry, mother, but I wasn¡¯t using them as beauty products!


    As I was thinking all these things while sprawled on the couch like a lion after its meal, the sound of footstepsing down the stairs reached my ears. It was Yua.


    ¡°Ah, Yua, are you going to school?¡±


    ¡°Oppa, today is a national holiday.¡±


    When I turned around, she was in her casual clothes. I thought I was looking at an angel for a second, but it really was Yua. Whew, I almost got confused. Yua wasn¡¯t an angel, but a reincarnated angel. I had to remember.


    ¡°You should rest then. Even students need to let their brains rest once in a while.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s... Oppa, you¡¯re not busy today, right?¡±


    Yua asked carefully after a bit of hesitation. I nodded my head.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t have sses today, so I¡¯m resting.¡±


    ¡°Um, oppa.¡±


    ¡°You can just say it.¡±


    ¡°I-If it¡¯s okay... do you want to go to the movies with me?¡±


    I shot up from the couch immediately. Staying sprawled on the couch or going to movies with Yua. It was clear which was a better way to spend my rest day.


    ¡°Of course, oppa is free. Let¡¯s go to the movies.¡±


    ¡°But oppa, don¡¯t you have to go to the dungeon today? You seemed busytely...¡±


    ¡°Not at all! I already finished what I had to do today, so I was bored. I¡¯m thankful you asked.¡±


    ¡°Hehe... Thanks, oppa. Then I¡¯ll get changed and get ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get ready too.¡±


    Just like that, Yua and I were at the movie theater 30 minutester. I could feel the gazes of surrounding people when we were walking with our arms linked, but I paid them no mind. It was because Yua was too pretty.


    ¡°What movie are we watching?¡±


    ¡°This one here. My friends said it was fun, but I didn¡¯t have anyone to watch it with since they already watched it.¡±


    ¡°I see. But Yua, if a boy ever invites you to the movies, I¡¯d like you to discuss it with me first. I can¡¯t leave just anyone to escort Yua.¡±


    My eyes were genuine and serious. At least, that¡¯s what I thought.


    ¡°Ah, um... I¡¯m scared of boys, so I¡¯m not really friends with them.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s okay then. Remember, all men are evil. Except father and oppa, of course.¡±


    ¡°Chii, that¡¯s what you always say.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true. Men are evil. Yua wouldn¡¯t even believe how evil they are.¡±


    It was true, especially teenage boys. As someone who had been one before, I could attest to it! Yua could only enjoy her student life without knowing the ferociousness of teenage boys because of the safety device father and I put in without her knowledge!


    ¡°What about oppa?¡±


    ¡°Men like oppa are rare. Oppa will carefully pick out suitable candidates for Yua, so Yua can just choose among them. If you want, you don¡¯t have to choose anyone. Oppa will support you your entire life!¡±


    I identally went a little too wild. I carefully nced at Yua, hoping she wasn¡¯t looking at me in contempt. Thankfully, she wasughing adorably.


    ¡°Okay, oppa. I¡¯ll believe in oppa¡¯s word and live off oppa forever. I¡¯ll be a mean sister-inw too.¡±


    ¡°Of course! Yua is oppa¡¯s first priority!¡±


    That, I could swear on the heavens! I mean, I doubted anyone would want to marry me in the first ce.


    After watching the movie, Yua and I headed to a nearby fast-food restaurant. Although I wanted to bring her to somewhere more expensive, or even buy her the entire restaurant, Yua was a girl who knew how to find happiness in small things. Perhaps she wasn¡¯t the reincarnation of an angel, but the reincarnation of an archangel!


    ¡°These fries are great!¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t eat too much. You might end up like someone I know.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Potato witch.¡±


    I retorted as I sipped on my cup of coke. It was then that I heard the sound of a tray falling on the ground. When I turned around, the potato witch was there. With a pale face, she was shaking.


    For the record, the fallen tray didn¡¯t have a hamburger, only piles of fries. As always, her actions weren¡¯t really hiding her presence, though she was covering herself with a hoody.


    ¡°S-S-S-S-S-Shin.¡±


    ¡°Is there a monster nearby? Why are you shaking so much?¡±


    ¡°... Oppa?¡±


    With Yua calling me, I turned back around. She had a very kind smile on her face.


    Something was strange. It was undoubtedly a kind smile, but it also felt chilling. Something had to be wrong with my eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yua?¡±


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°Shin. Is this your g-g-g-g-g-girlfriend?¡±


    Unlike Yua¡¯s calm smiling face, Su Ye-Eun was almost tearing up. Was she that sad about dropping her fries? I wasn¡¯t surprised. With a helpless sigh, I let Su Ye-Eun sit down. After all, just letting her stand there would only lead to more bothersome things.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m oppa¡¯s younger sister, Yua.¡±


    ¡°Ah, hello. I¡¯m Su Ye-Eun.¡±


    After I introduced them to each other, the chill I was getting from Yua disappeared. Su Ye-Eun stopped crying, but was still noticeably tense. At the same time, I felt a bit uneasy. Something always happened when I met Su Ye-Eun outside school. Was today going to be the same?


    ¡°You said you were oppa¡¯s college ssmate?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. My rtionship with Shin has been healthy without anything for you to worry about, yet...¡±


    ¡°Yet? Rtionship?¡±


    ¡°Hiik!¡±


    Yua made a beaming smile, but for some reason, Su Ye-Eun started to sweat and was unable to meet Yua¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re his college ssmate, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not dating him, but just ssmates.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then rtionship wasn¡¯t the right word, huhu. I worried for nothing.¡±


    Dimples appeared on Yua¡¯s face. Eh? A chill swept over me again. Did Yua awaken? When I was seriously contemting the possibility that Yua became an ability user, Yua interrupted.


    ¡°Take good care of oppa, Ye-Eun unni. As you can see, oppa is very pure and unwavering. If a bad woman approaches him, he¡¯ll easily get entangled. I hope you can take care of oppa, purely as a friend.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m younger, so you don¡¯t have to talk so politely.¡±


    ¡°Y-Ye... Okay.¡±


    While Yua and Su Ye-Eun exchanged words I couldn¡¯tprehend, I simply ate my hamburger. Girls really talked in some secret code. I couldn¡¯t understand a thing. However, I did understand two things. One was that Su Ye-Eun was powerless against Yua for some reason, and another was that Yua might have an ability to control cold.


    By the time their conversation ended, I was crumpling up my hamburger wrapper.


    ¡°Do you want to go back, Yua? Is there anything you want to buy?¡±


    ¡°Mm... Oppa, can we go window shopping for clothes?¡±


    ¡°Sure, of course we can!¡±


    When we left the restaurant after throwing away our trash, Su Ye-Eun was silently following us. With her stealth ability that would make even government top-secret agencies want to scout her, it was no surprise. Yua gave her a nce, but only made a small smile.


    Soon after, the uneasy feeling I had from seeing Su Ye-Eun came true. When we were passing by a store with a TV by the window, a breaking news came on.


    [Breaking news. The Gate located in China¡¯s Guangzhou city shopping mall disappeared, and a giant boar over 50 meters tall appeared. The Chinese government has already deployed Guardians to stop the boar¡¯s rampage, but there have already been over a thousand confirmed casualties...]


    [Giant monsters likewise appeared at the Gates in Shanghai and Beijing, causing massive civilian casualties. The Chinese government has exined that this incident was caused by rogues who sneaked into the Gate without their permission. However, given that all five Gates located in China disappeared within a short period of time, and thatrge number of Guardians were gathered at the Gate locations, their words are likely untrue...]


    I stopped walking. On TV, I saw a giant boar the size of a building running around in Guangzhou city. Several buildings had already fallen, making the scene look like something from the movies. The Giant Boar¡¯s relentless running was causing buildings to copse and the asphalt road to tremor. In front of it were small dots, which I assumed were Chinese Guardians. Of course, they weren¡¯t a match for the Giant Boar. Civilian casualties? It would probably be easier to count the number of people that survived.


    Immediately afterwards, three messages rang in my ear.


    [An Event Raid has broken out! C+-rank 500-man Raid, ¡®Giant Boar.¡¯ Any dungeon explorers from Earth may participate. Would you like to participate? The moment you express your desire to participate, you will be teleported to the corresponding location. You will return to your original location after clearing the Event Raid.]


    [An Event Raid has broken out! C-rank 1,000-man Raid, ¡®Mini Kraken Wave.¡¯ Any dungeon explorers from Earth may participate. Would you like to participate? The moment you express your desire to participate, you will be teleported to the corresponding location. You will return to your original location after clearing the Event Raid.]


    [An Event Raid has broken out! C+-rank 300-man, ¡®Giant Swordtiger.¡¯ Any dungeon explorers from Earth may participate. Would you like to participate? The moment you express your desire to participate, you will be teleported to the corresponding location. You will return to your original location after clearing the Event Raid.]

 Chapter 59. Event Raid (2)

    Chapter 59. Event Raid (2)


    China really was unlucky. Of the five dungeons they had, boss monsters appeared in two of the C+-ranked ones. Not to mention, all of them wererge-scale raids with over 300 people. Just who gave the orders to clear all five dungeons at once? Even after Mastiford warned them about the danger! Did they look down on raid bosses!?


    Of course, if they cleared the dungeons one by one, the internationalmunity would have given them stinging res. Even so, they cleared all five at once? I almost wanted to knock their heads to check if their brains were there. Did they need a giant ¡®don¡¯t touch¡¯ sign? Did they want to serve as an example for other countries? Did they really want to kill a raid boss? Did they want monster corpses and Bluestones that badly? What about all the civilians and tourists that were swept up? Countless questions swam through my head as I felt enraged.


    I opened the dungeon explorers¡¯munication channel. As always, Mastiford was the first to step up and talk. With the situation being as it is, she was rather serious.


    [You guys heard, right?]


    [Heard and saw.]


    Walker answered Mastiford. At the same time, all five of us let out a deep sigh.


    [I really want to burn up all those government bastards.]


    [Unni...]


    [Mastiford-ssi, calm down. China is too big for Mastiford-ssi to take on alone.]


    [I¡¯m sure the Chinese government will be content with this situation. When those giant monsters die, they will naturally leave huge rewards. Imagine if a Bluestone appeared.]


    [If they were aiming for the raid bosses in the first ce, they should have prepared for it properly! Why didn¡¯t they evacuate the civilians!?]


    [Other countries would have found out if they did. They probably didn¡¯t exin things fully to the ability users either. I doubt even they expected such huge monsters to appear. I mean, even I¡¯m surprised by their size. The Mini Krakens are small, but look at the sheer number of them.]


    [What a bunch of human trash. What do they think human lives are?]


    [But Mastiford, isn¡¯t what you did in Yeungdeungpo the same? What if a raid monster as big as China¡¯s appeared? Not to mention, if a raid boss from an A-rank dungeon appeared in the middle of Seoul, the damage would have been much more too.]


    [Please, I¡¯m an SS-rank ability user and dungeon explorer. Even if an A-rank 500-man raid broke out and a giant monster appeared, I could have taken care of it without any civilian casualties. I wouldn¡¯t have suggested it otherwise!]


    If this was the first time I talked to Mastiford, I would have snorted at her im, calling it absurd. Now that I had partied with her, I could nod my head and agree. Her animal kingdom... Anyone that saw her Army of mes would agree. I didn¡¯t think that was her full power either.


    ¡°Oppa, what¡¯s wrong? Do you have someone you know in China?¡±


    ¡°Shin, are you okay?¡±


    At that moment, I realized my friend and younger sister were looking at me with worried eyes. I replied with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Sorry, let¡¯s go back for today. I¡¯m a bit worried now after hearing that news about China.¡±


    ¡°Okay, oppa. Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Yua simply agreed and linked her arms with mine. I thought this side of Yua was very admirable. On the other hand, Su Ye-Eun made a very unhappy expression and red back and forth between me and Yua. She then opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it silently as she nced at the disastrous scene being shown on TV. Thankfully, she had a sense of emergency.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, see you at school.¡±


    After parting with Su Ye-Eun, I headed home with Yua. All the while, the conversation among dungeon explorers was still going on.


    [Unni, what are you going to do?]


    [I talked to my country¡¯s Guardian, but it seems the Chinese government is refusing any offers of assistance. They¡¯re saying the Chinese Guardian and Freedom Wing can take care of it by themselves. Participating in the raid on our own ord is a vition of China¡¯s right to monster subjugation.]


    [So you¡¯re saying we can only suck on our thumbs and wait.]


    At Walker¡¯s words, everyone became silent. I asked.


    [But China has many strong ability users, right? I heard they even have an SS-rank.]


    [They do. It¡¯s a Ajumma named Xin Shaomei.]


    [That sounds like a name from a drama or movie.]


    [The problem is that this Ajumma is a special-type ability user. She can cast a debuff that significantly lowers the enemy¡¯s ability. That¡¯s it. Her body is weaker than a D-rank, and she can¡¯t do anything else. She calls herself a Curse Magician.]


    [China should have at least 20 S-rank ability users. Although half of them are outside of the country, the other half are still there. Even if the monsters are massive-types, the strongest is still C+-rank. If they team up with Xin Shaomei, they should be able to easily take care of one.]


    [But there are three boss monsters. What are the other two ces supposed to do?]


    [I suppose A and B-rank ability users will take care of those. They should have arge number of them.]


    I took out my cell phone and checked China¡¯s current situation. I found a live stream footage of Shanghai, where the Mini Krakens had appeared. There, a bewitching beauty in a luxurious violet dress was being protected by countless ability users.


    [Mastiford-ssi, can you confirm for me? Is the ability user in Shanghai the SS-ranked ability user?]


    [Yep, that¡¯s Xin Shaomei. It seems a lot of the S-ranked ability users are there too. Ah, some of them seemed to have gone to Beijing. It must be because they¡¯re bigger cities than Guangzhou.]


    [What about Guangzhou then?]


    [Look. There are ability users there.]


    China did indeed have arge poption. Countless ability users were also in Guangzhou, fighting the Giant Boar that had appeared. However, the Giant Boar was easily pushing back the ability users with its massive size. The ability users, who did not want to get close to it, used their abilities to attack it or tie it down. However, none of them seeded in dealing any damage. In fact, the boar seemed to be getting stronger instead.


    Wait, it was clearly getting bigger!


    [It¡¯s a mana-eater type.]


    [Can you exin what you mean, Walker-ssi?]


    [It¡¯s simple. There are raid bosses that get stronger as they absorb mana. Rather than using purely magical attacks, you have to use melee attacks that are imbued with mana. However, if you fail to notice that and continue pouring magic at them from a distance...]


    [Then?]


    [The raid boss evolves! ¡®Giant Boar¡¯ evolves to B-rank ¡®Giant Iron Boar¡¯!]


    [That happens.]


    [Thanks for letting me know...]


    On TV, the Giant Boar, no, the Giant Iron Boar, went through a massive change. Its short mane grew longer and its hooves became tougher. Its red eyes turned ck, yet still reflected sunlight as if they were metallic.


    The ability users that were throwing long-ranged attacks became frightened by the sudden change and fell back. Free from the barrage of attacks, the Giant Iron Boar let out a happy roar and trampled on the nearby buildings, along with the civilians and ability users who could not get away in time. Their futile deaths almost made meugh.


    ¡°I have to go.¡±


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    Shoot, I let my thoughts slip out. Watching the startled Yua grab onto me, I became flustered. In themunication channel, Mastiford and Walker were both making a fuss.


    [The request for assistance isn¡¯ting! Those idiots, they want to continue by themselves!]


    [They¡¯re doing quite well with Shanghai¡¯s Mini Krakens. As expected of an SS-rank ability user, the Mini Krakens can¡¯t do a thing against her. Since Beijing is their capital, most of their elite forces seem to be there. It might take some time, but they won¡¯t have any problem killing the Giant Swordtiger.]


    [Walker, can you go to Guangzhou?]


    [Why would I go to that dangerous ce? It¡¯s not even my country.]


    [How can you be so selfish!? There are a countless number of people dying even as we speak!]


    [Then what about you, Mastiford? You¡¯re SS-ranked. Even though that boar is a mana-eater, I doubt it¡¯ll be able to withstand your mana.]


    [Of course I want to go! I really do! But... my face and ability are too well known!]


    Mastiford sounded like she was crying. She was right. If she went to Guangzhou, China won¡¯t just let it be. They¡¯d use Britain of looking down on them, aiming for their resources, or boasting the fact they had two SS-ranked ability users. It was sure to be an international problem.


    Even if Britain had two SS-rank ability users, they could not ignore China¡¯s power. After all, with theirrge poption, China had many S-rank ability users. Although they only had one SS-rank ability users, with her debuff ability, they wouldn¡¯t be afraid of two SS-rank ability users.


    ¡°Oppa, you¡¯re kidding, right? Tell me you didn¡¯t mean it!¡±


    ¡°Uh, you see, Yua... Oppa is actually really strong.¡±


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    The people around us looked our way. Yua was surprised by her own shout as she covered her mouth. With a bitter smile, I ced my hands on Yua¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Yua, I¡¯m not kidding. Oppa really is strong. I¡¯ll take care of it in a jiff ande back.¡±


    ¡°But oppa, if something goes wrong...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll escape right away if it bes too dangerous. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    I had the Return skill. No matter what situation I was in, I could run away if it became too dangerous. I knew what was important to me.


    ¡°Oppa...¡±


    ¡°Really, don¡¯t worry. Have I ever lied to you before?¡±


    ¡°No... but still.¡±


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t cry. We¡¯re home now, let¡¯s go in.¡±


    ¡°Oppa, can you reallye back right away if it bes dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Yua and I entered our home. There, father was waiting for me. He was wearing a full ck set of armor that I had never seen before. Because his helmet covered his face entirely, I thought it was someone else at first. I assumed he had his luck in the dungeon. Perhaps, a named monster or two. I didn¡¯t believe it was better than a Floor Master Set, but I was jealous about how it looked. He looked like a ck knight.


    ¡°Son, are you going?¡±


    ¡°What about you, father?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask such an obvious question, son. I always wanted to fight against an opponent that big.¡±


    ¡°Dad¡¯s going too!?¡±


    After the painstaking effort I put into calming her, Yua looked like she was about to cry again. However, father was much more skilled in calming a child.


    ¡°Yua, tonight¡¯s dinner is going to be boar meat soup, just wait. Make sure you watch how cool daddy is on TV.¡±


    ¡°Hiing, Dad!¡±


    Although it was useless, seeing that Yua¡¯s target had changed to father, I slowly went into my room and equipped the Lizard Knight Set. With my silver set of armor, I equipped a face-covering helmet like father¡¯s. No one would know that I was Kang Shin or even that I was Yeon Hwawoo.


    [Yeon Hwawoo, Yungoong ajusshi! Are the two of you going? Will you? Please!]


    [No, of course I won¡¯t.]


    [Sorry,ss. My family is my priority.]


    [Uk, b-but!]


    Although I found it slightly creepy, it seemed father and I had an invisible connection between us. Even without saying anything, our coordination was perfect. Of course, even as I said that, I sent Mastiford a private message.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to Guangzhou. Yungoong ajusshi said he¡¯de too. We just don¡¯t want to let Walker know.¡±


    [Yeon Hwawoo! Thanks, you really are a nice guy!]


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Keep it a secret in themunication channel. You can tell Minami-ssi privately.¡±


    [Leave it to me!]


    When I went outside my room, Yua was hanging on father with teary eyes and father seemed to be at a loss for what to do. With my armor fully equipped, I opened my phone to confirm the current situation. I was calm to the point where I could leisurely think about how supernatural I¡¯d look with my armor.


    [I think we¡¯re done then. The Chinese Awakened will take care of this problem, though at the cost of civilian casualties.]


    [I understood, so shut up, Walker.]


    [Whoa, don¡¯t be so sensitive, me Witch. I¡¯ll be leaving then.]


    [Unni, I can go in your ce! I can do it!]


    [No, Sumire. That won¡¯t change the fact that I can¡¯t go to China. I know how strong Sumire¡¯s defense is, but Sumire¡¯s stillcking in offensive power. Although I don¡¯t want to admit it, we¡¯ll have to listen to Walker. Let¡¯s just be patient. Soon, I¡¯ll make an organization strong enough that things like this won¡¯t happen!]


    [Unni... Sorry, if only I was stronger...]


    [Uuu, Sumireeee...]


    Mastiford, excellent acting skills! I¡¯ll leave it to you to exin things to Minami.


    In truth, it would have been better for them to not know, but no matter how dense they were, they would find out once they saw our abilities or equipment. It would be impossible to prevent them from finding out. Since the scene of us going wild will undoubtedly be caught on camera, I let Mastiford know beforehand. Not to mention, they were both quite trustworthy.


    I didn¡¯t know about Walker, yet. He seemed logical and cold, but I didn¡¯t know much else. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to tell Mastiford in themunication channel. Hoping Mastiford would spin it well for Minami, I checked the current situation. The Mini Krakens had suddenly divided and increased in number. Instead of Walker who went silent, Mastiford exined the situation.


    [Those guys are mana-eaters too...! They divided in response to the debuff magic! Geez, what¡¯s wrong with China!? Is it some cursednd?]


    [They aren¡¯t hard to deal with individually, but it¡¯ll take a long time for them topletely disappear!]


    ¡°Father, what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fight with my fists. I¡¯ve got a nice toy, too. No one will notice it was me from this battle.¡±


    Showing the bracelet he had on his gauntlet, father grinned. Of course, I knew his martial arts skill wasn¡¯t any worse than mine. With his bracelet that shot out spider webs, I knew he¡¯d do a great job.


    ¡°Use your spear if it gets dangerous. No, if it gets dangerous, just run away with me. You remember how my Return skill works, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry. Your father¡¯s high-rank Martial Arts skill is already level 4.¡±


    Mine was only high-rank level 2! It seemed I was worried for nothing.


    ¡°Plus, if I thought it was too dangerous, I wouldn¡¯t have said I was going. No matter how precious people¡¯s lives are, they can¡¯t be more important than mine.¡±


    ¡°You really think the same way I do.¡±


    I lowered my helmet¡¯s visor to cover my facepletely. I even had Otus¡¯ Secret equipped just in case. With my silver hair, people wouldn¡¯t suspect that I was Korean even if my helmet came off.


    ¡°Let¡¯s quickly take care of those weaklings and im the rewards.¡±


    Us father and son duo had no intention of giving up such massive rewards to the Chinese Guardians. Especially given that they showed no concern for their own citizens! Human lives were one thing, but our goal was the raid itself. We could save human lives and even im the rewards! We wouldn¡¯t let such an opportunity go.


    ¡°Oppa, make sure to run away if it gets dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯lle back soon.¡±


    Yua still seemed worried, so I relieved her anxiety with a loud voice. Then, father and I dered our intention of fighting in the B-rank 500-man Raid at Guangzhou.


    The next moment, we found ourselves at Guangzhou¡¯s scene of destruction. It was an abrupt teleportation just like when I used Return.

 Chapter 60. Event Raid (3)

    Chapter 60. Event Raid (3)


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Who are they!?¡±


    As I didn¡¯t know Chinese, I had no idea what they were saying. The only Chinese I knew was ¡®Have you eaten?¡¯ This sentence, if said in Korea, would cause you to get a beating. [1. ¡®Have you eaten?¡¯ is ¡®ni chi fan le ma¡¯, which in a Korean-Chinese ent, sounds like ¡®you fucker¡¯. It¡¯s a well-known joke in Korea.] Even if you said you were pronouncing it wrong or that actual Chinese people wouldn¡¯t understand, it didn¡¯t matter. You would get beaten without doubt.


    In any case, since my words couldn¡¯t get through to them, I simply ignored the Awakened present. They weren¡¯t worthy of my attention, as they were at a loss for what to do against the Giant Iron Boar. Soon, they wouldn¡¯t really care about us anyways.


    [KUOOOOOO!]


    ¡°The boar! Run!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, it¡¯sing here!¡±


    As I thought, it only took a moment before the Awakened¡¯s formation broke down. Magician-type Awakened, who had weak constitutions, would be killed in an instant if the boar got to them. As such, they were hastily running away. It didn¡¯t look like there were any S-rank ability users on this battlefield, as no one dared to face the boar head on. Really, Guangzhou was a big city too! They should be more concerned!


    With how many people they had, did they not mind ordinary civilians or weak ability users dying? There was almost no resistance against Guangzhou¡¯s boar. There must have been a fair number of tourists too. Although the Chinese government was holding their ground for now, the internationalmunity¡¯s voice would only get louder as time went on.


    When the talk reached the point where they discussed why they refused foreign ability users offer to help, their malicious intent would be revealed fully. I didn¡¯t understand why they did something they couldn¡¯t handle. Sometimes, adults were surprisingly immature and simple. Yet, they were also cruel.


    ¡°Son, it¡¯sing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready, father.¡±


    The boar roaring out happily as it received magical attacks from all sides was finally about to reach us. As it charged forward, it felled all buildings and trees, and destroyed roads. It was almost as if an earthquake had struck. However, father cast his spider web between all the debris and grabbed on to the one end. When the Giant Boar was right in front of the threads, he sent out the strongest shockwave he could muster. I would never forget what happened afterwards.


    [KUOOOOOO!]


    The moment the boar was caught in the spider web, it couldn¡¯t win against its own forward momentum. Its back legs floated up, followed by his body and front legs, while its face was leaning down. It was truly a moment where a pig (though it was upside down) flew.


    I was shocked by father¡¯s ability. Just by sending a shockwave into his spider web, he lifted a massive raid boss meant for 500 people to defeat into the air! I didn¡¯t know whether it was his ability, his spider web, or the timing, but it was impressive nheless.


    The boar¡¯s legs squirmed around mid-air, but in this situation where things with wings were falling out of the sky, a wingless pig could not stay afloat.


    I did not really mind the boar falling down, but I did mind the shockwave that would result from the several thousand-ton boar falling down from dozens of meters in the sky.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Shock Absorption!¡±


    Immediately afterwards, the boar fell on the ground. However, the shockwave that might have caused a second disaster did not happen. Father¡¯s armor simply made a creaking sound. It seemed the massive force took a toll on father¡¯s body. Even so, father held on safely, which was what surprised me the most. He then let out a spirited shout.


    ¡°Shock Reflection!¡±


    I covered my ears. A ear-shattering sound wave shook my eardrums. Father¡¯s extrarge shockwave, which even affected his own son, shot out in a line andpletely destroyed one of the boar¡¯s hind legs. For the first time since it made its appearance, the boar received a clear blow. Not to mention, it was a fatal blow that robbed it of one of its limbs!


    ¡°Well done, father!¡±


    [KUOOOOOOONG!]


    The boar let out a hollow groan. Just its groan caused the earth to tremor and windows on faraway buildings to shatter.


    ¡®I hope no one died from that. I mean, what idiot would stay in a building with all that¡¯s happening?¡¯ Thinking rather useless things, I made my move as well.


    ¡°Tria!¡±


    [You summoned Tria. For the next 10 minutes, you can freely fly or walk on air. If flying, you will receive an additional 100 percent increase to your movement speed. Remaining time: 09:59:99]


    I kicked off the ground. While I was soaring through the air, I called Peika and infused her into my gauntlet.


    [Master, are we hunting that giant thing?]


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Peika. Tonight¡¯s dinner is boar pork belly!¡±


    I elerated and charged towards the boar. When it saw me soaring through the air towards it, it stopped crying out in pain and limped up, ring at me in rage. Father¡¯s excellent focus fire had already caused it to lose its ability to charge. Even so, it was still raging with spirit. It then opened its mouth wide. In the middle of charging towards him, I stopped. Thinking ¡®no way,¡¯ I hastily changed my direction just in case. Immediately afterwards, it let out a horrible screech.


    [UOOOOOOOONG!]


    A shockwave simr to father¡¯s shout came out from its mouth and shed by below my feet. When I turned around, a building was crumbling down after receiving the shockwave.


    ¡°Father, is this your disciple!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say stupid things and look forward!¡±


    Father shouted as he ran towards me. I also regathered my focus and charged towards the boar. Although it continued to shoot out shockwaves from its mouth, I had nothing to be afraid of after finding out it only flew out in a straight line. I flew even faster. My aim was its left eye.


    ¡°Haaaaap! Die!¡±


    ¡®I really need to do something about my habit of shouting out.¡¯ Murmuring in my mind, I extended my right hand forward and shot into its left eye.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [KUAAAAAA!]


    Its blood sshed onto my armor. My gauntlet imbued with Spirit Aura continued to dig into its eye, flickering with countless lightning. However, a mysterious power prevented me from digging past a certain point in its eye. Was this the barrier I heard raid bosses possessed? Just as I was thinking that, an alert rang out.


    [You mastered low-rank Spirit Mastery! The spiritual quality of all beings connected to your soul improves, increasing your affinity to them.]


    [You learned mid-rank Spirit Mastery! You be more specialized in handling spiritual power. Souls connected to you by strong bonds be stronger and easier to bring forth.]


    In an instant, my Spirit Aura became stronger. I poured my mana into my gauntlet and strengthened Spirit Aura. Peika, who was infused into my gauntlet, shouted.


    [Thunder Bomb!]


    BOOM! The lightning energy concentrated on my gauntlet exploded out, dying the scenery in front of my eyes in a radiant gold. At the same time, the boar¡¯s unpleasant roar rang out.


    [KIAAAAAAAAAAK!]


    ¡®Even if you¡¯re a mana-eater, it looks like you can¡¯t eat mana transposed with elemental power. Peika really is the best!¡¯


    In an instant, Peika and I seeded in breaking through its barrier and bursting its left eye. Even while feeling disgusted by the remains of its eye that sshed onto me, I crawled out of its eye socket.


    From the shock and pain of losing its eye, the boar was raving in fury. With just three legs, it stumbled about, unable to find its bnce. I, on the other hand, could fly using Tria. Grabbing onto its hair tightly, Inded on its forehead area.


    Then, a strange scene reflected into my eyes. Father was running this way while avoiding several Chinese Awakened.


    ¡°Kill them!¡±


    ¡°Not only are they trespassers, they¡¯re thieves who are here to steal China¡¯s resources!¡±


    ¡°Son, these crazy bastards are attacking me instead of the boar!¡±


    They really were crazy bastards. I couldn¡¯t give them points for their actions, but I understood where they came from. The boar had lost a leg and eye. They probably thought they could take it on as it was now. They were trying to take care of father and me who drove the boar to this state so they could im the boar for themselves.


    I was dumbfounded. It wasn¡¯t like I could attack them... No, how did they even think to attack foreign ability users who came to help them? Why don¡¯t they help evacuate civilians who couldn¡¯t escape!?


    Then, the boar turned to the direction where many people were gathered even as it writhed in pain. I gripped onto its hair tightly so that I wouldn¡¯t be shaken off.


    ¡°Father, I think it¡¯s going your way!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    Father continued running towards me as heughed. Facing the boar¡¯s charge, the Chinese Awakened gave up their chase and scattered in all directions. However, ability users that seemed high-ranked didn¡¯t run away, but pointed stick-like things toward the boar. I liked their backbones, but were they trying to use magic?


    ¡°Fireball!¡±


    ¡°me Wave!¡±


    ¡°Freezing Lance!¡±


    ¡®Idiots, stop using magic!¡¯ Just when I was about to yell at them to stop, I nked out. No matter how I looked at it, that magic... they were targeting me! My back was stinging. They were targeting me for sure! I was so dumbfounded, I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    These idiots! They didn¡¯t think to help us who saved them from brink of death, and instead tried to kill us. They weren¡¯t even human!


    ¡°Dragon Skin!¡±


    My armor shone red. Although I didn¡¯t get faster by three times, my defense went up by over three times. However, even after I took the trouble to strengthen my defense, their attacks didn¡¯t even ze me as they exploded near the boar¡¯s nose. The enraged boar opened its mouth and threw out a shockwave.


    [KUOOOONG!]


    ¡°Kuaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    The magicians weren¡¯t able to dodge its shockwave, which traveled faster than bullets. Without even keeping their human appearance, they shattered into pieces and died.


    They had to be at least B-rank ability users. I suspected they were more likely A-rank ability users, considered high-ranked amongst all ability users. They died such futile deaths. Even so, I didn¡¯t pity them in the slightest. It was the result of them trying to kill another human being. That said, I did feel slightly unpleasant.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough from you!¡±


    I grabbed onto its hair one by one, using them like icepicks as I climbed its head like a mountain. When I reached the top of its head, Iy down. The boar was goingpletely wild, charging through the streets of Guangzhou, which no longer even had anything to be broken. Even as it staggered about without a leg, it did not fall and shook its body as it tried to send me flying. The scenery around me constantly changed. Were there still civilians who couldn¡¯t escape? Was father fine?


    Then, I caught sight of the scenery below. While Awakened gathered in one ce were escaping in all directions like scattering ants, father shot out spider webs from his bracelet and stuck it to the boar¡¯s back. He then used it like a rope to climb the boar.


    ¡®Oh, father, your rope climbing skills are excellent! But sorry, your chance to shine is over!¡¯ With that, I shouted.


    ¡°KUAAANG!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    Then, I continued.


    ¡°Dark Thunder Explosion!¡±

 Chapter 61. Event Raid (4)

    Chapter 61. Event Raid (4)


    Spirit Aura subsided for an instant, and ck lightning shed from my body. Dark Thunder Explosion¡¯s initial lightning struck the boar¡¯s body just as I had nned. It was then that I noticed that its body seemed to have a metallic property, just like the name ¡®Iron Boar¡¯ suggested. Its whole body flinched as it was hit by the first hint of lightning energy.


    This was a big deal. A giant monster that was over 70 meters in length and 50 meters in height flinched from just a weak lightning energying from a 2-meter-tall human? It should have felt like a mosquito bite for most monsters of this size. Dark Thunder Explosion¡¯s initial lightning had little meaning. Even humans didn¡¯t take much damage from it.


    ¡®Wait, what about the magician from before that used lightning magic? ... If it absorbed that magic with its mana-eater property, then was there something special about Dark Thunder Explosion? Then again, Floor Masters wouldn¡¯t use ordinary magic.¡¯ After reasoning up to that point, I closed my eyes as the ck lightning started exploding out from my body. I loved this skill, but because the lightning exploded out from my body, it hurt to look at it.


    ¡°Go wild!¡±


    Pzzzzt!


    [KUAAAAAAA!]


    Dark Thunder Explosion seemed to be much more potent than usual. Was it because I was against ¡®Iron¡¯ Boar? The Giant Iron Boar stopped charging for an instant. However, the Dark Thunder Explosion was only now starting!


    ¡°B-B-Boom!¡±


    [KUAAAAANG!]


    The boar couldn¡¯t withstand the pain and rolled on the ground. Rolled! This crazy bastard! Thankfully, I was safe as its head was still hanging in the air. Still, I was almost crushed to death by its weight of several thousand tons. I wouldn¡¯t even have had time to escape using Tria.


    No matter how great Dragon Skin was as a defensive skill, it would not have mattered. I would not have just been hit by the force of several thousand tons, but I also would have been crushed between it and the ground. I would have ended up exactly like the Lizard Knight who faced my jujitsu skills. Swallowing my spit, I felt relieved knowing that I had just escaped certain death.


    [KUOOOOOOONG!]


    Opening my eyes as I still tightly held onto its hair, I gasped. Its hair, which was once shining with a ck luster, was now dyed grey and losing strength. When I pulled on it with a bit of strength, it came out. It wasn¡¯t only the hair in Dark Thunder Explosion¡¯s range. The hair on its entire body was the same. His body really had a metallic property, and had conducted Dark Thunder Explosions shock throughout its body. With that, it was understandable that even the 500-man raid scaled massive boss monster could not withstand the shock and rolled on the ground.


    The boar looked like a pig struck by lightning as its three legs trembled uncontrobly. The melee ranged Awakened, who had only been watching, finally started to approach the boar. From what I could see, there were a quite a few A-ranked ones as well.


    The A-ranked ones could have helped out previously, but it seemed they just let the boar be so that they could avoid danger. They really were selfish!


    ¡°You people won¡¯t get a chance! Thunder Beast!¡±


    [Master, you can do it!]


    With Peika cheering me on, my body became enveloped in golden lightning. Surprisingly, my mana was almost entirely full. Because Dark Thunder Explosion didn¡¯t use up my mana, it had filled up in the meantime. Even so, Thunder Beast would onlyst 100 seconds max. I lifted my hands up and struck down at the boar¡¯s head.


    ¡°Die! Die! Die! Die!¡±


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Every time I struck down at its head, the lightning in my fists flowed freely down from its head to toes. I didn¡¯t know why, but each of my lightning attacks damaged its entire body!


    ¡°Son, I¡¯m being electrocuted too!¡±


    ¡°Just run! Die! Die!¡±


    Of course, father was joking. My lightning would not damage my party members. However, the Awakened, who were picking on the boar with their swords or spears, weren¡¯t so fortunate. Shocked by the lightning, they trembled and fainted while standing. It served them right!


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!


    [KUAAAAA!]


    The Giant Iron Boar roared and made a final struggle for survival. However, Tria¡¯s 10-minute time limit was not over yet! No matter how much the boar struggled, how much the roads sunk beneath it, or how many Chinese Awakened joined in or were forced to give up attacking, I didn¡¯t pay them any mind and continued to pummel one area. Then, the lightning energy exploding out from my hands became stronger.


    [Thunder Beast bes level 2! Using the skill will further strengthen your body¡¯s physical ability and lightning power. This skill uses 0.9 percent of your mana and health per second, and uses 0.9 percent of HP and MP per second when used inside the dungeon.]


    Great, the time went up! Excited, I punched with more spirit. I loved watching the Giant Boar twitch every time my fist struck its body. The monster that threatened arge city like Guangzhou was screaming in pain at my fists! This fact acted as a huge catharsis and boost for my spirit.


    Boom! Boom! Boom! Crack!


    A cracking sound rang out for a moment. I would be finished soon! I elerated my attacks and struck down incessantly. I could feel the boar¡¯s resistance growing fainter. Eventually, it¡¯s whole body convulsed onest time.


    [Kuoooooo...!]


    After what clearly was its death throes, the boar went limp, the weight crushing the ground even further. It seemed the repair work would take some effort. I quickly deactivated Thunder Beast. Immediately afterwards, a fanfare rang out.


    [Event Raid Complete! With just two members, you seeded in the Event Raid! This Grand Achievement increases the rewards by an enormous amount! Your vastly superior rank to the raid boss decreases the rewards by an enormous amount!]


    So there¡¯s no difference! Just don¡¯t say it then!


    [You seeded in the Event Raid, granting 1 bonus stat. You are the first to seed in an Event Raid on Earth! You obtained 1 skill point. Current skill points: 10]


    [The raid rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Rage Rush Boots


    2. Shockwave Belt]


    [You can return to your previous location at any time. Would you like to return?]


    Haa, I knew even without seeing. The Rage Rush Boots were likely rted to the boar¡¯s charging, and the Shockwave Belt was likely rted to the shockwaves it shot out from its mouth. Although I liked the shockwave more than the charge... there was the ck Earthen Spear and the ring I got from the Giant Zombie¡¯s Attack. Not to mention, father would be better at utilizing the effects of the belt. As such, I decided to yield the belt to father.


    After I chose the Rage Rush Boots and put them into my inventory, father made an extremely satisfied expression as he looked at the reward. No, I couldn¡¯t see his expression with the visor he had on, but I assumed that¡¯s the expression he had. After seeing that father was unhurt, I checked the surroundings. Arge army of Chinese Awakened were encircling us from a distance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    ¡°You are under arrest for vition of the internationalw!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what they were saying, but their expressions seemed to say they wanted to kill us. I smirked. The real world was different the dungeon. That is, the corpse of the raid boss had not disappeared into tiny particles. Their goal was likely this. The product of humans¡¯ dirty, ugly greed. Look at the result! The boar you all wanted was here, but countless human lives and the cityscape had been ruined!


    They would want the boar even more as a tangible result. If a Bluestone appeared from this boar, there would be money left over after covering the loss from Guangzhou¡¯s destroyed city!


    ¡°Father, go back first.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you at home.¡±


    Father shouted that he¡¯d return to his previous location, and disappeared instantly. When the Chinese Awakened saw this, they became shocked and rushed towards me, who was standing on the boar¡¯s head.


    ¡°Those bastards!¡±


    ¡°Capture him! Right now!¡±


    I smirked once again and ced my hand on the boar¡¯s head. Then, I imagined.


    I imagined the boar going into my inventory.


    ¡°Huk!¡±


    ¡°The boar disappeared!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that fucker¡¯s doing! Capture him right now!¡±


    ¡°Magic, use magic!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s toote!¡±


    Even though it took 240 slots out of my 260 total inventory slots, I sessfully managed to store the massive boar into my inventory. I was thankful I didn¡¯t have random things stored in there like father. Although they wouldn¡¯t be able to see my smirk through my visor, I made an even bigger one just to show my dominance.


    The magic attacks, which were used to strengthen the boar, attack us who came to help them, and attempt to steal the boar¡¯s corpse, could not reach me. I dered my intention of going back.


    Immediately afterwards, I found myself at home.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Wait, oppa is dirty right now!¡±


    Yua seemed to have been waiting for my return, as she jumped at me straight away. I wanted to stop her as the boar¡¯s blood, flesh, and other filthy parts were all over me, but I failed to stop Yua. Plus, because I was wearing my armor, I couldn¡¯t even feel Yua¡¯s embrace!


    ¡°Oppa, hic, I was so worried! I almost died from worrying too much!¡±


    Yua didn¡¯t mind that I was wearing armor or how dirty I was, as she buried her face near my helmet and cried. I wanted to console her in some way, but I felt like I would be scolded no matter what I said, so I stayed silent. Behind Yua, I could see father shaking his head. He was looking at Yua disappointedly with his helmet in one hand.


    ¡°Yua didn¡¯t hug daddy...¡±


    ¡°Oppa, oppaaa...¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s because I ran a more dangerous circus on top of the boar¡¯s head.¡¯ Although I wanted to tell him that, I just swallowed the words. Without father¡¯s help, it would have been much more difficult to kill the boar. Father yed a big role in today¡¯s sess, as he absorbed the boar¡¯s shockwaves and even destroyed one of its legs.


    ¡°Yua, oppa is okay, so calm down. Oppa wants to wash up, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uung, okay... hic.¡±


    Even after saying that, Yua stayed glued to my body for another 5 minutes. It was only after father childishlyined about not getting attention that she let me go. As Yua became dirty from hugging me, father made a shocking offer for all three of us to go into the bath together. I stopped his dangerous suggestion and made Yua enter the bath by the living room, as father and I made our way to the upstairs bathroom.


    ¡°You did well today, son.¡±


    ¡°Same for you, father.¡±


    After cleaning the filth off of our bodies, we sat in therge bathtub and exchanged praise. Then, we silently relieved our exhaustion in the bath.


    We experienced many things today in less than an hour. However, we decided not to say much about it.


    Our strange silence was interrupted by a message that rang out in my ear.


    [Yeon Hwawoo, thank you so much! Thanks to you, only Guangzhou¡¯s central region has been partially destroyed!]

 Chapter 62. Event Raid (5)

    Chapter 62. Event Raid (5)


    ¡°Ah, Mastiford-ssi.¡±


    Even with all the effort I put in, the city was still half-destroyed. I didn¡¯t know whether to be happy or sad. However, the fact that civilian casualties had not spread was a relief. If father and I didn¡¯t kill it, the boar would have kept charging through Guangzhou and destroyed the entire city. If that happened, millions of people would have died.


    [You were even stronger than before, at least as strong as S-rank. Ah, of course, I¡¯m still much stronger! Oh, if you¡¯re with Yungoong ajusshi, tell him that he looked cool today!]


    ¡°We went our way right after the raid. You should tell him yourself, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be happy.¡±


    [Yeah, I will. Ah, um... Thanks. I was touched. I thought you were selfish and mean, but you¡¯re really a good guy! A cool guy! I, Hwaya Mastiford, can guarantee it.]


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go just to save people. I went because I knew I could win.¡±


    [Even so!]


    Mastiford¡¯s good mood was clear from the excitement in her voice. Then, she suddenly became quieter.


    [Sorry for putting you through all that danger... I hope something like this doesn¡¯t happen again, but if it does, I¡¯ll be sure to go with you.]


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t alone. Yungoong ajusshi was there too.¡±


    [Ah, uh, y-yeah.]


    Mastiford¡¯s voice shook a little. I shook my head at father who was asking what was up. Then, I returned to my conversation with her.


    ¡°But yes, we shoulde up with a n to deal with something like this. We can¡¯t let another Event Raid break out and have a country greedily say they¡¯ll take care of it on their own. Guangzhou had tourists from other countries too. We should leverage that fact and create a guideline or procedure for foreign ability user assistance in dealing with giant monster appearances.¡±


    [Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it. This time, I¡¯ll show you the weight that an SS-rank¡¯s words have! I¡¯m done sitting still and shaking my legs while I fully know others are dying!]


    Mastiford¡¯s voice was filled with rage and confidence. Thinking how she was fiery like mes, Iughed.


    ¡°What about Beijing and Shanghai?¡±


    [The monsters there were sessfully suppressed. Because the Chinese government deployed high-ranking ability users to both Shanghai and Beijing, their civilian casualties and materialistic damage were lower than Guangzhou¡¯s. Two S-rank ability users died in the process, though.]


    ¡°Died!? S-ranks?¡±


    [Yep. It was from the Mini Krakens¡¯ poison. Perhaps because the Curse Magician was there, they didn¡¯t send any healers above A-rank. Stupid. Because of their mana-eater property, the Mini Krakens evolved to near B+-rank, making their venom highly lethal. Two magicians without any resistance against them died. I think even the Chinese ability users were shocked.]


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Inside the bath, I closed my eyes and pondered. They really died in vain. Less than 0.1 percent of ability users were S-ranked, making them elites amongst elites. However, they died in a C-rank boss raid. It was the result of recklessly attacking the enemy without knowing their special property.


    Thinking how they died so stupidly while enjoying luxurious lives, a sense of emptiness swept over me. Reality was this unpredictable and cold-hearted. Everyone had to realize that the change that came with the second moon was not some gift from God.


    When I was bitterly thinking about the people that died, Mastiford called me.


    [Um... Yeon Hwawoo.]


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    [When are you going to stop calling me Mastiford-ssi? It feels stiff. You don¡¯t talk so formally otherwise.]


    ¡°... Hm?¡±


    [When it¡¯s just the two of us talking, call me Hwaya. That¡¯s easier and simpler, right? Okay, that¡¯s that! Thanks for today!]


    With that, she disappeared. I forgot the serious things I was pondering and became flustered. Eh? Uh...


    ¡°Is she saying we should be friends?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, son?¡±


    ¡°Uh... it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    It felt a bit weird to tell father about it. I didn¡¯t know why, but I found my heart pounding slightly... Why was it pounding? Was something wrong with me?


    ¡°Ah, it must be because I made a new friend.¡±


    I was satisfied with the answer I came up with. I had finally obtained the qualification to face Hwaya Eleni Mastiford eye to eye. From herself, no less!


    She didn¡¯t ask me to work under her either. She thanked me, and said she¡¯d join me in the future. It meant no one would be under anyone¡¯s orders, and that we would stand on equal footing. As friends. I thought my heart was pounding at the excitement of being acknowledged as a friend by an SS-rank ability user like herself.


    That was probably it. Yep, probably.


    That day, what happened at Guangzhou was broadcasted to the whole world. A knight in a ck suit of armor and a knight in a silver suit of armor suddenly appeared out of nowhere and disappeared along with the Giant Iron Boar after defeating it.


    The Chinese government treated them as international criminals and dered that they¡¯d capture them as they gritted their teeth. On the other hand, almost all other nations publicly denounced China, saying that they attacked this era¡¯s true knights. Not to mention, they attacked China for ignoring the safety of their citizens and foreign citizens that were there for tourism and business, all in their greed for monster remains.


    Countless internationalwsuits barraged them, the Chinese government sweated to take care of them all.


    In the end, through a joint public negotiation between Guardian and Freedom Wing, an internationalw was created to outline the procedure of Guardian, Freedom Wing, and rogue ability users when another massive monster outbreak urred. Although a simrw already existed, what happened with China today emphasized the importance of suchws, repealing and reinstituting apletely new, strengthenedw.


    In the case that civilian evacuation was not prioritized, or the monsters were not taken care of within a fixed amount of time, there would be no problem even if foreign countries¡¯ ability users appeared to help out.


    There was already aw that said any ability users counter attacking in self-defense in case of a monster outbreak would not be held responsible for damages. As such, the ability users that were in the area would automatically be eligible to fight any monsters.


    This neww allowedbat units of each country¡¯s Guardians and Freedom Wings to act more freely. When an event raid urred in a country, thesebat units of neighboring countries could be deployed as soon as a fixed amount of time passed.


    Of course, thew worked differently for dungeon explorers. We could teleport to target locations as soon as the fixed time passed.


    [Rather interesting rumors are going around. Two people in a full suit of armor suddenly teleported in, an ability user that could teleport people teleported two strong melee ability users into battle, etc. It would seem that the characters from these rumors are among us.]


    [That¡¯s an interesting story, but rumors are rumors.]


    [You aren¡¯t wrong, but it¡¯s clear that these aren¡¯t just rumors. Not to mention, I¡¯ve seen what happened at Guangzhou. Mastiford couldn¡¯t have been there, especially since I already know her ability. That would mean the culprit is among the three of you.]


    [I could say the same about you, Walker. Not that I think you¡¯d be the type to do something so admirable.]


    [You¡¯re right, I wouldn¡¯t do something like that... I¡¯ll let this conversation rest here.]


    Of the two armored knights that appeared in Guangzhou, the media began to call the one in ck suit of armor, ¡®Dark Knight,¡¯ while the one who freely controlled lightning was called ¡®Thunder Knight.¡¯ These nicknames spread to other media tforms and became universal. Every time I heard the media call us Dark Knight and Thunder Knight, I couldn¡¯t help but cringe.


    ¡°My Thunder Knight, bring your father some water.¡±


    ¡°Dark Knight-nim, why don¡¯t you get it yourself?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, you must be itching for battle, Thunder Knight.¡±


    ¡°You must be quite bored yourself, Dark Knight-nim!¡±


    ... After a few battles with our honor on the line, we negotiated by agreeing to never call each other by our nicknames.


    *


    [Rage Rush Boots (Unique)


    Durability ¨C 170/170


    Defense ¨C 240


    Equipment Limit ¨C Level 35+, 100+ Dexterity, 80+ Constitution


    Options ¨C Strength +5, Dexterity +10; Increases the effectiveness of all rush-type skills by 50 percent.]


    The boots I got from the Giant Iron Boar was iparably stronger than the Lizard Knight Set in terms of defense. Not to mention, the boots looked extremely fancy as it let out a ck luster. Unfortunately, my level and stats weren¡¯t high enough to equip it. Plus, equipping it would break my set effect, though it would technically be made up for by Rage Rush Boots¡¯ options. As I didn¡¯t have any rush-type skills, the boots didn¡¯t have much effect on me either. As such, it was trapped in my inventory for now.


    Of course, not having these boots didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t hunt the Giant Ghoul by myself. Even today, I easily hunted a Giant Ghoul and consumed Skin Strengthening Elixirs.


    [Your skin bes strengthened to the limit, bing tough enough to withstand spears and swords without armor. All blemishes on your skin disappear, making it even smoother and clear. Your constitution and charm both increase by 3. It seems consuming more of this item will have no further effect.]


    Nice, this was thest one! As expected, the Skin Strengthening Elixir increased my constitution and charm by 12 each. Looking at myself in the mirror, I noticed that my skin was much smoother and cleaner than before. Even I thought I looked good. I felt how important having good skin was.


    ¡°Are you close topletely conquering the 25th floor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s only one equipment part I didn¡¯t get. I hope it appears next time, and not some other part or Skin Strengthening Elixir.¡±


    I used another Party Member Scarecrow as I answered Loretta. Nodding her head, Loretta calmly replied.


    ¡°In that case Shin-nim, I¡¯ll see you after your next raid. Don¡¯t forget to visit me afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After casually answering Loretta, I turned my back from her. I could hear her letting out a light sigh from behind, but I didn¡¯t look back. Who knew if she¡¯d try to sell something to me again?


    ¡°Guoooooo!¡±


    ¡°All of you,e at me!¡±


    [You used the skill, Provoke! You draw nearby enemies towards you!]


    Giant Ghoul¡¯s solo raid was extremely simple. First, I just had to repeatedly use Provoke to gather the zombies towards me. Then, I didn¡¯t even need to use Elemental Tempest, as just a few normal Tempests were enough topletely wipe out most of the zombies, opening a path to the Giant Ghoul.


    ¡°Tempest! Tempest!¡±


    ¡°Humaaan...¡±


    ¡°Back... to... darkness...¡±


    As zombies continued rising from the ground, I just ignored them after I opened up the path. I ran towards the Giant Ghoul, at the same time the Giant Ghoul ran towards me, enraged by the fact that I killed so many zombies.


    ¡°GUOOOOOO!¡±


    ¡°Huu, haap!¡±


    Raids in real life were good, but the dungeon¡¯s raids also had their charm. Being able to fight against opponents this strong and feeling myself getting stronger in the process, there was no better feeling!


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    I leaped up diagonally and extended ck Earthen Spear¡¯s reach with my mana. shing through the back of Giant Ghoul¡¯s hand, I lightlynded while breaking a few tombstones on my way. With luck, the Giant Ghoul was immediately poisoned. Blood was flowing down from his mouth. I loved ck Earthen Spear¡¯s poison. Not only did it deal continuous damage over time, it also slowed the enemy¡¯s movements and made him more vulnerable to fatal attacks.


    ¡°GUOOOOOO, HUMAAAAAN!¡±


    ¡°I swear, I¡¯ll change my race one day. Then I won¡¯t have to listen to that line again... Haat!¡±


    The Giant Ghoul reached toward me on all fours. Dodging his steel ws, I swung my spear at his face and shot out a Thunder Bomb. After my Spirit Mastery became mid-ranked, it became easier to use Peika¡¯s elemental magic while maintaining Spirit Aura state.


    ¡°KUOOOOO!¡±


    ¡°Being sturdy is your strong point! Come on, be more aggressive!¡±


    Floor Master battles were so difficult because of the bosses¡¯ cheat-like skills, strong attacks, and boundless health and defense. In other words, if you could avoid their attacks and pierce through their defense and deal damage, you could easily kill the Floor Master alone.


    Of course, most people would not even have a chance as they would be kicked out after taking a blow. The Floor Masters¡¯ attacks had a wide reach and could easily be fatal to anyone that was hit. To shave down their boundless health while fighting them alone, the challenger would need to stay tense and alert the entire fight.

 Chapter 63. Draconian Lin (1)

    Chapter 63. Draconian Lin (1)


    The Giant Ghoul was big even among Floor Masters. His ws were imbued with a mana of death, and when he rampaged, you took mild damage just from being in contact with the ground. Not to mention, he endlessly spawned hordes of zombies, forcing you to stay wary at all times.


    However, I could already easily dodge its attacks, had immense attack power, and had defensive power that mere zombies could not break through. When I obtained a certain skill on top of all that, the Giant Ghoul raid simply became too easy.


    It was the reward I received from solo clearing the Giant Ghoul raid.


    [Death Counter (passive) ¨C You will not get intimidated against the undead. Against the undead, all attack skills be 50 percent stronger and you cannot be an undead. This skill has no skill level.]


    I found it quite ironic that a skill perfect for fighting against the undead only appeared after defeating the Giant Ghoul solo, but there wasn¡¯t much I could do about it.


    The part about not being intimidated by the undead was a strong effect. It was only after I obtained the skill that I realized my attacks were unnatural when fighting the undeadpared to when I was fighting other monsters. Not only were my attacks unnatural, my defensive or evasive maneuvers all had strange, unnecessary movements mixed into them.


    When I asked Loretta about it, she said living beings instinctively became weaker in face of the undead, who defied death and desired the living. I felt that skills really were amazing, being able to defy something instinctive.


    Plus, the 50 percent attack boost when using attack skills was the main charm.


    ¡°GUOOOO!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll return you to hell soon!¡±


    I slowly disabled the Giant Ghoul. When a target was this big, it was best to gradually make parts of its body incapable of fighting. First, I worked on the Giant Ghoul¡¯s left arm. Starting from the back of the hand to the wrist, forearm, and shoulder, I precisely pierced target locations with my spear. The Giant Ghoul then became unable to move his arm.


    ¡°Haaaap!¡±


    I then continued to his left leg. It only took about 10 minutes topletely render half of his body useless. At this point, the Giant Ghoul began to look for zombies to consume in order to recover his injuries. The problem was that since he could only use half of his body, only his right hand could help him in this task. The Giant Ghoul was truly too predictable!


    The Giant Ghoul quickly dragged his body to where the zombies were. Before he could grab any, I shot a Tempest forward.


    ¡°Kuooooo!¡±


    ¡°And take this!¡±


    When the Giant Ghoul missed his targets and let out an annoyed roar, I shot forward and stabbed my ck Earthen Spear into its right forearm. Then, I exploded my Spirit Aura.


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°KUAAAAAA!¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡±


    The Giant Ghoul screamed and tried to shake me off of his right arm. Before I could fall on the ground, I pulled out my ck Earthen Spear and jumped off. I had grown too used to fightingrge monsterstely. I found myself getting on and off their bodies with familiarity.


    ¡°What are you going to do now without your arms? Want to try using your mouth directly?¡±


    ¡°KIAAAAAA!¡±


    It went without saying that he tried to do exactly that. However, his target was no longer the zombies, but me. As if to devour me along with all the zombies slowly approaching me, the Giant Ghoul opened his mouth wide and shot forward. This was also the moment I was waiting for.


    ¡°Eat this! Heroic Strike!¡±


    I threw my ck Earthen Spear imbued with a generous amount of Spirit Aura. It shot forward like lightning and urately hit the Giant Ghoul¡¯s face, piercing through his skull. The Giant Ghoul¡¯s head exploded, scattering rotten blood and other substances into the air. With his defense being so easily broken, I didn¡¯t understand all theining other explorers did about it having imprable skin.


    The Giant Ghoul eked out a cry with its possibly broken vocal cords as it thrashed about. His health was likely reaching its bottom. He would soon use Diehard and try to recover his health and restore his injuries.


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t just sit still and let it happen! I took out my Silver Spear and aimed at his heart.


    ¡°Here¡¯s another one! Divine Speed, Heroic Strike!¡±


    The Silver Spearbined with Spirit Aura and let out a dazzling light. In truth, I thought that the Silver Spear looked cooler than the ck Earthen Spear. Thinking rather useless things while Divine Speed¡¯s time was ticking, I shot the Silver Spear toward the heart of the Giant Ghoul, who had just used Diehard and was in the process of recovering.


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Gu...ooooooooo....!¡±


    Of course, my attack hit its target perfectly. The Silver Spear pierced the Giant Ghoul¡¯s heart, which was strangely pumping out cold, rotten blood, and exploded it. After finding out Diehard activated using the heart as its basis, I always killed the Giant Ghoul without giving it time toplete Diehard.


    [You obtained 30,000 gold.]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Skin Strengthening Elixir


    2. Giant Ghoul¡¯s Shirt]


    Seeing the Giant Ghoul¡¯s Shirt on the reward list, I let out a sigh of relief. When I used a Party Member Scarecrow, the dungeon didn¡¯t consider the fight as a solo raid. As such, neither the special equipment piece nor the ¡®Death Counter Magic Book¡¯ dropped. There were two normal rewards to choose from, one of which was the Giant Ghoul¡¯s Shirt I had been waiting for.


    In truth, I didn¡¯t know what material the Giant Ghoul Set was made out of, and I didn¡¯t want to wear them because they felt dirty. Even so, I had to equip them once to confirm the set skill. With a frown, I equipped the Giant Ghoul Set.


    [You equipped the Giant Ghoul Set. Your strength and dexterity increase by 12. When the Giant Ghoul Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Diehard¡¯ once per day.]


    As expected, Diehard was the skill I received. I quickly stored it in my pocket watch¡¯s 5 o¡¯clock position and threw off the Giant Ghoul Set. Then, I closely examined Diehard¡¯s skill description.


    [Diehard: usable once per day. Automatically activates when HP falls below 3 percent, restoring all injuries and filling up your HP to 50 percent of its maximum.]


    ¡°Ama...¡±


    Amazing! This skill! What a cheat! As long as I didn¡¯t die in a single hit, I could recover up to 50 percent of my max HP even from 1 percent HP. Realizing once again that all Floor Masters¡¯ skills were cheats, I rubbed the pocket watch on my cheek. I couldn¡¯t be reckless just because I got this skill, but I could at least be more daring in the way I moved. Just that fact made this skill valuable!


    Just like that, I obtained the skill that wouldter give me the name ¡®Undying Crown Prince.¡¯


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: Elementalist (Sub ¨C Skill Collector) Title: Giant Ghoul yer Rank: Silver 7


    Level: 26


    HP ¨C 10,120/10,120 MP ¨C 6,230/6,230


    Strength ¨C 80(+35) Dexterity ¨C 74(+21) Constitution ¨C 78(+28)


    Intelligence ¨C 20(+11) Magic ¨C 79(+11) Charm ¨C 57(+11) Luck ¨C 21(+11)


    Normal Skill ¨C High-rank Martial Arts (Lv 2), High-rank Spear Technique (Lv 5), Mid-rank Heroic Strike (Lv 4), Mid-rank Provoke (Lv 3), Divine Speed (Lv 3), Return (Lv 1), Low-rank Dash (Lv 9), Peruta Circuit (Lv 4), Deific Manifestation, Death Counter


    ss Skill ¨C Mid-rank Spirit Mastery (Lv 1), Low-rank Spirit Aura (Lv 8), Low-rank Elemental Control (Lv 8), Low-rank Elemental Contract (Lv 8), Low-rank Elemental Tempest (Lv 9), Thunder Beast (Lv 2)


    Subss Skill ¨C Endow Skill, Spirit of the Collector]


    [Equipment:


    Power Earrings (Strength +2)


    Flesh Golem¡¯s Second Finger (Strength +7, Constitution +7)


    Lizard Knight Set (Strength +10, Dexterity +10)


    Arachne¡¯s ck Earthen Spear (Strength +5, Dexterity +10, Poison damage on all basic attacks, inflicts poison status effect.)]


    [Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch:


    1 o¡¯clock: Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry


    2 o¡¯clock: Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail


    3 o¡¯clock: Dark Thunder Explosion


    4 o¡¯clock: Dragon Skin


    5 o¡¯clock: Diehard]


    [2 Event Dungeon clears, 1 Event Raid clear, umted bonus stats: 3]


    [Current skill points: 10]


    [Six title-effects: (Orc Lord yer, Wraith Queen yer, Dark Ratman yer, Giant Ghoul yer, Lizard Knight Master, Hermes). umted effects: All stats +11, 15% speed increase, increased affinity to all elements, affinity to wind element greatly increased, can summon Tria once per day.]


    With an extremely satisfied expression, I headed towards Loretta, who greeted me with a smile.


    ¡°Looks like you got it, Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Yep. It was a much better skill than I expected... I¡¯m looking forward to the future.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, seeing you get stronger makes me all happy. Good luck going forward as well.¡±


    ¡°M-Mmm, thanks.¡±


    Eh...? Didn¡¯t she seem closer just now? When I tilted my head and pondered, Loretta interrupted like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.


    ¡°It looks like we won¡¯t meet at the Floor Shop for a while.¡±


    ¡°What!? Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my resting period, one thatsts for 1 year every 100 years. I¡¯m operating countless Floor Shops with my consciousness split into puppets. I sometimes need rest too, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Mm, I¡¯ll miss you.¡±


    ¡°... You really will miss me?¡±


    Loretta suddenly put her face close to mine and blinked. Although I was a little flustered, I answered her honestly.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve always been with Loretta. I had fun these past 5 years and even received a lot of help.¡±


    ¡°Will you miss me that much?¡±


    ¡°Well, of course... uuu, how embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shin-nim... I¡¯m embarrassed too.¡±


    With that, Loretta smiled bashfully. For an instant, I fell into a trance at her beautiful expression, and had to make an active effort to snap myself out of my daze. Then, Loretta put her hands in her shop apron pocket and took something out after rummaging through.


    ¡°Since you say that, this here is perfect for customer!¡±


    ¡°Ek! Are you selling something again in this timing?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Erm, well... I-It¡¯s not being sold.¡±


    Loretta shrunk back after shouting out full of spirit. She wasn¡¯t selling it? I looked at the object in her hand. It was a light blue crystal shaped like a small key. It was a truly borate and beautiful key.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Um, you know, Shin-nim. Shin-nim will be the owner of a mansion called Marianne¡¯s Garden.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I remember fromst time. You said Marianne¡¯s Garden was the only Special Mansion without an owner.¡±


    Loretta nodded her head silently and seriously.


    ¡°Special Mansions aren¡¯t something you can buy with money. They¡¯re a sort of special reward given out to explorers who made important achievements in the dungeon. When people realize Shin-nim is the owner of Marianne¡¯s Garden, all other dungeon explorers wille to look at Shin-nim with admiration. Ah, not that I think someone would go out of their way make trouble, but it¡¯s best that you don¡¯t go around telling everyone you meet that you¡¯re an owner of a Special Mansion. im it silently and enter it silently. The Residential Area has marketces and even adult entertainment districts, but residents have to use a special method to enter their houses. Unless they reveal where they live and lead others to it, no one can find out.¡±


    ¡°That makes me even more curious.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll receive something that looks like this key. You can use it to enter Marianne¡¯s Garden.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then what about this key?¡±


    Loretta became silent. Her cheeks flushed red.


    ¡°J-Just like its name suggests, Marianne¡¯s Gardenes with a beautiful garden. In the center of that garden, there is a spring called Fairy Spring. It¡¯s not only Marianne¡¯s Garden. Other Special Mansions also have special devices like the Fairy Spring. This key reacts to those devices and operates.¡±


    ¡°Operates?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out when you bring this key to Fairy Spring. T-Take it as a goodbye present!¡±


    Loretta handed the crystal key to me. As I epted it, I tilted my head. Operates? Will a giant robot pop out from the spring or something? Or will a door to a new world open? Although I wanted to ask Loretta, it didn¡¯t look like she would answer.


    ¡°M-Make sure you do it. Okay, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°I, I got it. I got it so don¡¯t look at me with those teary eyes.¡±


    Loretta was a bit strange today. When I looked at her, I felt stuffy and my heart pounded faster. I felt a bit hot, but I didn¡¯t think anything was different than usual. Did I catch a cold?


    ¡°T-Then you should head up. I also have to get ready and scrap the puppets.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you for everything until now, Loretta. I¡¯ll see you in a year.¡±


    ¡°... It... might not take a full year.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯d be great!¡±


    When I gave her my wholehearted smile, Loretta smiled wholeheartedly in return. It was a beautiful smile without a single blemish. She then said.


    ¡°How about you buy 100 bottles of Holy Water to say goodbye? If you buy all 100 bottles now, I¡¯ll give you a one-time 15% discount! That¡¯s only 1,275 gold!¡±


    ¡°The 26th floor is undead too, huh...¡±


    With that, I parted with Loretta. Because I felt like I lost a friend of 5 years, I felt extremely sad. Of course, at this point, I did not know where and how I woulde to reunite with her.

 Chapter 64. Draconian Lin (2)

    Chapter 64. Draconian Lin (2)


    When someone heard the word ¡®undead,¡¯ what were the monsters people would usually think of? Right, first were the zombies. The wraiths that appeared on the dungeon¡¯s 6th floor also counted as undead.


    The ones people would think of second were of course...


    ¡°Human.¡±


    ¡°Human with juicy ribs.¡±


    ¡°Splint bone is mine.¡±


    ¡°Screw off, I can¡¯t even make beef bone soup with you guys!¡±


    Skeletons. They were undead creatures without a single bit of flesh and were made of white or ck bones.


    [Lightning doesn¡¯t work well on bones, Master...]


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Peika. We just have to thoroughly crush them to make up for it.¡±


    Using my spear like a club, I shattered the iing skeletons. They were much tougher and had much stronger attackspared to the zombies or the ghouls. Even so, they were much weaker than me. Their attacks were only strong to the point that they could scratch my armor if I just let them freely attack. In other words, they could just barely break through my defense to deal a tiny bit of damage. Of course, they were embarrassingly weak.


    However, their defensive power was quite good, and they were more troublesome than zombies or ghouls in terms of their regenerative powers. If I broke them without pouring mana into my spear, they regenerated, so I had to go through the trouble of destroying them with my spear imbued with a mix of lightning elemental power and mana.


    Although they didn¡¯t smell as bad without rotting flesh, they were still extremely dirty and annoying to deal with. Just the way they moved irked me. For mere skeletons, they moved with dance steps as they tried to attack me with their swords. It really wanted to make me crush them.


    Plus, these guys loved bones too much!


    ¡°His skull looks good.¡±


    ¡°I like his third cervical vertebrae.¡±


    Every time they saw me, they charged towards me as theyplimented my bone structure. I wondered if this floor was designed to irritate me. Perhaps it was amon feature of undead-type monsters, but their attainment in martial arts was pitifully low. I simply put one spear in each hand and flowed Spirit Aura into them to use them as electric beating clubs. Just like that, I crushed the skeletons¡¯ skulls as I made my way forward.


    ¡°T-The bones I spent my entire life polishing up...!¡±


    ¡°He breaks skulls...!¡±


    ¡°S-Skull Breaker!¡±


    ¡°Run away, it¡¯s the Skull Breaker!¡±


    ¡°Shut it!¡±


    These guys! For monsters without brains, they sure were smarter than the zombies! I should¡¯ve known when they said something like third cervical vertebrae!


    [Thunder Bomb!]


    ¡°It¡¯s the Skull Breaker!!!¡±


    ¡°The Skull Breaker ising!¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re calling me Skull Breaker no matter where I attack you...¡±


    They called me Skull Breaker when I broke their ribs. They called me Skull Breaker when I crushed their arms. I didn¡¯t understand.


    I couldn¡¯t just charge forward like I did in the 21st floor. Thus, I took a fast-walking pace, swinging my two spears and shooting out Thunder Bombs until I reached the 26th floor. The time it took to aplish that was about 7 hours. After confirming that my level had gone up to level 27 and confirming that there were no more skeletons nearby, I put away the spears and sighed.


    ¡°Loretta, I¡¯m he... Ah.¡±


    On the 26th Floor Shop, I couldn¡¯t find Loretta. Instead, there was a young man resting his chin on the shop desk as he smoked a cigarette. Discovering me, he looked around and muttered as he chewed on his cigarette.


    ¡°Eh? ... Oh, right. It was from today. Wee.¡±


    ¡°Hello, are you Loretta¡¯s recement?¡±


    ¡°Hm, you really do look like noonim¡¯s[1. Noonim is a more formal version of noona.] taste... What, a Hero? Noonim¡¯s quite skilled.¡±


    The young man nced over me with sparkling crimson eyes. Although he sounded mumbly as he was still chewing on his cigarette, his voice was still extremely pleasant to listen to. He had snow-white skin and was pretty enough to be mistaken for a girl. However, there was something else that caught my attention.


    ¡°Um... on your head... there are horns.¡±


    ¡°Yea, I¡¯m a Draconian.¡±


    After answering me casually, he puffed out the cigarette smoke. Then, he put the cigarette back in his mouth. Don¡¯t tell me he thought that was enough of an exnation? Dumbfounded, I stared at him smoking his cigarette.


    His hair was ck just like mine. However, his hair was extremely long, which was tied at the top of his head in a ponytail. On each of his temples, a curly silver horn was protruding out, forming a symmetry. Finally, his eyes were a bit dirty.


    He had a ck garment draped over his body, which didn¡¯t seem to have any muscles. I then noticed the area behind his butt, where a scaled tail dozens of timesrger than a lizard¡¯s tail swayed gently. It was then that I remembered something.


    ¡°Um, are you perhaps a beastman?¡±


    ¡°Beastman? Mmm... no. Beastmen are beings blessed by God to take animals¡¯ traits. On the other hand, Draconians get their traits from their draconic bloodline.¡±


    ¡°Dragons?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s all you need to know. It¡¯s nothing important.¡±


    He seemed toozy to exin further as he waved the smoke away with his hands. Although there was a mountain load of questions I wanted to ask, I decided to just let it go. However, he seemed to have his own questions. After finishing his cigarette, he nced at me and asked.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re Kang Shin, right? Earth¡¯s Hero.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really like being called Hero.¡±


    ¡°Really? Mm, then just Kang Shin. Know this. Noonim pestered me quite a bit to take good care of you.¡±


    ¡°She pestered you?¡±


    ¡°Loretta noonim was in charge of almost 4,000 explorers. Don¡¯t think my real body will be at all those ces.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you aren¡¯t a puppet, but the real one?¡±


    ¡°What, she even told you about the puppets? ...She fell deep, that person.¡±


    What did he mean Loretta fell deep? This new Floor Shop owner was unfriendly and liked to talk to himself. When I was already starting to miss Loretta, he blurted out as if he had just remembered something.


    ¡°Lin. You can call me Lin.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Lin. Take good care of me for a while.¡±


    ¡°Mm, yeah. I¡¯m curious as to how many floors you can climb during this one year. ording to noonim, you¡¯re a real one that hasn¡¯t been seen for a while. I can expect at least five floors, right?¡±


    He nced over me with narrow eyes as he spoke arrogantly. Oh, you¡¯re provoking me? I, Kang Shin, manliest of men, will take on that challenge.


    ¡°Lin, do you like betting?¡±


    ¡°Kukuku, I love it.¡±


    Lin and I exchanged smiles. As expected of Loretta¡¯s recement. He was walking the same path Loretta once walked! I had to rein in myughter from bursting out. Lin, on the other hand, was looking at me like I was a na?ve child. I was already looking forward to the day his expression would change.


    ¡°Kang Shin, let¡¯s decide on our bet. There¡¯s what noonim said, so I doubt you won¡¯t make it to the 30th floor in 1 year. Right, if you defeat the 35th Floor Master by yourself within one year, I will make a gauntlet suitable for you. If you even defeat the 40th Floor Master by yourself within one year, I will make you a weapon that contains my essence.¡±


    ¡°Lin, you¡¯re a cksmith?¡±


    ¡°Yep. I¡¯m the Red Dragon¡¯s descendent, so I have close affinity to fire. In any case, if you can¡¯t break through the 35th floor within one year, I will take the pocket watch back from you. Along with your subss of course. I¡¯ll also take away the pocket watch if you party with other people to clear the 35th Floor Master, though, I doubt you have many skills in there anyways.¡±


    I already had five. Not that I¡¯d tell him, of course.


    ¡°Is it possible to take away someone¡¯s ss?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have said it otherwise. Though, not anyone can do it.¡±


    Indeed, it was a scary penalty. The pocket watch was a treasure that made up quite a bit of my overall strength. That said, this person was too soft. Did he think I couldn¡¯t climb 14 floors in one year? I asked with a bashful smile.


    ¡°Then, what if I break through the 40th floor even earlier?¡±


    ¡°What? Earlier than 1 year? Puhat.¡±


    The Draconian snorted.


    ¡°There¡¯s no record of such a thing happening. Don¡¯t look down on the 40th Floor Master. He forced countless First Dungeon challengers to their knees. The legend says that he¡¯s even stronger than the 45th Floor Master. You think you can reach the 40th floor and defeat him within one year? Don¡¯t kid.¡±


    ¡°But a man should dream big. If there¡¯s a bigger reward, wouldn¡¯t I be more motivated to try?¡±


    ¡°... You aren¡¯t wrong. Right, explorers these days reallyck that sort of attitude. Hmm.¡±


    Lin started a second cigarette. He didn¡¯t take out a lighter, but the cigarette was set on fire on its own. It seemed the power of the Red Dragon was used to set cigarettes on fire. While I nodded my head in appreciation of gaining new knowledge, Lin murmured with the cigarette in his mouth.


    ¡°If you can do it within 9 months, I¡¯ll make you a helmet along with the weapon. If you do it within 8 months, I¡¯ll add in the gauntlet. 7 months, I¡¯ll add in boots.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I already have boots to wear though.¡±


    ¡°If you manage to seed, you can give me your boots. I¡¯ll do some work on them.¡±


    ¡°Ah, got it.¡±


    ¡°Finally, though I think it¡¯spletely impossible, if you seed within 6 months... ha, I can¡¯t even say it with a straight face. Anyways, if you seed in breaking through the 40th floor within 6 months, I¡¯ll make you a full te armor set. Along with a weapon, of course.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you really are generous.¡±


    ¡°Puhahahaha! Climbing 14 floors in half a year, I think you¡¯re a lot more generous than I am! Ku, kukukuk! I know you¡¯re a Hero, but your liver is so big that it¡¯s hanging outside your belly[1. Korean proverb meaning you¡¯ve got a lot of nerve.]! Agh, my sides! I understand a little bit why Loretta noonim likes you so much!¡±


    ¡°Ek, but I¡¯m into women...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m into women too, you bastard.¡±


    Because he suddenly emphasized his words with sharp eyes, I flinched a little.


    ¡°Well, do your best, Kang Shin. Don¡¯t give up in the middle. I hate people that give up the most.¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence.¡±


    After getting ample rest, I stretched and loosened my body. Holding up my ck Earthen Spear, I shouted at Lin as I took a step on the stair to the 27th floor.


    ¡°I hate giving up the most too.¡±

 Chapter 65. Draconian Lin (3)

    Chapter 65. Draconian Lin (3)


    About five hours after that, I was pouring Holy Water over my Silver Spear and ck Earthen Spear, humming happily in front of the ¡®27th¡¯ Floor Shop. To cover the spear all the way to the spear handle, it took five bottles of Holy Water per spear. Even so, once finished, the spears would deal bonus damage to undead monsters for a full day.


    Plus, I felt like I wouldn¡¯t drop my equipment even if I died. Though, dying in the dungeon didn¡¯t drop your equipment anyways!


    Lin was looking at me with a wry expression.


    ¡°You bugged bastard...!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy. I was even faster than when I broke through the 26th floor. Bets really encourage people to try harder.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s cancel that.¡±


    ¡°A man¡¯s words are worth a thousand gold!¡±


    ¡°Kuk... Then let¡¯s make the time limit shorter! Half a year!¡±


    ¡°Fine, but you have to make the rewards better.¡±


    ¡°C-Cape. I¡¯ll even make a cape made from my ancestor¡¯s leather! But if you want to obtain that too, you¡¯ll have to do it within 3 months! 3 months, understand!?¡±


    ¡°Call!¡±


    [Your quest has been renewed.]


    A cape made out of dragon leather? My eyes sparkled as I agreed to his new terms. Since I nned to break through past the 40th floor within 6 months, I wouldn¡¯t lose out on anything. If I seeded within 3 months, I would obtain an even greater treasure. Now that things hade to this, I had to try even harder!


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going to run a bit faster!¡±


    ¡°What, how have you been running until now!?¡±


    ¡°But I wonder, why didn¡¯t I get a title for clearing the 26th floor quickly? ...Was it because I already have Hermes...?¡±


    ¡°H-Hermes!? You bastard, you even have a god¡¯s true name! Uk, my back!¡±


    Though a bit ridiculous, the skeletons¡¯ sses became a bit more diverse from the 28th floor on. There were the skeleton warriors who attacked with swords or iron maces, skeleton archers who shot out arrows made of bones, and the skeleton magicians who incessantly shot out trivial and annoying magic attacks. Without Peika, it would have been impossible.


    ¡°Gelgel, make sure not to hurt his bones!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll shoot arrows!¡±


    I pierced my spear through the wrist of a skeleton striking down at me with its iron mace. The skeleton then dropped its iron mace along with its wrist. I grabbed it by its skull and threw it at the skeleton archer. When they collided, they both shattered. The other skeletons flinched upon seeing it, and began to back away.


    ¡°S-Skull Breaker!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Skull Breaker!¡±


    ¡°How do you guys even know about that!? Tempest!¡±


    ¡°Kiaaaaa! Skull Breakeeeeeer!¡±


    After being swept up by Tempest, the skeletons all shattered together, creating a pleasant clicking sound. With the 50 percent attack power boost from Death Counter, just a single Tempest was enough to destroy the skeletons.


    [I broke all the skeletons trying to use magic!]


    ¡°Good job, Peika. Then let¡¯s run!¡±


    [Okay!]


    While Peika soared through the air, taking care of magic using skeletons with Thunder Bombs and Thunder Spears, I cleanly took care of the skeleton warriors in front of me as I ran.


    At first, I used and maintained Spirit Aura, but I soon realized it was unnecessary. It was better to let Peika to do her own thing.


    ¡°Peika, 11 o¡¯clock, skeleton magicians!¡±


    [Thunder Bomb!]


    I circted Peruta circuit as I ran and always had Mana Potions in my mouth to make up for the huge drain on my mana. In my hands were my two spears, which I swung around like baseball bats. I may have seemed a bit unsightly, but I didn¡¯t care.


    Although I thought drinking Mana Potions was wasting money, upon thinking about it, I realized it was the same thing as investing money to raise my skill proficiency. After I realized that, I no longer hesitated to use them.


    In truth, I was overflowing with gold. I didn¡¯t need to use gold outside of purchasing Floor Master Battle Tickets and Party Member Scarecrows. Thus, I started buying Mana Potions. I didn¡¯t need Health Potions. While going through normal floors, I had never been gravely injured.


    When I was just about to break through the 28th floor, messages that always made me happy rang out.


    [Mid-rank Spirit Mastery bes level 2! Your eyesight for souls strengthens and you will gain a favorable impression from spiritual beings more easily.]


    [Low-rank Spirit Aura bes level 9! You can more strongly draw out elementals¡¯ potential.]


    [Low-rank Elemental Control bes level 9! Elementals will more actively listen to your plea for help.]


    [Low-rank Elemental Contract bes level 9! You can feel your soul¡¯s container growing more mature. The bond of contract to your elemental bes firmer.]


    ¡°Oh, oooh!¡±


    [I got a little stronger again!]


    Peika and I both yelled out in happiness. Soon, my skills as an Elementalist would reach mid-rank! I was starting to worry because my Elementalist skills were much lower-ranked than my Spear Technique skill and Martial Arts skill, but it seems my worry was for nothing. Once the skills became mid-rank, I would be able to grow much stronger. Once I obtained mid-rank Elemental Contract, not only would Peika¡¯s strength grow, but I could also form a contract with another elemental.


    Lin was watching me with rotten eyes.


    ¡°Three and a half hours... crazy.¡±


    ¡°See youter!¡±


    Just like always, I put 2 points into strength and dexterity, and 1 into constitution. Then, I ran up to the 29th floor. Update? It was a waste of time to wait around for my body to finish updating. That was something that would automatically happen as I fought!


    ¡°Skull Breaker!¡±


    ¡°Skull Breaker crushes us skeletons.¡±


    ¡°We will crush your spine and make you unable to move.¡±


    ¡°Stop his advance!¡±


    The skeletons on the 29th floor wore a few pieces of armor. There were also some skeletons mixed in that weren¡¯t wearing any armor. Regardless, the moment I yelled ¡®Commence Exploration¡¯ on the 29th floor, the skeletons had me surrounded, as if they were waiting for me to appear.


    I knew instinctively that I couldn¡¯t kill them with Tempest. Although just one or two might have been fine, what I saw seemed to be the 29th floor¡¯s elite skeletons, as they wore proper armor and carried swords and shields.


    They slowly tightened the encirclement, and I pondered as I took a step back. How was something like this possible? These guys really were much more intelligent than the zombies. Plus, I could feel a strong presence from behind them. It seemed there was a named monster controlling them.


    Taking another step back, I put a Mana Potion in my mouth. Then, I shouted while thrusting forward with my ck Earthen Spear.


    ¡°Elemental Tempest!¡±


    [FIRST!]


    [Hurry, hurry!]


    [Spin~]


    [Kugagaga! Let¡¯s go break skeletons!]


    In front of the armored skeletons approaching me, my spear enveloped by an elemental storm exploded.


    ¡°Kueeeek!¡±


    ¡°My bones!¡±


    ¡°Too strong!¡±


    ¡°Huu, skill to win is the best.¡±


    Even the armored skeletons could not withstand my Elemental Tempest, which was made using 50 percent of my mana, and shattered. It was then that my field of view finally cleared up. The ordinary skeletons warriors that were on standby behind the frontline forces yelled with flustered voices.


    ¡°General!¡±


    ¡°General died!¡±


    ¡°They were generals? Tempest!¡±


    Since I cleared out the skeletons equipped with armor and shields, I could use Tempest to take care of the rest. These bastards dared to make a defensive formation? I felt satisfied now that the skeletons encircling me with their shields were taken care of.


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Got it! Chain Lightning!]


    Although their boney bodies were supposed to be strong against lightning, they didn¡¯t seem strong enough to handle Peika¡¯s Chain Lightning. One by one, the encircling skeletons fell from the lightning that started from Peika¡¯s finger.


    However, Chain Lightning, that was spreading like fire on a wheat field, suddenly disappeared. Although most of the skeletons had already died, it was an abrupt end, given how rapidly it had been spreading.


    [Kuaaa...!]


    The one who swung his sword to interrupt Chain Lightning stared at me fixedly. He was at least 2.3 meters tall and was twice as big as me.


    [Destroy... Skull Breaker.]


    A deep imposing voice. He was undoubtedly the instigator who had gathered up the skeletons into a battle formation from the start of the 29th floor! Two will-o-wisps zed in its eyes. Unlike the weakling skeletons, he wore a full set of armor. On one hand was a shield, and on the other was arge sword made of bones. I gulped down a mouthful of saliva and asked.


    ¡°Are you the skeleton knight? The one who¡¯s said to be the strongest among skeletons?¡±


    [I am a skeleton champion.]


    ¡°Ah, never mind then.¡±


    I got nervous for nothing! He was just a weakling after all.


    [Skull Breaker, I will kill you!]


    ¡°Ha, you?¡±


    [Uooooooooooh!]


    Just like that, I sessfully provoked the skeleton champion without even using the Provoke skill. The two will-o-wisps in his eyes showed his rage by burning even more fiercely. At the same time, he charged towards me.


    He lightly leaped off the ground and struck down at me with his bone sword.


    I dodged his attack and made him stumble backwards by tackling the part of his body unprotected by his shield. As I had even used Skin Strengthening Elixirs to strengthen my constitution, my HP didn¡¯t decrease for just tackling a named monster¡¯s body. Even I had to admit that my body was incredibly tough.


    [Kuk!]


    ¡°Your lower body is weak! That¡¯s why just tackling can make you fall!¡±


    As I gave him advice, I stabbed my spear into his head consecutively. After allowing three strong blows to hit him, he got up. By then, there was already a huge crack in his helmet.


    [As expected of Skull Breaker! However, I, Etos, will not lose!]


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Skull Breaker!¡±


    Also, a mere undead shouldn¡¯t appeal his name! A named monster had a name, of course, but I didn¡¯t know what I was supposed to do with it. If he wanted me to write his name down on a notebook and kill him, he visited the wrong series!


    [If you defeat me, I will acknowledge you as a true Skull Breaker!]


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to acknowledge that!¡±


    Annoyed, I once again performed consecutive stabs. Surprisingly, he seemed to have predicted when I would stab forward, as he jumped back and dodged my attack. Then he kicked a stone on the ground and aimed it towards me. The stone itself was crushed by Peika, but his style of fighting still made me tilt my head.


    ¡°Did he learn how to dodge my attacks after being hit before? This guy might be pretty useful!¡±


    [Useful?]


    ¡°Too bad he¡¯s an undead... Sorry, Etos. If you reincarnate,e visit our dojo. I¡¯ll give you a 20 percent discount.¡±


    [Stop saying things I can¡¯t understand, Skull Breaker!]


    Etos shouted furiously and charged at me once more. His bone sword cut through the air with a bone-chilling sound, clearly aiming for my neck. Mm, it was the clearest attack out of all the monsters I had faced recently. However, his defense was stillcking!


    ¡®Use your shield to hold off your opponent! Is your shield just for looks!?¡¯


    I dug into his embrace using the gap he left wide open and thrust out my spear.


    ¡°Divine Speed, Heroic Strike!¡±


    [Kuaaaak!]


    Of course, my Heroic Strike boosted by Divine Speed easily shattered his cracked helmet and destroyed his skull. Poor Etos died without even a chance to leave behind a final word.


    [You defeated the named monster, ¡®Etos.¡¯ You obtained a Residential Area Entrance Ticket as reward.]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Skull Breaker!¡¯ When fighting skeleton-type undead, your critical hit chance doubles and you can more quickly intimidate your enemy. Your critical damage increases by 50 percent when fighting all enemies with bones.]


    ¡°I really became a Skull Breaker, the hell... Not to mention, for a title using the word ¡®skull,¡¯ it¡¯s specialized in breaking bones...¡±


    ming Etos, I looked at the surrounding skeletons. The skeletons that were encircling me from before I even fought Etos trembled and started to back away.


    ¡°S-Skull Breaker.¡±


    ¡°My skull will get broken.¡±


    ¡°Run!¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t run from Skull Breaker!¡¯


    Was this the intimidation effect? Just my existence could intimidate monsters. It was quite fun. Wait, with this, wouldn¡¯t it be a piece of cake to break through the dungeon? With a smirk, I fixed my grip on my spear.


    In truth, I really wanted to visit the Residential Area, but since I was under a 3 month time restraint, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fully enjoy myself even if I went. I decided to think about it after I broke through the 30th floor.


    What I had to worry about right now was the Red Dragon Cape... I mean, fast dungeon breakthroughs!

 Chapter 66. Draconian Lin (4)

    Chapter 66. Draconian Lin (4)


    [I seeded in breaking through the 25th floor by myself.]


    ¡°Oh, that was fast!¡±


    [It was all thanks to your training and the Muscle Strengthening Elixirs.]


    I was in the middle of dashing through the 30th floor pathway when Ren contacted me. Whilepletely crushing the skeleton warriors that were running at me, I answered Ren.


    ¡°There really weren¡¯t a lot of people on the 25th floor. If you¡¯re having trouble finding party members, ask the Floor Shop owner for an item called Party Member Scarecrow. You can start grinding with them.¡±


    [Eh? I¡¯m not doing it with Crown Prince?]


    ¡°I already finished grinding.¡±


    [Kuk, so fast... as expected of my master.]


    ¡°Ren is fast too. The Giant Ghoul was easy, right?¡±


    [If there¡¯s one thing I learned from sparring with you, it¡¯s dodging attacks. I can somehow dodge the zombies¡¯ attacks or the Giant Ghoul¡¯s ws, but... his Diehard skill annoys me greatly. Because of it, I had to spend 5 hours to defeat him.]


    ¡°If you blow up his heart while he¡¯s using the skill, he¡¯ll die.¡±


    [Crown Prince is the only one who can do such a strange thing. Regardless, since I obtained the Death Counter skill, solo raids should be somewhat doable.]


    While using Heroic Strike boosted by Divine Speed to take care of two named monsters, Skeleton Warmage and Skeleton Scout, I answered Ren.


    ¡°I really like Ren¡¯s attitude for these things. Good luck. Don¡¯t let something like the Giant Ghoul kill you.¡±


    [Crown Prince is probably the only one who can call the 25th Floor Master as ¡®something like¡¯...]


    ¡°Ah, but Ren can¡¯t store skills like I do. You¡¯ll have to choose between Diehard and Dragon Skin. I¡¯ll rmend Dragon Skin. The Giant Ghoul Set isn¡¯t something a person should wear.¡±


    [Can I buy Crown Prince¡¯s pocket watch from somewhere?]


    ¡°You can try asking your Floor Shop owner.¡±


    [I already did, but he only asked how I heard about such an ancient artifact... That Loretta woman, just who is she?]


    While cursing at the Skeleton Warmage for only dropping 5,000 gold and curiously examining the ¡®Silverbone Crossbow¡¯ the Skeleton Scout dropped, I answered Ren.


    ¡°A kind and pretty shop noona...?¡±


    [She¡¯s only kind to Crown Prince...]


    Oh, this crossbow was pretty good! If there were crossbow bolts in my inventory, it reloaded automatically and shot out consecutively. Wasn¡¯t this a machine gun!? For apletely in looking crossbow other than the fact that it was made of silver bones, it sure had excellent functions. Oh! It even dealt bonus damage if the bolts were made from ground skeleton bones!


    I had finally found a better use for the bones skeletons asionally dropped other than selling them to Lin. Although it didn¡¯t seem usable against boss monsters, it seemed useful for cleaning up trash mobs. I was greatly satisfied by the unexpected lucky drop.


    ¡°Regardless, good luck, Ren. We can raid together around the 50th floor.¡±


    [There are people who can¡¯t ever climb to that 50th floor!]


    ¡°Ren can do it.¡±


    I retorted as I hung the crossbow by my waist.


    ¡°Because Ren is my disciple.¡±


    [... That... are you acknowledging me?]


    ¡°To tell you the truth, I want to train you for at least a year more.¡±


    [I won¡¯t be your disciple!]


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding. You¡¯re doing great. Keep it up. Goodbye.¡±


    [Ah, uh, wait!]


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    As the skeletons kept running away because of my Skull Breaker title, I used Provoke to draw them towards me. I then used Tempest to destroy them while I asked Ren.


    [Do... Do you know the name Lebuik Vandeon Granaris?]


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    [... No, you see. I know it¡¯s impossible as well, but... I¡¯m asking just in case.]


    ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    [If you ever hear about Lebuik Vandeon Granaris... Do tell me. I beg you.]


    Since Ren¡¯s voice was unusually tense, I also became serious as I answered him. As I saw the door to the 30th Floor Master up ahead, I became even more serious.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m always climbing the dungeon by myself, I doubt I¡¯ll hear much of other people¡¯s names... but sure. I¡¯ll tell you if I hear about him.¡±


    [Thank you.]


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were so concerned about the man who turned you into a dungeon explorer.¡±


    [I¡¯m not concerned! Crown Prince really has a dirty personality!]


    In the past, Ren had mentioned it was Sir Lebuik who chose him to be a dungeon explorer among numerous other young talents. Since he couldn¡¯t forget about him, it seemed he was a special person to Ren.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit curious too. He was your first master, right? I wonder how strong he is.¡±


    [Pft, I know fully well howpetitive you are, but I doubt you will be his match. If Sir Lebuik is alive, he should at least be Gold rank... Ah.]


    ¡°... I¡¯m in front of the 30th Floor Master door. I¡¯ll talk to youter.¡±


    [M-Mmm, I see. Then... I¡¯ll talk to youter.]


    I ended my conversation with Ren. Although I didn¡¯t mean to, I felt like I had asked leading questions. Ren was the one at fault for being stupid, it wasn¡¯t my fault.


    Alright, now that I had rationalized it to myself, I should go into the boss fight. The 30th floor¡¯s ¡®first¡¯ was already taken by someone else. Although it would have been safer to challenge the Floor Master with a full party of 10...


    I now knew how much stronger I waspared to the other explorers. I was confident that I could handle the 30th Floor Master by myself, especially since I had my skills as an Elementalist and the pocket watch. Plus, since Lin had set his quest¡¯s clear condition to breaking through the dungeon without party y, I couldn¡¯t do so anyways.


    ¡°Fight me!¡±


    With a spirited shout, I mmed opened the door. The Field was surprisingly a vast wilderness, where only a pale blue moon shone the dark night sky. In the area, which was muchrger than the 25th floor¡¯s graveyard, about 200 or so skeletons were lined up. Each and every one of them wore a sturdy suit of armor and were armed with weapons. I could also see skeleton mages and skeleton archers amongst their ranks.


    However, their straight-line formation broke down the moment I entered the Field.


    ¡°Kiik, it¡¯s the Skull Breaker!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be intimidated, Captain will punish you!¡±


    ¡°S-Skull Breaker! We have nowhere to run!¡±


    ¡°Ah, what if we stay still and just leave it to Captain?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    [All of you shut up!]


    A thundering voice rang out from the back, which straightened up the skeletons¡¯ ckened discipline. When Iid my eyes on the owner of the voice, I was incredibly surprised. My god!


    ¡°A skeleton mount! I¡¯m jealous!¡±


    [It¡¯s been a while since a challenger who knows his stuff appeared...]


    The 30th Floor Master was a skeleton wearing full te armor and carrying arge sword made of bones. As his armor covered his entire body and his helmet covered his face, his appearance was just like a knight¡¯s. A huge knight over 2.5 meters in size. He spoke with a ghastly voice that seemed to flow out from the pit of hell.


    [I am the Skeleton Knight. Remember my face. I am the one who will send you into endless despair.]


    ¡°Yeah, I really should remember the face of a coward who calls himself a knight but attempts to fight me with his army.¡±


    [... Kill that bastard who¡¯s full of talk!]


    ¡°Captain, we can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Captain, but our bones will get crushed in a single hit!¡±


    ¡°Can we just tie up Captain and offer him? Then, we can surrender!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    [You bastards!]


    The skeletons downfall was their overly high intelligence. They figured out the difference in our leagues and thought to surrender. It was the first time I had faced such monsters in the dungeon. The Skull Breaker title was more amazing than I ever imagined.


    [Fight him. NOW!]


    ¡°Tsk, big talk for someone who¡¯s going to stay hidden until the end.¡±


    ¡°This is why knights suck.¡±


    ¡°Ehew, let¡¯s just go fight. Hey, if we¡¯re going to die anyways, let¡¯s not bother resisting. If Skull Breaker gets tired and loses to Captain, that would be infuriating!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    [I will murder you all!]


    As all the skeletons were drowning in their sense of defeat, I attacked the mages and archers hidden in their midst.


    ¡°Peika, I¡¯ll leave it to you!¡±


    [I got it, Master! Thunder Arrow!]


    With that, close to a hundred lightning arrows appeared in the sky. The skeletons that were looking at each other and talking all turned to face the arrows. In that instant, the lightning arrows soared through the sky.


    ¡°An Elementalist!¡±


    ¡°Kugagagagaga!¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t even do anything yet!¡±


    ¡°Gigagagaga!¡±


    [Not good enough!]


    While the skeletons were panicking, only the Skeleton Knight protected himself by swinging hisrge sword. However, the lightning arrows he blocked were only to stop him from protecting his skeleton minions. It was a feint, per se.


    While he was blocking the lightning arrowsing towards him, dozens of other lightning arrowspleted their duty. The lightning arrows that were focused on the few mages and archers all pierced their targets and exploded them into pieces.


    ¡°Uguk! The magicians and archers were all killed!¡±


    ¡°Thank god I¡¯m not an archer!¡±


    ¡°Ah, if we want to survive, we just have to arm Captain with a bow!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... Kugak!¡±


    The Skeleton Knight swung his sword and cut down a few of his skeleton minions. The wilderness that was full of the clicking sounds of their bones and their voices becamepletely silent for a moment.


    [What are you doing with your enemy right in front of you, you fools!]


    ¡°Well said, Skeleton Knight. I was starting to get annoyed too.¡±


    Agreeing with Skeleton Knight, I bent my knees and slightly pulled my body backwards. Instead of the ck Earthen Spear, I held my Silver Spear as I pulled my arm back. Peika went into the Silver Spear on her own ord.


    ¡°But... someone who cuts down his own soldiers annoys me even more!¡±


    [Everyone charge! Crush him! Those that refuse will have their bones crushed by my sword!]


    ¡°Gugelgel, follow Captain¡¯smand.¡±


    ¡°We are only alive because of this cursed body. Let¡¯s go set it aze.¡±


    ¡°Our lives already ended a long time ago. I want to put an end to my days, forced to live as a soldier even in death.¡±


    I pulled my arms back as much as I could and concentrated my strength into it. The Silver Spear in my grip radiated a brilliant white light and flickered with lightning. My eyes were fixed, not at the skeletons running towards me, but the Skeleton Knight sitting on his skeleton mount.


    [Block his attack! Destroy him!]


    ¡°Try it if you... can!¡±


    The moment I finished my retort, I threw my spear forward with all the strength I could muster. Although I didn¡¯t shout Heroic Strike or Divine Speed, both skills were undoubtedly activated. It was because the speed I threw my spear was unusually fast.


    I remembered something simr happening in the past. If I was extremely focused, skills would be activated without saying it out loud!

 Chapter 67. Draconian Lin (5)

    Chapter 67. Draconian Lin (5)


    ¡°Kugagagaga!¡±


    ¡°Kak!¡±


    The skeletons followed the Skeleton Knight¡¯smand and attacked me. However, my spear had already left my hand, and the skeletons in its path could not even die meaningful deaths, as their blows scattered in all directions without slowing down the spear in the slightest.


    Naturally, the Skeleton Knight didn¡¯t have the time to dodge it. He hurriedly raised his sword, but the spear was already at his face. His sword bounced off into the air, while my spear pierced through his helmet perfectly and exploded with lightning.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kahak! Humaaaan!]


    The Skeleton Knight let out a short scream. His helmet broke into pieces and his skeleton skull was revealed. The Silver Spear was still stuck in along the crack in his forehead as it flickered with lightning. Then, the will-o-wisps in the Skeleton Knight¡¯s eyes burned more violently. He let out an enraged roar, pulling out the Silver Spear and mming it down on the ground. He then shook his head vehemently and brushed off the pieces of his helmet. At the same time, Peika came out of the Silver Spear and yelled angrily.


    [Kyak! Treating ady like this, you¡¯re the worst!]


    ¡°Peika,e back!¡±


    [Okay!]


    Gulping down a Middle Potion, I took out the ck Earthen Spear.


    ¡°You cowardly skeletons! Stop being scared ande fight me!¡±


    [You used Provoke! ¡®Almost¡¯ all nearby enemies be hostile toward you!]


    ¡°Kugelgel... Kill Skull Breaker.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show him how hard my bones are.¡±


    ¡°Understanding danger and withdrawing is not cowardice, but bravery!¡±


    While most of the reluctant skeletons started charging towards me with hostility, there was one skeleton that threw out a wise saying as it backed away. Regardless, I used Tempest to take care of them all at once. The sound of dozens of skeletons shattering filled the area.


    [Rise again and kill the enemy! Skeleton Rise!]


    ¡°Hey, when are you going to fight?¡±


    [Kill him!]


    That son of a bitch, he ignored me! Watching the skeletons rise back up like time had just gone backwards, I felt a headacheing. Unlike the zombies, the skeletons could deal damage to me. It meant that I couldn¡¯t just ignore them and go for the Skeleton Knight. In that case...


    ¡°Tempest!¡±


    After using a few Tempests to make most of the skeletons incapable of battle, I kicked off the ground where I was standing and charged towards the Skeleton Knight. Shooting away the skeletons getting in the way with my spear, I arrived in front of the Skeleton Knight before he could chant another Skeleton Rise.


    ¡°Fight me one on one.¡±


    [Rise again and... Kak!]


    ¡°I said, fight me one on one!¡±


    This bastard, he shuts up when things get disadvantageous for him! I cut off the skeleton mount¡¯s legs, forcing it to kneel. I then stabbed out with my spear consecutively. The Skeleton Knight received my spears with his sword and shouted.


    [Rise again and kill the... Kak!]


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you can chant for!¡±


    Every time he swung his sword once, I stabbed with my spear three times. Once at the skeleton mount¡¯s head, once at the Skeleton Knight¡¯s sword, and once at his face! After some time, the skeleton mount, who was unable to withstand the flurry of attacks, scattered into pieces. The Skeleton Knight became speechless as he finally set his foot on the ground.


    Of course, because of the over 60 cm difference in our height, I was like a little kid looking up at an adult.


    [Rise again... Kuhuk!]


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of hearing it, you son of a bitch!¡±


    Even while he was chanting, he managed to block my Heroic Strike with his sword. Perhaps because it was a Floor Master¡¯s weapon, there wasn¡¯t a single crack on his weapon. Even so, he had to take a few steps back from the vast force he had to withstand.


    ¡°Fine, just keep chanting!¡±


    There was probably no one who deserved to get his knighthood revoked more than him! I gritted my teeth and assaulted the Skeleton Knight, who was irritating me from the very beginning. Unlike the 25th Floor Master, his skills had a certain depth to them. Even so, he couldn¡¯t win against me with his mindset!


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kyak! You, Skull Breakeeeeer!]


    The Skeleton Knight¡¯s armor quickly began to crumble. It was the result of him being unable topletely block my attacks. If it wasn¡¯t for his skeleton body that never grew tired, he would have been knocked out from the exhaustion already.


    ¡°Haaaaaap!¡±


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kyak, kyaaaaaaak!]


    It was then. Unable to finish chanting Skeleton Rise, the Skeleton Knight, whose breastte shatteredpletely, let out a scream like he could no longer endure it. Immediately afterwards, my movements stopped. I wondered if it was a time stopping ability (The World[1. Jojo reference (Dio¡¯s time stopping ability)]), but that wasn¡¯t it. It was just that my movements were slowed to the extreme.


    [Skeleton Knight uses ¡®Undead Roar¡¯! Those with living bodies are slowed to 5 percent of their maximum speed!]


    ¡°O...r...!¡±


    Argh, even my talking speed got slower! Being relieved that I just now learned how to activate skills without saying their names, I activated Divine Speed. When I noticed it had seeded, my next action was clear.


    ¡°Uwaaaaaaak!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    The sense of weakness that enveloped me disappeared. It was a suffocating moment I didn¡¯t even want to think about. I released the tension I felt in my shoulders and aimed my spear at the Skeleton Knight.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡±


    [H-How!? My Undead Roar!]


    ¡°Die!¡±


    From then on, I simply beat him up, again and again until his skull shattered. This time, I waspletely silent so as to prevent him from doing anything strange. The few skeletons that had remained alive also backed away in order to not get in my way.


    ¡°I just want to quietlymit suicide.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even breathe. He¡¯ll notice!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be beaten to death by him... let¡¯s just kill each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    [A Grand Achievement! You defeated the Floor Master, Skeleton Knight, alone! Amazing!]


    [You became level 31. You obtained the qualification to advance to the 31st floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Skeleton Knight yer.¡¯ All stats permanently increase by 1. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You became Silver Rank 6. Congrattions.]


    [You defeated the Skeleton Knight alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Skeleton Knight¡¯s te Armor Top.¡¯]


    [You obtained 50,000 gold.]


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Riding Magic Book.]


    I looked around and ced the silent wilderness¡¯ scenery in my eyes. All the skeletons had disappeared and everything was still in the moonlit wilderness. ¡®Huu¡¯ Letting out a sigh, I checked the solo raid reward. Riding Magic Book?


    [You learned Riding. You can ride and battle on horses, elephants, Pegasi, cars, tanks, etc., and all disadvantages from riding them disappears.]


    It was an amazing magic. It covered animal riding and even tank piloting! It made sense that it was considered magic rather than a technique. All knowledge and techniques pertaining to ¡®riding¡¯ were engraved into my mind. As long as it was rideable, I knew the way of doing so. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t a method of riding a Gundam. Realizing that there were no Gundams in the world, I became slightly disappointed.


    ¡°The solo raid rewards are really all special... Let¡¯s go back now.¡±


    [Master, spear!]


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡±


    With Peika¡¯s reminder, I picked up the Silver Spear I threw out. Then, I opened the door standing unnaturally in one corner of the wilderness. The Floor Shop was only a few steps away. Lin who was there batted his eyes after seeing mee out. When I closed the door, his mouth opened wide. The cigarette that was in his mouth fell to the ground.


    ¡°Y-You...!¡±


    ¡°You forgot my name?¡±


    ¡°You, pa, passed? In one try?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°O-One. One...¡±


    Lin almost seemed out of breath as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. His thick lizard tail was spinning around as well.


    ¡°How many? How many people passed? No, it must have been ten! How did you gather a full party in just one day? It usually takes four days for ten people to gather...!¡±


    ¡°Eh? What are you talking about?¡±


    I really did wonder what he was talking about.


    ¡°You said to clear the dungeon alone. Don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    ¡°When I said clear the dungeon, I, of course, meant the ordinary floors. How would you clear the boss raid alo... alone?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Lin shut his mouth tightly. I tilted my head, distributed my level up bonus stats, and stretched my body to challenge the boss again. Then, Lin suddenly asked.


    ¡°Until the 25th floor! Did you do solo raids?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Haa... That means the number of skills in your pocket watch is?¡±


    ¡°Five.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lin took out a new cigarette and put it in his mouth.


    ¡°That woman, she put me with you on purpose...!¡±


    ¡°Loretta did? Why?¡±


    ¡°She probably expected me to pick a fight with you. Then I¡¯d undoubtedly make a bet and...¡±


    I thought he was overthinking it and simplyughed it off. Lin, on the other hand, had a rotten expression. He wasn¡¯t even smoking the cigarette in his mouth, only gnawing on it. Finally, he let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I suffered such a blow. I¡¯m the one at fault for being tricked but... you¡¯re not bad yourself, Earth¡¯s Hero.¡±


    ¡°I said don¡¯t call me that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know anymore. Just go as far as you want. This Lin-nim will watch over you.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that was almost exactly the same thing Loretta said.¡±


    ¡°... Ah... is that so...?¡±


    I thought that was it, but Lin¡¯s expression became even worse. Although I really wanted to take a before-and-after photo of Lin¡¯s pretty face, I unfortunately didn¡¯t have a camera. After all, there was no reason to carry around a camera in my inventory.


    Come to think of it, this boar that was filling up 240 spaces in my inventory, I had to take care of it somehow. If I brought it out on Earth, people would notice it instantly, and it wouldn¡¯t fit on the dungeon floor...


    ¡®Ei, I¡¯ll have to keep it for now.¡¯

 Chapter 68. Fairy Garden (1)

    Chapter 68. Fairy Garden (1)


    The 30th Floor Master, Skeleton Knight¡¯s Undead Roar was an extremely annoying skill. Although Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry countered it perfectly, the fact that I could only use it once a day held me down.


    Was there an alternative? Of course, there was. I could use Dark Thunder Explosion. The Skeleton Knight wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge Dark Thunder Explosion at such a close range, and I couldst throughout the Undead Roar¡¯s 10 second duration using Dark Thunder Explosion¡¯s duration.


    Although Dark Thunder Explosion wouldn¡¯t be as potent because the Skeleton Knight was made out of bones, he would at least be paralyzed for the duration.


    As Dark Thunder Explosion could also only be used once per day, I could rely on Dragon Skin for the third raid. If I seeded in using Dragon Skin, I couldst for the 10 seconds no matter what kind of attacks the Skeleton Knight used. At the very least, I wouldn¡¯t die.


    If possible, I wanted to do it without using the limited Floor Master skills. However, unless I brought in a priest who could use Status Effect Defense magic, I couldn¡¯t think of a way to resist the Skeleton Knight¡¯s skill.


    I tried asking Lin, but he said equipment that could block Undead Roar were only sold past the 60th floor. Although I shouldn¡¯t be the one to say this, but all Floor Master skills really were cheats!


    [I¡¯ll show you what a true knight looks like!]


    However, the Skeleton Knight that appeared on the second raid said rather interesting things.


    ¡°Could Floor Masters personalities change too?¡±


    As Floor Masters until now had simple and brutish personalities, so there wasn¡¯t a need to consider their personalities. But here on the 30th Floor Master, the change in the Floor Master¡¯s personality and his skeleton minions¡¯ personalities were clear.


    [Everyone, charge! Make the one who dares to invade the dungeon pay with his life!]


    ¡°Kuhahaha! I¡¯ll change my skull today!¡±


    ¡°His shinbone is mine!¡±


    ¡°His armor looks sturdy. I¡¯ll get myself a new armor!¡±


    The skeleton minions made their desire to ransack me clear, as if they were pirates. As the armored skeletons attacked, the skeleton mages and archers also shot their magic attacks and arrows. They couldn¡¯t be more ready for battle if they tried.


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯ll be harder thanst time. Peika!¡±


    [Thunder Arrow!]


    Peika¡¯s elemental magic activated and the mages quickly cast defensive magic, while the melee skeletons rushed towards me with the Skeleton Knight taking charge. Surprisingly, half of the Thunder Arrows dissipated without being able to break through their defense. Of course, the remaining half wiped out the skeleton mages beautifully.


    [Master, should I go again?]


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. The archers aren¡¯t as dangerous as the mages.¡±


    Although I could consume Mana Potions, they had a cooldown time, meaning drinking other potions would have no effect during that time. My mana wasn¡¯t bountiful to the point I could freely use elemental magic yet. Slowly circting Peruta Circuit, I thrust my spear forward.


    I was facing an army of skeletons over 200rge. Although it was a different sightpared to the disorderly first Floor Master battle, I preferred the difficulty to be set on high than easy.


    ¡°Everyonee fight me!¡±


    [You used Provoke! All enemies will attack you with great hostility!]


    ¡°Waaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s trample him! Take his rib bones!¡±


    ¡°Take his skull!¡±


    The skeletons¡¯ footsteps became faster. With a grin, I shot out my spear. The current of mana spiraling through the spear stormed to the skeletons, wanting to rip them to shreds.


    ¡°Tempest!¡±


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Uguk!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaak!¡±


    The skeletons and the arrows shot by skeleton archers all bounced off of Tempest¡¯s strength. Death Counter made the attack 50 percent stronger and Skull Breaker¡¯s effect increased the critical hit rate and damage. All the skeletons that were struck by critical hits had no other choice but to die.


    [Skull Breaker, you wield elementals!]


    The Skeleton Knight became enraged and charged towards me on his skeleton mount. His terrifying appearance andrge sword gave off an imposing aura. Very satisfied at his appearance, I shouted as I ran to meet him.


    ¡°Sorry, but that wasn¡¯t an elemental magic!¡±


    [Kuoooooooo!]


    His sword came from an odd direction and aimed for my neck. Since it was easy to dodge it knowing where it was aiming for, I slid toward skeleton mount¡¯s legs with my spear in hand. As the skeleton mount lost its bnce and staggered, the Skeleton Knight¡¯s sword naturally lost its trajectory and failed to even ze me.


    [Skull Breaker!]


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll crush your head! First, get off of your cool horse!¡±


    Damn, his skeleton mount really was too cool. My shout full of jealousy was returned with a counterattack. Just like before, I slid down the skeleton mount¡¯s legs and disrupted his bnce. The furious Skeleton Knight then shouted.


    [Kill Skull Breaker!]


    ¡°Everyone charge!¡±


    ¡°His seventh cervical vertebrae is mine!¡±


    Stop with that cervical vertebrae talk!


    [You obtained 50,000 gold.]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Bone Strengthening Elixir


    2. Skeleton Knight¡¯s Helmet]


    It was here, the Bone Strengthening Elixir! I felt my excitement from battle continuing to the reward picking stage. As expected, the 30th Floor Master dropped the Bone Strengthening Elixir. After all, skeletons appeared from the 26th floor! I chose the Bone Strengthening Elixir and swallowed it without hesitation.


    [Your bones are transformed to be tougher and stronger. Strength and constitution both increase by 1.]


    ¡°Ooooooooh!¡±


    I already expected constitution to increase, but strength increased as well! I did an uppercut into the air and reveled in my happiness. I soon snapped out of it. I had no more business in this wilderness. Just when I was about to leave, I received a message. It was a from Hwaya.


    [Y-Yeon Hwawoo.]


    ¡°Yeah, Mas... Hwaya. What¡¯s up?¡±


    [TV... Are you watching TV?]


    ¡°I¡¯m in the dungeon, why?¡±


    Then, I received a KaTalk. When I opened it up, father had uncharacteristically sent me a picture. There was no wifi in the dungeon. How mean.


    When I looked at the picture with that in mind...


    ¡®... Since when did Osaka Castle have swirling dark red cloud effects?¡¯


    [Most of the Event Dungeons left uncleared turned into Field Dungeons!]


    The question that popped into my head was quickly answered by Hwaya.


    Now that I thought about it, a bunch of messages did ring out in the middle of battle. I quickly asked the message noona to bring up the message log.


    [S-rank Event Dungeon, ¡®Wyvern¡¯s Nest,¡¯ turned into a Field Dungeon! When the boss monster isn¡¯t periodically subjugated, monsters might break out of the dungeon.]


    [B+-rank Event Dungeon, ¡®General¡¯s Honor,¡¯ turned into a Field Dungeon! When the boss monster isn¡¯t periodically subjugated, monsters might break out of the dungeon.]


    [A+-rank Event Dungeon, ¡®Graveyard Over the Lake,¡¯ turned into a Field Dungeon! When the boss monster isn¡¯t periodically subjugated, monsters might break out of the dungeon.]


    [B-rank Event Dungeon, ¡®Ghoul¡¯s Resting ce,¡¯ turned into a Field Dungeon! When the boss monster isn¡¯t periodically subjugated, monsters might break out of the dungeon.]


    [D-rank Event Dungeon, ¡®Goblin¡¯s Den,¡¯ turned into a Field Dungeon! When the boss monster isn¡¯t periodically subjugated, monsters might break out of the dungeon.]


    [C+-rank Event Dungeon...]


    ¡°Hwaya, do you know what a Field Dungeon is?¡±


    [I¡¯m not sure, but the dungeons that were only essible through the Gates seemed to have moved to Earth. Not to mention... It looks like these dungeons won¡¯t go away even if you clear them.]


    ¡°I¡¯m sure some people will be happy about that.¡±


    Of course, the world was already overflowing with monsters. There were ces where entire countries were felled by monsters and turned into their nests, and ces that were specifically given to monsters. Even small vige-side mountains were now off limits. For anyone looking to hunt monsters, there were more than enough of them.


    However, monster group colonies were extremely dangerous. No one knew where they would pop out from. Not even satellites could determine their location. Monsters constantly moved, transformed, and became fully grown at the most unexpected times. It really made one angry. It was also the reason Guardians and Freedom Wings traveled inrge units. This fact also caused the high death rate of rogues.


    On the other hand, dungeons had many of the same type of monsters. Once the initial exploration was finished, it was possible to estimate the monsters¡¯ level of danger. Plus, as they were limited areas, it was possible to optimize the explorers that went in. Overall, it was much easier to hunt in the dungeons than in the wild.


    [Yep, for dungeons with moderate difficulty, hunters would gather, so there would be no problem subjugating them. However, for dungeons that had A-rank or above difficulty...]


    ¡°Guardians, who are obligated to go protect the citizens, would die.¡±


    [Guardian will surely ask Freedom Wing for help. They wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore the public outcry.]


    ¡°Hwaya, will you be fine? You¡¯re Britain¡¯s Guardian.¡±


    [I¡¯m not. You know about it, right? The A+-rank Event Dungeon turned into a A+-rank Field Dungeon. All Guardians S-rank and above were summoned to assess its danger.]


    ¡°You have it rough. Well, if it¡¯s you, you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    [Thanks for thepliment, but... huu...]


    Hwaya¡¯s voice was filled with annoyance. I first got out of the wilderness and left the dungeon as well. I had to see what was happening on Earth with my own eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re here, son.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not changing the channel, right? Let me see.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. Hm, it¡¯s a good thing we took care of Yeungdeungpo¡¯s dungeon so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Father was sitting on the couch in a casual clothing, while eating popcorn and watching TV. It seemed he didn¡¯t care much about other countries¡¯ problems. Although he was my father, I was jealous of his simple way of thinking. Looking at father from the corner of my eyes, I continued my conversation with Hwaya.


    [You know Britain has another SS-rank other than me, right?]


    ¡°Yeah. I heard it¡¯s a man.¡±


    [Joshua Brightman. He¡¯s called the world¡¯s toughest man.]


    ¡°Joshua Brightman, huh. Eh? I¡¯ve heard his name before.¡±


    [He¡¯s a chaebol. The owner of a famous clothing enterprise.]


    A chaebol awakening as an SS-rank? Why did I feel like that was as cheaty as a dungeon explorer awakening as an ability user? However, since I was also a cheaty person by that reasoning, I couldn¡¯t reallyin.


    [He¡¯s 37 this year.]


    ¡°He¡¯s in histe thirties.¡±


    [He proposed to me.]


    ¡°That¡¯s something to congratte. Wouldn¡¯t he be the world¡¯s number one suiter?¡±


    [He already has a wife. He probably has multiple girlfriends as well.]


    Oh, so he¡¯s a bastard.


    [I¡¯d rather die, that pervert! You too! Don¡¯t congratte me! Worry!]


    ¡°Ah, well, yeah. I¡¯m worried. You refused, right?¡±


    [Of course. I utterly spit on his proposal, but he just won¡¯t give up. I ran away to Korea because I didn¡¯t want to face him, but I¡¯ll have to see him when I go back... haa.]


    Even with the distance we were separated by, I could clearly picture her frowning face from her sigh filled with despair. Although I almostughed, I held it in.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s normal for men to hit on girls as beautiful as you. Since you¡¯re strong, you can strike him down.¡±


    [... Say that again.]


    ¡°Hm? Since you¡¯re strong, you can strike him down...?¡±


    [Before that.]


    "It¡¯s normal for men to hit on girls."


    [In between.]


    ¡°.. on girls as beautiful as you?¡±


    [Mmm... Okay, I¡¯ll try my best.]


    ¡°I don¡¯t know which part of that cheered you up.¡±


    [As soon as I take care of this Field Dungeon problem, I¡¯ll invite you to Britain. You¡¯ve never visited, right? Come visit with Sumire and Yungoong ajusshi!]


    ¡°Oh, sure...?¡±


    [Good! I¡¯ll contact youter!]


    I¡¯ll dly go if there¡¯s an invite. I wanted to see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Pce. Even while training with father, we strangely never visited Britain. Hwaya¡¯s sudden change in tone did bother me slightly, but it was toote to ask her now.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for us to move this time. It¡¯s not something we have to urgently take care of, and other countries have Awakened too.¡±


    ¡°Of course. But the increased chance of an Event Raid breaking out at ces that turned into Field Dungeons bothers me.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll find out when the timees.¡±


    When I retorted toments father made naturally and nced at him, hey down on the couch like he didn¡¯t really care. I went over the conversation with Hwaya with my head tilted. Then, father turned his head toward me and casually proimed.


    ¡°By the way, I¡¯m currently in the middle of breaking through the 37th floor.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I bet you were itching to brag.¡±


    Unlike father, I¡¯m taking my time collecting all the things I need! You¡¯re so scared of losing, you don¡¯t even ask me to spar!

 Chapter 69. Fairy Garden (2)

    Chapter 69. Fairy Garden (2)


    After Event Dungeons turned into Field Dungeons, small countries without enough Awakened to properly maintain them were practically robbed of their money by the Guardian Association, who deployed their Awakened under the pretense of maintenance fees. They could more safely hunt monsters in the Field Dungeons than in the wild, and they even received additional money from the small countries. It was truly a clever money making tactic. Many countries¡¯ Freedom Wing branches also participated in Field Dungeon subjugations using the same pretense.


    The problem were the dungeons withparatively higher ranks. Japan¡¯s B+-rank Field Dungeon, ¡®General¡¯s Honor,¡¯ and Britain¡¯s Lake District¡¯s Windermere Lake A+-rank Field Dungeon, ¡®Graveyard Over the Lake,¡¯ were especially of concern due to theirrge area, the high number of named monsters, and the high intelligence of their monsters.


    Finally, Arizona State¡¯s Antelope Canyon, which once boasted beautiful scenery, was now the object of people¡¯s fears after turning into the S-rank Field Dungeon, Wyvern¡¯s Nest. These three dungeons were the ones people were having trouble subjugating.


    [I¡¯m so annoyed. He bothers me at least once every hour!]


    ¡°Just set him on fire.¡±


    [Oh, I tried. When I told him to screw off before I burnt all his hair up, heughed and said, ¡®What a cute kitten. I¡¯lle back when you¡¯re feeling better.¡¯]


    ¡°You sure have it rough, having to clear dungeons with someone like him...¡±


    Graveyard Over the Lake, which the two SS-rank ability users, Hwaya and Joshua Brightman, and four other S-rank ability users were exploring, was the world¡¯srgest dungeon, stretching over 16 square kilometers. As its monsters were A+-rank, it seemed that it would take a long time topletely explore the area. ording to Hwaya, she and the other ability users explored the dungeon on a modified cruise ship.


    ¡°That sounds fun. I always wanted to go on a Windermere cruise ship.¡±


    [After Windermere turned into a dungeon, it¡¯s no longer a good tourist location... you don¡¯t know how many people are sad about it. Plus, since it¡¯s so high-ranked, ordinary ability users can¡¯t do anything about it. Not to mention, Field Dungeons don¡¯t disappear after being cleared. I¡¯m worried it¡¯lle back to bite me even after I clean it up once.]


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there people ming you? After all, you had a huge influence on countries¡¯ decisions to leave the Event Dungeons alone.¡±


    [Because of what happened in China, no one is really ming me.]


    ¡°Ah... well, that¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    Although Hwaya might be thankful that China took care of her worry, I didn¡¯t want to admit that whoever was in charge of China¡¯s disaster had a positive impact on someone¡¯s life.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you messaging me too often these days?¡±


    [It¡¯s because I¡¯m stressed... If you had to talk to that self-proimed gentleman, you¡¯d want to relieve your stress too.]


    ¡°Look at the beautiful Windermere Lake and cheer up.¡±


    [Ah, that tuna came out again!]


    ¡°... Good luck.¡±


    Being inwardly happy that Gyeongbokgung Pce[1. Considered the most beautiful and grandest pce in Korea.] didn¡¯t turn into an Event Dungeon, I ended my conversation with her. In front of my eyes was Lin, who was smoking on his cigarette as always.


    ¡°Are doing boss raids and talking with your friend the only things you do? Can¡¯t you think about my scorching heart after being tricked into betting with you?¡±


    ¡°Lin, does the Residential Area Entrance Ticket disappear once you use it?¡±


    ¡°If a Draconian is talking to you, listen to him!¡±


    Lin flicked his cigarette ash towards me as he fretted. I swung my spear and returned the ashes back to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking Lin so I could find better things to do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just skip out on parts of the conversation! ... Alright, what? Residential Area? You got a ticket?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Puffing out cigarette smoke, Lin thought for a brief moment, then gave an exmation of surprise.


    ¡°Obviously, the entrance ticket will disappear once you use it. But if you somehow manage to buy a residence at the Residential Area, you¡¯ll be able to travel back and forth whenever you want. You just have to install a Mana Stone and get authorized.¡±


    ¡°Wait, can you repeat that part about the Mana Stone?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know what a Mana Stone is? You know, the thing thates out from monsters¡¯ heads? It¡¯s the reason for the monsters¡¯ strong and strange biology. The reason they¡¯re distinguished from humans. The difference is being able to control mana or being controlled by mana.¡±


    Hearing this, I remembered something. A story from long time ago, when I first heard about dungeon explorers from father!


    [In the dungeon, there are lots of precious things. Mana Stones, magical weapons... heck, even orc skin would be treated as new material never-before-seen on Earth...]


    That¡¯s right, Mana Stones! I remembered now! But now that I thought about it, I had never even seen a Mana Stone even though I was on the 30th floor. As for magical weapons, the automatic Silver Crossbow in my inventory could count as one. I had only gotten one when I was on the 30th floor! Not to mention, the orc skins were just trash items rather than a new material! If I sold it anywhere, I would have had to talk to the police!


    I couldn¡¯t help but tremble as I was reminiscing about the past. I became a dungeon explorer after being tricked by father¡¯s words! Of course, I didn¡¯t regret it in the slightest now, but I did resent father for tricking me when he had never owned Mana Stones or magical weapons. I vowed to get my revenge.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a Mana Stone.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Well, that¡¯s a given. Monsters that appear below the 20th floor of the First Dungeon are weaklings who don¡¯t have Mana Stones, and since the 21st through 40th floors all have undead monsters, they don¡¯t have Mana Stones. You¡¯ll have to get to the 41st floor to see some.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you go to the Residential Area¡¯s market, you¡¯ll meet other explorers selling some. Just buy one randomly and buy a house randomly too. Once you can install the mana stone at the house and go through the authorization process, you can freely go back and forth between your house and the dungeon. Just like how you can go back and forth between the dungeon and Earth.¡±


    ¡°That... That sounds like I can live in the dungeon without ever having to go back to Earth.¡±


    When I said what I was thinking aloud, Lin sneered for a moment. When I noticed it, he changed his expression to a big smile. For a man, he had a very womanly charm, which made me take a step back. It was undoubtedly charming, but it was the kind of charm that made a chill run down one¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Of course. That¡¯s possible, Earth¡¯s Hero.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out when you get there, but I¡¯ll tell you in advance. The word ¡®escapee¡¯ is forbidden. If you don¡¯t want to be amon enemy at the Residential Area, don¡¯t say that word.¡±


    ¡°Escapee...?¡±


    ¡°I said it¡¯s forbidden. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    He took out another cigarette and put it in his mouth while lighting it up. When I looked at him cautiously, he grinned and advised me.


    ¡°By the way, since any residence at the Residential Area will be too expensive for a soloing explorer to buy, you won¡¯t be able to do anything even if you go. You¡¯ll only end up wasting the entrance ticket you worked so hard to get.¡±


    Since he kindly advised me, I decided to tell him the truth.


    ¡°Because of an achievement I made, I got a Special Mansion Free Purchase Ticket.¡±


    ¡°You... make me angry...!¡±


    As I thought, an angry expression suited Lin the best! Since I knew I could freely go back and forth between the dungeon and the Residential Area once I installed a Mana Stone, I just had to go there and buy one! Excited, I used my Residential Area Entrance Ticket on the spot.


    ¡°Ah, wait! If it¡¯s a Special Mansion, you need a Mana Stone matching its league...!¡±


    Because I already used the entrance ticket, I couldn¡¯t hear Lin very well. Just like when I entered Event Dungeons, my surroundings began to melt. Like removing the rust, the dungeon was slowly getting erased.


    Then, a new world appeared in front of my eyes.


    [You entered the Residential Area.]


    ¡°Argh, I died again. On the 55th floor.¡±


    ¡°Kukuku, the 55th is hard to cross, I know. Let¡¯s just go for a drink.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, the king¡¯s going to say something again.¡±


    While I was dazed by the sudden change in scenery, two middle-aged men brushed past me. I first pped away his hand trying to grab the spear behind my back.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say much, so just go drink.¡±


    ¡°Kuk, I thought you were a newbie, but you¡¯re quite skilled. Alright, we¡¯ll leave. Consider it a wee ceremony.¡±


    Aiming for a martial artist¡¯s weapon, he was lucky I didn¡¯t cut off his wrist.


    Since I knew directly fights between explorers were forbidden, I could tell him off after hearing him speak about the 55th floor. Though, to be explorers on the 55th floor, they looked too weak.


    They were most likely lying. Because I was standing in a daze on my first time entering the Residential Area, they were trying to stomp on my spirit by talking about the 55th floor and steal my weapon. Although it was true that I was in a daze, my training wasn¡¯t so loose that I wouldn¡¯t notice someone stealing my weapon from right under my nose.


    After seeing the two explorers off, I looked around. I instantly knew how to describe the scenery. It was like the vibrant streets of Medieval Europe. The buildings built with colorful bricks were incredibly beautiful, while the pretty stones making up the floor were clean and without gaps.


    There was one thing I didn¡¯t quite understand. It was that this ce, which should be somewhere in the dungeon, had a sky full of clouds.


    Other than this mystery, this ce was certainly wonderful. The sight of so many dungeons explorers walking around with theirs weapons was almost dreamlike. Everything fit well with the area.


    ¡°Hey, handsome young man over there! Would you like a slice of ¡®doragonu,¡¯ the tastiest fruit in all of Sylon continent? Since Sylon continent is already ruined, you can¡¯t find doragonu anywhere else!¡±


    This ce had fruit sellers who sold fruit I had never heard of before...


    ¡°That spear doesn¡¯t look so good. Do you want to look around World Piresia¡¯s high-ranking weapons?¡±


    It had weapon shops that sold weapons from worlds I had never heard of before.


    ¡°It¡¯s only noon and you¡¯re drinking, you losers! If you got kicked out of the dungeon, quietly go back to your world!¡±


    ¡°That world is ruined already!¡±


    There was even a foul-mouthed beauty serving alcohol and curses at her customers.


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s not that big. It¡¯s probably about the size of a small town.¡±


    The city didn¡¯t have any residences belonging to explorers. To be exact, this ce wasn¡¯t the Residential Area, but an intermediate area to get to the Residential Area. It was a public space created for the Residential Area¡¯s explorers to interact. Since just the intermediate area was this size, it was perhaps a little rude of me to call it small. However, since I was used to living in Korea¡¯s capital, this ce could only be small inparison.


    That said, I didn¡¯t dislike this ce filled with lively explorers. It was fun looking at each of the shops the explorers were running, and the fountain za I was summoned to was also incredibly beautiful.


    Alright then, the ce where I could buy the Special Mansion is... No, wait. Someone had told me to contact her when I came to the Residential Area.


    ¡°Palludia, are you in the dungeon?¡±


    [... Kang Shin?]


    ¡°Yeah, you told me to contact you when I came to the Residential Area, remember?¡±


    [... Wa... Wait. J-Just one moment!]


    Then, in the three hours that I was looking around the Residential Area, I didn¡¯t receive any messages from Palludia. A girl¡¯s words really weren¡¯t something you could trust.

 Chapter 70. Fairy Garden (3)

    Chapter 70. Fairy Garden (3)


    During that time, I leisurely walked around the Residential Area¡¯s marketce, checking the market value of the items here and which stores were where. I met two more people who tried to steal my weapon.


    One was an old man who acted feeble and begged for money, then tried to take my spear and run. I grabbed him by his arm and held him with a leg lock. The next one was an explorer exposing much of her voluptuous figure, who approached me with a friendly smile. While I was shyly responding to her, she tried to sneakily take my spear and run with a stealth skill.


    Of course, she couldn¡¯t trick my senses. I twisted her wrist and got my spear back. I grabbed her by the edge of her dress and threw her over my shoulder (not being able to feel her skin because of my armor would forever remain a regret). She then threw out all sorts of curses as she ran away.


    Realizing that my ck Earthen Spear looked like a great weapon to other people, I stopped foolishly carrying it around. I usually stored it in my inventory, but I didn¡¯t have the time to put it away, since I came to the Residential Area right after speaking to Lin.


    Then, I finally found the ce where I could purchase a residence. The ce I arrived at, after asking several people, was called the ¡®First Dungeon Official Trading Center.¡¯ Also known as the ¡®market,¡¯ it was a ce where explorers auctioned off items found in the dungeon, bought houses or even Event Dungeon Entrance Tickets.


    The manager of the trading center was not human. When I noticed him, he noticed me as well and quickly spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to say this beforehand, don¡¯t take out your weapon. We¡¯ll both get tired.¡±


    ¡°... A hobgoblin, right?¡±


    Instead of taking out my weapon, I guessed his identity. The green-skinned hobgoblin, who was sitting on a chair looking over documents, pped after hearing my guess. His ck uniform was one thing, but his white silk gloves did not suit him in the slightest.


    ¡°How did you notice right away? Amazing!¡±


    ¡°Normal goblins aren¡¯t as tall as you, nor are they as intelligent.¡±


    At my words, a smile bloomed on the hobgoblin¡¯s wrinkly face. In truth, he looked quite silly. Elves, hobgoblins, and fairies were all the same race, but how could there be such an unfortunate difference...?


    ¡°Mm, good, good. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen a neer with somemon sense. What business do you have? Are you trying to auction an item? Alright, although there¡¯s usually a 10% fee, we¡¯ll make it 5% since this is your first time. You just have to fill out this form with the auction duration, lowest amount, and item description...¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. I¡¯m trying to im a house.¡±


    ¡°House?¡±


    The hobgoblin then scanned me from head to toe and made a surprised expression.


    ¡°20th floor¡¯s Lizard Knight Set, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Amazing. I didn¡¯t think there would be an explorer thatpleted set equipment nowadays. I¡¯m happy to have met a young man with a bright future. My name is Mdel. You can call me hyung[1. Older brother].¡±


    The sense of distance shorted greatly.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kang Shin. Take good care of me, Mdel.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, is it that hard to call me hyung? Well, whatever. Kang Shin, I fully understand your ability. Being able to defeat a Floor Master by yourself, you should be proud. However...¡±


    He continued as he stamped on documents he pulled out of nowhere with his stamp that he also pulled out of nowhere.


    ¡°In the Residential Area, residences have a great significance. This ce is full of people wanting to escape their worlds that are heading to ruin and secure safe spaces for themselves. There are also people who wish to form interdimensional organizations through guilds. Not to mention, it is required for Dimension Mercenaries to own residences in the Residential Area.¡±


    When I heard Mdel¡¯s words, I finally understood what Lin meant. That is, if I was understanding Mdel correctly.


    ¡°Escaping their worlds that are heading to ruin... You mean, if you have a residence in the dungeon, you don¡¯t have to go back to your own world?¡±


    ¡°Right. After you install a Mana Stone and get authorized, even if your vitality bes zero while exploring the dungeon, you¡¯ll return to your home in the Residential Area rather than the world you came from. Of course, you still won¡¯t be able to continue exploring the dungeon for a week, but you¡¯ll still be able to escape the world you came from.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    So that¡¯s why they were called ¡®escapees.¡¯ It was truly fitting. Dungeon explorers¡¯ worlds were all in huge or fatal trouble. The Luka continent had the demon race and the Edias continent had the invaders. Although Ren didn¡¯t say what happened to the Panan continent, it seemed more hopeless than any of the other worlds.


    If that was the case, it was perfectly normal for people to want to escape from their worlds. They could either die while fighting against a danger they couldn¡¯t fight off alone, or they could survive by running away to the dungeon. The choice was clear.


    I also understood why the word ¡®escapee¡¯ was forbidden. The ones who abandoned their worlds would undoubtedly have a sense of guilt in their hearts. Whether they were chosen by the dungeon or chosen by an explorer, they would have received a certain amount of expectations the moment they became dungeon explorers. As the one who will be their world¡¯s savior, as the one who will fight against the danger.


    However, they ran away. In face of the danger their worlds faced, they cowered in fear and ran. Or, they were burdened by the expectations the people of their worlds ced on them.


    ... I couldn¡¯t me them. I didn¡¯t want to call them ¡®escapees.¡¯ As someone who had yet to face any serious danger and did not even have the courage to reveal himself to his world as an Awakened, I didn¡¯t have the right.


    As such, I stopped this line of thinking, and began to ask Mdel about words I had not heard about before.


    ¡°What are Dimension Mercenaries?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re mercenaries that go out to aid other worlds. When a world¡¯s explorer requests them, they can travel to that world¡¯s dimension. They¡¯re explorers whose main jobs arepleting these requests and gettingpensated. They¡¯re incredibly strong. None of them are weak. The requirement to be a Dimension Mercenary is alsoplicated. You need to have a high enough level, the ¡®Return¡¯ skill, which you can only get through a few special ways, the ¡®Dimensional Travel¡¯ skill, which lets you travel to other worlds, and be in a certain league of existence. And since they can¡¯t be tied to one world, they have to own their own houses in the Residential Area.¡±


    Wow, that sounded so cool. So they were specialists even amongst dungeon explorers. It also seemed you could get the Return skills in ces other than the 15th floor.


    That was the extent of my impression.


    ¡°Unfortunately, there is a finite number of houses in the Residential Area. 5 Special Mansions, 20 First-grade Mansions, 200 Second-grade Mansions, 500 First-grade Houses, 2,000 Second-grade Houses, 5,000 Third-grade houses, and finally 500 Tenement Houses that each fit about ten families. You got that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s 12,725 families in total. Unless explorers marry each other, less than a third of First Dungeon¡¯s dungeon explorers can upy them.¡±


    Hobgoblin Mdel solemnly nodded his head and continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! And to buy a room in a Tenement House, you need... 10 million gold! You need 10 million gold to buy a room in a Tenement House.¡±


    ¡°Then are there rooms avable?¡±


    Although 10 million was certainly an enormous amount, I asked Mdel, thinking it actually might not take too long to collect that much. Mdel then smirked and exined further.


    ¡°No. With how long the dungeon¡¯s been around, do you think there would be any empty rooms? What I meant was, there might be explorers who would give up their rooms for 10 million gold.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯d throw away their homes for 10 million gold?¡±


    ¡°They can enter guilds instead.¡±


    It seemed I would need to bother Mdel for a little longer.


    ¡°Can I ask a few more things? I know you must be busy, but I¡¯m curious about what guilds are.¡±


    ¡°Time is gold, and just like you said, I¡¯m a busy hobgoblin. But you¡¯re an explorer with a bright future, and my golden intuition as a hobgoblin is telling me that building a closer rtionship with you will be incredibly beneficial for me. Plus, I¡¯m an excellent hobgoblin that can do my work while talking with others.¡±


    If there¡¯s one thing I understood, it was that he was a goblin with eloquent speech and high self-esteem.


    ¡°I exined a bit before, but a guild refers to an organization built around one incredibly strong leader and explorers from all dimensions who have simr goals. They live together in something called the Guild House, and its members might form small parties to explore together, or the entire guild mighte together to clear an Event Dungeon or an Event Raid. With strong trust between its members, a guild bes stronger. There¡¯s a reason why so many explorers want to be Guild Masters.¡±


    ¡°I assume there are requirements to bing a Guild Master?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Mdel put down his stamp, and picked up his pen. He then continued as he filled out more documents.


    ¡°First, someone who wishes to be a Guild Master must be at least be a Gold rank explorer. In other words, a Guild Master has to at least be level 50.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°He must also own a mansion. Normal houses cannot be used as Guild Houses.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so he needs to own a Guild House as well. So you would at least need a Second-grade Mansion.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right. In other words, at any time, the First Dungeon cannot have more than 225 guilds. However, mansions aren¡¯t something you can just buy with money.¡±


    ¡°Achievements, right?¡±


    He took his eyes off his documents and looked at me.


    ¡°... Right. Achievements. He needs toplete an achievement that anyone will acknowledge. If he does, he would obtain the qualification to buy a mansion. That qualification is called the Purchase Ticket. Depending on the quality and type of achievement hepleted, the different kinds of mansions he can buy and how cheap he can buy them for would be determined. Although this might sound a bit strange, the worth of an upleted achievement increases as time goes on. The highest level of achievements are the ¡®first¡¯ achievements. In other words, the way toplete a great achievement right now would be to be the first toplete an achievement that has never beenpleted before. An achievement that has never beenpleted in the long history of the dungeon... you understand how valuable that would be, right?¡±


    When I heard his exnation, I finally understood why seeding in the Lizard Knight solo raid in my first challenge was such an amazing achievement. An achievement never-beforepleted in the long history of the dungeon... I had seeded in exactly that. Seeding in the Lizard Knight first challenge solo raid.


    ¡°That¡¯s why the mansions are a bit more openpared to the houses. There are still several ownerless Second-grade Mansions and 3 ownerless First-grade Mansions. One of the only five Special Mansions in the entire Residential Area, Marianne¡¯s Garden, is also awaiting its owner, which has never appeared since the founding of the dungeon. There are quite a lot of explorers that are curious about the one that will be the owner of Marianne¡¯s Garden.¡±


    With that, he looked at me.


    ¡°But it seems that curiosity won¡¯tst long. Don¡¯t you agree, owner?¡±


    ¡°As I thought, you noticed.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I noticed it when you said you would ¡®im¡¯ a house rather than ¡®purchase.¡¯ Although I didn¡¯t think it would be the Special Mansion.¡±


    He really was smart. With a smile, I took out the Special Mansion Free Purchase Ticket and gave it to him. He put his reading sses and carefully examined the ticket. Then, he let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Lord... made a big decision. Alright, congrattions. Kang Shin, from today, you are the owner of the Special Mansion, Marianne¡¯s Garden. I, Hobgoblin Mdel, Elder of the Fairy Garden, acknowledge it with my name.¡±


    [You became the owner of the Special Mansion, Marianne¡¯s Garden.]


    [The key to the mansion is vested upon you. You can find it in your inventory.]


    I opened my inventory and examined the key. It was slightly different than the light blue crystal key Loretta gave me, as it seemed to be carved from a jewel radiating a five-colored brilliance. Although it had less cuts than the crystal key, it was bigger and more beautiful. When I reached inside my inventory to grab it, I received a message.


    [Your friend, Palludia Gren Ehuir, has invited you to her residence. Would you like to ept?]


    ¡°What an impable timing.¡±


    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ah, my friend invited me to her ce. She told me to contact her... I guess she wanted to invite me to her home. Thank you, I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    ¡°... She invited you to her home, huh. Mm, I see.¡±


    Mdel¡¯s voice trembled slightly. He stared at me fixedly, then let out a dry cough.


    ¡°Kuhum... A girl, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes? Yes.¡±


    ¡°Die.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Hurry up and go. Ptui.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why he suddenly spit on the ground. I turned my back to the hobgoblin, and answered the message as I nced at the items being sold and the trading center¡¯s employees busily running around.


    ¡°I ept.¡±

 Chapter 71. Fairy Garden (4)

    Chapter 71. Fairy Garden (4)


    [You will be moved.]


    The same phenomenon as when I arrived at the Residential Area happened. When I closed my eyes and opened them, there was a two-story house in front of me. It was an ordinary house with a red brick roof. On it, there was a sign that read Second-grade House. When I looked around, I saw lines of houses that looked exactly the same as this one. When I tried to walk towards one of them, I found myself in the same ce I started out. It seemed I couldn¡¯t go to the other houses.


    ¡°Palludia?¡±


    [C-Come in!]


    I opened the front door and walked in. The house, which was built using bricks, was exceedingly ordinary, and its inside was incredibly clean. In truth, it wasn¡¯t a ce where a girl could live by herself.


    Palludia wasn¡¯t wearing her usual priestess uniform, but a light blue dress. It perfectly suited her slender arms and legs. For a moment, I was stunned by her beauty. Plus... Hm? Something felt different about her face. What was it? Ah, I could smell perfume!


    ¡°Y-You came!¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, thanks for having me.¡±


    Though, I didn¡¯t really know why she called me.


    ¡°Do you want something to drink? R-Right! Tea.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    On top of her clothes and perfume, she was noticeably acting strange. Her clumsy movements were... cute, but that wasn¡¯t important.


    ¡°Can I sit?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! On the table!¡±


    She probably meant on the chair by the table. With that, I went and sat down on the chair by the teahouse table. Then, I watched Palludia prepare tea. Even though she was in her own house, she made very awkward movements, like her arms and legs moving in the same direction, or spilling water because her hands were shaking uncontrobly.


    From then, it took 20 minutes for Palludia to calm down and finish brewing her tea. It took another 10 minutes for her to sit down at the table and drink tea while facing me. Drinking the lukewarm red tea, I asked Palludia.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the reason you invited me over?¡±


    ¡°... A-Amazing, right? I already have a Second-grade House!¡±


    ¡°Ah, that actually is amazing.¡±


    ¡®This girl, she changed the subject!¡¯


    ¡°Of course, it wasn¡¯t by my strength alone. Many people supported me with their gold. You might not know, but I¡¯m equivalent to the representative of my continent. A mere Second-grade House, it¡¯s nothing against this Palludia Gren Ehuir-nim!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah. Congrattions, Palludia.¡±


    For her mental health, I decided not to tell her about my Special Mansion.


    ¡°Call me Ludia! T-That¡¯s what everyone calls me.¡±


    ¡°Is it...? Okay, Ludia.¡±


    Shuna did call her Ludia. I thought it was a nickname between close friends. When did Palludia start considering me her friend? Because I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d had a chance to be such close friends, I was quite bewildered.


    However, the real bewilderment had yet to happen.


    ¡°S-So you see... the... the reason I called you.¡±


    Palludia, no, Ludia¡¯s face was incredibly red. After taking a sip of red tea, she barely managed to continue her words.


    ¡°There¡¯s... something I need to exin to you...¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°M-My family. I-It¡¯s a r-royal family.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I would never forget her words that followed for the rest of my life.


    ¡°We... We¡¯re born with eyes that can discern our fated partners. I, I mean, if I marry this person and have children, the royal family would be destined to prosper.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    A chill suddenly ran down my back.


    ¡°Apparently it¡¯s because of my bloodline... my ancestor¡¯s blood has a Divine race¡¯s blood mixed in... or so they say.¡±


    ¡°Hm...?¡±


    ¡°W-When we first met.¡±


    For some reason, I didn¡¯t want to hear what she had to say.


    ¡°Remember when I was... mean... to you?¡±


    ¡°Y...Yeah.¡±


    I hoped it wasn¡¯t true.


    ¡°I knew it the moment I saw you.¡±


    ... Really? A girl this pretty, with me? Although I wanted to tell her not to joke around andugh it off, Ludia¡¯s expression was too serious.


    ¡°In truth, I didn¡¯t like it. Why did I have to marry a man I didn¡¯t even know, who even came from another world? That¡¯s why I was so mean to you... I didn¡¯t even think you were an orc! I thought you had an admirable body of a martial artist. I didn¡¯t hate you.¡±


    As she spoke, her voice was getting calmer. She was getting more and more collected.


    ¡°I hated my eyes. I hated my royal bloodline. I hated that I had to marry someone that was chosen without my knowledge. I hated that I was connected to someone that couldn¡¯t even live with me in my world! That¡¯s why I stayed silent. But I didn¡¯t hate you! You saved me twice! You helped me, even when I wasn¡¯t kind to you. In fact, I treated you harshly! When I said I didn¡¯t like you as a person, that was a lie!¡±


    ¡°I, I see. Is that why you added me to your friend list?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah. I didn¡¯t think about marriage, but I didn¡¯t want the connection between us to be severed. Maybe, back then, I was already... N-No. I¡¯ll continue.¡±


    She caught her breath, then asked with a quiet voice.


    ¡°... Shina Gren Ehuir. Do you know her?¡±


    I did.


    ¡°I know Shina. Ah, Shina Gren Ehuir. I see, she¡¯s your younger sister.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s the second royal princess. Even as a princess, she bravely fights on the frontlines as a knight.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s the same for you.¡±


    ¡°M-Me!? I¡¯m a priestess! So it¡¯s not as dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±


    I can¡¯t, this girl. I had to do something. Although she looked calm, she wasn¡¯t calm at all. She got startled whenever I said something, and the tone of her voice randomly changed as she spoke. It was clear she was incredibly nervous. I understood. I was incredibly nervous too!


    ¡°She... She said she¡¯d marry you, so I got scared.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    This was the first time I heard about it. Today, there were many things I was hearing for the first time.


    ¡°She also said her fated partner was you! She kept bragging about how close she was with you, almost as if to taunt me!¡±


    My eyebrows trembled. Scary! Even though we exchanged greetings from time to time, I never even imagined Shina was thinking like that!


    ¡°Even if I die, I won¡¯t let Shina have... I mean! I thought I should meet you because of this problem. I didn¡¯t have any ulterior motives! I just thought it was weird that both sisters picked the same person as their fated partner. I just wanted to confirm, but Mom found out and...¡±


    ¡°Found out?¡±


    ¡°S-She found out you were another world¡¯s Hero...¡±


    Her face reddened as she drooped her head and waved her hand in the air. Although she looked extremely adorable, I understood what she meant in an instant.


    ¡°Ludia, t-this house...?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah. Mom and Dad arranged it.¡±


    The Emperor and Empress did!


    ...As a wedding gift!


    ¡°T-Thanks for the tea.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    When I tried to get up from my seat, Ludia hastily grabbed my arm.


    ¡°I, I¡¯m just saying! Don¡¯t jump to conclusions. What, were you worried that I was going to propose to you? You¡¯re not that narcissistic, are you?¡±


    ¡°I understand, so calm down, Palludia.¡±


    ¡°I said call me Ludia!¡±


    ¡°Okay, Ludia. Breathe in. Breathe out.¡±


    ¡°Hu¡ªHa¡ª¡°


    She obediently followed my words and inhaled in and out. Even as she was being feisty, doing what I told her made her look extremely lova... Huk! I needed to calm down too!


    After rposing herself, she red at me with teary eyes and spoke.


    ¡°I calmed down. S-So! I¡¯m just letting you know. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got it. Well, here¡¯s my thought. Marriage should be done between two people that love each other, right? Being able to tell one¡¯s fated partner, there¡¯s no guarantee it¡¯s 100 percent right. So you don¡¯t have to worry, Ludia.¡±


    ¡°... Stupid. You¡¯re so dense.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing!¡±


    I wondered why. She seemed calmer, but she also looked angrier. Unable to figure out why, I panicked. Ah, I was also feeling fluttery. In truth, Ludia was the most beautiful of all the girls I¡¯d met. Although I was doing my best to lower my evaluation of her looks by thinking about her younger self, I couldn¡¯t deny that she was beautiful.


    But to think her fated partner was me. My heart had no other choice but to pound! Of course, Ludia didn¡¯t like me at all and was angry about that. Even so, I couldn¡¯t help myself from thinking ¡®what if?¡¯


    But this wasn¡¯t right.


    Something like fate, there was no need to consider it. Anyone that would try to do something with Ludia because of it would be the lowest scum. Ludia trusted me and told me about it honestly. Even if I couldn¡¯t act dignified, I had to at least lessen her burden.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to meet the person you like and be happy with him. You don¡¯t have to worry about something like a fated partner.¡±


    ¡°... How about you? You don¡¯t care at all? Not even a little?¡±


    Ludia, who was listening to me, returned with a question. Her eyes were teary like she was about to burst into tears. I felt like I couldn¡¯t lie in front of such eyes and said with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t mind, but I actually do. A lot. You¡¯re incredibly beautiful, and even if you don¡¯t act like it, I know you¡¯re kind. If a girl like that tells me that I¡¯m her fated partner... of course my heart would race. Sorry, I know I shouldn¡¯t, but...¡±


    ¡°... Yes!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s nothing!¡±


    Ludia hastily pped her hands, but for some reason, her mood seemed to have be much brighter. With a face that was barely holding in a smile, she seemed to be pulling back the corners of her mouth. I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt it was a good thing.


    ¡°So, mm. Don¡¯t listen to Shina no matter what she says, okay? Engrave it in your mind!¡±


    It seemed that was all she nned to say for today. While sipping on the red tea that went cold, I answered.


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    ¡°Even if Shina says you have to marry her because you¡¯re her fated partner, don¡¯t listen to her! That girl only likes you because you¡¯re strong, so don¡¯t think she really likes you. Got it, Kang Shin!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got it.¡±


    ¡°And!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    When I answered her with an exhausted voice, she doodled on the table using the tea water, and continued with a quiet murmuring voice.


    ¡°Contact me more often... I¡¯ll forget your voice.¡±


    ¡°O, Okay.¡±


    ¡°You cane by again whenever, too. I¡¯m usually bored.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°You can go now. I¡¯m going to rest.¡±


    ¡°Alright, it was fun today.¡±


    After saying goodbye to Ludia, I left her house. Although I heard Ludia letting out a weird sound and falling, I decided to ignore it. After all, she must have had a lot in her mind before telling me.


    I was happy that several questions I had regarding Ludia were solved. Thinking that I could continue being good friends with her, the corners of my mouth went up.


    ¡®Alright, now let¡¯s go look at my own house!¡¯


    When I touched the key in my inventory, a message rang out in my ear.


    [Would you like to move to Marianne¡¯s Garden?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    When I closed my eyes and opened them, I was in front of a huge mansion.


    ¡°It¡¯s too big...¡±


    The garden spread out past the front gate was filled with colorful flowers, and further back were several trees forming a beautiful scenery. I stepped past the iron gate opening slowly in response to my key, and leisurely walked through the stone path while looking around the mansion¡¯snd.


    It really was incrediblyrge. Plus, there were so many fruit trees that I could smell their sweet, subtle fragrance. When I plucked one off and took a bite, an overwhelming sweetness and coolness danced in my mouth. A bit away from the stone path, amongst the trees, I saw what seemed like a spring, but I ignored it for now.


    ¡°The mansion... Ah, I see it now.¡±


    The mansion was also enormous. It had a blue roof and was made of ivory-colored bricks. Without exaggeration, it was as big as a few Giant Iron Boars. Its sheer size almost felt exhausting. Right in front of the mansion was a fountain, and a wide, open space around it.


    Right! I could leave the Giant Iron Boar here! In the future when I needed to dismantle the Giant Iron Boar, I could do it by the fountain. Not to mention, the water would be close by for me to drink!


    After looking around the fountain and the open area, I turned my attention to the inside of the mansion. I climbed the stairs, and another door appeared, which reacted to the key I had and opened.


    [You entered Marianne¡¯s Garden.]


    [The Mana Stone required for authorization has been confirmed. Would you like to be authorized as the mansion¡¯s owner?]


    While I was overwhelmed by the sight of the wide hall that appeared past the door, the messages rang out. I couldn¡¯t help but be confused. Mana Stone? When did I get a Mana Stone?


    But since it said it would authorize me, there was no reason for me to decline. When I epted the message¡¯s offer, my inventory suddenly opened in mid-air.


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    When did I open my inventory? While I was confused, something was falling out of my inventory.


    It was the Giant Iron Boar¡¯s nose.

 Chapter 72. Fairy Garden (5)

    Chapter 72. Fairy Garden (5)


    ¡°Huk!?¡±


    Even while I stepped back, almost frightened out of my mind, my inventory was slowly, but surely, sending the Giant Iron Boar out of it.


    The inventory freely soared through the air, hovering over a spot in the open area I had just walked by as it spewed out the Giant Iron Boar. Along with a thud, its massive body made the mansion¡¯s open ground its home. Although I had expected it to a certain degree, it really ruined the mansion¡¯s mystical atmosphere.


    After it finished spitting out the entire Giant Iron Boar, my inventory automatically closed itself, as if to say it never acted on its own ord. Hopefully, something so surprising would not happen again. While I was pondering why the boar even popped out, the boar¡¯s head began to crack with a thunderous sound.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s it!¡±


    The answer was obvious. Bluestone! The Mana Stone I had was the boar¡¯s Bluestone! I watched the scene with a dumbfounded expression. Soon, a Bluestone, no, Mana Stone, bigger than my own body, popped out from its head.


    This boar really did have one, a Mana Stone. If China found out about this, they were sure to be painfully jealous. Just how expensive would that thing be if it were sold?


    Such a thought was useless, as the Mana Stone flew towards me while bing smaller. The light it radiated also became stronger. When it arrived in front of my eyes, it had be the size of my thumb, while it shone with a dazzling light. It was almost as if it hadpressed itself to increase its purity.


    [ce a drop of your blood.]


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    After making a light cut on my finger with my spear, I let a drop of blood fall onto the Mana Stone. Then, the Mana Stone let out an almost blinding light and flew into the mansion. I tried to follow its trajectory, but it had disappeared into the hall¡¯s central area in the blink of an eye.


    Oong! Immediately afterwards, the entire mansion rumbled.


    [You were sessfully authorized as the mansion¡¯s owner. You can return to the dungeon using your key at any time, and likewise, you can return to the mansion from the dungeon. When your vitality bes zero, you can return to the mansion, in which case you will still not be able to re-enter the dungeon for a week.]


    When my vitality became zero. It meant when I was kicked out of the dungeon after my HP became zero. Although I hadn¡¯t diedtely, I was d I could return to the mansion if I did, since I wouldn¡¯t want father to find out.


    Plus, the fact that I could go back and forth between the dungeon and the Residential Area was the real benefit. I was looking forward to selling things in the Residential Area as well. Not to mention, there were street vendors and bars that were only avable here.


    Just like that, I became the owner of a mansion I had never even dreamed about. All hail the dungeon! ... In truth, it had not sunken in yet.


    [With the Mana Stone installed in the mansion, venttion, temperature management, cleaning, and other maintenance will be automatically done. However, it is rmended that you appoint another mansion administrator.]


    ¡°I mean, since it¡¯s so big... just looking around the mansion will be a chore.¡±


    [You will be guided.]


    ¡°Mm... No. Before that.¡±


    Holding off on the message noona¡¯s unusually generous service, I turned around and stared at the boar, which had its head cracked open. Now that was a chore.


    ¡°I have to take care of it.¡±


    I gave up after two hours. He was too big! There should be a limit to how big a monster could be. If I wanted to dismantle himpletely by myself, even four full days would not be enough.


    ¡°Should I put it back in my inventory? Wait, if I just leave it like this, will it rot?¡±


    I murmured as I stood on his head and knocked on it a few times. Then, a semi-transparent window that exined its status automatically appeared in front of my eyes.


    [Giant Iron Boar¡¯s Corpse (Unique)


    The corpse of a B-rank massive raid boss. Its meat is in a ss of its ownpared to the taste of other monster meats. If handled well and used in medicine, it can permanently increase your stats. Its bones and leather can be used to craft up to A-rank items. It might be better used as a sacrifice for ck magic. Even as a corpse, because of the bountiful mana it holds, it will not rot, even if left alone.]


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    I learned a few things.


    First, eating raid boss meat increased stats. Second, raid boss corpses could be used to craft defensive equipment or weapons that were a rank higher than the boss. Third, I wanted to see the boar be an undead one day.


    Most importantly, the fourth, it would not rot even if I left it alone like this!


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s its home for now.¡±


    I nodded my head imperiously and jumped down from its back. Since it wouldn¡¯t rot even if I left it here, there was no need to put it back in my inventory!


    When I examined it from below, it really was enormous. However, even if I used it to make defensive equipment or weapons, they would only be A-rank at the highest. Judging by the ck Earthen Spear, which was a reward from an A-rank Event Dungeon, even the best crafted item would only beparable to the ck Earthen Spear. That said, I would be able to make quite a lot of them. Although it would be perfect to sell them to other Awakened, there was no need to go to that extent to earn money. Not to mention, China might take notice.


    ¡°Now, what should I do?¡±


    Since I finished being authorized as the mansion¡¯s owner, I felt rxed. Should I look around the mansion first? Or should I look for the spring Loretta talked about?


    Although I pondered for a long time, the decision was made in an instant. Since it was on my mind, I decided to just visit the spring first. I left the garden and walked into the forested area, while thinking just how absurd it was that a mansion had a forest in its boundaries.


    After about 15 minutes, I heard the sound of water. When I hastened my steps towards where the direction of the sound wasing from with joy, the Fairy Spring was there.


    ¡°Oooooh...¡±


    It was truly a picturesque scene. In the spring that wasn¡¯t big or small, a stream of water was shooting out. Inside, small fish were swimming in the almost transparent water.


    In addition, numerous flowers surrounded the spring, as if to envelope it in their embrace, and a small tree cast its shadow next to it, creating the perfect resting spot. Although the small area didn¡¯t quite fit in with the enormity of the mansion, it was just my style. Just like the name Loretta called it, I felt like fairies would pop out of the spring at any time.


    [You have the key to the Fairy Garden¡¯s entrance. Would you like to use the key?]


    ¡°... What?¡±


    What did it say? I took out the light blue crystal key from my inventory. What? Fairy Garden? Didn¡¯t I hear that name somewhere...? It shouldn¡¯t have been too long ago, but I couldn¡¯t remember.


    After thinking about it for a bit, I gave up. Since there was no chance that Loretta would get angry, I decided to open the entrance.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [The gate opens.]


    Something like the spring splitting in half didn¡¯t happen. Instead, the spring¡¯s water shot up into the sky and spun in a donut shape. The donut became bigger as more and more water shot up, until it became big enough for a person to fit through. I wouldn¡¯t end up underwater after jumping through it, right? Deciding to trust Loretta, I jumped into the gate.


    The scenery warped and a strong headache swept over me. For a moment, I couldn¡¯t withstand the dizziness and closed my eyes.


    When I awoke, I was already in the Fairy Garden.


    [Look, it¡¯s the Prince!]


    [Elemental Tempesssst!]


    [I loved that. Spin~]


    [I want to form a contract with him.]


    [His lightning elemental was so beautiful.]


    Voices of elementals were something I always heard, both in the dungeon and on Earth. However, there was an overwhelming number of elementals in this ce. My surroundings were full of their colorful lights. If an elf was here to see them... it would be like an amusement park.


    Plus, this ce didn¡¯t just have elementals. There were also fairies, which, unlike elementals, even ordinary people could see. They were spinning around me along with the elementals. In truth, they were quite distracting.


    [Queen-nim wanted to see him.]


    [I was beaten by the Guild Master for saying it.]


    [Beaten!?]


    [Beaten!]


    [Queen-nim got beaten!]


    [Thieving cat¡ª!]


    ¡°Peika.¡±


    [You called, Master?]


    I called Peika who I had unsummoned after entering the Residential Area. When Peika appeared, even more elementals and fairies gathered.


    [Pretty elemental!]


    [Come y with us!]


    [W-Wait, go away!]


    Looking at Peika acting flustered, I lightly smiled and spoke.


    ¡°Go y with the elementals for a little bit. Though, if you don¡¯t want to, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    [I-If it¡¯s Master¡¯s request. Okay, what do you guys want to y?]


    [Let¡¯s y tag!]


    [Tag!]


    [I like spin spin~]


    You probably can¡¯t spin spin without me, probably. With that, I left the elementals and fairies to Peika, then walked forward to the inside of the garden, which seemed to be an erged version of my mansion¡¯s garden. Fairies and balls of light were floating about the area.


    There I found a pavilion where a few members of the Faerie race were gathered. There was water flowing around the pavilion, and they sat in the pavilion in a circle, drinking tea. As there was a stack of papers next to them, they didn¡¯t look like they were just ying around.


    Amongst them was a hobgoblin, an elf, and a beastman with cat ears and tail. Wait, a beastman shouldn¡¯t be part of the Faerie race, right?


    There was also a short human-like man. He was most likely a dwarf, which was a member of the Faerie race.


    ¡°Mm? Who are you, nyan?¡±


    Amongst them, the cat-eared beastman girl was the first to notice me. She didn¡¯t try to hide the furry triangr ears that protruded out of her brown bobbed hair. Her eyes shone with a yellow light simr to gold, while cat-like vertical pupils red at me. Because of her excellent figure that contrasted with her babyface, I was instantly reminded of Yua.


    ¡°Why are you even asking, you nyan cat. Master said a human wille by soon, remember?¡±


    The hobgoblin that was drinking tea next to her noticed me in response to the beastman girl¡¯s words, and spoke as he smacked her head with the teacup te. The beastman girl growled and threatened the hobgoblin, but went quiet after more teacup tes struck her head.


    The dwarf then turned to face me. I, who was expecting a bearded face like the dwarves described in novels, was surprised after seeing the dwarf was a handsome young man.


    ¡°Humans, really. You thought I¡¯d have scraggly beard and muscr body, right?¡±


    ¡°Kuk, you¡¯re right. Sorry. I¡¯m Kang Shin. You are?¡±


    ¡°Lotang De ima. As you know, I¡¯m a dwarf. Nice to meet you, human.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the hobgoblin del. I heard from Mdel that the owner of the Marianne¡¯s Garden appeared. That must be you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡±


    Hobgoblins were said to be able tomunicate with others of their race through their minds. del must have heard about me from Mdel.


    After hearing the word ¡®Marianne¡¯s Garden,¡¯ the beastman girl that was sniffling with her head down raised her head.


    ¡°Marianne¡¯s Garden, nyan? How did a human who looks so weak be a Special Mansion owner, nyan?¡±


    ¡°Strength doesn¡¯t matter, you nyan cat. What matters is how Lord judged his achievement. Hello, boy. I¡¯m Shikatra.¡±


    ¡°You must be an elf. Nice to meet you.¡±


    The one who introduced herselfst was an incredibly beautiful woman. She had grey-silver


    hair, emerald-colored eyes, and a certain mature charm. With her teacup in hand, she looked like she came out of a painting. If the teacup te from her hand hadn¡¯t hit the beastman girl¡¯s head, she would have looked even more beautiful.


    ¡°I see, you¡¯re Master¡¯s... huhu, nice to meet you. Take good care of Master.¡±


    ¡°Um, I¡¯m asking just to be sure, but is the Master you¡¯re referring to Loretta?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Shikatra nodded her head like it was nothing. So it was true. A mere Floor Shop owner was being called Master. If I took into ount the simrity between the crystal key to the Fairy Garden and the mansion key...


    ¡°Is Loretta the Master of the guild, Fairy Garden?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right, Human. Though, Fairy Garden is a bit different from the guilds created by explorers. In fact...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a guild for those who manage the dungeon, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The First Dungeon has a total of five administrative guilds, and Fairy Garden is one of them. It¡¯s named after this area we¡¯re in.¡±


    The dwarf, Lotang, nodded his head with satisfaction. It was as I thought. Administrators who managed the Floor Shops and parts of the Residential Area... although I was curious about their identities, I did not ask since they did most likely would not answer. The beastman girl¡¯s initial hostility seemed to have subsided as she scanned me and said, ¡°My name is Loka, nyan.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Lokanyan.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Lokanyan, nyan! It¡¯s just Loka, nyan!¡±


    Of course, I was just joking. Her reaction was exactly what I wanted as well. Watching me nod my head in satisfaction, the hobgoblin del spoke as he stared at me fixedly.


    ¡°I assume you¡¯re here to meet Master?¡±


    ¡°No, Loretta just said something good will happen if I use the key at the spring. But since I¡¯m here, I do want to meet Loretta.¡±


    ¡°What was Master embarrassed about, even after handing him the key...¡±


    While del was murmuring to himself, the elf Shikatra exined in his stead.


    ¡°You see the path there, right? Don¡¯t stray off the path and keep going. Remember, you have to think of Master as you walk. If you follow where the fairies lead you, you might not be able toe back.¡±


    ¡°Just what is this ce?¡±


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s not the material realm. It¡¯s closer to the faerie realm. So make sure you stay on your guard, young man.¡±


    ¡°With your dazed face, the fairies will trick you, nyan! Be careful, nyan!¡±


    Did they not know about my ability? I was an Elementalist, and had skills that let all spirits see me in favorable light. The fairies I met on my way didn¡¯t try to trick me. Loka¡¯s worry was probably for nothing.


    While I was following the path, I suddenly remembered about Peika. She disappeared after being dragged off by the elementals and fairies.


    ¡®Mmm, well, I could always unsummon her, so I guess I can just leave her be.¡¯


    Thinking casually, I walked deeper and deeper into this garden of the fairies.

 Chapter 73. Fairy Garden (6)

    Chapter 73. Fairy Garden (6)


    As I walked onward thinking about Loretta, the trees became denser and the number of elementals decreased. The sound of birds chirping rang out along with the cries of other animals. It was truly a mystical ce.


    In an instant, the forest¡¯s atmosphere changed again. The warm, peaceful atmosphere became more uneasy.


    ¡®I¡¯m here.¡¯


    Thinking like that instinctively and pushing myself through the trees, I found a small log cabin in the woods. It was almost as if it popped out of a fairytale. I approached the cabin and knocked on its door. Loretta¡¯s answer was swift and concise.


    [Not working. I¡¯m resting. Go away, and don¡¯te back.]


    ¡°Loretta?¡±


    [Kyak!]


    Crashing and ttering sounds rang out from the inside, followed by an absolute silence. I was lost for words as the silence continued, before the door quietly and slowly opened.


    From inside, two golden eyes peeked out. So Loretta had golden eyes. They were truly big and beautiful.


    ¡°Uh, mm, Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Loretta.¡±


    ¡°Uu, uuu... Pretend you didn¡¯t hear what I said.¡±


    ¡°That would depend on Loretta¡¯s reception.¡±


    ¡°... Come in.¡±


    The inside of the cabin was exceedingly normal. Although the living room was too small to even be called a living room, it was extremely clean. Other than a tea cup on a table, there was nothing inside that seemed like decorations. I could see two rooms, but they couldn¡¯t have been big considering the size of the cabin from the outside. Unlike the grandiose title of Fairy Garden¡¯s Master, the house was humble.


    Loretta was the only special part about it.


    Perhaps realizing that I was staring at her, Loretta blinked her big eyes and asked.


    ¡°Um, do I look that different?¡±


    Loretta from the Floor Shop was an extremely lively girl. However, other than her voice, Loretta¡¯s real self did not share any simrities with the Loretta I knew. The Loretta I was looking at right now was a beauty exuding nobility and elegance.


    ¡°N-No, that¡¯s...¡±


    She was an incredibly beautiful elf with snow-white skin, and was tall enough to look me in the eye. Considering that my height was over 190 cm, she was also just as tall.


    However, her perfect body proportions did not make her height stand out. In fact, it added to her mystical appearance. Her slender waist, her arms, her legs, and her voluptuous chest all seemed to suggest that she wasn¡¯t human. After all, a human couldn¡¯t have a figure of such proportions.


    Her big, golden eyes, shapely nose, and pink-colored full lips made her look like a piece of art. Her flushed cheeks made her look healthy, and her long-ears added a magical charm to her otherworldly atmosphere.


    Her long, soft ck hair flowed down to her waist, tied loosely by a ribbon, revealing its abundance. She looked like she just woke up, as she was wearing a see-through nightgown. Because of it, I didn¡¯t know where to direct my gaze. Her figure was shown fully, and her half-opened gown revealed her... uuuuu!


    ¡°L-Loretta, can you wear some proper clothes?¡±


    ¡°Yes? Kyak!¡±


    After hearing what I said, Loretta looked down at herself and screamed. She then hastily ran into her room. Before I could talk with her, wearing her usual clothes, a bit more time had to pass.


    ¡°I, I apologize, Shin-nim. I¡¯ve shown you a shameful sight.¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. In fact, I would have wanted to see more of... hiik!¡±


    ¡°That will be 10 million gold, customer.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Because she had an incredibly embarrassed expression, I had no choice but to apologize.


    ¡°The reason I invited Shin-nim to this ce is...¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°The reason I invited Shin-nim to this ce is...!¡±


    Loretta didn¡¯t seem to want to ept my apology, as she continued without facing me. I was at a loss for what to do. Although she lookedpletely different on the outside, because the way she acted was the same, I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I watched her.


    ¡°As you know, it will be convenient to find a ce to stay in the dungeon¡¯s Residential Area. At the Residential Area, you can sell equipment or consumables, or buy items you need from other explorers. There are ces where you can relieve fatigue built up from the dungeon as well.¡±


    She picked up the teacup in front of her and took a sip. Although she looked graceful, her head was still turned away from me. She was very cute.


    ¡°Although Shin-nim had no problem climbing alone thus far, it won¡¯t stay like that forever. There is no ce like the Residential Area to get closer to other worlds¡¯ explorers. When you make friends here, even though you might not party with them as you climb the dungeon, they might invite you to Event Dungeons or Raids, or vice versa.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°But Shin-nim should know, if you entered the mansion. Unless Shin-nim gets authorized using a Mana Stone, Shin-nim cannot freely go back and forth between the dungeon and the Residential Area.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°But finding a Mana Stone that¡¯s suitable for a Special Mansion like Marianne¡¯s Garden probably will not be possible for a while. So...¡±


    Loretta hesitated slightly, then continued.


    ¡°So if Shin-nim is okay with it, I¡¯d like to invite Shin-nim as Fairy Garden¡¯s temporary guild member.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Temporary guild member.¡±


    She faced me. From the front, her explosive beauty came into view once again and made me flustered.


    Pointy ears, thin facial lines, a sharp nose and long neck. Such features made her look nonhuman, but they only added to her charm.


    Her sparkling golden eyes shone as if something was lighting it up from inside. I felt like staring into it would suck me in.


    ¡°A temporary guild member is... Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah. Continue your exnation.¡±


    ¡°... Huhu.¡±


    Loretta¡¯s expression became slightly haughty. Damn, this elf found out!


    ¡°Why were you staring at me so fixedly, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, nothing at all.¡±


    ¡°Huhung... huhu. Why were you looking at me so much? Why?¡±


    Loretta¡¯s eyes darted around my face as she spoke with a humming voice. Even if you do that, I won¡¯t tell you honestly! Saying that I was too enchanted by her beautiful eyes... Unless I wanted to confess to her and get rejected, I couldn¡¯t say it out loud.


    She continued making fun of me, trying to get me to confess, but because she lost her mystical beauty the more she did so, I was able to regain myposure. Eventually, she clicked her tongue and continued.


    ¡°A temporary guild member isn¡¯t anything special. It¡¯s just someone who¡¯s registered with Fairy Garden¡¯s guild area and can thus stay here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why...¡±


    ¡°Yes. Although you can¡¯t be a full-fledged guild member because of your status as an explorer, it can at least help you go back and forth between the dungeon and the mansion since Shin-nim cannot get authorized for now. Of course, it won¡¯t be for free. In exchange for bing a temporary guild member, Shin-nim will have to help with the paperwork of Fairy Garden¡¯s Master...¡±


    ¡°Mmm... but Loretta.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Loretta stopped her exnation in the middle and blinked her eyes as she looked at me. Since she already looked so excited to put me to work, I delivered the fatal blow.


    ¡°I already got authorized. For Marianne¡¯s Garden.¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°I got authorized. There was an Event Raid on Earth. I got the entire corpse of an Event Raid boss, and it had a Mana Stone.¡±


    ¡°Ah... is that so...?¡±


    Loretta shoulders drooped. I didn¡¯t know for sure, but her long ears seemed to have drooped as well. With a slightly disappointed expression, she spoke.


    ¡°Then, that¡¯s good. Yep, it¡¯s good... Stupid Shin-nim.¡±


    I definitely heard it. She called me stupid. It wasn¡¯t like obtaining a Mana Stone was my fault. I answered Loretta with a bitter smile.


    ¡°You must have a lot of work to do. So much that you need an assistant.¡±


    ¡°No, that was just a preten... Ah, nothing! Yeah, I have lots!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much I can do if you¡¯re busy with work, but if you have time,e visit my mansion. I haven¡¯t even looked around it yet, but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s at least a teahouse where Loretta and I can drink tea.¡±


    Loretta¡¯s ears perked up. As she blinked her golden eyes, she asked.


    ¡°I can go visit?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°T-Then... can you add me to your friend list?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible!?¡±


    I shot up from my seat in surprise. Loretta covered her mouth with her hands and snickered.


    ¡°Of course! We also belong to the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Really, what exactly is Loretta¡¯s identity?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret, for now. But I hope I can tell you one day.¡±


    ¡°Will you?¡±


    At my question, Loretta smiled lightly and nodded her head. cing her index finger on my mouth, she quietly whispered.


    Although her fingers were tickling me, I couldn¡¯t open my mouth. Her golden eyes, which seemed to suck me in, were staring right at me.


    ¡°One day, to you only. It¡¯ll be a secret to anyone else.¡±


    I left Loretta¡¯s log cabin. Loretta saw me off at the door.


    ¡°Take care, Shin-nim. Make sure to answer me when I message you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m off then.¡±


    ¡°Ah, um, Shin-nim.¡±


    When I was about to turn away, Loretta stopped me. She held both of my hands, while her eyes wandered around me without being able to look at me directly.


    ¡°My real appearance. Is it strange?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that now?¡±


    ¡°B-But... you didn¡¯t say it properly before.¡±


    She really was a cute noona. For someone who had a noble charm on top of incredible beauty, she really should be more confident in herself. I thought she knew that by the way she acted, but I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d waver all the way at the end.


    Of course, I felt that this made her even more charming. As such, I decided to tell her how I felt without a hint of deceit.


    ¡°Not at all. You¡¯re incredibly beautiful. I was almost entranced.¡±


    ¡°Hik!¡±


    Loretta made a strange sound and plunked down on the ground. Girls really were weak topliments. At her picture-like reaction, I snickered and turned away.


    ¡°I¡¯m going. Message me.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. I¡¯ll message you, I¡¯ll definitely message you! Even tomorrow!¡±


    ¡°I thought you were busy... I should call Peika too... Eh?¡±


    Strange. When I tried to pass on my intent through our mental connection, it was severed in the middle. Thinking our contract had been severed, my heart skipped a beat, but that wasn¡¯t it. The contract was still there. What was wrong? Why couldn¡¯t Imunicate with her? When I tried to unsummon her in confusion, a series of messages rang out in my ear.


    [Your contracted elemental, Peika, and the fairies she was ying with discovered a hidden area of ¡®Fairy Garden!¡¯]


    [An Event Dungeon, ¡®Frozen Elemental¡¯s Prison,¡¯ has been created! As it was discovered by a contracted elemental, the contracted master will automatically receive the right to enter the dungeon! Would you like to enter the dungeon? This dungeon can only be entered by you.]


    [A quest has appeared!]


    [Quest ¨C Save the Contracted Elemental!


    Description ¨C While ying with the fairies and elementals at your request, your contracted elemental opened the entrance to Fairy Garden¡¯s sealed hidden area, almost as if guided by fate. The moment the hidden area was opened, the contracted elemental was sucked into the hidden area along with other fairies and elementals. Quickly save her! Otherwise, the mad ice elemental may freeze your elemental along with the other elementals and fairies!]


    ... What!?

 Chapter 74. The Elementalist That Sealed, The Elementalist That Saves (1)

    Chapter 74. The Elementalist That Sealed, The Elementalist That Saves (1)


    ¡°Cold Protection Robe, Return magic scroll, me Enchant magic scroll...¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need a Return magic scroll. I already have the Return skill.¡±


    Loretta, who began to take out all sorts of items seemingly out of nowhere, put away the Return magic scroll after hearing what I said. Although I was watching her with my own eyes, I couldn¡¯t see where she put away the scroll.


    Looking over the items she picked out, she nodded her head, then shook it again. She then took out a book and a small chest from the pile.


    ¡°You said you had a crossbow, right? This is Crossbow Marksmanship. This item is sold starting from the 30th floor, and if you learn Crossbow Marksmanship with this skill book, it will be easier to shoot down any enemies. This is me Bolt Cartridge. The bolts ced inside it receive the fire attribute and explode when they collide with something... This is a limited item sold from the 47th floor and above, and only to those whopleted a particr achievement, so make sure you keep it a secret from others. Remember, it¡¯s a secret!¡±


    It turns out that Floor Master Battle Vouchers and Party Member Scarecrows that I¡¯d been buying were also items only those whopleted a particr achievement could buy. Although I had the qualifications to buy them, it seemed I had stretched it a bit when I let Ren purchase them. Though, Ren also obtained the qualifications after seeding in a solo raid.


    ¡°I understand. So, how much is it for the Cold Protection Robe and the me Enchant magic scroll?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s 600... No, 450,000 gold.¡±


    It was an enormous discount. Although I sent Loretta an inquisitive, ¡®will that be fine?¡¯ nce, she simply held out her hands, asking me for my money. In the end, Loretta was helping me in various ways.


    ¡°Here, 450,000 gold.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you for the purchase, customer.¡±


    ¡°Loretta, can you really sell them for this price?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, this ce is my area, where no prying eyes can reach. Plus, if the hidden area that just opened is what I think it is, it really is a dangerous ce that I¡¯d love to prevent you from going to. If it¡¯s just this much, I¡¯m sure the oldie... I mean, Lord, would allow it too.¡±


    Although I felt a little uneasy, I decided to ept her help. Peika was in danger. I didn¡¯t have time to loiter around. I first learned the Crossbow Marksmanship skill.


    [You learned Crossbow Marksmanship. You can properly handle crossbows to damage the enemy. As the skill level increases, your aim and critical hit rate will increase.]


    ¡°Shin-nim, if things get difficult, you have to find elemental-nim and use Return. If Shin-nim dies, it will be the same thing as Shin-nim¡¯s vitality bing zero, but the elemental-nim won¡¯t be unsummoned and willpletely perish.¡±


    Loretta warned me as I put on the Cold Protection Robe. As her golden eyes staring at me emphasized the seriousness of her words, I could only nod my head.


    ¡°Be careful. A crazed elemental is extremely dangerous. Although I wasn¡¯t present at the time, even the Fairy Garden¡¯s Elementalist didn¡¯t have the confidence to subdue the crazed elemental without killing her, and could only seal her in that ce... Even Shin-nim might not be strong enough to do anything against her. Remember, if Shin-nim¡¯s vitality bes zero, elemental-nim will perish.¡±


    ¡°I know. I don¡¯t want to lose Peika either. I¡¯m off, then.¡±


    ¡°Come back safely with elemental-nim. ... And.¡±


    I poured the skeleton bone bolts first into the cartridge I just bought and then put them all in my inventory. As long as there were bolts in my inventory, my crossbow would automatically reload itself.


    When I finished checking over my equipment and raised my head, Loretta was almost right in front of my face. Seeing her frighteningly perfect face up close, my body became stiff on its own. A pathetic sound came out of my mouth.


    ¡°H, Huuk?¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t misunderstand, okay? Don¡¯t misunderstand.¡±


    With that, she ced her hand on my left cheek, and pressed her lips against my other cheek.


    [You received the Queen Elf¡¯s Blessing. For the next 5 hours, you receive the following effects: You are protected against all low-rank and mid-rank status effects. You can maintain your consciousness for 5 minutes after falling into a half-dead state. Your luck increases by 100. All members of the Faerie race will see you favorably.]


    ¡°W... W-W-W-W-Wha...¡±


    ¡°B-Blessing, it¡¯s a blessing. I gave you a blessing to wish you safe return! So don¡¯t misunderstand!¡±


    Loretta¡¯s cheeks became bright red. However, she couldn¡¯t be redder than me who had just gotten kissed. I could feel my cheeks burning, and I was frozen stiff as if Loretta¡¯s silvery fragrance consumed my body. Just when I was thinking I might suffocate from being unable to let out my breath, I barely managed to exhale.


    ¡°Queen Elf it said... You were married?¡±


    ¡°Second Bullet of Destruction!¡±


    ¡°Kahak!¡±


    With a burning sensation in my stomach, I copsed.


    ¡°I¡¯m still a young maiden! Queen just refers to my status. How can Shin-nim say that to me!?¡±


    ¡°Y-You could have just... said that...¡±


    ¡°... Shin-nim? Shin-nim... Shin-nim!?¡±


    My vitality almost became zero before I could even go to Peika¡¯s rescue.


    [You entered an Event Dungeon.]


    The moment I entered the Event dungeon, a tremendous cold swept over me. Even with the Cold Protection Robe, the chill that reached my skin seemed to want to rip me to pieces.


    ¡°Ku, it¡¯s so cold here... Is this a snow field?¡±


    How could the warm Fairy Garden have an area this cold? I took out my spear and gasped as I felt the metallic handle of my spear turn cold. I could feel the chill even through my gauntlet.


    ¡°I should use me Enchant first.¡±


    When I brought the me Enchant scroll I bought from Loretta to the ck Earthen Spear, the scroll instantly burned up, and, at the same time, made my spear glow with a reddish aura. I could feel the heat emanating off from it. With the warmthing from the spear, I felt much better. By rubbing my cheeks on the spear shaft, I could forget the cold for a moment.


    With my improved condition from me Enchant, I tightly grabbed the spear with my hands and looked around. There was snow as far as my eyes could see, and the trees that I saw here and there had snow flowers instead of leaves. Although I was worried about Peika and wanted to hurry, I knew rushing things would only make it worse.


    I closed my eyes and focused. Thankfully, after I came into this space, the connection between Peika and me had reestablished itself. However, I still couldn¡¯t unsummon her or recall her.


    ¡°Peika, can you hear me?¡±


    [Master! You came to find me!]


    Whew. It seemed she was okay. Feeling relieved, I asked.


    ¡°How¡¯s the situation? Are you in danger?¡±


    [It¡¯s so cold. I¡¯m fine, but the kids I came with might freeze to death. Master, hurry up.]


    ¡°You didn¡¯t meet any other elementals?¡±


    [Mm? No, but I found lots of strange monsters. Be careful, Master!]


    Strange monsters? When I opened my mouth to ask her for more details, I felt a bone-chilling feeling and rolled forward.


    ¡°Ptui! Argh, snow!¡±


    ¡°Kuhung!¡±


    As Iined while spitting out the snow that had gotten in my mouth, someone, or something, had replied. To secure my safety, I first rolled forward once more before I got up and turned around. There, an almost 3 meter tall humanoid monster was looking down on me. Its entire body was covered with white fur, while a small horn protruded from its head.


    ¡°Kaooooo!¡±


    ¡°... Hm, you¡¯re quite big.¡±


    I casuallyplimented it and strengthened my grip on my spear. If it was a sociable creature, I hoped it would be bashful andpliment my helmet or spear. Unfortunately, it swung its ck ws, the only non-white part of its body, towards me.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    ¡°Kuhuuung!¡±


    ¡°Kuhuuaaang!¡±


    Although I had expected as much, there really was another one! At the same time the one facing me attacked me, the other monster suddenly popped up behind me, aiming for my back. Without a shred of hesitation, I charged towards the one I was facing. Although I normally would have spent more time to feel it out, I was currently facing two mysterious enemies. I had to take care of one first!


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    ¡°Kuhak!¡±


    The Heroic Strike, which I thrust out with a spirited shout, drew a trajectory of white light as it pierced through the monster¡¯s neck. Because of me Enchant, the moment the spear went into its neck, its whole body burned up in mes. As they were monsters living in the snowy fields, it seemed fire damage was especially effective against them.


    The Heroic Strike just now took about 15% of my HP and MP, but managed to finish the monster off. If that was the case, I could fight the remaining monster without having to use Heroic Strike!


    ¡°Kuhuuuuung!¡±


    ¡°Huu... Hap!¡±


    Right now, I didn¡¯t have Peika, nor could I call upon other elementals. In short, I couldn¡¯t use my power as an Elementalist. I had to rely on my spearmanship and martial arts techniques. However, I became more spirited the more dangerous the situation was. A few strands of my hair left unprotected by the cover of my robe froze. With this, I found out the monster¡¯s attacks had the power to freeze its opponent.


    I lowered my posture and charged towards it. It seemed to be wary of my spear, as it backed away, but it was too slow. By the time it found a weakness in its defense, my spear was already cutting off its left arm.


    ¡°Kaaaaaa!¡±


    About a third of its arm became severed, dripping blue blood on the snowy field, which instantly froze. For an instant, I doubted my eyes. It wasn¡¯t because the snow was cold. It was its blood¡¯s low temperature that caused it to crystalize. In other words, I had to be wary of its blood as well.


    ¡°Just what are these things...? Hap!¡±


    In my eyes, the damage I might take from the cold was more dangerous than direct attacks. Especially its left arm that kept spewing out blue blood, it was the most annoying thing to deal with. I had topletely sever it and use the me energy in my spear to scorch it. So that¡¯s exactly what I did.


    ¡°Kiaaaaaa!¡±


    The spear I thrust out with an ample amount of mana made its left arm drop on the ground, which then disappeared into particles. I held my spear a bit closer to the tip and charged towards it, hitting away the fluttering droplets of blood. Then, I smacked the severed area of its left arm with my spear.


    ¡°Kiaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    I heard the sizzle of my spearhead scorching its wound. It made me... a bit hungry. It even smelled nice.


    ¡°Huk, I can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Kuoooooo!¡±


    Using its cry as a background music, I heightened my concentration and managed topletely scorch its wound. Using the moment where it stumbled after losing its arm, I shot my spear forward. As if my spear was being sucked in, it stabbed at the monster¡¯s neck and managed to deal damage by prating its thick skin.


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Kiaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Hu, you¡¯re almost dead!¡±


    After 5 minutes of carefully stabbing its neck, I managed topletely pierce through its neck. With a strange roaring sound, the monster copsed.


    [You obtained Yeti¡¯s Blood.]


    [You obtained 5,500 gold.]


    ¡°Huu... so this guy is a yeti.¡±


    Yeti. Although my fight with them had ended, the fight wasn¡¯t perfectly clean, nor was it satisfying.


    I was in my worst condition and my opponents were the worst as well. The yetis entire body and blood were weapons, and they even had high defense. Not to mention, the snowy field environment and its harsh, cold winds made it hard for me to even open my eyes and maintain my bnce. My feet also kept sinking into the snow. The moment I lost my focus, I could receive a fatal blow. This was truly the worst environment for battle.


    However, it also was the best ce to grow myself. I was in simr situations when I was training with father as well. The sense of aplishment was higher the harsher the environment was for practicing martial arts.


    Yup, I¡¯d think of this as training. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have the will to continue on in this ce.


    ¡°Alright... let¡¯s go!¡±


    After resolving myself, I stepped forward, holding my warm ck Earthen Spear in my embrace. The connection between Peika and me was telling me where to go.


    However... there was something strange.


    ¡°What is it...? Besides Peika, there¡¯s another...¡±


    In the same direction Peika was in, something that wasn¡¯t Peika seemed to be calling me.


    Something connected to me by a deep bond, something that had to be with me.


    Led on by the unknown calling, I walked onward with a small suspicion in my heart. I knew the answer to my suspicion would be at the end of this snowy in.

 Chapter 75. The Elementalist That Sealed, The Elementalist That Saves (2)

    Chapter 75. The Elementalist That Sealed, The Elementalist That Saves (2)


    ¡°Kuhuuuung!¡±


    ¡°Haaap!¡±


    About 20 minutes after that. While walking through this harsh Event Dungeon, there was one important thing I learned. It was that rather than using 5 minutes to fight with the yetis, it was better to use Heroic Strike to kill it in one blow, then recover my mana while walking with Peruta Circuit.


    As strong as the yetis were, they didn¡¯t appear all too often. However, when they did, they would never appear alone. Regardless, if I used Heroic Strike to kill the yetis I encountered, I found that I would not encounter more until my mana was already filled up.


    In addition, as Peruta Circuit took in mana from the atmosphere and circted it inside me, I was less affected by the surrounding temperature. In order to block the cold that even the Cold Protection Robe could not fully guard against, I desperately circted Peruta Circuit.


    [Peruita Circuit became level 5! Circting Peruta Circuit will collect more mana, and its speed of cirction increases!]


    ¡°Ooooooh.¡±


    My theory that training was best done in desperate situations was proven to be true. Slightly frustrated, but happy, I continued to frantically circte Peruta Circuit. In my hand was a crossbow. Since Peika wasn¡¯t around to deal long-ranged attacks, I had to use the crossbow to fill her role. At the same time, I saw a yeti standing in the distance.


    ¡°Kiaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I might as well train my Crossbow Marksmanship skill.¡±


    I was practically overflowing with skeleton bones, and the yeti¡¯srge body was the perfect practice target. I held the crossbow up and aimed it at its eye. The crossbolt reloaded automatically and shot out, emanating a red aura. It hit the yeti¡¯s arm and exploded. My aim had been off.


    ¡°This is hard. I¡¯ll have to learn how to aim better.¡±


    That said, as the weapon, dropped by a 30th floor named monster, and the me Bolt Cartridge were both the highest ranked items I owned, the damage they dealt was certainly higher than the swing of my spears. Although the damage couldn¡¯tpare to when I focused and stabbed with my spear, the yeti would undoubtedly hit me if I tried.


    After finding out that the bolt worked on the yetis, I opened my inventory and counted the number of bolts in the cartridge. It seemed the cartridge had a space expansion magic as it fit all 1,577 of the bone bolts.


    ¡°Eat this and die!¡±


    I instantly started to infinitely shoot with my Silver Bone Crossbow. The bone bolts flew out with close to no dy in between each shot, and exploded on the yeti, who was unable to dodge them. Feeling the continuous recoil as the bolts flew out, I felt like I was using a machine gun. This weapon was even better than I thought!


    [Low-rank Crossbow Marksmanship became level 2. Your precision and critical hit chance increase.]


    ¡°Ooh, skill level rose too.¡±


    Dangerous. I was about to forget about my original goal and just keep shooting arrows! The yeti, whose fur was scorched and bled profusely, let out an enraged roar as it charged at me. On its way, it woke up two more yetis. These yetis really were never alone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can kill you with just the crossbow yet... but your friends can take some bolts too!¡±


    I held up my crossbow. No matter how strong they were or how they had the power to freeze their opponents, that didn¡¯t change the fact that they were still living creatures. It seemed easy to take care of the one bleeding profusely, especially since the bolts¡¯ fire attribute scorched its leather, making it easy for arrows to pierce through. This must have been why Loretta sold me the me Bolt Cartridge.


    [You obtained Yeti¡¯s Horn.]


    [You obtained 5,800 gold.]


    ¡°These guys sure drop various items.¡±


    Yeti¡¯s Blood, Yeti¡¯s Leather, Yeti¡¯s Horn. These were the three items the yetis dropped after they were killed. Thinking they couldn¡¯t be just trash items, I checked their descriptions, which onlybeled them as [material]s. For now, I decided to hold onto them.


    [Master, it¡¯s getting colder. I feel like something is getting closer.]


    ¡°I¡¯m almost there, Peika. Wait just a bit more.¡±


    I quickened my pace. With my crossbow in hand, I stayed ready to attack. Not to brag, but I was a quick learner when it came to things that used my body. After a few battles with the crossbow, I was beginning to understand how to aim to properly hit my targets. The skill level also easily rose to low-rank level 3.


    ¡°Kuu, it really is getting colder... Damn, and this strange feeling is getting stronger too...!¡±


    Something was calling me, looking for me desperately. But almost as if something was blocking ourmunication, the link between us was cut. Even I was getting more and more annoyed.


    ¡°Guaaaang!¡±


    ¡°Shut it!¡±


    [Critical Hit!]


    Just when I wanted to cry, a yeti popped up and attacked me with its ws. I shot two bolts, hitting its left eye and mouth perfectly. The yeti fell and twitched in pain. I didn¡¯t understand. My attacks with level 3 low-rank Crossbow Marksmanship were this strong, but why were the archers I met all so weak? Was it the difference in the quality of our weapons?


    Silver Bone Crossbow. It was a much better weapon than I initially thought. The fact that it reloaded automatically made it no different than an automatic rifle.


    [... Go... back...!]


    ¡°I hear it.¡±


    It was the voice of an elemental! I quickened my pace. The wind got harsher, and less and less yetis appeared. Before I noticed, two hours had passed since I entered the dungeon. I wanted to find Peika and quickly go home.


    [Master, it¡¯s an elemental! An elemental appeared!]


    ¡°Damn it! Tria!¡±


    [You summoned Tria. For the next 10 minutes, you can freely fly or walk on air. If flying, you will receive an additional 100 percent increase to your movement speed. Remaining time: 09:59:99]


    Although I didn¡¯t want to use it because it might freeze me to death, I had no choice now that Peika was in danger. After using Tria and flying into the air, I flew as fast as possible in the direction of Peika.


    The wind blew against my face and tried to pick apart my nose and ears, but I withstood it and went on. I had the Cold Protection Robe and was embracing the ck Earthen Spear. With the added warmth from Queen Elf¡¯s Blessing, I could somewhat manage.


    [Shaaaaa!]


    [Not only elementals, but even a human hase in!]


    [This ce is the Frozen Elementals¡¯ Prison. It¡¯s not a ce a human can enter!]


    How far did I fly? Crystals of ice that had started appearing in the air talked to me as they crashed into me. Although my HP didn¡¯t go down by much, the ces in my Cold Protection Robe where the ice crystals crashed became white and frozen. Elementals, these crystals were elementals!


    ¡°Listen to me. I have to save my elemental!¡±


    [Elementalist?]


    [Don¡¯t listen to him. His words are too sweet!]


    [Don¡¯t listen, don¡¯t listen!]


    ¡°Don¡¯t attack me! I have no intention of attacking elementals!¡±


    [Don¡¯t listen, don¡¯t listen!]


    [I like him.]


    [I said don¡¯t listen!]


    Thankfully, Loretta¡¯s blessing helped one of the elementals quicklye to my side. I carefully touched the ice crystal that came near my hand. Perhaps because it was no longer hostile towards me, I didn¡¯t feel cold from touching it.


    [He¡¯s warm. I feel like I¡¯m melting.]


    [He¡¯s from the outside! The traitor¡¯s bloodline!]


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean by traitor, but I¡¯m not him! Please, everyone, stop attacking!¡±


    [If I don¡¯t attack you, will you get me out of here?]


    ¡°Yes, I will. As long as you don¡¯t hurt others.¡±


    [I won¡¯t! I won¡¯t hurt anyone!]


    [He¡¯s going to betray us. Just like everyone else has in the past.]


    [But he isn¡¯t them.]


    I didn¡¯t really care. Even as they talked amongst themselves, I was flying through the air as fast as I could. Before I noticed, another ice crystal came next to me. Although more ice crystals appeared in my surroundings, none of them blindly attacked me like before.


    [This person is an Elementalist, a person who cares for elementals.]


    [The person who trapped that child was also an Elementalist.]


    [He had no qualification.]


    [He had no qualification!]


    [He was the one at fault, but he trapped that child here with the rest of us.]


    [He locked the door so no one cane in.]


    [But why did the door open?]


    I found her.


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Master! Master!]


    After seeing me, Peika let out shouts of joy. However, I couldn¡¯t be entirely happy. Although Peika was unhurt, there were fairies and elementals hiding behind her, who were shaking because of the harsh environment.


    Not to mention, Peika was currently fighting something. Because my mana wasn¡¯t being drained, it had taken me awhile to notice. So that was it. This ce was the Spirit Realm, a ce where Peika could freely use mana without having to rely on my own.


    Although Peika¡¯s lightning ripped apart the freezing winds, a breath mixed with ice equally blocked her lightning from continuing. The enemy was strong.


    [I can¡¯t do it alone, Master!]


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    I instantly descended to her location. At the same time, the thing that was attacking Peika with its breath looked back at me. My heart dropped for a moment. A body bigger than human¡¯s, mane that let out silver light, a face that frowned as if it was in pain, and crimson madness that ruled its eyes.


    ¡°A crazed elemental...!¡±


    That silver wolf was the owner of this space and the core of the sealing, a crazed elemental. It was an elemental that had developed enough to materialize! Even Peika couldn¡¯t materialize yet!


    ¡°Peika,e here!¡±


    [No, I have to protect these children!]


    ¡°Guys, can you help me? They¡¯re elementals just like you, and fairies who are also of the same race. Can you protect them?¡±


    [The fairies only watched us as we were sealed.]


    [The elementals thoughtlessly flew around the Fairy Garden.]


    [But they¡¯re still our kind. I don¡¯t like you, but I will help them.]


    While a few of the ice crystals sparkled and flew toward the fairies and elementals, Inded next to Peika. As Tria was still active, my feet weren¡¯t buried under the snow. Rather, they were standing on the air above the snow.


    [Krrrrr...]


    ¡°I see, you¡¯re a special elemental. Just like Peika...¡±


    There were elementals with special powers, elementals who were acknowledged as unique, permitted eternal life, and given the ability to grow. Although Elementalists wanted to form contracts with such elementals, the rule that they could only form contracts with elementals their souls were connected to was always valid. Just because they discovered a special elemental, it didn¡¯t mean they could form contracts with them.


    Even so, there were Elementalists that employed all sorts of different methods to try and form contracts with them. Not one of them managed to seed throughout long history of Elementalists, and everyone knew what would happen to the elementals when they failed. They would always go mad.


    Although it was the Elementalists that were at fault, the elementals paid the price. It was unfair.


    [Krrr....]


    Looking at the wolf crouching as it revealed its silver teeth, I pulled out my spear. The ice crystals then flew toward me.


    [Will you kill this poor child?]


    [Don¡¯t! You can¡¯t kill this child!]


    [It¡¯s dangerous. I¡¯ll protect you.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just going to y with it until it regains its sanity.¡±


    I confidently proimed my intention to the ice crystals and aimed my spear at the wolf. I didn¡¯t like punishment. It was the same for my father. Although he had thrown me into all sorts of dangerous situations, he had never beaten in mercilessly. Although he had almost killed me during our spars, he had never beaten me because I did something wrong. As such, I never forgot father¡¯s teaching method, because I vowed to get my revenge on him the same way.


    That said, it was true that beating was the best medicine for the crazy.


    [Krrrr..... Kuaaaang!]


    ¡°Alright,e! I¡¯ll y with you until you¡¯re satisfied! Peika, assist me! Ice elementals, you guys help me too!¡±


    [Okay, Master!]


    [I¡¯m going to trust him.]


    [If you kill that child, I will kill you.]


    At the same time the elementals gathered around me, Peika floated into the air and shot out lightning with her body. She opened her folding fan and covered her mouth. Her ck hair fluttering in the wind was incredibly beautiful.


    [You better get ready, you mutt!]


    [What should we do?]


    ¡°Simple. Just protect me from the freezing energy.¡±


    [We aren¡¯t strong enough.]


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you strength.¡±


    I popped open a Mana Potion. Because the liquid inside started to freeze, I quickly gulped it down. I ended up drinking a slushy; It was actually quite tasty.


    I closed my eyes and shared my mana with the elementals around me. Elemental Control. It was the skill necessary for me to use Elemental Tempest, and also allowed an Elementalist without his contracted elemental to use an Elementalist¡¯s abilities. It allowed me to employ free elementals that existed in the world in exchange for my mana!


    [I¡¯m getting stronger.]


    [How mystical, he¡¯s an amazing Elementalist.]


    [He¡¯s a Hero.]


    [He¡¯s a Hero!]


    [Guoooooo!]


    [Master, it¡¯sing!]


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    I gripped my spear tightly. Thanks to me Enchant, the me energying from the ck Earthen Spear seemed to be heating up my entire body. I continued with this vigor, and shouted out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start by beating you once!¡±

 Chapter 76. The Elementalist That Sealed, The Elementalist That Saves (3)

    Chapter 76. The Elementalist That Sealed, The Elementalist That Saves (3)


    The spear I thrust out vigorously missed its mark rather simply. I could only confirm that the elemental was extremely fast. After dodging my spear thrust, the elemental opened its mouth and exhaled freezing energy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you guys!¡±


    [We can block it!]


    [It¡¯s possible now!]


    It seemed to want to make me back off, but with the protection of dozens of ice elementals, I charged forward. Then, I thrust my spear at the elemental¡¯s open mouth.


    [Kiyaaaaa!]


    ¡°Kuk!?¡±


    [Block!]


    Even if it was materialized, as it was a spiritual being, it seemed it had no problem using its ability with a mouth injury. Even though blue blood flowed down from its mouth, the freezing energy from its breath got stronger and swept over me, past the protection of the ice elementals. However, Peika came to help before I was turned into an ice statue.


    [Thunder Arrow!]


    [Kiyaaaa!]


    Peika¡¯s lightning arrows struck the elemental wolf¡¯s body. The crazed elemental was an ice elemental, which had a base property of water. Peika, who controlled lightning, was naturally stronger against its element. Even if her strength was weaker than a crazed elemental, she could still deal a great amount of damage. Meanwhile, I took out my crossbow and shot my bolts out consecutively. When they hit its mouth, they exploded, causing it to stagger backwards.


    [Strong!]


    [Lightning elemental is so pretty. I want to make her my bride.]


    ¡°Stop chattering and protect me properly!¡±


    With my low-rank Crossbow Marksmanship, I couldn¡¯t deal a fatal blow. After shooting out a round of bolts, I hung the crossbow back on my waist, and pouring bountiful mana into my ck Earthen Spear, I thrust forward with its extended spear de. Receiving Peika¡¯s endless lightning arrows and my spear thrust at the same time, the crazed elemental¡¯s eyes burned even redder.


    [Human... Elemental...!]


    ¡°Eh!?¡±


    The sudden voice made my heart thump. In the brief moment that my attack became loose, the elemental pounced on me. Its sharp teeth shone with a silver light.


    [Ah, it¡¯s dangerous!]


    [We can¡¯t block physical attacks.]


    [Run!]


    ¡°Kuk! Dragon Skin... Ah, I already used it!¡±


    Something was wrong. I couldn¡¯t move my body properly. My body wouldn¡¯t listen to mymands. Unfortunately, I had already used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry, Dragon Skin, and Dark Thunder Explosion in the three boss raids I ran today. As such, there wasn¡¯t much I could do.


    I urgently poured as much mana as I could into the elementals protecting me, strengthening them. The light shining from the elementals became brighter and an armor of ice covered the armor I was already wearing.


    [You mastered low-rank Spirit Aura! You can infuse elementals into your defensive equipment, not just your weapon, granting a reinforcing aura!]


    [You learned mid-rank Spirit Aura! Your Spirit Aura will be reinforced by a strengthened attribute of your elemental. While using Spirit Aura, the Elementalist will be able to wield low-rank elemental magic.]


    I shouted out instinctively.


    ¡°Ice Shackles!¡±


    [Kuung!]


    The crazed elemental froze while baring its fangs at me. From the earth, several hands made of ice had popped up and stopped her movements. Of course, as it was low-rank elemental magic, it would notst long.


    ¡°You, do you like judo? You do? Got it!¡±


    [Kuuung!]


    Helmet, boots, armor, gauntlet. The ice elementals had dyed my equipment white. I reached forward with my gauntlet, which could now freeze people by just zing them, and grabbed its front leg. At the same time, the crazed elemental broke out of the ice shackles.


    I jumped toward it and threw it on the ground!


    [Kuaaaaang!]


    [Now, Thunder Spear!]


    Peika¡¯s sharp scream created a 2-meter-long thick lightning. Without a shred of hesitation, Peika threw the lightning at the elemental that I had thrown down.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuuuuang!]


    With a roar, it let out an enormous amount of freezing energy from its body. The ice elementals that were infused in my armor screamed.


    [Too cold!]


    [I feel like I¡¯ll perish!]


    I gritted my teeth and poured more mana into them. However, my mana had reached its limit as well. Damn, did I have to run away using Tria? However, just when I was thinking that, Tria had be unsummoned.


    I was in danger.


    ¡°Since it¡¯se to this, I can use Diehard and...¡±


    Bracing myself for my HP falling below 3%, I tightly gripped my spear and circted Peruta Circuit to give the elementals some mana. It was then that the lights emitted by the ice elementals became brighter and my HP, which was falling from the freezing energy, stopped.


    [You mastered low-rank Elemental Control! All elementals in existence will see you in favorable light and will listen to you well.]


    [You learned mid-rank Elemental Control! It bes easier to draw out the potential of your contracted elemental. You can more easily control free elementals.]


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Leave it to me, Master!]


    Above my head, Peika let out a radiant light. I could feel her presence growing, and even the crazed elemental stopped attacking for a moment. A change I had not expected was happening. Unable to resist, I looked up. As my heart beat faster, I could tell she had gone through a qualitative change.


    Golden crystals floated down from the sky like snow, while Peika slowly floated above the earth.


    Peika had seeded in materializing.


    [You mastered low-rank Elemental Contract! You can draw out more of your contracted elemental¡¯s original power!]


    [You learned mid-rank Elemental Contract! Your contracted elementals with the ability to materialize can do so, but use more mana while materialized. The strength of all skills that use elementals increases greatly. The number of elementals you can form a contract with increases by one.]


    [You dare try to make my Master into an ice statue, you¡¯re going to get a beating, you doggy!]


    The folding fan she always held in her hand had transformed into a lightning whip. Peika, who had materialized as a girl about 10 years old, swung the whip down at the elemental. Like a lightning bolt, the whip cut through the air and shed the elemental¡¯s abdomen. In that instant, a voice rang out.


    [It... hurts...!]


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    I yelled hurriedly. Peika looked back at me with a curiously. Unlike her normal 20 cm self, she looked much more charming after having materialized as a human girl. However, now wasn¡¯t the time to admire her looks.


    I urgently ran in front of Peika and checked the elemental¡¯s appearance. Its eyes were still dyed red, but I had not misheard it. That was a young girl¡¯s voice.


    ¡°You, did you say that?¡±


    [It hurts...! It hurts, it hurts!]


    The elemental shot up and pounced on me. I raised my hand and stopped Peika fromshing out with her whip again. With our strengthened contract, Peika understood what I was thinking.


    I concentrated the ice elementals in my gauntlet and reached forward to the elemental. The elemental then opened its mouth and chomped down on my gauntlet.


    [Kyak, it hurts! What are you doing!?]


    [We protected you!]


    [Why are you trying to kill us, Elementalist!?]


    ¡°Calm down, no one is going to die. Alright, look at me.¡±


    [It hurts...!]


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it stop hurting, so look at me.¡±


    At first, I wanted to beat the elemental until it snapped out of its madness. If it didn¡¯t, I would have had no choice but to kill it.


    But now, things were a bit different. I had finally found the answer. After Peika materialized and I obtained mid-rank Elemental Contract, things became much clearer.


    This child was an elemental that could form a contract with me.


    I had felt it. When I had first entered this ce, a feeling like something was calling out to me. The voice of an elemental before I reached Peika. Above all, this strong link connecting me with this elemental.


    [You won¡¯t hurt me anymore?]


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Calm down, and look at me.¡±


    Queen Elf¡¯s Blessing was extremely effective. With just my strength alone, I doubted I could calm this elemental. Now that it was exhausted, my power as an Elementalist and Loretta¡¯s blessing could suppress its madness.


    [Everyone is a liar. You¡¯re a liar, too.]


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying.¡±


    The wolf¡¯s mouth slowly opened up, and I took out my gauntlet from inside. It was crushed, making me want to take it to be repaired, but I ignored it for now. Instead, I slowly ced my hand on her head.


    Although the elemental growled as if she would go berserk again, her red eyes were slowly getting lighter.


    [He tried to tie me against my will.]


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I don¡¯t need to do it forcefully.¡±


    [He abandoned me and sealed me.]


    ¡°I won¡¯t. You don¡¯t have to be sealed anymore.¡±


    I slowly rubbed her head, and the elemental became calmer. The ice elementals, on the other hand, chattered loudly.


    [Is this Elementalist her partner?]


    [Wow! That¡¯s why he could enter this ce!]


    [Their wavelengths matched!]


    [It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen an Elementalist, but it¡¯s one that can form contracts with two elementals... amazing!]


    [Mm, I want to beat her more...]


    I ignored the ice elementals, along with Peika who was murmuring disappointedly.


    [Warm... are you my contractor?]


    ¡°Sorry for making you wait so long.¡±


    [Ah... my consciousness... ising... back.]


    Letting out a low growl, she approached me. Although Peika stepped forward slightly tensely, I didn¡¯t think it would be necessary. The red aura in her eyes had disappeared, and was reced with light blue eyes like the color of the winter sky.


    [I remembered... my name. I¡¯m Ruyue.... Daughter of Ice and Snow, Ruyue.]


    ¡°You got your name back. That¡¯s great.¡±


    When elementals went mad, they would first lose their names. Then, no one would be able to remember their names. The moment they strayed off the Spirit Realm¡¯s order, they would lose the guide that ascertained their identities.


    However, she had just recovered her name. By meeting me, her contractor, she had escaped the madness. I spoke, relieved.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kang Shin. Ruyue, will you form a contract with me? We can get out of here together.¡±


    [Really? You¡¯ll form a contract with me?]


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    [I want to get out... I want to be with warmth. I want to be with Kang Shin.]


    ¡°Come with me. We can be together, forever. Let¡¯s... form a contract.¡±


    [Okay. Let¡¯s form a contract.]


    Then, just like always, a fanfare rang out.


    [You formed a contract with the ice elemental Ruyue! Your affinity and resistance to the ice element greatly increases!]


    [List of Contracted Elementals:


    1. Peika ¨C lightning elemental. Unique elemental. Materialized. Locked. First Awakening.


    2. Ruyue ¨C ice elemental. Unique elemental. Materialized. Locked. First Awakening.]


    [Mid-rank Elemental Contract became level 2! The amount of mana required to maintain two elemental summons decreases!]


    [Mid-rank Spirit Mastery became level 4! The abilities of all souls connected to you grows stronger!]


    [Quest Sess! You obtained 1 skill point! Current skill points: 11]


    [Event Dungeon Clear! You satisfied and even shocked the Fairy Garden¡¯s fairies who hate hurting elementals, bypletely resolving their conflict. You obtained 3 bonus stat points.]


    Ipleted the quest and also cleared the Event Dungeon. Although I didn¡¯t receive a reward for killing the boss, it was fine. After all, I obtained the boss herself.


    Looking at the scenery melting down around me, I tightly hugged Ruyue in my embrace. Ruyue also closed her eyes and buried her face in my embrace. I slowly rubbed her fur, and suddenly realized something.


    The freezing energy that seemed to want to devour me was no longer cold.

 Chapter 77. The Elementalist That Sealed, The Elementalist That Saves (4)

    Chapter 77. The Elementalist That Sealed, The Elementalist That Saves (4)


    ¡°Pft! Did you climb the Himyas or something?¡±


    As soon as I returned, Loretta¡¯s snickering greeted me. Setting aside how Loretta knew about the Himyas, I sullenly turned my back to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°Ah, wait! I¡¯m sorry, wait! I¡¯ll wipe your hair!¡±


    Loretta quickly took out a towel, took off my hood, and wiped my hair that was hanging like icicles off the eaves. In the process of her wiping my hair, her body naturally grew closer to my own. In order to ignore the flowery fragrance tickling my nose, I frantically sang the national anthem in my head.


    ¡°Huu... There, all done.¡±


    After she finished wiping my head, Loretta backed off with a slightly flushed face. Her breathing was a bit rough too. Just how little did she move, that this much exercise made her gasp for breath...? She seemed to hesitate in that state, then asked me carefully.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯ll catch a cold... Would you like toe in? You¡¯ll feel better once you take a warm bath. I can get you a change of clothes.¡±


    ¡°Uh... That¡¯s...¡±


    Something felt strange. Although I couldn¡¯t exin it, I felt like I shouldn¡¯t do as she suggested. Even though there couldn¡¯t be anything dangerous in her house, I felt my body was in danger. With a worrying feeling that something I had been protecting would be lost, I shook my head.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine. I might as well take this opportunity to check out my house. I¡¯ll return to the dungeon afterwards.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped then... Tsk.¡±


    Loretta clicked her tongue. It was very scary. Putting the towel back in her bosom, she changed the subject and spoke with a brighter expression.


    ¡°Congrattions on forming a contract with a new elemental. I didn¡¯t even imagine that the elemental would have matching wavelengths with Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what happened to the Elementalist that made Ruyue go mad?¡±


    This was something I wanted to confirm for certain. Even if it wasn¡¯t now, I wanted to make him pay for it somehow.


    ¡°He was the Elementalist who was an owner of one of the other Special Mansions. He obtained the qualification to enter Fairy Garden from a quest reward, but he was punished for making an elemental go mad, losing his qualification to be a dungeon explorer.¡±


    The answer was something I didn¡¯t even consider. This was the first time I heard one could lose his qualification as a dungeon explorer. I asked again.


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°He died. Along with him, his worldpletely fell to ruin.¡±


    Because Loretta¡¯s voice was too light, I felt fear from it. It was different than when Ellos was talking about his lostrade. Loretta¡¯s voice waspletely emotionless, as if what she described waspletely normal. Something that she had seen many times, something that was happening even now, and something that would continue to happen many times. She seemed to be describing everyday happenings.


    Because I felt like I woulde to fear Loretta if she continued, I tried to say something. But no matter what I wanted to say, I couldn¡¯t say it, because I was afraid of how Loretta would respond. In the end, this was what I chose to say.


    ¡°If... If I couldn¡¯t see Loretta again for whatever reason, I think I¡¯d be really sad.¡±


    Loretta screamed.


    ¡°Wait, wait! Why do you always say important things like that when I¡¯m not ready to record you!?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Alright, say that again! Now!¡±


    While hugging a strange crystal ball she took out of nowhere, Loretta requested while pping her long ears. Could all elves move their ears freely? Or was it a special right as a Queen Elf?


    The answer didn¡¯t matter. Thanks to her reaction, I felt much more lighthearted. At the moment, she wasn¡¯t scary at all. It was the usual Loretta.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m off, Loretta. Thanks for everything.¡±


    ¡°Aaaaaah! You have to repeat what you said before you go, Shin-nim! I¡¯ll give you 10 million gold! 10 million gold!¡±


    Inside the mansion, the bath was the first ce I visited.


    ¡°It¡¯s huge.¡±


    [Huge.]


    [Huge.]


    Although only one person needed to go in, it was as big as a swimming pool. Not to mention, it was full of all sorts of decorations. Across from itsrge window, I could see the mansion¡¯s garden, letting me enjoy its scenery while taking a bath.


    When I got in the hot bath, my body that had grown cold from the Event Dungeon instantly loosened up. As I would get electrocuted if Peika went in the water, she held back for today, and only the materialized Ruyue, who was big enough for a person to ride on, had followed me into the bath.


    [It¡¯s warm.]


    ¡°Yep, who says an ice elemental can¡¯t take a bath? It¡¯s not like your body is made of ice.¡±


    [I feel like I¡¯ll melt.]


    ¡°Try not to.¡±


    After washing my body, I picked one of the bedrooms in the mansion and slept soundly. As even the bed was enormous, I couldn¡¯t rx. Thankfully, I was able to rx with Ruyue and Peika with me.


    Only then did Ruyue be stable. Perhaps because she had stayed materialized for so long, she instinctively refused to dematerialize herself. After taking ample rest and relieving the built-up tension, she dematerialized before I noticed.


    In truth, I was troubled, since she had been draining my mana since we left the Event Dungeon. Although it wasn¡¯t an overwhelming amount, having a materialized elemental did drain more mana. I couldn¡¯t be freely leaking mana like that.


    ¡°We¡¯ll stay like this for a day, Ruyue. Starting from tomorrow, we can fight together.¡±


    [Okay!]


    Just like the dematerialized Peika, the 20 cm Ruyue was very cute. Because she was too cute, I kept patting her, and because Peika sulked, I had to pat her as well.


    Now that I had two elementals, fighting the Skeleton Knight became even easier. After each of us destroyed a group of skeletons, we charged at the Skeleton Knight and crushed him before he could summon more skeletons. When Ruyue materialized, I could ride her into battle, and thus was no longer jealous of the Skeleton Knight¡¯s skeleton mount.


    ¡°Ruyue, let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Aooooooo!]


    Ruyue answered with vigor and kicked off the ground. I felt sorry for Peika who only just learned to materialize, but when fighting the Skeleton Knight, it was better to infuse her into my spear with Spirit Aura than to materialize her. It seemed elementals liked to materialize, as Peika¡¯s dissatisfaction with the neer Ruyue was growing.


    [Die, Skull Breakeeeeeer!]


    ¡°Ruyue, Ice Breath!¡±


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    A breath that froze everything came out of Ruyue¡¯s mouth. While the Skeleton Knight hurriedly blocked it with his sword, the skeleton mount, who was fully exposed to Ice Breath, couldn¡¯t move as the frost filled up its bones.


    In that instant, I struck my spear down vertically. When I pushed my spear in from the frozen skeleton mount¡¯s head to its groin, then pulled out, the skeleton mount crumbled and disappeared into particles.


    After falling on the ground, the Skeleton Knight held up his sword and shouted predictably.


    [Kuaaaa, Skull Breaker!]


    [Skeleton Knight uses ¡®Undead Roar!¡¯ Those with living bodies are slowed to 5 percent of their maximum speed!]


    [Kuaaaang!]


    The moment he activated Undead Roar, Ruyue roared and struck down his sword from his hand. Even if materialized, elementals were spiritual! Undead Roar did not affect them. Meanwhile, I used Divine Speed and Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry to cancel the Undead Roar. Holding my spear on Ruyue¡¯s back, I grinned as I aimed it at the Skeleton Knight¡¯s head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how many blows you¡¯ll withstand today.¡±


    [Kuk, 2 versus 1. It¡¯s unfair!]


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you who had 200 skeletons!¡±


    After eating the third Heroic Strike, the Skeleton Knight shattered. Just like always, it disappeared into particles.


    ¡°You got yourself another elemental. That one isn¡¯t the elemental you usually have with you, right? Your elemental wasn¡¯t visible before.¡±


    Lin said as he stared at Ruyue who I was riding on. After rubbing her head softly, I answered Lin.


    ¡°Peika can materialize too now, but... this child came from a hidden area in Fairy Garden. Her name is Ruyue.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that sealed... Amazing, really.¡±


    [A draconian! I can smell Fairy Garden¡¯s scent from him!]


    ¡°Eh? Did that child say something? I can only hear barks.¡±


    ¡°So you can¡¯t hear her voice even if she¡¯s materialized. Lin, you¡¯re a Fairy Garden member?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m the vice-guild master.¡±


    ¡°... Vice-guild master?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    What are you doing here!? At my inquisitive eyes, Lin answered half-heartedly.


    ¡°Well, whatever position with the word ¡®vice¡¯ is always the most leisurely. Vice-chairman, vice-ss president, vice-representative, vice-president... While enjoying my no-working-happy-life, I tried to take some water from the elemental spring to ferment some snake wine, when noonim caught me. So here I am.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t a draconian fermenting snake wine be considered killing one¡¯s own kind? Lin ignored my worry and asked.


    ¡°By the way, why do you keep repeating the 30th Floor Master raid? Haven¡¯t you finished collecting the Skeleton Knight Set by now?¡±


    ¡°It drops Bone Strengthening Elixirs. I¡¯ve collected them all from the 5th floor on, so I can¡¯t skimp out of them now.¡±


    At my words, Lin froze.


    ¡°... Did you just say strengthening elixir?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, strengthening elixirs.¡±


    ¡°... Haa. I see. With just a single Party Member Scarecrow, of course a strengthening elixir will appear. Hahaha, hahahaha.¡±


    Linughed wholeheartedly and left his seat.


    ¡°Where are you going, Lin?¡±


    ¡°Mm? Ah, just wait a bit. Just going to shake noonim by the throat a little.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go. Lin¡¯s going to get beaten up instead.¡±


    ¡°... Thanks for stopping me.¡±


    As I had personally experienced Loretta¡¯s Second Bullet of Destruction, I advised Lin against his actions. Lin simply sat back down. Poor Lin. It seemed he had been hit before. A sense of shared pain shed between our eyes. We, who were only connected by our bets, began to feel a sense of camaraderie.


    Three weeks after that, Ipleted my Skeleton Knight grinding.


    [You consumed a Bone Strengthening Elixir, strengthening your bones to the peak! Your strength and constitution both increase by 3. It seems consuming more of this item will have no further effect.]


    [You equipped the Skeleton Knight Set. Your strength and constitution increase by 15. When the Skeleton Knight Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Undead Roar¡¯ once per day.]


    Of course, I instantly extracted Undead Roar and stored it in the 6 o¡¯clock position. Although I wondered if I would ever need to use this skill, I realized I could use it in urgent situations. Then, I could use Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry to get out of the status effect, or use Dragon Skin to endure hits while leaving the battle to my two elementals. As such, I decided to store the skill into the pocket watch.


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: Elementalist (Sub ¨C Skill Collector) Title: Skeleton Knight yer Rank: Silver 6


    Level: 31


    HP ¨C 12,540/12,540 MP ¨C 7,150/7,150


    Strength ¨C 106(+41) Dexterity ¨C 87(+22) Constitution ¨C 90(+34)


    Intelligence ¨C 20(+12) Magic ¨C 81(+12) Charm ¨C 58(+12) Luck ¨C 21(+12)


    Normal Skills ¨C High-rank Martial Arts (Lv 3), High-rank Spear Technique (Lv 5), Low-rank Crossbow Marksmanship (Lv 5), Mid-rank Heroic Strike (Lv 5), Mid-rank Provoke (Lv 4), Divine Speed (Lv 3), Return (Lv 2), Mid-rank Dash (Lv 2), Peruta Circuit (Lv 5), Deific Manifestation, Death Counter, Riding.


    ss Skills ¨C Mid-rank Spirit Mastery (Lv 4), Mid-rank Spirit Aura (Lv 2), Mid-rank Elemental Control (Lv 2), Mid-rank Elemental Contract (Lv 2), Mid-rank Elemental Tempest (Lv 1), Thunder Beast (Lv 2).


    Subss Skill ¨C Endow Skill, Spirit of the Collector.]


    [Equipment:


    Power Earrings (Strength +2)


    Flesh Golem¡¯s Second Finger (Strength +7, Constitution +7)


    Skeleton Knight Set (Strength +15, Constitution +15)


    Arachne¡¯s ck Earthen Spear (Strength +5, Dexterity +10, Poison damage on all basic attacks, inflicts poison status effect.)]


    [Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch:


    1 o¡¯clock: Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry


    2 o¡¯clock: Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail


    3 o¡¯clock: Dark Thunder Explosion


    4 o¡¯clock: Dragon Skin


    5 o¡¯clock: Diehard


    6 o¡¯clock: Undead Roar]


    [3 Event Dungeon clears, 1 Event Raid clear, umted bonus stats: 6]


    [Current skill points: 11]


    [Seven title-effects: (Orc Lord yer, Wraith Queen yer, Dark Ratman yer, Giant Ghoul yer, Skeleton Knight yer, Lizard Knight Master, Hermes). umted effects: All stats +12, 15% speed increase, increased affinity to all elements, affinity to wind element greatly increased, can summon Tria once per day.]


    [Contracted Elementals


    1. Lightning elemental Peika


    2. Ice elemental Ruyue]


    While I was grinning as I looked at my stats, Lin severed the cigarette in his mouth as if his appetite had fallen.


    ¡°You tenacious dog, this is the first time in 900 years that I¡¯ve seen someone consume strengthening elixirs to the limit.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lot older than I thought, Lin!¡±


    ¡°Uh, what? If you look at Loretta noonim... No, no. Forget I said that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    When I stared at Lin fixedly, he dodged my gaze and spoke.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t tell her I said something about her age... Noonim will kill me. Really.¡±


    ¡°Lin...¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and go to the 31st floor. Damn, there¡¯s only a bit over two months left. If you want the cape, you better hurry!¡±


    Lin shouted as if he had already given up. I smiled lightly and answered him.


    ¡°If someone was watching, he¡¯d think you really wanted to give it to me. Regardless, I¡¯m not going to the 31st floor right now. I have dinner soon, so I¡¯lle back tonight.¡±


    ¡°Mm? You aren¡¯t going to the 31st floor now?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you see...¡±


    Putting my spear back in my inventory, I continued with a trembling voice. Today, I would have to face someone more fearsome than the Skeleton Knight.


    ¡°Today¡¯s the day my tests end. My friend will probably ask me to go out for fries and beer... Please wish me a safe return, Lin.¡±


    ¡°... Eh? You said friend just now, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    The only friend I made in college, Su Ye-Eun. I was scared of what would happen when I met her this time!

 Chapter 78. Under the Two Moons (1)

    Chapter 78. Under the Two Moons (1)


    It didn¡¯t feel like a long time had passed since the midterms, but the finals had ended today. Resolved to score at least a B+, I crammed with my textbooks the day before the test. My base intelligence was 20, which became 32 after receiving 12 bonus stats from various effects! Although I suspected that it was still updating, my memorization andprehension abilities were noticeably high. In other words, it wasn¡¯t hard to get the questions right on my tests.


    ¡°Huu, I feel like I¡¯m not really a college student, just pretending to be one.¡±


    ¡°A lot of college students feel that way.¡±


    When I murmured, watching the teaching assistant leave after collecting the tests, Su Ye-Eun replied as sprawled on her desk. Her face showed how happy she was to be finally free. Even though she must have less work than me, her grades weren¡¯t as good as mine. It was probably the result of me raising my intelligence to 20.


    With today¡¯s test, the finals were over. It seemed there wouldn¡¯t be any more tests in this lecture room for the day, as groups of students stayed after the teaching assistant left and chatted.


    ¡°Shin.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Absently watching the trajectory of the camera following the students loitering in the front of the lecture room, I replied to Su Ye-Eun. She then asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s winter break now. What are your ns?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°... Chii.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°In my room, ying games.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m better off than you.¡±


    In any case, I was now done with my tests. I stretched and started packing my bags. Su Ye-Eun tried to say something, but hesitated. There was only one situation where she couldn¡¯t get her words out. I turned around. There were three people, two girls and one guy. They were all pretty or handsome.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re Kang Shin, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re freshmen too, so you don¡¯t have to be polite. Um, you came straight from high school, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Su Ye-Eun, did you fail your entrance exam and have to take a gap year?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to hit you?¡±


    They asked with more rxed expressions.


    ¡°There¡¯s a department MT[1. School outing at Korean colleges.]. All the freshmen areing.¡±


    ¡°All of them? The entire business department? There¡¯s over 400 of us.¡±


    ¡°Yep. It¡¯s to celebrate the end of finals for first semester. We¡¯re all going from this Friday to Saturday.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s tomorrow! Pass.¡±


    I shouldered my bag. Then, the guy stepped forward and stopped me.


    ¡°Neither of you guys really hang out with others. From what I hear, you guys didn¡¯te to the freshmen opening party nor to the MT in the beginning of the semester. No one even knows your phone numbers.¡±


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t tell anyone. I don¡¯t really know why you want a loner like me toe to the MT...¡±


    I really was curious. My social circle? I was content with the one I built with the people from the dungeon. As for college, I had my hands full with just Su Ye-Eun. Because I didn¡¯t want to get involved with others, I didn¡¯t talk to anyone and only politely responded to whoever talked to me first. As for group projects, I just skipped them. Who had time for that? I had to run the dungeon!


    This time, one of the girls stepped forward.


    ¡°There are a lot of people who want to get close to you guys. You¡¯re both famous.¡±


    ¡°Su Ye-Eun, she says you¡¯re famous. Good for you.¡±


    ¡°She said you are too!¡±


    ¡°Anyways! You guys have toe to this MT! We¡¯re leaving from school at three pm, so be there!¡±


    The other girl looked at me and emphasized. Then, she even managed to get my phone number. She was undoubtedly going to call me if I didn¡¯te. Watching the three people leave like the wind aftering like the wind, I asked Su Ye-Eun.


    ¡°Don¡¯t people usually leave outsiders alone? They don¡¯t go this far, right?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Su Ye-Eunpletely ignored what I said and kept going, her eyes sparkling.


    ¡°It sounds fun!¡±


    ¡°Have fun.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together. Please? Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Huu.¡±


    I became immersed in thought. If I could get to the 35th floor by the end of today then... yeah, if I finished my three Floor Master battles tomorrow morning, then I could go to the MT without losing out on much. Plus, going to the MT didn¡¯t sound all that bad. Since they went through the trouble of inviting me, I would feel bad if I didn¡¯t go.


    ¡°Alright, sure, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Whoo! Just the two of us... I mean, the MT¡¯s going to be fun!¡±


    ¡°Are you saying it¡¯ll be fun because it won¡¯t be just the two of us?¡±


    ¡°Auuuuuu, no!¡±


    I punished Su Ye-Eun by flicking her forehead. Just think about all the times you made me get fries with you!


    ¡°I¡¯m not going with you for fries today.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    ¡°You wanted me to go to the MT. I have to go to the dungeon if I want to go to the MT.¡±


    ¡°Chii, you always say dungeon this dungeon that... what¡¯s so fun about fighting scary monsters? Isn¡¯t it more fun hanging out with me?¡±


    I poked Su Ye-Eun¡¯s puffed up cheeks and advised her.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t fix your attitude, you¡¯re going to be in danger one day.¡±


    ¡°... But.¡±


    ¡°If you want to fix it, tell me. I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Su Ye-Eun had monsterphobia, but monsterphobia could be fixed. You just had to drive the fear out of your heart. It wasn¡¯t incurable, and if she didn¡¯t fix it, Su Ye-Eun will undoubtedlye to regret it. At my serious advice, Su Ye-Eun nodded her head meekly.


    ¡°Yeah... one day.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off.¡±


    I said my goodbye to Su Ye-Eun and turned my back to her. For some reason, however, I felt the gazes of other students on my back. As I left, I tried my best to ignore their gazes and their whispers.


    ¡°Are they really not going out?¡±


    ¡°They said they aren¡¯t! In any case, he said he¡¯s going to the MT.¡±


    ¡°Argh, I want to make him mine!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, keep dreaming.¡±


    *


    The 31st floor was extremely quiet. Even when I yelled Commence Exploration, no monsters appeared. Thinking something strange was going on, I walked onward. The pathway was the same as always.


    The only difference was that there were sets of medieval armor here and there. They each held their own weapons like cleavers, ymores, and rapiers up into the air. Although they weren¡¯t moving at all, their appearances were very solemn and suspicious.


    ¡°They must be it, right?¡±


    You guys weren¡¯t here until now. You thought I wouldn¡¯t notice if you stood still!? I charged at the nearest armor. When I got close, the armor creaked and began to move. Although the cleaver in its hand looked heavy and sharp, it didn¡¯t matter as long as I wasn¡¯t hit.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Auuuuuuu!]


    With me riding her, Ruyue let out a lively howl and collided with the armor with her body. The part of the armor she contacted froze up and fell on the ground. Using the spear giving off golden lightning from Peika, I stabbed the frozen part of the armor. At that moment, a blinding light exploded.


    [Critical Hit!]


    The armor shattered. The ownerless cleaver struck the ground with a thud, and soon disappeared into particles. I was quite surprised by how well Peika and Ruyue worked together.


    The armor could not have had bones, meaning my Skull Breaker effect didn¡¯t apply. Even so, the armor shattered in a single critical hit. No, were these guys just weak to begin with? For testing purposes, I put Ruyue on standby for the next armor and only used my spear d with Spirit Aura. I had to stab four times for the armor to break.


    ¡°Oh, amazing, Ruyue.¡±


    [Did I do well? Did I do well?]


    ¡°Yeah, you did very well.¡±


    It seemed having Ruyue did more than just give me one more elemental, as she showed synergistic effects.


    [Master doesn¡¯t praise me...]


    ¡°No. Of course, Peika is doing well too. We wouldn¡¯t be doing so well without you either.¡±


    [Really?]


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    [Ehehe, thanks Master!]


    Although I didn¡¯t really feel it when I only had one elemental, but now that I had two, it felt like I was traveling with two children. Not that I minded with how cute they were.


    To an Elementalist,municating with his elementals was a very special and happy thing to do. Compared to when I was a normal dungeon explorer (though I suspected I was never normal to begin with), I was sometimes surprised by the new facts I knew and acted upon after bing an Elementalist. Even so, I did not regret bing an Elementalist and being able to meet my elementals.


    After I finished praising my elementals and looked up, the armors that were lined up along the pathway like decorations were closing in on me with their weapons in hand. Those guys, would Tempest send them flying? I immediately gave it a go, but they didn¡¯t budge. As I thought, they were heavy.


    I corrected my posture on Ruyue¡¯s back, leaning forward slightly and aiming my spear to the front. I lessened the amount of mana I put into Spirit Aura and transferred the focus to Ruyue. As a result, the amount of freezing energying from Ruyue¡¯s body increased. It was as if dry ice was ced all around Ruyue¡¯s feet.


    I patted Ruyue¡¯s head and spoke.


    ¡°Ruyue, let¡¯s run.¡±


    [Okay!]


    ¡°Go!¡±


    [Auuuuuuuu!]


    Ruyue howled at the top of her voice and kicked off the ground. The moment she began to run, her incredibly fast speed made the scenery sh by like movie films. The armors, the so-called living armors, each swung their weapons at Ruyue and me and blocked our path. However, Ruyue wasn¡¯t a normal wolf. Before any of the weapons could touch us, we became d in an armor of ice, which blocked their weapons and froze the living armors.


    I then shattered their frozen bodies with my spear of lightning.


    [You obtained 400 gold!]


    [You obtained 420 gold!]


    [You obtained a Fragment of Living Armor!]


    [You obtained 430 gold!]


    [You obtained a Fragment of Living Armor!]


    ¡°Kuhat, this is fun! Ruyue, let¡¯s go faster!¡±


    [Auuuuuuu!]


    She really did speed up! Without the Riding skill, I would have been knocked off her back a long time ago. Now that we were incredibly fast, the living armors from far into the 31st floor pathway woke up and swarmed us. As expected, these guys were also only strong in numbers.


    Woosh! Whoosh!


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    With more than five weapons attacking me from the front, I put more strength into my arms and struck them down. Ruyue¡¯s freezing energy then froze them in ce. The only sound the living armors made was the creaking of their armor, but now that they were frozen quiet, they really looked like ordinary armors.


    Even while I ran forward on Ruyue¡¯s back, I fished the frozen armors with my spear and sent them crashing against the wall.


    ¡°Stupid armor cosyers!¡±


    [You obtained 410 gold!]


    [You obtained 440 gold!]


    At this rate, I would be able to make it to the end of 31st floor within a few hours! With a violent smile on my face, I encouraged Ruyue.


    ¡°Ruyue, run! Faster!¡±


    [Aauuuuuuu!]


    ¡°Come at me all at once, you leftover canned food!¡±


    How were they simr? They were both empty on the inside!


    Just like that, Ruyue and I swept through the 31st floor.


    Until now, I had used my Dash skill to speed up running through the floors, during which I had to watch out for my stamina and the enemies¡¯ attacks. Now that I had Ruyue, who ran much faster than me and even blocked the iing attacks, my dungeon clearing speed shortened drastically. Just like that, I could see Lin¡¯s rotten expression in just 3 hours.


    It was a secret that I enjoyed his expression very much.

 Chapter 79. Under the Two Moons (2)

    Chapter 79. Under the Two Moons (2)


    From the 1st through 5th floors of the dungeon, each floor had different monsters. However, from the 6th floor and above, the monsters that appeared had a set pattern to them. The second floor was the same as the first floor, only there were more of them. The monsters on the third floor were slightly different, like a new type of monster being added or the same monsters using different skills. Regardless, once the first floor was cleared with ease, the second floor would also be easy.


    The living armors on the 32nd floor weren¡¯t much different from the living armors on the 31st floor, other than the fact that their attacks were stronger and that there were more of them. However, because the pathway had be longer, it took me 5 hours to pass through the 32nd floor, even though I was already used to dealing with them.


    It was already midnight at this point, but after my constitution broke through a certain point, I only needed 3 hours of sleep to wipe away the fatigue I had built up during the day. Plus, I could go for about 4 days without sleep and be perfectly fine. Although mother kept saying I wouldn¡¯t get taller if I didn¡¯t sleep, I would be troubled if I grew taller.


    I had to be at school by 3, and it took me about an hour to get there. Because mother believed I would copse from hunger if I skipped breakfast, I had to be in the kitchen at 9 in the morning. After that, I nned to wash up, get three hours of sleep, wake up, and do Floor Master battles before leaving for school around 2. The only problem was that I would have to clear the 33rd, 34th, and 35th floor and fight the Floor Master at least once in 9 hours.


    ¡°Ruyue, let¡¯s hurry up a bit more.¡±


    [Okay! I¡¯m feeling great!]


    Of course. This oppa was drinking a Mana Potion worth 10 million won per bottle for you.


    After emptying a mid-high-grade Mana Potion, which had a 10 minute cooldown time and filled up 3,000 mana, I adjusted my posture on Ruyue¡¯s back and pointed my spear forward, just like I had done when I broke through the 32nd floor. When Ruyue noticed that I was ready, she began to run. The living armors on the 33rd floor did not attempt to hide themselves and actively attacked me from all directions. Spinning the spear in my hand, I continuously smashed them.


    ¡°Haaaap!¡±


    Although my aim was more to stop them from approaching me than to kill them, I struck down with my spear and destroyed them whenever I saw an opening. Just by being on Ruyue, I was naturally above the living armors. The destructive power from striking down with my spear d with Spirit Aura was nothing to scoff at. The living armors did not die until their armors werepletely shattered, meaning half-baked stabs were not effective. It was why I came to enjoy striking down from above.


    However, after I broke the fifth armor and was about to keep going, something smacked me.


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    [Aooooooo!]


    ng ng!


    After realizing that I had been hit, Ruyue hurriedly created a wall of ice around us, blocking the follow up attacks and giving me a chance to regain myposure. After looking at my shoulder where I had been hit, I confirmed that it wasn¡¯t a serious injury and let out a sigh of relief. Then, I checked my HP. With just one hit, my HP had decreased by 10%.


    What was it? I saw an iron mace for a second, but I definitely destroyed the living armor carrying an iron mace. I saw it disappear into particles, so I couldn¡¯t have been mistaken. In that case, the answer was obvious.


    Whoosh! Whoosh!


    ¡°The iron mace moved by itself and attacked me!¡±


    Seeing the iron mace fly above the ice wall and strike down at me, I fiercely struck it down with my spear. As expected, no one was holding the iron mace. My Spirit Aura exploded for an instant and shattered the iron mace.


    Of course, I had known its identity. Flying weapon! Just like the living armors that moved by themselves, flying weapons also moved by themselves, as if they were possessed by ghosts. I should have expected it the moment I saw living armors, but I didn¡¯t think living armors would attack me with flying weapons. They had tricked me well.


    [Does it hurt? Sorry, I didn¡¯t think it would move.]


    [Master got hurt! You stupid!]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I didn¡¯t know either. Everyone makes mistakes. We just have to not make the same mistake again.¡±


    Afterforting Ruyue, who was apologizing, and Peika, who growled at Ruyue, I fixed my posture. Although my shoulder still throbbed from the iron mace¡¯s heavy impact, my HP had only gone down by 10%. I wasn¡¯t a dungeon explorer for 5 years for looks. I had long since grown used to pain.


    ¡°From now, let¡¯s break the weapons as we go too.¡±


    [I¡¯ll be better this time!]


    ¡°Ruyue can keep doing the same thing.¡±


    I picked up my spear again. The moment Ruyue¡¯s ice wall crumbled under the continued attacks from the living armors, I lightly kicked Ruyue¡¯s thigh. With a howl, Ruyue started running forward.


    [Auuuuuuu!]


    ¡°Stop hiding ande fight me, you empty rice-cakes!¡±


    [You used Provoke, drawing all nearby enemies¡¯ attentions!]


    The living armors that were scattered here and there ran toward me with creaking sounds. Running around on Ruyue¡¯s back, I went to gather them up in one spot. While running, when living armors blocked Ruyue¡¯s path, she skillfully jumped over them, changing direction and gathering them all together.


    Although I would end up facing arge number of living armors if I continued, I stopped after a certain point and ran circles with Ruyue in a wide area of the pathway. There, the living armors became confused and even identally attacked each other. I then went around to the outside, hitting away the living armors and flying weapons on my way, then aimed my spear at the gathered living armors and shouted.


    ¡°Elemental Tempest!¡±


    [We were waiting!]


    [Whoo, it¡¯s the spin spin!]


    [Hey! I¡¯m first!]


    ... For some reason, it seemed my name had begun to spread amongst the elementals. It felt strange. Regardless, thanks to the elementals overflowing motivation, I could activate Elemental Tempest with a shorter charge up time than normal. As a skill that used half of my mana, its effect was clear. A storm of elementals created by thebined effort of all types of elementals. I had never regretted using this skill.


    As elemental storm swept over the living armors and shattered them, thebined creaking noise seemed to make an orchestral symphony.


    [You obtained 500 gold.]


    [You obtained 450 gold.]


    [You obtained a Fragment of Flying Weapon.]


    [You obtained a Fragment of Living Armor.]


    ...


    I waved my hand and shooed away the flurry of messages. With so many monsters disappearing at once, the pathway was now wide open, making it pleasing to look at.


    I opened another 10 million won Mana Potion. Although it was possible to hunt without using Mana Potions, once someone used one, it was impossible to continue without using them. After finding out the iing money exceeded the expenditure, there was no reason to hold back.


    Just like that, I became a man that used 10 million won every 10 minutes. However, every two or so living armors dropped around 500 gold, meaning just 20 of them would be enough to make up for it. Dungeon explorers rocked!


    ¡°Ku, that felt great. Ruyue, let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Auuuuuuuuu!]


    The 33rd floor was thus cleared by thebined effort of me and other elementals in just 3 hours.


    Starting from the 34th floor however, there were mummies mixed in with living armors and flying weapons. Mummies were monsters wrapped in bandages, who shot out their bandages to shackle their enemies. The living armors and flying weapons would then easily crush the shackled enemies. It was easy to understand why so many people would be troubled by theirbined attack. I could understand the smile Lin had on his face, watching me advance to the 34th floor without buying anything at the 33rd Floor Shop.


    Of course, the mummies were of no danger to me whatsoever.


    [Human! A living human!]


    [I want his body!]


    [Take this!]


    When I ran into three mummies while running through the 34th floor, they each shot three streams of bandages toward me. Although they looked like frail pieces of cloth, their defense was quite tough, so much so that I could not cut them with my spear in one swing. The moment the nine strands of cloth flew over me, I held up my spear in their path. The bandages wrapped around my spear, connecting the mummies to my weapon. Holding on to my spear tightly, I began to spin it around.


    [Eh, I can¡¯t pull it away!]


    [He¡¯s too strong!]


    [My precious bandages!]


    You shouldn¡¯t have sent them all out in the same attack! I strongly pulled on my spear wrapped by 9 strands of cloth, and the mummies closed in on me as if they couldn¡¯t elongate their bandages further. Watching this, I realized how strong I had gotten. I could win against three monsters my level in pure strength. I wasn¡¯t even a beastman!


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Chain Lightning!]


    When I poured mana into my spear and shouted Peika¡¯s name, Peika swiftly used the elemental magic I was thinking of. The lightning energy that started to flow into my spear traveled through the cloth and cooked the three mummies to crisp.


    [The heaven... has been enraged!]


    [I shall go back to heaven...!]


    [And I shall say it was beautiful...!]


    ¡°How do you guys know that poem!?¡±[1. Lines from the poem Back to Heaven by Cheon Sang-Byeong]


    No, maybe there was a simr poem in the world they came from. I murmured as I took off the burnt bandages from my spear. Then, I looked at the living armors and flying weapons that were happily flying toward me thinking I was captured, and grinned. What happened next was obvious.


    [You became level 35. You obtained the qualification to challenge the Floor Master.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    ¡°Crazy. You really are a crazy bastard. How do you do in a few hours what takes other people in parties two or three months to do?¡±


    ¡°Lin, I¡¯ve been having simr thoughts recently. Though, at first, I thought other explorers were weird for being so slow and even dying while going through these easy floors.¡±


    When I checked the time after reaching the 34th Floor Shop, it was 6 in the morning. It took me exactly 6 hours to climb two floors from the 32nd Floor Shop. However, I didn¡¯t understand how others took two or three months to do the same thing. Even if I took out all the buffs from strengthening andpressing elixirs, took out the effects from various titles, took out elemental magic, and lowered my skill levels to what other explorers my level would have... I still didn¡¯t think it would take me that long. Though, of course, having the Riding skill and Ruyue also helped boost my clearing time.


    In any case, someone who was skilled enough to climb to the 30th floor on his own would undoubtedly have collected some titles and self-defining skills on his way. As such, my supposition was useless.


    ¡°Lin, what did you say you would do if I broke through the 35th floor in 1 year?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t broken through the 35th floor, nor have you defeated its Floor Master. You might lose to the Floor Master, have you thought of that?¡±


    Lin chewed on his cigarette as he retorted with an unhappy expression. I grinned and lightly stretched my body after distributing my level up bonus stats. Because I rode Ruyue nonstop for six hours and wrestled with mummies, fatigue had built up in my body. I bought a 100 gold Fatigue Recovery Juice and proimed to Lin after I was done with it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you in three hours.¡±


    ¡°I think you mean one week.¡±


    ¡°Beh. We¡¯ll see how it goes.¡±


    [Beh!]


    [Beh! Beh!]


    I stuck my tongue out at Lin and turned away. Peika and Ruyue also stuck their tongues out at Lin. How cute. Unfortunately, because Peika wasn¡¯t in her material form, Lin wouldn¡¯t be able to see her cute appearance.


    ¡°Hey, that dog... I mean, elemental. Did it just stick its tongue out at me?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer him. My head was already filled with thoughts of the 35th Floor Master, who would be waiting for me in the next floor.


    ¡°Hey, I asked if it just made fun of me! Hey, hey!¡±


    I didn¡¯t hear Lin¡¯s voice. Nope, not at all. I raised my hand above my head to say goodbye, and headed past the Floor Shop. My heart beat at the thought of battle against the Floor Master I knew nothing about.


    ¡°Hey, hey! A mere elemental should not ignore a draconian!¡±

 Chapter 80. Under the Two Moons (3)

    Chapter 80. Under the Two Moons (3)


    Right now, there was only one question in my mind: What was the identity of the 35th Floor Master?


    ¡°Giant Living Armor?¡±


    After saying it, I was 100 percent sure that wasn¡¯t it. Then what? Ghost Knight? No matter what, I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    The best solution was to experience it for myself. Although I was more careful in the past, after realizing how strong I wastely, I began to act more boldly.


    ¡°Mm, self-control, self-control. Otherwise, I¡¯ll regret itter.¡±


    Hubris was the greatest enemy to growth! I was only on the dungeon¡¯s 35th floor. There were many monsters, humans and other races that were stronger than me.


    I had to get stronger. I wanted to be the world¡¯s strongest. If I was satisfied by my current strength and became arrogant, I could stop dreaming about growing stronger.


    ¡°Mm, good. Let¡¯s snap out of it, and get going.¡±


    Although I couldn¡¯t be arrogant, being able to objectively understand my strength was also important. Between my stats strengthened by elixirs and titles, and my two partner elementals, I was confident that I had enough strength to deal with the 35th Floor Master alone. After exhaling, I opened the door in front of me.


    ¡°Fight me!¡±


    [Yes.]


    A deep voice rang out. I looked around the room. It was neither a wilderness nor a graveyard. I was inside a slightly dark cavern. Unlike my expectations, there were no living armors or flying weapons scattered everywhere. Inside the cavern, there was only one opponent.


    He was riding a ck horse and his every breath expelled a blue gas. His ck horse had a body that seemed big enough to swallow an ordinary horse whole, while he himself had a buildrge enough to suit his horse¡¯s size. Arge axe leaned against his shoulder, while he carried a helmet in one hand.


    His ck steel armor had sharp spikesing out of its joints, looking extremely intimidating. More importantly, he did not have a head. It was then that I realized that the helmet he was carrying was his head.


    He was the headless undead knight, Duhan.


    [You are a warrior. That posture, aura. You are notcking to be my opponent.]


    ¡°Hooo...¡±


    I held my ck Earthen Spear in hand and aimed it at him. As Ruyue was smaller than his horse, my spear was naturally angled up, but it wasn¡¯t to the point that it would be a disadvantage when fighting him. I was once again d that I contracted Ruyue.


    ¡°What a coincidence. I¡¯m happy that for the first time since I came into the dungeon, I met a proper opponent.¡±


    [Kukuku, there won¡¯t be anyone that would be unsatisfied with a warrior like yourself.]


    Duhan also gripped hisrge axe. Just from his posture, I could tell he was different than anyone I had faced thus far. Although he seemedcking in the arts, I could not underestimate the strength I sensed from his size and spirit.


    In regard to Floor Masters, I once wondered, ¡®If someone born with such physical ability honed his techniques, how strong would he be?¡¯ I would finally have my answer today. Of course, I was confident that my physical ability and techniques had also grown a lot since then.


    [Luckily, we¡¯re in a wide-open space. Let¡¯s enjoy this battle to our heart¡¯s content!]


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Duhan and I both charged at each other. His ck horse was faster! Therge axe in Duhan¡¯s hand chopped down at my head like lightning. However, I ignored the axe and thrust my spear out at his head, which his hand was carefully holding. Duhan quickly changed the trajectory of his axe and blocked my attack. Good, so he defended when his head was attacked.


    [Don¡¯t be conceited with just this much!]


    ¡°When did I act conceited!?¡±


    I pulled my spear back quickly and attacked his wrist. With an incredible speed unfit for someone with suchrge build and weapon, Duhan pulled back his axe and defended my attack once again. The resistance I felt from his defense was like an iron wall. I realized that ordinary attacks wouldn¡¯t be able to injure him.


    [Weak, weak! Show me your strength!]


    ¡°Huuu... Hap!¡±


    He wasn¡¯t someone I could fight while cracking jokes. I focused on the enemy in front of me, and the axe he was holding. If I received it directly, my strength unfortunately fell short.


    I parried his attack before his strength reached its peak. When I quickened my parrying timing, his stance was ruined. Before he even noticed, his stance was slowly broken and I delivered a blow. It was the technique I used against opponents that vastly surpassed me in raw strength.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    [Kuk, you...!?]


    When the time was just right, I sent three consecutive stabs forward, making Duhan fall back. At that moment, Ruyue bit the neck of Duhan¡¯s ck horse.


    [Kuaaaang!]


    [Hiiiing!]


    Even though the ck horse was a Floor Master¡¯s mount, it was no match for the materialized Ruyue! When Ruyue let out her ice breath while the ck horse¡¯s neck was in her mouth, the ck horse screamed and jumped. Duhan, whose stance was already ruined to a certain extent, became flustered at his ck horse¡¯s wild movements. Even so, he struck down at Ruyue¡¯s neck with his axe. In that instant, my eyes shed.


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    [Kuhuk!]


    As my attack reached him in the perfect moment, Duhan fell off his ck horse. After realizing that its master had fallen off, the ck horse¡¯s movements became even wilder. I shot my spear, d with ample amount of Spirit Aura, at the ck horse¡¯s half-frozen neck. I had extended my spear¡¯s reach with mana.


    [Kuhiiiing!]


    Kuk, as I thought, it was impossible to kill a Floor Master¡¯s beloved mount with a single hit. Although half of the ck horse¡¯s neck blew up and disappeared into ck smoke, the ck horse seemed fine, even with what seemed like a fatal injury.


    While I made Ruyue fall back for a moment, Duhan, who had fallen off his horse, also got back up and remounted. He seemed to be enraged as he swung his axe toward me. From the bottom to top, hisrge axe shed up with a threatening appearance.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Auuuuuuu!]


    Ruyue poured out freezing energy towards the axe as she threw herself to the side quickly. My cutie Ruyue was an all-purpose wolf that could go forward, backwards, and sideways! At Duhan¡¯s normal speed, Ruyue would not be able to dodge his attack, but the ice breath she had breathed out had formed frost on his axe and slowed it down drastically.


    [Elemental!]


    ¡°You noticed toote! Tempest!¡±


    Making Ruyue charge towards him once more, I shot out a harsh spiral of mana with my spear. I didn¡¯t think a single Tempest could make him falter. As such, I shot out 5 consecutive Tempests. Rather than Duhan, his ck horse staggered and stepped back.


    [Kuk, then how about this!?]


    ¡°Huk!¡±


    In an instant, something incredibly startling happened. Duhan had thrown his axe! It wasn¡¯t just the axe that flew towards me. A ck aura was imbued in the axe¡¯s double-edged des. Just looking at it gave me chills.


    Although I fell back on Ruyue, the axe even had a homing function. When Ruyue created an ice wall with her elemental magic, the axe easily shattered the wall and continued forward. Behind it, Duhan rushed forward, following his axe! I gritted my teeth and red at the axe. I had to smack it down. Both of them!


    ¡°Elemental Tempest!¡±


    [It¡¯s the second time today!]


    [Whee, fun!]


    [It¡¯s true! You can ride amusement park rides if you follow Crown Prince!]


    A five-colored whirlpool raged around the spear I held up. In the trajectory Elemental Tempest drew, I included both Duhan and his axe, and shot it out.


    The axe directly shed with Elemental Tempest, but soon lost its ck aura and bounced up. Duhaning from behind then faced the storm head on.


    [Kuk!]


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time for counterattack!¡±


    I hurriedly took out a Mana Potion and stuck it in my mouth. My goal was to deliver a blow before Duhan recovered his axe. Ruyue kicked off the ground with vigor. However, before I could thrust my spear into his head...


    [You dare!]


    ¡°Uk!¡±


    In an instant, I ducked on Ruyue¡¯s back at the sense of unease I felt. As if to prove my decision was correct, Duhan¡¯s axe flew past where my head was with a bone-chilling whoosh. I thought it had lost its energy, but Duhan was controlling it the entire time!


    Although I then picked myself up and thrust out my spear, Duhan easily blocked the attack with his axe. However, his ck horse was bitten Ruyue again. While the master couldn¡¯t do his job, the elemental was racking up contribution.


    [Hiiiiiing!]


    [You horse! Endure the pain!]


    ¡°Ku, I¡¯ll make it so that it doesn¡¯t have to!¡±


    Extend spear!


    [Critical Hit!]


    In an instant, my spear severed the ck horse¡¯s head. Would it continue running without its head like Duhan? Although I tensed up and put more strength into my grip, what I was worried about thankfully did not happen. After losing its head, the ck horse disappeared into ck smoke without a sound and Duhan fell to the ground.


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Thunder Spear!]


    When I shouted while thrusting my spear forward, Peika created a spear of lightning in mid-air and shot it in Duhan¡¯s head. Paralyzed by the shock from Peika¡¯s lightning spear, Duhan could not get up. Ruyue then freely stepped on his body.


    [Auuuuuu!]


    ¡°Good job, Ruyue!¡±


    I didn¡¯t stay still either. I stabbed my spear at the bracelet on his wrist, which was protecting his head. After a moment, the bracelet exploded and his rotting bare arm revealed its appearance.


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuaaaaak!]


    My mana was now dangerously low! Not even half the cooldown time of thest potion I drank passed, but my mana had fallen below 30%. As a result, I was feeling slightly dizzy. However, because the Heroic Strike went in sessfully, the left arm protecting his head brokepletely. At the same time, his head fell and rolled away from his body. With this, I thought I had ascertained my victory.


    What followed immediately after instantly changed my mind.


    [Kuaaaaaang!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    At his roar that stung my ears, I instantly fell back on Ruyue¡¯s back. The ce I was standing was then struck by his axe, creating a fissure in the ground. Without even thinking about recovering his head, Duhan staggered as he got up.


    I could not understand why. With his head away from his body, I thought it would have a negative effect on him, but the aura he was emitting seemed to be getting stronger.


    Holding therge axe with one hand, he held it up high. Because I felt uneasy, I immediately ordered Ruyue.


    ¡°Cancel materialization!¡±


    The moment Ruyue canceled her materialization, I shot a Heroic Strike at his right arm. Surprisingly, he was in a super-armored state! After taking my spear, which contained all of my mana, without batting an eye, Duhan stuck his axe into ground. Once again, I instinctively yelled out.


    ¡°Dragon Skin!¡±


    Immediately afterwards, the ground tremored and countless shards of rocks stormed towards me!

 Chapter 81. Under the Two Moons (4)

    Chapter 81. Under the Two Moons (4)


    Trantor¡¯s Note: Changed cleaver to axe. I was thinking of ck Cleaver from League of Legends. So yeah, imagine it looks like ck Cleaver from LoL!


    [Duhan uses Outburst!]


    D-D-D-D-D-D-Du!


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Without kidding, I felt like I would die of pain. There was no way to dodge this. Shards of rockspletely surrounded me. Just because Duhan struck his axe into the ground, the rock shards had begun to fly towards me like bombshells. If I hadn¡¯t used Dragon Skin on time, I would have died on the spot. Enduring the rock shards, I moved my body slowed from Dragon Skin, took out a Health Potion and gulped it down.


    [Master, recover mana!]


    [I can¡¯t use Ice Wall!]


    ¡°I can¡¯t recover my mana right now. I¡¯ll just have to endure it.¡±


    Although I resolved myself to hold on until his skill ended, itsted for quite some time. Gritting my teeth, I slowly moved my body. There was only one way to escape from this situation.


    ¡°I found it, damn it!¡±


    Even as I was getting beaten with the rock shards, I found Duhan¡¯s head that was littered on the ground. His terrifying skill seemed to be a defense mechanism, to prevent someone from taking his head when it separated from his body. Although I gritted my teeth at the actions that resulted in such an atrocity, I was certain breaking his head would end this situation!


    ¡°Just. Die!¡±


    Putting what little mana I had left into my spear, I thrust my spear forward. However, as if the head was made out of steel, the spear only made a small hole. Instead, my hand went numb. I checked my HP and MP. Thanks to Dragon Skin, I had about 50% of my HP, and I only had about 10% MP left. 10%... If that was the case, then...!


    ¡°Ruyue, I¡¯m going to unsummon you for a bit. Peika,e into my gauntlet!¡±


    [Master!]


    ¡°This might be better using my spear!¡±


    Stabbing focused on one point. However, stabbing with just 10% of my mana, I would not be able to pierce Duhan¡¯s head. In that case, it could be better to expand that hole by punching it for 11 seconds. Since my spear didn¡¯t work, I would be using my fists. Plus, stabbing required me to concentrate, but all the rock shards flying at me disrupted my concentration.


    Ruyue¡¯s body became faint, then disappeared. Peika also came out of my spear and infused herself into my gauntlet. Striking down at Duhan¡¯s head, I shouted.


    ¡°Thunder Beast!¡±


    [Kiaaaaak!]


    Duhan¡¯s screaming became louder, and the number of rock shards flying at me also increased. My HP began to fall at a scary rate. Clenching my fists tightly, I crazily struck down at its head.


    ¡°Uaaaaaaaaaah!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    ¡®I¡¯ll give my all during this 11 seconds of attack!¡¯


    As I was in a super-armored state, being hit by the rock shards did not affect my movements in the slightest. Right now, I didn¡¯t need any fancy skills. I just focused the lightning energy in my fists and struck down again and again. My HP fell below 20%.


    [Master, we¡¯re almost out of time!]


    ¡°Just a bit more! Uaaaaaaah!¡±


    I struck down again and again. Before I noticed, Thunder Beast was canceled and Peika was unsummoned as well. However, Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry and Dragon Skin were still in effect. Resolved to use Diehard, I continued bashing Duhan¡¯s head.


    Then, as if it were a joke, his head exploded.


    [Kiaaaaaaaaak!]


    [A Grand Achievement! You defeated the Floor Master, Duhan, alone! Amazing!]


    [You became level 36. You obtained the qualification to advance to the 36th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Duhan yer.¡¯ All stats permanently increase by 1. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You became Silver Rank 5. Congrattions.]


    [You defeated Duhan alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Duhan¡¯s Helm.¡¯]


    [You obtained 100,000 gold.]


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Heavy Armor Mastery Magic Book]


    As soon as Duhan¡¯s death throes ended, the barrage of rock shards also ended. I turned around. His body was scattering into the air. In the end, I managed to win without using Diehard.


    ¡°Ah, what a disaster...¡±


    Sprawled on the ground, I muttered. Until the middle, I had felt great, as if we were both exchanging pointers. Of course, as we were both using our skills, it was hard to say it was a pure fight of techniques. Even so, I was having fun. I had even thought I could defeat his axe technique and make him drop his weapon.


    But just because I separated his head from his body, everything had changed. No matter how I thought about it, that skill was a cheat. I could see what would happen to normal parties. They¡¯d think his head was his weakness and try their best to get it separated from the body. Then, they¡¯d be showered by his rock shards. I then became worried for Ren, but was slightly relieved when I remembered he could endure it with Dragon Skin.


    ¡°Really, none of the Floor Masters are normal.¡±


    Although I wanted to stay sprawled on the ground to rest, I couldn¡¯t. I had to review my battle with him and think of a strategy that didn¡¯t use Warcry or Dragon Skin. Then, I needed to try it once to make sure it worked. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be able to go to the MT in peace!


    *


    ¡°So you ended up using Diehard?¡±


    ¡°Yes, damn it.¡±


    It was one thirty in the afternoon. After eating breakfast and sleeping for three hours, I finally finished my third battle with Duhan.


    In the second battle, I crushed his hand holding the axe first. I then attacked his head, sessfully preventing him from using Outburst. In the third battle, however, I identally hit his head with Heroic Strike. Enraged, Duhan promptly used Outburst.


    Because I didn¡¯t have Dragon Skin, I used Tria to try to crush his head while avoiding the rock shards, but my HP fell below 3%, and Diehard activated.


    The moment Diehard activated, I hugged Duhan¡¯s head and used Dark Thunder Explosion, exploding his head and the rock shards before my vitality reached zero. If I didn¡¯t save Dark Thunder Explosion, I might have been able to end it before he used Diehard. It was my fault for failing to realize I could use Dark Thunder Explosion the moment I caught his head.


    However, Lin seemed to be thinking differently.


    ¡°I¡¯m more surprised you managed to defeat the Duhan alone. Are you really human? Tell me honestly. You¡¯re some other race I don¡¯t know about, right?¡±


    ¡°Enough with the nonsense. By the way, Lin...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You should stop ying dumb and start making that gauntlet. Within the 2 months I have left, I¡¯ll finish grinding the 35th floor and conquer the 40th floor too.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The bet between Lin and me said that he would take back my pocket watch and subss if I couldn¡¯t break through the 35th floor in half a year. If I could, he would make me a gauntlet, and if I even broke through the 40th floor, he said he¡¯d make me a weapon and defensive equipment set. If I managed to do it in 3 months, he would even add a dragon leather cape!


    In other words, I had already won the bet. I just had to work towards the bonuses. Looking deathly pale, Lin took out a portable anvil.


    ¡°Eit, damn it. Because of my damn guild master, I had to meet this damn rookie and do damn cksmithing damn work. Damn it.¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow then, Lin.¡±


    ¡°Screw off!¡±


    While Lin said his goodbye by sticking his middle finger out at me, I said mine with a smile. Then, I left the dungeon.


    MTs were considered as highlights of any college student¡¯s college life. As I would finally be experiencing one after a semester, I was looking forward to it quite a bit. Though, I had a strong suspicion that I would be together with Su Ye-Eun even at the MT...!


    ¡°He¡¯s here!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Su Ye-Eun?¡±


    ¡°Huh? She was just here a second ago.¡±


    Ooh, it seemed this MT was supported by the professors. Right, since over 400 students were going to this MT, it wouldn¡¯t make sense if the professors weren¡¯t involved. There were probably sunbaes going too[1. Sunbae = senpai = senior at school/workce/etc.]. Looking at the tour buses lined up against the school¡¯s hillside road, I nked out. Before I noticed, Su Ye-Eun had appeared and was glued to my side.


    ¡°Shin, you¡¯rete!¡±


    ¡°I came just on time. You were in stealth again, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... I, I want to get closer, but I¡¯m scared.¡±


    I¡¯m surprised you thought about going to the freshman opening party then. I suspected that she was the same in high school and wanted to try for a fresh start at college. Unfortunately, habits were hard to kill, and one¡¯s nature was even harder to change. In the end, she ended up as a loner without a single friend...


    ¡°I¡¯m your friend, Su Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°What, so suddenly!? Like we aren¡¯t close...!¡±


    I teased Su Ye-Eun as I waited. Suddenly, the surrounding people¡¯s murmuring became more severe. I asked Su Ye-Eun.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with them?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s apparently a goddess in our department.¡±


    ¡°Really? I wonder what items a goddess would drop...?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s probably not possible at my current level...¡¯ My eyes had a distant look, and Su Ye-Eun was looking at me with an even more distant look. Kuhum. With a dry cough, I asked her again.


    ¡°So that goddess just appeared?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She¡¯s apparently an international student from France.¡±


    ¡°Really. There are so many international students at our college. Though, most of them are Chinese.¡±


    More than 20% of our department was Chinese. When doing group projects, there was at least 1 Chinese international student in each group. Most of them weren¡¯t enthusiastic. There were, of course, ones that were, but because of thenguage barrier, it was better to think of the international students in group projects as nonexistent. Though, since I didn¡¯t participate in group projects, I didn¡¯t have the qualifications to say anything about them.


    Other than China, there were quite a few American, Japanese, British, and French international students. For a school that bragged about cultural pride, it epted way too many international students!


    ¡°We¡¯re going! Get on the buses!¡±


    As expected, I could see the sunbaes leading the MT. With Su Ye-Eun who grabbed onto me in order to not get lost, I got on a bus.


    ¡°Can I take the window seat?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    After leaving Su Ye-Eun to take the window seat, I sat up straight, circted Peruta Circuit, and summoned Peika and Ruyue.


    [There are lots of people. Master, what are they doing? Are we hunting them?]


    [Whoo hoo!]


    ¡°Please don¡¯t, Peika. Ruyue,e here.¡±


    I talked so only my elementals could hear me, then hugged them. Although they struggled for a little bit, they seemed to have found theirfortable spots as they sat still and looked around.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to rest today.¡±


    [It¡¯s warm. I like it.]


    [I like it too.]


    Holding the calmed elementals in my embrace, I quietly closed my eyes and focused on Peruta Circuit. I had withdrawn my focus to my inner self to only concentrate on my mana traveling through the pathway engraved in my body. Since I usually circted Peruta Circuit while I was running the dungeon, it wasn¡¯t bad to devote my time to circting Peruta Circuit like this. Soon, I fell into a trance observing and concentrating on my mana, to the point that I no longer heard the sounds around me.


    ¡°Auu, he looks like a painting even while he¡¯s asleep.¡±


    ¡°Take a picture, hurry.¡±


    ¡°I want to hug him.¡±


    ¡°Mm? D-Don¡¯t take a picture of Shin!¡±


    When we arrived at the pension[2. Pension is not meant to be mansion or a retirement n, it¡¯s arge boarding house you can rent out.] where the MT was held, it was about 5:30. When I opened my eyes realizing that the bus had stopped, Su Ye-Eun¡¯s face was hovering in front of my own. Because of her well-defined facial features, I sometimes thought she was a foreigner. Close up, it was even more obvious. It was especially the case for her sharp nose bridge and big, manhwa character-like eyes.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I was trying to wake you up.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t even sleeping... Whatever, let¡¯s go.¡±


    With my two elementals on my shoulders, I went outside with Su Ye-Eun, still circting Peruta Circuit. The surrounding environment was clean, and there were no signs of civilization besides the pension in front of us. For a pension in the vicinity of Seoul, I was quite surprised by how nice it was.


    First, I looked around. We were far from the city and there was a mountain nearby. After Two Moon, the environment to watch out for the most was the mountains, followed by areas near mountains. By that standard, the ce we were in was quite dangerous.


    ¡°This ce... a monster might appear here.¡±


    ¡°Not funny! Even if something happens, we can just alert Guardian, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    A female student that had approached me without me noticingughed and answered my monologue. I nodded my head with an evasive ¡®mmm.¡¯ Next to me, Su Ye-Eun pulled on my sleeve.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Shin.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    The female student clicked her tongue. I tilted my head, wondering why, and at the same time, caught sight of a female student stepping out of another bus. Blonde hair and blue eyes, she possessed a dazzling beauty that made those around her look a league below her. She was undoubtedly the international student called goddess or whatnot.


    She also saw me, and winked. I winked back, thinking I should respond the same way. She seemed startled for a moment, but soonughed and lightly waved her hand at me before going into the pension first. The male students that had gathered around her red at me with scary expressions. It was trulyughable.


    Although Su Ye-Eun kept pulling on my sleeve with an uneasy expression, I only shook my head, unable to understand why. The way she was shaking was making me uneasy as well. Just what was she uneasy about? I pulled Su Ye-Eun toward me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Even if a monster appears, I¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    ... Unable to understand why other girls were happy with what I said, the curtains were raised to my first MT.


    Trantor¡¯s Note: Membership Training (MT) is an event held among university students in South Korea. These eventsst roughly two days and are considered a free-form training session, where students spend time socializing with peers in the same academic majors or clubs, often at a remote location.


    (read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membership_Training_in_Korea)

 Chapter 82. Under the Two Moons (5)

    Chapter 82. Under the Two Moons (5)


    ¡®MT aren¡¯t all that special!¡¯ That was what I felt. I just listened to some bored professors talk and the 400 or so people were split into 20 groups. These groups were called sses, and it seemed these sses were formed at the freshman opening party.


    ¡°Did you know about this?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Damn, to think amunity like this was formed from the start of school... Watching the people separate into their sses, we looked pitiful. Of course, we weren¡¯t the only ones who didn¡¯t go to the freshman opening party, so with the help of our sunbaes, we were able to join a ss. Of the twenty sses, Su Ye-Eun and I were in the same ss.


    ¡°... Hehe, we¡¯re in the same ss.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Kang Shin is in this ss.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°... Su Ye-Eun followed him even here.¡±


    We then grilled some meat and watched the talent show that others in our ss prepared. I, of course, kept circting Peruta Circuit, and realized that I wasn¡¯t fit for the campus life. Twenty people fiddling around with just two grills irritated me, and watching the people¡¯s amateurish dances made me want to trip them with my feet.


    After that, people went to the rooms assigned to their sses for drinks. People from other rooms sometimes barged in for drinking games, but I got tired of it all in exactly 17 minutes. I didn¡¯t understand why they needed to y a game to drink alcohol. If they wanted to chug it that badly, that should just drink it by the bottle!


    As expected, college social life didn¡¯t really fit me. Although there must be more to it than just this, I had a strong feeling that whatever I was missing out on wasn¡¯t right for me anyways.


    ¡°Next time, I won¡¯te.¡±


    ¡°Why!? Let¡¯s go to an MT with just our ss. It¡¯ll be fun!¡±


    A girl drinking nearby asserted as she approached me. ss MT? I looked around at the 18 people besides Su Ye-Eun and me. There were two Chinese international students. Both were male, and were talking to girls with rather obvious intentions. Su Ye-Eun then screamed and hid behind my back, making them re at me.


    Other than them, there was a male and female student who looked awkward around each other as if they just broke up, group of guys that were nning on going to other rooms to pick up girls, and girls that strangely liked to give me more drinks. Wondering if they knew my identity and were trying to threaten me, I became nervous. Going to another MT with these people? I would rather die.


    After losing a few rounds of the drink games and drinking the special penalty drink, Su Ye-Eun stuck herself on my back with a frown. Of course, I had to take more guys¡¯ res because of it. Even though Su Ye-Eun covered herself with her hoody, it seemed people had found out how pretty she was.


    ¡°Hey, Shin.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah... Ina.¡±


    Barely remembering the name of the girl that called out to me, we exchanged drinks. After Su Ye-Eun became too intoxicated to continue, the drinking game stopped, and everyone sat in arge circle and began talking about interesting things that had happened over the semester, like general gossip or stories with famous Guardian or Freedom Wing members.


    Young and good-looking Guardian and Freedom Wing members became famous through appearances on TVworks, regardless of their abilities. It was the governments¡¯ attempt to make the citizens feel familiar toward the Awakened. I suspected that the government would eventually have TV shows where Awakened hunted monsters.


    ¡°Are you really not going out with Ye-Eun?¡±


    The girl pointed at Su Ye-Eun stuck to my back. Like a sloth, she had her arms on my back and was dozing off. She really didn¡¯t know shame.


    ¡°I¡¯m not. We¡¯re just friends.¡±


    ¡°But Ye-Eun likes you.¡±


    ¡°She just doesn¡¯t have the courage to make friends other than me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not just that ...¡±


    The girl sighed and looked at Su Ye-Eun with a look of pity. The girl, who I only knew as Ina, then asked.


    ¡°S-So... you don¡¯t have a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Oooh!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s doing it!¡±


    ¡°Go, go!¡±


    The girls around me got louder. Peika and Ruyue, who each sat on my shoulder, made growling noises. Thinking that this drinking party would continue for a while, I unsummoned them. Then, I answered her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oooooh!¡±


    ¡°He says he doesn¡¯t!¡±


    While others were talking excitedly, I suddenly smelled something strange. Something foul. I put my nose to the drink in my hand. It was a perfectly normal whiskey. Then where was the smelling from? It smelled a bit like iron. I was definitely familiar with it. This was...


    The smell of blood.


    I slowly stood up. The others looked at me, but I didn¡¯t care. Su Ye-Eun, who also got up, rubbed her sleepy eyes.


    ¡°Hm, what¡¯s wrong, Shin? Am I home?¡±


    ¡°Why would I be in your home? If you¡¯re awake, go wash your face.¡±


    As Su Ye-Eun didn¡¯t want to separate from me, I carried her on my back as I walked toward the windows and opened one. The outside was silent and still. No, the silence was immediately broken by the smell of chemicals as a small firework went up into the sky. It seemed people from other sses were setting fireworks. Regardless, I knew that a monster had not appeared outside. Was I mistaken?


    Then, the door opened. When I turned around, there was someonepletely unexpected standing there. It was the French international student and a few of the male students that followed her around.


    ¡°Huk, it¡¯s Chloe.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Chloe nc.¡±


    The guys that had been nning to go to other rooms stopped and quietly sat back down. The girl called Chloe nc then walked into the room with a smile.


    ¡°The guys in my room already passed out. Do you guys mind if I join you?¡±


    Her Korean was extremely fluent. Of course, no one declined and Chloe nc naturally joined us.


    At the same time, Su Ye-Eun began to shake and whispered in my ear.


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t like her.¡±


    ¡°How rude. We haven¡¯t even met before. Besides, you shouldn¡¯t say that while you¡¯re hogging such a hot guy.¡±


    She sure had good hearing. Su Ye-Eun was startled and stuck even closer to me. The guys started toin and nc shrugged her shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m Chloe nc. What are your names?¡±


    The people in the room took turns introducing themselves. After waiting for them to finish, nc gave me a nce. I answered her shortly.


    ¡°Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°Shin! What a cool name. It matches your handsome face.¡±


    ¡°I can say the same about you.¡±


    ¡°Empty words, but I¡¯ll dly take them.¡±


    Drinks went back and forth again. Just her presence seemed to be sweetening up the atmosphere. The guys that were eyeing Su Ye-Eun changed their attentions to Chloe nc, making it easier for me. However, because her gaze was fixed on me, I felt a bit ufortable. The other girls also found it irritating.


    ¡°She has tons of other guys. Why...?¡±


    ¡°Argh, annoying.¡±


    It seemed word had gone around that she was in this room as a few more guys came in. Because there was a limit to how many people we could fit, we had to turn them down. Although they brought up wanting to change members, no one epted. I, on the other hand, wanted to get some fresh air. When I got up, Chloe nc suddenly stopped me.


    ¡°Where are you going, Shin? Take me with you. I want to talk to you more.¡±


    I sat back down. The gazes from the other students became more hostile. What did this French international student want from me? As I wondered, Su Ye-Eun¡¯s shaking got worse. After a few more drinks were exchanged, I finally asked her boldly.


    ¡°Chloe nc, what¡¯s your objective?¡±


    She hesitated slightly, then looked around the room. Following her eyes, I also looked around the room. Most of the students were lying on the floor, or had hazy eyes. Almost as if they were zombies. Almost as if someone made them like that.


    She honestly replied.


    ¡°I want to kill you and take your vital energy, Shin.¡±


    She closed her eyes then opened them again. Vertical pupils that appeared were showing that she wasn¡¯t human.


    Shit! I knew she had been nning something, but I didn¡¯t think she was a monster! Su Ye-Eun pulled on me stronger. Realizing what was in front of her was a monster, Su Ye-Eun had activated her super vibration mode.


    ¡°You can¡¯t run. Do you think I was just drinking here for fun? I already captured everyone in this room.¡±


    With that, Chloe nc gracefully raised her hand. One of the girls looking hazy naturally brought a cup to her hand. She did it respectfully, with both her hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s toote for you too, Shin.¡±


    She smiled charmingly. I heard the sound of clothes ripping as a pair of ck wings shot out from her back. They looked like erged bat wings. She then opened her mouth as she let out golden light from her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce myself again. My name isn¡¯t Chloe nc, though I dide from the country you humans call France. I¡¯m ¡®Blood Subus,¡¯ the owner of the dungeon that appeared in France.


    [An Event Raid has broken out! B-rank 20-man Raid, ¡®Blood Subus.¡¯ Because you were at the location of the raid boss, you will be forced to participate.]


    [You hold the priority for the Event Raid. Unless you want to reveal its existence, other dungeon explorers will not be notified until 1 hourter!]


    I gritted my teeth. For some reason, she looked incredibly charming. Subus. A monster said to appear in men¡¯s dreams and devour their vital energy. The subus in front of me had the terrifying ability to charm both men and women in reality.


    Although she was only a B-rank 20-man raid boss, her special ability was undoubtedly frightening. I was trapped in her status effect. Before it was toote, I had to use Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry...!


    ¡°Kuk, I already used it...!¡±


    I had already used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry in my battle against Duhan this morning. Not only that, but I had also used Dark Thunder Explosion, Dragon Skin, and Diehard! If I couldn¡¯t solve my status effect, I could really die!


    I had to escape. That was the only way I could live! I tried to activate Return, but it didn¡¯t work. My instincts were refusing to let me leave. I did not want to separate from her. I did not want to be far away from her. Even though I knew I would die! With the same reasoning, I could not let the other explorers know. Return, Elemental Summoning, Deific Manifestation, and even going into the dungeon, her charm was strong enough to prevent me from doing anything.


    Gritting my teeth, I asked while I could still talk freely.


    ¡°France¡¯s Gate should have disappeared!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, but I wonder why? When I woke up, I was in Paris. Unfortunately, a scary oldie named Michelle kept chasing me, so I had to run. I managed to reach Charles De Gaulle Airport and sneaked onto a ne. It turned out that it was going to Seoul. Then, when I was wandering aimlessly, I met Chloe. She gave me her knowledge, body, and even her existence. She was such a good kid.¡±


    Increased chance of an Event Raid happening where Event Dungeons disappeared. I finally understood what it meant.


    Currently, the world was full of bosses that had escaped their dungeons when Event Dungeons disappeared! It was just that their characteristics determined whether Event Raids broke out immediately or they hid themselves among humans, like the Blood Subus I was looking at.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a monster!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, monster, how rude. Look at me, aren¡¯t I beautiful? Which part of me looks like a monster?¡±


    ¡°The part... kuk... where you killed humans. You already killed today too, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh? But humans kill other humans too. You shouldn¡¯t call me a monster because of it. What a mannerless man. But you aren¡¯t wrong. You see, I already took care of five rooms. After all, today will be myst day at this college. I wanted to consume as much vital energy as possible tonight. In truth, you¡¯re tonight¡¯s main dish.¡±


    She stood up. Throwing the ss cup and shattering it, she slowly walked towards me. Her long, slit pupils shined with evil and charm.


    ¡°The pure and boundless mana you have, it¡¯s too tempting. Did you know, I¡¯m the one who nned this MT.¡±


    When my eyes met hers, I could not move at all. Without Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry, I was powerless against status effects. I should have realized it sooner, so that I could have nned for it! I had relied too much on the Floor Master skills, and this was the result. I was too ashamed of myself.


    It was then that I realized Su Ye-Eun¡¯s trembling had stopped. She was now murmuring to herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m s-scared... but...¡±


    ¡°You stay still. I¡¯ll eat you too, after I¡¯m done with Shin.¡±


    ¡°I-If I don¡¯t do it... I¡¯ll die... Shin will... die...¡±


    To protect Su Ye-Eun, I frantically tried to think of a solution. How could I escape this charm? If I could snap out of it for just a moment, I could rip that woman to shreds!


    However, white noise kept jamming my head. An irresistible attraction to her enveloped me. Any methods that I could use to separate from her, I myself was rejecting it.


    Right, she was my everything. Separating from her would have little meaning. If she wanted, I could even give my life, so why should I resist?


    I smiled. Blood Subus also smiled. Her eyes opened wide as they let out a radiant golden light. I felt like forgetting myself and sinking into them.


    At that moment, Su Ye-Eun stepped in front of me and raised her trembling hands. She even took off her hoody, which I had never seen her without. Her long, beautiful, night-ck hair fluttered like water.


    Then, the Blood Subus¡¯s left eye was ripped out.

 Chapter 83. Under the Two Moons (6)

    Chapter 83. Under the Two Moons (6)


    ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Peika! Ruyue!¡±


    The moment the subus screamed crazily, I regained my consciousness and yelled out Peika and Ruyue¡¯s names. My two elementals immediately made their appearance.


    ¡°Kiaaaaaaaaaak!¡±


    [Master!]


    [Are you okay? Are you okay?]


    ¡°Before I be weird again, pull out her other eye!¡±


    Taking my eyes off the subus, I yelled at the top of my lungs. Although I also needed to request help from the other dungeon explorers, as I didn¡¯t know if they woulde immediately and couldn¡¯t think straight from the fear of beingpletely subordinate to one being, I could only yell out my simplemand. I could have also called Peruta using Deific Manifestation, but I had forgotten about my reliable master from the extreme fear I felt.


    Peika and Ruyue seemed to have noticed how desperate I was as they flew toward the subus without even replying. I couldn¡¯t see it. I didn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°Kyaaaaak! You bitch, I¡¯ll kill you! Bloody Raven Wing! me Cutter!¡±


    [Frozen Arrow!]


    [Thunder Spear!]


    Things exploded and ravaged through the room. Although shards flew at me, as they were only remnant pieces of the attacks, they could not damage me by much. The students being controlled by the subus could have been injured, but I wasn¡¯t in a position to worry about them.


    I then started to think about what had just happened. When I was about to give up my life to the subus, when I stood there without being able to do anything, I could still vividly recall the sense of helplessness.


    But in that situation where my vital energy was about to be taken away, the subus¡¯ eye was ripped out. However, all the other students should have been under subus¡¯ control, and because they were ordinary people, they could not have done anything, even if they weren¡¯t under her control.


    Before the subus¡¯ eye was ripped out, Su Ye-Eun had taken off her hoody. It meant she had withstood the subus¡¯ charm longer than me. Not to mention, Su Ye-Eun wasn¡¯t next to me right now. In that case, there was only one answer.


    The one who ripped out subus¡¯ eye was Su Ye-Eun.


    How!? She should have had monsterphobia, and even if she didn¡¯t, how did she rip out the eye of a raid boss!? Of course, the answer was simple. Su Ye-Eun didn¡¯t have monsterphobia and instead had a strong ability that allowed her to rip out the eye of a B-rank raid boss. Her stealth ability didn¡¯t just hide her appearance, it hid her ability as well.


    ¡°Everyone rise! Kill these damned things!¡±


    At the subus¡¯ shrill voice, I snapped out of my thoughts and raised my head. The students that were watching nkly on the ground began to rise.


    Shit. In this ce where lightning, fire, and ice flew around, their lives would be in danger just by getting up! No matter how desperate the situation was, I couldn¡¯t just stand and watch students throw themselves into a pit of fire. But what could I do? After a bit of thought, I remembered I had a way to stop them.


    ¡°Kiaaaaaaaak!¡±


    [You used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail. All enemies within its area be confused and feared!]


    ¡°Ueeeeek.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see in front of me.¡±


    ¡°I have toplete Master¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°Hiik, don¡¯te here! Stop!¡±


    Although they were being controlled by the subus, they still had the physical abilities of ordinary students. After being affected by Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail, they fought each other or rolled on the ground. One by one, I hurriedly picked them up and threw them out into the hallway. I could smell blood rising from the hallway. She really killed so many people!


    Damn it, had no one contacted Guardian yet? Now that I thought about it, there wasn¡¯t anyone to contact them! This damned subus must have charmed people the moment she sneaked into the college. Since this MT was started by her, it was likely the pension¡¯s security cameras weren¡¯t working either.


    Past the open door, a thundering sound rang out. A chill ran down my back. This woman was calling her minions! To use the dungeon explorermunication channel that I had been forgetting about, I put my hand on my mouth. At that moment...


    ¡°Kyaaaak! My eyes, my eyes!¡±


    [Master, that strange woman pulled out both her eyes! Her charming power disappeared!]


    [That woman is scary. Scary.]


    Peika and Ruyue flew back toward me. Her charming power disappeared? Recalling the sense of helplessness I felt, I turned around carefully. There, I saw Su Ye-Eun fully revealing her pretty face and fluttering ck hair, and attacking the Blood Subus. She disappeared and reappeared here and there, while her hands were dyed red from the Blood Subus¡¯ blood.


    Su Ye-Eun¡¯s eyes glowed red, unlike normal. Using stealth, she hid herself from the subus, then attacked with her fingernails when the subus made an opening. Her fingernails clearly had mana imbued into them, giving them a red aura. Although slightly barbaric, she was shy and strong.


    As for the Blood Subus, even as blood dripped down from her eye sockets, she managed to detect Su Ye-Eun¡¯s location and threw magic at her. As expected of a raid boss monster! The walls were already destroyed and the windows were all shattered. If things got worse, the entire building could copse.


    After taking Subus¡¯ attacks, Su Ye-Eun was bleeding here and there. Although her attack power was strong, her defense was low. At this rate, they would both kill each other. Since I knew I no longer had to worry about Blood Subus¡¯ charm, I couldn¡¯t just stand here and watch Su Ye-Eun get beaten.


    I took out ck Earthen Spear from my inventory. Although I considered using Deific Manifestation for a moment, I threw the thought out soon. What was I afraid of? I had to get revenge with my own hands. I shouldn¡¯t back away, especially after knowing I was strong enough!


    ¡°Peika.¡±


    [Got it!]


    Without having to say much, Peika went into my spear. Possibly because she felt the fluctuation of energy, the Blood Subus, who was still dripping blood from her two eye sockets, looked at me. It was truly a sight of horror.


    ¡°Thanks, Ye-Eun. You can rest now.¡±


    ¡°Ut!¡±


    Su Ye-Eun was startled by my voice, then obediently fell back. I was worried about her mental state from her sudden change, but it seemed she was okay. At the same time Su Ye-Eun fell back, I charged at the Blood Subus.


    ¡°Youuuuu!¡±


    The Blood Subus hesitated about who to attack between me and Su Ye-Eun, but in the end, she chose the one who was charging at her, me. Dozens of fireballs appeared in the air and flew toward me. Ruyue snorted.


    [Ice Wall!]


    Although they were both B-rank raid bosses, there was a clear difference between the 20-man raid Blood Subus and the 500-man raid Giant Iron Boar. Given ample amount of mana, Ruyue¡¯s ice wall stood strong even after receiving all of the Blood Subus¡¯ attacks.


    In truth, the subus without her charm ability was like a tiger without its ws. There was nothing to be afraid of.


    I used Divine Speed. In the blink of an eye, I was in front of the subus. Swinging my spear, I first cut off one side of the subus¡¯ wings. It was because her wings were exuding an aura of charm. Although she wasn¡¯t strong enough to charm me without her eyes, there was no need to leave behind a potential source of danger.


    ¡°Kuaaaak! W-Wait!¡±


    The subus finally seemed to have noticed my strength. A dumb monster would have attacked without understanding the difference in strength and died, but the Blood Subus, who was having a life or death battle with Su Ye-Eun just a moment ago, shrunk back like the mouse in front of a cat.


    ¡°Wait, wait, let me live. Please. I, I¡¯ll give you my loyalty. I¡¯m just a poor subus. That woman is the one who bullied me. If you save me from her, I can even give you my body...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need it.¡±


    I interrupted her. I didn¡¯t want to waste any more time by listening to her. Who knew if she¡¯d recover during that time and pull a fast one on me?


    ¡°I just wanted to live! I¡¯ll be loyal to you, so please, don¡¯t kill me. I won¡¯t kill that woman either! I was only a little excited because I appeared in a world like this. I, I¡¯ll apologize! My body will be quite useful!¡±


    ¡°Your body, huh?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes! Once my eyes recover, I¡¯ll serve you with a beauty that no man can resist. I will do anything you want, so please let me live! I will be your ve!¡±


    A subus that can take the form of a beauty. What men wouldn¡¯t be tempted by being able to have such a woman? Her offer was indeed tempting and she chose her words well.


    However, she chose the wrong opponent.


    ¡°Then who¡¯s going to pay for all those that died?¡±


    ¡°Pay? What do you...¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    ¡°Wai¡ª¡°


    Without a shred of hesitation, I severed the subus¡¯ head. The ck Earthen Spear, which I had poured ample amount of mana into while waiting, had easily sliced through her neck. I caught the subus¡¯ head, which had flown into the air. Now that she was dead, she really wasn¡¯t much. I became frustrated, realizing I could have died from being charmed by her so easily. I would have to reflect on this time and time again.


    At the same time the subus lost her life, the students that were rolling the floor stopped moving. They were no longer in her control and had fainted.


    In the next moment, a fanfare rang out.


    [Event Raid Complete! With just one member, you seeded in the Event Raid! This great achievement increases the rewards by an enormous amount! Your vastly superior rank to the raid boss decreases the rewards by an enormous amount!]


    [Youpleted an Event Raid and obtained 1 stat point as reward.]


    [You obtained Blood Subus¡¯ Earrings.]


    Leaving the messages behind forter, I turned around and looked at Su Ye-Eun. She was looking at me nkly, then realizing that I was staring at her, she snapped out of her daze. She held up her hands and saw the blood on them. Her lips and hands began to shake, which then spread to the rest of her body. It was the symptom that made me suspect she had monsterphobia.


    ¡°N-No, Shin.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not me. I-It¡¯s not, s-so don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    ¡°Afraid...?¡±


    After hearing that, I began to understand the real reason she trembled in front of monsters.


    She wasn¡¯t afraid of monsters. She was afraid of herself, who became exceedingly cruel when fighting monsters, and she was afraid of others who became scared after watching her.


    I retorted.


    ¡°What do you mean afraid? You were really cool. Plus, I¡¯m the one who sent her head flying. Why would I be afraid of you for something like that?¡±


    I was a bit sorry since my words might not have been the mostforting.


    However, they seemed to have worked as Su Ye-Eun¡¯s shaking became weaker. Her eyes, which still glowed red, grew bigger.


    ¡°C-Cool? I wasn¡¯t scary?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, extremely cool, like a female warrior. Ah, I¡¯d still rmend you use a weapon though... but you were a lot of cooler than when you shook in front of a monster.¡±


    ¡°... R-Really? I was cool?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I nodded my head without hesitation. Since I was saying what I honestly felt, there was no reason to hold back. Su Ye-Eun had saved me when I was about to die. If I were a girl, I would have fallen for her valiant appearance.


    Su Ye-Eun started crying. Without showing any signs of doing so, she sobbed abruptly.


    ¡°Hic, hic...¡±


    ¡°Uh, hey, what, why, did I do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Hic, uwaaaaaah!¡±


    She ran to my embrace and cried her heart out. It seemed I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. In fact, it was probably the opposite.


    I would be d if she could let off some of the burden in her heart, but I was still flustered, as I could do nothing to stop her from crying. Other students in the building would soon realize what had happened. If we wanted to avoid being found out, we would have to escape soon...


    There was no other choice. I first called out to Peika and gave her a special order and ample mana. After Peika got out of the room, I put my hand on Su Ye-Eun¡¯s shoulder andforted her.


    ¡°There, there, Su Ye-Eun. Don¡¯t cry. I don¡¯t know what happened in the past, but let¡¯s first wash ourselves off and get rid of the damn evidence, alright?¡±


    ¡°Hic, you called me intimately before as just Ye-Eun...¡±


    British, Lukan, or Korean, why did they care so much about how their names were called!?


    ¡°Alright, Ye-Eun. No more crying. Let¡¯s clean up and go rest, okay? I¡¯ll hear you out.¡±


    ¡°Hic, hic, Ueeeeeeeh!¡±


    It seemed it would take a while before she would stop crying. I patted Su Ye-Eun... Ye-Eun, who was crying in my embrace and looked up at the night sky through the broken windows. The two moons were unusually bright tonight.


    Almost as if to signify that the world had changed.


    Almost as if to say there was still time before the sun would rise.

 Chapter 84. S-ranker Yeon Hwawoo (1)

    Chapter 84. S-ranker Yeon Hwawoo (1)


    I had asked Peika to destroy all electronics within and around the pension. As a lightning elemental, she was skilled in detecting electricity. It was something that only she could do.


    Smartphones, cameras, security cameras, monitors, etc. Not a single electronic device was spared. Although it required a lot of mana, it was easily solved with two bottles of Mana Potions. Unfortunately, even Ye-Eun and my phones were destroyed.


    Although the Blood Subus must have put some effort into removing the evidence, I wanted to be sure. Peika was perfect for the job. As an elemental, cameras could not see her, and as a lightning elemental, she had talent in easily breaking electronic gadgets.


    What I was most worried about were the memories of the students that were controlled by the Blood Subus. Depending on the circumstances, I might need topletely modify my ns. Thankfully, I managed to rouse and question a student, who could not remember anything. In fact, the student could only barely remembering to the MT.


    I was d I didn¡¯t need to silence all the witnesses. Ah, the student I woke up? I made him chug alcohol until he passed... I mean, slept. He would probably not remember the questions I asked.


    Next, we created our alibis. First, while the students were sleeping from the aftereffects of being under the subus¡¯ control, I made Ruyue clean us up. As an ice elemental, she cleaned us as following.


    [Eit, freeze!]


    Like that, she froze everything (blood, dust, etc) on our bodies except our clothes. We then wiped off and threw everything in the toilet. With that, we didn¡¯t need to take a shower or wash our clothes. After experiencing the power of elementals, Su Ye-Eun touched her body with a nk expression, then became excited.


    ¡°Amazing! I want one too!¡±


    [I hate you! Scary!]


    After retorting to Ye-Eun, Ruyue flew toward me and hid behind my head. She couldn¡¯t hear or see you anyways, Ruyue.


    ¡°Drink this. We have to get rid of your injuries too.¡±


    As I patted Ruyue, I gave Ye-Eun a potion. It was the potion I chose when the Floor Masters didn¡¯t drop elixirs or the equipment parts I wanted.


    Since I couldn¡¯t give the potions from the Floor Shop to others, I had to give her one of these potions, of which I only had a little amount.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°A potion. You¡¯ll find out if you drink it.¡±


    As expected, Ye-Eun made a fuss soon after. I ignored her and healed my own injuries. With this, we were perfectly clean.


    What? It would be weird if our surroundings were a mess and we were perfectly clean? Of course, it would. But there was a reason for us to be this clean. We had to pretend we were never here tonight. When people began to investigate, the people at the scene of crime would be questioned first. Although we might just be burying our heads in the sand, we had to try to avoid it first.


    ¡°People usually sleep in other rooms anyways. We should pretend we did that too.¡±


    ¡°I-In another room... with just us two!? Uuu, I¡¯m nervous.¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re obviously going to be with others...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Hey, why were you making that clearly disappointed face? Even as I was lost for words at her expression, I cleaned the room that became a mess from the fire, ice, and lightning.


    Although no one would find out I did it, it was best to get rid of as much evidence as possible. I also picked up the students I threw out into the hallway and threw them back in. With that, everything was more or less done.


    ¡°Alright, now we just have to go to some other room, pretend to have fainted, and act surprised when we wake up in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re evil...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for our peaceful lives, so cooperate.¡±


    My n was as followed. Tomorrow, people would freak out when they saw that people had died and that Chloe nc had disappeared. New Moon Agency would deploy Guardian to investigate without being able to obtain much information. At least, I hoped they wouldn¡¯t. I had used two elementals to get rid of the evidence. If they found dirt on me, they would reassess my ability as an Elementalist.


    Anyways, I would then appear a few dayster as Yeon Hwawoo. I would tell the New Moon Agency that I coincidentally met a subus that imed to be the owner of a dungeon beyond the Gate, and promptly took care of her. Although the n seemed full of holes, the subus¡¯ disguise ability was real, so I could just y around it.


    The whole world had to find out about this incident. They needed to understand that dungeon bosses had spread out across Earth, so they could prepare themselves for it.


    The things I had to be wary about were how to exin me running into the subus who had left the pension, or the people from Guardian that would get on my back trying to get the corpse of the subus from me. Of course, I would insist that I met the subus by chance and I had no reason to give them the subus¡¯ corpse. Beginning from the subus¡¯ eyes Ye-Eun took out, I would not let even a single hair of the subus fall into the hands of the government. Anyone that dared to covet my belongings would get a beating from me. I would have no mercy.


    For the record, I exchanged the eyes Ye-Eun took out for taking her out for fries five times. Although I thought I was taking advantage of her, she was the one who offered. Just like that, the subus¡¯ golden eyes ended up in my hands. I decided to give something to Ye-Eunter to make up for it. In fact, I already knew what to give her.


    It was time to carry out my n. Ye-Eun and I found a room to go into. As the subus¡¯ charm had reached this ce, everyone was lying on the ground fainted. We found a ce to sit and leaned against each other. Once I sat down, the tension built up in my body released, making me sigh naturally.


    ¡°Huu... I want to lie down and sleep.¡±


    ¡°Give up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡±


    Who would find a nice ce to lie down and sleep in this mess? I decided to be happy that I could at least be clean as I leaned against Ye-Eun. Just like that, we stayed silent for a little while. Ye-Eun was the first one to break the silence.


    ¡°... You won¡¯t ask?¡±


    ¡°You can talk about it when you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She went silent again, then as if to say everything she had been holding back, she opened her mouth again.


    ¡°You see... I fought against monsters in front of my family.¡±


    ¡°Family, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. For some reason, whenever I see monsters, I get the urge to fight them. That time... before I realized it, I was pulling out the monster¡¯s heart with my bare hands.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I imagined a pretty girlughing as she took out a monster¡¯s heart. It was indeed not the most pleasant image. In any case, she had an innate gift. An innate gift for fighting. Even while she was usually perfectly normal, whenever she saw monsters, she would want to shred them to pieces.


    Monsterphobia? Absurd. She was a monster ughterer.


    ¡°I can¡¯t forget the way they were looking at me then... it was as if they weren¡¯t looking at a human being, much less their own family member. Even though I saved them, even though I was their daughter and sister... In the end, I couldn¡¯t stand it and left the house to live by myself.¡±


    Apparently, ever since that day, she would freeze when she saw monsters because she remembered the way her family looked at her. I never imagined something like that could have happened to Ye-Eun.


    ¡°But the day I met Shin, watching you fight... I thought, ¡®wow, so you can be this cool and beautiful while fighting¡¯...¡±


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t hear that towards the end.¡±


    Plus, I didn¡¯t think I was that cool. If I remembered right, I just pierced a pigeon with an iron pipe.


    ¡°A-Anyways! I thought good things would happen if I stayed with you.¡±


    ¡°You should have said it earlier and asked for help.¡±


    ¡°H-How could I...? It¡¯s hard for me to say it, even now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I was too thoughtless.¡±


    Ye-Eun stopped talking for a moment. I waited silently. Soon, she continued.


    ¡°But today, because you... looked like you would get killed...¡±


    ¡°I would have, if not for you.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to continue pretending like I had monsterphobia. I didn¡¯t want to show you my ugly side.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you were cool.¡±


    With a light smile, Su Ye-Eun continued.


    ¡°... When the thought of you dying crossed my mind, I forgot my parents¡¯ faces for an instant. Before I noticed, with my hands... I was digging out that woman¡¯s eye.¡±


    ¡°So you knew where to attack instinctively. I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t realize you had such talent before. As a martial artist, I¡¯m ashamed.¡±


    ¡°And because Shin kept saying I was cool... I forgot my parents faces forever.¡±


    ¡°Forever!?¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re sure you won¡¯t remember them for life!?¡¯ At my question, Su Ye-Eun nodded her head vigorously.


    ¡°From now, I think I¡¯ll be fine if I¡¯m with you. Yup, I¡¯m sure I will.¡±


    ¡°... Good to be of help.¡±


    I was happy that such an ability user of such caliber could finally use her full potential. I was happier that that person was my friend, and I was extremely happy that she had stepped up to protect me. Though, because the amount of contact her body was making with mine kept increasing, I was feeling a bit ufortable.


    ¡°So take good care of me... forever.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, forever is exaggerating too much. Regardless, take good care of me too. As ability userrades.¡±


    ¡°Hehe... I really like you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, me too.¡±


    Then, Ye-Eun suddenly shot up and held my shoulders. Her eyes, which had turned ck after the fight ended, were expanded to a scary size. The shoulders she grabbed onto hurt. Then, she said some nonsense that I would never forget about for the rest of my life.


    ¡°Then is today our day 1!?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s a bit... I don¡¯t have any ns to date for a while. I have to run the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ye-Eun paled and froze in ce. In truth, I froze too. What just happened? Although I rejected her on reflex, did she just confess to me!? What kind of a confession was that? That was the second confession out of the blue since the one from my third year of high school! Was it a prank? But I should have broken all the cameras already! I fell into a state of panic.


    Ye-Eun fell on the ground.


    ¡°I thought you liked me...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s called being overconfident.¡±


    ¡°But you bought me fries...¡±


    ¡°I think your standard of judgement has long passed a normal person¡¯s level.¡±


    Although I liked her, I had never thought of her as a member of the opposite sex. To think that was what she thought this whole time, it seemed Ye-Eun has also been single her whole life. Ren, be happy. I found anotherrade!


    ¡°D-D-D-Do you maybe have someone you like?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Good... Then I¡¯ll wait! I can wait!¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s a bit pressuring...¡±


    Ye-Eun ignored what I said and openly looked relieved. When I was watching her, the back of my neck began to itch. I couldn¡¯t believe that a girl this pretty liked me.


    Of course,pared to the days when I was gori-bodied, I looked much better now. But back then, I had once given up, thinking, ¡®in this world, it might be impossible to date without taking appearance into consideration.¡¯ Just because someone said she liked me, I couldn¡¯t just say, ¡®Oh, really? That¡¯s what I thought.¡¯


    I felt like I was dreaming, like I was floating among the clouds. As such, although I was a bit sorry, I couldn¡¯t ept her confession.


    Thus, I gave her an offer.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really say it¡¯s in its stead, but Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°Y-You want to start out as just friends? But we¡¯re already friends...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not something dumb like that.¡±


    ¡°Something dumb!?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I want to offer to an Awakened full of talent and desire to beat monsters.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Looking at Ye-Eun who was frozen without understanding what I was saying, I spoke with a smile.


    ¡°Do you want to try bing a First Dungeon explorer?¡±

 Chapter 85. S-ranker Yeon Hwawoo (2)

    Chapter 85. S-ranker Yeon Hwawoo (2)


    The next day, the entire pension flipped upside down. People found out that over 100 people had been killed. There were rooms where everyone inside was dead, leaving behind only dried up corpses, while there were people simply sleeping in rooms the Blood Subus had not gotten to. Because of it, the incident became even more of a headache.


    Ruling out the possibility that this was done by a person, the professors and staff immediately reported the incident to Guardian. Then, they saw the traces of fighting in the room Ye-Eun and I were in, safely concluding that the incident was caused by a monster. However, they thought it was strange that no victims arose from that room.


    The Guardians that arrivedter on were convinced that a human had interfered in the incident, but as they did not have the authority to investigate, they had to leave it to the police through the New Moon Agency. The police, of course, disagreed with them slightly. They were sure that a monster had been behind the attack, and said that if a person was involved, that person must have fought the monster to prevent more people from dying. In the end, they could not find a lead on the truth of the incident. Because of the sheer number of students staying at the pension, they couldn¡¯t investigate each and every one of them.


    Had Guardian and the police agency had a more definite rtionship of cooperation, things could have been different, but their rtionship was rocky, to say the least. It was because the Guardians appeared and saved citizens from monsters in times of danger, which took away from the positive views the citizens had of the normal police. To be more specific, the police agency did not enjoy having to cooperate with the Guardian whenever monster-rted incidents urred, and Guardian likewise did not trust the police agency. As this had been going on since the beginning of Two Moon, the two agencies were only friendly on the outside, while they were no different than enemies outside of the public eye.


    ¡°We do have to be thankful though, since they just let it slide by.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Thanks to their rocky rtionship, we were able to return to our homes safely. At the same time, I made Ye-Eun into a First Dungeon explorer and taught her the things I knew. Even as she seemed confused, she listened to me. I thought she was more than capable of climbing the First Dungeon with her excellent stealth ability and attack power, but she seemed happier to be doing the same work as me.


    ¡°35th floor! I¡¯ll be there quick!¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible. Like I said, you need to grind.¡±


    ¡°I can just level-up quickly to make up for it!¡±


    She was saying the same thing father said. Upon thinking about it, I thought that wasn¡¯t a bad idea. After all, with her superb ability, leveling up might be better. Giving up grinding and speeding through the dungeon was indeed something she could do. Though, of course, things would get harder the higher she climbed.


    I advised her to do solo raids if she could. She was overwhelmingly stronger than me when I was on the 1st floor. Her ability would only get stronger as she climbed as well. As such, she would have no trouble doing solo raids. I told her to at least consume one elixir of each type as they immediately raised stats. Ye-Eun then nodded her head in understanding.


    I told her the strategy for going through the lower floors and ways for her to get used to the dungeon as quickly as possible. However, she didn¡¯t listen to me and was just staring fixedly at my face.


    ¡°Hehe, this is nice. I like it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Mm? You know, this! Hihi.¡±


    Ye-Eun skirted around the details andughed happily. I thought I saw the wagging of a puppy tail, but it was just my imagination. First, I flicked her forehead a few times for not listening to me properly, then exined again. However, it was of no use. She wasughing even as I hit her. For someone that was just rejected, I wondered why she was so happy. Since I felt like she would confess again if I asked, I didn¡¯t do so. My entire body felt itchy.


    ¡°Ah, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°For the time being, leave the dungeon explorermunication channel off.¡±


    I emphasized again.


    ¡°Who knows if you¡¯ll slip something.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ye-Eun nodded her head as if she was just given a top-secret mission. I was satisfied with that. Then, I told the other explorers about what happenedst night.


    [Yeon Hwawoo, are you unhurt!?]


    [Are you okay, Hwawoo-nim?]


    [Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I wouldn¡¯t be talking in here otherwise. I¡¯m going to go to the New Moon Agency to disclose what happened. Mastiford-ssi, please back up my imster. It¡¯d be better if you cane to Korea.]


    [Hm? Like I said, call me Hwa... ah, mm, yeah. I¡¯ll try. To think all those Event Dungeon bosses could be hiding in various countries, how terrifying. You must have had it rough, Yeon Hwawoo.]


    [Thanks forforting me, Mastiford-ssi.]


    Then, Hwaya sent me a private message.


    [Then can youe support me here too, Yeon Hwawoo? We haven¡¯t been able to advance recently. You can evene as Thunder Knight.]


    [I¡¯ll think about it. If you can stop China from getting in the way, I¡¯d be happy to go. I always did want to see Windermere.]


    [Don¡¯t worry, China isn¡¯t in any position to hold you ountable, and Britain sees Thunder Knight rather favorably. We call you a true knight. I¡¯m sure everyone will receive you happily.]


    [Got it, but don¡¯t call me Thunder Knight.]


    Just like that, we made a secret agreement of cooperation. Walker then joined themunication channel.


    [Yeon Hwawoo... you seem rather close to Mastiford.]


    [Walker, I think that¡¯s just you being a loner.]


    [Walker-ssi, Hwawoo-nim is different! He¡¯s Takemikazuchi-nim¡¯s incarnation!]


    [No, that¡¯s not right, Minami-ssi.]


    I did like the name since it sounded strong, but I wasn¡¯t Takemikazuchi, but Hermes. It¡¯s important so don¡¯t get it confused! Though I couldn¡¯t tell her that.


    A few dayster, I visited the New Moon Agency as Yeon Hwawoo, wearing Otus¡¯ Secret and the Wraith Queen Set. When I exined the circumstance to the manager, he looked at me like I was an idiot.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about France¡¯s Gate? I think you¡¯re going too far with your joke.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    I opened the coffin I was carrying on my back, revealing the subus¡¯ corpse. I had temporarily stitched back the wing I cut off and her charming golden eyes.


    ¡°I looked into it, and it turns out this girl is an international student from XXX college¡¯s business department. You know, a student of the school that had that recent massacre.¡±


    ¡°M-Mm. Indeed, this monster goes above the normal standards. Not to mention, the corpse contains a considerable amount of mana... Yeon Hwawoo-ssi should have been A-rank. Did you kill this monster alone?¡±


    ¡°My ability must have gotten stronger.¡±


    I imed.


    ¡°She said she came from beyond France¡¯s Gate. It¡¯s probably something to make sure of. I knew something was strange the moment those damned Gates disappeared. It might be easy to justugh it off, but you should know what the smart decision should be. After all, who knows if something like this will happen again?¡±


    The manager became silent for a while, then spoke.


    ¡°This is outside of my jurisdiction. I might have to bother you for a little while longer, is that fine?¡±


    ¡°I hope you can pay me the proper hourly wages.¡±


    I retorted with a smile. That evening, S-ranker Yeon Hwawoo held a press conference that appeared on all 3 broadcast TV news channels. I thought New Moon Agency would take care of the press conference if I just reported the problem, but the so-called chief of New Moon Agency passed the baton onto me. His reasoning was that strength equaled trust. It was possible, as Korea did not have an SS-ranker.


    Although I was a bit nervous about going on TV, the mask I was wearing helped me rx. I first introduced myself, then exined about the Event Raid. Of course, I didn¡¯t use the exact terminology.


    The moment I exined my ability was martial arts based on lightning attribute mana, I received questions asking if I was Thunder Knight. These journalists sure did their jobs well. I spoke evasively, saying I wished I could be Thunder Knight, then continued to how and when I met the subus. When I revealed that subus had told me she hade from beyond France¡¯s Gate, a barrage of questions flew in my direction.


    ¡°How can we trust those words?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to believe them, you don¡¯t have to. I¡¯m here to warn the world about a potential danger, not to argue whether I¡¯m right or wrong.¡±


    ¡°Do you have proof?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to bring this subus back to life, but I¡¯m sure there are other monsters that can take the form of humans. I believe the world should be more alert.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°You, follow me.¡±


    Even after one of the carefully selected reporters got dragged out, the press conference continued smoothly. Just like the New Moon Agency¡¯s chief said, it was hard for them to ignore the words of one of Korea¡¯s four S-rankers.


    In truth, my goal wasn¡¯t to get them to take my words seriously, but to just let the world be aware of the possibility and stay alert. However, as the Korean media made a huge deal out of the press conference, the story began to spread to other countries like wildfire. The New Moon Agency also asked for my opinions a few more times, and even formed a new department with Guardian. Although they asked for my cooperation, I declined respectfully. Of course, when they asked if I could give them the subus¡¯ corpse, I declined a bit more violently.


    ¡°Mom, oppa is on TV! Come see!¡±


    ¡°You know you can¡¯t tell your friends, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, oppa.¡±


    Yua was purely happy that I appeared on TV and stared at it fixedly. Mother, on the other hand, tilted her head, seeing me disguised as Yeon Hwawoo.


    ¡°Why does your jawline be so slender with that mask? It doesn¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°I like it though. It¡¯s thin and nice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too thin! You¡¯re perfect the way you are now, son.¡±


    ¡°I like the current oppa too.¡±


    For now, I decided to record Yua¡¯s line.


    Father felt indignation that his son went on broadcast TV before him (as a well-known martial artist, he had been on cable TV before). His eyes burned as he vowed to find an Event Raid boss. Father, we both went on broadcast TV before... though we were both wearing armor.


    Hwaya kept her promise. After my press conference, she went on Britain¡¯s TV, supporting me and insisting that countermeasures had to be put in ce. She had found the time do so even while she was busy with ¡®Graveyard Over the Lake.¡¯ Although she apologized for being unable toe to Korea, I told her it was okay. Then, I decided that I would visit Britain soon.


    The British government officially requested aid from other countries¡¯ SS and S-rankers. The situation had be too dire for them to worry about their pride. Though, no country had sent an SS-ranker outside of their own country...


    In truth, Japan and America were both in trouble as well. For Japan, they seemed to care about their pride as they insisted they would take care of it on their own. As they only had a B+-rank dungeon, it seemed it would not take long for them to take care of it.


    The real problem was with America¡¯s S-rank Field Dungeon, Wyvern¡¯s Nest. It was a terrifying ce where the S-rank monster, wyvern, appeared. Not to mention, as wyverns had wings, they were constantly expanding their territory. People were worried that at this rate, other canyons near Page would be dungeons. Although America¡¯s SS-ranker seemed to be holding on, they would soon have to borrow the strength of other countries like Britain. Wyverns. I wanted to try hunting them.


    In any case, after making ns to visit Britain, my business on Earth had been taken care of. News, newspapers, and even magazines tried to focus their stories around Korea¡¯s fourth S-ranker, Yeon Hwawoo, but he was a rogue and they could not find any information about him. Whenever I worked as Yeon Hwawoo, I used Return, thus shrouding my identity in secrets.


    While the mass media was focused on Yeon Hwawoo¡¯s identity, I focused on the dungeon.


    After all, in the dungeon, there was something I had to quickly take care of.

 Chapter 86. S-ranker Yeon Hwawoo (3)

    Chapter 86. S-ranker Yeon Hwawoo (3)


    [Blood Subus¡¯ Earring (Unique)


    Durability ¨C 85/85


    Equipment Limits ¨C Level 35+, One Who Defeated the Blood Subus


    Options ¨C Magic +10, Intelligence +5, Charm +15. When equipped, you will emit a scent that easily attracts members of the opposite sex.]


    Although it was still great, the Blood Subus¡¯ Earring I was excited about didn¡¯t have the ability I hoped it would have. As such, I asked Lin about what to do.


    ¡°What? Mental protection?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    As he looked at me with disappointment, I exined what had happened. When he heard I was charmed and almost killed by the Blood Subus, his expression was quite the sight.


    ¡°You, did you really get charmed by something so weak? Are you an idiot?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to find a countermeasure. After all, I can¡¯t stay like this.¡±


    ¡°Kuhum... You, do you know what the best method is to protect your mind?¡±


    I tilted my head. With a sigh, Lin exined.


    ¡°Your magic is the most important factor. The higher your magic stat is, the easier it gets to ovee mental attacks. Then, it¡¯s intelligence, followed by charm.¡±


    ¡°I understand why intelligence would be important... but why charm?¡±


    ¡°Charm doesn¡¯t just make you look pretty. It affects how others react to your presence. It doesn¡¯t need to be exined in detail, just know that having high charm makes it easier to defend against mental status effects.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll have to wear these earrings... But Lin, you can¡¯t raise charm with bonus stat points, only through equipment or title effects. Though, they do go up by themselves asionally.¡±


    Lin struck down at his anvil with his hammer and retorted.


    ¡°So raise your intelligence.¡±


    ¡°Is... Is that the only way?¡±


    ¡°Of course, there are other ways. Skill. You can learn a skill that protects you from status effects.¡±


    ¡°How!?¡±


    ¡°I remember it being extremely tricky to learn on your own...¡±


    With that, Lin made a circle with his thumb and finger. He wanted money. When I took out 5,000 gold, he smirked. When I took out 30,000 gold, he shook his head. In the end, he epted 50,000 gold, which I took out with trembling hands. Then, he continued.


    ¡°Try seeding on the 40th floor solo raid.¡±


    ¡°You scammer!¡±


    ¡°I just gave you an answer though¡ª?¡±


    Lin hummed and continued hammering away. Although I gritted my teeth and watched him, there was nothing I could do. After all, he had not lied. At least, he had pointed out what I should do. Though, since I couldn¡¯t do anything about it now, I decided to set aside the countermeasure for mental attacks. When I was about to head out to find Duhan, Lin stopped me.


    ¡°In truth, there¡¯s a third method.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You can wear an equipment that has that effect. One that doesn¡¯t raise stats to defend against mental attacks, but one that can directly defend your mind.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I hoped the subus¡¯ earrings were, but they weren¡¯t... Do you perhaps sell an item like that at the Floor Shop?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? You already have the material.¡±


    I tilted my head, and Lin gave me an evil smirk.


    ¡°You, have you ever heard of the phrase, poison as medicine?¡±


    ¡°You mean...¡±


    ¡°The subus¡¯ corpse, give it to me. With a 50,000 gold deposit, I¡¯ll work on it.¡±


    ¡°Lin, so that was what the 50,000 gold was for... Thank you!¡±


    I was deeply touched and did not hesitate to show him my gratitude. Lin let out a few dry coughs and nodded his head. Then, he gave a very unforgettable follow-up.


    ¡°It¡¯s separate from the information fee I just received, so don¡¯t misunderstand.¡±


    ¡°Agh...¡±


    It was the first time since I met Lin that he got me so well.


    I reflected on my experience with the subus greatly. Until now, I had been too easy going. Never expecting to meet monsters in my daily life was one thing, but what was more important was that I panicked when I couldn¡¯t use Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry when I wanted to. There were plenty of things I could have done before things had gotten too serious. Was I relying on my Skill Collector abilities too much? Why didn¡¯t I make use of all that I could!?


    The biggest problem was that I did not use Deific Manifestation then. What was I saving it for? Wasn¡¯t it exactly for dangerous situations like that? Stupid, truly stupid. Why didn¡¯t I fully use my abilities!?


    Was it because the enemies I faced until now were too easy? Was it because everything could be solved using Floor Masters¡¯ skills? I was truly stupid. Giving my all no matter who I faced was expected of a martial artist! Father had always emphasized it! Not to mention, even though I knew the abilities I was relying on had a once per day restriction, I panicked and became frightened when I couldn¡¯t use them. My judgement had wavered as well. If father found out, I would undoubtedly have to go through another thrashing phase.


    Luckily, I did not lose my life this time. In fact, it became a good opportunity for Ye-Eun to ovee her trauma and be a First Dungeon explorer. Things had really turned out well. However, that didn¡¯t mean that such a loss was eptable. Even I could not ept it.


    This failure was a good opportunity for me to ovee my weakness and grow. If I had realized itter, I might have regretted it a lot more.


    Everyone made mistakes. What was important was to not make the same mistake again. I decided to take this critical failure to heart, and to recall it whenever I found myself bingx. I vowed to change myself.


    That included changing my foolish old self that was too reliant on Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry and did not pay attention to mental defense, and did not think I would run into monsters in real life. It also included bing able to use all my abilities, not just the Floor Master skills, to their limit.


    Thankfully, I had an appropriate opponent. It was the strong enemy I had to face three times a day, Duhan.


    He was strong and had techniques. He was a good opponent to use to push myself to my limit. The first time I fought Duhan, I was too reliant on Floor Master skills. Although I won as a result, I didn¡¯t think it was aplete win. Of course, it was true that Duhan¡¯s skill was cheaty, but what about when I first fought the Orc Lord? When I fought against the Orc Lord¡¯s cheaty Warcry, did I have the pocket watch? Did I even have mana? No, the answer was no.


    I grasped each and every movement the Orc Lord made and his next movements, calcted the best trajectory to parry his attacks, and patiently dealt blows to his body. Although it took a long time to conquer him, I did it using pure physical ability. Although my vitality had reached zero a few times in the process, I was a lot more of a warrior back then than I was now.


    I didn¡¯t mean I would go back to how I was. After all, I was both a warrior and a dungeon explorer. I meant that I would not rely on any one ability and give my all in battles. Vowing to myself, I opened the door to the 35th Floor Master room.


    ¡°Fight me, Duhan!¡±


    [You already defeated a being identical to me.]


    Without stopping his horse from pawing the ground violently, Duhan spoke as he aimed his axe toward me. I nodded my head and patted Ruyue.


    As the bond between an Elementalist and his elementals became thicker, he couldmunicate his intentions without having to say it in words. He could even directly transmit his thoughts and make the elementals move ordingly. Because of the shocking way Ruyue and I met, the bond I shared with Ruyue was as thick, or even thicker than the bond I shared with Peika. If I wanted to fight on Ruyue¡¯s back,munication between us was key. Although I didn¡¯t think it was necessary until now, I had changed my mind. Not doing it when I could was simply stupid.


    [I feel good, like I can do anything.]


    [If you let Master get hurt again, I¡¯m going to smack you.]


    [I won¡¯t. I like Shin more.]


    [I like him more!]


    Elementals, I am d that you like me, but now is not the time to fight. You¡¯re ruining my cool moment! I once again softly patted Ruyue. I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them.


    ¡°Be prepared, Duhan.¡±


    [I¡¯m not so thoughtless that I would let my guard down around a strong opponent like you. Come!]


    No, but you don¡¯t even have a head... Stop! No more jokes!


    I passed my thoughts on to Ruyue in my head. The path she should take and how fast she should do so were all outlined in my head. It also included how I would attack Duhan.


    [Auuuuuuu!]


    Ruyue kicked off the ground without any warning and charged at Duhan. I lowered my body on top of her and held my spear up. Duhan also held up his axe. If I was strict and serious, his axe martial art technique was about mid-rank level 5. Since that was the average skill level of explorers on the 35th floor, he was truly strong.


    However, my spear technique was high-rank level 5. Why was I evaluating him like I was a normal explorer? Because of it, my spear was intimidated and my attacks were less sharp. Overestimating the opponent was just as bad as underestimating your own strength. Having a higher martial arts rank and level did not just mean having stronger attacks. It meant I could overpower the enemy in technique. Without being hit by the enemy¡¯s attack, I would deliver a blow to him. That would be the start of my advantage.


    ¡°Hap!¡±


    [Fas... kuk!]


    Last time, Duhan had fully defended against my spear attack. This time, however, his awkward defense made his bnce waver, and allowed me to deliver consecutive stabs.


    [Kuk!?]


    ¡°I¡¯m not stopping.¡±


    I did not pay attention to his head. With my consecutive stabbing, I aimed at the areas of the axe where his strength wasn¡¯t concentrated, then changed my focus to his arm. At the same time, I ordered Ruyue to attack his ck horse. Although Ruyue fought well by herself, we had to work together to increase the synergy between us.


    [You dare!?]


    ¡°You¡¯re going to throw it, right?¡±


    As Duhan pulled his axe back, I focused on stabbing Duhan¡¯s wrist. At the same time, Peika used Thunder Arrow to attack the axe that was about to leave his hand. Every time her lightning arrows collided with his axe, the lightning energy traveled through the axe and caused Duhan to twitch. While he couldn¡¯t recover his bnce, I dealt more attacks.


    [My beloved mount, ze the enemy!]


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Auuuuuuuu!]


    As I thought, the ck horse also had a special function! At Duhan¡¯s shout, the ck horse inhaled a deep breath. At the same time, Ruyue swiftly poured Ice Breath on its face. After breathing in the freezing energy, the ck horse coughed and fainted. Its throat must have frozen, preventing it from breathing. Duhan, you were finished the moment you rode a living horse as an undead!


    Although Duhan quickly got up and tightly gripped his axe, I delivered a great shock to his wrist using my spear. Ruyue raised her front legs. Shining with snow-white light, Ruyue tried to stomp on Duhan¡¯s legs and freeze him.


    [An elemental!]


    ¡°I¡¯ve already heard that line before!¡±


    After raising my spear up on Ruyue¡¯s back, I activated Heroic Strike and sent my spear, which had turned into a white lightning, into its body.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuaaaak!]


    Duhan had a material body, and obviously had bones. As such, he received 50 percent additional critical damage. Skull Breaker, what a cheaty title!


    I continued to stab Duhan¡¯s body. Then, when the head he was dearly protecting with one arm glowed, I immediately made Ruyue fall back.


    I had fallen to that once before. Sudden Rise. It was a strange skill that made Duhan¡¯s body stand up no matter what position he was in. At the same time, he let out a dark fog that paralyzed anyone it touched. If I hadn¡¯t fallen back, the tide of battle might have been overturned.


    [Kuaaaaaa!]


    As expected, the moment I made Ruyue fall back, Duhan shot up while emitting a ck fog. In his hand was his ghostly axe. Although he charged at me and swung his axe down, Ruyue dodged to the side while I attacked his legs, which still had some of Ruyue¡¯s frost. Duhan¡¯s body tilted and the axe hit the ground magnificently. Then, Duhan gritted his teeth while he brought up his axe again.


    [You aren¡¯t bad, Human.]


    ¡°If you¡¯re surprised by that much, wait until you see what¡¯sing up.¡±


    Lightly retorting to Duhan, my eyes shed with coldness. The spear I held up once again turned into white lightning and threatened him.


    Active battle skills were truly difficult to obtain. The active battle skills I obtained while climbing to the 35th floor were only Heroic Strike, Elemental Tempest, and Thunder Beast. Not to mention, Thunder Beast was more of a support skill than an attack skill, as it greatly raised my attack power. Other than these three, Dark Thunder Explosion, which was stored in my pocket watch, could count as one.


    As such, I had to make the best use of my attacks skill to deal critical damage at the right time. Elemental Tempest was arge area of effect skill that used half of my MP, and Heroic Strike was a single-target skill that used arge amount of HP and MP. Thunder Beast wasparatively better, but it had a 110 second limit, and I could not use my spear with it. It was then that I wondered. Was there a way to continuously attack like I was using Thunder Beast while still using my strong spear techniques?


    There, two skills hade to mind. The first was continuously using Heroic Strike.


    Without mana, it was impossible. There was no doubt about it. However, with mana, which endlessly strengthened and rejuvenated the body, continuously shooting out attacks that concentrated my entire body¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t so impossible. The mana that should be used to add destructive power could be used for strengthening physical recovery. Although the attacks would then be weaker than a single destructive Heroic Strike, I would be able to attack consecutively with less mana cost. Determining that it was possible, I started to put it into action.


    [Hero... You Heroes always advance fast. Without knowing the days of despair that await you,ughing without fear and enjoying the blessing given upon you...!]


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t care.¡±


    No matter how much foreshadowing he threw out, I didn¡¯t care. It would appear when it was the right time, and I would ovee it. I wasn¡¯t so bored that I would worry about things that would happen in the future.


    [But I will not yield. We will not yield! You bastards that threw me in here, hear me! I never offered my soul to you bastards!]


    ¡°Like I said, I... don¡¯t care!¡±


    The air was embroidered with lightning. My muscles and will were focused on a single point on the tip of my spear. However, the mana strengthening the spear also split to protect, rejuvenate, and strengthen my body. To prevent my will from being disrupted, I concentrated. If I was really a Hero, this much should be doable.


    Duhan raised his axe, which shed with a destructive aura. Right, I knew that someone as smart as you wouldn¡¯t only use that skill when your head was separated.


    [Out...burst!!]


    ¡°Consecutive Heroic Strikes!¡±


    With my eyes opened wide, I shot my spear forward. At the same time, I thought...


    My naming sense sucked.


    Trantor¡¯s Note: Blood Subus Earrings have been changed to just Blood Subus Earring (just one of what¡¯s usually a pair). Same for Power Earrings MC earned way back when (it¡¯s just one as well). The word "earrings" in Korean is hard to tell if it¡¯s plural or singr; After reading the RAWs, all earrings will be singr (unless people can equip 2 sets of earrings... still unsure).

 Chapter 87. S-ranker Yeon Hwawoo (4)

    Chapter 87. S-ranker Yeon Hwawoo (4)


    In the blink of an eye, the white lightning stabbed at the axeshing down. As Duhan became super-armored while he was using his skills, his axe would not leave his hand no matter how strong a force hit him.


    I quickly pulled the spear back and stabbed forward again. In the same spot I just stabbed, I hit again and again. As the technique used most of my mana for protecting my body, the HP cost decreased while the MP cost increased. Each time I thrust my spear out, I used about 3% MP and 1% HP. By the time my seventh attack hit, a crack appeared on his axe. Although Duhan¡¯s eyes opened wide, I did not stop. Eighth, ninth!


    [I can block it!]


    ¡°You can¡¯t!¡±


    [Kuaaaaaaa!]


    Before my tenth attack went in, Ruyue breathed out arge amount of freezing energy. Duhan¡¯s lower body and his axe became covered in frost. Of course, the frost couldn¡¯t affect Duhan in his super-armored state, but it did all allow his axe to make an ominous cracking noise when my spear hit it.


    While Duhan¡¯s eyes were wide open in shock, I delivered the eleventh and twelfth stabs. The crack on the axe became bigger. At the same time, it was just centimeters away from hitting the ground. The moment before Outburst was activated, I gave Peika as much mana as possible. Then, I transferred the mana protecting my body to the tip of my spear. Just like that, I made myst attack.


    ¡°Break!¡±


    [Rubbish!]


    The result, of course, wasn¡¯t rubbish. The moment the radiant lightning struck his axe, the crack on the axe expanded, making the axe shatter. After breaking the axe, my spear continued forward, striking Duhan¡¯s chest.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kahak!]


    Letting go of his axe handle, Duhan tumbled on the ground. It seemed he received a huge shock, as he had even let go of his head that he had been carefully protecting. At the same time, the message I was somewhat waiting for rang out in my ear.


    [You created the skill, ¡®White Lightning Consecutive Strike!¡¯ With an exquisite control over vitality and magic, you deliver fast and strong stabs consecutively, then deliver a final uncontrobly powerful strike! For each stab, you use 1% of your HP and 3% of your MP, while the final strike uses 15% of your HP and MP! This skill can only be used by its creator. As the skill¡¯s creator, the skill level is adjusted to low-rank level 8.]


    [You created a skill! White Lightning Consecutive Strike is the highest-ss spear technique, adopted from ¡®Heroic Strike.¡¯ This skill, which is impossible to use without a deep understanding of vitality and magic, will make all enemies feel overwhelming awe and respect. You obtained 1 skill point as reward. Current skill points: 12]


    I had done it. That was the first thing I thought. The moment I delivered the final blow, I had felt the technique be a much stronger skill than Heroic Strike. Controlling my mana to protect, rejuvenate, and strengthen the body, while focusing my body¡¯s energy to the tip of my spear, was hard to the point that I wanted to vomit. However, I had done it and the reward was extremely sweet. Not even the throbbing pain in my arm could take away from the happiness I was feeling. However, why did it be White Lightning Consecutive Strike, instead of Heroic Consecutive Strike?


    [Kuaaaaaa!]


    Having been separated from his head, Duhan had lost his sanity and charged toward me. Now that he had lost his weapon, I was wondering what he was using as a weapon. Surprisingly, it was his ck horse! That thing wasn¡¯t dead yet!?


    [Kiaaaaaa!]


    ¡°You crazy son of a bitch!¡±


    Duhan grabbed the ck horse¡¯s back leg and swung the horse at me like a sword with his brute strength. Setting aside the argument of whether the ck horse was suitable weapon or not, its sheer size put enormous pressure on me. I first hastily fell back, then decided to test the second skill that could be useful in this situation.


    The second skill wasn¡¯t anything special. It was a fancier version of the spear extending technique I had been using for a long time now. I would make a spear de made of mana and imbue the mana de with elementals. It was a weaker version of Elemental Tempest.


    ¡°Elementals,e!¡±


    [Spin spin?]


    [Is it spin spin?]


    ¡°No, but I¡¯d like you toe into my spear de. Though, you might get a bit dizzy.¡±


    [Are you cutting that rotting undead?]


    [It¡¯s going up, down, and swinging left and right!]


    [Roller coaster!]


    [It¡¯s a roller coaster!]


    After that, the elementals crazily flocked to the mana spear de. My spear was normally a little under 3 meters long. I had extended the spear de by 1 meter through my mana, which extended another meter once the elementals gathered. It was like Sun Wukong¡¯s monkey wand. Using it, I shed down at the ck horse¡¯s body closing in on me. Every time the elemental mana spear de collided with the ck horse, small explosions urred from opposing attributes. The skill I created without much thought was incredibly effective.


    [Whee, fun!]


    [Explode~!]


    [Uek, I¡¯m going to puke...]


    [Whoo, going up! Going down!]


    Ignoring the elementals¡¯ voices, I swung my spear repeatedly, meeting Duhan¡¯s ck horse swings. As I swung my spear like a lightsaber, pieces of flesh were cut out of the ck horse until it died and disappeared into particles. Duhan continued attacking me without realizing what had happened. Without his sanity and weapon, he wasn¡¯t threatening in the slightest. I dug into his embrace and thrust out my spear.


    [Kuaaaaaa!]


    B-Boom! When the elemental spear de touched Duhan¡¯s body, it made consecutive explosions, unable to pierce through. The 2-meter long mana spear de began to shorten. At the same time, the explosions made Duhan fall back slowly. By the time the 2-meter spear de was entirely gone, there was a sizable injury on his chest. I continued to push my spear forward. From the repeated damage he took, Duhan¡¯s defense had been worn down, and my spear pierced him easily.


    [Kuk!]


    ¡°Die!¡±


    After shaking my spear violently, I quickly pulled it out and kicked Duhan. From the shock of having his chest pierced, Duhan waspletely vulnerable to the kick and flew back. I didn¡¯t miss this opportunity. Calling the elementals once again, I created a long spear de. I then swung the spear toward Duhan, who was far away. In the instant that my swing¡¯s trajectory lined up with Duhan¡¯s body, I disconnected the flow of mana between my elemental spear de and spear tip, causing the de to fly out. I had separated the mana de only and shot it forward. The experimental technique showed great results. The de flew in the trajectory I aimed, colliding with Duhan¡¯s head and causing a huge explosion.


    [Kuhuk!]


    [You learned the active skill, ¡®Elemental de!¡¯ This outstanding skill, created by an ancient Elementalist, extends the reach of the weapon with elemental-imbued mana, allowing its user to attack several enemies or enemies far away! This skill uses 150 MP per second, and retrieving the skill returns 50% of the MP used. When the de is sent flying for attack, the MP will not be restored. You learned this skill without anyone¡¯s teaching! The skill level is adjusted to low-rank level 6!]


    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that I¡¯m not its creator, but it covers both long and close-ranged attacks. What a perfect skill. Well, now for the fin... damn it!¡±


    Although I had not made any special attacks, a crack had appeared on Duhan¡¯s armor. It was undoubtedly a skill! How did he have so many different skills? As it seemed toote to dodge, I thought I would have to use Dragon Skin, but remembered the Heavy Armor Mastery skill I had just recently learned.


    [Heavy Armor Mastery: When equipping heavy armor, your defense increases greatly, and allows you to move more easily. You can also increase your defense by imbuing your armor with mana. The effectiveness increases with skill level.]


    Although Dragon Skin was an excellent skill, it had a drawback of drastically lowering my speed, making it hard for me to avoid follow-up attacks. Dragon Skin should only be used as a final resort. Deciding to test out Heavy Armor Mastery¡¯s effectiveness, I imbued a portion of my remaining mana into my Skeleton Knight Set. At the same time, I dematerialized Ruyue and put up an ice wall between Duhan and me. Although it took a while to exin, only 1.7 seconds had passed since Duhan began to use his skill.


    Immediately afterwards, Duhan¡¯s armor exploded and flew out in all directions with ck mana. Dozens of armor fragments flew through the ice wall towards me. Dodging what I could, I rushed toward Duhan.


    Pu-buk! With heavy impact force, the armor fragments stuck themselves on my armor, but it seemed the mana-imbued armor was effective, as the armor fragments did not deal a great amount of damage. Ascertaining my victory, I smiled. The Duhan in front of my eyes did not have his weapon or armor, and was shaking with his head far away from him, trying to pick himself back up.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to get up, really.¡±


    [Kuuuu...!]


    As if to reply to my taunt, Duhan groaned and wriggled his body.


    As it was disgusting, I decided to end it quickly.


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Brain Strengthening Elixir


    2. Duhan¡¯s Giant Axe]


    I wondered why, I really did, but Duhan gave something called the Brain Strengthening Elixir. But why? Was Duhan actually extremely smart? Even with his head separated from his body? Swallowing down the questions that arose every time I saw Duhan¡¯s reward list, I chose the Brain Strengthening Elixir and consumed it.


    [You can think more quickly and your senses are heightened. Your intelligence and magic increase by 1.]


    ¡°Oh, lucky. That¡¯s already the second stat increase.¡±


    In any case, I was happy with its effects. Not only could I raise my intelligence, which I felt wascking, but I could also increase magic, which was always great to have more of. I almost felt the timing was too perfect. Though, it was about time an elixir raising intelligence and magic appeared.


    ¡°You won again and survived.¡±


    When I left the battle room, Lin was smoking and staring at me, instead of doing his cksmithing work. As he greeted me with a hint of disappointment, I shrugged.


    ¡°I realized I wascking a lot in ability, so I tried a few things out this time. All in all, I think it was quite sessful. I¡¯ll need to do two more battles like the one I just had... I¡¯m going to review the fight for a bit.¡±


    Were there any unnecessary movements? How did Duhan move and what was the most effective way of dealing with it? What about the ck horse? What about themunication between me and Ruyue? Peika¡¯s elemental magic? When would the skills I just acquired be most useful!? There were tons of things to research. I sat down and closed my eyes to meditate, but Lin interrupted me.


    ¡°Desire to improve is good, but you should rx a bit and let your body rest. You¡¯ll hurt yourself if you overdo it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for worrying, Lin.¡±


    ¡°No, now that I¡¯m working on your equipment, I need to get my money. I don¡¯t really care if you die or not.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a tsun... Eh? What money?¡±


    ¡°This. You only gave me the initial deposit, not the cost for the entire thing. You have to pay 100,000 more.¡±


    I turned my gaze to where Lin was pointing with his chin. There, I saw the naked corpse of a woman, wrapped in a thin cloth... it was the subus¡¯ corpse. Although it was wrapped with cloth, as it was see-through, the subus¡¯ naked body was in full view. Even her head was perfectly sewn back, making her look like a sleeping woman. Of course, my cheeks flushed bright red.


    ¡°W-What!? Why is she naked!?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up with that virgin response? That¡¯s amon way to take the spiritual power from its physical body.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that before...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Earth¡¯s culture. In any case, that¡¯s the most basic knowledge any monster artifact cksmith should know. The parts I want from the subus, its eyes and wings, I already have set aside here. The eye will be the core of the artifact, and I¡¯m going to use the same method to take the mana out of the wings.¡±


    He took out a ss bottle and showed two golden eyes floating around in an unknown liquid. The subus¡¯ eyes really did seem to have special powers, as they continued to glow inside the ss bottle.


    ¡°Turns out, this guy was a boss-rank monster. That¡¯s why the subus had a special magic power. You can look forward to it.¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about, but I¡¯m going to meditate.¡±


    ¡°Ha, this is why virgins are... well, I¡¯m sure noonim will be happy... two virgins, how fitting.¡±


    I didn¡¯t hear him. I didn¡¯t hear that draconian¡¯s words! Hypnotizing myself, I fell into meditation. Of course, for the next 10 minutes, only the image of a naked woman popped up in my head. Damn it!

 Chapter 88. S-ranker Yeon Hwawoo (5)

    Chapter 88. S-ranker Yeon Hwawoo (5)


    [You equipped the Duhan Set. Your strength and constitution increase by 17. When the Duhan Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Outburst¡¯ once per day.]


    [Your brain is strengthened to its peak. Your intelligence and magic increase by 3. It seems consuming more of this item will have no further effect.]


    ¡°Hu, it¡¯s over...¡±


    I wondered why, but it felt like I had finished grinding in only a day. In reality, it had taken a little over a month to do so. Although I almost died a few times in the process, I managed toplete the grind without dying a single time. The sense of aplishment made my confidence rise. More importantly, I got rid of my habit of trying to take out Floor Master skills whenever something happened.


    My mental protection was much better as well. I still thought my intelligence update was slow, but I would not make the same shameful mistake again as I did at the MT.


    ¡°I¡¯m d the set equipment skill is Outburst. In the worst case scenario, it could have been Sudden Rise...¡±


    [That¡¯s creepy.]


    [Scary!]


    Peika and Ruyue shouted in disgust at my monologue. Someone on the floor getting beaten suddenly getting up. It was indeed something from a horror movie. I patted Peika and Ruyue whileughing, and saved Outburst in the 7 o¡¯clock position. Even though I shouldn¡¯t rely too much on Floor Master skills, they were undoubtedly part of my strength. With these incredibly strong skills in my arsenal, I couldn¡¯t be unhappy.


    There were now 7 skills stored in Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch. Looking at the gems in the clock positions, I smiled. Tomorrow was the day I would go to Britain¡¯s Windermere. It was great that I could finish grinding the 35th floor before then. Starting from now, it was time to get to the 40th floor before Hwaya came to pick me up on a ne!


    Just when I was about to step on the staircase to the 36th floor, Ellos contacted me.


    [Shin! We broke through the 30th floor yesterday.]


    ¡°You... That¡¯s really fast! It hasn¡¯t even been three months yet.¡±


    [You see, we got more party members. It would have been nice to stick to just the three of us, but we realized we shouldn¡¯t be so adamant about it.]


    ¡°It¡¯s still fast.¡±


    [I learned a lot from you that day. The party members we added were explorers who had stayed on the 25th floor for years without being able to advance. Even if they couldn¡¯t break through the 25th floor, they had survived against the invaders during that time. Together, we challenged the Giant Ghoul, and though it¡¯s a bit embarrassing, we imitated you and managed to break through. We did get wiped out once on our way to the 30th floor, but we still managed to get here pretty fast. And... I¡¯m still surprised, but we managed to beat the 30th floor¡¯s Skeleton Knight without losing any party members. We were together with a pretty amazing explorer though.]


    ¡°Amazing explorer?¡±


    [Yeah. It was a young man named Ren. We only had seven people including him, but heined about something not dropping and didn¡¯t want to wait for more. I almost thought he was you, with how calm he was.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Ren! You finished grinding the 25th floor and were already on the 30th floor!?


    [He was really amazing. He still couldn¡¯t bepared to you, but his nning, movements, and ymore techniques were truly excellent. We were really shocked when he pushed the Skeleton Knight back in a one on one fight. Fighting against a Floor Master alone... I didn¡¯t think there was another explorer who could do it other than you, Shin.]


    ¡°Ah, yeah...¡±


    [Thanks to him, we cleared the 30th floor in one go, and for helping my continent¡¯s explorers grow, his Highness allowed me to meet our continent¡¯s Hero. He even taught me a little. It was all thanks to you, Shin.]


    ¡°No, it¡¯s the result of your effort. I wouldn¡¯t say it was because of me. I¡¯m only taking care of myself, but you¡¯re also leading five otherrades. Ellos, you should be proud.¡±


    [... Thanks, Shin. One day, I hope I can stand by your side again.]


    ¡°You will soon.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t tell him that I had already finished grinding the 35th floor and was about to head to the 36th floor. However, the moment my conversation with Ellos ended, Palludia called me as well, almost as if they had nned it out together. Surprisingly, the content was the same as well.


    [I broke through the 30th floor! Without even a single party member dying! Kang Shin, where are you now?]


    ¡°I broke through the 35th floor.¡±


    [Oh, I see... well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t care at all, I was just asking.]


    Although she sounded extremely disappointed, I didn¡¯t point it out and she didn¡¯t yield.


    [Anyways! Don¡¯t forget, you said you¡¯de over this week with food from Earth!]


    ¡°Yeah, I know. I¡¯ll bring lots. You said you broke through without losing a single party member? That¡¯s great. Good work.¡±


    [Ah, mm. If you leave it to Palludia Gren Ehuir-nim, it¡¯s a piece of cake! ... Though a slightly annoying guy helped us.]


    I suddenly felt a sense of uneasiness.


    ¡°Is that person¡¯s name perhaps...¡±


    [Ren. He said his name was Ren. He was really tall, very muscr, and had messy blonde hair. He couldn¡¯t talk while facing me. He kept blushing, so it was annoying.]


    Ren...! You couldn¡¯t look at Ludia because she was too pretty!


    [Apparently, he¡¯s been helping explorers advance since the 25th floor. I hear people are calling him the Golden Lion of 30F.]


    ¡°That¡¯s a very interesting nickname.¡±


    On the 25th floor and 30th floor, I beat the bosses solo, so I didn¡¯t really meet any other explorers. Although the 25th and 30th floor has less explorers than the lower floors, there were still quite a lot of people stuck there. As a result of Ren carrying them through in my ce, he had received an excellent nickname!


    I made up my mind to call Ren ¡®Golden Lion¡¯ the next time I saw him. Thanking Ludia inwardly for letting me know this good piece of info, I ended the conversation. Then I received another message. When I checked who it came from, it was unexpectedly Ye-Eun.


    [Shin, I¡¯m not getting thispressing elixir thing.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    I tilted my head. Three weeks had passed since Ye-Eun became an explorer. Considering her abilities, she was rather slow. I was wondering why she was only just now contacting me, but it seemed there was a problem.


    ¡°Did you defeat it solo?¡±


    [Ah, yeah, I did the first time and got a Deific Manifestation Magic Book. It said it was going to call someone. I got scared so I haven¡¯t tried it out yet.]


    ¡°Try it soon. Whoever gets summoned might be helpful. So, you didn¡¯t clear it solo after that?¡±


    [No. I cleared it in a 10-man party, but it didn¡¯te out. I tried again with 8 people just in case, but it didn¡¯t drop anything again.]


    ¡°Really...?¡±


    [Then I tried with 5 people, then 2, but it still didn¡¯t drop.]


    ¡°Really? Why?¡±


    [I didn¡¯t think Shin would lie to me, so I kept trying for two weeks after that, constantly changing the number of people in the party, but thepressing elixir never came out. The Floor Shop owner said he didn¡¯t know anything about it.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Her trust in me was... heavy...!


    [But I had fun! Orc Lord was an interesting guy! The people in my party weren¡¯t scared of me either... hehe, I¡¯m having funtely!]


    Fighting the Orc Lord was fun? She really had an innate talent for this. With a bitter smile that couldn¡¯t reach her, I spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask someone I know why thepressing elixirs won¡¯t drop. Just wait a bit.¡±


    [Okay.]


    I paused my conversation with her and thought for a while. Why didn¡¯t thepressing elixirs drop? What was the problem? As I couldn¡¯t think of any reason, I went and asked Lin. Lin was in the middle of inscribing something onto a gem radiating golden light. It seemed he was close to finishing the mental protection item I asked for. At this rate, wouldn¡¯t I break through the 40th floor first? No, it was good to have more than one way to protect myself from mental attacks. If possible, I should try to get as many skills and items that helped...


    ¡°Am I distracting you?¡±


    ¡°My concentration won¡¯t be shaken by just talking with you, so feel free.¡±


    ¡°Alright... Lin, you see, I made a friend of mine from Earth into a dungeon explorer. She¡¯s an A-rank Awakened from what I can tell.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Her contribution should have been high enough, butpressing elixirs never appear on her reward list for defeating the Orc Lord. Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not just thepressing elixir. She probably isn¡¯t getting boss set items either.¡±


    Lin said casually. I instinctively understood.


    ¡°Is there a problem with her? Like having an ability?¡±


    ¡°Oh? So you already know.¡±


    ¡°But what about me? I awakened my ability, but I could still obtain elixirs.¡±


    ¡°You got your ability after you became a dungeon explorer. Not to mention, your ability is the type that grows along with your level and training. Of course your aplishments would be acknowledged normally.¡±


    ¡°You mean my friend¡¯s aplishments won¡¯t be acknowledged normally?¡±


    ¡°You... Think about it. What do you think determines whates up on reward lists from defeating bosses?¡±


    Lin asked me as he put the powder he shaved off from the gem into a separate bowl. After thinking about it for a bit, I answered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t better itemse out if you defeat the boss in a more technical and overwhelming way?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only partially right. You¡¯re missing one important thing. It¡¯spared to your true ability.¡±


    ¡°You mean, because my friend¡¯s strength is above the standard, her aplishments can¡¯t be assessed properly even if she defeats the Orc Lord overwhelmingly?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Looks like you¡¯re starting to use your head.¡±


    ¡°But... Compared to other explorers, my stats are also above the standard frompressing and strengthening elixirs.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re within the dungeon¡¯s scope, so you¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    In other words, things I gained from the dungeon¡¯s system didn¡¯t act as a minus when calcting my aplishments. On the other hand, Ye-Eun, who became a dungeon explorer after already having an A-rank strength, had strength that went above the dungeon¡¯s standard. Since she defeated the Orc Lord with such strength, she could not get the appropriate reward from the Orc Lord. It was simr to how my superior strength lowered the reward of the B-rank Event Raid. It made sense.


    ¡°She says she got the Deific Manifestation Magic Book and the title.¡±


    ¡°Those are fixed rewards... Do I need to exin more?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What floor does she need to get to before she can get proper rewards from the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t really care how strong your world¡¯s A-rank is. What rank are you?¡±


    ¡°S-rank.¡±


    ¡°Mm, taking into ount how strong she would get from level-up stat bonuses and titles, probably... 50th floor?¡±


    Oh no, say goodbye to Skin Strengthening Elixirs, Ye-Eun. It was a good thing I didn¡¯t tell her about them. With a bitter smile, I told Ye-Eun what I¡¯d just heard. Ye-Eun seemed rather fine with it.


    [That¡¯s great! So I can just keep going up while defeating things alone, right?]


    ¡°Yeah, but don¡¯t skimp out on opportunities to grow your ability. Stealth and... what was it?¡±


    [Dagger technique! I got two wooden daggers when I entered the dungeon. I like it, since it¡¯s a lot cleaner than fighting with my hands.]


    ¡°Ah, I see. Anyways, make sure you level those skills up. You¡¯re going to regret itter otherwise.¡±


    [Thanks for worrying. See youter!]


    ¡°Deific Manifestation. Don¡¯t forget to try it out.¡±


    [Okay! I¡¯ll catch up to you soon, so don¡¯t go too fast, okay?]


    With that, Ye-Eun ended our call. Sorry, Ye-Eun, I can¡¯t do that. There¡¯s a bet on the line..


    ¡°By the way, Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Lin was still digging at the gem as he spoke.


    ¡°That friend, she¡¯s a girl, right?¡±[1. Pronouns are gender-neutral most of the time. Although he said ¡®she¡¯ in the trantion, he hasn¡¯t actually revealed Ye-Eun¡¯s gender.]


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh? A girl. Heh.¡±


    Lin made an evil smile.


    ¡°Of course, I felt it was weird that a Hero didn¡¯t have a girl or two. Kuku, noonim might end up only staring at the roof again, kukuku.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just friends, so don¡¯t misunderstand. And don¡¯t talk like there¡¯s something between Loretta and me. ... Again?¡±


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re curious? You¡¯re curious, eh? Maybe noonim has a chance this time. Ha.¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m not curious at all.¡±


    ... Yep, I wasn¡¯t curious. Nope, not in the slightest. I only asked just because. And since that was the case, I stepped on the 36th floor staircase with a totally fine expression.


    ¡°Ahuk!¡±


    ¡°That guy, he¡¯s quite agitated...¡±


    ¡°I, I only missed my step, ahuk!¡±


    ¡°At this rate, your vitality will hit zero from hitting the steps before you even make it to the 36th floor.¡±


    I, I¡¯m going to break through the 40th floor today! For sure!

 Chapter 89. Crimson Roar (1)

    Chapter 89. Crimson Roar (1)


    [Kukuku, it¡¯s him.]


    [A new one hase.]


    The moment Imenced exploration on the 36th floor, I calmed down from the whispers I heard. The pathway was much wider than usual, and the walls even had windows, letting me see outside the dungeon.


    This was the first time windows had appeared in the dungeon. Furthermore, beyond the windows was a pitch-ck night and a purple-colored moon. I touched the windows, curious as to what world was beyond the dungeon, but I instinctively realized I could not break the windows with my ability. Not that I would have anyways.


    What was more important were the voices I heard. I looked around once again. I saw something pale reflected in the windows. I closed my eyes and tried to detect any presences in the surroundings. However, I could not sense anything. It was almost like the time I first climbed to the 6th floor. The only difference was that I could not see anything this time.


    However, I had prepared for something like this happening.


    ¡°Peika.¡±


    [Thunder Wave!]


    Peika waved her folding fan, and along its trajectory a radiant golden wave undted out into all directions. As I was growing as an Elementalist, Peika¡¯s ability was also growing. When Peika used her skill, the surroundings became loud.


    [Kuk, an elemental!]


    [It¡¯s a stronger elemental than we thought!]


    I opened my eyes and held my Silver Bone Crossbow. At Peika¡¯s wide-scope attack, the monsters that were hiding made their appearance. They were human apparitions, pale white in color. I somewhat knew what they were. They were right above the apparitions that I had fought from the 6th to 10th floor, the wraiths. These guys were ghosts! They were also undead monsters.


    ¡°Ruyue,e into my crossbow.¡±


    [Okay!]


    Without hesitation, Ruyue dematerialized and infused herself into the crossbow. Soon, the white Silver Bone Crossbow began to emit a blue freezing energy. I aimed the crossbow and started shooting. Although my Crossbow Marksmanship was only low-rank, with the addition of mid-rank Spirit Aura, the bolts carried formidable power.


    [Kik! He¡¯s shooting at us!]


    [Attack, attack him!]


    [Don¡¯t let him shoot!]


    The ghosts created pale white balls in their hands and threw them at me. I assumed they were a stronger version of the 9th floor wraiths¡¯ ectosm arrows. In any case, Peika did not let them attack freely.


    The folding fan in her hand shook, and a wave of lightning once again undted, shooting out bolts of lightning as it expanded outward. Just from the stray bolts, the ghosts took damage and flinched. Without missing this opportunity, I shot out bolts consecutively and shot down the ghosts that had been affected by Peika¡¯s lightning.


    As I often felt, Peika and Ruyue¡¯s attributes reallyplemented each other well. When I took turns using their attacks, the amount of damage I dealt increased exponentially. The ghosts frantically ran around trying to dodge my bolt attacks, but became paralyzed after being hit by the lightning wave Peika emitted periodically. Once they were paralyzed, my bolts infused with Ruyue¡¯s power prated their foreheads.


    One hit was enough to take care of most of them, and those that survived surely died by the second hit. When I killed them so easily (though I had a Mana Potion in my mouth), the wraiths seemed to have realized the gravity of the situation.


    [If we run, that arrogant man will kill us.]


    [Attack him together.]


    [One who disrupts our rest, be the sacrifice for our amusement.]


    Ghosts flocked at me from all directions. Even without having to use Provoke, they gathered inrge numbers incredibly fast. I ordered Peika to increase the output of Thunder Wave and ran forward. Aiming my crossbow at the ghosts in front of me, I shouted.


    ¡°A ghost in here has 8th grade syndrome!¡±


    Did you think I didn¡¯t notice, you damned ghosts!?


    *


    ¡°Oppa, why are you lying on the couch?¡±


    As I was about take a nap on the couch, I woke up naturally from the voice of an angel. Yua was in her school uniform and had her bag. It seemed she had juste back from school. Today was December 23rd. Although my college went on winter break after the finals, Yua was still in high school and thus had to go to school until the end of the month.


    ¡°Mm, oppa was in the dungeon until just recently. Oppa is having a bit of trouble.¡±


    I had wanted to advance to the 40th floor, but even after 10 hours of shooting crossbow bolts and Peika¡¯s lightning shower, I was only on the 37th floor. The sheer number of ghosts was one thing, but the difficulty also came from the fact that normal attacks could not hurt them. My Crossbow Marksmanship did level up a lot as a result, though...


    Most importantly,pared to the past, the pathway was much longer, to the point that it made me grit my teeth. Using the Dash skill, I ran without rest while using elemental magic and my crossbow, but it had taken me over 10 hours to go through the 36th floor. If I was this slow, how would the other explorers fare? I could only grit my teeth.


    ¡°But oppa, if you¡¯re going to sleep, you should do it in your bed. Otherwise, you¡¯ll catch a cold.¡±


    At Yua¡¯s question, I checked the time. It was 4 in the afternoon. It was about time to leave.


    ¡°Remember what oppa told father, mother, and Yua? That I¡¯d be going outside of Korea for a few days to help a friend out. It was almost time to go, so I was just taking a nap.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right... Is it really not dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I cane back immediately if it gets dangerous, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Though that¡¯s unlikely to happen. Seeing Yua¡¯s worried frown, I patted her head a few times and got up. After contracting Ruyue, I became immune to the winter weather. I put on a ck suit and took out and put on Otus¡¯ Secret from my inventory. With that, I was done getting ready.


    ¡°Hm, hiding my identity is going to be a pain.¡±


    This time, I was going to Britain, not as Yeon Hwawoo, but as Thunder Knight. As such, I made myself look different than Yeon Hwawoo using Otus¡¯ Secret. When I was Yeon Hwawoo, my hair had a hint of grey. This time, I made my hair tinum blonde. As I wanted to make sure I would not bepared with Yeon Hwawoo, I even made my body look a bit more like my real self. My eyes, which could be seen from beneath the mask, were made red. When I looked at myself in the mirror, a third person that wasn¡¯t Kang Shin or Yeon Hwawoo was in the mirror wearing a suspicious mask.


    Perfect.


    ... I would probably have to use this opportunity to tell Hwaya my real name. She thought of me as her true friend, and she would realize that I¡¯d been lying to a certain extent once she saw my appearance. Since she¡¯s smart, she would probably realize that the appearance I showed her the first time we met was false.


    ¡°What about Dad? Is he not going with you?¡±


    ¡°He said he quit being Dark Knight.¡±


    Not that he would be able to do so easily! Although I told him about Britain, he was currently rushing through the dungeon, saying he wanted to break through the 45th floor before the end of the year. I was 100% sure he wouldn¡¯t be able to do it, but I only wished him good luck and gave up convincing him otherwise.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried if it¡¯s just oppa...¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡¯s strong. I went on TV too, remember?¡±


    ¡°By the way, who¡¯s your friend, oppa?¡±


    ¡°H-Hm?¡±


    ¡°... Oppa?¡±


    Yua¡¯s eyes became sharp ever so slightly. Was Yua nning on asking this from the start? I tried to smile as I answered.


    ¡°The friend is British. I¡¯m also going to Britain.¡±


    ¡°Wow, how did you meet a British friend?¡±


    ¡°H-Hm? Ah, you see, that person is half-Korean! We met in Korea, and that person turned out to be an ability user.¡±


    ¡°Oppa... is that person a girl?¡±


    How did she find out!? There shouldn¡¯t have been any hints!


    ¡°Oppa, you don¡¯t have to hide it or anything. The only difference is whether your friend is female or male.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re right, she¡¯s a girl.¡±


    ¡°Hehe... I knew it.¡±


    Strange... I never felt cold since I contracted Ruyue, but my body was slightly shaking. Was there a cold-controlling monster nearby!? When I tensed and raised my guard up to the limit, Yua delivered an additional surprise attack.


    ¡°Oppa, is the ce you¡¯re going Britain¡¯s Windermere Lake?¡±


    She got me!


    ¡°H-How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, it¡¯s all the talk in the news right now. The dungeon that appeared in the tourist attraction known for its natural beauty, and the SS-ranker Hwaya Mastiford who was summoned back to her country during her stay in Korea.¡±


    ¡°A-Ah! I see!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s your friend, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    My sister might be much smarter than me, even with my now above 40 intelligence...!


    ¡°... When did you be so friendly? With someone so strong.¡±


    ¡°Yua, oppa¡¯s going to bete. I¡¯ll exinter. Yua¡¯s a good girl, so I trust you¡¯ll stay at home without causing trouble.¡±


    ¡°Ah, oppa.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be sure to buy you a present on my way back. If something happens, remember to call me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oppa, that¡¯s not fair... I wanted to hear your answer.¡±


    ¡°We met each other through work and became friends. I¡¯ll exin properlyter, so study hard and wait. Okay, yua?¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡±


    Yua pouted as she reluctantly answered. It had been a while since my obedient sister openly showed discontent, and I couldn¡¯t help butugh. Now that I thought about it, she often showed such responses when I met with other girls, like that time with Ye-Eun. Was she jealous that another girl would steal her oppa away? No, I knew it was impossible, but that¡¯s what I wanted to think!


    I stroked her hair a few times and left the house, heading towards the ce we promised to meet. tinum hair, red eyes, and mask. When I arrived at the location with an appearance even I wanted to punch, there was a limousine waiting for me.


    ¡°Mastiford-ssi sent me here.¡±


    ¡°Then excuse me.¡±


    Hwaya was an SS-ranker. If that was hard to understand, I could put it this way.


    Hwaya was one of the seven most importantly regarded people on Earth.


    Simply put, any nation would prepare anything she wished for, whether it was a limousine, private jet, or yacht. She could be said to hold omnipotent authority. Of course, the amount of responsibility she had to bear was equally big.


    Furthermore, Britain especially tried to fulfill her requests in order to cut her ties with Korea as much as possible. No matter how suspicious or irrational her requests were, they would fulfill them without objection. It was also why I was going to Gimpo International Airport in a limousine. The driver didn¡¯t say anything and neither did I. It was the same as I got on the private ne waiting for me at the airport. Only after I sat down in my seat did I finally let out a breath.


    ¡°This ne is going straight to Britain¡¯s Heathrow Airport. We will take off at 5:10 PM, ten minutes after the Skunk ne takes off.¡±


    After Two Moon, people were desperate to clear the monsters fromnd, ocean, and sky, securing routes for cars, ships, and nes to travel. As the ocean was filled withrge number of huge, powerful monsters, a few harbors had to be given up, but humans reimed the skies rather easily. We had discovered a monster that emitted an odor detested by flying monsters. We had developed a technology that scattered this substance in the air and prevented it from dissipating for a fixed period of time. Skunk nes were the nes tasked with scattering this substance in the air and securing a safe route for ordinary nes to travel.


    Of course, this smell did not affect all flying monsters. The odor was useless against monsters like wyverns or manticores, but otherwise, the Skunk nes did their jobs fantastically. It was a monumental victory, as human wisdom had defeated the monsters¡¯ rampage. It was also why I could go to Britain on a ne.


    ¡°We will arrive at the Heathrow Airport at 1:20 PM, London time. Afterwards, we will take the limousine waiting at the airport and arrive at the Windermere Lake District in 4 hours.¡±


    The flight that had taken 12 hours in the past only took 5 hours now. This great improvement could, of course, be credited to the source of energy found after Two Moon: the Bluestones. Monster remains were also being used as materials for core parts of nes, ships, trains, etc. All this had happened within a year of the Two Moon incident. Humans¡¯ ability to adapt was really... Every time the thought crossed my mind, I couldn¡¯t help but think humans of other worlds. Although their civilizations might be different than ours, they were still humans.


    What could have driven them to the brink of extinction? What had driven them to a corner? No matter how much I thought about it, I could note up with an answer.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be taking off soon.¡±


    Nodding my head at the flight attendant¡¯s announcement, I leaned against the flight seat. Although I was generally not sleepy, because of fighting Duhan without getting much sleep and focusing on clearing the 36th floor, fatigue had built up in my body.


    Even sitting here and doing nothing made my body itch to do something, but I had no other choice. Since there was extra time, I had to make use of it to get some rest. Imagining finding myself in London when I woke up, I closed my eyes. A+-rank Field Dungeon... I was looking forward to it.

 Chapter 90. Crimson Roar (2)

    Chapter 90. Crimson Roar (2)


    Even in winter, Windermere was beautiful. A few ships were tied to a dock and a silverke was spread out beyond it. The nearby town was small and had clean, pretty roads.


    However, the people there had deathly pale faces and were mostly ability users. In theke, arge tuna-like thing jumped up every once in a while, then disappeared back below the surface. Those guys, weren¡¯t they in the wrong ce? This wasn¡¯t the ocean, it was ake!


    ¡°You¡¯rete!¡±


    I turned my head at the slightly piercing voice that called out to me. Hwaya, who was running towards me with a smile after I got out of the limousine, suddenly frowned. She must have realized my appearance was different than thest time we met.


    I wasn¡¯t just covering my face in a way that would hide that I was ¡®Yeon Hwawoo.¡¯ My entire facial structure, hair color, and eye color were different. It meant that I had a way of changing my appearance, and that the appearance of Yeon Hwawoo I showed Hwaya before would have a chance to be false. In that case, it was normal that she would doubt whether my name even was Yeon Hwawoo.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Hwaya.¡±


    ¡°Y-You....¡±


    Hwaya seemed to have realized the truth from my apology as she clenched her fists. Then, she unclenched them softly.


    ¡°Haa, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll tell you more about itter. You know why I did it, right?¡±


    ¡°If you lie again, I¡¯m going to pull out your hair, and you¡¯d better tell me properlyter. Show me your real appearance too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Good... Well, thanks foring... and for believing in me.¡±


    After a light hug, we shook hands. Behind her, I saw three other ability users. As Hwaya greeted me, they watched us with curious gazes. Hwaya then turned and introduced me to them.


    ¡°He¡¯s Thunder Knight.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°Thunder Knight!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him? How young!¡±


    They each spouted awestruck words and stared at me fixedly. Hwaya then bragged without any hint of unhappiness.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? That I was an acquaintance of Thunder Knight!¡±


    ¡°Amazing, Mastiford. I didn¡¯t think you could really call him here.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see the face of someone who never revealed his identity. Though, he¡¯s still wearing a mask.¡±


    Without showing any signs of doubting Hwaya¡¯s words, the three ability users showed interest in me, seemingly with good first impressions. At their following questions, I tried to use my beginner level English to barely respond to them. I was thankful I could understand them properly. British ents were difficult...


    Damn, Korea really needed to teach English on a conversation level basis! The English I learned in my first semester of college was more helpful than the English I studied for the SATs!


    ¡°Oh, poor Brightman.¡±


    ¡°Thunder Knight is quite handsome, and he¡¯s young!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why they wereughing. Even though I changed my hair to tinum blonde and had red eyes, since I didn¡¯t change my skin-color, they should have realized I wasn¡¯t Caucasian. Even so, they treated me favorably. I was d.


    Hwaya shook her hands as if to shoo away their useless talk, then introduced them to me. They were S-rank ability users. Mike Dellon, a man in his 30¡¯s, was a magician who couldmand over ten different kinds of water magic, and Paul Bhus, a man in his 40¡¯s, was a dual shield wielder. There was apparently nothing he could not block.


    However, I was surprised when I heard he could only strengthen shields with his mana. Since I couldn¡¯t imbue mana into my crossbow either, I imagined it was simr to that. That said, as long as he could wield mana, he should be able to wield other weapons if he practiced... Well, it wasn¡¯t something I should be concerned about.


    Thest member was Emily Brown, a woman in her early 50¡¯s with well-aged blonde hair. She was the owner of the precious healing ability.


    ¡°Amazing, right? There are only ten S-rank healers in the world and Madam Brown is one of them!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Thunder Knight.¡±


    ¡°... Nice to meet you too, Madam Brown.¡±


    I wanted to stop them from calling me Thunder Knight. What could I do? After thinking about it for a bit, I came up with a n.


    ¡°You can call me John Smith...¡±


    ¡°How about we call you T.K., short for Thunder Knight?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t, Hwaya.¡±


    [Then hurry up and say your real name.]


    [Like I can say it here.]


    ¡°Alright then, T.K.¡±


    This girl, she really was angry...! In the end, because of Hwaya, my nickname became T.K. In any case, I couldn¡¯t help but look at them curiously after being introduced to the three ability users.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think everyone woulde to receive me, but I¡¯m surprised how distinguished everyone here is. Wasn¡¯t there another S-ranker? Why isn¡¯t that person here?¡±


    ¡°That person¡¯s with the other SS-ranker who¡¯s not here.¡±


    ¡°Wow... But it¡¯s not even dinner time yet...¡±


    At my words, Hwaya¡¯s face reddened slightly and she lightly kicked my shin. Then, as a result of kicking my leg that was stronger than steel, she held her foot and jumped in ce.


    ¡°No, stupid! That S-ranker is a man! He¡¯s just following Joshua Brightman around!¡±


    ¡°Uek, he¡¯s into men? That¡¯s even worse...¡±


    ¡°You idiot!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, kidding.¡±


    There couldn¡¯t be that many ability users here, but it seemed factions had already developed. I was happy that Hwaya¡¯s side had more S-rankers, but the memberposition was rather strange. There were two long-ranged magicians, one person to block monsters¡¯ attacks up close, and one healer to heal them. It wasn¡¯t bad, but there was one thing missing.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one to kill monsters in melee range. Is that why you called me, Hwaya?¡±


    In gaming terms, they were missing a close-range damage dealer. At my question, the three S-rankers wore bitter expressions, while Hwaya let out a sigh. It seemed there was a reason behind it.


    ¡°Other than you, other countries sent their S-rankers to help.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    ¡°Because I was annoyed with Brightman, I suggested that with the added people, we split our forces into two and explore the dungeon in separate ships. After all, that should be faster.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. It¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°When we were discussing it, Brightman agreed to it wholeheartedly, but when the other countries¡¯ S-rankers came, they all said they would only join Brightman¡¯s group. They said he was more trustworthy than me.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how much that trust cost...?¡±


    Shoot, so Hwaya¡¯s side actually had less people.


    As expected of a chaebol. His scale really was different. To think he could make S-rankers, who generally did notck anything,e to his side. It probably wasn¡¯t just money that did it. Adults were scary!


    While I was wearing an amazed look, Hwaya¡¯sints continued.


    ¡°As a result, for the past few days, we couldn¡¯t even delve that deeply into the dungeon. With only Paul in the front, we shot out our magic attacks... and today, Brightman said, ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be bad to continue like this, Miss Mastiford? How about we change our strategy?¡¯ Argh! So annoying! I want to burn him up!¡±


    As Hwayained, little balls of me sparked around her. Paul, Mike, and Madam Brown, who could be considered her party members, nodded their heads as if they were also thinking about what happened. I asked.


    ¡°But not all of the S-rankers went to his side, right? After all, they¡¯re S-rankers. They shouldn¡¯t becking anything.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course, there were people who wanted to join my party too, but they were all schemers who were trying to do something with my fame, and the way they were looking at me... Uuu. I refused them all, saying I didn¡¯t need them.¡±


    ¡°You really are a cool woman.¡±


    ¡°Paul and Mike here don¡¯t have any ulterior motives. Unlike Brightman whose head is only filled with money and women, they know what¡¯s important, and that¡¯s thinking of our country first! Ah, it¡¯s the same for Madam Brown, of course! With her on our side, Brightman¡¯s side only has an A+-rank healer.¡±


    With Hwayaughing as if to say ¡®it serves you right,¡¯ I also responded with augh.


    ¡°I thought something was weird when you sent a ne so hastily. Then are we going there right now? I haven¡¯t fought any fish monsters before, so I¡¯m pretty excited.¡±


    In truth, my body was itching for a fight. After sleeping on the ne, I wanted to get some exercise. I mean, just look at that tuna-shaped monster! It was undoubtedly delicious. I was sure of it, 100 percent! Come to think of it, I hadn¡¯t eaten that boar in the dungeon¡¯s Residential Area either. I needed to drain the blood and dismantle it soon...


    However, after hearing what I said, Hwaya tilted her head rather cutely with a ¡®huh?¡¯ Then, she spoke as she blinked at me slowly.


    ¡°What are you talking about? The boat¡¯s not going anywhere today. We were already on it for nine hours today, and it¡¯s almost time for evening tea. Work hour is clearly over.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was kidding.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s true that we aren¡¯t hunting any more monsters today. You only just came. There¡¯s jet leg to worry about, so you should rest.¡±


    I was dumbfounded at Hwaya¡¯s words that seemed to say, ¡®don¡¯t overwork yourself and rest.¡¯ I was thankful she was worrying about me, but did she really think that way?


    ¡°Are you treating me like a normal person after acknowledging me as an S-ranker...?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right, Mastiford. The bodies of us melee type ability users aren¡¯t weak like yours, who, as an SS-ranker, faints often from anemia.¡±


    Paul, who was a melee ability user like me, assisted me. Hwaya then retorted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t faint from anemia! I just get dizzy from using up my mana!¡±


    ¡°You should watch how much mana you have left.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s easy?¡±


    Was it because Hwaya¡¯s mana was too strong? It seemed she had a tendency to use it unsparingly. Because of it, she was getting anemia from mana exhaustion. As I felt the same way thest time I partied with her for the Event Dungeon, I decided to warn her about it this time.


    ¡°If you faint, your party members will be in danger. No matter how much mana you have, you need to practice controlling how much you spend.¡±


    [But I can¡¯t see my MP on Earth.]


    [Don¡¯t rely on the gauge, rely on the feeling.]


    [You think that¡¯s easy!? Can you do it?]


    [Isn¡¯t that obvious?]


    [Obvious...!? You, can you really do it?]


    As we started talking in private messages in the middle, we must have looked like we were having a ring contest to the others. Paul and Mike thought we were fighting and stepped in.


    ¡°I think you guys need to calm down.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s thanks to Mastiford¡¯s magic that we¡¯re able to do so much with just the four of us. T.K., as her acquaintance, you should know how amazing she is.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, but she could be even more amazing if she tried.¡±


    ¡°Uk...¡±


    At my words, Hwaya shrunk back. With how prideful she was, she should dislike others pointing out her ws. The air heated up quickly. I was prepared for a ball of me to fly my way. When I prepared myself for it, Hwaya unclenched her fists. Then, with her eyes burning like mes, she red at me and spoke.


    ¡°If you can do it, there¡¯s no way I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s more like it.¡±


    This is what I liked about her. Someone who was proud but could understand her ws could always increase her self-worth.


    ¡°So teach me. Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°No, I can do at least that much.¡±


    ¡°Good, then after dinner,e to my ce. I can at least offer you milk tea.¡±


    ¡°Got it... Hm?¡±


    Eh? Did I hear what I think I just heard? While I was standing there just blinking nkly, Paul, who had walked past me before I noticed, spoke while grinning.


    ¡°Wow, I knew something was up when she kept bragging that Thunder Knight was her acquaintance, but I didn¡¯t think THE Mastiford would invite a man to her room... If Brightman found out, he would lose it.¡±


    Mike, who was youngerpared to Paul, ced his hand on my shoulder and advised.


    ¡°Be careful of Brightman, my friend. I don¡¯t know what that man would do out of jealousy.¡±


    ¡°Um... Thanks for the advice...¡±


    I retorted while taking Mike¡¯s hand off of me.


    Also, Madam Brown! Don¡¯t give me a thumbs up with that radiant smile. It¡¯s annoying!

 Chapter 91. Crimson Roar (3)

    Chapter 91. Crimson Roar (3)


    Compared to Korean people, British people were more rxed. No, perhaps I shouldn¡¯t generalize all British people with just them. It could just be that the ability users here were like that.


    Was it because they were repeatedly hunting the same area for several weeks? They didn¡¯t seem concerned with clearing the dungeon anytime soon, as they ate dinner and sipped on red tea while they watched tunas sshing above theke¡¯s surface.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s raining.¡±


    ¡°It should stop soon, though it¡¯lle backter.¡±


    ¡°Does it snow here too?¡±


    ¡°When it gets cold enough. It¡¯s the same as in Korea.¡±


    Hwaya had rented an entire residence in Windermere as her lodging ce. Currently, it was just the two of us in a small room on the second floor of her residence. Hwaya was drinking red tea while nkly watching the rain outside the window. Her me-red eyes were calm, and her smooth, fluttery red hair was the only bright spot in the undecorated, nd room.


    Seeing her holding her teacup, I thought she really looked beautiful, like she was a painting. Then, before I noticed, she turned to my direction and looked at me with half-closed eyes.


    ¡°Can you not stare at me so fixedly?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry. You were so beautiful that I lost myself for a bit.¡±


    ¡°... Huu, I¡¯m usually happy to getpliments, but because I¡¯ve been getting them from people I hate recently, I¡¯m sick of them. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°You really are honest... I¡¯m the one who¡¯s sorry for reminding you of them, but I didn¡¯t actually mean it in a ttering way.¡±


    ¡°I know, and I know you¡¯re not that kind of person. That¡¯s why I¡¯m annoyed with myself who can¡¯te to like yourpliment.¡±


    Hwaya put down her teacup as she spoke bitterly. Brightman really was hated... Was that part of his n? Whether positively or negatively, he was making her think about him a lot... No, not even the Divine Capturer[1. The World God Only Knows reference] would think of such a method.


    I put away my useless thoughts and returned to the main subject.


    ¡°Then we should get started. How to check the amount of mana you have avable and...¡±


    ¡°Wait, before that, we need to talk about something else.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    She was right, there was something I had to exin to her first. With a bitter smile, I scratched my head. I closed my eyes and checked if there were any other presences nearby. I didn¡¯t think anyone would be hiding and did it as a precaution... But I couldn¡¯t help but ask Hwaya curiously.


    ¡°Hwaya, is anyone else living here with you?¡±


    ¡°What? No.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s weird, I can feel traces of someone that¡¯s not you... Maybe it¡¯s the people who lent you this ce?¡±


    ¡°Maybe? It hasn¡¯t been that long since I rented it. I¡¯ll checkter just in case.¡±


    Although I wasn¡¯t fully satisfied, it was true that we were the only ones in this house, for now. I took in a breath... and took off my mask.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Hwaya quietly stared at my face. As it was a bit embarrassing to continue staring at her face, I turned my gaze away slightly. Soon, she nodded her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re much more handsome than I imagined. Just my type.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the tantpliment.¡±


    ¡°As I thought, you have ck hair and ck eyes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Korean after all.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I had considered the possibility that you weren¡¯t Korean.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am... By the way, my real name is Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°So yourst name is Kang... Eh?¡±


    She tilted her head, and I told her the truth.


    ¡°Kang Yungoong-ssi is my father.¡±


    ¡°You scammer!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Uuuu, you lied to me so easily. I can¡¯t believe you!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you now. It wasn¡¯t easy, you know.¡±


    ¡°What, so you want me to be happy about it? Like you acknowledged me?¡±


    ¡°No... Sorry.¡±


    Hwayained for a little while longer, then seemingly calmed down. Ah, wait, nevermind. She ced her teacup on her te so angrily that I almost thought the te would break.


    ¡°I saw the number of dungeon explorers on Earth increased to six. Did you do that too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a friend of mine is an Awakened. Don¡¯t worry, that person is trustworthy and talented, worthy of being an explorer.¡±


    ¡°Uu, so three out of the six are already... No, but considering your personality...¡±


    I knew what she wanted to say.


    ¡°I don¡¯t n on making an organization like you. It¡¯s just my friend and father. Not to mention, you could make someone an explorer if you wanted to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but... Can I trust you?¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie?¡±


    ¡°Haa, I feel like I learned too many things just now. My head feels like it might burst.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it too seriously. My father made me an explorer, I hid my identity in Earth¡¯s dungeon explorermunication channel, and I made a friend I trusted into a dungeon explorer. There¡¯s nothing more to it. I¡¯m also revealing my identity to someone I can trust.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too hard to ept it so simply.¡±


    Hwaya put her head in her hands and looked like she was agonizing over something. Then, with a tired voice, she spoke.


    ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ll trust you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Quiet! You made me doubt someone I acknowledged as a friend even for a moment. That¡¯s a very annoying and sad thing for me. You¡¯ll have to make it up to me properly.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°You said you would teach me! Before I master it, you¡¯d better make time to teach me every night. Got it? This is your punishment! ... But I¡¯ll at least serve you milk tea when youe.¡±


    Never in my life did I receive such a cute punishment. I grinned and nodded my head.


    ¡°Yeah, got it.¡±


    ¡°... Why are you smiling? It makes you look sly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just happy I got to know a surprising side of my friend.¡±


    ¡°Uuuuk...!¡±


    Hwaya seemed to be embarrassed by my words, as she threw the teakettle at me. It seemed I would need to wait a bit more before I could start teaching her.


    *


    From the 38th floor on, ghost knights appeared. If ghosts were the apparitions of ordinary people, ghost knights were the apparitions of knights riding on their ghost horses. Watching them charge at me on their ghost horses was quite a spectacle.


    [Kill the human!]


    [Living beings, taste the wrath of the dead!]


    ¡°Like I care, move!¡±


    More importantly, it was much easier to break through than the previous floors.


    ¡°Ruyue, run!¡±


    [Aoooooooooo!]


    As Ruyue ran crazily, the wall of ghosts to my left and right were pushed back at an incredible speed. Meanwhile, I only looked forward as I swung my spear. Although there were also ghosts, because their numbers were low, I was perfectly fine just defending myself while running forward. Ghost knights weren¡¯t my opponents. I was happy that clearing the dungeon floors became easy again. While Ruyue ran carrying me on her back, Peika watched out for the ghosts¡¯ soul arrows. Compared to the 36th and 37th floor, this floor matched my style much more.


    [Kuaaaaaa! Kill that rat! Stab your swords in his neck!]


    [As knights, we¡¯ll recover our besmirched honor!]


    ¡°Come at me! Get in line!¡±


    Cutting past the ghost knights as I charged onward mindlessly, I managed to break through the 38th floor in five hours, half the time it took me to clear the 36th floor.


    [You became level 39.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    ¡°Perfect timing.¡±


    Watching me gasping for breath, Lin threw something at me apathetically. I caught it and confirmed what it was. It was an earring, only one of what usually came in a pair. With two oval gems radiating a glowing gold, the beautiful craftsmanship made it more suitable for a woman than a man. I stared at it nkly for a while, then asked Lin.


    ¡°Lin, this is?¡±


    ¡°See for yourself.¡±


    [Golden Teardrop (Unique)


    Durability ¨C 90/90


    Equipment Limit ¨C One Who Defeated the Blood Subus


    Options ¨C Intelligence +5, Magic +5, Charm +15


    Skill ¨C Subus¡¯ Pupil (Passive): Wearing the earring amplifies your charm. You can resist mental status effects more easily, and there is a small chance it can reflect the status effect onto the enemy.]


    ¡°Wow... This really is an amazing item!¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    With that, Lin put out his hand. As promised, I gave him 100,000 gold. It was my turn now!


    ¡°So Lin, shouldn¡¯t you start making my other equipment? My weapon and the like.¡±


    ¡°Once you break through the 40th floor, I¡¯ll do it without you having to nag me! Don¡¯t make me remember such painful truths when I¡¯m collecting money!¡±


    ¡°Lin, you should really be more honest. You already know I¡¯ll break through the 40th floor.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    Lin shook in rage while holding the bag of gold. It was only then that the emptiness I was feeling seemed to be filled. I couldn¡¯t help but let out a refreshing smile. Then, I equipped the Golden Teardrop. Since I was already equipping the Power Earring and Blood Subus¡¯ Earring, I decided to say goodbye to the Power Earring, which only raised my strength by 2.


    ¡°Ek, disgusting.¡±


    ¡°You know, I agree.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really care that the earrings were different. As they were both from the Blood Subus, they went together quite well. The problem was that I was male, but with no other choice, I put on the earrings firmly.


    When I arrived at the 39th floor, the ghosts had disappeared and were reced by specters. Of course, most of the enemies were still ghost knights. Without a care in the world, I raised my spear. Specters were apparitions known for their ability to possess people. As such, they charged towards me the moment they caught sight of me.


    [Kiikii, it¡¯s a human.]


    [Control him.]


    [Stabbing yourself with your own spear will feel special!]


    I dematerialized Ruyue and infused her into my armor. Now, Peika was in my spear and Ruyue was in my armor. What would happen if specters tried to possess my spear or armor?


    [Ugyaaaaaaa!]


    [Gyak! Cold! It¡¯s too cold, I can¡¯t move!]


    They were electrocuted or frozen by themselves.


    [Uwaaak, an Elementalist!]


    [Elementalist!]


    [Run!]


    When all the spectres were chased away, the ghost knights that were charging stopped in their tracks. With a smirk, I raised my spear. They were slowly backing off. Of course, I didn¡¯t just leave them be.


    *


    [You became level 40! You obtained the qualification to challenge the Floor Master!]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    ¡°You really are fast. You seemed to be having trouble yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Compared to the 36th and 37th floor, thest two floors were a piece of cake. I was nervous for nothing.¡±


    ¡°I feel stupid just talking to you now. Hurry up and go to the 40th floor. Then die ande back a weekter.¡±


    ¡°You really are blunt about it now...¡±


    Even as I was dumbfounded, I made sure to buy plenty of Holy Water from Lin. I didn¡¯t know the identity of the 40th Floor Master, but he was sure to be some sort of ghost. With Holy Water, I would have a much better chance!


    ¡°Wish me luck, Lin, so that I can get the dragon leather cape!¡±


    ¡°Screw off!¡±


    Yep, angry Lin was the best! Giving him a thumbs up, I climbed to the 40th floor. As the 40th floor wasn¡¯t any different in structure or the type of monsters that appeared, I got to the end without much trouble. When I was in front of the Floor Master room¡¯s unique ck door, it was four in the morning. Since breakfast was at seven, I would be able to sleep for about two hours after defeating the boss once.


    ¡°Good...¡±


    Nobody had taken the 40th floor boss¡¯ ¡®first¡¯ achievement. There was sure to be a reason that no one had seeded the 40th Floor Master¡¯s first achievement, even though the 25th through 35th first achievements were aplished. First, I applied an ample amount of Holy Water onto my weapons.


    ¡°Huu... I can do it!¡±


    I had paid Loretta 50,000 gold for this info. I couldn¡¯t screw up here after doing so well until now! After taking in a deep breath, I opened the door with my ck Earthen Spear in hand.


    ¡°Fight me... Eh?¡±


    What was beyond the door was a drearynd that seemed to have been taken out of hell. There were a countless number of ghosts and specters, and also ghost knights that were ready to charge.


    Floating above them was an existence wearing a worn down cloak and pointing a pitch ck scythe at my direction.


    [Kikikik... It seems I will have to guide another dead soul.]

 Chapter 92. Crimson Roar (4)

    Chapter 92. Crimson Roar (4)


    ¡°I can see why no one has cleared it solo on their first try...¡±


    I smirked. Just look at that, there must be at least 500 of them. While climbing the dungeon, if there was one thing I understood, it was that no matter how many opponents I was up against, there was a limit to the number of attacks I would have to defend against. The only difference was how many times I would have to repeat defending, attacking, defending, attacking. Furthermore, I had just run past a pathway full of monsters like them. Besides the scythe holding reaper, there was nothing that could make me nervous.


    I swung my spear once and fixed my grip on it. Then, I pointed it forward.


    ¡°Come!¡±


    [You used Provoke. All enemies will attack you with strong hostility!]


    [Suppress the living. Give pain to the explorer who ridicules death!]


    [Kikikiki!]


    [Kill him, kill him!]


    [Take his soul and possess his body!]


    The monsters rushed toward me like a tsunami. After taking in a deep breath, I patted Ruyue¡¯s back. It was the signal telling her to run.


    [Auuu, pat me more.]


    ¡°Later. For now, run!¡±


    [Auuuuuuuu!]


    Ruyue kicked off the ground. First, I needed to lower their numbers in one go. I raised my spear and thrust forward, using Elemental Tempest. After the skill had reached mid-rank, more elementals began to gather, truly making me look like I was wielding a storm.


    [Wheeeeee!]


    [Spin spin~~~!]


    [Kuhaha, I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment!]


    Ignoring the elementals¡¯ voices, I shot it forward. In an instant, my Elemental Tempest swept through over a hundred apparitions, mostly consisting of the ghost knights that had been standing in the front. I took out a high-rank Mana Potion and put it in my mouth. Then, I held the spear like a baseball bat.


    ¡°Elemental de!¡±


    [Whee, roller coaster!]


    [Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!]


    [Eh? W-Wait! Not this one!]


    [Wheeee!]


    The moment I yelled out, my spear de extended to 6 meters and began to radiate rainbow light. I swung the spear at the iing apparitions. With most of the ghost knights swept away in the Elemental Tempest, theparatively weaker ghosts and specters couldn¡¯t withstand the elemental explosions and fell.


    B-B-Boom!


    [Kuk!]


    [You, Elementalist!]


    [Die, die apparitions!]


    [Ueeeek, I¡¯m never getting on this one again!]


    [Whee!]


    The ghosts¡¯ death throes rang out along with elementals¡¯ cheers. However, in an instant, the apparitions split through the middle and something swept over me. When Ruyue quickly dodged, the ground behind me was marked with deep furrows as an explosive sound rang out.


    [Don¡¯t uselessly die. I may need you all for other purposes.]


    [Kyak! The reapereth!]


    [The Grim Reaper has drawn his scythe.]


    He would need them for other purposes...? The reaper swung his huge death scythe, sending a de wave forward. I dodged his attack, but did not attack him, as I was worried about what he said. Instead, I used Tempest to attack the apparitions again.


    [Kuaaak!]


    [That bastard is shooting out storms!]


    [Tsk, if that¡¯s what you want, then...!]


    As I thought! As if to fold space, the reaper¡¯s body flew toward me stealthily and smoothly. His movements were unusual, as if I was watching an old horror movie. Regardless, the result was terrifying. Arge scythe big enough to cover my entire view flew as if to cut off my head. I clenched my teeth and poured out a vast amount of mana into the spear where Peika was infuse, raising it up and blocking the Grim Reaper¡¯s scythe.


    [Strong!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Something popped out from his stomach. Frightened, I hurriedly jumped and dodged it. Puk! When I heard the sound and looked back at the position I was in, I saw a small scythe. Shooting out a scythe from your stomach, what the hell are your internal organs made out of!? Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the time to dwell on such thoughts. He had shot out another de wave. Dodging his attack again, I attacked the nearby ghosts with Thunder Arrow.


    [Ek, he must think we are easy prey!]


    [Show him it¡¯s not true!]


    [I said, you guys stay still!]


    [We¡¯re still going to die! Sob, why must I worry about dying even after dying?]


    When the apparitions flew towards me, the reaper stopped throwing his de waves. As I thought, he didn¡¯t want the apparitions to die! Using Tempests, I took care of the apparitions. Then...


    [Kuaaaaaaa! Feel death! Death Roar!]


    [Grim Reaper uses Death Roar! The attack power of all undead is doubled. The defense of all living beings is halved!]


    [You resisted the status effect. The status effect has been nullified.]


    Good, I was getting my money¡¯s worth from the item! Confirming that the reaper¡¯s skill had not affected me, I raised my head. Excited about having their attack power doubled, the ghost knights were charging at me in a line. Facing them, I screamed.


    ¡°Kiaaaaaaaaak!¡±


    [You used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail. Most enemies be confused and feared!]


    Eh? Although I hadn¡¯t expected much, most of the ghost knights charging my way fell and began to fight each other. Why? This skill used to only work on weak monsters with low intelligence... Then, I remembered something. Magic, charm, and intelligence were important in protecting my mind. In that case, they most likely helped in my mental attacks as well! Although I thought it was likely, I couldn¡¯t brood over it for very long. The reaper was swinging his scythe in front of me.


    ¡°Kuk, you¡¯re fast!¡±


    [I shall take your head!]


    From the reaper¡¯s deep voice, I felt a chilling sense of danger. Hugging Ruyue, I immediately used Tria and flew into the air. Before I fully flew up, something had ripped my boots. Looking down, I couldn¡¯t help but shiver at the horrifying sight. Countless ck hands hade out of the ground, trying to grab onto me. This was dangerous. If I was caught, they looked like they would drag me into the end of hell. The damage I¡¯d take aside, it looked intimidating.


    [Yay! Shin hugged me!]


    [Master is feeling heavy, so hurry up and dematerialize!]


    Ruyue dematerialized and sat on my head. Gritting my teeth, I shouted at the reaper.


    ¡°You son of a bitch, you said you¡¯d take my head!¡±


    [The one that gets tricked is the idiot.]


    The reaper appeared in front of me again, but with Tria, I did not lose to him in speed. Dodging his scythe just barely by falling back, I activated Divine Speed, poured white light into my ck Earthen Spear, and threw it at him.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    [Kuk!]


    I never missed my attack after using Divine Speed! After being hit by my Heroic Strike, the reaper flew back with his eyes opened wide. Seeing the ck Earthen Spear that transformed into white lightning sending the reaper¡¯srge body flying dozens of meters, I clenched my fists and began to sweep through the apparitions again.


    [You bastard, are you treating us like dust!?]


    [Make that bastard regret it!]


    [But I feel like we¡¯ll regret it more!]


    [...]


    ¡°Peika,e back and help me clean them up!¡±


    [Okay!]


    Although I wanted to quickly take care of the trash mobs and focus on the reaper, he flew towards me before I could even kill a hundred ghosts. He took out the ck Earthen Spear stuck in his chest, then violently snapped it in half in front of me. Although the de grew dull asionally, the spear handle had never once broken, but he had done it!


    ¡°You son of a bitch! Do you know how precious that is!?]


    [Kuha!]


    Without offering me any excuses, he shot de waves toward me again. If I were hit by that ominous ck pulsation, I didn¡¯t think it would end with just receiving damage.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Dodging his attack, I took out the Silver Spear and aimed it at him. I saw the two halves of my ck Earthen Spear falling. Was that repairable? It should be, right? The water in my eyes was sweat, not tears! I didn¡¯t think I threw it for no reason either. Even so, I decided to utterly destroy that bastard. I raised my spear, and aimed it at him.


    Then I dropped to the ground abruptly. It was truly a sudden drop.


    [How did you know!?]


    Above me, the reaper¡¯s shout rang out. I raised my head and confirmed that he was standing in the ce I was just in. Damn, just how many skills did he have!?


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you, you bast... ut!¡±


    Again! When I quickly flew away, the trajectory of the reaper¡¯srge ck scythe cut through the air. I felt goosebumps on my back. I truly couldn¡¯t sense anything!


    [How can you dodge my attacks!?]


    ¡°It¡¯s instinct, bitch!¡±


    Gritting my teeth, I extended my spear de using Elemental de and shed at him. It seemed he was specialized for attacks, but had a weaker defensepared to normal Floor Masters, as my Elemental de dealt noticeable damage to him. I continued pushing at him to prevent him from teleporting to my back again. Elemental power constantly exploded and annoyed him. The worn-down cloth he was wearing began to tear slowly. The reaper screamed.


    [Kiaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Kuk!?¡±


    Is it that attack again!? ck hands shot out from my surroundings toward me. Flying into the air, I looked at the ck hands that had covered half of the entire ground, and murmured with an astonished face.


    ¡°Crazy... Just how much mana does that bastard have!?¡±


    [Die!]


    ¡°Kik.¡±


    As I thought, if I stayed here dumbfounded, he would appear behind me again. As I had already seen him do it twice, I recognized when he would use that move and how he would strike his scythe. Lightly moving to the side, I dodged his scythe. Although his face was empty under his hood, I could sense his astonishment as ck light fluctuated. I then grabbed his scythe, which had remained in the position he had struck down in.


    ¡°Dark Thunder Explosion!¡±


    I considered using White Lightning Consecutive Strike, but that skill was most effective when my feet were on the ground. Not to mention, I was running low on mana. The Mana Potion¡¯s cooldown time had not ended yet either. As such, I chose to use Dark Thunder Explosion.


    Although I was on the lookout for scythes flying out of its stomach, but after being hit by Dark Thunder Explosion¡¯s initial lightning bolt, he had be paralyzed and was unable to attack. Heh. The corners of my mouth went up in a smile.


    In the air, a festival of lightning urred.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuaaaaaaak!]


    Along with the reaper¡¯s scream, the ck hands that had sprouted up from the ground trembled and elongated, but I, their target, was already in the air with the reaper. This. How was I supposed to defeat him without Tria? It seemed I would need to do some research for a while.


    While I was thinking rather leisurely, the reaper danced in the air, continuously being struck by ck lightning bolts. This skill also seemed stronger than the first time I used it. Even though it didn¡¯t use my mana, it had grown stronger ording to my magic stat. Did the skills work with a different principle? It could also be because the ability of my contracted lightning elemental, Peika, increased.


    When the explosion ended, I poured mana into my Silver Spear and swung it at him. After being hit, the Grim Reaper helplessly flew through the air. The ck hands on the ground had already disappeared. Inded along with him and took care of the leftover ghosts. Although I allowed myself to be hit by their soul arrows while I was fighting the reaper, I couldn¡¯t let a boulder be pierced by raindrops.


    [Kukuku... I acknowledge you.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Just die.¡±


    The cooldown time ended and I could drink a Mana Potion again. Putting a Mana Potion worth 15 million won in my mouth, I lowered my body. Ruyue materialized on her own and let me ride on her back. Compared to when he first appeared, the reaper was tattered. He raised his scythe.


    Then, he shed the ghosts that had survived until now.


    [Grim Reaper uses ¡®Soul Eater¡¯! He recovers 1% HP and MP for each soul he cuts with his scythe!]


    [Kii, I¡¯m finally free!]


    [My long journey has finallye to an end.]


    ¡°As I thought, that¡¯s what it was.¡±


    Although I diligently killed the ghosts, there were still about 200 ghosts left. I started killing the ghosts before the reaper could cut them, but he had almost fully recovered.


    [Kuhuhu, despair, Hero. Despair suits you more than hope.]


    ¡°Tempest!¡±


    [No matter how much you struggle, you cannot defeat me.]


    ¡°Elemental de!¡±


    [You!?]


    While the reaper was bbering on about something, I managed to take care of all the ghosts. I looked around the field, but could not spot any ghosts or specters. At the same time, however, Tria had ended, meaning I could not fly into the air anymore. The reaper seemed to have realized this, as he swung his scythe and sneered.


    [You can¡¯t run like a rat anymore.]


    ¡°You can¡¯t recover anymore either.¡±


    Spinning my spear, I reviewed his skills one by one. de wave, shooting small scythes out of his stomach, suddenly appearing behind me and swinging his scythe, and the ck hands that shot up from the ground. Although I could block the first three, how was I supposed to block the ck hands? After thinking for a bit, I made my decision.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just have to endure it with Dragon Skin.¡±


    It¡¯s his cheaty skill that was at fault! It wasn¡¯t my fault! I¡¯d think of a solution after I beat him once, so it was fine! Making rather disappointing excuses to myself, I stepped forward.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 93. Crimson Roar (5)

    Chapter 93. Crimson Roar (5)


    Although it was bit embarrassing to say myself, I was a genius when it came to fighting. Simply put, I never fell for the same attack again.


    No matter how aplished a martial artist was, there would be a limit to the techniques he used. All humans had set patterns to their movements, and once I saw them with my eyes and experienced them with my body, it wasn¡¯t too difficult toprehend the movements and counterattack. However, it seemed other people didn¡¯t think like me. Even father made a surprised expression when I told him about it.


    Just like how smart students could solve application problems with one equation, once I saw and experienced a technique, I could understand and counterattack, no matter how the technique was utilized. My body was remembering it.


    It was a different story if I was too slow to dodge the enemy¡¯s attack even after reading its trajectory, but otherwise, I could deal with it easily. This was the same for Floor Master battles. Their skills had a pattern to them that was much clearer than human movements. Once I experienced it a single time, it would be weird if it hit me the second time.


    That said, it wasn¡¯t always possible to dodge them. Floor Masters¡¯ skills were all difficult, if not impossible, to avoid.


    [Die!]


    ¡°Dragon Skin!¡±


    I used Dragon Skin, shouting at the top of my voice. Ignoring the ck hands that shot up from the ground, I shot my Elemental de at the Grim Reaper. Before he was hit by the Elemental de, Grim Reaper teleported behind me. I, of course, read his movements.


    ¡°Throw!¡±


    [Kuk!]


    I grabbed him and threw him on the ground, as if I was waiting for him to appear behind me. Peika and Ruyue floated in the air and focused on the reaper with their elemental magic without me having to order them. Meanwhile, the ck hands iled and tried to pull me underground. However, because my body was strengthened by Dragon Skin, the hands snapped while trying to pull on me. Seeing it, a thought shed across my mind.


    ¡°Ruyue,e into my armor!¡±


    [Okay!]


    Ruyue, who was attacking the reaper with Peika, came into my armor. At the same time, I imbued mana into my armor and strengthened it. Then, as I thought, the ck hands that touched the armor froze and began to snap. I had found a way to stop the ck hands without using Dragon Skin! A gleam of sess had shed in my Grim Reaper fight strategy.


    ¡°Whew, you¡¯re screwed now, reaper.¡±


    [Reaper¡¯s Scythe!]


    The moment I dered confidently, arge shadow dropped down from above my head. As my body was bent from throwing the reaper on the ground, I dodged the attack by rolling. However, I was unable to fully dodge his attack and the shadow still struck my helmet, cutting it up perfectly. I was even under Dragon Skin¡¯s effect! With my bare face showing, I gritted my teeth.


    ¡°You son of a bitch, just how many skills do you have hidden!?¡±


    [Reaper¡¯s Scythe!]


    Since using his skills one by one didn¡¯t seem to work, the Reaper seemed to have decided to use all his skills at once. The ck hands pulled on me, therge shadow scythe dropped from sky, and a de wave came flying my way. As I threw him down once, the reaper didn¡¯t teleport behind me again and only threw out long-ranged attacks from a distance. He really was shrewd. I felt like I was fighting a cunning human.


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [I¡¯m ready!]


    If that¡¯s your n, I¡¯ll take on that challenge for a battle of attrition! I put another Mana Potion in my mouth and red at the Grim Reaper swinging his scythe from a distance. You don¡¯t have Mana Potions anymore, but I do!


    First, I ignored the ck hands, which could not affect me by much, and focused on dodging the shadow scythes and de waves. At the same time, I left Peika, who was free, to attack the reaper.


    I could stick close to the 35th Floor Master, Duhan, and have a fierce close-range fight, but the 40th Floor Master, Grim Reaper, waspletely different than Duhan. They were pr opposites. One thing I could be sure of was that everyone would choose to fight Duhan over the Grim Reaper. Without my Elementalist abilities, it would really be impossible to defeat the Grim Reaper alone.


    [You won¡¯t be able to defeat me, Hero!]


    ¡°If you¡¯re so confident, why don¡¯t youe fight me up close?¡±


    [Reaper¡¯s Scythe!]


    ¡®Hey, don¡¯t attack just because you don¡¯t know what to say!¡¯ I frantically dodged his attack. Peika also attacked him whenever there was an opening.


    Before I noticed it, the ck hands were gone. The shadow scythes were alsoing less frequently. Although the reaper was flying around quickly, swinging his scythe at me, I realized he had run out of mana.


    ¡°Ruyue, go help Peika now.¡±


    [Okay!]


    Once I deactivated Spirit Aura and Ruyue joined Peika to attack, it became more difficult for the reaper to dodge their attacks. Using the gap where the shadow scythe wasn¡¯t dropping down on me, I let the reaper¡¯s de wave fly past my shoulder and charged toward him. My Silver Spear shone with a light full of vengeance.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    [As if!]


    The reaper teleported backwards consecutively. However, the moment his teleportation stopped, Ruyue restrained the reaper¡¯s movements with her ice shackles. He could have normally broken Ruyue¡¯s shackles easily, but he was currently out of mana. He didn¡¯t have the strength to escape a mid-rank elemental¡¯s restraint.


    As he was about to swing his scythe, Ruyue¡¯s shackles crept up to his arms and bound them in ce. Although they wouldn¡¯t be able to hold him for long, they were doing their job for now.


    While I was running toward him, Peika naturally flew toward me and infused herself in my spear. I poured the momentum from my charge into the tip of my spear and thrust forward.


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuak!]


    The reaper coughed out what looked like a ck shadow from his mouth. It seemed simr to blood, but I dodged it just in case. When the shadow hit the ground, it dissolved the ground. Although I had expected it somewhat, his insides were full of poison.


    When I looked away thinking I really couldn¡¯t let my guard down until the end, a ck shadow scythe shot out from inside the reaper¡¯s hood. He still had mana left over!


    [This is the end!]


    ¡°Divine Speed!¡±


    ¡®Sorry, but I knew you were hiding mana the moment you let the shackles capture you so easily!¡¯ Confirming that he had used his final move, I dodged the ck scythe swinging down at me, and ran behind him. At the same time Divine Speed ran out, I saw the shadow scythe disappearing into the air.


    [Kuk, you slippery worm!]


    ¡°Be happy, reaper.¡±


    I said as I considered which area in his back he would receive the most pain from.


    ¡°Today, you¡¯ll be the first reaper to be killed by a slippery worm.¡±


    [You became level 41. You obtained the qualification to advance to the 41st floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You became Silver Rank 3.]


    [You can now visit the Residential Area¡¯s recreational area! Ask the Residential Area administrators for more info!]


    [Amazing! You are the first in First Dungeon¡¯s history to seed in soloing the Grim Reaper on the first try! The dungeon will remember you as a Great Explorer. You obtained 2 skill points as a reward. You obtained a life-time free voucher for ¡®Resting ce of Angels!¡¯ Current skill points: 14]


    [Quest Sess! You seeded inpleting draconian Lin¡¯s conditions within three months. Even while he grits his teeth, Lin will grant you the promised equipment. You obtained 1 skill point as reward. Current skill points: 15]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Grim Reaper Master.¡¯ All stats increase by 2. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You defeated the Grim Reaper alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Grim Reaper¡¯s Robe.¡¯]


    [You obtained 150,000 gold.]


    [You received the only reward left hidden for the First Explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 1.]


    [Secret. Soul Guard Magic Book]


    ¡°Whoo.¡±


    I murmured in an unexcited voice. I had no energy left in me. My helmet had been cut in half and my ck Earthen Spear broke. My armor was in tatters from the reaper¡¯s ck hands and his de waves, and blood was flowing through its gaps. My hair was a mess and I was muddy from rolling on the ground.


    I hadn¡¯t been in such a mess since the days when I fought the Orc Lord. Although I wanted to copse on the ground, it was muddy. I prevented myself from fainting using my extraordinary willpower and picked up my ck Earthen Spear from the ground. It was quite cleanly broken.


    [Shin was cool! Super cool!]


    [Master is amazing.]


    ¡°Come here. You guys worked hard too.¡±


    My elementals flew toward me like puppies. Hugging both of them in my embrace, I asked message noona to bring up the message log. When I read the part about recreational area, I tilted my head.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard about this before... I can get there from the Residential Area? Is it an upgraded version of the Residential Area?¡±


    Although I wasn¡¯t sure, I felt it had something to do with the Resting ce of Angels life-time free voucher I got as a reward forpleting the achievement. I would find out once I got there.


    I had sessfully obtained the Grim Reaper Master title and the secret reward: Soul Guard. When I chose it from the reward list, a magic book appeared and flew inside me.


    [You learned the skill Soul Guard (Passive). Through deep spiritual meditation, you grow your soul¡¯s strength, defending against mental status effects and advancing the league of your existence. The effect will increase along with skill level.]


    ¡°It¡¯s like Lin said.¡±


    I really got a skill that protected against mental status effects. I instinctively felt that there was more that this skill was hiding. I would find out as I advanced. For now, I wanted to get my quest reward and go to sleep.


    ¡°... Kuk.¡±


    Lin was smoking with his feet on the Floor Shop desk. After seeing me, he smirked.


    ¡°You¡¯re a mess.¡±


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d die. It was hard.¡±


    ¡°But you managed to seed. On your first try, alone.¡±


    ¡°Well... Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Huuu...¡±


    Lin puffed out a cloud of smoke. He then set the entire cigarette on fire, making it disappear without even leaving behind ashes. Then, he threw something at me. When I received it hurriedly, it was a thin bracelet made out of reddish metal. Although it looked simple, its beautiful texture was captivating.


    I asked Lin.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Your reward. I made it while you weren¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t think Lin would make do with just a bracelet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you how to activate it.¡±


    Lin got up from his seat and made a serious expression. It was like the expression of a great sage passing on his knowledge of ancient magic to his sessor.


    ¡°First, wear it.¡±


    ¡°Okay... There.¡±


    ¡°Alright, put the arm without the bracelet forward, then make it touch your cor bone. Then, raise the arm with the bracelet up into the sky¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Ignoring Lin¡¯s obvious bait, I poured mana into the bracelet. In an instant, the bracelet radiated a strong light. The armor I was wearing disappeared and something else wrapped around my body.


    In less than 0.1 second, I was wearing a different set of armor than before. Red, sharp, and metallic scales that looked like a red dragon¡¯s scales were covering my body. The gauntlet was easy to move in, and the armor and boots were incredibly light. The helmet fit perfectly as well. When I nced behind me, a red leather cape was fluttering without any wind blowing. It was super cool!


    ¡°So, Lin. I¡¯m not sure how this works, so can you demonstrate what you said?¡±


    ¡°You little... Just take the spear.¡±


    Lin spoke with bitterness and threw a red metallic spear at me. Catching the spear, I thought Lin was quite funny.


    [You unequipped Duhan Set. Your strength and constitution decrease by 17.]


    [You unequipped ck Earthen Spear. Your strength decreases by 5 and your dexterity decreases by 10.]


    [You equipped Crimson Dragon Scale Armor Set. It bes bound to you. All stats increase by 10. Your strength and constitution increase by an additional 10 points. The chances of receiving a critical hit decreases greatly, and you return a portion of the damage you receive to your enemy. The effects of all charge type skills are increased by 60%.]


    [You equipped Red Dragon Felixes¡¯ Cape. It bes bound to you. Your dexterity, magic, and charm increase by 15. You be immune to all temperature-based status effects. Three times per day, it protects its master from unforeseen attacks.]


    [You equipped Crimson Gluttony Spear. It bes bound to you. Your strength increases by 30. Fire damage is added to all basic attacks and you have a high chance to burn the enemy. It evolves by consuming weapon-type items.]


    [While equipping Crimson Dragon Scale Armor Set, you can use ¡®Crimson Roar¡¯ once per day. Crimson Roar turns the air it reaches into zing mes that attacks the enemies. As it burns everything other than its user, it must be used with precaution.]


    ¡°This is...¡±


    Just by changing my equipment, I felt a sense of omnipotence, like nothing was impossible. The stat bonuses I gained from ck Earthen Spear and Duhan Set was 49 points. Even if I excluded the charm and luck stat bonuses, thef stat bonuses I gained now was 130! The effect was worth over 15 levels of growth! Of course, with this much stat increase, the ¡®update¡¯ time would also be incredibly long.


    Even knowing that, my body was itching from the excitement! My body that was exhausted and ready to faint seemed to want to go on a rampage. Reaper? With this much stat increase, the amount of damage I could do to the reaper would need to be counted with a different unit!


    ¡°Once it¡¯s bound to you, you¡¯ll receive the stat bonuses just by having the bracelet equipped. Ah, but you can¡¯t use Crimson Roar with the armor unequipped, so keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Lin!¡±


    ¡°If you thank me now... my insides are going to flip, so don¡¯t...!¡±


    The equipment I received were all breathtaking. Although I knew I shouldn¡¯t just rely on my equipment, a warrior couldn¡¯t help but be happy when he received such good equipment.


    ¡°Also, that spear can absorb weapons.¡±


    ¡°Absorb? What happens when it absorbs them?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out once you absorb enough. Why don¡¯t you try it out?¡±


    I immediately thought about my halved ck Earthen Spear. When I brought it up to the Gluttony Spear, the ck Earthen Spear disappeared surprisingly. At the same time, a message rang out.


    [Crimson Gluttony Spear absorbed ck Earthen Spear. Growth: 1%]


    ¡°1 percent!? It has to eat a hundred more?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot. It must have been a pretty good weapon.¡±


    I learned a valuable lesson. That I should not worry about the weapon¡¯s growth for a while.


    In any case, since I now had new equipment and a weapon, I had to take them out for a test. Forgetting all about sleep, I shouted.


    ¡°Lin, I¡¯lle back after doing another boss fight!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, go die.¡±


    Taking Lin¡¯s words as a joke, I went to fight the boss again.


    I died. Just like that, I became unable to grind the boss for a week.


    Once I was chased out to the Residential Area, I calmly assessed what had happened. The stat update had only just begun, and I hadn¡¯t gotten strong enough to overwhelm the Grim Reaper. Although I said I felt energetic, my body was undoubtedly exhausted. Without being able to draw out my full ability, I got killed. Although I normally would have been able to think this far, I had lost my reason as the equipment I earned were too good. I learned the lesson that I shouldn¡¯t act based on excitement. One week was the price I would have to pay.


    Life really was a rollercoaster.


    Author¡¯s Note:


    Haa, I¡¯m really crazy..!


    Five thousand words! I! Wanted! To! Finish! But! Why! I can hear the sound of my work increasingter...


    While I¡¯m despairing, I hope everyone enjoyed today¡¯s chapter. It¡¯s been a while since Shin died! That¡¯s what happens if you let your guard down, thinking you got strong. ^^ No matter how high his intelligence gets, it won¡¯t update so...

 Chapter 94. Granting Freedom (1)

    Chapter 94. Granting Freedom (1)


    As an S-ranker who hade to Windermere because of Hwaya¡¯s request for help, I was treated very well.


    Because a Field Dungeon appeared, Britain had built a building for ability users at Windermere, where modern buildings had traditionally been avoided. Although it was an eyesore outside, the view from the inside was truly marvelous. It was especially so the higher you went in the building. Naturally, higher ranked ability users were situated on higher floors.


    I received a room on the same floor as Paul and Mike from Hwaya¡¯s team. It was the second highest floor of the building, as the entire floor above mine was given to Joshua Brightman. For meals, I could eat at the hotel restaurant or order room service. After being kicked out of the dungeon, I came back to the hotel room from my mansion in the Residential Area. After a short nap, I chose to go to the restaurant. Paul and Mike both weed another guy joining Hwaya¡¯s team, and wanted to talk to me as we ate.


    ¡°So T.K., what country are you from?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t call me T.K... and it¡¯s a secret, of course.¡±


    ¡°Your guard is high, I see. I think you¡¯re Korean though.¡±


    ¡°Right. Mastiford always said her mother wanted her son-inw to be Korean.¡±


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    Letting out a short sigh, I rolled a piece of toast and threw it into my mouth.


    ¡°Nom nom... I¡¯d like it if you guys didn¡¯t make our rtionship to be like that. I don¡¯t really care, but Hwaya would probably be angry.¡±


    ¡°Right. She would hate it if others forced her into a rtionship without her knowledge.¡±


    A voice that wasn¡¯t mine, Paul¡¯s, nor Mike¡¯s rang out. I drank my red tea.


    ¡°Haa... It¡¯s sweet.¡±


    ¡°Of course, with how much sugar you put in... You know this is red tea, not milk tea, T.K.¡±


    ¡°Did you perhaps not hear me?¡±


    As Mike and I were talking to each other, the voice rang out again. Huu. I sighed and turned my head in the direction the voice came from. I saw a tall man standing there in a suit. He had arge body, halfway between the old and current me, and had short silver hair that wasbed over with pomade. The two blue eyes on his angled face seemed to be ring at me for some reason. Although I had heard he was in histe thirties, he seemed like he was in his twenties. In any case, the strong spirit that could be felt from his entire body proved that he was another SS-ranker.


    He extended his hand toward me.


    ¡°I¡¯m Joshua Brightman. Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Uh... Mm. I can¡¯t say it¡¯s nice to meet you, but hello. I¡¯m Thunder Knight. Hwaya invited me here.¡±


    When I grabbed his hand thinking, ¡®This situation seems familiar,¡¯ he really put all his strength into the grip like a scene from an old movie. For a moment, I seriously considered flipping him over, but I felt that reacting in such a way would be taking his bait, so I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re an SS-ranker. You really are strong. With your grip being this strong in handshakes, it must be hard having a normal life. Looks like you need to practice controlling your strength a bit.¡±


    ¡°Ha! What an interesting fellow.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t find you very interesting. You¡¯ll need to practice joking too.¡±


    I retorted as I wiped my hand with a towel after shaking his hand. A young man behind Joshua Brightman became angry and stepped forward. He was blonde and had blue eyes just like Brightman. I instantly realized that he was Britain¡¯sst S-ranker.


    ¡°How impertinent, Asian.¡±


    ¡°If you want to call me impertinent, you shouldn¡¯t bother me when I¡¯m eating and screw off, Westerner.¡±


    I responded coldly and tapped the teacup I was drinking from. At the same time, Paul and Mike burst intoughter.


    ¡°He got you good there, Tommy! Yep, not even dogs would bother a man having his breakfast tea.¡±


    ¡°You should drink when you can these days. Eh, Tommy?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Tommy!¡±


    It seemed all the S-rankers were familiar with each other. Interpreting their conversation as such, I calmly drank my sweet tea. Mm, yep, I really did put too much sugar. Next time, I¡¯d have to lower the amount to only 12 spoons.


    Then, the restaurant door opened. Given that the entire restaurant got brighter, it was undoubtedly Hwaya.


    ¡°Shin, T.K.! I told you, we should eat toge... gek, Brightman...¡±


    No, wait, is T.K. an actual name? Why is everyone saying it so naturally!? I said call me John Smith! As I murmured unhappily, I shook the teacup that was now empty. It seemed Hwaya didn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°Oh! You¡¯re beautiful as always, Miss Mastiford.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re disgusting as always, Brightman. I¡¯m here to talk to myrades, so I¡¯d like it if you can give us some space.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sharper than usual today. Is that because of this friend here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember bing your friend...¡±


    I answered weakly and got up from my seat. After putting my teacup down on my te with an audible sound, I continued.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably here because you were annoyed with me who¡¯s Hwaya¡¯s friend and getting in the way of your schemes, and that loyal dog is probably here so that you can test out my strength. Luckily, something annoying happened to me too yesterday, so I¡¯d be happy to beat someone to a pulp, and, not to mention, Hwaya would probably burn up the entire building if she kept talking to you, and others would be annoyed with us if we kept taking up space, so why don¡¯t we take it outside?¡±


    The restaurant became silent. Then, someone burst out intoughter. It was Hwaya.


    ¡°Ahahahahaha! What¡¯s that!? Do you think he¡¯d really do that? Not even a third-rate viin from a movie would think like that!¡±


    ¡°I know, right, Hwaya? I was just saying it.¡±


    I stared at Brightman as I said that. He smiled as if he found it amusing, and rubbed his chin with his hand wearing a white glove.


    ¡°You must be quite confident in your ability. Why don¡¯t you be my opponent for a bit? For a morning exercise, of course.¡±


    ¡°An SS-ranker like you shouldn¡¯t use your strength to bully weaker people. You must be joking.¡±


    In truth, I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat the current Brightman, not without revealing all my skills at least. The sheer amount of mana his body was naturally emitting was enough to intimidate ordinary people. His body clearly showed signs of regr training as well as that overwhelming amount of mana. I wouldn¡¯t be able to inflict a fatal injury even if I used Heroic Strike. Of course, it would be my overwhelming win if I was just running without a direct confrontation. It was why I could be so cheeky.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, Joshua. You don¡¯t have to step in. I¡¯ll crush that arrogant Asian¡¯s mouth.¡±


    Tommy stepped forward. Brightman pretended to be concerned for a bit, then nodded his head. It was pretty clear that this was his intention from the start.


    ¡°My, if you¡¯re that scared of sparring, there¡¯s nothing I can do. But you should be careful, he¡¯s a master of the sword.¡±


    ¡°Sniff sniff... What perfume do you use? ... It¡¯s the same fragrance as the one I smelled in Hwaya¡¯s house. Since there¡¯s no way Hwaya invited you to her house, you must be using the same perfume as Hwaya.¡±


    At my words, Brightman and even Hwaya froze. To be more concrete, the traces I felt in Hwaya¡¯s house was the same as the one I felt from Brightman. However, it wasn¡¯t Brightman. His ability wasn¡¯t one that would allow him to hide somewhere stealthily. One of his subordinates, however, could have such an ability. Of course, I already knew the answer.


    Thinking back to what I said yesterday, Hwaya seemed to have understood what I meant, and Brightman seemed to reach same conclusion. He frowned for an instant, but soon answered with a smile.


    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s impossible. It must be because I hung around Mastiford too much recently.¡±


    ¡°That must be it, right? I didn¡¯t really like the smell, so I told her to stop using it. If you were using the same perfume, I was going to tell you the same thing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... very presumptuous of you...¡±


    This was enough of a warning. However, if the same thing happened again, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do much about you, but I could certainly take care of your subordinate. Brightman nced over my words with a snort, and I also grinned.


    ¡°Ah, also, you shouldn¡¯t cling to her so much that her perfume would stain your clothes. As a man myself, it¡¯s a bit sad watching another man going after a girl who clearly hates him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before she opens her heart up to me. It¡¯s not something others should care about.¡±


    ¡°Brightman, that will never happen, so please screw off. You¡¯re free to have your delusions, but as a friend, he has the right to care.¡±


    ¡°Oi, Asian. Are you going to just bber on? Stop barking like a dog and follow me out.¡±


    Tommy was calling me. I didn¡¯t like fighting with words either. Because of my increased intelligence, I was uselessly talking more. I followed Tommy outside. It seemed people enjoyed watching a fight no matter what country they were from, as people followed us out, forming a circle around us.


    [Shin, your ability is going to be shown for all these people to judge. Are you okay with that? If not, I can stop the fight. They¡¯ll find out how amazing you are from your results anyways.]


    [Don¡¯t worry. With his strength, he won¡¯t be able to draw my real strength out.]


    I responded to Hwaya¡¯s worried message and gave her a wink. She smiled in response. She really was pretty.


    As I stood inside the ring made my spectators, I thought about how everything had turned out like I expected. Although it would be a performance, instilling my ability into their minds would help me in my time here. I hadn¡¯t fallen for Brightman¡¯s provocation without thinking.


    First, I took out white work gloves from my inventory and wore them. Then, I summoned Peika and infused her into the work gloves. Seeing the sparks flicker from the work gloves, Hwaya opened her mouth as if to say something, but didn¡¯t.


    Tommy took out a longsword that was apparently his beloved weapon, pointing it towards me. Ability users generally wore armor made out of monster remains, but he wasn¡¯t wearing anything.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wearing any armor. Will you be okay?¡±


    ¡°You should be worried for yourself.¡±


    Mm, I liked his confidence. I nodded my head and reached into my pocket to take out a coin. Then, I realized I only had Korean wons. Hwaya seemed to have read my mind as she took out a 10 pence coin and threw it over. After catching it, I asked Tommy.


    ¡°Do you want me to do it, or you?¡±


    ¡°You can do it. We¡¯ll start the moment it hits the ground.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Eit.¡±


    I flicked the coin apathetically. The coin spun in the air. The moment it hit the ground...


    He was right in front of me. He really was fast. It seemed his ability strengthened his speed the most. The sword he raised up let out a strong light from the ck mana imbued in it. It fell directly on my head.


    His technique wasn¡¯t bad either. About mid-rank level 4? I reflected on my mistake, thinking that he was a fool with only his body strengthened by mana. When the opponent was vastly weaker than me, it was hard to assess his strength urately.


    No matter how fast he came at me, I would not be hit unless he struck me before I could respond. I thanked him inwardly for saving the trouble of having to run at him. I grabbed the arm he raised up with one hand and punched his stomach with my other hand. Sparks of lightning shed and the clothes Tommy was wearing was burnt ck.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    When I used Divine Speed and sent a few punches in less than a second, there was no more strength in his arm. I first bent his arm and took away his longsword, throwing it away on the ground. Then, I jumped on top of him. Although all this took a while to describe, it had happened in exactly 1.7 seconds.


    ¡°Wa¡ª¡±


    ¡°First, let¡¯s hit you a bit.¡±


    From that point, I punched his face for 37 seconds before he could finally shout the word ¡®surrender.¡¯


    ¡°Even with an A+-rank healer healing him, he won¡¯t be able to fight for a week... Thunder Knight, that was too much.¡±


    The five of us embarked on a battleship that was a modified cruise ship. It seemed the old and kind-hearted Madam Brown didn¡¯t like that I beat up Tommy to such extent. Then, Hwaya, who had her arms stretched out to her side to enjoy theke¡¯s wind, answered in my ce.


    ¡°But Madam Brown, you didn¡¯t heal him.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I thought he should take a beating too.¡±


    ¡°Madam Brown is scary...¡±


    ¡°I was quite happy. As the only melee attacker out of Britain¡¯s four S-rankers, he kept bragging about how he was the strongest.¡±


    ¡°Really, how did you overwhelm him by that much?¡±


    As a melee range ability user like Tommy, Paul seemed to be curious how I could deal with Tommy so easily. I answered Paul¡¯s question with a lightugh.


    ¡°When fighting monsters, things like strength and magic are important. But in a fight between two people, there¡¯s something even more important. Technique.¡±


    ¡°Technique... I understand what you mean, but how? You¡¯re an Awakened just like him.¡±


    ¡°I learned martial arts even before that. For about 13 years.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I still can¡¯t understand. Is how you move your body that important? I only block with my shield, so I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°You should know the force is different depending on where on the shield you¡¯re attacked. It¡¯s like that.¡±


    ¡°Ah, now that you put it that way, I have a better idea.¡±


    It seemed I could fit in better with this group after what happened his morning. I was quite content with it.


    ¡°But I¡¯m worried about what Brightman will do from here on out.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t stay still. Be careful, T.K.¡±


    ¡°No, he can¡¯t harm me in the slightest.¡±


    I announced.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t stupid enough to make a move on me himself, and I¡¯m not afraid of anyone other than Brightman himself.¡±


    If I had revealed my ability, it could have been a bit more dangerous. After all, his influence was strong enough to reach Korea. Annoying things could happen if he found out. Of course, as I was hiding my identity right now and only working as an Awakened known as Thunder Knight, his influence was extremely limited in its reach. The best he could do was frame me for something I didn¡¯t do to decrease my fame and area of activity.


    For example, he could frame me for crimes like rape or murder. With the increased rate of crime from ability users, special ability user units were created to deal with them. If he could frame me for a severe crime like rape or murder, it could be fatal. There could also be other ways to bother me. After all, money and political power were strong.


    However.


    ¡°You can prevent that much, right, Hwaya?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t underestimate an SS-ranker¡¯s strength. The British government can¡¯t ignore me. Even if I go around killing people, they¡¯ll cover up my crimes.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, that applies to Brightman, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. So hurry and get stronger, so you can crush him, Shi... T.K.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take long. Look forward to it.¡±


    When I answered her and smiled, Hwaya stayed silent for a bit, then returned a smile back.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡±


    The others watched our conversation from the sidelines and whispered.


    ¡°... They¡¯re dating, right?¡±


    ¡°Sh, let¡¯s just watch over them slowly.¡±


    ¡°I used to be like that with my wife too...¡±


    These spectators weren¡¯t just in Korea!


    ¡°Anyways, what have you been doing since a while ago, T.K.?¡±


    Mike asked me. Looking at the knife I was sharpening with a whetstone, I replied.


    ¡°Hm? Oh, you¡¯re asking why I¡¯m sharpening a knife?¡±


    ¡°Oh! So you can wield knives too? That¡¯s something to look forward to!¡±


    ¡°No... What is everything talking about?¡±


    As I looked at the 8-meter long tuna breaching out of the water, I replied.


    ¡°Sashimi is best served fresh.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    While everyone was silent from being touched, I hummed and aimed the sharpened knife at the tuna. Today¡¯s lunch would be a tuna sashimi special!


    Author¡¯s Note:


    I¡¯ve given up. I can¡¯t just cut it in the middle. I had no choice! I can¡¯t just say ¡°look forward to the next chapter¡± while sparks are shing.


    I hope you enjoyed the chapter, everyone! I hope you finished the day with ICDS!


    PS - 13 spoons of red tea. Did you get the reference? I used to really like that red tea drinking character...

 Chapter 95. Granting Freedom (2)

    Chapter 95. Granting Freedom (2)


    A+-rank Field Dungeon, Graveyard Over the Lake. There were three types of monsters that appeared here. First were the fish-headed, human-legged monsters that climbed on top of boats and attacked with their sharp teeth, the fishmen. As the weakest group of monsters at Graveyard Over the Lake, they were the greatest in number. They swam freely in theke, then suddenly jumped on top of boats and attacked the passengers. As melee attack monsters, they were also the monsters that annoyed Hwaya¡¯s party the most.


    The second were the shark type monsters that resembled saw sharks, toothsaws. They had long upper jaw covered in saw-like teeth that seemed to be strengthened by mana as they vibrated like chain saws. These monsters didn¡¯t jump on top of boats like fishmen, but approached boats with chainsaw sounds and poked holes in them.


    To prevent this, the cruise ship I was on was patched with the leather of the S-rank monster, wyvern. Even so, it couldn¡¯tst very long against the toothsaws¡¯ attacks. As such, we had to take care of them whenever we heard their chainsaw sounds. Although Hwaya¡¯s attribute wasn¡¯t the best for the dungeon, her SS-ranked mes could still burn their targets underwater. In other words, as long as they weren¡¯t left untouched as they attacked, they were easier to deal with than fishmen.


    The third andst were the most precious and popr monsters, melting tunas! Why were they called melting tunas? Because they were so soft and delicious that they melted in our mouths! They were so delicious that they were called the blessing of Windermere¡¯s dungeon! Even without Bluestones, these melting tunas were said to be sold for 150 million won[1. About $130,000 USD. For the record, a sushi-grade bluefin tuna was sold for $173,600 for a 444 pound fish in 2001. So it¡¯s a very reasonable price for a good tuna.].


    ¡°But you see, my magic roasts them instantly...¡±


    ¡°My magic is a bit slow to cast...¡±


    ¡°Useless people, ptui.¡±


    ¡°You want me to roast you instead?¡±


    ¡°Just wait there until my magic is finished.¡±


    Oops, I identally said my thoughts out loud. Regardless, looking at the melting tuna that had jumped on top of our boat and sshed around, I asked the others.


    ¡°How do these things attack?¡±


    ¡°They shoot water from their mouths.¡±


    As soon as Hwaya¡¯s words left her mouth, the melting tuna turned it head towards me and shot out a stream of water. Mike, who was ready, blocked it with a wall of water. A thundering roar that shouldn¡¯t be possible from the collision of water rang out. I first wore a raincoat for sanitary purposes, then charged at the melting tuna.


    ¡°Hand over your otoro[2. The most expensive, fattiest, and most delicious part of a tuna.] and I¡¯ll cook you with the least amount of pain... huk!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, T.K.?¡±


    I ran behind the tuna to its blind spot and swung my knife. Seeing the knife break the moment it touched its scales, my eyes opened wide.


    ¡°The knife... won¡¯t go in!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an A+-rank monster. What did you expect, stupid?¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    I wrapped my arms around the melting tuna¡¯s gills. Although its constant struggling annoyed me, it couldn¡¯t overpower my strength, which was boosted by various equipment. When I let lightning flow into its body through its gills, the melting tuna stopped its water attack and began coughing. Good, it was working! I raised the lightning output and strangled him harder. Every time sparks of lightning flickered from my arms, the melting tuna twitched, its resistance bing weaker.


    ¡°So that¡¯s Thunder Knight.¡±


    ¡°My image of him is being... broken.¡±


    After wrestling with the melting tuna for a minute, I managed to kill it. However, looking at the smoked melting tuna, I realized I had made a fatal mistake.


    ¡°Oh no... I grilled it!¡±


    ¡°Ha, you¡¯re no different than me, T.K.!¡±


    Killed by a minute-long exposure to strong lightning, even the inside of the tuna had been grilled to perfection. Although I was d everyone said it was tastier than Hwaya¡¯s roasted version, I refused to give up. Damn, since I couldn¡¯t just bring out my spear, there was only one thing I could do!


    ¡°I need to learn a sword technique and strengthen my knife with mana!¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    Kitchen knives couldn¡¯t prate melting tunas when they were alive or when they had just died. Knives only worked on them long after they died or when they were cooked to perfection! As such, I couldn¡¯t fillet the melting tunas like I wanted. Chewing on its delicious gill (with its size, its gill was also huge), I muttered with resentment.


    ¡°Damn it, my tuna sashimi...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to eat someter, so stop whining.¡±


    ¡°No, I vow to eat a fresh, living melting tuna! Nom nom...¡±


    ¡°Stop eating that grilled tuna and kill the fishmen!¡±


    I was quite sad from being unable to eat the tuna sashimi that I had been looking forward to so much. Regardless, I had no problem killing the monsters in the A+-rank dungeon, Graveyard Over the Lake. I didn¡¯t even have to use Thunder Beast.


    If it was me from the time I killed the Giant Iron Boar, I would undoubtedly have had trouble killing them, but in just a few months of leveling up and gaining battle experience, A+-rank monsters died in just a few punches from me. I once again realized the importance of stats.


    ¡°Strong.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m unneeded.¡±


    ¡°Same, but why so suddenly, Paul? We were only eating popcorn since a while ago.¡±


    When Paul spoke dispiritedly, Mike responded with surprise. Hearing their conversation, I lightly smiled and asked.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t more melting tunas appearing? Since that first tuna, we¡¯ve only seen those disgusting fishmen or those toothsaws trying to poke holes in our boat like woodpeckers.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t that many of them. We were lucky to have seen that one.¡±


    ¡°I turned a precious guy into a grilled fish...¡±


    Since I already cooked the tuna, we couldn¡¯t sell it. Hwaya lied saying that she¡¯d store it using her extradimensional storage magic, and put it in her inventory. I didn¡¯t care, thinking I could always catch another one, but to think it was so rare... If she didn¡¯t give me my shareter, bloodshed would be inevitable. Striking my lightning fist into a fishman¡¯s body, I pledged to myself.


    After I stayed on the ship for three hours, I finally understood why Hwaya seemed to be crying every time she contacted me.


    ¡°Thiske is really big. There¡¯s just no end to it. Was Windermere Lake always this big?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. When it became a dungeon, the area strangely became bigger. That¡¯s why we aren¡¯t sure just how long we¡¯ll have to continue. ording to other countries¡¯ reports, the number of normal monsters decreases significantly when the Field Dungeon¡¯s boss is killed... But we haven¡¯t been able to find that boss.¡±


    Hwaya threw another fireball into the water as she answered my question. The toothsaw that was trying to drill into the ship made its death throes and sunk into the water. Watching the toothsaw, I muttered.


    ¡°Shark fin...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. An S-ranker from China already tried it, and apparently the texture of toothsaw¡¯s fin isn¡¯t as good as other sharks. In fact, because it¡¯s so hard, ability users other than body reinforcement types can¡¯t even eat it.¡±


    ¡°Did the Chinese S-ranker finish it? Did he say it was tasty?¡±


    ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t a body reinforcement type ability user, so his teeth broke.¡±


    ¡°Kuk, so he at least tried, that S-ranker...!¡±


    Giving up on the shark fin, I raised my head. It was already past four in the afternoon. The cold winterke wind blew against my tinum blonde hair. Looking at the town that was only a dot over the horizon, I murmured.


    ¡°Even going back will take some time.¡±


    ¡°Yep, we¡¯re going to go back soon. So? You understand why I said it would take a long time, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you did well until now. Of course, since I¡¯m here, it¡¯ll be much faster.¡±


    ¡°Haha, at least your confidence doesn¡¯t lose to an SS-ranker.¡±


    As Hwaya and I were talking, Mike nodded his head and remarked.


    ¡°You are indeed worthy of the name Thunder Knight.¡±


    Hwaya took care of the toothsaws and I took care of the fishmen. Other than when we met the melting tuna, Paul and Mike only stood by. As for Madam Brown, she had spent the entire afternoon enjoying theke winds. ording to her, it was better if she didn¡¯t need to use her ability. She really had the mindset of a healer.


    Although we encountered many monsters on our way back, no melting tunas appeared, and we didn¡¯t even catch a glimpse of the boss monster. When we spent over three hours to get back to the dock, the sky had turnedpletely dark. The sun wasn¡¯t out for long even in Britain¡¯s winter.


    ¡°T.K., let¡¯s go get some drinks with dinner.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Mike offered with his hand on my shoulder, and I gave him a thumbs up. Paul seemed to want to join in, while Madam Brown said her goodbyes and went back to her lodging. Hwaya then sent me a message as she gestured at me.


    [Let¡¯s go finish the grilled tuna. Time is frozen in the inventory, so it¡¯ll be delicious and fresh. I¡¯ll treat you to the ultimate wine.]


    [You know just what I want! Call!]


    I exchanged nces with Hwaya and took Mike¡¯s hand off of my shoulder.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, I have to teach Hwaya how to control her mana. We¡¯ll have to drink tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not suspicious at all, hehe. Mastiford¡¯s fans across the globe will cry.¡±


    ¡°Paul, let¡¯s leave the young lovers alone and go out for a drink with just the two of us!¡±


    ¡°Alright, since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s drink until dawn, Mike!¡±


    Paul and Mike walked away with a huge misunderstanding about me and Hwaya. Since I couldn¡¯t be bothered with chasing after them and correcting the misunderstanding, I simply followed Hwaya to her lodging. When I was watching the countless stars in the night sky with awe, Hwaya opened her mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯ve spent a day with them now. How were they? They¡¯re good people, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I think Britain¡¯s quite lucky. Although Brightman is here too, I was quite surprised there were so many people with camaraderie and clear hearts, even with their great strengths.¡±


    At mypliment, Hwaya let out a dry cough and puffed out her chest. I wished she¡¯d restrain herself a bit with how bountiful her chest was. I didn¡¯t know where to look.


    ¡°Britain is a great country! Ah, I like Korea too. There are many good people in Korea too. Plus, I love Korean food. My mom is a great cook. But still, I like this country, Britain.¡±


    ¡°I think being proud of the country you were born in is a good thing.¡±


    I replied with a bitter smile. She also responded with a bitter smile. Then, neither of us said anything.


    We arrived at her lodgings and opened the door. As Hwaya was about to go in without much thought, I stopped her. With a smile, I closed the door. As I thought, he didn¡¯t listen to my warning.


    Thinking that, I opened my eyes sharply and shouted.


    ¡°Ruyue, Peika, restrain him!¡±


    [Aooooooo!]


    The lodging was instantly surrounded by a wall of ice. A gasp rang out along with the sound of a window opening. Arge amount of electricity sparked in the air. A ck clothed man trying to escape from the window had be enveloped in Peika¡¯s lightning curtain.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    The moment I heard his voice, I was reminded of someone.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [You can¡¯t run!]


    After falling on the ground, the ck clothed man tried to escape without caring for the pain or injury he suffered, but Ruyue froze his feet before he could move. With his feet frozen to the ground, he couldn¡¯t move in the slightest. Peika created a spear of lightning in the air.


    [Master, do I kill him?]


    ¡°Paralyze him for now! Don¡¯t let him take anything out!¡±


    At my order, Peika sent her lightning flying toward him. As I expected, he tried to reach into an invisible pocket of dimension in mid-air. However, Peika¡¯s lightning struck him before he could take anything out. He trembled as he foamed at the mouth. Meanwhile, Ruyue¡¯s ice crept up from his feet to his shin, knees, then waist. He was being restrained perfectly.


    Good, with this, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape to the dungeon.


    I stood in front of him. It seemed he snapped out of the paralysis as he sent a fist imbued with blue light toward me. However, I likewise imbued my hand with white light and grabbed his fist. He flinched as he trembled.


    ¡°How disappointing.¡±


    With that, I squeezed the fist in my hand. Crack. With an unpleasant sound, his finger bones snapped. His other fist instantly flew toward me shining with a strange light. Before what I expected was a skill could activate, I struck his elbow up. Crack. With another unpleasant sound, his arm snapped.


    ¡°Kuuk...!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were this kind of person.¡±


    ¡°What? Shin... Do you know him?¡±


    Seeing Hwaya standing still and blinking at me until the situation was taken care of, I was reminded how bad magicians were with using their bodies. On her shoulder was a small me cat. It seemed she at least knew how to protect herself. I gave her 6 points out of 10.


    I answered Hwaya.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you realize?¡±


    ¡°Realize what?¡±


    To prevent him from opening the door to the dungeon, I grabbed his other arm and bent it. Although he tried to resist me with his mana, my strength was vastly higher than his. He was undoubtedly a strong explorer, but I could so easily break his arm.


    ¡°Kuu!¡±


    ¡°... Hm?¡±


    Even after hearing his voice, Hwaya tilted her head. You, that¡¯s uncharacteristically cute, so it¡¯s forbidden from now. I calmed my heart beating because of her, and told her the answer.


    ¡°It¡¯s Walker. Edward Walker.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Walker! So that¡¯s who it was... Walker!?¡±


    Author¡¯s note:


    Walker finally appears! And gets beaten the moment he does! But it was to be expected. Walker is an explorer from the Third Dungeon... (tears)

 Chapter 96. Granting Freedom (3)

    Chapter 96. Granting Freedom (3)


    Hwaya¡¯s eyes opened wide. It was to be expected. She probably didn¡¯t expect Walker¡¯s name to suddenly pop out.


    But I was sure. The ck clothed man who was frozen up to his stomach was undoubtedly Edward Walker. I could tell from his voice. Seeing him use a skill, I became even more confident.


    I took off the mask he was wearing. A brown eyed and brown haired middle-age man was revealed underneath. Although he was gritting his teeth and ring at me, I didn¡¯t pay it any attention and grabbed his face. Pzzt. Sparks shed. This strong resistance made me confident.


    ¡°You even have an item that hides your identity.¡±


    ¡°Like the one you¡¯re wearing?¡±


    ¡°I already said I was sorry.¡±


    I let Walker go. Since he could have the Return skill like me (though he would have used it by now), I broke both of his two legs to leave behind evidence that he couldn¡¯t get rid of. Although I wasn¡¯t sure how severe the state of his arms and legs were, that was not of my concern.


    ¡°Kuuuuk!¡±


    ¡°Walker, sneaking into ady¡¯s room is something only a piece of trash would do. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°Kuuuu....!¡±


    ¡°You see, I¡¯m quite angry. It could be because I have a younger sister, but it doesn¡¯t feel like someone else¡¯s problem. I might be a bit harsh... so start talking.¡±


    First, I lightly punched his stomach. The mana surrounding his body undted and a strong blue light shot out for a moment. From the resistance I felt against my fist, it seemed he was wearing an impact-reducing item, as it only reacted to physical impacts, not to lightning or ice. No, perhaps the item reacted, but couldn¡¯t win against them.


    I wondered how it worked. Was it a one-time use item? Or did it have a set number of uses? Perhaps it simply activated using his mana. To answer my question, I punched Walker again. He frowned, and at the same time, another blue light shot out.


    It seemed he was using his own mana. Deciding that it was best to deplete his mana before he could do something to escape, I punched him repeatedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even pretend to be someone else.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... Walker. Kuk...!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, let me deplete your mana first.¡±


    ¡°I... won¡¯t resist!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you, so shut up.¡±


    I beat him repeatedly. When the blue light subsidedpletely, Walker¡¯s pupils dted. It was the sign that hisck of mana was affecting his mind.


    ¡°Kuk... Yeon Hwawoo, you brute...! I was only inside the building!¡±


    ¡°What, you were just trying to sneak a peek on Hwaya taking a bath? Did someone like you crawl into an SS-ranker¡¯s lodge to y tag? If you¡¯re going to continue your nonsense, I can always hit you more.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You, why would a dungeon explorer like you work under someone like Brightman?¡±


    I, of course, judged that Walker was Brightman¡¯s subordinate and was acting on his orders. To be honest, it was rather obvious. Hwaya was also nodding her head in agreement.


    ¡°Would you believe me if I said I wasn¡¯t?¡±


    When I raised my fist without a reply, Walker let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°You really are a brute... uk!¡±


    ¡°First, take off that item.¡±


    Walker red at me, then reached his hands out to unequip his item. Then, realizing that his arms were broken, he murmured something. Surprisingly, something thin came off of his face, and he became a ck haired, green eyed young man. Although his facial lines were rather thick, his green eyes gave off a calming impression.


    ¡°Ah, give me that item of course.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s a Floor Shop item, so it¡¯s untradeable.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    When I picked it up, it came in my possession without any resistance. He was lying.


    [Ghostface (Unique)


    Durability ¨C 98/110


    Equipment Limit ¨C Level 40+, Magic 50+


    Option ¨C Magic -20, Dexterity +15


    Skill ¨C Ghostface: Wearing this item will allow you to change your appearance into someone you¡¯ve seen before. However, as the item uses your mana, you cannot use a portion of your mana while the item is equipped.]


    The moment the item description popped up, I punched Walker¡¯s stomach again. As expected, blue light once again shot up. He was undoubtedly trying to do something, as he grit his teeth at my attack.


    ¡°You son of a bitch!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the son of a bitch here.¡±


    I depleted his mana once again and put Ghostface in my inventory.


    ¡°Can you disarm yourself next?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t move my body. Heal my arm at least.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll just take them off myself.¡±


    ¡°Kyak, what are you doing when I¡¯m watching!?¡±


    Just like that, Walker was stripped until even his important parts were showing (Hwaya screamed and turned away). I put some random clothes on Walker and burned his undergarments. Then, I checked his equipment and found what I was looking for.


    ¡°Here it is.¡±


    [Serina¡¯s Guardian Bracelet (Epic)


    Durability ¨C 551/1,120


    Equipment Requirement ¨C Bound to Edward Walker. Others who equip it will not receive its effects.


    Options ¨C All stats + 10, Constitution +10


    Skill ¨C Serina¡¯s Protection: Upon receiving physical or magical attacks that surpass its wearer¡¯s defense, it automatically uses mana to protect its wearer.]


    ¡°Epic, huh...¡±


    I didn¡¯t realize at first, but I also had epic-grade items. My Crimson Dragon Scale Armor Set, Crimson Dragon, Red Dragon Felixes¡¯ Cape and Gluttony Spear were all epic-grade items.


    As I didn¡¯t expect walker to have such a precious item, I couldn¡¯t help but let out an exmation of surprise. However, as I already knew, epic-grade items became bound to their first wearers. Others who equipped them weren¡¯t able to enjoy their effects. As such, I ordered Peika to destroy Serina¡¯s Guardian Bracelet. It was a shame, but there was no other choice, since I couldn¡¯t equip it.


    ¡°No, do you know how precious that is!?¡±


    ¡°Walker, just shut up.¡±


    I checked the rest of his equipment, but they were only rare-grade at best. I put them together in a pile and burned them up. Walker bit his lips and cursed.


    ¡°You son of a bitch. No, you son of a devil.¡±


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s hear your story.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Your mouth isn¡¯t hurt. Why are you working under Brightman? Don¡¯t tell me you made him a dungeon explorer? Though, there¡¯s still only 6 people in Earth¡¯s dungeon explorer rankings...¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m crazy? Compared to him, the only thing I have going for me is that I¡¯m a dungeon explorer. He doesn¡¯t know that I can go to a ce outside this world and grow my ability... Plus, it just so happens that my n has been serving Brightman¡¯s n for generations.¡±


    It really was a simple reason. Although I had doubts, Hwaya seemed to have epted it.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s the 21st century.¡±


    ¡°Shin, in this world, there are lots of people living lives you can¡¯t even imagine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... Okay, I understand.¡±


    I looked at Walker and fell deep into thought. I didn¡¯t think I would beat Walker half-dead when I came over for dinner. It was so absurd that I felt like I was looking at an answer to a math problem without any work.


    ¡°Then why were you spying on Hwaya?¡±


    ¡°You two are really quite friendly. Calling her Hwaya... I¡¯ve never seen Mastiford allow someone to call her by her first name.¡±


    ¡°Walker, I thought you were smart...¡±


    Perhaps, even though he understood the dangerous situation he was in, he might have wanted to show that his mind had not yielded to me. Or, he was simplyforting himself by telling himself that he had notpletely lost yet. I didn¡¯t care either way, but I didn¡¯t have any intention of letting this drag out any longer. Did I have to resort to more violence?


    Walker seemed to have noticed what I was thinking as he hurriedly continued.


    ¡°As you can imagine, it was Brightman¡¯s orders. He said to observe and report everything... He probably wanted to find something he could exploit. Not to mention, Yeon Hwawoo... though it¡¯s probably a fake name, you¡¯re also someone he ordered me to observe. He was quite mad that Mastiford let you enter her lodgings.¡±


    ¡°Ek, creepy...¡±


    Hwaya scratched her arms, likely from goosebumps she must have received. If I were her, I would have been creeped out too...


    ¡°Mastiford, you didn¡¯t let your guard down often. The only thing I could deliver to Brightman was a picture of you taking a shower that I took between the door gap.¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    Hwaya screamed and threw her me cat at Walker. The clothes I took the trouble to put on him were burned instantly.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Hwaya, calm down. Murder is bad.¡±


    ¡°Creepy, creepy, this is the worst! Brightman who ordered to take pictures of me secretly and Walker who carried it out! I want to kill them both! I¡¯m going to kill them both!¡±


    ¡°Be patient for now. I had something in mind. Unless you¡¯re really going to kill Walker, why don¡¯t you hear me out?¡±


    ¡°Huu, huu, huu...! You have a n? I¡¯ll hear it out.¡±


    Hwaya breathed roughly and retrieved her me cat. After half-burning a man to cinders, the cat turned around and meowed cutely.


    I thought she¡¯d refuse, but she regained herposure rather quickly. In the end, it seemed she was thinking the same thing I was.


    ¡°Really... kuk, you¡¯re letting me show very embarrassing parts of myself...!¡±


    Half-burnt Walker murmured as he gritted his teeth. As I had just finished talking with Hwaya, I replied to him, dumbfounded.


    ¡°You should have known this was going to happen if you were discovered.¡±


    ¡°Right... How did you pierce through my stealth? I was confident I would never be found out...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you really thought I¡¯d tell you... Alright, Walker, you have a few choices. Listen up.¡±


    I raised a single finger up.


    ¡°First, you can go back to Brightman and reveal to the whole world that you¡¯re involved with him.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be missing some conditions there.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯ll use your real face and reveal what you did. Although Brightman is behind you, the British government cares for Hwaya just as much. I can be certain that it¡¯ll be quite hard for you to have a proper life after that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Walker closed his mouth. I continued.


    ¡°Second, you can run away to the dungeon and nevere back. It¡¯s probably better than the first option, though, it¡¯s still the same that you won¡¯t be able to live on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Is there more?¡±


    ¡°Of course there is. Third, you can betray Brightman ande to our side.¡±


    ¡°... You think I will? After what you just did to me?¡±


    Walker asked me as if he had just heard the most absurd thing in the world. However, I nodded my head assertively.


    ¡°I think you will. You were only working under Brightman because you were born into it. If you thought about Brightman so much that you would always be loyal to him, you would have made him a dungeon explorer a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Someone who knows that would do this to me!?¡±


    ¡°What you did was unforgivable after all. Even if you can be my ally, you¡¯ll have to pay for your crimes.¡±


    At my words, Walker became silent. Watching him, Hwaya burst out intoughter.


    ¡°Kukuk, so this is the Walker who cared for himself so much and didn¡¯t want to help... Walker, your actions frankly disgust me, but it¡¯s not unforgivable as you didn¡¯t make Brightman into a dungeon explorer. Although I wanted to end you no matter what Shin said... If you cooperate wholeheartedly from now on, I can stop myself from ending your life. You should know this is an incredible mercy on my part.¡±


    ¡°Someone who couldn¡¯t notice me until now shouldn¡¯t be so arrogant...¡±


    ¡°Uk.¡±


    After making Hwaya speechless, Walker turned his gaze towards me. Walker was certainly a dungeon explorer, as I could see his body naturally healing as time went on.


    ¡°I can¡¯t escape from him. Even before he became an ability user, the power and money he had was enormous. As long as I¡¯m in Britain, I can¡¯t escape his reach. Even if I can go into the dungeon, it would be the same when Ie out. Unless I n on living in the dungeon forever like you said, I can only be loyal to him. The only way I could resist him is not letting him know that I can turn him into a dungeon explorer.¡±


    ¡°Setting aside the question of whether or not that was really the only way... Why can¡¯t you just leave Britain?¡±


    ¡°Were you listening to me? There¡¯s no way to leave Britain without him finding out.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I give a very simple example? During the Event Raid, you could have left for another country and stayed there.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You were just scared. Admit it. You didn¡¯t have the courage to change the way you lived.¡±


    ¡°... Huu.¡±


    After a short sigh, Walker revealed his true thoughts.


    ¡°As long as I was loyal to him, I could have anything I wanted. You¡¯re right. Being able to thoughtlessly work under someone is indeedfortable, and I grew used to it. Participating in a raid and running away? I don¡¯t know how I would live after that. I was working under him the moment I was born. There wasn¡¯t a single time where I acted on my own ord.¡±


    ¡°The reason you onlyughed at others in themunication channel and never participated, was it just a defense mechanism?¡±


    ¡°No, that was because I simply thought you guys were idiots. It wasn¡¯t a defense mechanism or the like. If jumping into danger on your own volition isn¡¯t stupid, what is?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing exactly that right now...¡±


    This guy, even if his body¡¯s a mess, he¡¯s mouth is alive... I decided to give him the ultimatum.


    ¡°Walker, make your decision. This is thest chance to change your lifestyle. If you agree, I¡¯ll separate you from Brightmanpletely. Pledging your loyalty and living for Brightman for the rest of your life, or living in the dungeon without being able toe back to Earth. I can at least offer you a better lifestyle than that.¡±


    ¡°... I.¡±


    Walker hesitated for a long time and finally answered.


    Hearing his answer, I grinned.


    Author¡¯s note:


    I¡¯m feeling a bit sick. I have a cold and my entire body hurts. I couldn¡¯t write much today. I hope I¡¯ll be fine when I wake up. Tomorrow¡¯s chapter is on the line!


    Everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I¡¯lle back next chapter with Loretta!

 Chapter 97. Granting Freedom (4)

    Chapter 97. Granting Freedom (4)


    The dungeon¡¯s Residential Area was packed with people today, as always. However, I headed straight to my mansion. I wasn¡¯t going there to rest, but to visit the Fairy Garden through the Fairy Spring. In the pavilion on the way to Loretta¡¯s log cabin, I saw someone I had not seen on myst visit.


    ¡°Lin!¡±


    ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Kang Shin, the Crown Prince who died on the 40th floor?¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    I knew he would make fun of me! But why was he here? I gave him an inquisitive nce. At the same time, I noticed someone next to him. It was a cute girl with cat ears on her head, who was shaking her long tail slowly. It was Lokanyan.


    ¡°Hello, nyan.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Lokanyan!¡±


    ¡°My name isn¡¯t Lokanyan, it¡¯s Loka, nyan!¡±


    ¡°I see, Lokanyan.¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaaa!¡±


    After making fun of Lokanyan, I turned my attention to Lin. Just like always, he had a cigarette in his mouth.


    ¡°Thanks to your vitality hitting zero, I became free for a weak, so I¡¯m enjoying my sweet vacation.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, you must be tired from making all that equipment for me. Thanks again, Lin.¡±


    ¡°You really hate losing, don¡¯t you...!?¡±


    ¡°Lin nyan, Loka nyan made cookies, nyan. Eat some, nyan! Everyone liked it, nyan!¡±


    As Lin¡¯s hand holding his cigarette shook, Lokanyan pushed a te in front of him, which had cookie-like things piled on top of it. Were they items? I mean, they looked just like poison items!


    ¡°Ah, I was wondering where everyone went... Loka, you sent them away, I see.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude, nyan! Everyone shook because it was so delicious, nyan! Everyone said they¡¯d bring them home to eat them, nyan!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s this much left after that...? Damn, they should¡¯ve taken a bit more for me...!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, nyan! Try them, nyan! I put in lots of love for Lin, nyan!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need them... Ah, I know.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Lin, have a nice day. Lokanyan, I¡¯m cheering for you!¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait! Kang Shin!¡±


    ¡°Oooh! You¡¯re a good guy, nyan! Goodbye, nyan!¡±


    I had no intention of trying out cookies that would make even a draconian tremble in fear. Putting an end to Lin¡¯s attempt to get me to try those cookies, I wished him luck and headed to Loretta. I ignored Lin¡¯s scream that I vaguely heard behind me and spat on the ground. A girl was trying to give him handmade cookies! It was a situation straight out of a manhwa. Not to mention, the girl was a cat-eared beauty that embodied the word ¡®cute!¡¯


    I hoped he would eat them and explode.


    When Loretta first saw me, she weed me as she pped her long ears. However, her ears drooped more and more as I exined the reason I was here.


    ¡°You want to learn a sword technique? To slice monsters for sashimi?¡±


    My long and sad tale that no one could listen to without crying was cut off in the middle by Loretta. Then, she looked at me like she was looking at an idiot.


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot.¡±


    She said it!


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you make a hand knife and imbue mana into it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the confidence to control it carefully. Not to mention, it¡¯s illogical to fillet a fish with your hand.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you put mana into your spear?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to hide the fact that I use spears.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re okay revealing that you can suddenly use swords?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just learning it today, so it shouldn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a better method than that sweaty and brutish method, Shin-nim.¡±


    When I heard Loretta¡¯s words, I became slightly uneasy. Sure enough, she took out a glowing blue kitchen knife from her pocket.


    ¡°A kitchen knife forged by a master craftsman, able to slice all food ingredients, even if they are monsters, without having to know even the basic of sword techniques! Its name is ¡®All Crusher!¡¯¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not allowed to crush everything!¡±


    ¡°If you buy it now, I¡¯ll throw in ¡®Burnt to White Ashes,¡¯ a magical pot that can heat all food ingredients to the perfect temperature!¡±


    ¡°Both the kitchen knife and the pot have weird names... Also, it¡¯s not allowed to burn things to white ashes!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised, there¡¯s more! ¡®Drug,¡¯ a magical seasoning that can sublimate the taste of any food with just a single sprinkle! If you eat it once, you might get addicted and never be able to escape it!¡±


    ¡°Drug? Is that a narcotic? It isn¡¯t, right?¡±


    ¡°This mind-blowingbination of items is only 99,900 gold! They¡¯re only 99,900 gold!¡±


    ¡°Just say 100,000 gold.¡±


    ¡°From my heart for Shin-nim, the 100 gold is... a service!¡±


    Seeing Loretta make a heart with her two hands, I really considered flicking her forehead, but held myself back. Instead, I took out 100,000 gold and gave it to her.


    ¡°No, I just need 99,900 gold.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll give 100 gold more as a service from my heart for Loretta.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh.¡±


    Loretta¡¯s ears pped wildly. I only gave back the gold she discounted, but she was incredibly happy. This elf really liked money. Then, Loretta spoke as she gave me the items with a blooming smile.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll serve you some tea, so stay for a while. Huhu, Shin-nim is quite skilled at bargaining.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Ah, tea time with Loretta is good too, but there¡¯s something I want to ask.¡±


    I put the kitchen knife, pot, and seasoning into my inventory, and tried to make a serious expression to exin what had happened today. That I had met another explorer as an enemy and that he was currently restrained.


    Although Walker had agreed to betray Brightman, I had just beat him up severely, and it wasn¡¯t so easy to trust Walker, who had spent his entire life under Brightman¡¯s orders. I needed a way to ensure he wouldn¡¯t change his mind.


    After listening to my story, Loretta made a thinking ¡®hmmm,¡¯ then rummaged through her pocket with a small exmation.


    ¡°Something perfect for Shin-nim is right... here. Soul Contract.¡±


    It had a very dangerous sounding name.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, since you¡¯ve made more than two achievements, you can buy this too. It¡¯s pretty easy to use. You write the content both sides of the contract should keep with your blood. It doesn¡¯t matter whatnguage you write it in. After that, say that you¡¯ll form a soul contract, and the contract will activate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it? It¡¯s that simple?¡±


    ¡°Ah, if either person vites the contract, the other person will take his soul, so be careful.¡±


    ¡°This is a really dangerous contract!¡±


    ¡°But you need something like this, right?¡±


    Loretta rolled the Soul Contract and gave it to me.


    ¡°It¡¯s 1,000,000 gold, but since no one¡¯s bought it for 500 years, I¡¯ll give it to you for 500,000 gold. That¡¯s the manufacture cost.¡±


    ¡°A 50% discount, wow. It¡¯s still expensive though... Alright, here.¡±


    Duhan gave me 100,000 gold each time I defeated him, and as I had defeated him over 80 times, I wasn¡¯t short on money. Even with the price I paid for Party Member Scarecrows, Floor Master Battle Vouchers, potions, equipment repair costs, and the equipment crafting cost I paid to Lin, I still had about 7,000,000 gold left. That is, I could spare 500,000 gold with only a light burden.


    ¡°Thanks for your purchase, customer!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Loretta. I knewing to you was a good idea.¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m... d to be of help. I-If you there¡¯s anything troubling you, you can always look for me! As long as you pay for it, I can even make something I don¡¯t have!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll try to get Lin to take care of most of my needs. I¡¯m here because my vitality hit zero. I did meet Lin, but I couldn¡¯t bother him during his date.¡±


    ¡°... So you won¡¯te over anymore?¡±


    Loretta¡¯s ears drooped down. It was cute in a way, so I wanted to keep watching her, but Loretta¡¯s depressed appearance startled me, and I was making an excuse before I noticed it.


    ¡°N-No! I meant I won¡¯t visit Loretta only when I have something I need. I¡¯lle over often, as long as it doesn¡¯t bother Loretta.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t bother me at all. In fact, I¡¯m almost bored to death! So pleasee over a lot!¡±


    No, if you¡¯re that bored, do work... Aren¡¯t you the guild master...?


    *


    When I came back after some tea, Walker was crawling on the ground with his body and mouth wrapped in boxing tape.


    ¡°Walker, caterpir suits you well too...¡±


    ¡°Mmmm!¡±


    ¡°His talking annoyed me, so I shut him up.¡±


    Hwaya was ring at Walker with a reddened face. I first took the boxing tape off of Walker¡¯s mouth. Puha! He coughed out a mouthful of breath andined.


    ¡°Damn it, I was only curious if Mastiford and you- kuaaak!¡±


    ¡°Walker, are you perhaps just stupid?¡±


    Walker became a burning caterpir and was wriggling violently, but I decided to leave him be until Hwaya calmed down. When Walker was letting out a slightly smoked smell, I showed him the contract.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s organize the content of the contract between us.¡±


    ¡°You really are thorough. You even prepared something like this... What meaning is there to a contract? Don¡¯t tell me you think you could restrain me with thew?¡±


    ¡°No, and I¡¯m not trying to restrain you. This is a Soul Contract, just something that gives me your soul if you break the contract. Don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡±


    ¡°How can I not worry about it!? I¡¯d rather be restrained by thew!¡±


    ¡°But you have no choice!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, no! I¡¯m not doing it!¡±


    ¡°What, so you were nning on breaking your promise...?¡±


    Hwaya spoke with a low voice and made a me in her hand. A white me. It was an incredibly hot me. Walker seemed to have noticed how dangerous it was, as he swallowed his saliva. Then he silently pulled the contract toward him.


    use one. Edward Walker (it was his real name) will not be able to directly or indirectly harm Hwaya Eleni Mastiford or Kang Shin, and this applies to their family, rtives, and friends.


    ¡°Well, of course, but I¡¯m a bit worried just what ¡®direct¡¯ and ¡®indirect¡¯ epasses.¡±


    ¡°Simply put, you¡¯re not allowed to curse. Also, if you try to peek on me again, your soul might go flying from the mental stress I might take.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it!¡±


    use two. Kang Shin will safely take Edward Walker to Korea, and help him live a free life given that he does not vite the first use.


    ¡°But what¡¯s your n? It won¡¯t be easy to avoid Brightman¡¯s eyes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have my ways.¡±


    use three. Edward Walker will carry out the following missions in exchange for not revealing his perverted actions publicly and privately.


    First. Destroy all information about Hwaya Eleni Mastiford in Brightman¡¯s possession, and use his ability as a dungeon explorer to assist her to the greatest extent possible. Also, before Hwaya Eleni Mastiford gives her permission, do not appoint anyone as a dungeon explorer.


    Second. Guard Kang Shin¡¯s younger sister, Kang Yua, perfectly.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly what it says. Brightman that bastard has a picture of me taking a ba, bath... I hate it! Get rid of it all! Also, when I make my dungeon explorer organizationter, you have to help. I¡¯ll need your authority to appoint a dungeon explorer then too... That¡¯s my condition.¡±


    ¡°No, I expected the first mission... Yeon Hwawoo, or rather, Kang Shin. What do you mean guarding your younger sister?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m only epting you to our side because of it.¡±


    I said as I red at Walker.


    ¡°You see, my young sister is dangerously cute. Although I installed some safety devices, we live in a dangerous world. When something happens to my young sister and she¡¯s in trouble, I need someone to protect her until I get there. Your stealth ability and physical ability is perfect for a guard!¡±


    ¡°You... just for something like that...¡±


    ¡°Something like that?¡±


    The fist I raised up flickered with lightning. Should I kill this bastard? Hwaya sighed and stopped me.


    ¡°You only need to guard Shin¡¯s younger sister from morning to afternoon, so you¡¯ll be free after that. You can be in the dungeon or whatever then. What dungeon did you say you were from again?¡±


    ¡°The Third Dungeon... damn it, my daily life is going to bepletely gone.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re so noisy! You¡¯ll be free on the weekends! Just think of it as a job!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, a job of secretly guarding some young chick... I¡¯d rather stay in the dungeon for the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡°Shin, don¡¯t kill him.¡±


    I was already punching Walker¡¯s face, but thankfully, he didn¡¯t die.


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯ll understand when you see my sister. In fact, you¡¯ll be thankful that I gave you the opportunity to guard such a pretty and cute reincarnation of an archangel.¡±


    ¡°Kuuk... She¡¯s that pretty?¡±


    ¡°If youy a single finger on her, you¡¯re dead. I¡¯ll rip you to shreds and burn you to cinders. I¡¯ll bring you back to life, kill you again, find you in hell, and turn you into powder.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s in the contract! I know even if you don¡¯t threaten me!¡±


    use four. When requested by Hwaya Eleni Mastiford or Kang Shin, Edward Walker will participate in Event Raids and Event Dungeons. This use takes priority over the second and third use.


    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°You sure ask a lot of me...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it? Want me to give you a sry too?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I don¡¯t need you bossing me around even more.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, repeat after me. I form a soul contract.¡±


    ¡°Huu.... Damn it. I form a soul contract.¡±


    The moment we made our announcements, the Soul Contract floated up into the air and burned splendidly. Walker felt pain immediately afterwards and rolled on the ground.


    ¡°Kuuuuuuak!¡±


    ¡°Ah, maybe you can¡¯t curse us inwardly either. I heard your heart starts to hurt when the contract is about to be breached. If you continue, your soul will fly out, so be careful.¡±


    ¡°Take it back, damn it, take it back! Kuaaaaaak!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how long it would take for Walker to calm down, but it was none of my business. After finishing my business with him, I got up from my seat with a refreshed mind. Hwaya looked up at me with curious eyes.


    ¡°Where are you going? After dealing with Walker and even going to the dungeon to get items, we didn¡¯t even have time to eat dinner yet.¡±


    ¡°Huu, Hwaya, there¡¯s something I have to do. Something really important that I have to do right now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is... but do you need help?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s something I have to do myself. Alright... I¡¯m off then. I might bete, so you can eat first.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay. Good luck...?¡±


    Even as she waved me goodbye, Hwaya tilted her head curiously. I left her lodgings. The town andke were bothpletely dark. There was no one in sight, and far in theke, a melting tuna was breaching over the water...! Checking again that no one was around, I equipped my Crimson Dragon Scale Armor. In my hand was the All Crusher.


    ¡°Melting tuna sashimi... Wait for me, I¡¯ming!¡±


    The next morning, there was a report of a strange monster running above theke waters (borrowing Ruyue¡¯s power), screaming to attract monsters (Provoke), and calling down storms to ughter them (Elemental Tempest). Thankfully, they hadn¡¯t seen me slice the melting tuna for sashimi...!


    Author¡¯s Notes:


    Can that be called freedom...? (Author¡¯s thinking)


    Walker has joined the party with Soul Contract! Bambadabam! You obtained a good assassin to put to work!


    PS ¨C 1. The hard-to-describe cookies: ¡®Nyaruko: Crawling With Love¡¯ reference


    2. The pot¡¯s name ¡®Burnt to White Ashes¡¯: Referenced from Ashita no Joe¡¯s famous scene

 Chapter 98. Granting Freedom (5)

    Chapter 98. Granting Freedom (5)


    Walker carried out his mission swiftly and precisely. Although he looked pathetic when I was beating him up, his stealth ability was truly good enough to trick an SS ranker. In just two days, he brought us all of the data Brightman had on Hwaya.


    ¡°I destroyed or burned everything that I couldn¡¯t bring. There isn¡¯t even a single word or photo left of you.¡±


    Walker assured us. Since neither the contract nor his personality made it likely that he¡¯d lie, Hwaya quickly burned everything in front of her and nodded.


    ¡°Alright, good.¡±


    ¡°But he will definitely find out I was the one who did it. Simply put, I just burned the bridge connecting us.¡±


    ¡°Good, Walker. You can now stay in the dungeon until I¡¯m done with my business here. You cane with me when I go back to Korea.¡±


    ¡°... Even if I use my stealth ability, Brightman will find out if I leave the country with you. He¡¯s watching you closely. You already know, right?¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any problem... Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t want him to discover my identity either. He doesn¡¯t know how I came here, right?¡±


    ¡°No one here knew you wereing until you arrived at Windermere. Mastiford was thorough in hiding her tracks.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, it wasn¡¯t much.¡±


    Hwaya was wearing a proud smile. Of course, as Hwaya was an SS ranker, it wasn¡¯t weird that she had allies that could hide from Brightman.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine then. When I go back, I¡¯ll be using my own method. You cane with me then, Walker.¡±


    ¡°Your method, huh...? You must have a special skill.¡±


    ¡°Yep, exactly. So you can just focus on the dungeon before then... Ah.¡±


    I almost forgot.


    ¡°Walker, here.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s... This is Serina¡¯s Guardian Bracelet!¡±


    Walker grabbed the bracelet I held out and his eyes opened wide.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a bit different. Lin said he added something to it.¡±


    ¡°But how...? Didn¡¯t you shatter and burn it!?¡±


    ¡°Mm, yeah, but it seems the important parts were fine. It¡¯s a reward for doing your job well and for all the work you¡¯ll do in the future.¡±


    In truth, I took the remains of the broken bracelet to Lin at Fairy Garden, thinking maybe he could make a new item. As the important parts of it were still okay, a new bracelet was made using First Dungeon¡¯s monster drop items. The resulting guardian bracelet was even better than the old one, but unfortunately, it was still bound to Walker. Although I thought about breaking it again, since he would be in charge of protecting my sister, I decided to give it back to him.


    ¡°Ku... I thought I¡¯d never see it again...¡±


    Walker looked touched as he rubbed the guardian bracelet on his cheek. I tried my best to ignore the rather disgusting scene.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re the one who broke it in the first ce, I won¡¯t thank you. But I can promise I will do my utmost to fulfill the contents of the contract.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Although we wouldn¡¯t evere to like each other, Walker¡¯s hostility toward Hwaya and me seemed to have lessened now that he got his bracelet back. After equipping the guardian bracelet, he went back to the dungeon. ording to him, he was on the 44th floor.


    ¡°By the way, Shin, what dungeon are you from? You said you weren¡¯t Gold ranked yet, right? But since you overwhelmed Walker like that, are you perhaps also in the Second Dungeon?¡±


    Hwaya asked casually. I also responded casually.


    ¡°I¡¯m in the First Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What, why are you in the First!? Even I¡¯m in the Second!¡±


    Yep, I knew she¡¯d get angry.


    ¡°My father is a First Dungeon explorer. Since he appointed me as an explorer, I¡¯d naturally be in the First Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Uuuk, t-that means your friend is also in the First Dungeon...¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Uuuguu! But I¡¯m stronger! I want to be in the First Dungeon too!¡±


    ¡°No... You should give up.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t! I¡¯ll be tinum ranked and go to the First Dungeon!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I raised my head.


    ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯ll be tinum ranked and go to the First Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? The way to go to a higher ranked Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard about it.¡±


    As I wore a dumbfounded look, Hwaya began to exin.


    ¡°I only found out after I broke through the 65th floor. In the Second Dungeon, you¡¯ll be a tinum ranked explorer after the 80th floor, and if youplete a certain achievement on top of that, you can be a First Dungeon explorer with your level adjusted!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the achievement?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I looked at her like she was an idiot. She seemed to have noticed what I was thinking, as she pinched my arm, then writhed in pain with her hurt fingers. However, she soon continued triumphantly.


    ¡°But you know, if it¡¯s an achievement, it¡¯s probably something like that. I already have one. Huhu, burning over half the monster in the dungeon floor at the same time! I even got a title, ¡®Incarnation of Agni.¡¯ Amazing, right?¡±


    ¡°Agni. The god of fire from Hindu mythology. T-That¡¯s amazing...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell her that I had a god¡¯s true name.


    ¡°Did you get an achievement yet? Ah, it¡¯s fine even if you haven¡¯t. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m too amazing. I think you¡¯re skilled too. Plus, you¡¯ll continue to get stronger, so you¡¯ll have lots of chances to obtain an achievement.¡±


    Ipletely ignored her consoling words and continued.


    ¡°Hwaya, I don¡¯t know what achievement you have to make to be a First Dungeon explorer, but I¡¯ll tell you the achievements I¡¯ve made so far, so you can refer to them.¡±


    ¡°Achievements, plural!?¡±


    ¡°First, breaking through four floors in 7 hours.¡±


    ¡°... Are you human?¡±


    ¡°Second, challenging a Floor Master alone on your first try and defeating him. The achievement is better if you¡¯re the first one in the Second Dungeon¡¯s history to do it.¡±


    ¡°You... really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Even if you aren¡¯t the first, defeating a Floor Master alone still counts as an achievement, and beating an Event Raid with few participants also counts as an achievement. But they aren¡¯t anything big, so I doubt those will be it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Obtaining a god¡¯s true name can be a great achievement. Since you already have Incarnation of Agni, you might be able to obtain Agni¡¯s true name if you try harder. Like if you could burn all the monsters in a dungeon floor at the same time.¡±


    ¡°... Huu.¡±


    Hwaya, who was listening to me silently, became dispirited. Then, she blurted out.


    ¡°I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    ¡°You really are honest...¡±


    ¡°Uuu, I hate it. I hate myself and I hate you. Why am I jealous of you...? Our dungeons are different and our battle styles are different... but still... I¡¯m jealous!¡±


    Seeing Hwaya y with her hair, not knowing what to do, I asked.


    ¡°So, are you just going to stay jealous?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! God¡¯s true name, right? Defeating a Floor Master alone? Uuu, just you watch! I¡¯ll achieve them and be a First Dungeon explorer. Prepare yourself. Now will be the only time you can talk so arrogantly! Got it, Kang Shin?¡±


    Ooh, she¡¯s fired up! I answered her enthusiastic words with a smile. I really liked people that weren¡¯t overconfident. I liked hard-working people even more.


    ¡°Good luck, I¡¯ll be cheering for you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cheer me on with such a kind face! My hostility is disappearing!¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be hostile towards your friend...¡±


    As I answered Hwaya with amusement, a question suddenly popped up in my head.


    If there was a way to go from the Second Dungeon to the First Dungeon... Where could I go from the First Dungeon?


    *


    After I joined Hwaya¡¯s team, our hunting speed more than tripled. As I easily took care of the fishmen that were causing the most problems for them, it was only natural. Furthermore, every time I screamed on the ship, monsters flocked toward us, allowing us to take care of them in one go.


    ¡°Amazing. How can T.K.¡¯s voice provoke other monsters?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe they know I¡¯m strong, so they¡¯reing to fight together?¡±


    I gave a half-hearted reply and punched a nearby fishman. Hwaya, who could surmise the reason, grinned and sent her fireballs flying without saying anything.


    Just like that, four days passed. By the time I stored over ten melting tunas in my inventory, theke had begun to change. Simply put, the monsters became stronger. The number of fishmen decreased, and the number of melting tunas and toothsaws increased. Although it was a very good thing for me, it was undoubtedly an unusually change.


    Then, on the seventh day after I arrived at Windermere, while we were fighting melting tunas and toothsaws wildly, our ship came face to face with Brightman¡¯s ship. Although there were only five people on our ship, Brightman had seven people on his. Besides Tommy, who was on the ship even though he still hadn¡¯t fully recovered, Brightman was the only British ranker. I knew they had an A+ rank healer, so four other S rankers hade to aid Brightman.


    ¡°Miss Mastiford, you¡¯ve been doing extremely welltely.¡±


    ¡°We only have elites. You and I aren¡¯t close enough to be chatting like this, so why don¡¯t you turn your ship around and leave?¡±


    ¡°Huu, how cold, even though I¡¯m always thinking about you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always thinking about me, you say...? That¡¯s really, really creepy.¡±


    Brightman flinched, seeming having sensed something from Hwaya¡¯s sizzling voice. Then, he continued.


    ¡°By the way, Miss Mastiford, I forgot to put a cor on my pet dog, and he ran away. I¡¯m looking for him, but I can¡¯t seem to find him. He¡¯s a brown-haired dachshund. Have you seen him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re asking me about your lost dog, Brightman. Ah, I don¡¯t know about a dog, but I did see a ck cockroach in my house... I instantly burned it to cinders.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, I see. My bad.¡±


    Then, Brightman red at me for some reason. What, why are you looking at me? Hwaya seemed to have noticed who Brightman was looking at as she snorted. Then, she lowered the tone of her voice and growled at Brightman.


    ¡°Brightman, I¡¯m warning you. If you overstep your boundaries, I¡¯m prepared to do the same. I¡¯m proud that you are British, but I¡¯m disillusioned the more I interact with you. You¡¯re one of the superhumans representing our country. You should know what that means. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re funny, Miss Mastiford. Of course I understand what that means. Miss Mastiford is also a superhuman representing our country. Don¡¯t you think we¡¯re perfect for each other?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you to shut up before the number of superhumans representing our country is reduced to one.¡±


    Brightman was the one who ordered Walker to observe Hwaya and even take pictures of her secretly.


    Just like I thought when I first obtained the evidence of Brightman¡¯s wrongdoing, the British government would most likely refuse to do anything that would harm Brightman. It didn¡¯t matter what crimes hemitted. Although I didn¡¯t know it at first, Brightman supposedly had an overwhelming influence over the British government and Guardian. Since he had political power, mary power, and military power, it was understandable.


    In other words, although they were both SS rankers, Brightman had a higher standing in Britain. There were undoubtedly many supporters of Hwaya, but it was probably only to the extent that they didn¡¯t get in the way of Brightman.


    No matter how much Hwaya loved her country, if Britain continued to ignore Brightman¡¯s overbearing actions, Hwaya might lose her patience. That was what Hwaya was warning him about.


    ¡°Miss Mastiford... How can you say that? As fellow British nobles, aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°Embarrassed? Would someone who knows what embarrassment is do what you¡¯ve been doing?¡±


    ¡°Tsk... Miss Mastiford, you weren¡¯t like this before. As I thought, you shouldn¡¯t hang out with people outside of your ss.¡±


    Hwaya made a huge me and threw it. It hit the water between our ship and Brightman¡¯s ship, exploding with a thundering roar and making an enormous amount of steam rise up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Insult. My. Friend.¡±


    Although her voice wasn¡¯t loud, her voice reached my ears clearly.


    ¡°At the very least, they¡¯re better than a piece of trash like you. Brightman, if you really are a noble, if you really think about Britain and its future, you should screw the hell off and not involve yourself with me. Dig open those filthy earholes and let my words stick in your mind! I won¡¯t ever like a scumbag like you! I never did and I never will! So turn your ship around and screw off, you oldie!¡±


    ¡°What a beautiful speech... If I do say so myself, her speech from just now should be ced above Churchill¡¯smencement speech. She managed to pack her spirit and intentions into such a short speech.¡±


    ¡°No, Mike, that¡¯s too much. I¡¯d say it¡¯s about on the same level as Steve Jobs¡¯mencement speech.¡±


    ¡°You guys shouldn¡¯t make fun ofmencement speeches like that. You¡¯ll get arrested.¡±


    As I pped, I warned Mike and Paul who were saying some nonsense drivel. When they both gave me a thumbs up, I got the strong urge to break them, but I restrained myself.


    However, rather than making Brightman turn his ship and leave, her shouting and me seemed to have first called something.


    Oooooong. For a moment, something created a strong vibration in the water.


    ¡°Whoa.¡±


    ¡°Mike!¡±


    The moment something popped out of the water, Paul quickly pushed Mike away and blocked that something with his shield. Thanks to Paul¡¯s timely defense, we were able to see the thing that was vibrating so strongly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a saw!¡±


    ¡°A really big one too!¡±


    As the words left my mouth, I created a speciallyrge Thunder Arrow in my hand and threw it forward. When it hit the eye of the giant toothsaw, which was about to break through Paul¡¯s shield with its sharp saw-snout, the giant toothsaw screamed and fell back.


    ¡°So you could use lightning outside of just your fists!¡±


    ¡°Before that, take care of him! He has to be the Field Dungeon¡¯s boss!¡±


    Although normal toothsaws wererge too, just this guy¡¯s body was over 20 meters long. Naturally, his saw-snout was several meters long too. With that huge saw and its unnaturally strong vibration, it was possible that the ship would be cut in half. Hwaya gritted her teeth and created mes in both her hands.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll need my help!¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t bother us, Brighman!¡±


    Although Hwaya shot down Brightman¡¯s offer immediately, as the boss of an A+ rank Field Dungeon could easily kill a ranker, refusing his offer wasn¡¯t necessarily the best idea. Hwaya naturally became quieter, and knowing that, Brightman moved his ship forward towards us.


    [Master, careful.]


    ¡°About what?¡±


    [I can hear a singing voice. Other people will hear it soon too.]


    ¡°Singing voice...?¡±


    [Protect your mind!]


    Hearing Peika¡¯s warning, I circted Peruta Circuit, when a thought suddenly crossed my mind.


    That giant toothsaw charging at us to cut our ship probably wasn¡¯t the one singing. In that case...


    ¡°There are... two bosses?¡±


    The moment I murmured...


    [L~ Lla~]


    I began to hear a beautiful female singing voice. It was the kind of heavenly singing voice that charmed whoever heard it and made even the most tearless person cry.


    It was the singing voice that gave this Field Dungeon the name, ¡®Graveyard Over the Lake.¡¯


    Author¡¯s Note:


    Upping Walker¡¯s goodwill with a carrot and a stick method! And a slight foreshadowing to go with it!


    Will British rankers + other countries¡¯ rankers + our MC be able to kill the Field Dungeon¡¯s boss safely? Look forward to the next chapter ^^

 Chapter 99. Granting Freedom (6)

    Chapter 99. Granting Freedom (6)


    [Lla~ L~]


    ¡°Uh, woah!¡±


    Brightman¡¯s ship was the first to have problems. Its helmsman fainted, and the ship, which was heading toward us slowly, suddenly sped up greatly. Our ship¡¯s helmsman was the next to faint, giving us no chance to move our ship. There was no doubt that the singing was attacking our minds, just like the voices of the sirens that attacked Odysseus on his way back to Ithaca!


    ¡°Mike, do something!¡±


    ¡°Shit. There¡¯s not enough time...!¡±


    ¡°O wind!¡±


    Thankfully, someone on Brightman¡¯s ship seemed to be able to wield wind, as a strong wind suppressed the motor that had gone out of control, diverting Brightman¡¯s ship away from us. However, after changing directions, they were charging towards the giant toothsaw.


    ¡°Hey, ramming it with your ship isn¡¯t going to do much damage!¡±


    ¡°Stop saying stupid things and start chanting, Mike!¡±


    Paul yelled at Mike and ran next to me. Then, the singing voice once again rang out.


    [Lla~ L~]


    ¡°Eh... Eh?¡±


    Paul made a stupefied voice. Come on, S rankers, you should be able to endure some mental attacks! I urgently shouted in a loud voice.


    ¡°Everyone snap out of it!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    The next moment, Paul, who was staggering, stood back up. His eyes were clear and unconfused.


    ¡°Wow, your shouting voice is amazing, T.K.! My mind feels clear, and I can feel strength surging through my body! I feel like I can even smack that guy to death with my shield!¡±


    ¡°You exaggerate too much! Just focus on blocking that thing¡¯s attack! Hwaya, do you know where the voice ising from?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll find out!¡±


    Since I had already revealed Thunder Arrow, I decided to use Peika¡¯s abilities freely.


    ¡°Peika, please.¡±


    [Leave it to me, Master! Thunder Spear!]


    Arge spear of lightning formed in mid-air, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. I ignored their gazes and threw the lightning spear at the toothsaw. At the same time, I realized something important. Brightman¡¯s ship was still charging straight at the toothsaw!


    ¡°What, why haven¡¯t they recovered they consciousness!?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so your shout really did have a special power...!¡±


    The moment Paul let out an exmation of surprise, I realized. They weren¡¯t my party members!


    ¡°Madam Brown!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already on it! ¡®Mind Recovery!¡¯¡±


    Madam Brown spread her arms out and used mind recovery magic. A few of the people on Brightman¡¯s ship raised their heads. Brightman was, of course, one of them.


    ¡°Kuk, what is this voice...!?¡±


    ¡°Brightman, turn the ship around!¡±


    Paul shouted. Brightman and the other rankers realized the situation they were in and ran to the steering wheel. At the same time, the toothsaw began to move. Towards us.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Huk, it must be because you attacked it, T.K.!¡±


    ¡°Kuk... Fine, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    Because of the sheer size of the thing, I wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to do, so I decided to take care of it in an orderly way. First, its eyes. Then, its frightening saw. With that, I threw a second Thunder Spear at its eye.


    [Kiaaaaa!]


    [Lla~]


    The singing voice once again rang out. At the same time, hit by the Thunder Spear, the toothsaw screamed and swung its sawde randomly. Then, it saw Brightman¡¯s ship, as Brightman and the others had once again fallen in a daze to the singing voice. Not only did they fail to turn the ship around, this time their wind magician also lost his consciousness. Come on, don¡¯t you guys have a healer too!?


    ¡°Oh no, they¡¯re too far from us! We¡¯ll have to go there ourselves...!¡±


    ¡°Agh, so annoying...!¡±


    [Lla~ Listen to my singing~]


    ¡°If it¡¯s singing, you should do it at a concert!¡±


    I retorted angrily and once again threw a Thunder Spear at the toothsaw. Hwaya also shot a huge fireball at it.


    ¡°Come over here, you shark bastard!¡±


    ¡°Done! Ocean Guidance!¡±


    Mike finished his magic at the perfect moment. Surprisingly, the roughke waters began to roll artificially, and Brightman¡¯s ship began to move toward us.


    ¡°Oooh, Mike!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, this is the power of my magic!¡±


    ¡°The magic¡¯s name is Ocean¡¯s ¡®Guidance,¡¯ but...¡±


    [L~ Why aren¡¯t you listening to me? Lla~]


    The girl¡¯s voice was changing slightly. Throwing a Thunder Spear at the toothsaw, I asked Hwaya without facing her.


    ¡°Hwaya, did you find it yet?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry. I missed it because I was attacking the toothsaw.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s just finish the toothsaw before it appears. Madam Brown, when that ship gets closer, use that recovery magic attack.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    When my attack stopped for just a moment, the toothsaw vibrated its sawde strongly. Just when I was wondering what it would do, it stuck it beneath the water. Then, waves began to rise up violently. Come on, this was ake, not the ocean! The waves rolled strongly, and Hwaya fell in the middle of shooting out her mes. Before she dropped her mes on the floor and caused a disaster, I jerked her arm and held her in my embrace.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not okay! How are you okay!?¡±


    ¡°Because I trained.¡±


    Paul seemed to be hanging on, while Mike was floating in the air. Levitation! I heard about that magic before!


    ¡°Hwaya, didn¡¯t you say you were originally a magician!? Can¡¯t you use levitation?¡±


    ¡°I can... Hold me like this for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Supporting her with my chest and one arm, I used the other arm to continue throwing Thunder Spears. The problem wasn¡¯t our ship, but Brightman¡¯s. We managed to get it to approach our ship with Ocean Guidance, but because of the violent waves, the ship had stopped in the middle and was now trying to spit out its passengers! When I told the others about it, Mike responded.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably easier to get them toe to our ship! The ship¡¯s too heavy, it¡¯s hard to drag it from so far!¡±


    ¡°Hey, say that earlier!¡±


    Hwaya shouted in annoyance and threw a fireball. Immediately afterwards, the bottom of Brightman¡¯s ship exploded and the ship cleanly flipped over. However, there was a problem. The toothsaw was charging at us. In its path were the people that fell overboard from Brightman¡¯s ship.


    ¡°Mike, hurry!¡±


    ¡°That guy¡¯s timing is impable!¡±


    [Ll~ You don¡¯t like my singing?]


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it!¡±


    [How rude!]


    The owner the voice responded to me for the first time. Hwaya also made her move. Using levitation, she floated up into the air. Then, she stretched her arms towards the toothsaw and shouted.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Two rays of white mes shot out from each of her hand, spiraling together and forming a thick white line. The next moment, the toothsaw¡¯s eye exploded. As my Thunder Arrow had already destroyed its other eye, the toothsaw lost its vision. As a result, it was now acting more violently.


    [Kuaaaaaang!]


    [Agh, shut up! Because of you, I can¡¯t sing!]


    Weren¡¯t you guys friends!? Kuk, no, I can¡¯t listen to her! She might charm me again! I tried to ignore her to the best of my ability and shouted at Mike.


    ¡°Mike, hurry up! They¡¯re in danger!¡¯


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m hurrying!¡±


    ¡°Eit!¡±


    Paul jumped into theke. It seemed he was going to go save them in person. It was a good idea. I threw another Thunder Spear at the toothsaw, then jumped in after Paul.


    ¡°Die, die, die!¡±


    Hwaya shot out white mes repeatedly. As an SS ranker, each of her attacks dealt critical blows to the toothsaw. Although some of them missed their mark, every time the attack hit the toothsaw, it writhed in pain and swung its saw violently. Seeing its blood spread through theke water, I felt a sense of foreboding. Immediately afterward, Paul, who was on his way back with people in his embrace, looked in the water and shouted.


    ¡°Damn it, T.K.! Toothsaws are flocking toward us!¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking that might happen. Hurry, Paul! Go up first and protect the others!¡±


    With two foreign S rankers in his embrace, Paul jumped onto the ship. I also saved the two S rankers that came to help Britain and threw them onto the ship. Although Paul signaled me toe up, I shook my head.


    ¡°T.K.,e up!¡±


    ¡°What about the others? If we leave them, they¡¯ll die. If they¡¯re going to be killed, I¡¯ll be the one to do it, not some monsters like them.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s dangerous down there!¡±


    I ignored Paul and asked Peika.


    ¡°Peika, can you see the weakest person among the people floating there?¡±


    [Yeah!]


    ¡°Can you make your lightning not work on that person only?¡±


    [If it¡¯s just one person, I can do it!]


    ¡°Good, then we¡¯re going with max output now.¡±


    [Okay!]


    I took in a deep breath, and gave all my mana to Peika. I deactivated Spirit Aura without anyone noticing. Although it wasn¡¯t as strong as when Peika was materialized, Peika could still make full use of her power. Floating up in the air, Peika opened her folding fan. Her golden eyes shed.


    [Thunder Wave!]


    In an instant, the surface of theke was dyed golden.


    [Kiaaaaaaak!]]


    Therge toothsaw screamed, then became paralyzed. At the same time, the violent waves stopped. Using this opportunity, Hwaya raised her hands and shot out an especiallyrge fireball, and the toothsaw exploded without leaving behind a trace. Although it had lost its two eyes, it still should have had ample health. Even so, Hwaya¡¯s fireball had obliterated it so cleanly. It was slightly terrifying. Her firepower was indeed excellent, but her w was that it took a while for her to gather it...


    Then, two of the three people left floating on theke, Brightman and Tommy, trembled. I believe you guys can endure it! Though, I¡¯d be fine even if they didn¡¯t!


    Finally, the toothsaws that were flocking from the smell of blood fainted from Peika¡¯s strengthened Thunder Wave and floated up to the surface. Just from a nce, there seemed to be more than two hundred of them. The people on the boat made awestruck exmations.


    ¡°No way...¡±


    ¡°Thunder Knight, amazing...!¡±


    I quickly swam. Although it would have been good if all the toothsaws were dead, my elemental magic wasn¡¯t that strong yet. If I couldn¡¯t save Brightman and the others while the toothsaws were unconscious, things would be more gory than what happened in the movie Jaws. I didn¡¯t want to see such a horror film, nor did I want to experience it. Most importantly, if they died, Britain would be troubled.


    I first grabbed Tommy and the A+ rank healer, and threw them onto the ship. Then, I heard the voice again.


    [Kyaaaaak! It hurts, you¡¯re so mean! All I did was sing, and you bully me like this!]


    She was hurt by Thunder Wave, too! So she was hiding inside theke. She was the reason I was in this mess, so what was she going on about? When I looked around theke in the middle of rescuing Brightman, her voice rang out again.


    [I¡¯m going back. Hero is a meanie! Other kids are going toe kill you. Beh!]


    ¡°Other kids... wille kill me...?¡±


    I instinctively retorted, as a word I couldn¡¯t ignore was mixed in her statement.


    [That¡¯s right! Because we¡¯ve been told to kill the Hero!]


    I didn¡¯t know where or how she was talking to me, but her voice reached my ears clearly. In any case, she was told to kill me? By whom? Why? Plus, how did she know I was the Hero? Just what is a Hero anyways? Hearing the word I hadn¡¯t expected to hear, I froze for a moment.


    [I felt bad because you were getting bullied, so I was going to y with you, but you electrocuted me! Beh, beh! I don¡¯t care if you die now!]


    ¡°W-Wait, talk to me! Where are you!?¡±


    [I¡¯m noting out! If you¡¯re going to apologize, you better bring me some apple pie!]


    With that, I no longer heard her voice. Damn it, don¡¯t just disappear after saying that!


    ¡°Where am I even going to get an apple pie...?¡±


    I was dumbfounded. She didn¡¯t even reveal herself, and disappeared after saying what she had to say. However, my party members on the ship were staring at me like I was acting strange.


    ¡°T.K., what are you talking about? Apple pie?¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°... You guys, did you not hear what the owner of the singing voice said?¡±


    ¡°Hm? We didn¡¯t hear anything other than the la¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Then she only transmitted her voice to me? There was just too much to wrap my head around. Before my brain overloaded, I hit my head. Right now, I had to use my body, not my head. I had to save Brightman, even though I didn¡¯t want to even touch or see him. Before he became a corpse in Graveyard Over the Lake.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you have to do this.¡±


    ¡°You should be.¡±


    Couldn¡¯t those magicians levitate other people with their magic? Even as I bluntly answered Hwaya, I swam toward Brightman. Then, I held him in my hands.


    It was then that he opened his eyes.


    Then, he punched my face.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    As I did not expect him to open his eyes, much less punch me in the face, I did not resist his punch in the slightest. Plus, it hurt. Although I was used to pain from all those years I spent as a dungeon explorer, the pain I felt now ranked among the highest. Just from a single punch, my body rose up from the water and flew dozens of maters back.


    ¡°Kyaaaak! Brightman, what are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°No, damn it! T.K.!¡±


    Hwaya was shocked and Mike cursed. Hm? Why Mike? In the middle of flying, I turned my head. As it had been a while since I experienced being unable to control my body, I actually enjoyed the refreshing feeling. Brightman, I won¡¯t kill you gracefully, you son of a bitch.


    When I turned my head thinking such idle thoughts, I surprisingly saw a melting tuna. It was an extremelyrge melting tuna. It was even bigger than the giant toothsaw from before. Not to mention, this one¡¯s body was entirely red. It seemed at least three times as strong and fast as the giant toothsaw. Continuing to hide my strength seemed dangerous. The moment I tried to summon Ruyue...


    The melting tuna opened its mouth.


    Without a chance to do anything, the melting tuna swallowed me whole.


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    X-ranker has been changed to X ranker, as my editor and I decided it would be clearer for when ¡°+¡± or ¡°-¡± are used. No author¡¯s note for this chapter btw!

 Chapter 100. Granting Freedom (7)

    Chapter 100. Granting Freedom (7)


    The first thing I thought was, ¡®wow, I¡¯ve eaten tuna before, but this is the first time I was eaten by one.¡¯


    ¡°Wait, now isn¡¯t the time to be making stupid jokes...!¡±


    It was slimy, ustrophobic, and irritating. The pressure of the tuna¡¯s insides was no joke. What was this? Were my clothes melting? Acid!


    ¡°God!¡±


    The melting tuna seemed to have dived back under the water after swallowing me, as water began to flow around me. Although things were chaotic, I first grabbed the top and bottom of the slimy walls. However, because it was so slippery, I failed to hold on. As if to quickly send me to its stomach, the surrounding walls wriggled and convulsed around me.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Got it!]


    My elementals loved me so much that they came out the moment I called their names. I was thankful, but it was slightly overwhelming. Ruyue was especially so.


    ¡°Surround me with an Ice Wall! Make it especially hard!¡±


    [Okay!]


    The moment Ruyue started using Ice Wall, I activated my bracelet and equipped my armor. After wearing the armor, I realized I was almost out of mana. As I struggled to keep my bnce, I took out a Mana Potion from my inventory and drank it. This ce sucked!


    In any case, I now had some breathing room. Although Ruyue¡¯s Ice Wall began to melt the moment it was created, the space around me was getting bigger. However, the melting tuna¡¯s body suddenly twitched violently. It was to be expected. If someone tried to open up its throat, it was bound to be irritated!


    A flood of water suddenly swept over from one side. It seemed the melting tuna had opened its mouth and was letting water pour inside. It thought I was stuck in its throat, so it was trying to flush me down with water! It was pretty smart, though I might drown because of it.


    I considered using Return and going back to Korea, but I decided to endure. There was a reason I couldn¡¯t give up here.


    ¡°Ruyue, you can block it, right?¡±


    [It¡¯s hard. Shin, I don¡¯t have much mana.]


    Damn, even though I drank the most expensive Mana Potion, I was still running low? In that case, I¡¯d have to ask Peika... Huh?


    ¡°... Peika, Peika?¡±


    [Master, are you okay!?]


    [Peika¡¯s outside. It¡¯s just the two of us in here.]


    ¡°Oh...¡¯


    Right, I deactivated Spirit Aura! The melting tuna had swallowed me, almost as if it knew. I quickly unsummoned Peika and resummoned her. Watching the vast amount of water pouring in with despair, I took out the Crimson Gluttony Spear. Ruyue¡¯s Ice Wall was making cracking noises and starting to crumble. Please hold out a little longer!


    ¡°Peika,e inside my spear.¡±


    [Okay, Master!]


    The spear that originally carried fire energy began to flicker with lightning as well. Although I wanted to continue watching the mystical and fascinating sight, I didn¡¯t have the time. The water was flowing in!


    ¡°Huu... Haaap!¡±


    [Kuooooooo!]


    I strongly pierced the floor with my spear. Ignoring the melting tuna¡¯s painful cry, I dug the spear in deeper. Then, with one hand, I pushed the ceiling up, and with the other hand, I made the spear stand vertically. Letting go of the hand holding the ceiling up, I let the ceiling crush down on the top of the spear.


    [Kiaaaaaak!]


    The melting tuna let out another bloodcurdling scream as its blood sshed on my armor. Although the heat from my armor evaporated the blood almost instantly, the problem was that the melting tuna¡¯s movements had be more violent. Almost as if it was salsa dancing in the water, the ceiling flipped a few times and trembled. I held on to the spear I had wedged in its throat and hung on desperately.


    [Shin, I can¡¯t hold on anymore!]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ruyue! You can go back now, I¡¯ll call you backter.¡±


    [You have to love me lotster!]


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    During the daytime, I¡¯d only been calling Peika, so it seemed Ruyue was feeling left out. Seeing the usually obedient Ruyue speak out before she left, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. No, now was not the time for that!


    ¡°Huu... Dark Thunder Explosion!¡±


    Although it was a very filial skill that had saved me on multiple asions, I cringed and flushed from embarrassment whenever I used it. Regardless, the violent shaking stopped from Dark Thunder Explosion¡¯s initial paralysis shock. When the following ck lightning attack started, I closed my eyes and focused on holding onto my spear tightly. I knew its body would jolt violently.


    [Kuaaaaaa!]


    It let out a horrifying scream, almost like a human¡¯s, as it shook in a frenzy. The ceiling flipped again and again. The water finally swept over me, but I closed my mouth and held on.


    [Shin, Shin! Are you alive? Are you okay? Oh, please!]


    Sorry, I¡¯m underwater, so I can¡¯t reply! However, Hwaya seemed to have misunderstood my silence as she raised her voice.


    [Shin! Please, Shin! You said you had a way to survive any situation! I won¡¯t forgive you if you die like this!]


    Dark Thunder Explosion ended. Although I wished it would have killed the melting tuna, it seemed a boss wasn¡¯t so easily killed. Its insides were burnt ck, but it was still moving. Huu, how uselessly tough! If it was just one month ago, I would have had no choice but to use Deific Manifestation to let Peruta save me with what little mana I had left, or use Return to go back to Korea.


    However, right now, I still had another skill I could use. In fact, Dark Thunder Explosion had only been to see if this skill would be effective. It was the skill that came with my beloved armor, Crimson Roar! Although it would be annoying to roar underwater, now wasn¡¯t the time to beining.


    ¡°Uwaaaaak!¡±


    [You used Crimson Roar. Everything zes as mes.]


    Roaring while swallowing a mouthful of water, I suddenly thought, ¡®what was the description of Crimson Roar again? Didn¡¯t it turn all air that my voice could reach into mes? Since I¡¯m underwater, isn¡¯t there little to no air!? Did I have to use Return and go back after all?¡¯ Although I was worrying greatly...


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    My worry was soon proven to be unfounded. Everything within the reach of my voice, including water, turned into scarlet mes and zed. There was one problem. Because the air I needed to breathe also turned into mes, I could not breathe. Even so, the mes zed imposingly and with grandeur as if to burn away the entireke.


    [Kuoooo¡ª!]


    An earth-shaking scream struck my ear. I instinctively knew that it was the melting tuna¡¯s death throes. Its shaking was getting less violent, and the pressure from its flesh was decreasing as well.


    I took my spear out. Scratching the burning walls, I walked forward. Suddenly, I felt as if my body was rising. No, it was the melting tuna¡¯s body that was rising to the surface.


    It had finally died.


    [You swept the Field Dungeon, ¡®Graveyard Over the Lake!¡¯ You defeated over 80% of its monsters, two of the Field Dungeon bosses, and forced one Field Dungeon boss to retreat. The reward will be distributed.]


    [Hwaya Eleni Mastiford-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest.]


    [You sessfully swept ¡®Graveyard Over the Lake.¡¯ For the next six months, a new boss monster will not appear on Graveyard Over the Lake. The reproduction rate of normal monsters will decrease significantly during this period.]


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    As I thought, I wasn¡¯t able to overtake Hwaya in contribution just by killing this guy. After all, she had been hunting monsters here for weeks longer than I had. Even so, I had killed this tuna by myself and I had even chased away that singing woman. Perhaps melting tuna was a weaker boss than the toothsaw. That had to be it.


    [Shin, Shin! You¡¯re not dead!]


    ¡°Of course, not. Did you ever see a chef getting eaten by his ingredients?¡±


    [Thank god, Shin! You don¡¯t know how scared I was thinking you were dead. Because of it, I realized that more than I thought before, I... Ah!]


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    [Huu... Nothing, forget it. I got too excited from the sudden change in the situation.]


    ¡°Alright, well, I¡¯ll be out in a moment so hurry up and choose your reward. I want to pick mine too.¡±


    [... Heh, yeah. This much doesn¡¯t even count as danger to you, right?]


    ¡°Of course not. If I died like this, my father would start another season of thrashing phase.¡±


    I answered Hwaya casually, unequipping my armor and putting my spear back into my inventory. While I was crawling out of its throat, the reward window popped up in front of me. Since Hwaya and I were the only dungeon explorers here, I was the only one left to choose a reward after Hwaya chose hers.


    [2. Great Tooth Sword]


    ¡°Wow... This lookspletely useless...!¡±


    I chose the reward with a frown and checked the item description. It was a sword breaker with a spiky saw-like de, just like the toothsaws¡¯ saw-de snout. It was evenrger than mostrge swords, and had a strong vibration functionality in its options. If the vibration could be controlled, it could be a powerful weapon. It would have been nice if I was a sword-wielding warrior, but... Yep, it seemed I would have to feed it to my Gluttony Spear. Although I was looking forward to how much the Gluttony Spear would grow, I also knew it probably wouldn¡¯t grow by much.


    For now, I put the Great Tooth Sword in my inventory. Then, the smell of fresh air tickled my nose. The outside was right in front of my nose!


    I pushed the melting tuna¡¯s huge mouth open, and peeked my head out. Hwaya and everyone else had driven the ship towards the tuna when it had floated up to the surface.


    The first person I looked for was none other than Brightman. From the look on his face, he seemed surprised that I was still alive. I simply looked at him and smiled. As he didn¡¯t expect me to smile, that shameless Brightman frowned like he couldn¡¯t believe it. Then, he smirked. I wondered what his smirk meant. Was he looking down on me? I could feel how nonchnt he was, as if to say that I could not stand up to him in any way. Whether that was true or not, it didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was how I now understood him.


    Although it was a bit embarrassing to say it myself, I had a tendency to be soft toward people I considered my allies. My family was obviously included, and I also cared deeply for those I considered my friends.


    I couldn¡¯te to dislike those that considered me their friend. Palludia was like that. Even though our first meeting on the 5th floor couldn¡¯t have been worse, while I was still grinding on the 5th floor, she had contacted me to cheer me up, changing the impression I had of her from ¡®strange girl¡¯ to ¡®friend.¡¯ Ye-Eun was also like that. Even though she was a nuisance when I first met her, she continually showed her interest towards me and repeatedly wanted to be friends with me.


    Perhaps for the same reason, those that I considered to be my enemies took on my full hostility. Walker was the biggest example, as he sneaked into Hwaya¡¯s lodging and was almost beaten to death by me. Although Walker was now on my side, it seemed there was a new enemy to rece him.


    Brightman. He had to beughing right now. Why did he hit me? Did Peika¡¯s lightning wake him up? Was he surprised because he saw me the moment he opened his eyes? Did he not like that Hwaya was so close to me? Was he awake the whole time, but pretended to be unconscious just to put me into danger? Was it revenge for losing his subordinate?


    I didn¡¯t care. I wouldn¡¯t listen to his excusester anyways. There was one thing I was sure of. It was that Brightman¡¯s punch was extremely painful, and that I had almost be a fish food because of him. That was enough.


    You are my enemy. I¡¯ll make you bitterly regret this moment one day. Look forward to it. It won¡¯t take long. In the heights I wish to achieve, you are only a stone in the path.


    I took my eyes off of Brightman and took my body out entirely. Then, I jumped on the melting tuna¡¯s head with a thud. Everyone seemed to have gotten back their sense of reality from the sound. Mike shouted.


    ¡°My god, T.K.! You were alive!¡±


    ¡°Huu... Mike, there¡¯s no way I would die without eating this melting tuna.¡±


    ¡°You really love melting tunas...¡±


    ¡°Of course. From now on, in honor of me killing this giant melting tuna, you can call me ¡®Tuna King.¡¯¡±


    But really, if you actually call me that, I¡¯ll hate you!


    Author¡¯s Note:


    Just like that, the Tuna King was born. (just kidding)

 Chapter 101. Granting Freedom (8)

    Chapter 101. Granting Freedom (8)


    The hunt was over. At least for the next six months, this Field Dungeon would no longer be dangerous. Although it was only temporary, Windermere had regained its peace.


    From what I heard, the tourism would reopen as well. As A rank or higher Awakened had to continue observing theke, the tourists would go along with them. However, in a situation of life and death, the tourists¡¯ lives wouldn¡¯t be guaranteed.


    With such danger, I doubted whether any tourists woulde. However, the moment people found out that the Field Dungeon had been cleared, tourists flocked to the area. Amazing, Windermere. In a way, it made sense. Supposedly, running into a monster once a dungeon was cleared was the same chance as being hit by lightning while walking in the rain.


    ¡°Hwaya, what are you doing?¡±


    On the night we cleared the dungeon, I visited Hwaya as usual to teach her how to control mana, and saw Hwaya packing her belongings into boxes.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Since we cleared the dungeon, there¡¯s no reason for me to stay here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Did you get the permission?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I ended the negotiation with the government myself. Thanks, Shin. You¡¯re the reason I could regain my freedom.¡±


    ¡°Freedom, you say... It¡¯s thanks to me?¡±


    I asked with a grin.


    ¡°Yep. We could clear the Field Dungeon thanks to you, and you even found Brightman¡¯s wrongdoing. I can return to Korea because of it. The info on Brightman was especially useful in the negotiation.¡±


    It seemed sheined and revealed everything about Brightman¡¯s misconduct. Brightman had punched a famous ranker (though it¡¯s embarrassing, that was me) that Hwaya invited for aid, and put him in a life-threatening situation. Hwaya was incredibly angry at the time. It was the same for her party¡¯s S rankers, although the other countries¡¯ S rankers only turned a blind eye as Brightman had likely paid them off.


    Brightman himself had made a ridiculous excuse, that he thought he was being attacked and acted in self-defense. Hwaya¡¯s anger had reached its limit at that point, but I calmed her down. Nothing good woulde out from Britain¡¯s strongest rankers fighting. More importantly, I couldn¡¯t let her take my revenge away. Brightman smiled, and so did I.


    In any case, with this incident, Hwaya could easily detach herself from Brightman and the British government protecting him.


    Although the incident had not be public because of the British government¡¯s desperate beseechment, but with my approval, Hwaya used the incident to put heavy pressure on the British government. She said that a friend she specially requested to help had suffered a humiliation from Brightman that couldn¡¯t be washed away, and that she had no ns to step a foot in Britain unless it was a national crisis. In other words, just as Hwaya had warned them before, Britain had lost Hwaya in exchange for Brightman. No matter how I thought about it, Brightman¡¯s actions were incredibly foolish. I wondered how an idiot who was blinded by his desire for a woman could rise to such a position.


    ¡°Are youing to Korea?¡±


    ¡°Yep. I was nning on going to Korea anyways when I was done. Mom said she¡¯d rather die thane to Britain. I think she wants me toe live with her in Korea. I was originally going to try convincing her again, but... with what happened this time, I really didn¡¯t want to stay in the same country as Brightman. If it¡¯s him, he woulde visit me no matter where I was in Britain. ...Do you not want me to go to Korea?¡±


    Hwayained, then asked after a bit of hesitation. Her cheeks had turned red just like her hair.


    ¡°Not at all. We can meet more often too. I¡¯m d.¡±


    ¡°... Right. We could. Kuhum.¡±


    Hwaya looked away and let out a dry cough. Did she breathe the wrong way? I got up with a grin.


    ¡°You must be busy with all the packing, so I¡¯ll go back for today. Ah, don¡¯t forget to give me the melting tunater.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll save some for me, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You can eat to your heart¡¯s content. Grilled, sashimi, stewed, steamed, I¡¯ll give you the full course.¡±


    ¡°Good, excellent.¡±


    We made an expression of camaraderie and gave each other a thumbs up. The melting tuna I was talking about was none other than the giant melting tuna I killed! Hwaya put it in her inventory, using the ridiculous extradimensional storage magic excuse, and said that she¡¯d give it to meter. In exchange for her performance in front of the others, I promised her an unlimited refill on melting tuna dishes. In truth, I didn¡¯t know how long it would take me to finish such a giant melting tuna, so I was d Hwaya was there to help.


    ¡°Ah, by the way, Hwaya.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Where can I get a good apple pie around here?¡±


    ¡°Apple pie...?¡±


    Although Hwaya tilted her head, she still gave me an answer. I thanked her and left her lodging. I then went to the ce Hwaya told me about to buy an apple pie. Because of the enticing smell, I ended up buying two apple pies, one of them for the obvious reason and the other to share with Yua when I got back home. Then, I summoned my elementals and circted Peruta Circuit, waiting for dawn.


    Once the night had passed, I could enter the dungeon again. There were things to take care of, a person to find and questions to ask. I also had to stick my spear in the damned reaper¡¯s face as a reunion gift.


    Then, a little before dawn, when no one was around, I went on theke using Ruyue¡¯s power. Just by freezing the area of the water I was stepping on, I felt a strange sense of omnipotence. Lady of the Lake had finally blessed me!


    ¡°I brought the apple pie~.¡±


    After walking deep into theke, I shouted in a rather loud voice. Although I felt like I was being stupid, but I couldn¡¯t help it.


    ¡°I said I brought apple pie¡ª!¡±


    [Show me!]


    ¡°Uwoah!¡±


    A girl¡¯s face suddenly appeared above the surface. I almost fell underwater from being startled, but Ruyue saved me by instantly freezing the water around me. I thanked Ruyue, and since I was lying on the ice anyways, I observed the girl¡¯s face. Simply put, she had a unrealistic appearance.


    Her sky blue hair, half submerged underwater, was shining as if the entire thing was an LED light, and it was the same for her blue eyes staring at me. She looked like a beautiful woman in other areas, but I was surprised by how mature her face looked. I had expected her to be a young girl.


    [Hurry up, show me!]


    ¡°Ah, here.¡±


    I took out the apple pie from my inventory. The woman then made happy exmations and crawled up onto the ice. Although I thought she wasn¡¯t wearing anything, she actually had a translucent light blue dress, which stuck to her body tightly. Although her slender, yet bountiful, figure was in full-view, because I had seen Hwaya¡¯s voluptuous figure for about a week, I could act aloof.


    [Apple pie! It¡¯s really apple pie!]


    ¡°Yeah, it is.¡±


    [Can I eat it? Can I eat it?]


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask twice. There¡¯s only one for you anyways.¡±


    [Yay!]


    Her long, slender fingers reached forward and took the apple pie whole. Feeling the coldness of her skin for an instant, I was reminded once again that she wasn¡¯t human. It was then that she took out a slice of apple pie and handed it to me. She blinked her eyes, glimmering with shining particles of light, looking unrealistically cute.


    [Here.]


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    [Thanks for the meal!]


    When I epted the slice she offered, she took the rest of the apple pie and took a bite. Then, the light in her eyes gathered and made a clear star shape. I was truly surprised. She was showing her non-human side too much! So she could control those shining particles!?


    [Delicious! So delicious! Delicious, delicious!]


    ¡°Y-Yeah, eat lots.¡±


    [Yeah!]


    She munched on the pie, making me wonder just where it was going in her slender body. The pie was gone in the blink of an eye, and she stared at the apple pie in my hand with longing eyes. The particles of light in her eyes were repeatedly scattering and regathering.


    ¡°Do you want it?¡±


    [Wooooow!]


    As if she was waiting for me to say it, she snatched the slice of apple pie and ate it. After that, she made a satisfied expression andy down on the ice.


    [Thanks! I¡¯ll forgive you for hurting me!]


    ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡±


    [I like you now!]


    Ye-Eun, be happy. There¡¯s someone simr to you here. But I got her heart with just a single apple pie. The difficulty was lower than even Ye-Eun! I thought about all the fries I had to feed Ye-Eun before she said she liked me. Ah, not that I was doing it so I could hear that. Really.


    ¡°Y-Yeah. If... If you don¡¯t bother other people anymore, I¡¯ll like you too.¡±


    Although I couldn¡¯t bepletely sure, she seemed different than the other bosses who showed clear hostility towards humans. She really just wanted to let them listen to her singing.


    Not knowing the danger of her own actions was foolish and it was annoying that she chose to appear during the boss fight, but since she hadn¡¯t killed anyone yet, it wasn¡¯t toote. She could still be redeemed. Her following words served as proof.


    [But I never bullied anyone! Besides telling me to kill you, everyone said I could just sing like I wanted! I don¡¯t bully anyone that doesn¡¯t bully me first!]


    ¡°Right, right, but who¡¯s the one that told you to kill me?¡±


    [I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t remember! I forgot when I came here!]


    ¡°... Do you know why you were told to kill me?¡±


    [Because you¡¯re a Hero! That¡¯s all I know! But I won¡¯t kill you. I won¡¯t bully other people either!]


    She was told to kill me... because I was a Hero. I suddenly felt chills, but nodded my head regardless. Then, I answered her question.


    ¡°But you see, people are bothered by your singing.¡±


    [Why? Is my singing that bad?]


    ¡°The problem is that it¡¯s too good. It infatuates people because of it.¡±


    [Is that bad?]


    ¡°If people be infatuated by your singing and lose their consciousness, they¡¯ll fall into the water. What would happen after that?¡±


    [Wouldn¡¯t theye y with me underwater?]


    ¡°They¡¯d die.¡±


    [They¡¯d die!?]


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    At my words, she became noticeably sad. The particles in her eyes also spiraled around in shock.


    [I hate killing, but everyone else tries to kill people. I¡¯m scared. He said I was special, but he didn¡¯t try to understand me.]


    ¡°Special, huh... Since you hate killing people, you are indeed a special monster. But who is this person you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    [I don¡¯t know, I forgot!]


    Huu, there¡¯s really nothing I can find out... I wanted to tell her how she almost killed people out of anger, but I held myself back. However, she seemed to be angry from what I just said.


    [Also, I¡¯m not something like a monster!]


    ¡°Ah, sorry. Then what should I call you?¡±


    [I¡¯m me.]


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a name?¡±


    [What¡¯s that?]


    ¡°It¡¯s a mark that defines you. It¡¯s a way to separate you from everything else in this world. Something that can prove that you are you.¡±


    [Wow.]


    Huu, it really was like teaching a child. In truth, I hadn¡¯t nned on talking to her so leisurely... Although I didn¡¯t get the information I wanted, I couldn¡¯t chase her away, so I decided to stick with her for a while longer.


    [Then you can give me a name.]


    ¡°I can?¡±


    [Yeah! If it¡¯s you, it¡¯s okay.]


    For a moment, I hesitated. However, when I saw her innocent eyes, a word shed across my mind. Since it wasn¡¯t a fitting name for a girl, I took off the front of it.


    ¡°Plene.¡±


    [Waaa, pretty! Is that my name? Yay!]


    She seemed to like the name I gave her, as she raised her hands and jumped. At that moment, messages I never expected rang out.


    [You made an achievement of taming the A+ rank boss monster ¡®siren.¡¯ You obtained 1 skill point. Current skill points: 16]


    [You can obtain the subss ¡®Tamer.¡¯ However, you must give up your current subss ¡®Skill Collector¡¯ to obtain a new subss. If you give up the Skill Collector subss, you will no longer be able to use the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch. Would you like to change your subss?]


    [If you do not obtain the Tamer subss, you will not be able to use your tamed monster in Event Dungeons or the normal dungeon. However, you will not need to give up your tamed monster, and it can apany you in Field Dungeons.]


    Author¡¯s Note:


    I¡¯ll say it now. Siren Plene isn¡¯t a harem member. She¡¯s just a slightly important support character! I mean, ICDS isn¡¯t harem in the first ce!


    PS ¨C Lady of the Lake Blessing: Fate/Zero animation¡¯s Saber servant reference. (truly a short exnation!)

 Chapter 102. Those That Climb the Dungeon (1)

    Chapter 102. Those That Climb the Dungeon (1)


    ¡°What¡¯s this...?¡±


    I had already heard about taming before. In games, it referred to domesticating hostile monsters with food or training them to be one¡¯s allies. However, I didn¡¯t think a Tamer subss would appear like this! Just by naming a monster, I could make it my ally? No, that probably wasn¡¯t it.


    I shook my head at the words asking if I wanted to change my subss. The Skill Collector subss was a huge part of my strength. No matter how strong Plene was, she couldn¡¯t rece it. Not to mention, it seemed I could always change my decision. Though, I didn¡¯t think I would ever change to the Tamer subss...


    After looking through the messages, I looked at Plene, who was rubbing her head against my shoulder with a smile.


    [Thanks for the pretty name! You gave me an apple pie and a name! I like you!]


    She was beingpletely submissive. I patted her head as a test, and she showed her happiness by making her eyes into star shapes. Easy, she was too easy...! If a bad oppa became your master, bad things would have happened!


    ¡°Plene.¡±


    [Yeah!]


    ¡°It looks like I became your master.¡±


    [What¡¯s a master? I like you!]


    ¡°...¡±


    With that, she hugged me directly. Feeling the cold, soft, and squishy sensation (the ice below me began to fissure with cracking noises), I sat nkly, then remembered I had things to do. In fact, there was something I had to ask Plene.


    ¡°Plene, you said you didn¡¯t want to kill humans, right?¡±


    [Yeah! I hate monsters more than humans! They only want to eat, and they even tried to eat me! But... I also want to sing.]


    ¡°Then... do you want toe with me to find a way to do that?¡±


    [Okay! I like you, so I¡¯ll follow you!]


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±


    Damn... I didn¡¯t think someone stronger than Ruyue would appear! Plus, although Plene had an unrealistic appearance, she still looked human. I couldn¡¯t help but react as a man. Snap out of it, Kang Shin! No matter how cute and pretty she is, she¡¯s a monster! Don¡¯t forget it!


    Crack. The ice split into two right down the middle of my stretched out legs. The ice then began to drift apart, splitting my legs along with it.


    ¡°R-Ruyue!?¡±


    [Shin... Meanie...]


    ¡°Not now! I¡¯ll y with you as much as you wantter!¡±


    From then, it took a considerable time before I could make it to the dungeon¡¯s Residential Area.


    ¡°So you tamed a siren, Shin-nim. This is the first time I¡¯ve heard anyone taming a siren. Kuk, as I thought, a man that I find charming will also be like that to other women...!¡±


    Loretta made a displeased expression as she stared at Plene who stuck was to me like glue. If I thought more about why Loretta was feeling unhappy, I felt like I would be in serious trouble, so I quickly changed the subject.


    ¡°Plene said she wants to sing without killing people. Is there a ce like that in the dungeon¡¯s Residential Area?¡±


    ¡°Of course. There¡¯s the recreational area. You should already have the qualification to enter it, Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah. I also got a life-time free voucher for a ce called ¡®Resting ce of Angels¡¯ for the first achievement, uhuk!?¡±


    The moment I brought up Resting ce of Angels, Loretta¡¯s eyes sparkled, pushing Plene aside and grabbing my hands. After being thrown on the floor, Plene blinked herrge, clear eyes, unsure of what had just happened, then began to tear up.


    ¡°Shin-nim, go there with me! Now!¡±


    ¡°Can you let go of me first, Loretta? I want to pick Plene up before she cries.¡±


    ¡°If you go there, you can probably find what this shallow and arrogant siren wants.¡±


    [I¡¯m not shallow or arrogant! I don¡¯t even know what that means!]


    From what I heard, Resting ce of Angels was a resort. The so-called recreational area was simr to the Residential Area¡¯s residences. Unlike the residences, however, it was a ce purely for the purpose of recovering the fatigue built up from exploring the dungeon and letting dungeon explorers rx freely. It was truly like a resort in real life. Apparently, anyone from the guild of the resort¡¯s master could enter, and other than them, one person could enter as long as that person was apanied by the master.


    Explorers could go there by making achievements orpleting special quests. Like the mansions and the houses, the area they could go changed depending on the scope of the achievement and the difficulty of the quest. There was an even trickier condition. Only those that owned a residence, had a room in a tenement house, or were a member of a guild could go to the resorts.


    Furthermore, Resting ce of Angels was one of the few Special Resorts. Unlike the other resorts, which explorers had to share, it was bound to one specific explorer. If a guild master owned a Special Resort, the guild members could enter the Special Resort with the guild master¡¯s permission. Because it was called life-time free voucher, I thought it was for something like a waterpark, but it seemed it was even more generous.


    ¡°Then, can Lorettae with me?¡±


    ¡°The person apanying Shin-nim can even be an outsider.¡±


    ¡°What about Plene?¡±


    [I¡¯m going, I¡¯m going!]


    ¡°That siren is Shin-nim¡¯s servant so of course she can go with you.¡±


    Without having to visit Mdel, Loretta exchanged the Resting ce of Angels voucher for a key. Thinking, ¡®so it¡¯s another key,¡¯ I received it with a bitter smile. Then, just like how I opened the path to my mansion, I used the key with familiarity. When I used the Resting ce of Angels¡¯ key with Loretta and Plene standing next to me, the surrounding scenery melted and a new scenery appeared. High, blue sky, warm sunlight, a sandy beach, crystal clear ocean, and fairly big birds flying above it. Behind me, I saw trees with all sorts of fruits hanging from them and a big seaside vi.


    ¡°... This is an ind, right? It¡¯s the picturesque uninhabited ind.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s indeed an ind!¡±


    [Uninhabited ind!]


    When Loretta spread her arms out and shouted excitedly, Plene also imitated her and shouted. I doubt she knew what uninhabited ind meant. I mean, just what was that sun? I knew the dungeon was full of mysterious things, but this was...


    ¡°To think I woulde to the Resting ce of Angels... Do you know why this ce is called that?¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°Because people staying here can rx without a worry in the world, like angels! The ocean, the sandy beach, the fruit trees with all sorts of different fruits, and this vi!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but think it has everything a resort should have.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s even an hot spring deeper into the ind. That¡¯s not all! It even has dense forests, valleys, and springs!¡±


    [Hot spring! I want to go to the hot spring! I like hot springs!]


    I didn¡¯t know how this ind could have so many different areas, but I understood that this Resting ce of Angels was an amazing ce. I also didn¡¯t know how Plene could like hot springs.


    ¡°So? Why did I need to bring Plene here?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s here, there are no humans who would be affected by the siren¡¯s singing. She¡¯ll have an audience as well.¡±


    ¡°Audience?¡±


    [Lla~]


    Plene suddenly began to sing. Her voice was truly beautiful, and as I had tamed her, it didn¡¯t seem to have any effect on me. I nced at Loretta. She had closed her eyes and was enjoying Plene¡¯s voice.


    Soon, the audience Loretta talked about began to appear. Large birds from the sky, dolphins and fish from the ocean, and animals from the inner area of the ind. They were gathering here slowly.


    ¡°No way...¡±


    [Lla~ Lla~]


    As Plene sang, the animals approached slowly, responding to her singing with quiet cries. Their eyes were clear and their minds did not look like they were affected by Plene¡¯s singing. Loretta opened her eyes, and seeing my surprised expression, smiled lightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing. No one has been here for a long time, so everyone has been lonely. Shin-nim luckily found a siren who is extremely good at singing. Her singing will be an excellent gift for them.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®them¡¯...?¡±


    I felt a hint of sadness from Loretta¡¯s words and patted the small and cute wolf that walked up to me. Loretta then smiled sweetly and replied.


    ¡°Of course, they¡¯re the emergency food supply for when we¡¯re hungry. They all look delicious, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I wanted her to let my dream stay a dream...! How mean!


    Plene really liked the Resting ce of Angels and decided to stay here unless I needed her. Here, she would be able to y and sing to her heart¡¯s content. There were also no monsters which she hated. It was the ideal ce she hoped for.


    However, there seemed to be one thing she didn¡¯t like. It was that I wouldn¡¯t be there.


    [You have toe visit me often! Otherwise, I¡¯ll go find you!]


    ¡°I¡¯ll visit often, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    [Okay! I¡¯ll wait with the new friends I made!]


    After promising Plene multiple times, she nodded her head as if she finally believed me. She then walked up to me and kissed my cheek. I was startled, but I thought back to the kisses Yua gave me and tried to calm myself down. Of course, it wasn¡¯t so easy.


    Next to me, Loretta was shaking with her fists clenched.


    ¡°Obliterating Third...¡±


    ¡°Loretta!?¡±


    In any case, with that, I took care of the matter with Plene. After saying my goodbye to her, Loretta and I returned to Fairy Garden. Opening the door to her log cabin, Loretta made an offer.


    ¡°Shin-nim, stay for a cup of tea.¡±


    ¡°Sure. There¡¯s something I have to ask Loretta too.¡±


    ¡°Huhu,e in!¡±


    The tea Loretta brewed looked normal, but was incredibly tasty and fragrant. However, I couldn¡¯t be drunk on the taste of tea today. The reason I took care of Plene¡¯s matter was for this moment. Today, I couldn¡¯t just enjoy my time with Loretta.


    I took a sip of tea, then slowly ced the teacup down and asked her.


    ¡°Loretta.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim.¡±


    With a small sigh, I asked her straightforwardly.


    ¡°What is a Hero?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Loretta¡¯s smile became stiff. However, that onlysted for a moment, as she continued with a warm smile.


    ¡°Shin-nim already knows, right? There is only one such being in a world! They¡¯re amazing, and everyone respects them!¡±


    ¡°Loretta.¡±


    I called her name with a low voice. She flinched then froze, but I continued without paying it any attention.


    ¡°When I met Plene for the first time, she said she was ordered to kill the Hero... Am I someone that must die?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s... the opposite! You¡¯re someone who isn¡¯t allowed to die! Never! Don¡¯t even say something so horrible! No! I-If you die, I! I!¡±


    ¡°Thanks for worrying about me, but that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about. Am I someone that ¡®must die¡¯ to the monsters that are invading Earth?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A cold silence flowed, and Loretta dodged my nce with her mouth shut. Just that was enough of an answer for me. ...An emptyugh came out.


    What was this? I had to die because I was a Hero? The monsters that appeared on Earth, or rather, its high-ranking monsters, were trying to kill me. I was their first priority. It was just that no one knew about it because it hadn¡¯t been long since monsters began to appear on Earth. If more time passed, monsters that actively sought me out might appear. But how had I acted until now, hearing that I was the Hero?


    I became conceited, thinking everyone was just raising me up. Even while I told them not to call me a Hero, I enjoyed it inwardly. I even named the skill I liked the most after it. Even while I looked down on the explorers who credited my strength to being a Hero, I was relieved that I was one. I might have even thought I was d to have been born as the Hero. But what? Heroes are the first targets that monsters aim for? They had to kill me? There was noedy like it. How much did the other explorers sneer seeing me? Praising me on the outside, while thinking how clueless I was.


    To calm down my beating heart, I began to circte Peruta Circuit. Trying to stay calm, I asked Loretta again.


    ¡°Loretta, just what am I? What exactly is a Hero?¡±


    Loretta didn¡¯t say anything. Trying to stop myself from getting impatient, I asked again.


    ¡°Please, Loretta, I want to know. I should know. Or, do you also n on leaving me to be clueless? You¡¯ve shown me respect and did your best for me. I at least thought I had a special rtionship with Loretta. Was I wrong? Did you just...¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡±


    She spoke with a trembling voice. She raised her teacup and gulped down the hot tea all at once. As she had moist eyes that seemed ready to burst into tears at any time, I was startled.


    ¡°Shin-nim, do you have to hear it now?¡±


    ¡°Loretta?¡±


    ¡°As you might already know, I don¡¯t really want to tell you right now. Once you hear the answer, you¡¯ll change without a doubt, and if you do, I will change as well. I don¡¯t like that. I want us to stay the way we are. For even a little while longer, I want to enjoy my carefree daily life with you. Am I being too greedy? Shin-nim, can you give me a little more time? You still have time to spare. The time hasn¡¯te yet. So please, until then...!¡±


    ¡°Loretta...¡±


    The words didn¡¯te out. I felt like I had been punched in the most unexpected spot. Although my mouth was open, I couldn¡¯t say anything. Then, with a slightly cracking voice, I replied barely.


    ¡°I¡¯ll... wait. So... when the timees, you have to... tell me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Shin-nim.¡±


    Loretta wiped the tears around her eyes, and made a clumsy smile. I almost lost myself in her feminine and extremely beautiful appearance, but I held on, thinking about what she just said. Then like a fool, I asked.


    ¡°If I change... Loretta will change too?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t understand, right?¡±


    ¡°I, no, well, that¡¯s...¡±


    I didn¡¯t think I would say something so stupid. Seeing me stutter without knowing what to say, Loretta made a small smile and said in a voice that just barely reached my ears.


    ¡°Coward.¡±


    ¡°Uk.¡±


    I became silent, unable to make any excuses. I felt dizzy. As it seemed so absurd, I thought I was dreaming, but when I pinched my thigh in secret, the pain was vivid. No, she even found out I pinched myself. I wanted to die. I really wanted to die.


    Loretta again spoke in a whispering voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll also give you time.¡±


    ¡°... Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You have to give me a proper reply, okay? Of course, I¡¯ll only acknowledge one answer.¡±


    With that, she once again smiled. Even while I was in a daze from her fragrance and beauty, her smile was ingrained in my head clearly. I had to ept it. To a certain extent, my heart was already stolen by her.


    Author¡¯s note:


    8,000 characters. I thought about writing 2,000 characters and splitting the chapter into two, but just stopping at the 8,000 mark seemed to be the best option.


    The little bit of the secret of the Hero has been revealed. Some people have already guessed, but not saying any more will be our promise!


    Also, the rtionship between Loretta and Shin has taken a step forward. What will Shin do? Will he forget about Ye-Eun and choose Loretta? Not even the author (me) knows. Look forward to the future development ^^

 Chapter 103. Those That Climb the Dungeon (2)

    Chapter 103. Those That Climb the Dungeon (2)


    I decided to return to Korea once Hwaya had already left Windermere for Korea. Of course, it only took me an instant. I called Walker from the dungeon, grabbed him, and shouted Return. That was it.


    ¡°H-Hm? What was that? What did you do?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret of course.¡±


    Just like that, I was home with Walker. Because I appeared in the living room with a foreigner, my family, who were gathered at the living room, suddenly froze.


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Hey, oppa¡¯s back.¡±


    Yua quickly jumped into my embrace. I patted her and gave Walker the nce, ¡®you¡¯re going to be guarding her.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you were on TV, so I thought you¡¯de back soon.¡±


    Father pointed at the TV. On the screen was a tinum blonde, red-eyed man wearing a mask having an interview with the Windermere Lake as the background. They wanted me to do a quick interview as someone who had a major hand in clearing the Field Dungeon, but I didn¡¯t think the interview would even air in Korea.


    ¡°Oppa looked really cool!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, although it¡¯s not my real appearance.¡±


    On TV, people were specting from Thunder Knight¡¯s appearance that he was a mix between Western and Eastern. Seeing the newscaster clearly speaking about how I could even be Korean from my rtionship with Hwaya, I felt slightly irritated.


    ¡°So who¡¯s that young man?¡±


    ¡°Walker, this is my family. Introduce yourself, but keep it short.¡±


    As Walker didn¡¯t know how to speak Korean, he introduced himself in English. However, as my family knew English to a certain extent like most Koreans, they didn¡¯t have too much trouble understanding him. In fact, since father had traveled often around the globe for training, he knew basic conversation level words in manynguages.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous these days, so I hired him to be Yua¡¯s bodyguard. Ah, he won¡¯t be living with us or anything like that.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no bodyguard for your mother?¡±


    ¡°Mother doesn¡¯t go out that much. If you¡¯re in danger, you can always call father or me.¡±


    ¡°Huu, dear, look at our son ignoring his mother and only taking care of his sister.¡±


    ¡°When you go out, you can just take me along. Anyways, bodyguard, huh... How did Walker, who is a dungeon explorer, end up being a bodyguard?¡±


    I winked at father and told him that I¡¯d exin itter over private dungeon explorer message. Then, I patted Yua, who had calmed down a lot by now, two more times and separated myself from her. Then, I returned Ghostface back to Walker.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Walker. We have to get you an identity and a ce to live.¡±


    ¡°It sure became easy. Just by being an Awakened, countries will give you an identity. It¡¯s something unthinkable in the past. I still clearly remember people being deported as illegal aliens.¡±


    ¡°It just goes to show you how dangerous the world is now. Having one more ability user to fight against monsters is more important than petty things like that.¡±


    When I was about to leave the house, Yua stopped me. With a radiant smile, she offered a hand to Walker.


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t think I need a bodyguard, but take good care of me. I¡¯m Kang Yua.¡±


    ¡°Hm, right, I¡¯m Edward Walker.¡±


    They shook hands lightly. After their short greeting, Walker and I left the house. Walker then equipped Ghostface, changing his appearance into a man I had not seen before.


    ¡°By the way, boss.¡±


    ¡°Boss?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re equal in the contract, so just call me by my name.¡±


    ¡°You clearly have a cor on my neck, but... Fine. Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Your sister is innocent and kind, unlike you whose insides are ck and violent. Are you guys from different parents?¡±


    ¡°If you fall for her, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    His answer shocked me.


    ¡°Please, she¡¯s half my age... It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a pedophile.¡±


    ¡°Half!? How old are you!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 36 this year.¡±


    How does he look so young...!?


    ¡°Brightman was 37, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been his toy since he was young. Just thinking about it makes me mad.¡±


    ¡°Brightman also only looked like he was in histe 20s, but you¡¯re even worse. I thought you were in early to mid 20s for sure.¡±


    ¡°... Your stare is making me ufortable.¡¯


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you married? Did Brightman not allow you to?¡±


    ¡°I just didn¡¯t have the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. You just didn¡¯t have the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°That way of talking is extremely unpleasant...¡±


    ¡°What? Why? You just didn¡¯t have the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Ku... I want to kill you, but just thinking about it makes my head hurt...!¡±


    Walker half-assed the ability assessment and got a B rank. If he made good use of his equipment and stealth ability, I thought he could even be A+ rank. Of course, there was no reason for him to reveal his true ability in the assessment.


    After obtaining the ability user license, the rest went smoothly. For now, I got a hotel room for him to stay in and paid to rent a house near mine.


    In truth, I even thought about leaving the house and bing independent. Since monsters would target me just because I was the Hero, my family would be the first ones in danger, as they were close to me. However, I thought back to what Loretta said. That I should wait a little while longer. That I should maintain my daily life until the dayes.


    I knew what the daily life she was talking about meant. It wasn¡¯t just the peace Loretta and I could enjoy together, but also my life on Earth. As such, it was fine for now. When the time came, she would tell me. I knew she was doing what was best for me. Of course... I would have to answer her too. Uuuu, it was a rather embarrassing, happy, and strange feeling. Now that I thought about it, there was the problem with Ye-Eun too. My head was twice as confused.


    Even while I was contemting these things, I took care of Walker¡¯s hotel room and house rent. Walker suddenly asked.


    ¡°You must have a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°I can exchange gold for it, so I have more than enough for something like this.¡±


    ¡°Even though I¡¯m on the 44th floor, I only get 100 gold for about every three monsters I kill. With that, I don¡¯t have much left over once I spend it on potions and buying and fixing equipment. At least, I don¡¯t have enough leftover to spend it on something like this. Is it different for you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on the 44th floor and only 100 gold drops at a time? Ha, so that¡¯s what the Third Dungeon is like.¡±


    ¡°You really have talent for making people mad. You! Kuaak!¡±


    I enjoyed watching Walker get angry and suffer by himself. Just like that, Walker became my neighbor and Yua got herself a trustworthy bodyguard. Only after I took care of these things could I finally return to the dungeon. Though, the dungeon¡¯s one week period had only ended today.


    I thought about challenging the Grim Reaper by myself again, but remembered Lin¡¯s words from a long time ago about many explorers being stuck on the 40th floor. As such, I thought I should try partying with them. The party I entered with that in mind was someone who looked to be at least 50 years old. Explorers didn¡¯t age as quickly as ordinary people, so it was likely that he was even older.


    ¡°Hm? I haven¡¯t seen you before. It¡¯s been a while since a newbie came to the 40th floor.¡±


    After the party leader, other fairly old people greeted me. A few of them looked extremely worried.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to get wiped out quicker than usual. Shouldn¡¯t we kick him out?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Newbies have to get experience too. Since we¡¯re going to fail anyways, let¡¯s at least give him some experience.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t ever seed anyways. We¡¯ll just rot away here on the 40th floor.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What was this... helplessness? An overwhelming sense of defeat permeated the atmosphere.


    ¡°Even if we break through, there isn¡¯t much meaning to raising my level anyways. In that case, we might as well help the newbie out a bit.¡±


    ¡°Cheer up everyone. The newbie¡¯s going to be dispirited if you keep it up.¡±


    No, I want to punch your face out first... I held myself back from saying many things, and gave a short introduction.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kang shin, an explorer from Earth.¡±


    ¡°Explorer from Earth?¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin? Wait... Kang Shin?¡±


    ¡°A few of ourrades who were stuck on the 40th floor broke through recently after partying with an explorer from Earth called Kang Yungoong.¡±


    ¡°I was there too. I died, but it seems they seeded in the raid after that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what¡¯s important. I heard recently in the Residential Area. Kang Shin is the Crown Prince from the rumors.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince is on the 40th floor...¡±


    Even they knew the name ¡®Crown Prince.¡¯ With a bitter smile, I continued.


    ¡°I already broke through the 40th floor, so I can say this seriously. If you want to advance past this floor, just do your best to survive. I can¡¯t be responsible for your safety.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince...¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°I also got it. I want to climb higher. I still have my world...¡±


    ¡°Perhaps... a miracle will alsoe to me. Although I left my world, I might be allowed to continue climbing...!¡±


    Spirit returned to a few members. Good, this was enough. If I could light their cooled passion even a little bit, that was enough! I raised my Crimson Gluttony Spear into the air and shouted.


    ¡°The goal is for everyone to break through the 40th floor. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Oooooh!¡±


    However, the reaper was the worst opponent to take on in groups. He mostly used huge area of effect attacks, and when he teleported behind a target he randomly chose, warriors received fatal injuries, and magicians and priests were killed in one hit. His de waves, scythes being thrown out from his stomach, and ck hands shooting out from the entire field were all fatal!


    It was hard to deal with just the reaper, but there were 500 apparitions to worry about. From the start, I told the party members to focus on killing the apparitions, but they still died one by one in the process. By the time all the apparitions were killed, only three other party members remained alive.


    ¡°Kuk, today wested a long time.¡±


    ¡°To think we¡¯d actually kill all the apparitions...¡±


    ¡°Watch out behind you!¡±


    [Die!]


    The moment the three of them heard my shouting, they rolled on the ground. The reaper¡¯s scythe the swung above their bodies. Immediately afterwards, I stopped the reaper¡¯s movements with Ruyue¡¯s ability. Because of the reaper¡¯s magical defense, Ruyue could only hold him for an instant, but it was still enough time for me to approach and stab him.


    ¡°Eat this!¡±


    Divine Speed followed by White Lightning Consecutive Strikes! From the consecutive spear attacks, a huge hole was pierced in the reaper¡¯s chest. He then escaped Ruyue¡¯s shackles and summoned the ck hands while he flew up. However, I already knew how to deal with the ck hands.


    I infused Ruyue in my armor, and the ck hands froze and shattered the moment they touched me. The others were huddled inside a holy barrier one of the surviving priests created. Confirming that they were safe, I shouted.


    ¡°Priest-nim, can you drop him from the sky!?¡±


    ¡°O Iloinu, bring down that evil being! Divine Hammer!¡±


    [Kuaaaa! You insignificant bugs are annoying me!]


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡±


    After dropping to the floor from the Divine Hammer, the reaper disappeared and appeared behind my back. I instantly turned around and stabbed his head with my spear. The lightning Spirit Aura from Peika rose up and drew his scream. Although he summoned a ck scythe and dropped it on my head, if I was dumb enough to be hit by something like that, I wouldn¡¯t even be alive at the moment. With my spear still in my hands, I used his body as a pivot and spun, dodging the scythe. I then shook the spear more violently and shouted.


    ¡°Thunder Bomb!¡±


    [Critical Hit!]


    Even though my attack seeded, I instantly backed off. A small scythe popped out of his body and flew through the air. His entire body was a weapon. I couldn¡¯t let my guard down for even a moment. I had to employ the hit-and-run method. Plus, even as I ran, I had to be careful as he had long-ranged attacks. He was truly an irritating boss.


    [I¡¯ll kill you, Hero!]


    ¡°You think so much like me. I want to kill you too.¡±


    I gave the reaper a cold smile and strengthened the grip on my spear. Then, without a shred of hesitation, I charged towards him. Like I¡¯d die a second time from that guy! Taste the wrath of the week-old grudge!


    [You obtained 37,500 gold.]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Grim Reaper¡¯s Deathscythe


    2. Soul Strengthening Elixir


    3. Upper Mana Potion


    4. Reinforced Battlesword]


    In the end, I managed to kill the reaper without anyone else dying. However, the others were from different parties, and only looked at the reaper with half-happy, half-baffled expressions. I didn¡¯t really care about what they were feeling, so I simply looked at the reward list. Good, it was here. I immediately chose the Soul Strengthening Elixir and swallowed it.


    [You consumed the Soul Strengthening Elixir. Your refined soul bes strengthened. Your magic and charm increase by 1.]


    A smile bloomed on my face. Good, I was getting stronger. I was advancing slowly, but surely. Being confident in my growth, I clenched my fists.


    I would continue hunting the reaper, grow stronger, advance onward in the dungeon, and continue growing stronger. I would raise my elementals, collect skills, and change my equipment if needed.


    Like that, I would be stronger.


    In order to not kneel in front of the despair these bastards always talked about.


    Author¡¯s note:


    This one is 7,000 characters too... Wait, I could take 3,000 characters from thest chapter, 2,000 from this one, and make a chapter...!


    Of course, if I did, the chapter¡¯s flow would be all over the ce. So I won¡¯t. I n on making the next chapter the normal length. Wish me luck everybody!

 Chapter 104. Those That Climb the Dungeon (3)

    Chapter 104. Those That Climb the Dungeon (3)


    I seeded in evolving my Crown Prince title to the Crown Prince of 40F. The rumor that the Crown Prince had appeared on the 40th floor began to spread among other continents¡¯ explorers, and my party instantly filled up whenever I created a party. As I hunted the reaper three times every day, I was allowing up to 27 explorers to advance to the 41st floor every day. Of course, this was only in the case that everyone did their jobs and managed to survive. In reality, the number of people that advanced was less than half of that number.


    From what I saw, there were about 1,500 people that were stuck on the 40th floor without being able to advance. In other words, after about a hundred days, most of the explorers would have advanced. However, after two weeks, my party stopped being filled uppletely.


    ¡°They¡¯re content as it is.¡±


    An old magician who left his party behind to join mine told me after the raid ended.


    ¡°They¡¯ve stayed like this for dozens of years. Imagine if you were in their shoes and you were suddenly given the opportunity to grow. Some will be happy, of course. Some might even tear up and thank you... But there will also be a considerable amount of people that be scared.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because the weight on their shoulders would get heavier. The stronger you get, the more responsibility you have to bear. Plus, if you be stronger not by your own strength, but by borrowing someone else¡¯s, you will hit another wall. They don¡¯t want to see others looking at them with expectations, then bing disappointed.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Swallowing the Soul Strengthening Elixir, I listened to the old man silently. Since I never had to bear the heavy weights they were carrying, I didn¡¯t have the right to say anything.


    Getting stuck, breaking through, getting stuck, stuck, stuck. After repeating it for dozens of years, how much did they suffer?


    As First Dungeon explorers, which only the most talented people were chosen to be, they undoubtedly received countless looks of envy, jealousy, and expectations. Near the end of their lives, when they realized they would only remain as mediocre warriors, how much shame would they have felt? Not to mention, for dozens of years, they would have only survived without improving... Would any passion or courage remain in their hearts? Would they be willing to challenge themselves again? Would they, who understood failure and defeat, be able to endure the expectations they would receive?


    I asked the old man.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the reason you came to defeat the reaper with me?¡±


    ¡°Is that even a question?¡±


    The old magician answered with a grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m an explorer.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve failed a countless number of times, and countless numbers of people, who ced their expectations on me, turned their backs and left. I also just spent my days like the others. I¡¯ve already climbed 40 floors, I¡¯ve done well. Telling myself such excuses, I continued to lie to myself. But then you came. It was then that I snapped out of it. If I didn¡¯t take on the challenge now, I realized I might never get another opportunity. Even if I might end up kneeling somewhere, I want to see what lies beyond this ce. I want to let the blood in this old body boil.¡±


    The old magician shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already experienced it for dozens of years! Even if I fail again, I wouldn¡¯t be losing anything! I¡¯m happy, I¡¯m extremely happy that I can finally get out of this floor! Even if I can¡¯t advance beyond the 41st floor! Even if it might only be an old man¡¯s bravado! I will go on. Because this heart is the only thing that proves that I am an explorer of the First Dungeon! So? Did that answer your question?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I smiled brightly as I answered. His words pierced deep into my heart, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°You can definitely climb higher. I guarantee it.¡±


    ¡°Ha! If Crown Prince is saying that, I will believe it! Hahahaha!¡±


    Heughed wholeheartedly, then he left my party and disappeared.


    I had taken a jab when I had least expected it. But I wasn¡¯t displeased in the slightest. In fact, he had fanned my burning heart. Talking with the old magician, I was once again able to think about what a dungeon explorer was.


    However, when I left the Floor Master room, I saw Lin with his usual unenthused expression. But, eh? Something about him seemed...


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lin? Are you evolving?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not evolving, but I¡¯m being promoted.¡±


    Lin did not have his usual cigarette as he spoke.


    ¡°Damn it, and it¡¯s as Guild Master¡¯s substitute... What a headache. This is all your fault.¡±


    ¡°Guild Master¡¯s substitute? What about Loretta?¡±


    When I said that, Lin shot me a re. His fiery eyes were really burning. How cool. I wondered if I could get a skill like that...?


    ¡°Do you know what a huge mess has happened?¡±


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. Exin please.¡±


    ¡°Ku, for the first time in several hundreds of years, noonim made a request to the Lord personally. To take down the 4,187 puppets in charge of the Floor Shops and to rece them with Fairy Garden and other administrative guild¡¯s members.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know Loretta was in charge of 4,187 Floor Shops with her puppets. It must have been tough. While I was trying to digest what I just heard, Lin was continuing his talk.


    ¡°Lord has to listen to noonim¡¯s request. She¡¯s done an incredible amount of work for the First Dungeon¡¯s explorers, and she contributed a lot of other administrative duties...¡±


    ¡°Loretta did, huh...¡±


    ¡°She also put in several additional uses, but what she wants is obvious... She wants to focus on supporting you.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Me?¡±


    ¡°Right. Not with a puppet, but with her real body. She wants to exclusively be your supporter. Even though she¡¯s Fairy Garden¡¯s guild master... Well, you are a Hero and the most famous rookie in the dungeon. Plus, since humans have short lifespans, Lord had to ept at least this much. The problem is, I¡¯m the one who has to work more because of you!¡±


    I was wondering why Lin wasplimenting me, but he wasshing out instead. Hearing what Lin said about Loretta wanting to support me with her real body, I thought back to her recent confession. To spend her daily life with me, she had made such a move. I couldn¡¯t help but be amazed.


    ¡°Hey, let me ask something.¡±


    Lin spoke as he stared at me fixedly.


    ¡°... Did you do it?¡±


    ¡°D-Do what!? No, I didn¡¯t do anything!¡±


    ¡°So something did happen. I doubt you made the first move, so it was noonim? Haa, how bold of her. She must have gotten impatient... So? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Lin, this was what you wanted to ask from the start, right?¡¯


    ¡°Hurry up and answer. What happened? Did you do it?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! I-It¡¯s on hold!¡±


    Lin looked at me with a dumbfounded expression, then spat on the ground.


    ¡°You hopeless bastard... Do you even have ¡®it¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡±


    When I answered with a serious expression, Lin simply sighed. Then, he finally took out a cigarette and asked with a more serious voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make noonim cry. She¡¯s more frail and pure than you¡¯d think. I warned you, alright?¡±


    ¡°I... got it. I got it, so stop ring at me like that.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I said what I wanted to, so I¡¯m leaving. Good luck further on. Don¡¯t die and don¡¯t fall. From what I can see, you¡¯re one of the few with potential in this entire dungeon, so don¡¯t lose your spirit no matter who you¡¯re up against. Got it?¡±


    ¡°... Thanks, Lin. Good luck too, being the guild master substitute.¡±


    ¡°Argh... Yeah. I¡¯m off.¡±


    Lin faded away. I stared fixedly at the ce he was standing, then turned away. I could still hunt the reaper one more time. The grind wasn¡¯t over yet. However, someone interrupted me. It was Ye-Eun.


    [I broke through the 20th floor!]


    ¡°You¡¯re getting faster and faster. Did you do it solo?¡±


    [Yeah! This guy tries to act cool, but he¡¯s super weak. After being beaten up, he used something called Dragon Skin and kept mming the ground with his spear, but he couldn¡¯t do anything when I just stayed glued to the ceiling.]


    So you could do that! No, ordinary explorers wouldn¡¯t be able to stay on the ceiling on for that long! As I thought, Ye-Eun had a natural talent as an assassin. Thinking that she might actually catch up to me, I asked.


    ¡°Have you tried using Deific Manifestation?¡±


    [Y-Yeah.]


    ¡°... Why is your voice shaking?¡±


    [Scary. Deific Manifestation is scary.]


    ¡°Why!? What¡¯s scary!?¡±


    [It hurts. Training is too hard.]


    She was talking in short phrases like a kid. It must have been really difficult... Even while I was feeling troubled, I tried to act calm.


    ¡°You must have met a good teacher.¡±


    [She¡¯s a vicious woman. Shin, save me. I want to see you so much.]


    ¡°We can see each other soon. Once you clear up to the 25th floor, we can go out for a drink.¡±


    [Really? Okay, I¡¯ll try my best! I¡¯ll hurry!]


    ¡°Yeah, good luck. Ah, what magic did you get on the 10th floor? Did you also get Spirit Mastery?¡±


    Although I thought Spirit Mastery was prepared for my Elementalist abilities, the solo clear rewards seemed to be fixed. From the rewards Ren told me about and with Ye-Eun also getting Deific Manifestation on the 5th floor, I was pretty sure of it. However, what Ye-Eun said next surprised me.


    [Ah, I got something called Shadowsword Mastery. It¡¯s super fun! If I hold my dagger and attack, my shadow attacks one more time! Or I can add my shadow¡¯s power to me directly and hit harder! It¡¯s super good!]


    ¡°What, that¡¯s so cool!¡±


    So the 10th floor reward was different! It was the perfect skill for Ye-Eun who was focused on attacking. Even while I was writhing in jealousy, I tried to act cool and congratted her.


    [Shin, what floor are you in now?]


    ¡°I¡¯m grinding on the 40th floor.¡±


    [Then I¡¯ll catch up soon!]


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. If you look down on the dungeon, you¡¯ll regret it. Be careful.¡±


    [I, I don¡¯t look down on it. I really don¡¯t. Uk, I¡¯ll get scolded again. Master will scold me.]


    ¡°Just who did you summon...?¡±


    Even I felt slight fear at Ye-Eun¡¯s master that I had not met yet.


    Author¡¯s notes: N/A

 Chapter 105. Those That Climb the Dungeon (4)

    Chapter 105. Those That Climb the Dungeon (4)


    When I went to the Floor Shop the next day, I saw a beautiful elf. Long, ck hair that flowed down, and golden pupils that shone brilliantly. Voluptuous chest and contrasting slender arms, legs, and waist. Without a doubt, it was Loretta, the real Loretta. The moment she saw me, she pped her long ears excitedly. I wondered if elves could fly using their ears.


    ¡°My, what a coincidence seeing you here, Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°How shameless, Loretta. Lin already told me everything.¡±


    Loretta narrowed her eyes and red at me.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s the same meaning, can¡¯t you use the expression ¡®cute¡¯?¡±


    ¡°If I say cute, you¡¯ll get startled and be noticeably happy, so I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... Tsk.¡±


    Loretta clicked her tongue and turned away. It was much cuter than her shameless words from before, but I didn¡¯t say it out loud. If I did, she would be happy and blush, and I would be even more flustered. Loretta let out a dry cough and continued.


    ¡°40th floor, the Grim Reaper. Since you got the first achievement, are you in the middle ofpletely conquering him?¡±


    ¡°Yep. I memorized all of his patterns, so killing him is pretty easy now.¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I heard anyone say that it¡¯s easy to kill the reaper. You could¡¯ve done it after hitting level 45...¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t do that anymore.¡±


    At Loretta¡¯s words, I answered her with such speed that even I was surprised.


    ¡°I want to grow my abilities. Not just my stats, but the overall abilities. Because I want to get stronger.¡±


    ¡°... If that¡¯s what you want, I will, of course, support you from behind. From now, I will be directly supporting you, so do your best, Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°With Loretta helping me, I feel assured. I¡¯ll be sure not to let Loretta down.¡±


    At my words, Loretta puffed out her chest and grinned. Then, I waved my hand at Loretta wishing me victory, and walked to hunt the reaper again. Of course, I wasn¡¯t afraid of him anymore.


    Three weekster, I finished consuming Soul Strengthening Elixirs and finished collecting the Grim Reaper Set. The Grim Reaper¡¯s Deathscythe was given to the Gluttony Spear, raising its growth by 1%. With that, it was now at 3%. Since I¡¯ve been told the spear would not grow from eating the same weapon more than once, I did not give it another one.


    [Your soul bes clear and strengthened to the peak. Your magic and charm increase by 3. Additionally, your luck increases by 5.]


    [You equipped the Grim reaper Set. Your strength and magic increase by 20. When the Grim Reaper Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Shadow Blink¡¯ once per day. Shadow Blink teleports you behind a target and delivers a sudden strike. This attack will always be a critical hit.]


    The Grim Reaper Set was made out of tattered cloth resembling the one the Grim Reaper was wearing. In fact, I looked so much like the Grim Reaper, I almost took my weapon out. However, its defense was incredibly sadpared to Crimson Dragon Scale Armor and even the Duhan Set, so I extracted the skill and stored it in the 8 o¡¯clock position, then stored the Grim Reaper Set for next year¡¯s Halloween party.


    While I was grinding on the 40th floor, Ren had begun grinding on the 35th floor. Surprisingly, Palludia¡¯s party joined Ellos¡¯ party, and had reached the 33rd floor in a short period of time. They both didn¡¯t want to party with explorers from other continents, so I wondered what had gotten into them. However, I somewhat suspected that I had an influence on their alliance.


    What was more surprising was that Shina had contacted me.


    [Oppa, I broke through the 30th floor!]


    ¡°Oooh, that¡¯s was fast. Congrattions.¡±


    [I already heard from unni that oppa broke through the 40th floor.]


    ¡°Unni? Oh, right, Palludia. You should have told me when we first met.¡±


    [But I wanted to surprise oppa by telling oppater. But I didn¡¯t think unni would charge forward so quickly...]


    ¡°I can hear you.¡±


    [Of course, I was trying to let you hear! It was a roundabout deration of war. I don¡¯t have a residence yet, but my breasts are a lot bigger than unni¡¯s! I have thepetitive edge. Not to mention, I¡¯m honest unlike unni. So? Charming, right?]


    ¡°I already knew you were charming. But you¡¯re not a good match for me.¡±


    [I... can I cry, oppa? If I¡¯m not charming to oppa, there¡¯s no point in being charming at all.]


    I made a bitter smile and replied.


    ¡°There are many better men than me. Something must have been wrong with your eyes.¡±


    [I trust my eye¡¯s ability, but I like oppa regardless!]


    Just like Palludia said, Shina was iming that she liked me. Although Palludia told me not to believe Shina, as I couldn¡¯t look into Shina¡¯s heart, I couldn¡¯t make a judgement thoughtlessly. As such, this was what I said.


    ¡°Yeah, then do your best to catch up to where I am. We have to be face to face if we want to talk. You didn¡¯t forget how I looked like, right?¡±


    [I didn¡¯t! I think about you every night, really! Prepare yourself, the party member I recruited this time is extremely strong, so we¡¯ll catch up to you quickly!]


    ¡°Party member?¡±


    I suddenly felt uneasy again.


    [Huhu, oppa might know her already. An explorer from Earth has been famous in the lower floorstely. She¡¯s called the Shadow Witch! She got her fame by helping beginner explorers advance to the 6th floor for about two weeks, but she appeared in the Residential Area just a few days ago! I¡¯ve never heard of an explorer with such quick growth! I didn¡¯t miss this opportunity and recruited her into my party.]


    ¡°...¡±


    [You see, this person is really, really strong! She might not even need party members. She¡¯s that strong! We challenged the 30th Floor Master together, but while we barely held the skeletons back, she practically toyed with the Skeleton Knight. She then said it was slightly easier than when she defeated it alone.]


    ¡°... If she¡¯s that strong, why did she enter your party?¡±


    [I don¡¯t know. She said she¡¯s going to enter the party of the guy she likes, and said she¡¯d party with us as practice.]


    ¡°Ah, I see. Good luck together.¡±


    Ye-Eun, she already broke through the 30th floor! If I didn¡¯t hurry, she might really catch up to me. I was burning with fighting spirit. I cheered her on a bit, then walked to the staircase to the 41st floor, thinking I was going to have to take Ye-Eun out for fries soon. After all, she had already passed the 25th floor. Father had also passed level 50 and was bragging about bing Gold rank, but I didn¡¯t care.


    From the 41st floor, I was free from the undead. Zombies, ghouls, skeletons, and ghosts. I was happy to be finally freed from the rotting smell of flesh, but this happiness did notst long.


    The 41st floor¡¯s monsters were wolves. They emitted the smell of wild animals and pounced at me from all directions. I was almost starting to miss the zombies. Plus, the 41st through 45th floor were all filled with wolves, just with different fur color and species. There were the direwolves,rge wolves that easily passed 2.3 meters in size. Then, there were the werewolves, which were wolves standing on their hind legs. Other than the werewolves, all of the wolves were bigger and stronger than the materialized Ruyue. However, she was still faster, making them a good match.


    Although Ruyue fought well, I wasn¡¯t used to fighting beast-type monsters, so it took a while for me to get used to them. In the end, it wasn¡¯t so different in that I had to dodge their attacks and attack when they had openings.


    As a result, I reached the 45th Floor Master in just four days.


    [Krrrrr...]


    Loretta said that 45th and 50th Floor Master battles will be a pure fight of strength against strength. I believed her, but I didn¡¯t think that strength was referring to size.


    ¡°He¡¯s over 10 meters long...¡±


    Although the Giant Iron Boar I met in Guangzhou was much bigger inparison, I could still barely look at its face when I tilted my head up to the limit. In terms of spirit, the ck furred wolf well overwhelmed the Giant Iron Boar.


    The 45th Field was a wastnd. The ck wolf was sitting in the middle of the wastnd with his legs folded and his eyes closed. When I approached him and raised my Gluttony Spear, his eyes shot open. The presence emanating out from him at that moment was incredibly overwhelming, making me burst into smiles.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯ll have to fightrge monsters like this often on Earth. I¡¯ll train myself using you.¡±


    [Krrrrr...!]


    The wolf moved its front leg forward and lowered its body. He seemed to be preparing to charge at me. With his weight and speed, the force of impact would be enormous. I also lowered my body on Ruyue¡¯s back and prepared to charge forward. I whispered to Ruyue.


    ¡°I¡¯m trusting you, Ruyue. Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    [Auuuuuuuuu!]


    At that moment, Ruyue charged forward before the giant wolf.


    [Gruaaaaang!]


    The giant wolf also charged towards us. When he stepped forward, a sandstorm brewed in the wastnd, blocking my sight. I left Ruyue in charge of our movement and focused on pinpointing his location and his method of attack.


    ¡°Ruyue, jump diagonally.¡±


    [Auuuu!]


    I held my Gluttony Spear horizontally and activated Elemental de. I held the spear with both my hands like a baseball bat, and when Ruyue had leapt past giant wolf¡¯s thigh, I swung the spear with full force.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuaaaang!]


    A stream of blood shot out into the air and the giant wolf screamed. What I didn¡¯t expect was that it would somehow detect where we were and swing his tail at us like a whip! Ruyue hastily poured out her Ice Breath and threw her body to the side. However, his tail, which seemed like it would get stuck at Ruyue¡¯s Ice Breath, became bigger and swept over us. It had made its already huge tail even bigger! I gritted my teeth and shouted.


    ¡°Shadow Blink!¡¯


    Ruyue and I were instantly teleported behind the giant wolf¡¯s neck.


    [Krr?]


    The giant wolf made a stupefied sound and turned its head to face us. In the process, his body turned to the other direction, and he turned his head again. His body then turned the other direction again. He slowly began to spin in circles. Thankfully, it seemed he still had the intelligence of a beast.


    Meanwhile, I was focusing my energy on the spear tip for the critical damage that Shadow Blink guaranteed. Just like always, I raised my spear that had turned into a white bolt of lightning from Peika¡¯s power and my white-colored aura, striking down at the giant wolf¡¯s neck.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kiaaaaaaa!]


    Blood spurted out from the area the spear struck, sshing onto me and Ruyue. It seemed to have felt immense pain from the attack, as it began to jump wildly to shake me off of him. With my face half-covered in blood, I gritted my teeth and raised my spear again, shouting, ¡°Ruyue, hold on!¡±


    [Okay!]


    Ruyue stretched out her ws and stuck onto the giant wolf, and I wrapped my legs around Ruyue. Now that we were in a favorable position, I had no intention of getting off!


    [Auu.]


    ¡°Ruyue, hold on just a little bit longer!¡±


    [Auuu....!]


    Something seemed to be wrong with Ruyue, so I decided to take care of the giant wolf swiftly.


    ¡°White Lightning Consecutive Strike!¡±


    A barrage of spear attacks struck the hole created by my Heroic Strike, expanding it. Red blood continued to ssh onto me, but it wasn¡¯t enough to interrupt my concentration. The only thing in my sight was the hole I had to dig deeper.


    [Kuaaaang!]


    Although I would have liked to attack him like this until he died, it was, of course, not so easy. Before my White Lightning Consecutive Strike could even end, the giant wolf let out a loud howl, then began to roll to the side. Shoot! I quickly canceled the skill and stuck to Ruyue.


    ¡°Ruyue, let¡¯s jump off!¡¯


    [Okay!]


    Before Ruyue and I became crushed paste, Ruyue leapt off his back andnded on the ground. Noticing that Ruyue and I had left, the giant wolf stopped rolling and raised its body. Then, it gave me a deathly re.


    [Kruaaang!]


    [Giant Wolf uses Blood Howling! All of Giant Wolf¡¯s defense is converted to attack power!]


    It was actually called Giant Wolf!? No, now was not the time. Its fur dyed red. At the same time, its front paws expanded to an unnatural size. Right, a fight of pure strength against strength... I was d that it was so simple. I curled the corners of my mouth up and strengthened the grip on my Gluttony Spear.


    ¡°Fight me, you fat wolf bastard!¡±


    [Guoooooo!]


    Author¡¯s notes: N/A

 Chapter 106. Those That Climb the Dungeon (5)

    Chapter 106. Those That Climb the Dungeon (5)


    [Guooooooo!]


    With an earthshaking roar, he charged forward. He was far faster than he had been previously, and taking his erged front paws into ount, I could only barely dodge his attacks.


    ¡°Ruyue, focus on evading him. I¡¯ll do the attacking!¡¯


    [Auuuu!]


    Other than Floor Master skills, Elemental de was the only way for me to attack without taking any recoil damage. Being d that I managed to obtain this skill, I called elementals into my spear de again. Drinking Mana Potions as I used skills was now as natural as breathing.


    [Kyaa, Prince-nim¡¯s serious face! So cool!]


    [When is the roller coaster taking off?]


    [Where¡¯s the seat belt? Do I grab the spear de?]


    [Ueee... I got on again, I¡¯m going to throw up again!]


    Ignoring the elementals¡¯ voices, I swung my 10-meter long spear as I nced past the Giant Wolf. Its colossal front paw was cut and blood spurted out like a fountain. The moment Ruyuended on the ground, she ran. Immediately afterwards, the wolf¡¯s hind leg stomped the area wended.


    [Aoooo!]


    ¡°It really is just like fighting a monstrous beast!¡±


    I fixed my grip on Gluttony Spear and called the elementals again. With his size, it was impossible to take care of him quickly. I had already expected that the battle would drag out. Ruyue changed her direction and continued running. My target had not changed. It was still wolf¡¯s giant front paws that had be easy targets!


    [Guaaaaaa!]


    [Front paw ising!]


    Looking at the Giant Wolf¡¯s eyes burning with rage from the corner of my eyes, I raised my spear again. His giant front paw cut through the air and flew toward me. As I was sure just one hit would be enough to pierce my tough armor and deal a fatal blow, Iughed even louder.


    ¡°With just that... you can¡¯t catch me!¡¯


    Ruyue jumped, and I jumped from Ruyue¡¯s back. Unable to predict my movement, the Giant Wolf¡¯s front paw only swung past my feet. At that moment, I struck my spear down with all the strength I could muster. The elemental spear de easily pierced its leather, which had lost its defensive power. Digging deep into the front paw, the elemental de then exploded.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuooooooo!]


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Auuuu!]


    After recovering my spear, Inded on the back of Ruyue, who was waiting for me on the ground. However, I didn¡¯t have the time to leisurely check the result of my attack. The Giant Wolf raised all the hair on its body with rage and was running toward me. I couldn¡¯t let him hit me even once. I couldn¡¯t waste a week because of something so stupid.


    Raising my spear and striking down on the ground, I shouted.


    ¡°Outburst!¡±


    Crack! The wastnd fissured and rock shards rose, flying toward the Giant Wolf, who was running towards me with vigor. Although it couldn¡¯t bepared to when Duhan used it, hundreds of flying rock shards hurtling towards the Giant Wolf was a sight to behold.


    With the area I struck my spear down on as the center, the ground rumbled andrge rock shards shot up, flying toward the Giant Wolf. They were fast, numerous, and strong. It was the second attack skill among Floor Master skills, and I had great expectations for it. Its strength was better than what I had imagined.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Critical Hit!]


    As the Giant Wolf was charging forward with great speed, it could not dodge the numerous rock shards and received them with his body. With his defensive powercking from the skill he used, blood spurted out wherever the rock shards struck him. Now that I thought about it, as long as I wasn¡¯t hit by him, there was no reason to fear his skill.


    [Guaaaaaaa!]


    Its dark red blood sshed on his already red fur, and dyed it in a darker red. However, it did not falter and continued charging. With how big it was, it had a frightening amount of life force. Any other Floor Master would have been in dire straits from the loss of blood, but he only looked slightly weaker. What was important in fighting a massive monster was continued concentration and patience to continue attacking him until he died. I learned something important.


    ¡°Ruyue, let¡¯s go, cut off his front paw entirely!¡±


    [Auuuuuu!]


    30 minutes after that, the moment I was waiting for had finally arrived. As a result of focusing my attacks on it, its erged front paw had finally been severed from his body.


    [Kuooooooo!]


    He let out a heaven shattering scream and rolled on the ground. At the same time, his front paw disappeared into particles of light. With a grin, I fixed my grip on my spear. Having lost one of its front paws, he had lost both speed and strength. He could no longer even give a moment of thrill.


    ¡°Ruyue, let¡¯s hurry up and finish this.¡±


    [Auuuuu!]


    Ruyue charged forward. As Ruyue and I already shared our thoughts, Ruyue brought me to the destination I desired without me having to tell her. I raised my spear and collected my energy. I woke up my sleeping muscles and squeezed out strength from them. The Giant Wolf was still struggling to raise its body. Using the white lightning that formed in my hand, I aimed at the Giant Wolf¡¯s neck, the ce I had drilled a hole in with Shadow Blink.


    Then, I thrust forward.


    [You became level 46. You obtained the qualification to advance to the 46th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You became Silver rank 2.]


    [Amazing! You are the first in First Dungeon¡¯s history to seed in soloing the Giant Wolf on the first try! The dungeon will remember you as a Great Explorer. You obtained 2 skill point as reward. Gods that love battles and wars begin to be interested in you. Remaining skill points: 18]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Giant Wolf Master.¡¯ All stats increase by 2. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You defeated the Giant Wolf alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Giant Wolf¡¯s Blood Hat.¡¯]


    [You obtained 200,000 gold.]


    [You received the only reward left hidden for the First Explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 1.]


    [Secret. Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo]


    Really,pared to the Grim Reaper, the Giant Wolf wasughably easy. The Grim Reaper had several attacks that could hit me in ways I least expected, but for the Giant Wolf, there was nothing I had to be afraid of other than this body erging skill and skill that turned his defense into offense. I would remember him as the easiest boss along with the Wraith Queen.


    As always, I asked message noona to open the message log and read the list of messages. There were two noteworthy things. First was that gods who liked battles and wars began to grow interested in me. Did this mean I was close to getting another god¡¯s true name? Hermes¡¯ Tria was already very useful. No, did I even have the capacity to ept the power of another god¡¯s true name?¡±


    I thought seriously for a while, but realized there was no need to worry about something that would happen in the future. In fact, I might bepletely mistaken. I decided to consider the matterter, and moved on to the next matter.


    The secret reward, Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo. It was clearly not a magic or a skill. Since experiencing it would be faster, I reached forward toward the reward. At that moment, something emanating a blue light flowed into my arm and traveled down to my legs. I hurriedly took my armor off and checked my legs. Runic patterns were engraved from my thighs to my calves, glowing with a blue light.


    [You obtained Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo. You speed increases by 15% and increases the attack power of all charge type skills by 50%.]


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Although I didn¡¯t even have any rush-type skills, I would have a 110% attack power increase with Crimson Dragon Scale Armor¡¯s 60% increase. Now that things hade to this, I would really need to look around to see if I can get myself a charge type skill. Plus, there was the 15% speed increase! It was equivalent to the effect of my god¡¯s true name! Of course, 15% speed increase wasn¡¯t the only effect Hermes had, but I was surprised nheless.


    But damn, I would not be living in a world 30% faster than everyone else. Just the first 15% was hard to get used to, but I had gotten another 15%... It would be troublesome to get used to it.


    Iined inplete happiness and left the Floor Master room. Behind the Floor Shop counter, Loretta, who was lying on the bed she prepared and reading a book, got up slowly after seeing me, and greeted me.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re already here?¡±


    ¡°Loretta does things I can¡¯t even imagine so easily. It makes me tremble, though, not in respect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about building a portable house. By the way Shin-nim, your body¡¯s bnce seems a little off.¡±


    When I told her the effects of Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo, she stared at my legs, as if to see through my armor, then nodded her head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see it, so take it off and show me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t show you! What are you asking for so naturally!?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, he almost fell for it...¡±


    Loretta clicked her tongue as if she was close. Then, after a dry cough, she advised me.


    ¡°If you want to obtain a charge type skill, why don¡¯t you try looking for it at the Residential Area? Not all skills are automatically acquired like the Floor Master solo rewards. The skill books that Event Dungeon bosses drop or given from quest rewards are exchangeable. Shin-nim, you¡¯re overflowing with gold anyways, right? You don¡¯t buy anything from the Floor Shop other than potions, battle vouchers, and Party Member Scarecrows... I came all the way here to support Shin-nim, but you don¡¯t use me very often. I¡¯m sad.¡±


    ¡°Potions, battle vouchers, and Party Member Scarecrows, that¡¯s a lot. I¡¯m using tens of thousands of gold per day... Anyways, I¡¯ll be off.¡±


    ¡°Take me with you! I¡¯m bored.¡±


    Loretta pped her ears and jumped out from the bed, locking her arms with mine. I tried to ignore Loretta¡¯s fragrance and the shocking sensation in my arm, but it wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡°It¡¯s hot, so get off.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not hot, so let¡¯s go like this. Come on!¡±


    ¡°This person, there¡¯s no sense of distance these days...¡±


    Now that Loretta had stuck onto me, there was no way to get her off. I resigned and went to the Residential Area. When I arrived at the entrance of my mansion, I saw the corpse of the Giant Iron Boar, which was still left neglected on the garden. I¡¯m sorry, Giant Iron Boar. I want to eat you, but I¡¯m busy finishing the melting tunas in my inventory...


    While I was silenting looking at the Giant Iron Boar, Loretta let out an exmation of surprise and knocked on the Giant Iron Boar¡¯s metallic legs.


    ¡°It¡¯s the type that got stronger after death. Do you have a necromancer friend, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fermenting it, right? It was originally weak, but a strong lightning energy was imbued into it the moment it died. Not to mention, this ce is where the entrance to Fairy Garden is, meaning it¡¯s full of elementals. Lightning energy is building up in its body,pressing its body and amplifying its energy. If you leave him like this, he¡¯ll be a great undead for sure. One that¡¯s much stronger than he was when he was alive.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No, it said it wouldn¡¯t rot, so I was just storing my food supply here... Not that I could tell her that. Now that I looked at it, its 70-meter long body length was now about 60 meters long. Its hair that was burnt ck also seemed to be flickering with sparks...


    I smiled nonchntly.


    ¡°Hahaha, let¡¯s go out, Loretta!¡±


    ¡°So it was a coincidence...¡±


    Maybe I¡¯ll learn necromancyter! I passed it off as something trivial for now and dragged Loretta outside the mansion to the Residential Area. Left behind in the garden was the Giant Iron Boar¡¯s corpse, admirably fermenting itself.


    Author¡¯s Note:


    Alright, let¡¯s go! With this spirit, we¡¯ll quickly clear the 50th floor!

 Chapter 107. Those That Climb the Dungeon (6)

    Chapter 107. Those That Climb the Dungeon (6)


    As we strolled through the Residential Area, Loretta received countless gazes from others. Of course, I knew why. At first nce, they would be surprised at Loretta¡¯s appearance; at their second nce, they would be awed by her otherworldly beauty; and at their third nce, she would look even prettier than when they looked at her the first time. That is, as long as she didn¡¯t open her mouth. Loretta ruined her goddess-like appearance by talking like an idiot. Though, that was her charm as well.


    ¡°Was there an elf like that in the First Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I thought the most beautiful explorer was the Luka continent¡¯s crown princess.¡±


    ¡°No, on the higher floors, there¡¯s another famous beauty. From that... ruined continent.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s been dozens of years since she made an appearance.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that elf isn¡¯t an explorer.¡±


    ¡°I know who she is. She¡¯s the master of one of the administrative guilds. She was so pretty that I remembered it.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think she was dating a rookie...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m jealous, damn it.¡±


    There were some that realized who Loretta was from her appearance. Most of them looked strong. With a bitter smile, Loretta exined to me.


    ¡°There are times when I have to make my appearance as the guild master.¡±


    ¡°So you actually do your guild master work. Ow!¡±


    Loretta got angry and smacked my arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m a proper guild master! Though it¡¯s Lin¡¯s job now.¡±


    ¡°Lin said he was a substitute, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s how everyone bes the master. Huhu, Lin is actually very suited to be a leader. Lin¡¯s special ability was the only reason why a human like himself could enter Fairy Garden.¡±


    ¡°Lin isn¡¯t a human, but a draconian...Well, it¡¯s fine. By the way, Loretta, what are you going to do if you stop being a guild master?¡±


    ¡°You see, my dream was always to be a housewife! So I¡¯ll be employed to Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like my partner to be able.¡±


    ¡°S-Should I... continue being a guild master...?¡±


    ¡°Loretta should do what Loretta wants, but I want to marry a woman who actively improves her life.¡±


    ¡°W-W-Work... I have to work... Kuk, but I want to y...!¡±


    The way Loretta¡¯s ears trembled like she was in deep agony was too cute. However, while I was preupied with making fun of Loretta, I identally bumped my shoulder into someone. Although my shoulder hurt, I apologized since I was the one at fault for not watching where I was going.


    ¡°Sorry, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m more surprised that you¡¯re okay after bumping into me. I haven¡¯t seen you before, so you must be a newbie.¡±


    It was the low, silvery voice of a woman. I raised my head. In front of me was a young beauty my height, with most of her figure hidden by a ck armor. She was looking at me with eyes of interest.


    Inside her beautiful amber eyes, a pair of unusually sharp and long, vertical pupils left a deep impression on me. They were not the eyes of a human, but those of a beast. As if to wipe away any hint of doubt, two triangr ears were on her head.


    ¡°Beastman...¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you know. Right, I¡¯m a beastman.¡±


    ¡°Leb, let¡¯s go! Saure already ordered our drinks.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, you¡¯re walking with me, but you¡¯re looking at other women?¡±


    Someone who seemed to be herpanion called her while Loretta pulled me with her arms linked to mine. The woman replied to herpanion that she¡¯d be there in a moment.


    ¡°You even have an elf girlfriend? You¡¯re doing pretty well, rookie. Let¡¯s hear your name, I¡¯ll remember it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Kang Shin, an explorer from Earth.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Lebuik from the guild, ¡®Demonic Girls¡¯. Good luck climbing to the higher floors. I¡¯ll take you out for a drink the next time we meet.¡±


    With that, she waved her hand and turned away. The clunking of her fancy, ck armor proved that she was a skilled explorer from a higher floor than mine. Plus, on her back, there was a stupidlyrge and thick, ck ymore, which even I might have trouble carrying.


    Looking at it, I was sure. It wasn¡¯t the time to be shocked about her being a woman.


    ¡°So you weren¡¯t dead.¡±


    ¡°... Who said I was dead? Bring me the guy who had the audacity to say that.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim...?¡±


    Right, he must have had the possibility in mind when he asked me. It might have even gone past the point of being a possibility, and he might have even been sure. After all, he wasn¡¯t aplete idiot. If I told him, what would he...


    I spoke, ¡°There¡¯s an explorer who got famous on the 35th floor. They call him the Golden Lion.¡±


    ¡°Golden Lion? What¡¯s that? Tsk, can anyone be called Golden Lion these days? There¡¯s only one true Golden Lion, the Panan continent¡¯s... Huu, never mind. Rookie, what is it that you want to say?¡±


    ¡°The Golden Lion you¡¯re talking about is rushing through the First Dungeon with his own strength.¡±


    ¡°... Ren-nim is?¡±


    I was surprised that she addressed him as Ren-nim. While I was imagining what status Ren had, the woman jumped at me. No, she jumped at me but was instantly pushed away. I saw Loretta stepping forward angrily.


    ¡°Do you want to get beaten, customer? Do you? You can¡¯t touch other customers that don¡¯t belong to you. Understand? Do you want to know what Last Bullet tastes like? Do you want to try it?¡±


    ¡°Kuhuk... What kind of an elf...!¡±


    Lebuik got up, holding her stomach in pain. There was a crack in her armor. Seeing her ears folded down, she looked especially pitiful.


    ¡°You, who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the Floor Shop¡¯s Loretta. Regardless, if you want to ask Shin-nim a question, can you do it without making contact with him?¡±


    ¡°Floor Shop? The administrative guild...! Ku, that hurt.¡±


    Seeing this strong explorer in pain didn¡¯t feel like someone else¡¯s problem, so I asked her with worrying eyes.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, I¡¯m fine. Anyways, if you know about Ren-nim, can you tell me more about him? I assume Ren-nim is still noble and beautiful.¡±


    I had just heard two words that didn¡¯t fit Ren the most.


    In the end, I ended up staying with Lebuik, who was about to head to the bar, a bit longer. Lebuik had twopanions, one was a human woman who had called out to her, Zevina (shield warrior). The other was a dwarf woman who had already ordered drinks at the bar, Saure (axe warrior). I wondered if all of her guild members were warriors, but I was told that one of the five members was a priestess. The remaining guild member was a w warrior. With everyone¡¯s sses being so macho, I was surprised that everyone was female.


    ¡°So, w-what about Ren-nim...?¡±


    The moment I received a ss, Lebuik asked me impatiently. Her cheeks were bright red. As she didn¡¯t drink anything yet, she was undoubtedly flushed. Feeling a murderous intent toward Ren boiling inside me, I replied,


    ¡°I first met him on the 20th floor. He couldn¡¯t control his temper then and almost died.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, he does have that cute side to him.¡±


    ¡°... After that, he stayed with me for a while and fixed his bad habits. In the end, he seeded in defeating the Lizard Knight alone.¡±


    ¡°A-Alone? The Lizard Knight? Kuk, I should have seen it... Ah, he must have looked so cool.¡±


    ¡°After that, he continued to climb the dungeon alone and seeded in defeating all the Floor Masters alone. In the process, he gained some fame from helping other explorers defeat the Floor Masters. He should still be on the 35th floor to get strengthening elixirs from the Floor Master.¡±


    ¡°Strengthening elixirs? The thing that only drops asionally? Wow, I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s grown so much... He must look incredibly handsome now... Like a real man...¡±


    Lebuik¡¯s cat-ears twisted and revealed her confused emotion. Meanwhile, Loretta was confirming information about Ren through my whispers.


    ¡°Shin-nim, the Ren you¡¯re talking about is that messy-haired customer, who makes people even looking at him feel hot, right? Are you sure that customer isn¡¯t talking about someone else?¡±


    ¡°Loretta, to be honest, I was confused about the same thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised. I didn¡¯t think this man named Ren was real. Leb always talks about him when she¡¯s drunk.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Once she starts talking about Ren, she won¡¯t talk about anyone else for the day, so today¡¯s already over.¡±


    In front of me was the cute dwarf girl Saure. No matter how I looked at her, she looked like an elementary school kid. Seeing her holding a beer mug and hitting it against Zevina, I felt overwhelmed, but I managed to pass it off as I had already gotten used to dwarves from Fairy Garden¡¯s Lotang. Meanwhile, Lebuik¡¯s madness was still continuing.


    ¡°He was cute ever since he was little... When I was sparring with him with wooden swords, he fell down and scraped his knees. He then ran to me with teary eyes... haak, haak.¡±


    I felt disgusted. Both by Ren¡¯s crying face that I imagined and by that woman who was letting out weird breathing noises as she imagined the same crying face.


    ¡°W-When I licked his wound, he tried to smile bravely with tears still in his eyes, saying ¡®I¡¯m fine now, Sir Lebuik!¡¯ ... haa, haa.¡±


    ¡°Leb, you have a nosebleed.¡±


    After enjoying herself for a while, thinking about Ren¡¯s younger self, Lebuik¡¯s ears and tail suddenly drooped in sadness.


    ¡°But, I... leaving Ren-nim by himself in Panan continent... Uk, uuk...¡±


    ¡°How much did that person drink?¡±


    ¡°One ss. Just one ss of beer.¡±


    ¡°I, I... should have been with him. I, I shouldn¡¯t have thrown it away... but still, I wanted to live...¡±


    ¡°Ren thinks you¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie. The knights that were with me on the battlefield must have lied... After all, I ran away right in front of them. In front of everyone¡¯s eyes, I opened the door to the dungeon, to survive by myself... Leaving behind the honor and pride of beastmen...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The light atmosphere had suddenly turned sour. Saure and Zevina, who were shing their sses in a good mood, suddenly looked grim. I suspected that they had simr experiences. As explorers of the First Dungeon, they must have abandoned the country and world they were from, into the dungeon.


    I opened my mouth to say something, but I realized I only had unqualified criticisms to say. I stayed silent. That would only be the grumbling of an immature child, who had never experienced the unfairness of cruel reality. In this safe space, they would be vulnerable to my wordscking self-awareness.


    As such, I said the best thing I could say in this situation.


    ¡°Ren wanted to see you. He was looking for you... If you¡¯re alive, he will be happy with just that.¡±


    ¡°B-But... I don¡¯t have the qualification to see him. In the hopeless Panan continent, he is the only remaining explorer. He has a truly great and noble soul. Just by meeting him, his soul will be hurt. I¡¯m scared. The fact that I can still affect him... No, I can¡¯t meet him... I don¡¯t have the qualification to stand next to him, much less talk to him. I¡¯ll just think about him alone, like this... hic.¡±


    ¡°She started crying.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no choice now. Stop bothering Leb now. We... want it to stop too. Sorry, even though we¡¯re the ones who invited you.¡±


    Zevina and Saure felt ufortable with us as well. I exchanged bitter smiles with Loretta and got up. I didn¡¯t think our conversation would end in the worst way possible. If Ren came to the Residential Area and heard about Lebuik or even met her...


    ¡°Sir Lebuik.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t call me that. I¡¯m no longer a knight.¡±


    ¡°If Ren will change just because of meeting you, he wouldn¡¯t have survived on his own until now. So don¡¯t worry and try meeting him... Your wound will have to be ripped open one day.¡±


    That is, before it festers and bes bigger from being left alone. She seemed to have understood my meaning as her ears twitched slightly. She then murmured in a barely audible voice.


    ¡°... Can I add you to my friend list?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Just like that, I met with Ren¡¯s master, Lebuik, and parted. Although Lebuik had abandoned her world, she was still climbing the dungeon as an explorer. Just what was it that she was hoping for in the end? Perhaps... as long as she had the desire to continue challenging, as long as her world didn¡¯t copsepletely, would she still have the chance to go back?


    Although Lebuik was worried that she¡¯d change Ren, my thoughts were different.


    Ren was a warrior, one that walked forward without ever looking back. If it¡¯s him, he might rekindle the fire in that runaway knight¡¯s heart. If it¡¯s him, he might change her.


    Hoping and worrying for that to be the case, I surprisingly realized that I was thinking a lot about Ren.


    For the record, I couldn¡¯t buy any charge type skills from the auction house. Damn, nothing in this world was easy!


    Author¡¯s notes:


    With the First Dungeon¡¯s important explorers appearing, this chapter hase to an end. I wanted to show you what kind of explorers they were more vividly, but myck of ability might have somewhat made it hazy. What did you think, everyone? ^^


    Trantor¡¯s notes:


    While tranting this chapter, I realized I originally tranted ¡°charge type skills¡± as ¡°rush type skills¡± (for the Rage Rush Boots) for the reason that ¡®charge¡¯ sounded like ¡®charging¡¯ (as in, storing energy over time).


    Since I did ¡°charge type¡± when I tranted the Crimson Dragon Scale Armor (oops), I decided to just stick with it (I¡¯ll fix the earlier chapters when Iplete the series). Just remember that ¡°charge type¡± is like ¡°rush type¡±, as in ¡°to rush forward in attack.¡±

 Chapter 108. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (1)

    Chapter 108. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (1)


    I was right in trying to use the Giant Wolf to develop a battle strategy against giant monsters. Although the Giant Wolf¡¯s movement patterns were almost too simple, he certainly had disaster level speed and strength. With its size, it had boundless life force, and I had to train my patience and holding my focus for dozens of minutes to fight against it. Although fighting the Giant Wolf could not give me a heart-pounding thrill, I shouldn¡¯t just be seeking thrill in fights for my growth. I considered it a chance to steadily grow my abilities.


    Another ability I have to improve was mymunication with Ruyue. I had to strengthen my bond with her by being more intimate. Although Peikained that I only materialized Ruyue and was more intimate with her, I couldn¡¯t help it as Peika was much stronger when she was infused into my spear with Spirit Aura than when she was materialized. To make it up to her, when I was training and not having a real battle, I had Peika materialized. Calling the elementals, materializing them, and making contact with them more often to increase our closeness were the easiest way of letting them grow.


    [Shin! I love Shin!]


    [That¡¯s enough! You¡¯re always sticking close to Master. You need to learn to share from time to time!]


    Ruyue stuck to me excessively, and although Peika tried to stop Ruyue, Peika wasn¡¯t too different from Ruyue. Since how much the elementals liked me would only help their growth, I simply made a bitter smile and hugged them both, but I did find it a bit strange. They liked me more than what my Elementalist skill levels would suggest... Though, I knew emotions couldn¡¯t be reflected by skill levels. I also couldn¡¯t understand why Ruyue, who I only met recently, seemed to like me more than Peika. Perhaps it was because of the circumstances of how we met.


    Coming back to the subject of the Giant Wolf, his unexpected partial gigantification attack was undoubtedly dangerous. Although I didn¡¯t feel threatened due to my excellent senses, ordinary explorers without sufficient detection abilities would find the attack fatal.


    Even in the boss fight I had with explorers who were stuck on the 45th floor, two explorers died from the gigantification attack even though they were on their guard. The other explorers who survived also thought it was strange how I could dodge the Giant Wolf¡¯s attack so perfectly. Because it was frustrating, I tried to exin simply.


    ¡°There are signs. You can see how his muscles move, right? When muscles that have nothing to do with his current movement suddenly expand, you know that part will gigantify. Easy, right?¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince sucks.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, I want to kill him.¡±


    I had gotten haters for the first time. Damn, they hated me even though I exined so simply...!


    In truth, I wasn¡¯t really looking forward to the strengthening elixir that the Giant Wolf would drop. Strengthening elixirs raised two stats up to 10 times, totaling 12 points into each stat, equivalent to about 5 levels worth of stat points. Skin Strengthening Elixirs and Soul Strengthening Elixirs both increased my charm stat, which didn¡¯t have much impact in direct fights. However, I recently found out that the charm stat yed an important role, so I wasn¡¯t that dissatisfied about it increasing. I suspected that the Giant Wolf¡¯s strengthening elixir would be something simr.


    However, I was surprised by apletely unexpected oue. Even the elixir¡¯s name was different.


    [1. Wolf¡¯s Tattoo Invigoration Elixir]


    The moment I saw it, I smacked my knees. Tattoo Invigoration Elixir! It wasn¡¯t worth anything to people who couldn¡¯t defeat the Giant Wolf alone! It was absurd. I felt strongly that the dungeon was changing the higher I went.


    The dungeon was expecting something from the explorers and encouraged them to perform certain actions. Was I meeting its expectations? I felt happy every time I was assured that the path I was walking on was the correct one, but I also felt bad that I was ying in the hands of someone I didn¡¯t know. If I could attach a name to that someone, it would be the ¡®Lord¡¯ that members of the Fairy Garden talked about. Would he know everything about this dungeon? Will I be able to meet him one day? Of course, I didn¡¯t have any answers now.


    In any case, since the secret reward was the Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo, it seemed the normal solo reward was just the Wolf¡¯s Tattoo. I felt a sense of pride, then shame from doing so as I ate the elixir.


    [Your Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo bes more invigorated. Your speed increases by 0.5% and dexterity increases by 1. Additionally, since you have the Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo, your speed increases by 0.5% and dexterity by 1.]


    I wish it didn¡¯t use another sentence to say the same thing. It could have just said my speed increased by 1% and dexterity by 2. It seemed the ordinary Wolf¡¯s Tattoo only increased speed 0.5% and dexterity by 1. Thus Tattoo Invigoration Elixir could only have its full effect on me.


    I despaired slightly at the fact that my speed increased by another 1%, when I had just gotten used to the 15% boost. Feeling that I would be fighting myself for a while, I sighed. My premonition came true, as every time I got used to the speed increase the Tattoo Invigoration Elixir gave me, eating dozens of Tattoo Invigoration Elixirs in the process, the elixir gave another 1% increase. Not to mention, the light the tattoo gave off increased every time to the point it stuck out like a sore thumb if I didn¡¯t cover it with my pants. Although it was fine during the winter, it seemed I wouldn¡¯t be able to wear shorts during the summer. Though, my body¡¯s temperature no longer fluctuated because of the length of my pants.


    One month had passed since then. March was right around the corner, and I had to go back to school for the second semester. As I made the extreme decision of taking four online sses, I only had to go to school for four days! Heh, being a college student was really only to disguise my real identity. What was important to me was not at the college. Ye-Eun, I chose to abandon my grades!


    During that time, the Field Dungeons were taken care of one by one, and only America and Japan were having trouble with theirs. Japan seemed to have made some progress, but Antelope Valley¡¯s Field Dungeon, Wyvern¡¯s Nest, was expanding its territory, just like people feared. The U.S. government gave up several benefits and requested every country for help. As ability users were now the greatest resources a country could possess, it was doubtful that any of them would ept their request so easily. Of course, a country didn¡¯t function with only ability users, and some countries had negotiated to send their SS rankers with the condition that they escape when a dangerous situation urred.


    If the matter with Brightman had not happened, Britain with their two SS rankers would have been able to trade with America more easily, but because they covered for Brightman¡¯s indiscretions, they hadpletely lost Hwaya¡¯s trust and were most likely panicking, trying to regain her assistance. It served them right.


    That aside, I did want to try hunting wyverns... Since I had several escape tools in my arsenal, I thought about going there someday.


    In any case, no matter how much everyone was having trouble with the Field Dungeons, I was focusing on the 45th Floor Master, Giant Wolf. Today was the day the grind would end.


    [Krrrruuuaang!]


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim, be careful!¡±


    ¡°This much is nothing!¡±


    The Giant Wolf could gigantify any part of his body. When it gigantified just a single w and sent it flying, I was almost shocked to death. Today, it even gigantified its head and tried to swallow me whole. As Ruyue had leapt right in front of him, she couldn¡¯t evade the attack unless she could freely fly.


    Without a shred of hesitation, I leapt up on Ruyue¡¯s back and dematerialized Ruyue. The Giant Wolf¡¯s mouth chomped down on the area Ruyue and I had been in, and Inded on the Giant Wolf¡¯s nose bridge. After gigantification, its eyes were bigger than my own body. Being stared down by his eyes sent a chill down my back, but I used Ruyue¡¯s power to fix my feet onto the nose bridge and grinned.


    Ruyue¡¯s power froze my bootspletely and prevented me from falling off the Giant Wolf no matter how much he shook his head. That said, staying like this would get dizzy, so I had to end it fast!


    ¡°It¡¯s time for firework! Uaaaaak!¡±


    [You used Crimson Roar. Everything zes as mes.]


    In an instant, everything within my sight became mes and burned violently. Even knowing that the mes would not hurt me, I could not help but close my eyes shut. Naturally, attacked by therge mes directly, the Giant Wolf¡¯s two eyes also received irrecoverable damage, burningpletely.


    ¡°Uwah, I heard about it already, but it really is a vicious skill!¡±


    ¡°The barrier is going to get broken through! Reinforce it!¡±


    As I had already warned them, my party members had dug a hole for themselves in the distance and were hiding under a barrier. Even so, the mes were affecting them. Wasn¡¯t that the army¡¯s gas chamber training? With the rather useless thought, I raised my spear and aimed it at the Giant Wolf, who was in pain from having lost his eyes.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s end this!¡±


    [Kruaaaaang!]


    You can cry all you want! I won¡¯t stop hitting you because of it!


    [You consumed Wolf¡¯s Tattoo Invigoration Elixir to the limit. The Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo has been invigorated to its peak. Your speed increases by 6%. You dexterity increases by 6.]


    [You learned the skill, ¡®Gale Track,¡¯ from invigorating the Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo to its peak! It is a charge type skill, using extreme speed and seeking only destruction! When used, you will be super-armored for the duration, pushing away every in your path. Every time an enemy is pushed away, your attack power increases by 5% up to 100%. The skill¡¯s power will increase with speed. If you have a riding skill, you can use it while riding. When attacking the enemy at your destination, wind attribute will be imbued to your weapon, amplifying its power. The charging speed and power will increase with skill level.]


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    I was wondering where the charge skill was hiding, but to think it was in my tattoo! Plus, it even dealt a final blow after the reckless charge! It was just my taste. I waved my hand and sent my party members off, then went to report what happened to Loretta.


    ¡°Really? Well, Shin-nim is the first one to obtain the Giant Wolf Tattoo, and I haven¡¯t seen anyone other than Shin-nim consume Tattoo Invigoration Elixir to the limit... So, what was the skill that the Giant Wolf Set had?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    At Loretta¡¯s question, I could only make a strange smile. I was secretly hoping for Blood Howl, which converted all defense to attack power, but...


    [You equipped the Giant Wolf Set. Your dexterity and magic increase by 20. When the Giant Wolf Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Gigantic¡¯ once per day. Gigantic is a strong skill that enables you to erge and wield a body part, or weapon or equipment connected to your body. However, without the strength to wield the erged target, this skill may be catastrophic to you.]


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to make that face, Loretta. I already know.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, well not all Floor Master skill can be to your liking. Um... Do your best.¡±


    ¡°Who knows, maybe a day wille when I will use this skill.¡±


    For reference, I tested it out by gigantifying my spear, but as it became dozens of meters long, I couldn¡¯t even grab and swing it. Although my strength was enhanced by the elixirs I had eaten, I would need at least twice my current strength to wield it properly. Since I had received an unexpected gift from the tattoo, I would have to deal with theckluster set equipment skill.


    ¡°Then are you going to the 46th floor now? Before you go, y with me for a bit. Please?¡±


    ¡°Loretta should be cheering on the warrior, not being spoiled by him ... is what I want to say, but...¡±


    When I lengthened my words, Loretta¡¯s eyes sparkled and she held my hands tightly.


    ¡°You¡¯ll y with me?¡±


    ¡°School starts today.¡±


    ¡°... Tsk.¡±


    Loretta¡¯s eyes quickly lost their light. She clicked her tongue and let go of my hands. Iughed helplessly and left the dungeon. Since it was only the first lecture, I probably didn¡¯t need to go, but I felt it was wrong to miss even a single day of lessons.


    But when I went down to the 1st floor, an unexpected sight entered my eyes. Mother was serving tea to Walker, who had his real face showing. Yua was also eating a toast with jam, getting ready to go to school.


    ¡°Walker, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Your mother invited me. Your family really knows what manner is.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like you¡¯re saying I don¡¯t have any manners.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a letter for you. I didn¡¯t think you had any overseas friend other than Mastiford.¡±


    Huh? What? I tilted my head and epted the letter from Walker. It was from America, and the sender¡¯s name was also in English. Ciara Kenex...? On the other hand, the receiver¡¯s name, Kang Shin, was properly written in Korean. I ripped open the envelope, and read the small, pink letter.


    This was the first line.


    ¡®Dear Earth¡¯s Hero.¡¯


    Author¡¯s Note: N/A

 Chapter 109. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (2)

    Chapter 109. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (2)


    After reading the first line, I folded the letter as naturally as I could and put it in my pocket. Then, I casually asked Walker.


    ¡°Walker, have you read the letter?¡±


    ¡°No, so don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    To think he saw through my poker face, it seemed Walker had gone through much training. I smiled at him, signaling him to not say anything, then patted Yua, who was eating her toast.


    ¡°Yua, oppa¡¯s off.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Make sure to tell me if something happens.¡±


    Since Walker noticed, there was no way that Yua didn¡¯t. With a bitter smile, I patted her head again.


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s nothing, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe. That tickles.¡±


    ¡°See youter, son.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mother.¡±


    Yua smiled innocently and mother saw me off as if nothing was wrong. The women in my family were all really thoughtful. Although I didn¡¯t want to admit it, they were much more refined than father or me, who were the same on the inside as the outside. Though, I was sometimes scared from being unable to read their thoughts!


    [Dear Earth¡¯s Hero.


    You must be surprised by the sudden letter, but electronic forms ofmunication can be intercepted, and I was afraid to send you a telepathic message out of the blue, so I¡¯ve decided to send you this letter using my acquaintance in Korea.


    I am Ciara Kenex, S+ rank Awakened residing in America. It is not that I am strong. The reason I became S+ rank... though it¡¯s a bit embarrassing to say myself, is because I have a special ability.


    Hero-nim, the reason I know about Hero-nim is also because of my ability.


    It has already been a year since the world changed. I know, I know that you are slowly bingplete. It is also why I chose to contact you now.


    I want to meet you. I know about the dungeons that have invaded this world and wish to prepare for it with Hero-nim.


    If it¡¯s okay with Hero-nim, can you visit America¡¯s S rank Field Dungeon as Thunder Knight, under the pretense of helping out? In that case, I will be there and visit Hero-nim.


    I apologize if it sounds like I am trying to use Hero-nim¡¯s strength. Since I am not in a position to do anything with my body, there, unfortunately, isn¡¯t a way for me to visit Hero-nim myself. I only barely got the permission to visit the Field Dungeon this time. Usually I¡¯m...


    Please. I want to meet you. The second wave will arrive soon. Before it bes difficult to move again, I want to meet with you.


    I know you are already busy with something. You cane after you have taken care of it. If you contact the address in this letter, I will make the preparations for you to secretly enter America. Of course, be careful not to reveal too much information.


    If you do not wish to enter the S rank Field Dungeon after meeting me, I will take measures for you to go back immediately. So please, trust me ande.


    With respect and love, Ciara Kenex.]


    Ciara Kenex. I searched her name immediately, but there wasn¡¯t any information about her. An S+ ranker should be well known globally. As there was less than 200 S rankers on Earth, it was only obvious that information about them was widespread. However, there was no info on Ciara Kenex. Almost as if she didn¡¯t exist.


    Almost as if someone had erased any information about her.


    No one from Earth should know that I¡¯m Earth¡¯s Hero. Then how did she know? Was she rted to the dungeon? No, there were still only 6 dungeon explorers, and I was fourth in the rankings, behind Hwaya, father, and Walker. Below me should be Japan¡¯s Minami Violet Sumire, and my friend, Su Ye-Eun.


    This ranking system didn¡¯t care which dungeon we were in, and only estimated our ranking based on the floor we had reached. It was why I was in fourth ce. Hwaya was clearly highest, father had recently broken through the 50th floor, and Walker was on the 48th floor. Walker seemed to be climbing fast, as he focused his entire afternoon on climbing the dungeon.


    In any case, this Ciara Kenex wasn¡¯t connected to the dungeon. ording to her, she knew I was the Hero because of her ability. Then should I meet her?


    ¡®It¡¯s a bit iffy, but...¡¯


    I didn¡¯t know how much she knew about me. Not to mention, she knew about my house address and could deliver a letter through an acquaintance in Korea. I couldn¡¯t just say, ¡®Oh, you know I¡¯m the Hero? Let¡¯s meet!¡¯ However, if she found my identity and my house address through her ability, she would undoubtedly appear again unless I went and killed her.


    After thinking about it for a bit, I concluded that it wasn¡¯t something I should be afraid of or back away from. Not to mention, I wanted to visit Wyvern¡¯s Nest eventually. Did this woman know about that too and was trying to bait me with it?


    ¡°Shin, ss is over.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Unless the professor was incredibly strict or the ss was incredibly difficult, the first ss usually ended early after a short orientation. When my head was full with the name Ciara Kenex, Ye-Eun pulled on me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but not Korean food.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s cheaper...¡±


    ¡°Even if I have to pay ten times more, I¡¯ll eat something else.¡±


    Exchanging small talk, we left the lecture room. When the massacre happened at the business department¡¯s MT, everyone was incredibly shocked, but it seemed it was slightly better now after winter break had passed. As a hundred people had died, many people were undoubtedly friends with the deceased students. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case for me. Though I shouldn¡¯t be happy about it, I was truthfully happy that I did not have to mourn the death of someone I knew.


    We had to get used to the world we were living in. Pushing away cancer, heart disease, and other causes of death, ¡®monster encounter¡¯ has be the number one cause of death. We were living in a world where it wasn¡¯t weird to hear that a friend had been killed by a monster after waking up in the morning. No matter how active Guardian and Freedom Wing were, they couldn¡¯t take care of monsters immediately after they appeared.


    ¡°Hey, do you want to enter a student group?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather focus on the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Shin, don¡¯t you think you should enjoy life a little more?¡±


    ¡°In my life, there¡¯s only been training and dungeon... Though, other things are beginning to fill up my life, but college life just isn¡¯t for me.¡±


    ¡°Ehew, really, I¡¯m saying the two of us should spend more time together!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to refuse.¡±


    ¡°I hate you!¡±


    Student groups are just people with simr hobbies hanging out and going for drinks. Every break, they¡¯d go to an MT and drink together.


    If that was all, I was already doing something simr. I fought the Floor Master with people of simr levels, and drank potions when my HP or MP fell low. When Event Dungeons happened on Earth, I¡¯d go there with my allies and drink potions. It was the same thing.


    ¡°Kuuu, I¡¯ll catch up to you soon, just you wait! I¡¯m almost on the 40th floor!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re defeating all the bosses solo, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Although I¡¯m in a party these days, I temporarily leave it and do it alone first!¡±


    Ye-Eunined about Duhan being tricky to deal with. Listening to her, I estimated her strength, and was sure she reached S rank by now. Even so, the 40th Floor Master was different than the previous Floor Masters.


    ¡°40th floor is especially tricky so be careful. Even if you¡¯re hiding, he¡¯ll suddenly appear behind you and sh down with his scythe.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if Shin teaches me everything! So, how about tonight, the two of us- ow.¡±


    ¡°You cane back if you die once. Since you can¡¯t get the first achievement anyways, it¡¯s fine if you die once.¡±


    ¡°Chet, can¡¯t you just nicely teach me? You know, this and that...¡±


    Seeing Ye-Eun pouting like a duck, I grinned. I felt stupid for worrying about the matter with Ciara Kenex. These days, whenever I talked, I kept finding darkness lurking everywhere and turned gloomy, but I liked Ye-Eun because it wasn¡¯t like that with her. She didn¡¯t hide anything, and was simple, honest, and straightforward. Moreover, she genuinely liked me. Maybe meeting Ye-Eun was the best thing that happened to me froming to college.


    Ye-Eun¡¯s murmuring monologue was continuing.


    ¡°We can drink together deep into the night... do this and that... and it¡¯ll be the next morning.¡±


    With a smile, I pinched Ye-Eun¡¯s cheeks and pulled on them.


    ¡°Hey, confess your criminal n now. The severity of your punishment will change depending on your answer.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not a criminal n! It¡¯s a family n!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s even more dangerous!¡±


    She was also dangerous! Forget darkness, she¡¯s pitch ck!


    Dinner time that night, I received a message from Ye-Eun.


    [It¡¯s weird. My party members aren¡¯ting in.]


    ¡°Unlike our world, their continent might be busy with something. They might have been called to battle or something, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    [Okay, but they aren¡¯t responding to my messages, so I can¡¯t help but worry.]


    I told Ye-Eun that she didn¡¯t need to worry that much. The moment we ended our conversation, I realized I was anxious myself. Damn, it seemed Shina was already inside my fencing.


    ¡°Haa, I wonder if that princess is okay... I should probably send her a message.


    I immediately messaged Shina, but there was no answer. If it was the usual Shina, she would have replied regardless of whether she was sleeping or in the shower, so this was definitely strange.


    I was currently in the dungeon¡¯s 47th floor. Starting from the 46th floor, the dungeon had be simr to a snowy field. Thanks to my contract with Ruyue, I broke through the 46th floor without much difficulty, and was currently breaking through the 47th floor, while fighting ice worms and frozen penguins. However, once I started being concerned about Shina, the spirit in my spear had lessened. Why did I feel so uneasy? I already knew the answer. It was because I remembered the dream I had.


    ¡®No, it can¡¯t be. A dream is only a dream. Shina¡¯s fine. She has to be.¡¯


    When I calmed myself and arrived at the 48th floor, a friend had sent me a message. It wasn¡¯t long, but it was enough to change my heart for the worse.


    [Luke continent¡¯s Hero... died. The Demon Lord... took Shina. Shin... what do I do...!?]


    The moment I read the message, I had a hunch. That my peaceful life would soone to an end.


    That the unpreventable change was not only happening on Earth.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Whew, did I seed in pretending today was about Shin¡¯s everyday life and surprising the readers!? Who is Ciara Kenex and what will Shin do!?


    Look forward to the development, everyone ^^

 Chapter 110. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (3)

    Chapter 110. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (3)


    ¡°What... What about you?¡±


    [D-Dungeon. I ran away to the dungeon. Most of the explorers in the battlefield died, and only Shuna and I managed to escape to the dungeon. I¡¯m scared, I can¡¯t go back. E-Even though I¡¯m the crown princess. Even though I have to be at the battlefield...!]


    ¡°... And the Demon Lord?¡±


    [He got heavily injured from fighting the Hero before squeezing out thest of his strength and turning everyone into stone. Shina was there. I ran away... while watching everything happen.]


    ¡°So Shina isn¡¯t the only one that got captured.¡±


    [Yeah... S-Shin... I, I¡¯m scared. I can¡¯t go back to my world...]


    Even over the dungeon¡¯s messages, her trembling voice reached me perfectly. I bit my lips, not knowing what to do. After a bit of pondering, I thought that I needed to see her.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    [In my house at the Residential Area...]


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet first.¡±


    [... Okay.]


    I wouldn¡¯t be able to focus on breaking through the dungeon in this situation anyways. I immediately headed to the Residential Area and received her invitation to go to her house.


    ¡°...!¡±


    The moment I arrived, Ludia bumped into my chest. No, she had run into my embrace. Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t wearing my armor.


    ¡°Ludia...¡±


    ¡°Hic... hic....¡±


    Without bursting out into tears, she eked out whimpers as she stayed in my embrace. I could feel my shirt getting wet from her tears. Flustered, I didn¡¯t know what to do and could only pat her back as she cried. Ludia stayed like that for a few minutes before she calmed down and got off.


    ¡°... Sorry.¡±


    Ludia¡¯s eyes were bloodshot from crying. She then sat on the chair without any strength. Her usual self resembled a cat ready to fight with its hair raised, but she currently lookedpletely powerless. ¡®She must have had no one to turn to if she contacted me...¡¯ For an instant, the absurd thought crossed my mind, but I erased it immediately. I shook my head as if to shake away my delusion and asked her,


    ¡°What about Miss Shuna? Is she also in her house?¡±


    ¡°Shuna¡¯s the princess of a small kingdom... she doesn¡¯t have the money. She¡¯s sleeping here for now, but... because she isn¡¯t a family member, I can¡¯t register her. If her vitality hits zero in the dungeon...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll go back to the Luka continent.¡±


    ¡°Ut...¡±


    When I said that, Ludia bit her lips. She then covered her face with her hands, and a hot sigh came out between them.


    ¡°The Hero died... W-What do I do? The continent¡¯s hope has disappeared. Although the Demon Lord got weakened, it won¡¯t stay weak forever. What about Shina? What about father and mother? Our empire¡¯s people...? They¡¯re only looking at me...!¡±


    ¡°What about the other explorers?¡±


    ¡°Anyone who survived ran away. The Hero was the strongest, but he died. The Demon Lord¡¯s army will finish getting ready soon and attack. Now is the only time to save Shina... but I can¡¯t do it...!¡±


    ¡°Ludia, calm down a little...! Just because the Hero died, it doesn¡¯t mean your world is ending.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ending, Shin... If you die, your world will end too.¡±


    At her words, I became unable to breathe for an instant.


    ¡°What... do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact reason, but that¡¯s what everyone says... That if the Hero dies, his world will fall to ruin without doubt... The Hero is the world itself. He is its center and core. As long as the Hero is alive, the world can continue to endure, but it¡¯s over when he dies. There¡¯s no chance of survival. My continent will no longer...!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hear Ludia¡¯s words very well. The world will end if the hero dies? It sounded like a cruel joke. Can¡¯t there be another Hero? Can¡¯t someone else ept his legacy? Is that why the monsters targeted the Hero? To destroy the world?


    Then if I die, Earth will end?


    ¡°That¡¯s why Heroes bear such heavy weights... That¡¯s why they¡¯re strong... That¡¯s why you¡¯re so charming...! Because you need to attract others to you in order to protect yourself... in order to protect the world...¡±


    I finally understood why my charm stat increased on its own. I didn¡¯t want to know, but it was already toote.


    I felt like something heavy was pressing down on my shoulders. Was I possessed by a ghost? I tried to make a joke, but it wasn¡¯t funny at all.


    I began to realize. The daily life Loretta wanted was getting farther away. I was taken aback by the absurdity, and the strength in my body disappeared. I wanted to flop down onto the ground, but I couldn¡¯t because of Ludia, who seemed tock even more energy. I gritted my teeth and put strength into my body. Ludia was looking at me. She was asking me.


    ¡°Should I go back? Shin, tell me.¡±


    ¡°I... can¡¯t be the one to tell you. What do you want to do, Ludia?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t ask me such a cruel question. I really don¡¯t know... No, in truth, I want to run away...!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much I could do to calm down Ludia in her state of panic. However, because the appearance of lifeless dungeon explorers I¡¯ve been seeing ovepped with the current Ludia, it was hard for me to leave her alone.


    ¡°Ludia, I can¡¯t give you an answer... but I don¡¯t want to see you die.¡±


    ¡°Do... you...¡±


    Ludia looked at me with a surprised expression. I nodded my head seriously.


    ¡°Right. You¡¯re a precious friend, so it¡¯s only normal that I¡¯d worry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ludia¡¯s face turned red. Because of the state of her emotions, I wasn¡¯t sure how much it changed.


    I continued.


    ¡°But I know words can¡¯t match actions. Ludia, think carefully. Take the entire day if you need to, and act on it.¡±


    ¡°Are you leaving?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to stay?¡±


    She seemed to be deep in thought, then mumbled with her mouth closed.


    ¡°Stay for one night... no, two hours.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    ¡°Closer.¡±


    When I approached her, Ludia grabbed onto my sleeve without a word. I pulled a chair and sat down next to her. I was also confused. I needed time to organize my thoughts.


    Ludia seemed to have rxed after holding onto my sleeve, as she fell asleep with her head down. Her sleeping appearance was extremely lovely, but it didn¡¯t enter my eyes.


    I contemted. About me, about the Hero, and about Earth. Starting from how I became the Hero to if the world would really end when the Hero died. I really pondered until my head felt like it would explode. After two hours, I barely managed to arrive at a conclusion. The answer was quite simple.


    I wouldn¡¯t care.


    I never asked anyone to let me be the Hero. I¡¯d just been called Hero before I noticed. People might say, ¡®you¡¯re only strong because you¡¯re the Hero!¡¯ But to me, it was a load of bull. Plus, just because I was told that my world would end on the event of my death, it didn¡¯t mean that I needed to act any differently.


    The world will end if I die? What, should I go hide somewhere? Should I just climb the dungeon without risking myself in Event Raids or Field Dungeons? No, not even over my dead body.


    I will do what I want, and no one will stop me. I won¡¯t let them. I decided how to live my life. I won¡¯t waver because of some nonsense like the world ending if I die. Even if that were true, the world was over for me once I died anyway. Ah, but I still needed to ensure Yua and mother¡¯s safety. As for father, he would be fine on his own!


    I had worried for nothing. Now that I thought about it, it was simple. In fact, I felt much better now that I had organized my thoughts, and I felt like I knew what to do from now.


    First, break through the 48th floor! Then, find out if there¡¯s anything I can do for Shina. I had a strong feeling that there was something I could do. Was this also the Hero¡¯s ability? Shit, no, I needed to stop thinking about Heroes!


    When I got up, Ludia opened her eyes, still half-closed.


    She looked at me and slowly asked, ¡°Are you leaving? Don¡¯t... leave me alone... Stay with me.¡±


    ¡°You have Miss Shuna, Ludia. You¡¯re not alone. If you call meter, I¡¯lle running for you. But for now, there¡¯s something I need to do.¡±


    I imbued mana into my bracelet and equipped my armor. In front of Ludia, whose eyes opened wide, I closed the visor of my helmet and grinned. Though, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see it.


    ¡°There has to be a way I can help.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t. You can¡¯t. You need to protect your own world. Don¡¯t involve yourself with other worlds, stupid!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. It¡¯s not just to help you. Shina¡¯s also my friend, and I don¡¯t like seeing you the way you are. I hate seeing people so helpless. So I¡¯ll find a way to help you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this to get you to help me! What I want is something else! It was just your warmth! I don¡¯t want to drag you to hell because of me!¡±


    ¡°I know. I also know... that people that aren¡¯t seeking help from others are the ones who want help most desperately.¡±


    ¡°No! You¡¯re wrong!¡±


    Because she thought it was a hopeless situation, she couldn¡¯t so unashamedly reach out for help. However, no matter how hopeless the situation seemed, it might actually be solved easily and simply with the help of others.


    That had to be why they existed. I ignored Ludia¡¯s shouts and left her house. I thought to myself...


    To look into Dimensional Mercenaries.


    After breaking through the 48th floor, I arrived at the Floor Shop. Was she surprised that I arrived earlier than she expected? While Loretta was frozen for a moment, I asked what I need to. It was about Dimensional Mercenaries.


    Loretta became silent at my question. Then, she asked me with a quiet voice.


    ¡°Shin-nim now somewhat knows what kind of an existence the Hero is, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, to a certain extent.¡±


    ¡°Even so, you¡¯re trying to be a Dimensional Mercenary, whose lives can¡¯t be guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The possibility that you¡¯ll die in a dimension other than your own... you¡¯ve considered it, right?¡±


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t die, Loretta. So I haven¡¯t considered it.¡±


    ¡°Really... Nobody can stop you.¡±


    Loretta smiled at my words, then pinched my cheek with a sulking expression.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you if you die. I¡¯ll follow you to the ends of hell and bother you, okay?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I won¡¯t die. So hurry up and tell me about Dimensional Mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°There are many requirements to be a Dimensional Mercenary. First, level. Explorers that aren¡¯t Gold ranked, or level 51, do not have the qualification to be a Dimensional Mercenary. Second, magic. You need the ¡®Dimensional Travel¡¯ magic, which serves as the basis of a Dimensional Mercenary, and the ¡®Return¡¯ magic, which acts as the safety device to let Dimensional Mercenaries return to their home in any situation. Without any of these magic, you cannot be a Dimensional Mercenary. Third, league. Without having made at least 10 achievements and being at least the incarnation of a god, you cannot be a Dimensional Mercenary. However, Shin-nim has Hermes¡¯ true name and have made many achievements, so you already passed this requirement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be Gold ranked soon, so all I need is the Dimensional Travel magic.¡±


    She grinned and shook her head.


    ¡°There are a few ways you can obtain the Dimensional Travel magic... but there is one simplest, yet most difficult, method. It¡¯s to defeat the 50th Floor Master alone.¡±


    ¡°Why is that the most difficult? That seems to be the easiest.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim is the only one who would think that.¡±


    At Loretta¡¯s brusque words, I replied with a vague smile. However, my heart was burning. Dimensional Mercenary! I was only a step away from bing one! Feeling like fate was guiding me... I felt dirty. However, there was no choice for now. I¡¯d make use of anything I could!


    First would the 50th floor. The day I would be First Dungeon¡¯s Gold rank explorer was approaching.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Whew, we¡¯re going back to battles. Look forward to the 50th Floor Master next chapter!

 Chapter 111. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (4)

    Chapter 111. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (4)


    ¡°The 50th Floor Master is weaker than the Grim Reaper, so I¡¯m sure you can defeat him easily.¡±


    49th Floor Shop. I narrowed my eyes at Loretta¡¯s words.


    ¡°I just gave you 50,000 gold for the information on the boss, right?¡±


    ¡°And I told you that you can easily step on that weakling.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one that said it was the simplest, yet most difficult, method?¡±


    ¡°I meant for the other explorers. There¡¯s no way Shin-nim would lose to that fur ball.¡±


    Loretta spoke as if it was obvious, andy on the bed she prepared behind the Floor Shop¡¯s counter. Even though she was clearly lying down, a certain part of her was shooting up... I quickly turned my gaze. Thankfully, it seemed Loretta didn¡¯t notice me.


    ¡°So hurry up. If your vitality hits zero, you should you won¡¯t be able to save your friend, right?¡±


    ¡°That only adds pressure without helping!¡±


    However, if Loretta said it was easy, it truly was easy. I doubted whether her words were worth 50,000 gold, but considering that she usually gave me huge discounts, I onlyined a little before climbing to the 50th floor.


    The earlier I could be a Dimensional Mercenary and head to Luka continent, the better it was. The key to victory was to attack the enemy when their forces were weak! When I arrived at the 50th floor, I immediately materialized Ruyue and put a Mana Potion in my mouth.


    [Uhuhu, what a wonderful human.]


    [Come y with me.]


    On the 50th floor, a strange monster other than ice worms, frozen pengs, and frozen bears appeared. It was the snow woman from Japanese folk tale. As I observed them, I wondered if a monster like Korea¡¯s dokkaebi would appear on higher floors. They were all wearing white dresses, had long hair, and were showing off their beautiful appearances.


    [You defend against the ¡®charm¡¯ status effect.]


    [You defend against the ¡®charm¡¯ status effect.]


    Even though I didn¡¯t do anything, loud alerts were ringing in my ear. I was wondering why they were just standing there, but they were using status effect attacks! For a second, I questioned how father got through this floor and thought I may need to tell mother about it. Then, I pierced the frozen pengs and frozen bears that approached me with my spear.


    [That man is strong.]


    [Kuk, he didn¡¯t fall for my charm? How humiliating!]


    [But I, I like that man!]


    [The skill, Subus¡¯ Pupils, reflects the status effect back. The snow woman has been charmed.]


    [Child, why don¡¯t you y with me? Come! Hey, you guys, stop trying to get in my away!]


    [Kyak, she¡¯s gone crazy! She¡¯s attacking us!]


    [Her eyes arepletely gone! Defend!]


    While the snow women were dealing with each other, I leisurely cut down the other monsters, then pierced the snow women afterward.


    [Kuk, you killed us without hesitation!?]


    ¡°Sorry, but appearances don¡¯t shake me anymore.¡±


    Although the snow woman was charmed, it was a status effect. As she wasn¡¯t tamed or anything, the status effect would eventually run out. As such, I killed all the snow women and advanced forward. Although I felt dirty as it felt like I was cutting human beings, I had long since passed the stage where something like that bothered me greatly.


    The 46th through 50th floors were made of snowy fields. As such, explorers had to care for the environment along with the monsters they had to fight. However, because of my contract with Ruyue, the environment caused little issue for me. However, the 50th floor was strange. It became colder the further I walked.


    [Shin, are you okay? I¡¯ll try harder!]


    ¡°No, Ruyue. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s your fault.¡±


    Was it because of the battle room where the Floor Master was waiting...? Or was it some other reason? I tightened my grip on Gluttony Spear. For an instant, a chill swept over us. If I, who contracted Ruyue, could feel chill, it only made one thing.


    [The blood on your spear. Ites from us snow women.]


    ¡°Are you the snow woman captain?¡±


    I raised my spear and aimed it in the sky. Thousands and thousands of ck hair filled the sky, like the night had just arrived on the snowy field. Floating in the center was an incredibly gorgeous woman.


    [Conceited Human who dreams ofnd beyond this ce, I will collect my fellow snow women¡¯s cost of blood... Kuk!]


    ¡®Sorry, but I don¡¯t have time to be listening to you monsters!¡¯ Using Divine Speed, I ran forward and drilled my spear into the snow woman¡¯s chest with Heroic Strike. Divine Speed, which multiplied my speed, had greater effect the faster I was. As my speed had increased 45% by now, I moved like I was teleporting when I used Divine Speed. A mere 50th floor named monster could not block my attack.


    [Kuk... s-strong... you, Her....!]


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have time to listen to yourst words either.¡±


    I shed her neck without a shred of hesitation. A small fanfare rang out, indicating that I had killed a named monster. Before that, however, a message that alerted the increase of my skill level rang out.


    [Divine Speed became level 6. By using 15% of your mana, your speed is multiplied by 700% for 1 second.]


    ¡°Divine Speed¡¯s be level 6 now...¡±


    700% for 1 second. With my basic 45% speed increase, I could move for 1015% of my speed when I activated Divine Speed. Perhaps I should focus more on my Divine Speed skill. In any case, I had received something in my inventory.


    [You obtained Snow Woman¡¯s Breath-imbued Ice Crystal (Unique).]


    [Snow Woman¡¯s Breath-imbued Ice Crystal (Unique)


    Consumable item


    Activatable by hitting the target with it. Completely ignores the target¡¯s resistance and freezes the target. After 5 seconds, the target may be unfrozen, depending on the resistance.]


    As it seemed like aplete cheat item, I enshrined it in my inventory and kowtowed to it. Then, I walked to the Floor Master battle room with vigor. The temperature had also gone back to normal, so I was able to arrive at my destination in just a few hours without much trouble.


    The door was made out of ice. I could feel arge, ferocious aura leaking out from it. It seemed to be giving a warning, as if I shouldn¡¯t think about challenging it alone.


    I mmed open the door without any hesitation.


    ¡°Fight me!¡±


    [Guoooooooo!]


    The Floor Master room did not betray theme of 46th through 50th floor, as it was also a snowy field. I saw trees and boulders covered in snow, and even the ceiling was missing, as snow was falling from the wide-open sky.


    Most importantly, I saw therge creature roaring from beyond the hill in the distance. It was a giant that was at least 7 meters in size. It had desated skin pulled tightly over its bones, pale ash gray skin, and arge head that did not match its body. Its eyes were pushed back deep into their sockets. Looking at its bloody lips, I realized what it was.


    ¡°Wendigo!¡±


    It was a creature of legends from Canadian and American Indians¡¯ folklore. It was known for its cannibalistic nature. Was there a well-known method of fighting him?


    No.


    [Guooooooo!]


    The Wendigo charged at me with an incredible speed. Although it was gaunt, itsrge size was enough to shake the earth and cause snow to fall from the snowy mountain.


    I fixed my grip on my spear and nced at him from top to bottom. Where was the most effective ce for me to attack? What kind of special abilities would it have? What were its weapons?


    ¡°Hu, first, let¡¯s fight! Thunder Spear!¡±


    Peika, who was getting stronger by the day, created a spear of lighting in the air, sending it flying toward the Wendigo. Surprisingly, the lightning spear struck its forehead. The Wendigo¡¯s evasive ability was crap! Only it¡¯s running speed was fast.


    [Guoooooo!]


    ¡°Come!¡±


    I also rushed forward on Ruyue. I had first met Ruyue in a snowy field! She could bring out her ability to the fullest in this environment. Her speed became faster and faster, and when we neared the Wendigo, she had long passed the Wendigo¡¯s speed.


    [Guoooooooo!]


    The surrounding mana began to shake when I neared him. At the same time, frost appeared on my armor. In other words, it had an absurd ability of freezing anyone that approached it!


    [Auuuuuuu!]


    However, it had met the wrong opponent. Ruyue was an ice elemental! As the Wendigo poured out more freezing energy, Ruyue became bigger and her energy became stronger. The frost that bloomed on my armor had also disappeared before I noticed it.


    [I feel full of strength! Why are you giving me strength?]


    [Guooooooo!]


    The Wendigo seemed to be flustered when we weren¡¯t frozen, as it raised itsrge arms and swung them down toward us. However, it was my turn to attack him.


    ¡°Ruyue, can you focus on defense? Peika, we¡¯re going full strength!¡±


    [Okay!]


    [Understood, Master!]


    I decreased the amount of mana I gave to Ruyue, and poured more into my spear, which Peika was infused in. Wendigo¡¯srge face was ring at me. Its arms missed me and hit the ground, creating a small snowstorm around us, but I calmly stared back at its face.


    [Guoooo...!]


    ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t have the time to y with you slowly. I¡¯m in a hurry, you see.¡±


    I smiled. The spear I held became a white bolt of lightning and radiated dazzling light in thepletely white snowy area. It pierced the Wendigo¡¯s eye and became even bigger.


    ¡°So let¡¯s wrap this up! Dark Thunder Explosion!¡±


    Before it could see the white aura in my spear and say, ¡®What, this guy was the Hero?¡¯, I went all out.


    Enjoy this festival of lighting strengthened by the power of a lightning elemental!


    B-B-B-B-Boom!


    [Kuaaaaaaa!]


    Admiring the Wendigo¡¯s scream, I continued with White Lightning Consecutive Strike. My goal was its right arm! The best way to deal withrge monsters was to disable their limbs one by one. With that, not only would they be unable to attack me, their HP and resistance would also decrease, making it easy for me to cut their heads off. It was something I learned from fighting the Giant Wolf.


    [Guaaaaaa!]


    ¡°I! Won¡¯t! Stop! Hitting! Until! You! Die! White Lightning Consecutive Strike!¡±


    In exactly 26 minutes since I entered the Floor Master battle room, the Wendigo fell helplessly without even using all of its abilities. It had ended so quickly that it did not even use even one of Floor Master-specific skills. This guy was just too weak...


    [You became level 51. You obtained the qualification to advance to the 51st floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You became Gold Rank 9. You became a Gold ranked explorer! You can now appoint an additional person to be an explorer. You can strengthen your current ss and you can obtain another subss!]


    [Amazing! You are the first in First Dungeon¡¯s history to seed in soloing the Wendigo on the first try! The dungeon will remember you as a Great Explorer. You obtained 2 skill point as reward. You can choose god¡¯s true name that matches your league! Current skill points: 20]


    [Your league of existence became higher, strengthening Hermes¡¯s authority. Tria¡¯s duration increases to 30 minutes per day. You obtained a new authority of Hermes, Caduceus.]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Wendigo Master.¡¯ All stats increase by 2. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You defeated the Wendigo alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Wendigo¡¯s Fur Hat.¡¯]


    [You obtained 250,000 gold.]


    [You received the only reward left hidden for the First Explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 1.]


    [Secret. Dimensional Travel Magic Book


    [You can choose one of two god¡¯s true names. Choose the desired true name: The God of Thunder, Thor, or the Sky God Zeus. Once chosen, you cannot obtain the other¡¯s true name, so choose carefully!]


    ... Eh? What was that?


    ¡°... A new god¡¯s true name!?¡±


    Author¡¯s note: N/A

 Chapter 112. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (5)

    Chapter 112. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (5)


    [The two gods are very prideful. Hesitation is not allowed with their true names on the line! If you don¡¯t make your decision in the next 10 seconds, you will miss your opportunity to obtain either name!]


    ¡°W-Woah! Let me get out of here first!¡±


    No, no matter how fast I was, there wasn¡¯t enough time to ask Loretta! Damn it! Should I choose Thor, known for his strength? Or Should I choose Zeus, known as the king of the gods? Damn, without any knowledge of the dungeon, I didn¡¯t know which was better in the long run! No choice, I¡¯ll flip a coin! Heads will be Thor, and tails with be...!


    ¡°It¡¯s tails! Zeus!¡±


    [You obtained the true name of Sky God Zeus! As you¡¯ve already adapted to the true name of Hermes, you can adapt to Zeus¡¯ power more quickly.]


    [The God of Thunder, Thor, is shocked that you did not choose his true name. Gods close to him have begun to observe you.]


    [Your strength and charm increase by 15%. All stats increase by 5. Affinity to all elements increases. Additionally, your affinity to the lightning element increases greatly.]


    [Your body seethes with magic. Your magic increases by 20!]


    [Once per day, you can use ¡®Sky God¡¯s y.¡¯ While Sky God¡¯s y is active, you can freely transform into anything you have seen with your eyes and will ¡®absolutely¡¯ not be discovered. You will still maintain your abilities, but equipment effects cannot be used if they are unequipped. The skill willst for one hour.]


    [Once per month, you can use ¡®Sky God¡¯s Rage.¡¯ You can manifest Zeus¡¯ lightning bolt of punishment, forged by Hephaestus and the Cyclopes, into your weapon. Its power is absolute and may even y a god, but when the lightning bolt is used against an unsuitable opponent, you will have to pay the price of your actions.]


    I became dizzy and couldn¡¯t help but kneel in ce. My body was unbearably hot. Pzzt. A spark flickered from my body. Kuk, it was painful... It was iparable to the feeling of leveling up. It felt like someone was forcefully pulling on me. I, who was confined in a small and narrow body, was being spread out into a bigger and wider realm. All my energies were going wild in all directions. Although I couldn¡¯t perceive it before, because Hermes¡¯ power had gotten stronger, it was even worse.


    ¡®I see, so this is what Loretta meant...!¡¯


    In the past, when I obtained Hermes¡¯ power, she was relieved that it wasn¡¯t the true name of a god rted to battle, war or violence. She said I wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle it. Now, I fully understood what she meant.


    If it was the past me, my vitality would have hit zero the moment I received Zeus¡¯ true name and I would have been kicked out of the dungeon. I might have even received heavy injuries after returning to Earth. Zeus¡¯ power was that fierce,rge, and violent.


    For the next few dozens of minutes, I circted Peruta Circuit with my hands on the ground, trying to adapt to Zeus¡¯ power. Although the wild energies around me raved without yielding to Peruta Circuit, the more I circted Peruta Circuit, the more they began to listen to me. I felt relieved and finally became stable enough to read the messages I had gotten.


    First, Zeus¡¯ transformation ability and lightning. The transformation ability seemed to have countless uses. As for the lightning, although it had a tricky condition and could be used only once per month, its power was undoubtedly something I could look forward to. Not to mention, since it was a lightning attribute attack, it could be amplified with Peika¡¯s power. It suited me perfectly.


    Next were the effects of Zeus¡¯ true name. The increase to all stats was the same as Hermes¡¯ effect, but the 15% strength increase was astounding. Just like the Hermes title increased the speed of my body by 15%, the Zeus title increased the strength in all my movements by 15%. It was iparable to my strength stat increasing by some amount. With this and the other abilities I received...


    Couldn¡¯t I call myself an SS-ranker?


    When the thought crossed my mind, my heart began to pound. It was possible. With Zeus¡¯ true name, the amount of mana I had shot up and my affinity to lightning increased to the point that my Elementalist powers could not keep up with it. Fighting with Ruyue previously, I felt that my connection with Ruyue was deeper than my connection with Peika, but it seemed it was instantly reversed.


    I could feel with my body that Peika¡¯s destructive power had increased significantly. As I was now, I felt like I could deal a critical blow to Brightman, that lovable bastard.


    ¡°No, first, I have to save Shina...¡±


    Don¡¯t rush it. I didn¡¯t have to hurry to beat up Brightman. Not to mention, I wasn¡¯tpletely sure I could win against him. Plus, I wasn¡¯t sure if Brightman was evil enough that Sky God¡¯s lightning would work on him. No, since he tried to kill me, he had attempted murder. Maybe it would work on him?


    I cooled my vengeful mind and focused on Peruta Circuit. While reading the rest of the messages, I found something strange.


    ¡°Charm? Why did my charm increase?¡±


    A thought then shed in my mind. Zeus was known for cheating on his wife Hera and having children with other women. Was that why my charm increased...? Doubtful, I held my spear de up and looked at my reflection. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t look or feel any different. I found it absurd that I was even considering it, but I would be troubled if any more girls said they liked me. My head was already a mess from Loretta and Ye-Eun.


    ¡®Next is... Dimensional Travel.¡¯


    The reward for Wendigo¡¯s first achievement, Dimensional Travel Magic Book! Its name clearly revealed its identity. I picked up the magic book without much thought, and in that instant, I felt a new power being vested in me, along with a tingling sensation. If obtaining Zeus¡¯ power felt like standing on a hill where lightning fell like rain, the feeling from just now was like dunking my feet into icy water.


    [You learned Dimensional Travel magic. Once every three months, you can travel to the dimension of someone on your friend list. Once used, you cannot use this magic again during the cooldown period no matter what. It is rmended that you prepare a precautionary measure. The number of people you can bring with you increases and the cooldown time decreases with skill level.]


    [You can be a Dimensional Mercenary. Ask the Residential Area administrators for more info!]


    Yes! I clenched my fists. I obtained the qualifications to be a Dimensional Mercenary too easily! Plus, I had even received unexpected powers. Although I told myself not to get overconfident, I couldn¡¯t calm down. It was dangerous. Was it because Hermes¡¯ power and Zeus¡¯ power were going wild? This damned sense of omnipotence wasn¡¯t disappearing, even though it wasn¡¯t my real self that got stronger!


    Now that I thought about it, I had not even checked Hermes¡¯ new power, Caduceus. I checked the description for Caduceus and my eyes opened wide.


    This was... a cheat!


    I left the Floor Master room. I wanted to report to Loretta about obtaining a new god¡¯s true name, about the ss upgrade for bing Gold Ranked and also about the additional subss I could obtain. However, when Loretta saw me, she acted strangely. The moment she looked at me, she slowly got up from her bed, then let out a short sigh. Then, she approached me.


    ¡°... Huu.¡±


    ¡°Loretta?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, tell me straight out. What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°L-Loretta? I should be asking what happened to you! Why are you approaching me?¡±


    ¡°Tell me quickly. My self-control as the Elf Queen is being disrupted. Keep in mind that this is not normal.¡±


    As she directly said her self-control was being disrupted, Loretta was approaching me with the eyes of a beast following its prey!


    ¡°Come on, tell me. We¡¯re both going to be too busy to listen in a bit, so I want to at least hear what happened before Ipletely lose my reason.¡±


    ¡°No! You sound like you¡¯re more than capable of maintaining your reason! What do you mean we¡¯ll be too busy to listen!? What are you trying to do!?¡±


    This woman, she lost it! For a moment, I considered using Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry. Thankfully, after Loretta had forcefully taken off my armor, I managed to bring her back to reality with a full-force whack on her head.


    ¡°Huk! What did I just do?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold onto my cor as you say that! Let go!¡±


    ¡°No, since we¡¯ve alreadye this far...¡±


    ¡°Do you need me to hit you again?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, you coward.¡±


    ¡°Loretta, that¡¯s enough. It¡¯s really scary.¡±


    ¡°So? How are you emitting so much charm that you can even pierce my mental defense? It¡¯s even continuous and not a one-shot.¡±


    I told Loretta everything that happened. Her expression when I told her I got a second god¡¯s true name was quite a sight. When I told her I chose Zeus between Thor and Zeus, she let out a long sigh.


    ¡°That¡¯s good... I¡¯m relieved.¡±


    ¡°Is Thor that bad?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Objectively speaking, he falls a step behind Zeus. If you obtained Thor¡¯s true name, you might have gotten stronger in the short term, but that would be it. In the long run, Zeus¡¯ true name will be several times stronger. Olympian gods are generally above Asgardian gods. It¡¯s because they are immortal.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    Right. Gods from Greek Mythology were immortal. However, gods from Norse Mythology were fated to die from Ragnarok, and only a small number of gods survived Ragnarok. So the fates of the gods from mythologies affected their power...


    ¡°You did well. You just have to continue like that. Here¡¯s a question. If Shin-nim had the opportunity to choose between Odin and Ares¡¯ true name, whose should you choose?¡±


    ¡°Ares, right?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s Odin.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    ¡°Because the kings of gods are different. How can youpare Ares and Odin? Shin-nim already has Hermes and Zeus¡¯ true name. If you get another chance to choose between two gods¡¯ true names, you need to thoroughlypare their abilities and affinity to you. Ah, this doesn¡¯t mean Shin-nim can obtain Odin¡¯s true name. There¡¯s already an explorer who has Odin¡¯s true name...¡±


    ¡°... Loretta?¡±


    Loretta¡¯splexion turned dark for a moment, so I couldn¡¯t help but call out her name. At my worried call, Loretta raised her head and smiled.


    ¡°Alright, next was... your ss?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    My main ss as an Elementalist could be strengthened. I thought it was like the 2nd ss advancement in games. However, just like how there were requirements for one to get their 2nd ss advancement in games, there were requirements I had to fulfill to advance my Elementalist ss. The biggest requirement was my skills. Regarding this, Loretta said I didn¡¯t need to be impatient, as my ability would automatically improve when the requirements were met.


    More important was the subss. ording to Loretta, explorers did not get many chances to obtain subsses. As such, we had to try to get them when we could. As such, I chose Tamer as my second subss.


    [You obtained the ¡®Tamer¡¯ subss. Your charm and luck increase by 10 through the ss advancement bonus.]


    [You obtained the ss active skill, ¡®Taming.¡¯ Taming is based on your charm. The higher the skill level, the higher your charm, the more weakened your target is and the greater the disparity between you and your target¡¯s strength, the higher your chance of sess will be. The chance of sess also increases if your target is the opposite sex. When Taming seeds, you canmand your target as a subordinate, and you canpletely turn your target into your follower by deepening the bond and giving the target a name.]


    [You obtained the ss passive skill, ¡®Spirit of the Tamer.¡¯ It bes easier to alleviate your target¡¯s hostility and to increase their disposition towards you. The potency and number of tamable targets increase with skill levels. Current tamable targets: 2]


    [Your tamed subordinates can apany you in Event Dungeons and the normal dungeon. However, your subordinates cannote back to life once they die, so be careful.]


    Feeling the Tamer¡¯s power being vested in me, I opened my eyes. I had made all the preparations that I could. I took care of the matter with the Floor Master, the god¡¯s true name, and my new subss. All that was left to do was to be a Dimensional Mercenary. When I was about to head to the Residential Area, Loretta grabbed my shoulders. Her eyes were shing fearfully.


    ¡°Where are you going in that state?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    ¡°You need to do something about that charming aura. If you go out like this, you¡¯ll bring about a total cmity.¡±


    That¡¯s probably not right. Because Loretta liked me... Though it was a bit embarrassing to say, it was because Loretta saw me favorably that she went crazy. However, no matter what I said, Loretta would not let go. In the end, I gave up.


    ¡°Okay! Fine, I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Just like that, I had to take 30 minutes out of my busy schedule to learn how to conceal my charm. Like the old saying went, good news always came with bad news!


    Author¡¯s note:


    Shin flipped a coin!


    A lot of people chipped in their opinions, and many made great points. Although Thor seemed to be better in terms of brute strength, Zeus¡¯ immortality and his main weapon (lightning) suited Shin well. In truth, I thought Thor and Zeus were both a good match, but an overwhelming number of people wanted Zeus... cough. It has nothing to do with the fact that he¡¯s a womanizer!


    Shin will be a Dimensional Mercenary in the next chapter! Wait, Shina!


    For the record, Thor¡¯s true name¡¯s effects were: 25% strength increase, 10% intelligence decrease, summoning Mjolnir, etc...

 Chapter 113. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (6)

    Chapter 113. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (6)


    30 minutester, I headed to the Residential Area¡¯s trading center with Loretta, who was too worried to send me alone. At the trading center, I saw a hobgoblin looking over documents as always. Explorers moved busily, trying to sell their items directly or through auctions and also registering themselves on the noticeboard. Feeling the numerous gazes that fell on us the moment we appeared, I walked toward the trading center¡¯s administrator.


    ¡°Oh if it isn¡¯t Kang Shin! ... And Guild Master?¡±


    The one in charge of the trading center today wasn¡¯t Mdel, but del. Although I couldn¡¯t really tell them apart, Loretta was there to whisper to me.


    ¡°She¡¯s linking arms with Kang Shin.... Hu, right. I remember.¡±


    ¡°Hello, del. I¡¯m sorry, but there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask.¡±


    As he was grinning while looking at Loretta, I turned his attention toward me.


    ¡°Are you two getting married?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re doing it now!¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not!¡±


    At the word ¡®married,¡¯ Loretta became overly excited and pulled on my arm. I flicked her head lightly and calmed her down.


    ¡°I want to be a Dimensional Mercenary.¡±


    ¡°... You, aren¡¯t you a Hero?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know what a Hero is too. I want to be a Dimensional Mercenary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... something I can¡¯t rmend. A Hero working as a Dimensional Mercenary... I¡¯ve never heard of it before. Although Dimensional Mercenaries work in a certain degree of safety, if you, a Hero of a world, dies in another world...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die. Plus, imagining myself with a cor on my neck just because I¡¯m a Hero gives me goosebumps. If you say no, I¡¯ll give up being a Hero.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s something you can give up so easily, Heroes wouldn¡¯t have agonized for such a long time...¡±


    ¡°del, do as he says. Shin-nim has the right to do as he wishes, and you don¡¯t have the right to stop him.¡±


    Loretta bluntly spoke to del who seemed to be hesitating. Perhaps Loretta followed me because she knew del would be troubled at my request.


    ¡°Guild Master... Is that what you think?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not like Shin-nim asked to be the Hero. Plus, Shin-nim said he would be a Dimensional Mercenary. Dimensional Mercenaries are existences that both the dungeon and worlds need. As dangerous as it is, the reward is also big. We should respect Shin-nim¡¯s courage.¡±


    ¡°Even if you say that, being a Dimensional Mercenary is dangerous. I can only see his courage as foolish. ... You, are you not projecting someone else onto him?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to die, del?¡±


    Startled, I unlinked Loretta¡¯s arms from mine. I felt that Loretta had said something that didn¡¯t suit her in the slightest. The Loretta just now did not seem like the Loretta I knew. I couldn¡¯t stay still, as she seemed too unfamiliar. I could tell that del¡¯s body also froze when he heard her.


    When I was about to instinctively distance myself from Loretta, she had gone back to her smiling face. It was the Loretta that I knew.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such a cruel joke. There¡¯s no way I canpare Shin-nim with anyone.¡±


    ¡°I-It was my bad, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that from now on, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    As del answered, still trembling from before, Loretta linked her arm back onto mine tightly, as if to prevent me from running away. I hesitated a little, then softly stroked her arm.


    Loretta was Loretta. She had things she didn¡¯t want to tell me and appearances she didn¡¯t want to show me. Without a doubt, some of them would provoke a certain degree of repulsion from me. However, the Loretta that didn¡¯t know what to do because I had discovered it was the Loretta I knew.


    ¡°I won¡¯t run away, so you don¡¯t have to grab onto me so strongly.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    Loretta turned toward me and asked with worrying eyes. I lightly smiled and nodded my head.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then do you want to go to the wedding hall like this?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    After confirming that I had met the requirements to be a Dimensional Mercenary, bing one was easy. I just had to submit an application.


    [You became a Dimensional Mercenary! You can now ept requests and receive rewards as a Dimensional Mercenary!]


    When I was nkly listening to the message that I had be a Dimensional Mercenary, del gave me an additional exnation.


    ¡°In the First Dungeon, there are currently 57 active Dimensional Mercenaries. You will, of course, be the youngest of them. Dimensional Mercenaries can ept requests from the Residential Area¡¯s request noticeboard.¡±


    ¡°Where do requestse from?¡±


    ¡°Most of the time, an explorer in need of Dimensional Mercenaries submits a request application to the administrative guild, and if the guild see that it is appropriate, the request will appear on the noticeboard. Then, any Dimensional Mercenary can ept the request. In some cases, the requestse from the dungeon. In this case, the job will be extremely difficult, so you¡¯ll have to prudent when epting such requests.¡±


    ¡°What about the rewards?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Depending on the results and the level of one¡¯s contribution, the dungeon will provide gold, stat points, skill points, skills, or magic. You can even obtain special equipment. There are also cases where the requester gives additional rewards as thanks.¡±


    The rewards were indeed attractive, especially the stat points and skill points. I could see why others worked as Dimensional Mercenaries. I then asked.


    ¡°What happens if you give up and return?¡±


    ¡°Simple. You won¡¯t be able to ept another request for half a year. It¡¯s the duration of Dimensional Travel¡¯s cooldown time.¡±


    Dimensional Travel¡¯s cooldown time was half a year? Mine was undoubtedly half of that, three months. Plus, the cooldown time would decrease when the skill level went up. It was then that I remembered that I was the first explorer to defeat Wendigo alone on my first try. That was probably where the difference came from.


    That said, didn¡¯t that mean there was practically no penalty?


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Remember this, Kang Shin. Dimensional Mercenaries are in a dominant position over the requesters. They¡¯re only working to get the skills and stats the dungeon will provide. Unless the requester provides an extremely attractive reward, they will do as they want.¡±


    Feeling my image of Dimensional Mercenaries as superheroes shattering, I continued.


    ¡°Onest thing. How do I check the requests?¡±


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re within the Residential Area, you can call the request noticeboard at any time and check it there. That¡¯s also a special right given to Dimensional Mercenaries.¡±


    With that, I had heard everything I wanted to. I nodded my head, thanking him, then immediately opened the request noticeboard. Ludia most likely did not put in a request. However, Ludia and Shuna couldn¡¯t be the only survivors of Luka continent.


    As I thought, there was a recent request by a Luka continent explorer. After reading it, I nodded my head. The contents matched what I hoped to do. To save the Luka continent¡¯s kidnapped princess.


    [If you ept the request, you will arrive at the Ehuir Empire. Uponpleting the request, you can take any item from the Imperial Pce¡¯s treasure vault. I, Ehuir Empire¡¯s Kiros Knight Commander Bellode, promise. The Demon Lord has been gravely injured by the Hero, so I can guarantee that you will not need to fight the Demon Lord. However, you may need to fight high ranking demons, so only those confident in their abilities shoulde. On the day of Pallia, six in the afternoon, we will depart together.]


    Reading the request, I took a deep breath, then epted it.


    [You epted Bellode Iraus¡¯ request. Including you, 12 Dimensional Mercenaries have epted the request so far.]


    I was relieved. Perhaps it was because they did not need to fight the Demon Lord, but quite a few Dimensional Mercenaries had epted the request! Of course, if the situation became dangerous, they would leave Luka continent, but I was relieved that there was still so many of them. With a cheery voice, I messaged Ludia.


    ¡°Ludia, I became a Dimensional Mercenary. I¡¯m going to your continent to save Shina.¡±


    [Stupid, it¡¯s dangerous! Don¡¯te!]


    ¡°... Don¡¯te? Don¡¯t tell me, you...?¡±


    Ludia answered after a bit of silence.


    [Right. I returned to the Luka continent.]


    ¡°You...!¡±


    [Even if my world will copse, I can¡¯t just stay still when my sister¡¯s been kidnapped. If I run, I won¡¯t be able to live a proper life... so I¡¯m going to go save Shina.]


    It seemed she had already made up her mind. Although she was trembling after the Hero fell, she was now burning, as if she was prepared to die. Not looking after her own safety was foolish, yet it was incredibly beautiful and worthy of respect. Rather than being touched, however, my sense of unease was greater. It was bing more and more like the situation from my dream.


    I asked.


    ¡°Are your parents fine?¡±


    [Yeah, they¡¯re both armed, fighting against the invading demons with the empire¡¯s knights and magicians. After all, they¡¯re both First Dungeon explorers.]


    ¡°That¡¯s the first time I heard about that, but that¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    It seemed not everything was like my dream. A dream was a dream. Not everything from it could be the truth. After all...


    ¡°The Ludia from my dream had big breasts...¡±


    [T-They¡¯re going to get bigger! I¡¯m still growing! Plus, the size of my breasts has nothing to do with you! N-Nothing at all! Not even a little!]


    Ah, I identally sent that as a message! But Ludia, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any chance that your breasts will get any bigger... In any case, I raised my voice to cover my mistake.


    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m going. Let me help you.¡±


    [Don¡¯te! If it¡¯s doable with just you, then it¡¯s fine even if you¡¯re not here! And if we¡¯re going to fail... You being there won¡¯t make it a sess...]


    ¡°No, I¡¯ming. I can¡¯t leave you alone.¡±


    It seemed Ludia was still underestimating me. I had many trump cards in my arsenal. I doubted I could do anything against the Demon Lord, but I at least had ways to turn the battlefield aroundpletely.


    However, Ludia didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°... Ludia?¡±


    [Uk! You stupid! I¡¯m Ehuir Empire¡¯s crown princess. No one¡¯s going to leave me alone! Y-You¡¯re self-conscious!]


    Her voice was shaking slightly as she responded. I may have made her angry. Even so, I had no intention of backing down.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon, wait for me.¡±


    [You cane if you want toe so much! It¡¯s not my problem if you die though. I don¡¯t care about your world at all!]


    After shouting, Ludia hung up. I grinned and checked my equipment. Next to me, Loretta was standing there with worried eyes.


    ¡°If it gets dangerous, you have to use Return without hesitation, okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Do you have enough potions? You might have to sleep outside, so should I let you borrow my bed?¡±


    ¡°You want me to sleep outside on a bed? It¡¯s fine. I have a sleeping bag and tent in my inventory.¡±


    ¡°Are you missing anything? You should check one more time.¡±


    ¡°Ah, now that you mention it.¡±


    There was something I decided to do before I left. Since I didn¡¯t know what would happen, I wanted to make myself as strong as possible. There was one thing I could do now.


    It was to raise my skill levels.


    Author¡¯s note:


    The one evidence no one expected, showing Shin¡¯s dream wasn¡¯t absolute! Damn, I at least wanted that part to be true!

 Chapter 114. Avarice Devours Everything (1)

    Chapter 114. Avarice Devours Everything (1)


    Using skill points, I could raise the level of a skill by 1. ording to Loretta, however, every time you used skill points to increase the level of a skill, you would need double the amount of skill points the next time you wanted to raise its level.


    It may not seem like a big deal, but it was. The first time it would be 1 skill point, but it would then be 2, 4, 8 and so on. To raise a single skill by 5 levels, you would need 31 skill points. As such, I had decided to save them for when I felt my growth was stunted.


    Of course, now was an exception. I currently had 20 skill points. Even if I needed to exhaust them, I needed to make myself stronger.


    ¡°First, one into spear technique.¡±


    My spear technique recently became high-rank level 6. With one point, it would be high-rank level 7.


    [Spear Technique skill became high-rank level 7! External mana will naturally flow into your attacks without the use of your own mana. The chance of critical hits increases greatly when stabbing with your spear.]


    [As you forcefully raised your level of attainment with a skill point, it may take some time for your body to adapt to the skill level.]


    I felt like my body was being pressed strongly, like someone was trying to forcefully stuff me with the concept of getting stronger. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t a good feeling. If possible, I wanted to rely on my own strength to increase my spear technique levels...


    ¡°No, I just need topletely learn it with my body.¡±


    Perhaps it was the w of using skill points. I got the feeling that I couldn¡¯t fully utilize the power of my high-rank level 7 spear technique. Like it said, it seemed I needed some time to adapt. I fell deep into thought. I originally wanted to master my spear technique, but if it was like this, there was no meaning to mastering my spear technique with skill points.


    This sense of unfamiliarity and distance would only increase if I raised my spear technique level more, and it would take even longer for me to adapt to the level of attainment a true spear technique master should have. I would at least be unable to fully utilize the power of a spear technique master during the request.


    In that case, it was probably better to raise other skill levels. Otherwise, the results might be worse than throwing away the skill points.


    I wanted to raise my Elemental Contract skill to contract another elemental, but my Elemental Contract skill was currently mid-rank level 4. Even if I used all my skill points, I could not bring it up to level 9. As such, this was not the best idea.


    I had to think of another method. A skill that could have immediate effects with increased skill level, something that I did not need to adapt to... A thought then shed in my mind like lightning.


    Divine Speed.


    ¡°Alright, one for now.¡±


    [Divine Speed became level 7. When used, it uses 14% of your mana to multiply your speed by 750% for 1.5 seconds.]


    ¡°Huk.¡±


    No way. At level 6, in multiplied by speed by 700% for 1 second. The increase was just too big. Plus, just like I thought, this skill didn¡¯t take time for me to adapt to it! This was it! As if I was possessed by something, I continued to use my skill points.


    [Divine Speed became level 8. When used, it uses 13% of your mana to multiply your speed by 800% for 2 seconds.]


    [Divine Speed became level 9. When used, it uses 12% of your mana to multiply your speed by 900% for 2.5 seconds.]


    With the point I used to raise my spear technique level, I had used 8 skill points so far. I still had 12 left. I only needed 8 skill points to master Divine Speed. There was no need to hesitate. I could clearly see the shocking increase every time the skill level went up. I then used 8 skill points on Divine Speed.


    [You mastered Divine Speed. When used, it uses 10% of your mana to multiply your speed by 1,000% for 3 seconds. Your affinity to the wind element increases greatly!]


    I let out a long sigh. Using 10% of my mana to multiply my speed by 1,000% for 3 seconds. It was worth, no, more than worth the skill points I had spent. Plus, mastering it also raised my affinity to the wind element greatly!


    ¡°This... This might even be stronger than all of my other abilitiesbined.¡±


    I had a 145% base speed increase, which became 1,450% when multiplied by 10. With Divine Speed, the destructive power of my attacks would not be as simple as my speed increasing. Of course, it would be difficult for me to adapt to the speed that was 14.5 times faster. My opponent might have a defense skill or a skill that increased their own speed, so I couldn¡¯t say this skill would be invincible.


    Even so, it was clear that this skill would be one of my main skills. It would let me output an overwhelming destructive force, and if it only used 10% of my mana, I would be able to use it without much burden.


    Alright, now I had 4 points left. First, I put a point into Peruta Circuit. I suspected that it was simr to spear technique in that putting another point in was discouraged.


    [Peruta Circuit became level 6! You can more easily maintain Peruta Circuit during battle. Your cirction speed increases and draws in more mana. While Peruta Circuit is active, rotational force will be added to all your movements, greatly increasing their destructive power.]


    [As you forcefully raised your level of attainment with a skill point, it may take some time for your body to adapt to the skill level.]


    As expected, it was hard to say Peruta Circuit had grownpletely. I had the feeling I was wearing armor that didn¡¯t fit me.


    That said, there was a clear difference between level 5 and level 6 Peruta Circuit. It became easier to gather mana duringbat and rotational force would be added to all movements. I realized why Peruta was so proud of this technique. It even made me consider raising its skill level again.


    However, I held myself back. Whether Peruta Circuit or my spear technique, any more would make it hard for me to handle their change. I was afraid that it might even harm my techniques.


    Most importantly, there was a skill I wanted to raise with the remaining skill points.


    [Soul Guard became level 4. Your soul¡¯s league grows higher, making you unfazed by standard mental attacks.]


    [Soul Guard became level 5. Your soul¡¯s league grows higher, making you overwhelm others naturally and giving you a small resistance against mental and even magical attacks. The chance of receiving critical hits decreases.]


    ¡°Huhu, it really is an amazing skill.¡±


    I still wasn¡¯t confident in my mental defenses. What I had to watch out for the most in Luka continent weren¡¯t things I could not handle with my physical ability, but mental attacks! Of course, if I couldpletely adapt to spear technique or Peruta Circuit, I would have chosen one to put all my skill points into, but that wasn¡¯t the case. As such, I decided to increase my Soul Guard skill.


    The result was more than satisfactory. I didn¡¯t think I would even get resistance against magical attacks. As expected of a secret reward. Confirming that my choice hadn¡¯t been wrong, I checked my stats with all the changes.


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: Elementalist (Sub ¨C Skill Collector, Tamer) Title: Zeus Rank: Gold 9


    Level: 51


    HP ¨C 27,650/27,650 MP ¨C 21,860/21,860


    Strength ¨C 149(+81) Dexterity ¨C 140(+49) Constitution ¨C 129(+51)


    Intelligence ¨C 32(+44) Magic ¨C 131(+69) Charm ¨C 87(+84) Luck ¨C 39(+34)


    Normal Skills ¨C High-rank Martial Arts (Lv 4), High-rank Spear Technique (Lv 7), Low-rank Crossbow Marksmanship (Lv 9), Low-rank Gale Track (Lv 2), Mid-rank White Lightning Consecutive Strike (Lv 3), Mid-rank Heroic Strike (Lv 8), Mid-rank Provoke (Lv 6), Divine Speed (Master), Return (Lv 4), Heavy Armor Mastery (Lv 3), Mid-rank Dash (Lv 4), Peruta Circuit (Lv 6), Soul Guard (Lv 5), Dimensional Travel (Lv 1), Deific Manifestation, Death Counter, Riding


    ss Skills ¨C Mid-rank Spirit Mastery (Lv 7), Mid-rank Spirit Aura (Lv 4), Mid-rank Elemental Control (Lv 4), Mid-rank Elemental Contract (Lv 4), Mid-rank Elemental de (Lv 2), Mid-rank Elemental Tempest (Lv 4), Thunder Beast (Lv 2).


    Subss Skill ¨C Endow Skill, Taming (Lv 1), Spirit of the Collector, Spirit of the Tamer (Lv 1)]


    [Equipment:


    Golden Teardrop (Intelligence +5, Magic +5, Charm +15. Can use Subus¡¯ Pupils.)


    Blood Subus¡¯ Earring (Magic +15, Intelligence +5, Charm +20. Emits a scent that easily attracts members of the opposite sex.)


    Flesh Golem¡¯s Second Finger (Strength +7, Constitution +7. Can use Regeneration.)


    Crimson Dragon Scale Armor (All stats +10, Strength +10, Dexterity +10. Effect of Charge type skills +60%. Can use Crimson Roar.)


    Red Dragon Felixes¡¯ Cape (Dexterity +15, Magic +15, Charm +15. Immune to temperature-based status effects. Three times a day, it protects its master from unforeseen attacks.)


    Crimson Gluttony Spear (Strength +30, Fire damage added to all basic attacks, Can inflict burn status effect.)]


    [Tatoo:


    Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo (Speed +30%, Attack power of charge type skills +50%)]


    [Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch:


    1 o¡¯clock: Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry


    2 o¡¯clock: Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail


    3 o¡¯clock: Dark Thunder Explosion


    4 o¡¯clock: Dragon Skin


    5 o¡¯clock: Diehard


    6 o¡¯clock: Undead Roar


    7 o¡¯clock: Outburst


    8 o¡¯clock: Shadow Blink


    9 o¡¯clock: Gigantic]


    [3 Event Dungeon clears, 2 Event Raid clear, umted bonus stats: 7]


    [Current skill points: 0]


    [Thirteen title-effects: (Orc Lord yer, Wraith Queen yer, Dark Ratman yer, Giant Ghoul yer, Skeleton Knight yer, Duhan yer, Lizard Knight Master, Grim Reaper Master, Giant Wolf Master, Wendigo Master, Hermes, Zeus). umted effects: All stats +24, Speed +15%, Strength +15%, Charm +15%, Critical hit rate x2 against skeleton-type monsters, Critical damage +50% against opponents with bones, increased affinity to all elements x2, affinity to the wind element greatly increased, affinity to the lightning elemental greatly increased, can summon Tria once per day, can summon Caduceus once per month, can use Sky God¡¯s y once per day, can use Sky God¡¯s Range once per month.]


    [Contracted Elementals


    1. Peika (Lightning elemental)


    2. Ruyue (Ice elemental)]


    [Tamed subordinates:


    1. Plene (Siren)]


    Looking at the long list, I felt strange. The fruits of my 5 years of work were shown on my status. However, they were most likelyckingpared to other Dimensional Mercenaries, who must have spent a long time collecting skills points and stats.


    Let¡¯s get stronger so that I don¡¯t have to worry about myck of ability when I¡¯m trying to go save a friend. I wanted strength that would allow me to freely do as I wished. I wanted strength that would allow me to send anyone flying that tried to kill me just because I was a Hero.


    Then, when I was about to use Dimensional Travel, Loretta grabbed me.


    ¡°Shin-nim, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going right away?¡±


    ¡°I am. I¡¯m leaving Plene behind too. I don¡¯t think her mental attacks would be good enough against the demons anyways, and I can¡¯t let her die.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. You might not be able toe back for a few days, so shouldn¡¯t you say something to your parents?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    I hadn¡¯t even thought about it, as my head was filled with thoughts about Ludia and Shina. But now that I thought about it, there was ss today too! After being contacted yesterday by Ludia, I broke through the 50th floor without even getting a wink of sleep, and even became a Dimensional Mercenary. Whoa, mother and Yua had called me several times and sent me countless messages...


    ¡°I¡¯ll... go say goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you should. Also, remember to put in a good word about me to your mother.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    I immediately went home and told my family what was going on. Mother and Yua immediately looked at me with doubtful eyes and Walker bluntly said I was lying. However, I didn¡¯t say anything more. Since I couldn¡¯t let them worry about me for nothing, I had just told them that I had something important to take care of for a few days.


    Then, I told only father the truth.


    ¡°I heard about it too. That Luka continent was in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father. I became something called a Dimensional Mercenary. I¡¯m going to go help my friends.¡±


    Father was silent for a moment, then reached out and patted my head.


    ¡°Yeah, go help your friends. I¡¯m proud of you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father. I will be back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te back all beaten up.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m father¡¯s son.¡±


    Should I tell Ye-Eun and Hwaya too? No, there was no need to tell everyone about it. I only sent them messages saying I would be busy with the dungeon for a few days, then went back to the dungeon. Loretta, who had gone back to the Floor Shop, blinked herrge golden eyes and asked.


    ¡°Oh? You came back? I thought you¡¯d go straight to Luka continent.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I thought I should say goodbye to Loretta too.¡±


    ¡°How rare of you to say something so praiseworthy... Eit, I¡¯ll go for it!¡±


    Loretta flew herself over the counter and dove at me. As expected of an elf, she was incredibly fast. Even while I was flustered, I caught her so that she wouldn¡¯t get hurt. When I let out a sigh of relief, Loretta¡¯s face was right in front of mine.


    ¡°Surprised?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Uup.¡±


    The next moment, I was even more surprised. Loretta had suddenly kissed me. Looking at Loretta¡¯s eyes in front of me, I blinked. I couldn¡¯t understand what just happened. Well, Loretta¡¯s lips and my lips touched.... Eeeeeeh!?


    [You received the Queen Elf¡¯s High Blessing. The effect willst for four days. You are protected against all low-rank and mid-rank status effects. You can maintain your consciousness for 5 minutes after falling into a half-dead state. Your luck increases by 100. All members of the Faerie race will see you favorably. Your vitality and magic recovery rate increases greatly, and you will not get tired easily. Your attacks have an increased chance tond critical hits.]


    A message rang in my ears, but I wasn¡¯t in the state of mind to listen to it calmly. While I was standing there nkly, Loretta brought her head back and made a ¡®mmm¡¯ noise. Her face was red like it would explode at any time. Thinking about the touch of her lips left on my lips, I was unable to say or do anything. Loretta then said in a quiet voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°W-What?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kiss Shin-nim because I wanted to give you a blessing. I did it because I love you. Got it?¡±


    There were many things I wanted to say. I didn¡¯t know we had this kind of rtionship, I don¡¯t remember epting you, that was my first kiss, etc, etc.


    However, this was what I chose to say.


    ¡°O....Okay.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then you can go now.¡±


    ... For some reason, I felt like I was being tamed by Loretta. No, it couldn¡¯t be! However, because I didn¡¯t initially get mad, talking about it now would be awkward. In the end, I could only use Dimensional Travel while still thinking about her warmth left on my lips. I was the opposite of calm.


    My destination was the Luka continent. We would rendezvous at Ehuir Empire¡¯s Imperial Pce.


    The moment I used Dimensional Travel, I felt a pain like my body was being squeezed dry. The surrounding scenery melted, as did my body. The entire world became ck, then turned bright again. My body was torn to shreds, glued back together, then torn to shreds again.


    ¡°Mmm...¡±


    ¡°Eh? It¡¯s a new face.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, there¡¯s a new Dimensional Mercenary? Haa, I didn¡¯t even notice.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s handsome...¡±


    After losing my consciousness, I half-opened my eyes from the sounds I heard around me. There were about a dozen people staring at me.


    I realized I was lying on the ground and picked myself up. There were knights and magicians lined up in the wide hall I was in. I even saw Ludia who was half-frowning.


    There was no doubt. This was the Luka continent.


    My first request as a Dimensional Mercenary had started.


    Author¡¯s note:


    8,000 characters!? Toika, you fool! Didn¡¯t I tell you to control the quantity!?


    My apologies, Your Excellency, but the status window took up 1,000 characters. I was afraid of the reader¡¯s wrath, so I increased the amount!


    The math in the speed increase might be wrong from myck of knowledge, so forgive me. Do tell me if it¡¯s wrong.


    Everyone, I¡¯ll just say it again. Shin can appoint a new explorer for bing a Gold rank explorer (this is on top of getting another subss).


    PS ¨C I get the feeling we¡¯ve already gone into Loretta route...


    PS2 ¨C Today was the first time Loretta used High Blessing. What could this mean?


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    Toika, at least make your author¡¯s note small... I looked at the number of pages for this chapter and almost fell out of my chair...

 Chapter 115. Avarice Devours Everything (2)

    Chapter 115. Avarice Devours Everything (2)


    ¡°I¡¯m Kang Shin, an explorer from Earth. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Earth? Never heard of it before.¡±


    ¡°Same.¡±


    ¡°Damn, just how did he be a Dimensional Mercenary? From a world without any foundation...¡±


    Most of the Dimensional Mercenaries gave me cold nces. Unlike the treatment I had been getting as the Crown Prince, they ignored me after just hearing where I was from. Had they never heard about me before? Did they all have their dungeon explorermunication channels off?


    ¡°What level do you think he is?¡±


    ¡°His equipment looks pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid? You¡¯re asking for his level as a Dimensional Mercenary? You¡¯re a newbie too, right?¡±


    There were 13 Dimensional Mercenaries other than me. Two additional people had epted the request after me. There were only 57 Dimensional Mercenaries in the First Dungeon, and 14 of them had taken this request. Everyone seemed to be very active.


    A young knight with long ck hair approached me.


    ¡°I¡¯m Bellode Iraus. As the request said, I am themander of the Kiros Knights and a Gold rank explorer of the First Dungeon. Thank you foring, Kang Shin-nim. The first princess has told me a lot about you. If you do your best to save the second princess, you won¡¯t be disappointed by the rewards.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for having me.¡±


    The knight named Bellode gave a very good first impression. He looked kind and stouthearted. Perhaps because of the pressure to save Shina, however, he had a cloudy expression. After greeting the knight, I turned to the other Dimensional Mercenaries to greet them, but they avoided my eyes. It meant they found it bothersome, even though they talked with each other as if to judge me when I arrived. They seemed to be saying that they didn¡¯t want to waste their energy on useless exchange of greetings. I found it absurd.


    Bellode made a bitter smile, looking at me making a stupefied expression, and said in a quiet voice that only I could hear.


    ¡°Please understand. I hear Dimensional Mercenaries be sensitive before missions.¡±


    With the danger that came with the job, I wasn¡¯t surprised. Plus, I was new. If I spoke out of line, it was easy for them criticize me as a rookie who didn¡¯t know what he was saying. I sighed and turned my head. Bellode then led us to arge table in the hall.


    Ludia was also nearby. When our eyes met, she humphed and purposely turned her head the other way. At her somewhat expected reaction, I made a bitter smile.


    On the table, there was arge map with the Imperial Pce in its center. Bellode took a short baton and pointed it on the map.


    ¡°With Kang Shin-nim here, all the Dimensional Mercenaries have arrived. We will do a briefing before we set off. We¡¯ll take the shortest path to lead us to the Demon Lord¡¯s garrison. As he is injured, the Demon Army is hastily pulling their army back, but if we move quickly with our elite forces, we will be able to catch up to them before they arrive at the Demon Lord¡¯s territory.¡±


    ¡°Demon Lord¡¯s territory, you say. I hear all the peak rank demons are staying there.¡±


    ¡°That is true. Until they ascertain their superior position, peak ranked demons prefer note out of their territory. Since the Hero died... They might just wait until the world starts to copse before they appear.¡±


    ¡°Hm, but still, the Demon Lord is...¡±


    ¡°The Demon Lord received a critical injury. Everyone on the spot saw it. Although we would be unable to take his life, he won¡¯t be able to hinder our rescue mission. If you¡¯d like, I can even bet my soul.¡±


    I silently listened to the conversation between Bellode and the Dimensional Mercenaries, and memorized the path Bellode showed us. In case everyone left, I would have to go save Shina alone.


    Suddenly, someone tapped on my shoulder from behind. When I turned around, I saw Ludia whose face waspletely red.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°F-Father and mother... want to see you.¡±


    ¡°The emperor and empress!?¡±


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    I left the hall with Ludia. I could feel the stinging gazes of the mercenaries behind me. These guys, why were they emitting so much killing intent...!?


    ¡°Now that I think about it, I heard that beautiful princess has a boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Right, I heard it was some damned rookie. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be a Dimensional Mercenary.¡±


    ¡°I wish he¡¯d die here.¡±


    You guys are all single, aren¡¯t you!? And you, why are you ring at me when you¡¯re a girl!?


    The emperor and empress were both waiting for me together. Plus, the emperor was wearing golden armor and the empress was wearing a golden silk robe for priestesses. They were undoubtedly wearing such eye-catching clothes on purpose. They wanted the enemy to focus on them.


    ¡°Oh, Ludia! Is that young man the one you mentioned?¡±


    The moment the emperor caught sight of us, he eximed. I was surprised. He looked to be in histe 20¡¯s at most. It felt weird that someone who looked so young was the emperor. Not to mention, he was strong. So he was an explorer before he was the emperor.


    Ludia¡¯s cheeks turned red at the emperor¡¯s words and she shouted.


    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t say anything! Shina was the one who bbered about everything!¡±


    ¡°But every time she brought it up, you became excited and raised your voice. Can you show me your face?¡±


    That calm and beautiful voice came from the empress. Just like her husband, she looked like she was only in herte 20¡¯s. She seemed to be a priestess of Mitarus just like Ludia, as her robe had simr design as hers.


    The emperor was also handsome, but the empress was a real picturesque beauty. She and Ludia looked alike so much that I would believe that she was Ludia in 10 years. If there was one difference, it was her empress-like voluptuous...


    ¡°Ludia, there¡¯s a chance for you too!¡±


    ¡°You idiot!¡±


    ¡°Huhu, the two of you get along very well. I¡¯m relieved.¡±


    I snapped out of my daze at the empress¡¯ughter.


    ¡°Ah, sorry. I¡¯m... Kang Shin, an explorer from Earth.¡±


    ¡°I heard you came for Ludia and Shina even though you¡¯re a Hero. As an emperor who rules a country and is now in charge of this world, I can only say that it¡¯s foolish. But...¡±


    The emperor grinned and hammered my shoulders.


    ¡°That¡¯s what a man should do! Your ambition, I like it! So? Who do you want!? Will you take both? I doubt Shina or Ludia will refuse!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°D-Dad! I said that¡¯s not it! I don¡¯t know about Shina, but not me!¡±


    ¡°You should learn to lie better, my daughter. But I see, you don¡¯t want to share your husband with Shina. Then I¡¯ll just have to leave it to my son-inw. Do you like Ludia more?¡±


    ¡°Um... Both Shina and Ludia are my precious friends.¡±


    That was all I could say for now. The empress then spoke with a light smile.


    ¡°I was also friends with my husband. With my eye, I saw a future with him and said it would never happen, but here I am.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to hold a ceremony for you two... but as you can see, we aren¡¯t in a situation where that is possible. I apologize, my son-inw.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Before I noticed, he was addressing me as ¡®son-inw.¡¯ Lost for words, I looked to Ludia, but she was too busy covering her reddened face with her hands. While the two of us were in panic, the emperor gestured at me toe closer. I approached him.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to ask you for a favor... If the situation bes dangerous, please run away with Ludia. Shina is my precious daughter and I¡¯d like to save her if possible... but I can¡¯t lose Ludia too.¡±


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    Although I wanted to say I¡¯d save Shina no matter what, I couldn¡¯t say something I couldn¡¯t guarantee in front of the emperor who had such a serious look. The emperor then said with an even more serious expression.


    ¡°Also... don¡¯t trust anyone other than Ludia and Bellode.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Do you think the Demon Lord has only been trying to conquer the world with brute force?¡±


    ¡°You mean...¡±


    ¡°Everyone on this expedition are elites of the elites, but there might be some who might have been coaxed by the Demon Lord. Other than my daughter, Ludia, Bellode is the only one I can trust. Do not forget this.¡±


    Now that I had heard about it, it was obvious. The Demon Lord defeated the Hero. Although he was heavily injured, he was still the winner. In such a situation, it would be strange if no one fell to the Demon Lord¡¯s enticement. I couldn¡¯t help but feel bitter at the sudden truth I was made to realize.


    When I backed away after hearing the emperor¡¯s words, he spoke to Ludia and me.


    ¡°The Hero died and the world¡¯s power has been stolen. New life can no longer be born in this world. This world will slowly but surely wilt. Even so, I don¡¯t want to give up. There is just too much on my shoulders for me to throw everything down and kneel... Shina, my precious daughter, is included. I beseech you, my son-inw and my daughter. Please save Shina.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dad. I will save Shina.¡±


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    The world¡¯s power has been stolen and new life could no longer be born... I see. That¡¯s why the Hero was the core of a world. I finally understood everything about the Heroes. If new life couldn¡¯t be born, it was equivalent to the end of a world.


    I bit down on my lips and tried to shake off the image of a grim future. The moment the emperor¡¯s words ended, the empress gestured at me. When I approached her, she took out a five-colored object from her inventory and handed it to me.


    After receiving them, I realized it was half of a sword de along with the rest of the broken sword. Surprisingly, the sword was still emitting a five-colored light. Although I didn¡¯t know what the gem on the sword¡¯s hilt was, I got the feeling I wouldn¡¯t be able to buy it even if I sold my mansion. Although broken, this sword¡¯s value was unquestionable.


    [Mitarus¡¯ Broken Holysword (God)


    Durability ¨C 0/560


    Attack ¨C 15,000


    Equipment Requirement ¨C Level 90, Hero


    Options ¨C All stats + 100, Damage against all demons including the Demon Lord x3. Can acquire all skills. Strength +20%, Speed +20%.


    Special skill ¨C Judgement of Light: Collects all light in the world, healing all allies in the battlefield and dealing a great amount of light attribute damage to all enemies in the battlefield or dealing a critical blow to a select target.


    Description ¨C A holysword for the Hero, crafted using Luka continent¡¯s most precious metal, Lukadion and imbued with the power of Mitarus. It lost its power and broke in the battle against the Demon Lord, and cannot be repaired.]


    The world¡¯s strongest weapon suddenly appeared! My hands were shaking just holding this weapon!


    ¡°I apologize. It¡¯s broken, so it can¡¯t be used again. However, I believe it can be used in some other way, so I¡¯ll give it to you, a Hero of another world. Will you ept it?¡±


    ¡°Can I really ept it?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, who else other than you would take it, son-inw?¡±


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    I heard of the saying ¡®lucky to have a good friend,¡¯ but I didn¡¯t think I would get a weapon like this for having one! Plus, when I saw the holysword, I immediately thought of a use for it. After unexpectedly receiving an amazing gift, I bowed to the emperor and empress and left the pce. With her face still red, Ludia followed me like a puppy.


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t mind what Mom and Dad said! It was just that I¡¯ve shown no interest in men, so they¡¯re saying that because I brought you up once or twice!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course. I doubt you even see me as a man, anyways.¡±


    ¡°... Crack.¡±


    Hm? Did I just hear something break? I looked around but everything looked fine. Ludia was only clenching her fists tightly.


    After confirming that no one was around, I took out the Gluttony Spear.


    ¡°Hm? What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°The holysword your mother gave me, I can¡¯t just hold onto it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Here, watch.¡±


    I took the broken holysword pieces and brought it against the Gluttony Spear without any hesitation.


    The Gluttony Spear then emitted a crazed red aura and swallowed the holysword.


    [Crimson Gluttony Spear absorbed Mitarus¡¯ Holysword. Growth: 47%]


    ¡°Kyaaaak! T-The holysword disappeared!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, Ludia! The holysword is dead! But in my spear! In my heart! It lives on as one!¡±


    This crazy spear¡¯s growth only went up by 44% after absorbing a God ranked holysword, but I felt like I caught a glimpse of this spear¡¯s future. I let out a satisfactory sigh, and dered to Ludia.


    ¡°Remember, Ludia. Avarice swallows everything.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act cool and say stupid things...!¡±


    This was the conversation we had before our departure.


    Author¡¯s note:


    This chapter was a chapter with Gluttony Spear, for Gluttony Spear, and of Gluttony Spear! Swallow everything! Ah, it can¡¯t swallow other people¡¯s weapons. If that was possible, the moment the spear touched any weapon... ^^ So Gluttony Spear can only swallow weapons that its master owns or weapons without a master ^^

 Chapter 116. Avarice Devours Everything (3)

    Chapter 116. Avarice Devours Everything (3)


    There was a total of 50 soldiers, consisting of 40 knights and 10 magicians. They were all dungeon explorers and experts who were at least level 70. Amongst them, there were even 20 First Dungeon explorers. In truth, I was surprised so many of them were still alive, given the fierce battle they must have been having with the Demon Army. If the 50 of them fought with Earth¡¯s rankers, they would win without doubt. Was Earth weak? Or was Luka continent strong...? If they lost even with such strong forces, just how strong was the Demon Army?


    In addition to the 50 soldiers, there were 14 Dimensional Mercenaries. Everyone other than me seemed to at least be level 60, and as they were First Dungeon explorers and passed the tricky requirements to be Dimensional Mercenaries, they were all formidable in their own regard.


    Then, there was Ludia and Bellode, making the number of people going on this expedition 66. Bellode, who was in charge of leading the expedition, was also in charge of protecting Ludia. As she was a priestess, she was valuable even though she was rtively low leveled.


    ¡°By the way, are there no Dimensional Mercenaries in the Second Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°There are. I heard there aren¡¯t any in the Third and Fourth Dungeons, but I know Dimensional Mercenaries cane from the Second Dungeon. It just looks like no one epted the request this time.¡±


    Ludia answered my question, then Bellode added to her exnation.


    ¡°Second Dungeon explorers, especially ones strong enough to be Dimensional Mercenaries, have extremely cautious nature. There are rumors that they never ept requests from worlds that have lost their Heroes.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Although I thought they were cowards, I didn¡¯t voice my thought out loud.


    ¡°We will move by specially trained horses. They listen to people well, so you can be rest assured and ride on them.¡±


    Thirty knights rode on the horses alone, while ten knights rode with magicians behind them. The Dimensional Mercenaries, who were watching them, seemed to get on the horses too, but two of them didn¡¯t.


    ¡°My subss is Summoner, so I don¡¯t need it. Come, Wyvern.¡±


    A middle-aged ajusshi who looked to be in his 40¡¯s reached out and summoned a house-sized dragon. Although I didn¡¯t want to admit it, it was damn cool. Damn it, how did he obtain the Summoner subss? I¡¯m jealous! I really am!


    While I was watching him nkly, one other Dimensional Mercenary reached into her inventory and took something out. It was a wide, metallic board big enough for a person to lie on. Was that a hoverboard? That was a hoverboard!


    ¡°I¡¯ll ride this, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Mm, how is its speedpared to the battle horses?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s faster! I have to be the one to slow myself down for you, so don¡¯t worry about the speed!¡±


    It was the voice of a woman! She was a violet-haired beauty who looked to be in her 20¡¯s, but because her hair was pushed together to one side, half of her face was covered. From the visible half, however, I could tell that she was a beauty. It was then that her green eyes met mine. She was ring at me frighteningly. It was then that I remembered, she was the woman who red at me before!


    I continued to stare at her, not knowing why she was ring at me. Then, one of the knights not going on the expedition approached me with the rein of a cool white horse in hand. For some reason, I felt that the white horse was cooler than the horses other people got. Not to mention, it looked incredibly simr to the white horse Ludia was on. Plus, the knight had an overly respectful attitude.


    ¡°Kang Shin-nim, this is the horse assigned to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine too. Sorry for saying itte.¡±


    It was clearly prepared for me, so I felt a bit sorry to decline, but I already had an excellent ride. In front of the knight looking puzzled, I materialized Ruyue, who I had already summoned beforehand. When a huge silver wolf appeared, a few people flinched, but I ignored their gazes and scratched her neck. With breath mixed with freezing energy, she asked.


    [Do I kill them all?]


    ¡°No, Ruyue. We¡¯re going to run for a while.¡±


    [Okay!]


    ¡°An elemental.¡±


    ¡°A materialized elemental. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen an Elementalist. They¡¯re still being passed down?¡±


    ¡°He might have been born as one. The elemental seems pretty weak too.¡±


    ¡°Yep, weak.¡±


    ¡°Still a rookie, I see.¡±


    Of course, Ruyue might seem weak in their eyes, but that was because I couldn¡¯t draw out all of her strength. When my skills grew, Ruyue and Peika would get stronger as well.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be setting off now! May the fortune of Goddess Mitarus be with us!¡±


    When everyone got on their rides, a knight in charge of leading the way set off. The other knights on their horses followed him, and the Dimensional Mercenaries followed suit.


    The wyvern-riding middle aged explorer flew a bit higher than everyone, and the woman on the hoverboard floated at the same height I was in, lyingfortably on the hoverboard. As for me, I asked Ruyue to run at the same speed as the battle horse.


    ¡°Bellode-ssi, before we catch up to the retreating Demon Army, will we not run into other monsters or demons?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯re taking the fastest route with the least amount of enemies, and we will continue adjusting our route by scouting with magical familiars.¡±


    For a moment, I thought of Earth¡¯s GPS system.


    ¡°Pft. What¡¯s up with that shocked face? This much is standard.¡±


    ¡°In your world, maybe. Though, there¡¯s something simr in my... Nevermind.¡±


    Perhaps it was because she rode horses often, but Ludia skillfully rode her white horse and kept up with Bellode,ughing cheerfully as she made fun of me. While we were in the Imperial Pce, she looked down the entire time, but she seemed happier now that we were on the move. I smiled in relief.


    ¡°You¡¯re prettier when you¡¯re smiling. I couldn¡¯t bear to see you the way you were before.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! You only just realized I was pretty? Stupid!¡±


    While we were joking around with each other, Bellode smiled lightly and spoke.


    ¡°You two suit each other well.¡±


    ¡°Bellode, I already told you! We¡¯re still just friends!¡±


    ¡°Huhu, ¡®still,¡¯ I see.¡±


    ¡°No! I said it wrong, we¡¯re just friends!¡±


    Bellode also seemed to be skilled in teasing Ludia. While the three of us were chatting, someone approached my side. When I turned my head, the hoverboard was flying next to me! The violet-haired woman lying on the hoverboard red at me and spoke.


    ¡°You, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    ¡°I called dibs on her... If you steal her away, I won¡¯t forgive you!¡±


    ¡°... You, don¡¯t get near Ludia!¡±


    Run, Ludia! An unexpected person is aiming for you!


    Although I didn¡¯t think the rescue mission would be a walk in the park, we ran for the whole day and got ambushed when we stopped to take a rest and eat.


    [Guoooooooo!]


    ¡°It¡¯s the monster unit under the demons¡¯mand! Kuk, I couldn¡¯t even detect them with familiars!¡±


    ¡°Magicians, take your distance and prepare your magic!¡±


    ¡°Knights, protect the magicians! Squad One, to the front! Space out and cover the area!¡±


    While the knights were moving busily, the mercenaries each took out their weapons and confirmed the monsters. Strangely enough, none of them stood near each other. Come on, nobody trusted each other!? How did you climb the dungeon until now!?


    [Guaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Kuk, someone help out in the sky! These damned chimeras!¡±


    All of the monsters were peculiar. They had ck bodies and looked like several monsters mixed together. The one closest to me was at least 3 meters tall, had scaly skin, and had four arms of different thickness. The arms looked like they were taken from four different creatures.


    Plus, it had two heads, one that looked like a komodo dragon¡¯s and one that looked like a human¡¯s.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Demon Army¡¯s trait. They create chimeras from mixing multiple lives together, without their consent, of course. They¡¯re evil and cruel.¡±


    Bellode exined to me while gritting his teeth. Before taking on the monsters, I looked at the others fighting the chimeras. The knights and magicians were working together to push back the chimeras, and the Dimensional Mercenaries each took on a chimera, weaving in and out of fights.


    The most eye-catching among them was the hoverboard and the wyvern. They were both fighting the flying monsters. The wyvern breathed out strong mes, and the woman on the hoverboard swung a strange weapon filled with her aura that seemed to be made of clumps of steel linked together.


    Although they were strong, I didn¡¯t think they were much stronger than me. I thought anyone who could be Dimensional Mercenaries would have grinded elixirs like me, but was I wrong?


    ¡°Ah, I see. If they were like me, the moment they cleared the 50th floor...¡±


    The moment they became a Gold ranked explorer, they would have be Dimensional Mercenaries. However, they became Dimensional Mercenaries past level 60 or 70. They had taken a different route than me. Up until now, I felt that I wasckingpared to them, but I decided to let that thought go.


    I held my spear and aimed at the chimeras that had appeared in groups. I didn¡¯t know where they wereing from, but they were popping out from all directions of the forest we were walking through. Everyone was currently busy fighting them, but the mercenaries were clearly not trying their best. Shouldn¡¯t they hurry up and take care of them, so we could get our rest!?


    ¡°Alright, Ruyue... Let¡¯s go! Gale Track!¡±


    [Auuuuuuu!]


    Ruyue exerted her presence with a howl filled with freezing energy. At the same time, I poured an abundant amount of mana into Peika. With Zeus¡¯ power, my bond with Peika had gotten deeper. Just by activating Spirit Aura, Gluttony Spear lost its original color and transformed to a golden lightning bolt.


    Immediately afterwards, Ruyue ran forward!


    ¡°Haaaaap! Fight me!¡±


    [You used Provoke! Enemies from all sides attack you with hostility!]


    [Kiaaak!]


    [A lightning elemental!]


    [An Elementalist!]


    [A new sacrifice...!]


    Chimeras of all sizes and shapes pounced towards me. Each and every one of them were strong! Some had poisonous ws, some had eyes that charmed, and some spit out acidic saliva.


    [Auuuuu!]


    However, they could not match Ruyue¡¯s Ice Breath. Immediately afterwards, they were sent flying by Ruyue¡¯s body and my lightning spear.


    Ruyue was in charge of defense and Peika was in charge of offense! Gale Track! In its path, Peika and Ruyue¡¯s effects became one, disying the greatest synergistic effect. It didn¡¯t matter how strong the chimeras were. My destructive power increased by 110% during charge type skills! I had confidence that even Floor Masters couldn¡¯t withstand my charge.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Critical Hit!]


    Chimeras were made of other creatures. As they weren¡¯t invertebrates, they had bones. With Skull Breaker¡¯s title effect, once a critical hit was dealt, parts of the chimeras blew up no matter how big they were. My charge continued without stopping. If there was one thing I wasn¡¯t happy about, it was that my enemies were too few in number!


    In the blink of an eye, I reached the rearmost chimera, which was over 3 meters tall and was riding on arge lizard. It was easy to tell that it was a chimera. It had four arms, each carrying arge weapon! From the aura it was emitting, it seemed to be the chimera squad¡¯s captain.


    [Kugagagaga! You are truly fast and strong! I¡¯ll take your legs and make them mine!]


    ¡°Like I care!¡±


    In addition to charging, Gale Track also let me deal a final blow imbued with wind! I pulled my spear in front of my chest. Above the lightning spear, a gust of wind appeared, rotating at an astonishing speed. Originally, it would end with a simple addition of wind, but Hermes and mastering Divine Speed let my affinity to the wind elemental reach the peak, making the wind more formidable. It didn¡¯t seem like a low-rank skill at all.


    [Kugaga, take this! Giant¡¯s...!]


    You dare to interrupt my skill!? The moment the chimera moved its four arms to use a skill, I activated Divine Speed. Its movements immediately slowed down, almost as if it stoppedpletely. On the other hand, I had be incredibly fast, as if I had grown wings. Although Divine Speed itself protected by body to a certain degree, it was still hard to handle 1000% of my speed.


    However, there was no problem with one specific motion. It was the motion I made the most since I was born, and the motion that first made me get called a Hero.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    The wind-lightning spear shot out, aimed at a single point in the giant¡¯s chest. The attack that contained my body¡¯s concentrated energy easily broke through the giant¡¯s chest, and the power that was imbued in the spear then exploded.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Low-rank Gale Track became level 3. Your eleration during charging increases, and the power imbued in the final blow bes stronger.]


    Divine Speed¡¯s duration also ended. Feeling the slightly creaking body, I pulled out my spear from the giant¡¯s chest. At that moment, green blood spurted out toward me, which I dodged frightened. After hitting the ground, the blood melted the ground. So it really was acidic!


    I froze the blood continuing to spurt out with Ruyue¡¯s ability, then checked the state of the chimera. Its chest was caved in, like a bomb had struck it. Its internal organs, bones, and muscles had all blown up, and it was clearly in an irrecoverable state. If it could move after this, it wouldn¡¯t be a chimera, but a Gamera.


    As expected, the chimera had stopped breathing without even letting out death throes. Confirming that there was no sign of life, I put the corpse in my inventory. Then, I turned around and checked the state of the battlefield. Most of the knights were looking at me surprised, and a few of the Dimensional Mercenaries were nodding their heads.


    ¡°He¡¯s quite good.¡±


    ¡°Ha, we can¡¯t fall behind. The newbie took the head! You guys better try harder!¡±


    Hu, it seemed I had sessfully raised everyone¡¯s fighting spirit. I nodded my head in satisfaction, and looked for my next opponent.


    Although I didn¡¯t realize, this was the moment I engraved the name, Kang Shin, in the entire dungeon.


    Author¡¯s note: N/A

 Chapter 117. Avarice Devours Everything (4)

    Chapter 117. Avarice Devours Everything (4)


    Among the members of the expedition, Ludia had the lowest level, and everyone else including me were explorers that were at least level 50. Other than the magicians, who had a low constitution stat, we had no problem going without sleep for a few days. As such, even though we stopped to rest and eat, we did not set aside time to sleep.


    Taking care of the chimeras that the demons had left behind, chasing them, resting, and chasing them again... After two days, Ludia didn¡¯t look so well.


    ¡°Ludia, are you okay?¡±


    We were currently taking a 2-hour rest. We were told that we would catch up to the Demon Army in just a day, so the Dimensional Mercenaries were relieving their fatigue in their own ways and preparing themselves for battle. As I wasn¡¯t fatigued in the slightest, I worried about Ludia instead, who looked to be in a serious state.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay. It¡¯s nothingpared to what Shina must be experiencing right now.¡±


    Ludia drank a Health Potion and replied with a frown.


    ¡°Who knows what Shina is going through right now... I can¡¯tin with just this much.¡±


    ¡°Let me see that.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    I snatched the potion Ludia was holding, and her eyebrows shot up. She really was fierce when angry. However, Ludia soon made a curious expression watching what I was doing.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m making a potion slushy.¡±


    ¡°Slushy...?¡±


    I froze the potion with Ruyue¡¯s freezing energy, then shook it! With just that, I made a slushy in just a few seconds. When I gave it to Ludia, she tilted her head. After eating it, she eximed in surprise.


    ¡°It¡¯s cool and crunchy. It¡¯s good!¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    While I was happy watching Ludia whose expression had gotten brighter, I heard a voice that I had grown familiar to in the past few days.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you...¡±


    ¡°This stalker....¡±


    The violet-haired woman on her hoverboard red at me like I had killed her parents. With a sigh, I spoke.


    ¡°I told you not toe near Ludia.¡±


    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s one of the mercenaries...¡±


    Ludia noticed her too, bowing her head slightly to greet her. The woman started breathing roughly just from that. It was truly disgusting.


    ¡°T-The disheveled priestess robe is... kuk, unbearable.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s unbearable, please go back to your and stop giving me goosebumps.¡±


    ¡°I need to greet her too.¡±


    ¡°Just go!¡±


    While I was arguing with her, Ludia¡¯s voice became low for some reason.


    ¡°Do you know her? Are you close? ... Are you guys in a man-woman rtionship?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her until I came here. Don¡¯t say something so horrible.¡±


    ¡°No! Why would I, with a man...!¡±


    The woman eximed in a loud voice, then sat upright on the hoverboard and beat her chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m Syrmia Bamirtuno. I¡¯m Xenon realm¡¯s first-ss warrior.¡±


    ¡°And she¡¯s homosexual.¡±


    I added to her introduction, and Ludia instantly moved back. Syrmia Bamirtuno gave me a deathly re.


    ¡°I wanted to slowly let her know!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I have no ns to give you my friend.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m normal. I, I have a fianc¨¦ too!¡±


    ¡°Fiance!? Who¡¯s that? I¡¯ll kill him!¡±


    At her words, Ludia¡¯s cheeks reddened as she pointed at me. You¡¯re using me as a shield? You coward! Pretending to be shy won¡¯t work!


    Then, Syrmia Bamirtuno quietly took out a steel whip. I flinched for a second and took out my Gluttony Spear as well.


    ¡°S-Shin? Are you really fighting?¡±


    ¡°Ludia, duck.¡±


    ¡°Duc...!?¡±


    The next moment, I embraced her and rolled on the ground. Boom! Above us, Bamirtuno¡¯s whip had collided with something.


    ¡°It¡¯s an ambush! Everyone prepare for battle!¡±


    ¡°Ho, you blocked that? You aren¡¯t so bad!¡±


    Along with Bellode¡¯s ringing voice, an unpleasant screeching voice also rang out. Holding Ludia with one arm, I retreated to where others were and raised my head. We had noticed their presence toote! We were already surrounded my demons. Not to mention, these guys... they were extremely strong!


    ¡°Warm... This isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    ¡°Ludia, did you say something?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. I¡¯m okay, so you can let me go now.¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Even if you hate it, wait just a bit more.¡±


    ¡°Stupid, I don¡¯t hate it, so...!¡±


    ¡°Protect her, newbie! If she gets even a scratch, I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look this way and fight, Bamirtuno!¡±


    There were 16 demons, but four times as many chimeras. While I was retreating with Ludia, a few of the magicians¡¯ heads had already been severed. A few of the mercenaries had also used Return or ran to the dungeon. Damn it, they really cared for their safety the most!


    ¡°Wyvern, burn them!¡±


    [Guaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Fight! Magicians, calm down and chant your spells! Although they¡¯re demons, we can kill them!¡±


    ¡°You want to use magic in front of us? How cute!¡±


    The fight had be chaotic quickly. I sent the chimeras attacking us flying with Tempest and tried to ensure Ludia¡¯s safety. Meanwhile, Bamirtuno was fighting the demon that had attacked us. The demon had a human-like appearance, dark blue skin, and a single horn shooting out of his forehead. Hispletely ck eyes made me feel a natural aversion to him. However, this demon was strong, stronger than any of the ones that had attacked us.


    ¡°You, you¡¯re aiming for the princess!¡±


    ¡°Was I? She¡¯s the princess?¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡¯


    He was using a whip like Bamirtuno, but his long and thin whip was clearly stronger than Bamirtuno¡¯s steel whip. Bamirtuno shouted with tendons showing on her forehead.


    ¡°Iron Rain!¡±


    Her whip disassembled and the lumps of steel shot toward the demon. The demon raised his whip, striking them down quickly, andughed.


    ¡°Hahaha, not bad! You didn¡¯t learn whip technique, but were born with the power to wield steel!¡±


    You should have realized that earlier by seeing her hoverboard!


    I couldn¡¯t watch their battle any longer. Although I was retreating deeper into our camp, more and more chimeras were approaching us.


    ¡°The target is there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the man, but the woman he¡¯s holding!¡±


    ¡°Take her! If not, kill her!¡±


    Kuk! These damned bastards! With Ludia in my arm, I couldn¡¯t fight freely.


    ¡°Ludia, run to the dungeon for a bit! They¡¯re aiming for you!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t run by myself while everyone is fighting!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you when the fight is over, so go to the dungeon! You¡¯re in the way!¡±


    ¡°The target is trying to run to the dungeon!¡±


    ¡°Stop her! Sever her limbs!¡±


    Ugh, these god damned bastards! You want to cut off her limbs to stop her from going to the dungeon!? Even I only broke them!


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Kuaaaaaang!]


    In an instant, everything in sight became dyed in white. Ruyue made an ice wallpletely protecting Ludia and me.


    ¡°It won¡¯tst long. Hurry and go to the dungeon!¡¯


    ¡°Uuuut!¡±


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯ll call you when the fight is over, so please.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    ¡°Also, Ludia. When you¡¯re back, only trust my words.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Hearing cracking sounds from the chimeras trying to break in, I let Ludia go. Then, I gripped my spear tightly and told her.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking that it was strange that they¡¯re specifically picking our rest periods to attack. Something doesn¡¯t feel right. They know about us too well. There¡¯s most likely a spy.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay... Don¡¯t let me wait too long... Don¡¯t die. If you think you will, you have to run.¡±


    Ludia raised her arms and opened the door to the dungeon. With a smile, I nodded my head, watching her leave.


    Immediately afterwards, the ice wall shattered.


    ¡°The target escaped!¡±


    ¡°Take hostages! That man is in a rtionship with the target!¡±


    Hey, you guys have something wrong! Confirming the sheer number of chimeras charging toward me, I hurriedly materialized Ruyue and jumped on her back. Then, I put a highest-grade Mana Potion (30,000 gold each) in my mouth.


    ¡°Come at me!¡±


    [You used Provoke! Enemies from all sides attack you with hostility!]


    ¡°Where are all the mercenaries!? You guys need work harder!¡¯


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to deal with small fries like the chimeras, rookie!¡±


    ¡°These damned demons! They¡¯re so strong!¡±


    I realized that the mercenaries were fighting the demons. The knights had finally arranged themselves in a formation. As for the magicians, half of them had already died. Damn, they really should have put some points into their constitution...!


    ¡°Gale Track!¡±


    [Dodge!]


    [Don¡¯t get it by that, run!]


    ¡°Like I¡¯d let you! Get over here!¡±


    Now that they were affected by the Provoke skill, only the tip of my spear awaited them! I stabbed and shed the chimeras without hesitation. After sending several chimeras flying with the final blow, I could finally secure a clear view.


    [Low-ranked Gale Track became level 7! The AoE (Area of Effect) of the skill has increased, letting you damage enemies not in your path!]


    ¡°This is...¡±


    Many demons were dead, as were most of the chimeras. Only half of the knights remained. If the ones that ambushed us were elites within the Demon Army, then after winning this battle, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible toplete the request sessfully.


    However, most of the Dimensional Mercenaries had already run away. In other words, they had decided that the mission would not be sessful. Of course, they must have realized that there was a spy in our midst. If there were enemies on the inside, the difficulty would shoot up.


    Even so, it might be possible if the Dimensional Mercenaries worked together, but to think they¡¯d give up so easily... Although there were around six mercenaries still fighting the demons, looking at their uglyplexions, it seemed they would give up soon.


    Then, something rolled toward my feet. Looking at it, my eyes opened wide.


    It was Syrmia Bamirtuno¡¯s head.


    ¡°That was a fun fight. So, will you let me enjoy more, ¡®Earth¡¯s Hero?¡¯¡±


    When I raised my head, I caught sight of the demon that was fighting Bamirtuno. The blood on his whip was extremely clear and fresh.


    ¡°Probably not. I¡¯m strong, you see... Haat!¡±


    Heroic Strike together with Divine Speed. The Heroic Strike I was using for the first time since I came here was blocked by the demon. Although it busted his hand, it healed up in an instant. What was that regeneration? Don¡¯t tell me he could continue regenerating forever?


    ¡°Hero, is this the first time you¡¯ve seen rapid regeneration? What¡¯s with that surprised face?¡±


    ¡°I quietly thrust my spear at him. Although I used Divine Speed again, he blocked it. This time, his entire arm blew up, but he easily regenerated it.


    But seeing him protect his heart, it meant his regenerative ability would not work easily if his heart was blown up. That said, it didn¡¯t mean anything if I could not pierce his heart even with Divine Speed!


    ¡°I can see your trajectory. If you¡¯re just stabbing in a straight line, I can block your attack the moment I grasp your trajectory, regardless of your speed. Hero, you¡¯re quite weak, aren¡¯t you? Even weaker than that steel bitch.¡±


    He threw Bamirtuno¡¯s body at me. Startled, I received her body and fell back, setting it down carefully. Then, I asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t show any evidence of being a Hero after I arrived here. How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Didn¡¯t all the knights know?¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s as I thought.¡±


    Although I already knew, I was now certain. Who was it? Who was the spy? I didn¡¯t know. What was important now was to survive.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°How nice of you to ask. I¡¯m His Highness Demon Lord¡¯s right arm, the Demon Army¡¯s Commander Shatuno.¡±


    ¡°So you mean you¡¯re currently the strongest in the Demon Army.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Although I couldn¡¯t trust him, it was probably true. There was no reason for him to lie, and it made sense for the strongest demons to attack us if they wanted to prevent us from reaching the Demon Lord. It also made sense why the strong Dimensional Mercenaries couldn¡¯t defeat the demons so easily.


    In that case...


    ¡°I wanted to save it... but there¡¯s no other choice.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Deific Manifestation!¡±


    If I wasn¡¯t strong enough, I would leave it to master to teach me!


    Author¡¯s note: N/A

 Chapter 118. Avarice Devours Everything (5)

    Chapter 118. Avarice Devours Everything (5)


    The change was dramatic. I felt someone else¡¯s presence in my head and my body felt like it was floating up slowly. In the next moment, I gave the right to control my body to someone else and entered spectator mode.


    Unfortunately, Peruta did not have the ability to wield elementals, so they were unsummoned. Peruta couldn¡¯t use my ss or subss-specific skills, nor could he use Heroic Strike. He could use skills other than them.


    [All of your MP has been used.]


    [Half of your HP has been used.]


    [Using 18,790 MP and 12,545 HP, you manifest the Mythological Heroic Spirit, ¡®Peruta Rello Vatifoa,¡¯ for 26 minutes and 57 seconds.]


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been 29 days. Plus, this environment...¡±


    [Peruta, I¡¯ll leave it to you. I can¡¯t handle them with my strength.]


    Peruta looked around. He confirmed the single-horned demon and the ded whip in his hand. Then, he examined his body and grinned.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t Earth... Plus, you¡¯ve grown a lot in such a short amount of time. That¡¯s good.¡±


    Shatuno seemed to have realized something had changed from Peruta¡¯s murmuring, as he pointed his whip at him.


    ¡°The smell of your mana is different. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Demon. There were once demons in Edias, too... Words aren¡¯t important in a life-or-death battle... Are you ready?¡±


    Without using Divine Speed, Peruta charged at Shatuno with an incredible speed. His whip hastily blocked Peruta¡¯s spear, but it could not withstand the impact and flew back.


    ¡°You¡¯re different from before!¡±


    ¡°He will soon be as strong as me!¡±


    Peruta thrust the Gluttony Spear quickly. The blue maelstrom spiraling around his spear was undoubtedly from the Peruta Circuit that was circting inside of him.


    So this is the Unique Spear Technique that lies beyond the high-rank Spear Technique! Even knowing that now wasn¡¯t the appropriate situation, I became immersed in the overwhelming prestige that Peruta¡¯s movements created. Not to mention, I even thought his Peruta Circuit waspletely different than the one I had been using.


    ¡°Kuhat, right! Now I feel like I¡¯m fighting! Snake Touch!¡±


    ¡°A weak attack like that won¡¯t be enough!¡±


    Shatuno¡¯s whip transformed in an instant, flying toward Peruta¡¯s neck to bite it like a living snake. However, Peruta instantly pulled his feet back and vertically struck his spear down, hitting the whip away. The blue whirlwind endlessly spiraling around his spear shattered the snake¡¯s head into pieces.


    ¡°Dead Steam!¡±


    That was what Shatuno was aiming for. The shards of the whip inted and exploded. The whip had been a one-time use weapon from the start. I felt bad about Bamirtuno who had lost her life from such a weapon.


    No matter how strong Peruta was, he was using my body. As such, he instantly imbued mana into his feet, then jumped back, creating a storm in his path. The explosion was undoubtedly


    grand and powerful, but it was easily erased by the storm Peruta created.


    At the same time, I was busy trying to understand the manifestation and transformation of mana. His attainment in spearmanship was undoubtedly higher than mine, but what was even more shocking was the way he wielded mana. I was confident that I could catch up to his spearmanship, but the natural application of mana on his spear techniques was something far beyond what I could see.


    From the use that did not match its level of attainment, I felt my Peruta Circuit creaking, but Peruta naturally softened it with his rotational power. It was truly shocking. In the next moment, he held Gluttony Spear up again. Peruta Circuit¡¯s strong current was gathering mana, not just from the body, but from the world itself. A dazzling blue light enveloped the spear. It was as if I was looking at thepleted version of Tempest, which only took 300 MP for me to use.


    ¡°Try this!¡±


    ¡°Huhu, as if!¡±


    Despite Peruta¡¯s quick charge and spear attack, Shatuno took out a shield out of thin air and defended. However, after colliding and grinding against each other for a moment, the shield quickly gave in, being crushed and sent flying away. With a crack, Shatuno¡¯s arm was also severed from his body. It was the perfect attack while Shatuno¡¯s guard was down.


    ¡°Kahak!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly weak. What military rank do you have? A private?¡±


    ¡°Private? Ha... I¡¯ll show you the power of a private!¡¯


    Shatuno¡¯s arm that had fallen to the ground flew up. In an instant, it inted, bingrge and ck, and its tip became hard. It had transformed to a strange weapon simr to a club. Shatuno grabbed the ¡®weapon¡¯ with his remaining hand. Why wasn¡¯t he regenerating it? Was there a limit to his regenerative ability?


    Wounds from Peruta¡¯s attacks could not be regenerated. Rather than his attainment in spearmanship, I had the feeling that there was a secret behind the power created frombining Peruta Circuit and his spearmanship. The desire to learn his techniques drove me crazy.


    ¡°Devil Buster!¡±


    ¡°Kuu, did you think of that name? How childish!¡±


    Perhaps because he had turned his arm into a weapon, it was moving on its own and it was powerful. After blocking his attack once with the Gluttony Spear, Peruta dodged his attack. His weapon struck down on the ground, and a part of the earth turned into metallic sludge and shot up.


    The metallic sludge let out a ck miasma and attacked me. Peruta kicked the ground again and created another storm. He seemed quite surprised by the attack.


    [That weapon is dangerous. It will be fine for this weapon enveloped with my aura, but your body won¡¯t be so lucky. If it hit you, you¡¯ll turn into that metallic sludge.]


    [Can¡¯t my armor block it?]


    [It can, but once or twice only.]


    Peruta looked nonchnt as he exchanged blows with Shatuno¡¯s weapon, but he whispered in a worried voice that only I could hear. If Peruta allowed himself to get hit, I would receive an irrecoverable injury. Even though Peruta was hiding it, Shatuno seemed to have realized his hesitation, as he attacked more boldly and aggressively.


    ¡°Stop running away!¡±


    Shatuno dodged the spear left and right and attacked my body with his weapon. Peruta read the trajectories of his attacks and struck them away with his spear imbued with his mana¡¯s rotational power. While their exchange continued, Shatuno¡¯s aura continued to grow bigger.


    The ground became like a furnace of metallic sludge, and the sludge asionally attacked Peruta and annoyed him. Although Peruta was striking them down without much difficulty, it was hard to say that it would continue forever. If this continued, Peruta would be at a disadvantage.


    ¡°What happened to your confidence!? Try harder, Hero!¡±


    ¡°The Hero is my disciple, not me! I¡¯ll express my respect for your strength, but I don¡¯t want to deal with such dirty attacks much longer!¡±


    As I had the Regeneration skill on Flesh Golem¡¯s Second Finger, I wasn¡¯t so worried about losing parts of my body. Even so, I advised Peruta so he could utilize my body more easily.


    [Peruta, you can use Heavy Armor Mastery, Divine Speed, Dash, and Gale Track.]


    [I don¡¯t care about the armor skill, but can you exin what the other skills do?]


    I gave an as detailed an exnation as possible for the skills. Shooting out a Tempest, Peruta distanced himself from Shatuno and nodded. Then, he boldly looked around the battlefield. Most of the demons were on the brinks of death, and the remaining mercenaries were working together. It was the same for the surviving knights and magicians.


    Peruta restarted the fight.


    ¡°Here I go. Gale Track!¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    Peruta, who had been on the defense, charged at Shatuno. Dash, which let me run faster, was a passive skill and automatically applied to Gale Track. As Peruta also received my tattoo and equipment¡¯s effects, Gluttony Spear was enveloped with a strong rotational force shook off the wave of metallic sludge shooting toward him and struck Shatuno upward.


    ¡°Kuaaak!¡±


    Shatuno flew dozens of meters into the air! Although charge type skills were strengthened, sending a Demon Army Commander flying with a spear showed how powerful Peruta was. At the same time, a tornado connecting the earth and sky appeared, binding Shatunopletely. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t stay bound for long!


    ¡°Hey, wyvern! Hold him back for a bit!¡¯


    ¡°Ha, how arrogant, newbie!¡±


    Peruta ignored the wyvern-riding mercenary¡¯s answer and shot toward the other demons. Gale Track did not have to be used in a straight line. Of course, it would be stronger and faster if it was used in a straight line, but using Peruta Circuit, Peruta changed the trajectory of Gale Track so naturally. In fact, Peruta Circuit¡¯s rotational force was increasing Gale Track¡¯s destructive force.


    ¡°Kuk, it¡¯s an ambush!¡±


    ¡°Block him!¡±


    ¡°Ek, what¡¯s that!¡±


    The demons that were fighting the mercenaries became flustered at Peruta¡¯s charge and tried to block him. However, Gale Track was slightly different than when I used it. Peruta Circuit¡¯s rotational force swallowed Gale Track, and the boundless current of destruction gathered on the tip of Gluttony Spear, exploding out continuously. Simply put, the demons could not block Peruta¡¯s power, which had even devoured Shatuna¡¯s abilities. Since I was confident in beating them without Peruta¡¯s help, it was easy for Peruta to do the same.


    The surviving demons thus began to float into the air one by one, each trapped in a tornado simr to the one Shatuno was in. Interestingly, they flew toward Shatuno, who was trying to break out of his own tornado, and smashed into him.


    Shatuno was ignoring the wyvern¡¯s mes and was close to escaping the tornado. But when he collided with his allies, the tornadoes binding thembined into one, pushing them up even further into the air. As more and more demons collided, they were pushed further up into the air. It was like watching tornadoesbining to form a greater disaster.


    ¡°What, is he really a newbie?¡±


    ¡°Stupid, can¡¯t you see the difference in the destructive force?¡±


    ¡°It looks like he manifested someone into him. Was there a skill that could do that?¡±


    ¡°That bastard! He took my prey!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie. I know you were contemting about running away with Return.¡±


    ¡°Lads, attack him while they¡¯re grouped up!¡±


    After shooting all the enemies into the air, he encouraged the mercenaries, knights, and magicians with an expression like he just made a game-winning home run. Then, he bent his knees. Feeling the powerful current of wind gathering around Peruta, I trembled. This guys! He turned Gale Track into apletely different skill!


    ¡°Whatever! Let¡¯s attack!¡±


    ¡°Rising Fire!¡±


    ¡°Die demon bastards!¡±


    Dozens of auras and magic shot up from the ground. At their levels, even melee range explorers had at least one long-ranged attack. The wyvern¡¯s owner seemed to have strengthened the wyvern with his power as it breathed out white mes like Hwaya¡¯s. Consecutive explosions rang out in the air like fireworks.


    It was then that Peruta jumped.


    ¡°Divine Speed¡±


    [Using 10% of your mana, your speed is multiplied by 1000% for 3 seconds!]


    I didn¡¯t know how, but Peruta transferred the power of wind from Gale Track¡¯s final blow underneath his feet, and used Peruta Circuit¡¯s strong rotational force to let it explode. Immediately afterwards, he used Divine Speed to make himself faster, and the result was hard to described with words.


    ¡°Huaaaaaaa!¡±


    My body shot up so quickly that I was surprised it was breaking from the shock. I felt like fainting from the sensation, but Peruta seemed fine and he even pulled his spear back. Kuk, I thought I wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone in willpower, but to think I was about to faint from this much shock.


    Even while I was self-reflecting and gathering my focus, Peruta continued to shoot up and up.


    At the end of Peruta¡¯s path were the demons that were gathered up helplessly. Shatuno, whose feet were tied from the the demons stuck to him, saw Peruta approaching him. shing his eyes, he swung his weapon. The other demons were in its trajectory.


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    ¡°Sacrifice yourselves for the Demon Army¡¯s future!¡¯


    To think he¡¯d sacrifice his subordinates in this situation. While Peruta opened his eyes widely, one of the demons turned to wet tar and swept over Peruta from the sky. This time, I was ready to lose one of my limbs. While I was preparing myself to use regeneration, Peruta revealed his final move.


    ¡°Sacrificing your on subordinates! In front of the War God, there is no greater disrespect!¡±


    With a thunderous roar, Peruta shot his spear. The power that had pushed Peruta to the current height directly flowed to the tip of this spear and caused an explosion. Like shooting a shotgun, the explosion that happened on the spear tip annihted the tar instantly and continued to the grouped up demons. Although the demons tried to squeeze out their magic and create barriers, they were unable to block Peruta¡¯s power.


    A great explosion erupted.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Demons should have bones right?]


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    Exchanging rather stupid conversation with Peruta, we began to fall. Did Peruta know we would fall? He must have, right? Peruta then let me down with his murmur.


    ¡°Shoot, I forgot how to get down.¡±


    [Peruta!?]


    ¡°When I focus too much on battle, my blood rises... It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve had a real fight, so I can¡¯t help having a side-effect like this. But thanks to you, I enjoyed fighting. Now, I have no regrets.¡±


    [Don¡¯t say it like I¡¯m going to die, Peruta!]


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, of course. Dying now would be troublesome. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯llnd with only a single broken limb.¡±


    [So one limb is going to be broken for sure...]


    When I sighed, someone caught me from the air. The middle-aged mercenary¡¯s wyvern had grabbed my head with its ws.


    ¡°Newbie, I don¡¯t know who possessed you, but well done. To be honest, that demonmander was the most dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Well, thanks.¡±


    The wyvern descended quickly and safely put me down on the ground. The mercenaries and knights were gathered, healing their injuries.


    ¡°Well done, newbie!¡±


    ¡°That skill won¡¯t continue forever, right?¡±


    ¡°The feeling is already a bit different than before. It looks like he¡¯s maintaining it with mana.¡±


    ¡°Hey, if you have time to analyze newbie¡¯s skill, heal my damned leg.¡±


    ¡°Stopining. Oi, the pdin over there!¡±


    The mercenaries talked loudly, showing themselves off. As we could take care of the demons with their help, I could look at them happily. As the knights were all pdins under the Order of Mitarus, they were healing each other and the mercenaries.


    [We¡¯ll have to call Ludia again.]


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who Ludia is, but you shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    [Why?]


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? It¡¯s not over yet.¡±


    Just when the battle seemed to be over, the atmosphere froze. Immediately afterwards, as if to prove that Peruta was right, a disturbing whish rang out from the sky.


    [Ku... To think I¡¯d need to show my real body. I looked down on humans too much...!]


    We all turned to the direction of the voice. In the sky, we saw a winged,rge-bodied, single-armed monster.


    [I¡¯ll swallow you all! Be d, you can be the blood and flesh of I, Commander Shatuno!]


    It was the start of the second battle.


    Author¡¯s note:


    I wanted to end it in this chapter, but I couldn¡¯t. As you can see, this chapter is 160% of the normal chapter length, so I really tried hard! But it wasn¡¯t possible. I had to show the strength of a Demon Lord Commander and Peruta fight against him. Hope you enjoyed it! We¡¯ll wrap it up in the next chapter and go attack the Demon Army!


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    160%... The next chapter is the same length as this one. KILL ME

 Chapter 119. Avarice Devours Everything (6)

    Chapter 119. Avarice Devours Everything (6)


    Earlier, he only had one horn. But now, there were two long, thick horns protruding out from his forehead. I didn¡¯t know whether the number of horns was important, but the aura he was emanating was twice as powerful as before. In addition, his skin was now deep red, like an explosive volcano, when he had had dark blue skin before. His veins bulged out on his skin, adding to his already creepy appearance.


    He grew to over 2 meters tall and his body looked like the Hulk¡¯s. With his two bat-like wings and thick scaled tail protruding from his butt, he truly looked like a devil that appeared in myths. Surprisingly, even though he had changed so much, he had not regenerated his arm.


    I didn¡¯t know if that was the reason, but the club he was holding looked stronger and more repugnant. It was red, ck, long, thick, and its tip was split into two parts, which swam through the air like water snakes. Patting his wyvern, the middle aged mercenary made a shortment.


    ¡°He¡¯s big.¡±


    [Huu... You should be honored to see this appearance. It¡¯s my true body that¡¯s rarely shown even in the Demon Realm!]


    ¡°I don¡¯t think just one of us can do it. Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Focus on defense. Besides me, no one here can catch up to his speed.¡±


    Peruta replied to one of the mercenaries words. As if to prove that Peruta was right, Shatuno instantly disappeared from the ce he was in and appeared behind a mercenary, swinging his whip down. The mercenary, who possessed a defensive equipment, threw the ring that broke from blocking Shatuno¡¯s attack and shouted.


    ¡°At least 300 dexterity! If you¡¯re not confident in dodging his attacks, run!¡±


    ¡°F*ck, he¡¯s not even the Demon Lord. How is an Army Commander so strong...!?¡±


    ¡°Haa, at least he¡¯s the only one left! The reward for this mission will be no joke!¡±


    At the summoner mercenary¡¯s shout, the mercenaries that were about to open the dungeon gate flinched. If the request¡¯s difficulty was high, the dungeon would naturally give better rewards. No matter how much the Dimensional Mercenaries prioritized their safety, if they weren¡¯t willing to take risk, they wouldn¡¯t have be Dimensional Mercenaries in the first ce. They were here because they were willing to throw themselves in danger and take challenges.


    Thanks to the mercenary¡¯s timely shout, other mercenaries that could block Shatuno¡¯s attacks got their fighting spirit back. Then, Peruta took a step forward and spoke.


    ¡°Sorry, but he¡¯s mine.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you saying that you want to fight him alone, newbie?¡±


    [Wait, Hero. I¡¯ll deal with you after I take care of everyone else.]


    ¡°Like I¡¯d wait, Demon Soldier. You be stronger the more you absorb, so I need to deal with you before that happens.¡±


    At Peruta words, all the mercenaries¡¯plexions became pale. Everyone, including me, realized. He hadn¡¯t changed from being angered. He had changed from absorbing the energies of the demons that apanied him! But how did Peruta know?


    The summoner mercenary then said with a curious expression.


    ¡°Wait, newbie. Doesn¡¯t that mean you gathered up the demons so he could get stronger?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It¡¯s the opposite. I made him weaker.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Despite the contradiction in his words, Peruta had amanding attitude. Shatuno, who was listening to him, also looked at him with interest.


    [Quite funny, Hero! Me? Weaker? See with your own body how weaker I got!]


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Shatuno¡¯s body once again disappeared from the sky. He appeared in front of me in an instant, and at the same time that his two-part whip flew toward me, his sharp tail drew a diagonal line from below. Damn, I could barely see it! How could he get so fast!?


    However, Peruta was able to see his movements. In truth, if Peruta wasn¡¯t controlling my body, I would not have been able to see his attack at all. He lightly swung the Gluttony Spear, pushing the whip aside and blocking the tailing from below. Then, with a smile, he kicked the tail with his left foot enveloped in a whirlwind.


    His tail exploded.


    [Kuaaak!]


    ¡°Demon, I¡¯m already aware of all your patterns. Just from your appearance, I can see through your ss, choice of weapon, method of attack, potential, and personality!¡±


    Peruta¡¯s attack did not stop. His spear, feet, or empty hand! With each of his attacks, Shatuno¡¯s body exploded strangely. It even felt like Shatuno¡¯s fake body was stronger!


    Peruta¡¯s blue whirlwind was enveloping my entire body. I realized. Peruta hadn¡¯t used his full power when he fought Shatuno before. The reason he used my skills to take him on was to save his own ability to fight Shatuno¡¯s real body.


    ¡°Unending whirlpool. The ancients called me War God and Heavenly Cmity, because the whirlpool connecting the earth and the heaven was strong enough to destroy the world.¡±


    Every time whirlpools erupted from parts of his body, Shatuno had to grit his teeth and fall back. Eventually, with a scream, he cut off his own tail, which had been half torn to shreds by Peruta¡¯s attacks. The tail was then absorbed into his whip, making the whip transform into a club.


    [What did you do to me!? You think you can kill me, the demon¡¯s Army Commander, Shatuno Gluttony!?]


    ¡°Ha.¡±


    Peruta snorted. He held the Gluttony Spear in one hand and aimed it at Shatuno¡¯s neck, ignoring his club.


    ¡°Come here, Demon Soldier.¡±


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    He appeared. Damn, even though I was confident in my senses, I couldn¡¯tpletely grasp his movements. I could only see that he had appeared to my left and swung his club. I couldn¡¯t read the exact timing or the trajectory.


    However, Peruta easily dodged his attack and sent a blue whirlwind forward, destroying his body. When I saw Shatuno¡¯s exploding flesh, I finally understood.


    [Dear god... When you used Gale Track, you already...!]


    [As expected of my disciple. 99 points. I took a point off since you didn¡¯t realize it at the time that I used the skill.]


    Peruta retorted in a voice only I could hear, and leisurely continued to destroy Shatuno¡¯s body. He took a step back and stomped the ground strongly. His simple movements had a massive impact.


    In a 10 meter radius around him, the earth transformed intova and shot up. To the mercenaries watching Peruta and Shatuno¡¯s battle, it was like a bolt of lightning from the clear sky, and they scrambled to dodge theva. However, Shatuno was no longer concerned with anyone else. He was solely focused on Peruta.


    [I¡¯ll show you... the power of the Demon Army Commander!]


    Theva took the form of a giant serpent. Shatuno lightly waved his hand, and the serpent droppedva in its surrounding as it charged toward us. Plus, it wasn¡¯t any slower than Shatuno himself.


    At the same time, Shatuno stomped the ground again, and the ground that Peruta was standing on copsed. I realized that Shatuno had been hiding his ability to transform earth.


    However, I had full confidence in Peruta¡¯s victory. Peruta was right. He had weakened Shatuno. During his initial fight, he had realized Shatuno¡¯s special power. The moment he used Gale Track, Shatuno had no chance of victory.


    [Kuhak!]


    As expected, after jumping back to avoid the ground that had beva, Peruta lightly sent a Tempest forward, blowing Shatuno¡¯s remaining arm away. Shatuno¡¯s weapon fell on the ground, turning the ground it touched intova. Of course, theva serpent that had been flying in the sky lost its power and fell, turning the ground more into a mess. When others saw the battlefieldter, they would really wonder what the hell happened.


    Shatuno seemed to have noticed something was wrong with his body too, as he red at us with trembling eyes.


    [Y-You... What did you do to my body!?]


    ¡°When I hit the demons up with Gale Track, I did a little trick.¡±


    Peruta answered with a grin. Right. When Shatuno used his strange melting power, Peruta realized he could use that power to absorb others. I didn¡¯t know until he told me, but Peruta had ample experience in fighting against demons and was able to recognize his special power with just that.


    As such, after learning about Gale Track from me, he immediately went into action. He used his mana to put some sort of device into the demons before sending them flying. He then forced Shatuno into a situation where he had to absorb them. This was the result. Shatuno devoured his subordinates on his own ord, bing Peruta¡¯s toy.


    ¡°You might be sensitive to any changes to your body, but you probably didn¡¯t expect that bombs would have been nted in your food. Can you feel it now?¡±


    [You think such a crude game can kill me!?]


    Shatuno shouted in rage and did somethingpletely unexpected. He began to detonate the mana bombs nted in the demons he absorbed! Explosions erupted from his body.


    [I am the Demon Army¡¯s Commander Shatuno Gluttony! I can regenerate as long as I have more to eat! I am invincible! Under His Highness, the Demon Lord, I rule above all!]


    ¡°The moment you¡¯re under someone, you can¡¯t call yourself a ruler, Demon Soldier.¡±


    Peruta responded coldly. Then, he thrust his spear. Shatuno¡¯s wing, which was trying to avoid Peruta and attack other mercenaries, was torn to shreds.


    ¡°As long as there¡¯s even a single being above you, you are only an underling.¡±


    Shatuno didn¡¯t stop. He believed he could turn the tide of battle as long as he devoured someone. Disregarding Peruta¡¯s words, he continued. When Peruta¡¯s spear was pointed the other way, one of Shatuno¡¯s horns was torn off, falling on the ground. Shatuno screamed.


    ¡°Foolish. You cannot aim for the position of God that way. A true ruler has none above him and walks a path that no one can block.¡±


    [Don¡¯t underestimate... the power of an Army Commander!]


    ¡°When you can stand on thisnd alone and hold up the heavens! That¡¯s when you can call yourself a ruler!¡±


    Shatuno had somehow turned himself even redder and bigger, but the moment Peruta thrust out his spear, his body blew up without much resistance. Shatuno coughed out deep blue blood and copsed. It happened quickly and overwhelmingly.


    ¡°Hu.¡±


    Peruta twisted the corner of his mouth and threw the Gluttony Spear. The spear struck Shatuno¡¯s forehead, splitting his head in half and prating the ground. Even if he was the Army¡¯s Commander, he could not survive with his heart in pieces and brain cut in half. Without even letting out death throes, Shatuno died.


    ¡°It is the path I once walked, and the path my disciple will walk. Remember it.¡±


    [I don¡¯t think he can hear you anymore.]


    [Haha, you¡¯re right.]


    Peruta waved his hand lightly, and the Gluttony Spear flew back to his hand. Shatuno¡¯s corpse also flew toward him slowly. His arm, weapon, severed wing, and horn. Peruta was collecting them carefully. Watching the scene, the other mercenaries swallowed their saliva.


    ¡°Oi, newbie. Are you going to eat that by yourself?¡±


    ¡°There are portions for you guys too.¡±


    The severed wing that was flying toward Peruta changed its direction andnded in front of the mercenaries. Looking at the mercenaries¡¯ nk expressions, Peruta spoke with a wink.


    ¡°The rest is for my disciple. Young kids have to eat a lot to grow. Since you guys are the seniors, you should yield.¡±


    ¡°Disciple, you say. Did you call your master, newbie...¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Since I canplete the mission thanks to you, I¡¯ll listen.¡±


    ¡°Right, without him, we would¡¯ve either died or failed the request... Alright, gather up. Let¡¯s split this thing.¡±


    While the mercenaries were dividing the wing equally, Peruta learned how to operate the inventory from me and stored Shatuno¡¯s corpse in it. Then, it was the turn to store its arm, tail, and weapon, which probably ate many of his subordinates. Mm, would this count as an actual weapon? Since he used it as a one, it should, right?


    [Peruta, can you touch that weapon with my spear?]


    ¡°Hm? Like this?¡±


    Although Peruta was a bit surprised at my sudden request, he immediately did so. Then, the Gluttony Spear radiated a brilliant red light and absorbed the club.


    [Crimson Gluttony Spear absorbed ¡®Symbol of Gluttony (Epic)¡¯. Growth: 54%]


    [Oooh, so this weapon can grow by absorbing other weapons! There are still cksmiths left that can craft such weapons?]


    [Kuk, only 7% from eating an Epic-grade weapon... What kind of a weapon is this thing trying to be?]


    [Haha, it probably won¡¯t meet your expectations. Growth type weapons have rather poor efficiency. But when it reaches its peak one day, it will be a divine artifact that most God-grade can¡¯t evenpare. I don¡¯t know who made it, but this person must be your close friend. Treat him well.]


    At Peruta words, the image of Lin appeared in my mind. Although handsome, he was frowning and smoking a cigarette. He was also cursing at the fact that I already became a Dimensional Mercenary. No, that¡¯s...


    [Peruta, it seems all the danger is gone now.]


    [Right. Besides the bountiful miasma in an area a day-long away from here, there¡¯s no danger.]


    With Peruta¡¯s words, I felt assured. While I was at it, I asked him.


    [Peruta, can you find out if there¡¯s a spy among them?]


    [Hahaha, I¡¯m not omnipotent. But since you have to worry about a spy, this must be quite a difficult mission.]


    [To tell you the truth, we have to go into that area with bountiful miasma and rescue someone.]


    [Hm? You want to save someone from that pit? Hoh... be careful.]


    [Yes.]


    [With your temperament, I probably don¡¯t need to worry much... but still, be careful. Don¡¯t believe anyone.]


    [Haha, so that¡¯s the conclusion.]


    After giving me tips on Peruta Circuit, Peruta left. I quickly drank a potion worth 50,000 gold that restored both mana and health.


    ¡°Hey, newbie. Is...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s not here now.¡±


    ¡°Huu... Good. I was slightly scared. Damn, where did you find a skill like that?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that idiot¡¯s at it again. Why are you digging at other¡¯s business secrets? Are you a newbie?¡±


    The summoner mercenary smacked the man asking for my Deific Manifestation skill. As he was the strongest mercenary out of the 8 that remained, the man didn¡¯t say anything after being hit. With a smirk, I called the only person I could trust, Ludia. Then, I sighed and fell to the ground.


    When I got back up, thinking I sat on something, it was the headless corpse of Syrmia Bamirtuno.


    ¡°Tsk, right...¡±


    She undoubtedly could have run away during battle. However, she seemed to have really liked Ludia, as she continued to fight the Army Commander until the end. Although I couldn¡¯t encourage her love, it was true that Ludia could survive thanks to her. Out of respect for her, I decided to put her corpse together.


    As for the other mercenaries, they were gathering up the dead mercenaries, knights and magicians and burning them. They seemed to be taking their equipped items, but since the mission was more important than the people that were already dead, I didn¡¯t say anything.


    Then, after 5 minutes of searching, I found her head. Putting it together with her body, I called Peika.


    ¡°Peika, leave the equipment and burn her body.¡±


    [Okay!]


    Sorry, Bamirtuno-ssi, but I¡¯m an explorer too... After Peika cleanly burned Bamirtuno¡¯s body with her elemental power, her equipment shone. Oh, the hoverboard was there too, but...


    The hoverboard began to greedily devour Bamirtuno¡¯s equipment.


    ¡°Peika, am I seeing things?¡±


    [No, that child must have been hungry because she was just born.]


    Child? Born? While Peika was answering nonchntly, the hoverboard continued to devour Bamirtuno¡¯s weapon. I mean, if it was eating something, shouldn¡¯t it be getting bigger? Why is it getting smaller instead? Its silvery grey color became darker. After devouring all the equipment Bamirtuno left behind, it became a ck, metallic elliptical ball.


    Just in case, I took out an arrow from my inventory and tried poking it, but it did not budge in the slightest. Instead, I felt a strange sensation. It was incredibly familiar, and touched the deepest part of my soul. This...


    ¡°Is this an elemental!? Plus, this feeling... It feels like it¡¯s connected to me.¡±


    [Yep. I think this child was influenced and created by my elemental power. In the process, master obviously got connected... but because it¡¯s still a child and it became full, it felt into deep slumber. Master should sing a luby.]


    Peika, if I sing a luby, it will only fall deeper into sleep. To wake it, we¡¯ll at least need a bugle horn...


    [No! It was just born, so it needs time to grow! Master has to sing a luby, so it can sleep well!]


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what you meant?¡±


    For the next few minutes, I hugged the metallic egg and sang a luby, making Ludia who came back stare at me with strange eyes. I didn¡¯t know how to feel as a few of the mercenaries listening to me also fell asleep. I didn¡¯t sing so you guys could sleep!


    Author¡¯s note:


    I¡¯m crazy, really. How the hell did this be 9,000 characters... It¡¯s hard to control... Hu...


    I didn¡¯t want to spend another chapter with Shatuno, so I made this one long as well. I don¡¯t know anymore. I¡¯ll get scolded one day...


    There are lots of avaricious things devouring things in this chapter! Do I need to read it again when I¡¯m hungry!?


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    Restrain yourself Toika, please...

 Chapter 120. Avarice Devours Everything (7)

    Chapter 120. Avarice Devours Everything (7)


    After fighting the Demon Army¡¯s elites, we had lost many people. Including me, there were 9 Dimensional Mercenaries left, but 21 knights had died and 7 of the surviving ones had received grave injuries preventing them from continuing. There were also only 4 magicians left. With 12 knights, 4 magicians, Bellode, and Ludia, there were 27 people left. If there was anything to be relieved about, it was that most of the knights and magicians were First Dungeon explorers.


    That said, we still had a chance. In fact, with the Army Commander defeated, we would be able to rescue Shina before the Demon Army could reorganize themselves. As such, there was still some fighting spirit left in everyone.


    However, the fact that the Demon Lord couldn¡¯t move got on my mind. Could he really not move? In that case, couldn¡¯t we kill him with our strength? Was the Demon Lord really heavily injured from the Hero?


    ¡°There¡¯s no choice but to go on.¡±


    Ludia nodded her head at my words. Right, we had no other choice but to go on. Even though we knew there was a spy within the knights or the magicians, we couldn¡¯t say we would separate, as that would only split up our strengths. As I could at least trust the Dimensional Mercenaries, I wanted toplete the mission with their cooperation. However, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy.


    Something had to be done. I couldn¡¯t ignore Peruta¡¯s words.


    ¡°But Ludia, we can¡¯t just keep going like this.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Didn¡¯t you just say it was okay?¡±


    ¡°I just want to get an insurance. Will you hear me out?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah?¡±


    Around dinner time, Bellode¡¯s words made us tense up.


    ¡°We¡¯ll arrive soon. They must be nning on staying here for the night. They set up a temporary camp and are resting. Tonight¡¯s our chance... We won¡¯t be able to stop shing. We will make a feint operation.¡±


    ¡°That sounds interesting.¡±


    One team to sneak into their camp and save Shina and the explorers that turned into stone. One team to attack from the front and draw attention to themselves. There was also a team to pretend to be sneaky to disperse the demons¡¯ suspicions.


    Bellode, me, the summoner, and a magician from Shina¡¯s team, who had the ability to detect her party members¡¯ locations, joined the rescue team. Three knights, two magicians, and two mercenaries joined the secondary covert team, and the rest joined the frontal assault team.


    ¡°Demon bastards, we¡¯vee to take your heads!¡±


    ¡°Demon Soldiers, stop running away like cowards ande fight!¡±


    Burning the monsters on guard magnificently, we set our n into motion. The magician first cast stealth magic on all of the covert teams.


    ¡°Be careful. Although the magic erases your presence, smell, and appearance, if demons and monstersy their eyes on you, they will soon discover you.¡±


    ¡°So you mean we have to kill them quickly.¡±


    I pushed back my hair and nodded. For the record, the metallic egg was in Fairy Garden with Ruyue. For some reason, it wouldn¡¯t go into my inventory!


    It could be because it was alive, but at first, when it didn¡¯t go into the inventory, I was afraid I might need to hold onto it the entire time. Thankfully, Ruyue was able to take it to Fairy Garden. Although Peika said it was better for me to hold onto it, I couldn¡¯t do so in the middle of such a dangerous operation, so I left it to Ruyue¡¯s care.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be starting now.¡±


    The secondary covert team went in a bit earlier than us, the main covert team. Soon, we also sneaked in. Dozens of tents and monsters passed by us. Putting our trust in the magician¡¯s ability, we walked forward. The magician in question was on Bellode¡¯s back. She was continuously detecting Shina¡¯s location and whispering her position to Bellode. However, her cheeks were red. Was she flirting in the middle of the operation!?


    ¡°Can you feel the Demon Lord¡¯s presence?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in the center-most area. He¡¯s tightly guarded too, but even in all the ruckus, he¡¯s not moving.¡±


    ¡°What about Shina?¡±


    ¡°It seems that the explorers that turned to stone didn¡¯t need to be ced near the Demon Lord. Although there are quite a lot of personnel on guard, we should be able to save them without much trouble.¡±


    ¡°When we¡¯re escaping, we can let them ride on my wyvern. But there¡¯s still one problem.¡±


    The summoner spoke.


    ¡°Is there a way to turn them back from stone?¡±


    ¡°We can think about thatter. We have to save them first.¡±


    Bellode save with a stiff voice. The summoner seemed to be convinced by the urgency in his voice as he shrugged.


    Although I had a n in mind, I didn¡¯t say anything. If things didn¡¯t work out, I would feel bad. After finishing our discussion, we quickly walked forward. Although my clothes were ufortable, I endured it and followed behind Bellode.


    ¡°Kyaaa.¡±


    ¡°Human... smell?¡±


    ¡°When is the Army Commander-niming back?¡±


    More and more monsters and demons were in the pathway. My body shook from the tension during battle. Although we could kill these guys as we advanced... For now, I had to hold myself back as saving Shina was our priority. Of course, fights did break out from time to time.


    ¡°Eh, here!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡¯


    When we met demons or monsters in narrows pathways, we had to hastily take care of them and move on. The summoner was of great help, as his main ss was archer. He consecutively shot out arrows with bountiful aura, which killed the demons quickly. It seemed to be a skill of his. It was truly quick and precise.


    ¡°Looks like the other teams are doing well.¡±


    We heard explosions and screams from parts of the military camp. Hoping for the other team¡¯s safety, we hastened our steps. Soon, we reached the tent where Shina and the other explorers were imprisoned. As expected, there were dozens of demons guarding the ce. It seemed they nned to use them as hostages in their fight against the empire.


    ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°As we nned, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°K-Kuhum... dly.¡±


    I walked up confidently. My appearance changed with each step. My white skin turned into ck, tough and muscled skin, while horns shot out from my head and my hair was dyed ck. Seeing me walk up so confidently, the demons became flustered.


    ¡°A-Army Commander-nim!?¡±


    ¡°Army Commander-nim, do you need something? We haven¡¯t received any word that you¡¯d be visiting.¡±


    ¡°What? I definitely sent a message.¡±


    ¡°But...! We haven¡¯t heard that you¡¯vee back yet. Did you bring the crown princess back?¡±


    ¡°That bitch hid. We¡¯ll need to use the hostages more aggressively.¡±


    ¡°Army Commander-nim, that¡¯s...¡±


    I reached out and grabbed the head of the demon that talked back to me.


    ¡°... Do you want to taste the honor of bing my blood and flesh?¡±


    ¡°N-No, sir!¡±


    ¡°I, Shatuno, am the absolute ruler under His Highness, the Demon Lord. You dare to talk back to me? You¡¯ve gotten bolder!¡±


    ¡°No, sir!¡±


    ¡°You must have heard that we have intruders! I will take care of the hostages from now. You guys focus on guarding His Highness!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The demons all bowed and disappeared beyond the pathway. I snorted and thought.


    ¡®This skill, it can even alter my way of talking!¡¯


    It said I would absolutely not get discovered, but to think it would have such effect! I thought I could call my n a sess if I could just trick them for this one moment, but I didn¡¯t think it would work so well. God bless Zeus!


    ¡°Amazing.¡±


    ¡°I thought that damned demon came back to life.¡±


    After confirming that the demons¡¯ presence disappearedpletely, I returned to my allies. Giving them a grin, I went back to the appearance I had before. Right. I had been using Sky God¡¯s y.


    ¡°But, the next part worries me a bit...¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    At my question, Bellode couldn¡¯t continue and shut his mouth. However, his eyes clearly showed unhappiness. As it was none of my business, I ignored it and entered the tent with them.


    She was there. Shina, who had been petrified, was there! Happily yelling inwardly, I urged everyone on.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time. We¡¯re going to confirm that everyone¡¯s here and escape!¡±


    ¡°Right! Eight people, including Shina-nim. They¡¯re all here!¡±


    ¡°They will notice us leaving, right?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just keep going! It won¡¯t be possible to secretly leave with them anyways! Hurry up and put them on!¡±


    Although we tricked the demons away, it won¡¯t be long until they found out. The summoner summoned his wyvern and fixed the petrified explorers on. As they were alive, they wouldn¡¯t enter the inventory.


    As such, we had to sweat to get them out of here. It would be nice if I could just use Return and bring them to Earth with me, but as they belonged to the Luka continent, that wasn¡¯t possible. It was quite irritating.


    But... in my dream, I remembered that I returned to Earth with Ludia. How did my dream self do that...?


    While we were putting the petrified explorers on the wyvern, the magician calmly shot up a re. It tore the tent and rose up high into the sky, signifying that we had sessfully rescued the explorers.


    ¡°Get on! You too, newbie!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ming even if you don¡¯t urge me!¡±


    I held Shina in my embrace and got on the wyvernst. The wyvern breathed out fire, burning everything in its path as it pped its huge wings.


    ¡°Wvyern!¡±


    ¡°A wyvern appeared inside the camp!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, there were intruders here too!¡±


    Uproar began to ring out from all sides. We could see demons running toward us, holding their weapons or tails.


    ¡°Kuk, they took the hostages!¡±


    ¡°Shoot them down!¡±


    ¡°Fools, be careful when you shoot!¡¯


    The wyvern soared into the sky. However, the wyvern was hit by two of the demons¡¯ magic attacks, causing it to scream.


    ¡°Those sons of bitches!¡±


    ¡°Crown princess! The crown princess is on it!¡±


    It seemed they were focusing on us more than we thought. In an instant, dozens of demons flocked toward us, confusing us. The summoner took out his bow, while the magician shot magic and Bellode shot aura des with his sword. Even so, it was not enough to deal with all the demons.


    ¡°Wyvern, quicker!¡±


    ¡°Damn, they put up a barrier of mana! It¡¯s going to take time to break through it!¡±


    ¡°We need to buy time...!¡±


    The summoner could not help, as he was busy putting in mana into his wyvern to break through the barrier. The magician was also focused on breaking the barrier. Damn, a magical device like this wasn¡¯t there when we sneaked in!


    ¡°It looks like a barrier that you can activate once you know there are intruders. It¡¯s not that it¡¯s out of our expectations, but...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too strong! Demons usually don¡¯t cast barriers like this... At this rate, we¡¯ll be shot down!¡±


    ¡°Huu, damned spies. I have to take care of this too?¡±


    I sighed and took out Gluttony Spear from my inventory. Then, I looked at Shina in my embrace and spoke.


    ¡°Summon Caduceus. Sky God¡¯s Rage!¡±


    [You summoned Caduceus. All physical abilities have been enhanced. Two snakes have opened their eyes. You may only use the power of one of them.]


    [Sky God¡¯s Rage has been imbued into the weapon in your hand. You can deliver a single powerful blow, or distribute the power in multiple attacks.]


    In my hand not holding the spear, particles of light began to gather. Like a snake crawling up a tree, two rays of light crawled up my arm in a spiral and a pair of wings grew on my back. At the same time, the Gluttony Spear let out a radiant light and transformed to a golden lightning bolt. My allies looking at me opened their eyes widely.


    ¡°Newbie, you...!¡±


    ¡°If you tell anyone, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    With words that even I found arrogant, I tightened my grip on the lightning bolt and thrust it towards the barrier blocking us.


    BOOM!


    ¡°Again!¡±


    CRACK!


    With just two hits, an explosive crack rang out. With a satisfied smile, I shot out the lightning bolt again. The sound I was expecting was released. The sound of hundreds of windows shattering rang out. Seeing the demons¡¯ shocked faces below satisfied me even more.


    ¡°Wvyern, go!¡±


    [Guaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Eh, why is he listening to her... him!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them escape!¡±


    ¡°Someone report to the Demon Lord-nim!¡±


    ¡°Capture the other intruders!¡±


    While still sending magic toward us, demons were scattering. I shot my lightning bolt, which still had some power remaining, at them. Although I wanted to throw the spear, retrieving it would be difficult, so I simply sent the lightning energy in my spear flying. A few of the demons turned into ash and disappeared. At the same time, the energy imbued by Sky God¡¯s Rage hadpletely disappeared from the spear. Feeling refreshed, I put the spear back into my inventory.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s run now!¡±


    ¡°You sure are scary...¡±


    The wyvern soared through the sky. Although many of the Demon Army¡¯s monsters flew in the sky, the others were more than capable of dealing with them. After all, they were all First Dungeon explorers that were at least level 70.


    ¡°What about the other teams? Have you tried messaging them?¡±


    ¡°Two of the Dimensional Mercenaries escaped to the dungeon. Four knights and two magicians died. The rest managed to escape the camp.¡±


    The summoner replied, looking more rxed as he controlled his wyvern. The wyvern continued to breathe out fire at the flying monsters. No matter how I thought about it, his wyvern was unusually strong.


    Meanwhile, I stretched my neck.


    ¡°The petrified people are all tied well, right?¡±


    ¡°Other than the princess in your hand, then yeah.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then should we do it now?¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± With that, I stretched my neck again. Then, I shouted.


    ¡°Uwaaaaaaak!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    Startled by my shouting, the wyvern screamed and pped its wings violently. The others were also surprised by my shouting and turned my way to say something, only to get shocked.


    ¡°Mm? Mmm...¡±


    Shina, who was in my arms, regained her normalplexion. Not only her, but all the petrified explorers tied to the wyvern snapped out of their status effects.


    ¡°W-What did you... No, nevermind. Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu.¡±


    ¡®Even if I told you guys, there¡¯s nothing you can do.¡¯ I murmured inwardly. The petrification was a type of status effect. It could be canceled with Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry. I was now fully ready to agree that Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry was the world¡¯s most cheaty skill.


    Smiling brightly, I checked Shina¡¯s state. She was still wearing the armor she wore during the battle. With her eyes open, she was looking at me with surprised eyes.


    ¡°Shina, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°... Unni? You came to save me? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Shina¡¯s eyes opened widely. Then, looking at me, who was taking Ludia¡¯s appearance, sheughed.


    ¡°So unni really... Huhu. Thanks, unni.¡±


    I was lost for words at her incredibly beautiful smile. Drawn by her smile, I also smiled. Shina¡¯s next action was like flowing water.


    ¡°And... good bye.¡±


    She took out a sword. The sword¡¯s body, the sword¡¯s guard, and the sword¡¯s pommel were all emanating an eerie ck aura. Then, she stabbed it in my stomach.


    Author¡¯s note:


    1. I wonder if there are any readers who didn¡¯t realize that Shin was disguising himself as Ludia. Probably not, right? With all the hints I gave...


    2. It seems like not a lot of people thought Shina was a traitor. Someone actually guessed it from what Peruta said in thest chapter. I got frightened and replied mysteriously. I don¡¯t know if it worked...


    By the way, there were many hints. Like the emperor telling him not to trust anyone besides Ludia and Bellode; the fact that Shina, who should¡¯ve been faster than Ludia, stood still and got petrified while Ludia escaped (though Ludia thought that it was because she was just faster T.T); or as thest chapter said, Peruta telling Shin not to trust anyone...


    Stupid Shina, you got tricked... does she still look like your sister...?


    Now, why was Shin taking Ludia¡¯s appearance!? Why did he hold Shina in his embrace, fully knowing that something was wrong with Shina? Did he want to embrace a girl even if it cost him his life!? The answer wille out in the next chapter.


    PS ¨C Shin¡¯s cape has the effect of blocking ambush attacks three times per day. It will be exined in the beginning of next chapter, but he cannot use his equipment skills when he¡¯s using Sky God¡¯s y, so that¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t block her attack. Of course, even if he could use the effect, the difference in the equipment¡¯s power wouldn¡¯t make that possible.


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    Sure, give me longer chapters Toika, I love it... (tears)


    On the other hand, if Shin¡¯s changed to Ludia, can he feel the... you know...

 Chapter 121. Avarice Devours Everything (8)

    Chapter 121. Avarice Devours Everything (8)


    My cape¡¯s effect, ambush defense, could not be used in Ludia¡¯s appearance. Although I retained all my abilities, it did not include my equipment¡¯s effects. As such, I could only let the sword stab into me helplessly.


    [You have been stabbed with the legendary weapon, Soul Sucker, crafted with the Demon Lord¡¯s power. If you do not receive peak-grade treatment, you will soon be killed! All party members fall in ¡®shameful obedience¡¯ status effect. Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry attempts to resist it. Without enough resistance left, it fails!]


    So Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry could fail too!? The reason it didn¡¯t have enough resistance had to be because it canceled all the petrification. Since the petrification was a status effect casted by the Demon Lord, it was understandable. In fact, it would have been more surprising if Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry could have resisted the status effect again.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would grit your teeth ande save me... But I¡¯m happy I got to use this sword, unni.¡±


    ¡°Cough.¡±


    ¡°But still, I¡¯m surprised. I thought you¡¯d get caught before it became my turn. We nted quite a lot of spies among the knights, you see. Ah, by now, the Demon Army should have invaded the Imperial Pce too. The demons that usually only stay in the Demon Lord¡¯s territory have been sent out, knowing that this is the best opportunity. Elite forces sent to save me. Without them, what would have happened to the Imperial Pce... to father and mother? I don¡¯t think the ruler of an empire would run away to the dungeon, so do you think he got captured?¡±


    I coughed up blood. Excruciating pain swept over me. It was as if my soul was being sucked in by the sword. The party members tried to approach me, but I shook my head once and gave them a nce. It was the signal to execute the n we made for the ¡®what if¡¯ we talked about. Bellode shook his head in pain, but the magician and the summoner were different. They immediately sprung into action. Although they seemed to be in pain from the status effect, the order I gave them was extremely simple.


    Thinking that victory was in her grasp, Shina continued.


    ¡°What don¡¯t you say something, unni? Like since when or why I went to the Demon Lord¡¯s side. Or if the Demon Lord brainwashed me. Don¡¯t you have a lot to say?¡±


    ¡°What is it that you want?¡±


    Shina seemed to be surprised by my straightforward question. She curled one corner of her mouth up and responded.


    ¡°It¡¯s the seat next to the Demon Lord, unni. A seat where I can obtain everything in the world... He allowed me to be beside him. Of course, with one additional condition. The power of Kang Shin, the other world¡¯s Hero. You know how greedy I am, right, unni? The Demon Lord took my offer of the power of another world¡¯s Hero. He also saw me in high regard. You see, we suit each other rather well.¡±


    ¡°So... because of your avarice, you cooperated with him in destroying the Ehuir Empire, killing me, and offering Shin to the Demon Lord? Leaving his own world to end?¡±


    ¡°Yep. What, are you trying to contact him? Give up, unni. This sword¡¯s power is amazing. The only thing unni is allowed to do is to curse at me to make the short time you have left worth it. You probably can¡¯t open your inventory either.¡±


    It really didn¡¯t open. I let her know that there were others with my eyes, but Shina was still full of leisure.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you, unni? This is a weapon imbued with the Demon Lord¡¯s power. Everyone here is no longer allowed any freedom. At the very least, everything they could do as explorers has been sealed. Plus, the ones unni saved are also...!¡±


    Shina talked as she turned her head, and was shocked. Other than Bellode, who was gritting his teeth and closing his eyes, the summoner and the magician¡¯s actions had shocked her.


    Seven explorers, who were tied so well that they couldn¡¯t even open the door to the dungeon, had fallen from the wyvern¡¯s back. Currently in free fall, they were screaming.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Y-Your Highness!¡±


    Since both their hands and feet were tied, they were fated to hit the ground without doing anything. Of course, they couldn¡¯t escape to the dungeon.


    The moment I realized Shina was hit by the Demon Lord¡¯s magic on purpose, the chances that other petrified explorers were also traitors became extremely high. The moment Shina¡¯s words confirmed it, the party members had thrown them off the wyvern. Having to kill the people we came to save... It was a truly unpleasant feeling.


    ¡°You guys!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll probably die.¡±


    At my short words, Shina gave a flustered look, but soon swept aside her bangs and sighed.


    ¡°Hu... I don¡¯t care what happens to them. They were only there to make it more believable that I was captured by the Demon Lord. What¡¯s important is that you and the others can¡¯t do anything to me.¡±


    She seemed to be telling the truth. Even after dropping the seven explorers, the summoner and the magician couldn¡¯t approach me. It seemed like the sword in my stomach was preventing them somehow. If they forced themselves, they might be the ones to fall off the wyvern instead. It must be the ¡®shameful obedience¡¯ status effect they got when the sword stabbed through me. Just by attacking one person, the whole party was suppressed! I knew it was imbued with the Demon Lord¡¯s power, but what was this weapon!? At that moment, while I was feeling my vitality reaching its limit, a message rang out in ear, surprising me.


    [Diehard activates. All injuries have been restored and your vitality is restored to 50% of its maximum.]


    [Soul Sucker¡¯s power prevents healing! If you do not receive peak-grade holy recovery in the next 2 minutes, you will die!]


    Without even knowing that Diehard had activated, Shina smiled confidently and spoke.


    ¡°Huhu, this sword is also the proof of contract between us. It is the power that he bestowed upon me. Be d, unni. Unni loves Kang Shin, right? He will be stabbed with the same sword. With this sword, I will rob the world of its power. How is it? Are you happy that you will die in the same way as your lover?¡±


    ¡°Kuu, this hurts... There¡¯s one thing I want to say.¡±


    With this, I probably heard everything I could with Ludia¡¯s appearance. I immediately canceled Sky God¡¯s y.


    In an instant, my height grew taller, my hair got shorter, and my voice became thicker. My two arms, which were still holding onto Shina, changed from the slender arms of a frail girl to healthy, muscled arms. Likely because of Soul Sucker, I wasn¡¯t wearing my equipment and was only wearing my underwear. Because of the sword stuck in my stomach, my underwear got dyed in red. Without joking, it was an intense pain.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your unni, Shina.¡±


    Shina¡¯s eyes opened widely.


    ¡°Oppa!?¡±


    ¡°Bellode, the request has beenplete. Do you ept it?¡±


    ¡°... Kuuk, the request... Sorry, but even so, I can¡¯t do it...!¡±


    ¡°Really? But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s up to you anymore.¡±


    The moment I said that, a fanfare rang in my ear.


    [Requestplete! Although the requester did not lie, the target of the request has be the world¡¯s enemy. As of this moment, all Dimensional Mercenaries that have carried out the request will be treated as if the request has beenpleted. It is rmended that you return to your dimension as soon as possible.]


    [You obtained 8 stats points as the request¡¯s reward!]


    8 points. It was quite a lot. However, I couldn¡¯t open my status window at the moment, so I couldn¡¯t use the points that I had obtained with difficulty.


    Shina was visibly surprised by the fact that I had changed from Ludia¡¯s appearance, but after realizing that the sword was still stuck in my stomach, she regained herposure.


    ¡°Oppa, you already became a Dimensional Mercenary? I never even imagined it. Plus, you were disguising yourself as unni too... It¡¯s quite unfortunate that I couldn¡¯t kill unni here, but at least you made it easy for me. I can fulfill my side of the contract with the Demon Lord now.¡±


    ¡°As I thought, I wasn¡¯t your fated partner.¡±


    ¡°Geez, oppa. My fated partner isn¡¯t a childish rookie like you. It¡¯s the Demon Lord.¡±


    Didn¡¯t Ludia say her n¡¯s eyes allowed them to find partners that would let the empire flourish? It seemed there was a mistake. For example, instead of a flourishing empire, it could be flourishing descendants. With her fated partner being the Demon Lord, it was understandable that she¡¯d be excited. Especially since she even suppressed me with such a powerful weapon.


    At this point, I waspletely certain. I wanted to believe that the Demon Lord had brainwashed her, but all the negative status effects on her should have disappeared when I used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry. Since she lied about her fated partner being me... she must have been conspiring with the Demon Lord for a long time.


    ¡°So Shina, do you hate me so much that you want to kill me?¡±


    ¡°Hm... To be honest, I thought you¡¯d be a good boyfriend. You¡¯re handsome, strong, and kind.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for thepliment. By the way, Shina, I came here to save you. Although I was in Ludia¡¯s appearance, I hoped that you were fine.¡±


    This was the truth. If possible, I wanted to save Shina and go back. I wanted toplete my first mission without much problem, and I didn¡¯t want to see Shina rebelling against Ludia and the imperial family. I didn¡¯t want to see Ludia¡¯s crying face, and I didn¡¯t want her to hate me. But...


    ¡°But oppa is a Hero, right? Setting aside whether you like it or not, you have to sacrifice yourself for my future. Please just take this as your fate.¡±


    ¡°I see, so everything is ¡®fate¡¯... In truth, Shina, our conversation until now has been insignificant.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sorry, Ludia.


    But I have no intention of letting someone who tried to kill me live.


    ¡°Caduceus.¡±


    The snake spiraling around my arm opened its eyes. It was scorched ck, then it scattered into pieces.


    [As your target has a lower level than you, you reflect all injuries inflicted by the target.]


    ¡°Kuhuk!?¡±


    Shina grabbed her stomach and groaned. I touched my stomach, and confirmed that the sword was no longer stuck in it. My health was back to normal as well. The state of my body was so perfect that even I found it strange.


    Putting mana into my bracelet, I put on my armor. Then, I checked how my allies were doing. As expected, they had escaped the status effect and were making confused expressions. Seeing Shina¡¯ state, Bellode ran toward me, but the summoner smacked his head first with his bow imbued with aura.


    ¡°This guy really is stupid. Even with what she did to him...¡±


    ¡°Kuk....¡±


    ¡°Kahak!¡±


    Shina coughed out ck blood and raised her head to look at me. The sword stuck to her stomach was giving off a ck aura. Just watching it made me shiver in fear, especially when I thought that it was inside of me until just now.


    ¡°This, what did... you...¡±


    ¡°Shina. In my country, we call it the retribution of karma.¡±


    I exined to her coldly.


    ¡°I simply returned what you did to me.¡±


    ¡°How? The Demon Lord¡¯s power... And Unni...¡±


    ¡°You justified murder for your avarice, right?¡±


    ¡®As for me, I will kill you for my justice.¡¯


    ¡°Kuhuk... o-oppa, save me. Plea...¡±


    It went without saying that I had never killed a human being. I had killed monsters like eating rice. I had even killed demons aftering here. Right, I had even killed chimeras, who were made using humans.


    However, I had never killed a human being. Set aside the question of whether humans and other lives have different values. It wasn¡¯t a matter of value. There was an inherent resistance to murdering humans, who were the same existences as me. It was the resistance that humans naturally had.


    However, I surprisingly epted myself trying to kill Shina naturally. She tried to kill her older sister. She wanted to betray her continent and embrace the Demon Lord. She agreed to the n of killing her own parents.


    No, that wasn¡¯t the reason. I wasn¡¯t trying to kill her for such aplicated reason. It was simpler.


    It was because she was my enemy and she tried to kill me.


    To kill her, I didn¡¯t need any other reason.


    ¡°Kuk... Kuhuk!¡±


    ¡°Huu.¡±


    Once I had organized my thoughts, I was quick to move. I took my spear out of my inventory and brought it to the demonic sword stuck in her stomach. Although the demonic sword must have belonged to Shina, that was no longer the case as it had dealt critical damage to Shina. In fact, it was likely that it was now mine.


    As expected, my spear easily absorbed the demonic sword, which was happily sucking away her soul.


    [Crimson Gluttony Spear absorbed Soul Sucker. Growth: 87%]


    It had a lower grade than the holysword. How amazing was the holysword when it was at its full strength? While pondering, I stared at Shina, who was gasping for breath.


    ¡°O-Oppa.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to open the dungeon.¡±


    The moment I felt her resistance, I summoned my elementals. Peika and Ruyue appeared on my shoulders the moment I called them. With a grunt, Ruyue was holding up the egg with her small body, but I pretended not to see it and order her.


    ¡°Tie her.¡±


    [Okay!]


    In an instant, Shina¡¯s hands and feet were frozen. With the demonic sword gone, she was no longer my opponent. Having lost her way to resist and escape, she only looked at me with nk eyes.


    ¡°O-Oppa. W-What did you do with the sword?¡±


    Without answering her, I held my spear up. Peika and I also didn¡¯t need to exchange words. She naturally infused herself into the Gluttony Spear, giving it golden flickers of lightning. Shina put on an urgent expression.


    ¡°Oppa, you took away the sword to save me, right?¡±


    ¡°Wrong.¡±


    Without even a shred of hesitation, I struck down with my spear.


    ¡°I got rid of the sword, so I won¡¯t make disgraceful excusester that I didn¡¯t personally kill you.¡±


    I will bear the weight of my crimes. I won¡¯t make excuses that I only returned the injuries she gave me. Ibeled her as my enemy, and thus I cut her. I will continue to do so.


    My spear cut Shina in half and the lightning energy in my spear burned the two halve of her corpse to crisp. I destroyed Shinapletely, so that she cannot be revived as undead.


    With my own hands, I killed Ludia¡¯s sister.


    The fact that it felt the same as killing a monster was sad and scary.


    Author¡¯s note:


    You can¡¯t effectively deal with the Demon Lord with Floor Masters¡¯ powers? Then use God¡¯s powers!


    By taking on Ludia¡¯s appearance, Shin was able to hear everything from Shina. If he was in his own appearance, it would have been hard. Things would have gotten much moreplicated.


    This is the highlight of this arc. Shin has killed a person for the first time. I thought a lot to write this part, but there was no reason for Shin, who was resolute and clear on distinguishing between friend and foe, to let Shina live. Shina was his acquaintance and Shin had evene for her. Because of the effort he put in, he couldn¡¯t forgive her for what she did to him.


    Retrieving foreshadowing and making new ones. You will see how it all ends in the next chapter.

 Chapter 122. Avarice Devours Everything (9)

    Chapter 122. Avarice Devours Everything (9)


    The wyvern did not return to the pce, but stopped half-way and dropped us off. It was the rendezvous point we set beforehand.


    Ludia, who had gone to hide in the dungeon at my request, returned and was already waiting there. Others who had safely escaped the demons¡¯ camp were also gathered. As my team was escaping, the ruckus we caused by breaking the barrier had drawn much attention away from the others, letting them escape more easily.


    ¡°What was that message about world¡¯s enemy?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you go rescue them? Why are you alone?¡±


    The Dimensional Mercenaries approached me and asked questions. However, I raised my hand and stopped them.


    ¡°Ludia, first, get away from the knights.¡±


    ¡°What? Kyak!¡±


    The moment I said so, the knights made their move. It wasn¡¯t to protect Ludia, but to capture her. Come on! All the surviving knights were traitors!? Even the magicians...!


    ¡°They¡¯re all traitors!¡±


    I shouted sharply and used Divine Speed. I stabbed my spear into the knight trying to restrain Ludia and held her in one arm. Then I jumped back, all of which only happened in 3 seconds.


    ¡°What just happened!?¡±


    ¡°Newbie, you¡¯re really fast...!¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    They were quick to understand the situation. The moment I rescued Ludia, they tried to escape to the dungeon. When I tried to capture them with Ruyue¡¯s power...


    [Explorers that betrayed their world and joined the world¡¯s enemy have been kicked out of the dungeon.]


    [Their abilities as explorers have been recollected.]


    What? I narrowed my eyes. What was this message saying? Why was the dungeon doing this now?


    The knights and magicians, who were trying to open the dungeon, suddenly copsed. It was likely because they had lost their strength. The Dimensional Mercenaries didn¡¯t miss this opportunity. Without a shred of hesitation, they attacked the traitors¡¯ vital points and killed them.


    ¡°Why did the dungeon figure out they were the world¡¯s enemies now?¡±


    [The dungeon¡¯s system automatically provides experience calction, inventory, and item drops to all explorers, but it cannot focus on specific explorers all the time. Moreover, finding explorers that joined the world¡¯s enemy in a world where their forces are strong is close to impossible. As such, Dimensional Mercenaries serve as eyes of the dungeon to find explorers that betrayed their own worlds.]


    ¡°You¡¯re smart, message noona...¡±


    Message noona who satisfied my curiosity did not reply to my words of astonishment. It seemed the other Dimensional Mercenaries already knew about this. Since they killed the traitors so resolutely, there must be rewards for killing the traitors too...


    [All traitors have been killed. Rewards will be distributed appropriately.]


    [The lover of the Demon Lord was killed. You obtained 5 stat points and 2 skill points as reward. Stats point gained: 13. Skill points gained: 2]


    Tsk, I didn¡¯t want such a bittersweet reward. Seeing myplexion turn dark at the message, Ludia, who was watching me, became startled and separated from me. She then asked.


    ¡°Shina, where¡¯s Shina?¡±


    ¡°... Ludia.¡±


    ¡°Shin, where¡¯s Shina?¡±


    I pointed at the wyvern. On its back was the burnt up corpse of Shina. When Ludia saw the corpse, she didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°We confirmed it. Shina was... an enemy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... a lie.¡±


    ¡°Newbie¡¯s telling the truth. If it wasn¡¯t for him, we would have all died. Damn, that demonic sword still makes me shiver.¡±


    ¡°Shina had... a demonic sword?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I nodded my head. Ludia slowly approached the wyvern and pulled the corpse down. Seeing the corpse cut into two halves, she became speechless. I couldn¡¯t help but talk to her.


    ¡°... Ludia.¡±


    ¡°Who... Who killed her?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    I told her the truth. She shut her eyes tightly then opened them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie and tell me the truth.¡±


    ¡°I killed her. Shina tried to kill me, who had transformed into you.¡±


    ¡°Please... Don¡¯t lie!¡±


    ¡°... Sorry, but I¡¯m not lying to you. I killed her, Ludia.¡±


    Ludia¡¯s lips trembled. She opened her mouth then closed it again, as if to say something. Then, she red at me.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Ludia.¡±


    ¡°What is this!?¡±


    Ludia shouted louder than I had ever heard her before.


    ¡°Is this what you wanted? Making me escape to the dungeon because it was dangerous, taking my appearance, almost dying to Shina, then killing her? I was waiting for you in the dungeon without knowing anything. Like a clueless idiot! What am I supposed to do after hearing this? What is this!?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want this either. I didn¡¯t want it to be true!¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve gone with you. Like I first thought, I should have gone with you! Even if Shina killed me, I should have gone! I had to see it with my own eyes and experience it for myself!¡±


    ¡°You would have died!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather die! Because you protected me, I became the world¡¯s biggest idiot, fool, and blockhead! Is this what you wanted? Did you want me to obediently stay in the dungeon because you said it was dangerous, then crawl out when everything was over, see my sister¡¯s corpse, and nod my head and say it couldn¡¯t be helped since she was a traitor!?¡±


    ¡°I did!¡±


    I also shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than you dying! I didn¡¯t want to lose my friend. Is that bad?¡±


    ¡°Because you tried to protect me, I lost my authority as a member of the Imperial family, my pride as an explorer, and even my qualification to be your friend! Because I was afraid of my sister being a traitor, I became a coward, who left my friend to go save my sister and hid in the dungeon!¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s wrong with that!? You don¡¯t understand your priorities!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who can¡¯t understand! Look at me! Both mother and father were killed, but hiding in that small house in the dungeon, I couldn¡¯t even see Shina die with my own eyes. And I had to hear that my sister¡¯s killer was none other than you!¡±


    ¡°What...?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything anymore! I have nothing at all! There¡¯s nothing to protect, there¡¯s no reason to live! I would have rather died to Shina. I would have rather protected you and died! That way, I could have at least protected my friend!¡±


    The emperor and the empress died? I wanted to say something, but I was lost for words. I remembered what Shina said, that the highest ranking demons had gone to attack the Imperial Pce...


    Did the emperor and empress leave behind a will for her? Did they meet an honorable end? I didn¡¯t know whether to be sad or happy at the fact that they at least didn¡¯t experience torture without being able to die like in my dreams.


    Leaving my speechless self behind, Ludia fell on the ground helplessly. Then, with a barely audible voice, she murmured.


    ¡°Sorry, Shin. Sorry... Sorry for only sending you... I¡¯m the one that made you kill Shina with your hands, I¡¯m the one...¡±


    Seeing her suddenly change from condemning me, I became flustered. She wasn¡¯t mentally stable at the moment. After thinking about what to say, I replied in a quiet voice.


    ¡°... It¡¯s what I wanted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the worst. I¡¯m worthless. I¡¯m a clueless fool, who gets scared at the most critical moments and can only let others do my job. I don¡¯t have the qualification to be royalty, to be an explorer, or even to live...¡±


    ¡°Ludia, don¡¯t say that!¡±


    ¡°I hate you. I can¡¯t help but hate you. I hate myself. I hate myself for hating you...¡±


    ¡°Ludia, you need rest. I beg you, don¡¯t think about anything and just rest. If you hate me, I can disappear. I understand why you would hate me, so I¡¯ll go away so that you won¡¯t see me anymore.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Ludia suddenly shouted. Her eyes were full of fear.


    ¡°You stole my sister from me, and you even want to take away what I have left?¡±


    ¡°Ludia...¡±


    Was Ludia talking about me? Startled by her words, I stood still without knowing what to say. She staggered up and approached me. Holding on to my arms, she looked up. Her blue eyes were glistening with tears.


    ¡°No, Shin. Don¡¯t. Please... You¡¯re the only one I have left. I lost mother, father, and Shina. I don¡¯t want to lose you too... Sorry. I won¡¯t hate you, so please don¡¯t leave. Please...¡±


    Ludia had gotten weak. That¡¯s what I thought. She was mentally pushed to the point she would cling to me, who had killed her sister. Since the day Shina was captured by the Demon Lord, or at least thought to be captured, she was broken. The wound she had patched under the goal of rescuing Shina had burst, leaving her helpless.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t leave me alone...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s having a mental panic attack. Thinking that the world would copse leaving her alone or that she is now worthless... It¡¯smon among explorers that lost their worlds. At least, she still has you... Newbie, you better think carefully before you act.¡±


    The summoner mercenary spoke bitterly. Then, he disappeared using Return. The other mercenaries disappeared one by one. I couldn¡¯t me them. Once the demons upied the Imperial Pce, they would being for us next. It was the correct choice to go back as quickly as possible.


    In the end, only Ludia and I were left in the field. Our surrounding was strangely quiet, almost as if something would suddenly pop out.


    ¡°Alright... In that case, I¡¯ll stay by your side. Even if you hate me, I¡¯ll stay with you. I won¡¯t hate you.¡±


    ¡°I hate you, but... thank you... hic.¡±


    Ludia held me and cried silently. I patted her back, feeling a sense of unease. What would happen to the two of us? Would we be able to stay as friends? This dangerous rtionship, will it be able to hold on without crumbling down?


    Embracing her, that was all I could think about as she cried.


    ¡°Shina¡¯s corpse. Burn it.¡±


    Once she stopped crying, that was the first thing Ludia said. She was still clinging to my arm. I couldn¡¯t joke around like I usually would.


    ¡°Please, get rid of the traces of Shina.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    When I was about to burn her corpse, a voice rang out behind me. Now that I thought about it, there was someone here. It was Bellode. I was wondering where he was, but he had been copsed on the ground the entire time after being hit by the summoner. Did he just wake up and realize what happened...? I suddenly felt sorry for him.


    ¡°I want to send her off... Please, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Bellode... Fine. You can do as you¡¯d like.¡±


    Ludia made a surprised expression, but soon nodded her head with a bitter expression. Bellode nodded respectfully, then slowly took out his sword. Fire then enveloped his sword. Just like how Peruta Circuit manifested whirlwinds, he could turn his mana into mes that burned everything.


    ¡°Your Highness... May you rest well.¡±


    The me he sent flyingnded on Shina¡¯s split corpse. As her corpse was burning, we silently watched, while Bellode cried.


    Once Shina¡¯s corpse had burned to ashes, Bellode turned around and respectfully bowed to us... No, he bowed to Ludia.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe, Your Highness. I should have asked for your safety first. I apologize for stepping out of line.¡±


    ¡°I forgive you, Bellode... And I¡¯m no longer the Crown Princess. I will throw away my status as royalty.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness!¡±


    ¡°Bellode, there¡¯s no time... You should abandon the Luka continent.¡±


    She was concise.


    ¡°There¡¯s no hope left here. If you don¡¯t want to die with Shina, immediately run away to the dungeon. You¡¯re in a guild.¡±


    ¡°But, Your Highness...!¡±


    ¡°Bellode, go. Next time you see me, don¡¯t call me Your Highness. This continent... is over.¡±


    [Party member Palludia Gren Ehuir has been changed to an independent explorer. With her consent, you can Return to Earth with her.]


    With trembling eyes, Bellode looked at Ludia, then turned to look at Shina¡¯s ashes, which began to scatter into the wind. He bit his lips, turning back around and bowing deeply to Ludia. Then, he disappeared. He had gone to the dungeon. Seeing him disappear, Ludia leaned in my embrace without strength.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired... I want to rest.¡±


    I could feel the weight of her entire body leaning on me, making me realize to my bones how weak she had gotten.


    I couldn¡¯t let her leave to the Residential Area like this.


    ¡°Ludia, do you want to...e to Earth?¡±


    At my question, Ludia opened her eyes widely in shock. Then, she nodded her head. Herplexion was brighter than before. I was worried that she might not like it, but I felt relieved. Even if she returned to the Residential Area now, it would be bad for her.


    However, Luka continent would not let us leave so easily.


    [Savior, Hero. For what reason have you arrived at this fallen world?]


    I knew instinctively. This showy voice belonged to the Demon Lord. Just by hearing the voice, Ludia shook uncontrobly and clung to me. As I turned around, I also trembled from the presence I could feel with my entire body.


    In the sky, there was a bat.


    [Do forgive me for being rude and not seeing a guest with my real body. But my real body is currently in deep sleep to ept the world¡¯s power.]


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the power you obtained by killing this world¡¯s Hero?¡±


    [That¡¯s right, Hero. Did you enjoy the game? My concubine should have entertained you.]


    ¡°It was distasteful. You aren¡¯t very good at greeting your guests, Demon Lord.¡±


    [Huhuhu... You say rather interesting things, other world¡¯s Hero.]


    The bat continued.


    [Last surviving Princess,e to me. You were the one I wanted from the beginning. If you be mine, everything you ever wanted will be yours.]


    ¡°In the name of Mitarus, go kill yourself.¡±


    Ludia spat. Looking at the Demon Lord¡¯s familiar, her eyes were burning with fear and rage. I decided that it would be the best to stop Ludia from seeing the Demon Lord.


    [Oh, how unfortunate. But even the Hero holding you so reliably will soon die. In the end, Heroes are only scapegoats. With a few petty blessings, they are forced to fight against us.]


    ¡°Return!¡±


    I used Return. Immediately, the surrounding scenery became distorted and melted down.


    Before we realized, Ludia and I were in my house on Earth. As Ludia was staring at me nkly, I smile softly and spoke.


    ¡°Demon Lord that son of a bitch, do you think we made him mad by leaving in the middle of him talking?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    Still with nk eyes, Ludia nodded. Suddenly, sheughed. Looking at her, I also bursted out intoughter.


    Demon Lord 0, Kang Shin 1. I had gotten my first victory over him.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Shin: Demon Lord, I don¡¯t want any information from the likes of you! Stay in Luka continent!


    Ludia: Living together... I epted it without much thinking, but we¡¯re living together...!


    Shuna, who just woke up from the 2nd floor of Ludia¡¯s house: Eh...? Why do I feel like everyone forgot about me...? Ludia, hurry up ande back T.T


    If Ludia looked mentally shaken throughout this entire arc, yes, that¡¯s what I was going for. She¡¯s in a light mental illness. I tried hard to convey it properly; this chapter was even harder than thest. Breaking things is easy, but portraying emotion is really hard... T.T I hope the readers liked it.

 Chapter 123. You in the World of Sunset (1)

    Chapter 123. You in the World of Sunset (1)


    Aftering to Earth with me, the first situation Ludia had to deal with was meeting my family.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°... I, I¡¯m back.¡±


    The moment Ludia and I left my room, we ran into mother who was climbing the stairs with a vacuum cleaner. Her eyes became incredibly big the moment she saw us, and she frozen. Soon, with a calm expression, she put the vacuum cleaner down, cleaned her hand on her apron, and walked up to me. Putting her hand on my shoulder, she whispered.


    ¡°Is that my daughter-inw?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my friend.¡±


    Thankfully, her question was within my expectations so I could give an instant reply. However, Ludia tilted her head and spoke.


    ¡°What did she say?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Now that I thought about it, Ludia was from Luka continent! She could talk to me since we were both dungeon explorers, but she couldn¡¯t understand mother, who wasn¡¯t a dungeon explorer! What happened next surprised me. With her hand not holding onto me, she reached into the air and took something out. That is, she had taken something out from her inventory. It was a ck leather choker. She put it on and spoke.


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    It was Korean!


    ¡°W-What? What did you just equip?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a trantor that the dungeon sells for 300,000 gold. It trantes what I say or what others say tonguages we can understand. Since people in my continent also speak differentnguages, I bought one.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Loretta and Lin tell me about such an item...!?¡±


    I could have easily solved my poor English problem at Britain!


    While I was feeling a slight rage at Fairy Garden¡¯s guild master and vice-guild master, mother approached Ludia curiously.


    ¡°Is she a foreigner?¡±


    ¡°As you can see, yes. Ludia¡¯s a foreigner.¡±


    ¡°Where is she from? With her Western appearance, is it America? Britain? France? She doesn¡¯t look Italian...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Ehuir Empire¡¯s prin... ordinary citizen.¡±


    If you¡¯re going to throw away your status, can you talk with honorifics?[1. Kind of hard to convey in English, but you have to use honorifics when talking to older people in Korean, which she didn¡¯t do.] I gazed at Ludia strongly, but she turned her head the other way with a snort. For the record, she put more strength into holding onto me. Hearing the word ¡®Ehuir Empire,¡¯ mother tilted her head.


    ¡°Ehuir...¡±


    ¡°Mom, she¡¯s a friend I made in the dungeon. I want to let her stay here for a while, is that okay? I¡¯ll tell father and Yua too.¡±


    I changed the subject and asked mother. She immediately stopped thinking about where Ehuir Empire was, as she put her hands on Ludia¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Of course! You can live here forever! God, I didn¡¯t think my son would bring such a pretty girl home. So? How far have you gone?¡±


    ¡°Mom, she¡¯s really just my friend, so don¡¯t misunderstand...!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to make excuses that she¡¯s just a friend, at least stop linking your arms together.¡±


    When Ludia heard what mother said, she suddenly became pale, pulling on my arm harder and throwing herself into my embrace. Feeling that something was wrong, mother¡¯s expression became stiff. With a bitter smile, I asked.


    ¡°Mom, please?¡±


    ¡°... Alright. Since Shin brought a friend home, I¡¯ll have to show off. I have to appease Yua too.¡±


    ¡°Appease Yua? Is she mad that I wasn¡¯t home for a while?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know once you see her.¡±


    With that, mother smiled. I tilted my head and looked at Ludia, but she still shaking lightly in my embrace.


    In any case, Yua really seemed mad, just like mother sad.


    ¡°N...No! Y-You can¡¯t live together... oppa! Especially with someone so pretty!¡¯


    ¡°She¡¯s just a friend, Yua. There¡¯s aplicated circumstance, so I hope you can understand.¡±


    I looked at mother and father as I tried to convince Yua, but they were both more concerned with Ludia. Mother asked Ludia what her hobbies were and father seemed interested by the fact that Ludia was an explorer. In any case, they were telling me to convince Yua on my own.


    ¡°Oppa, to be honest, I¡¯m mad. It hasn¡¯t been long since you came back from Britain, but you left home for four days. You even brought back someone so pretty!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but there¡¯s a circumstance I can¡¯t tell you about. It¡¯s hard to exin...¡±


    ¡°Why is it hard to exin!?¡±


    As it had been a long time since I saw Yua be so unreasonable, I didn¡¯t know what to do. Then, Ludia sighed and pulled on my sleeve. Holding onto chopsticks strangely, she asked.


    ¡°Shin, can you exin how I use this tool?¡±


    ¡°I told you to use a fork instead of chopsticks.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. No matter what country you go to, diplomacy starts from your table manners. So you teach me.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯te here as a diplomat...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a person of this world now, so it has to be perfect. You have to teach me everything.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Huk!¡±


    While I was paying attention to Ludia, Yua got up from her seat, shaking.


    ¡°I¡¯m really angry! Oppa can do whatever you want, I don¡¯t know anymore!¡±


    ¡°Yua!?¡±


    After putting her empty dish in the sink, she left. Y-Yua was finally going through puberty...!


    ¡°Shin, can you show me how to use this? I can¡¯t figure out how.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you can ignore others so well.¡±


    Even as I sighed, I spent a long time to teach Ludia how to use chopsticks. Since I didn¡¯t know how or why I had to appease Yua, I could only sigh.


    When I told Loretta what happened, even she got mad.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying a customer named Palludia is staying in Shin-nim¡¯s house? The one you gave the headband to!?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m jeal... No, send her back to the Residential Area!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying this too, Loretta? I¡¯m worried about Ludia. I want to watch over her for a while.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s... I know Shin-nim doesn¡¯t have any ulterior motive, but...¡±


    Loretta looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she simply sighed. Then, she spoke as if there was no other choice.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll allow it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks...?¡±


    Strange. Why did I get Loretta¡¯s approval? What approval did I even get? My head was filled with questions. Meanwhile, Loretta continued.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll first teach you how to appease your sister.¡±


    ¡°Tell me quickly!¡±


    The questions immediately disappeared.


    When I returned from the dungeon, it was midnight. As I only went to the dungeon after Ludia fell asleep and set me free, talking to Loretta for a bit didn¡¯t pass the night.


    ¡°Yua, are you sleeping?¡±


    [Yes, I¡¯m sleeping!]


    ¡°Can I go in?¡±


    [... Yes.]


    After shouting angrily that she was sleeping, she easily crumbled at my request. I entered the door with a grin. Yua seemed to have been studying, as she was looking at her notebook and using the inte. She turned her rotating chair around and faced me. Her cheeks were puffed up.


    ¡°I thought you were with Palludia-ssi.¡±


    ¡°She went to sleep a while ago. Oppa just came back from the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Uuuu, so she was clinging so closely to oppa before going to bed?¡±


    ¡°Yua, you also realized that something was wrong, right?¡±


    When I asked her calmly, Yua made a difficult expression... then nodded her head.


    ¡°How did you meet her?¡±


    ¡°I met her in the dungeon, and we became friends. You see, I went to help Ludia this time.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s really just a friend? You guys aren¡¯t dating?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Then why is she sticking to oppa so closely?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin in detail, just that she went through some difficulties. She lost her ce in her country too. I couldn¡¯t leave her alone, so I brought her here.¡±


    ¡°The details are what I want to hear...¡±


    Yua murmured weakly and drooped her shoulders. Then, she said something I never would have imagined.


    ¡°I want to help oppa too.¡±


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    ¡°Oppa looks like you¡¯re having a hard timetely. Plus, you¡¯re always busy. The incident that made oppa¡¯s friend like that... oppa must have been there too. So I¡¯m worried about oppa.¡±


    ¡°Um.¡±


    While I was panicking as Yua¡¯s response was different than what Loretta said, Yua continued with her head down.


    ¡°When oppa first became a dungeon explorer, I was happy. You were always smiling, full of confidence, and even lost muscles and became handsome... Ah, oppa was always handsome, but oppa became even more handsome.¡±


    ¡°T-Thanks.¡±


    ¡°But after the second moon rose and monsters began to appear... Oppa began to change. I was happy that I could be proud of oppa, buttely, I¡¯ve been restless. I¡¯m worried that oppa might suddenly leave me and disappear.¡±


    A day woulde where people without abilities would have trouble being near the Hero. It was when I would have to leave my family. Because Yua¡¯s words were so urate, I couldn¡¯t argue against her.


    Then, Yua looked up, staring at my eyes.


    ¡°If I be a dungeon explorer... can I help oppa, too?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Although I was surprised from Yua¡¯s words, I could answer her question immediately.


    ¡°Yua doesn¡¯t have to fight. Fighting can be done by people like father and oppa, who only knows how to fight. Yua can help oppa by staying safe and being healthy.¡±


    ¡°I know how to fight too!¡±


    ¡°No, Yua. You¡¯re more suited to things other than fighting.¡±


    Yua didn¡¯t have talent for physical activities like fighting. I was certain. Since I couldn¡¯t tell her that outright, I tried to say it in a roundabout way, but it didn¡¯t seem to work, as Yua¡¯s eyes became sharp.


    ¡°I hate oppa.¡±


    ¡°Huk!¡±


    ¡°Oppa sucks! Leave!¡±


    Yua talked to me without honorifics![2. Again, hard to portray in English.] When Yua pushed me with her hands, I became worried that my tough body would hurt her and quickly left her room. Immediately afterwards, the door closed with a boom. Left alone outside the room, I found a word to objectively describe this situation, and murmured as my heart crumbled.


    ¡°Sibling quarrel...!¡±


    Loretta, this is all your fault! Even though I didn¡¯t get to say what you taught me or use the present you gave me!


    I found a target tosh out on. It was the Wendigo. However, the Wendigo had a critical weakness to serve as my stress reliever.


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Wendigo¡¯s Fur Pants


    2. Frozen Crystal]


    ¡°Damn, this guy is too weak!¡±


    He¡¯s so weak, I don¡¯t even feel like fighting him! I kicked the snow on the ground in anger, and swallowed the Frozen Crystal.


    [By consuming the Frozen Crystal, your resistance and affinity to freezing energy increases. Your magic increases by 1.]


    [I love Shin! It became colder!]


    ¡°I think my affinity with Ruyue is already at its peak, but... Ruyue, I like Ruyue too.¡±


    [Ehehe...]


    Ruyue rubbed her head in my chest, and I patted her while thinking about what to do next. First, I had to appease Yua... No, that¡¯s probably not possible right now. Since Yua rarely got mad, I didn¡¯t even know when she would calm down. I had an idea why she got mad, but it wasn¡¯t possible for me to do anything about it...


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s the Wyvern¡¯s Nest.¡±


    America, Arizona State, Page¡¯s Antelope Canyon. Its Field Dungeon, Wyvern¡¯s Nest. If I went there, I could meet Ciara Kenex, the woman who addressed me as Hero. I would know once I met her. Why she called me Hero and who she was. If she refused to speak, I would have to squeeze the info out of her. I was more than capable now.


    Alright, I decided. Once I finished grinding Wendigo and Ruyue¡¯s ability grew, I would go to Wyvern¡¯s Nest. Wash your neck and wait, Ciara Kenex!


    Author¡¯s note:


    It¡¯s the start of a new arc. I lightly portrayed Ludia assimting to Earth¡¯s culture. It¡¯s now time for dungeon, dungeon, dungeon! Then, we¡¯ll focus on Ciara Kenex, that suspicious woman!


    For the record, if you don¡¯t read this chapter carefully, you¡¯ll regret itter. Why? That¡¯s a secret ¡ï


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    ICDS ¨C ro edition. Wait, what about when Ludia takes showers!?

 Chapter 124. You in the World of Sunset (2)

    Chapter 124. You in the World of Sunset (2)


    Hunting the Wendigo by myself was extremely easy, but I could still get Frozen Crystals even if I added a few more people to my party. As such, I decided to hunt the Wendigo in parties. When the explorers stuck on 50th floor saw me, they immediately recognized me as Crown Prince.


    ¡°Crown Prince is already on the 50th floor.¡±


    ¡°A miracle. 50th floor already...¡±


    ¡°But even Crown Prince should have hard time breaking through the 50th floor. He¡¯ll be stuck here too.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re done talking nonsense, we¡¯re going in.¡±


    In the fight against Wendigo, everyone else had only one job to do. It was to stay as far away from Wendigo as possible. I didn¡¯t know because Ruyue¡¯s power was protecting me, but the freezing energy that the Wendigo emitted was no joke. Even if priests casted protection magic with all their strength, veteran warriors, who had climbed all the way to the 50th floor, still had difficulties.


    [Guaaaaaa!]


    [Shin, that¡¯s a cold attack!]


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    Of course, the 50th Floor Master Wendigo also had a special attack skill. With its hand dyed white, it drew arge trace. If one even zed it, he would be frozen for a moment regardless of his resistance. I did not experience it in my first raid, so I ended up being caught by surprise in my second raid. Thankfully, Ruyue protected me with a barrier while I was frozen.


    Moreover, because of my high resistance, I became unfrozen in 5 seconds. It seemed the Wendigo could not use it consecutively. With a bewildered face, it tried to kick me, which simply led me to beating it up. In truth, this was the first time I wasn¡¯t looking forward to the Floor Master skill.


    However, there were three slots left in the pocket watch to store skills in. Since I felt that the subss would transform once the skills were filled, I nned to take whatever skills I could get. If getting to the 60th floor would take longer than I expected, I considered putting Crimson Scale Armor¡¯s Crimson Roar into the pocket watch too.


    ¡°Haat.¡±


    When the Wendigo tried to swipe at me with its whitened arm, I created a te of ice in the air with Ruyue¡¯s power and leapt up. As the Wendigo looked up in vain, I grinned and shouted, ¡°Thunder Spear!¡±


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Wendigo¡¯s Fur Coat


    2. High-grade Health Potion


    3. Frozen Crystal


    4. Frozen Dart]


    Eh? Didn¡¯t Ie in with 6 people? When I turned around while swallowing the Frozen Crystal, I saw three explorers hugging each other while shaking.


    ¡°C-C-Crown Prince, h-h-h-how are youpletely fine?¡±


    ¡°H-H-H-H-He said h-he had an ele-elemental.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s s-so cold! I-I¡¯m going t-to die!¡±


    ¡°... The other two?¡±


    ¡°F-Froze to d-death.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    My Wendigo party raids generally ended like this. In truth, I wanted to screw grinding and just get it over with.


    Ludia waspletely fine when she was next to me. But when I tried to separate from her, she showed signs of mental instability. Thinking that she had gone back to her normal self was only my wishful thinking.


    Whether we were eating, reading books, listening to music, knitting, drinking tea, or whatnot, the moment I tried to go out of her sight, she tried to scream in protest. Of course, I considered it my punishment for killing her sister and epted it. I was just d that I could serve as her emotional pir.


    However, I couldn¡¯t let it stay like this. Right now, it was fine since I had a lot of free time with only hunting the Wendigo three times a day. But once I finished grinding, I nned to go to America. I couldn¡¯t bring Ludia along.


    When I told her, her reaction was extremely concerning.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re abandoning me?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ming back.¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    ¡°Are you the only one living here? My parents and Yua are here too.¡±


    ¡°Liar, liar. When I wake up one day, everything will be gone. I¡¯ll be the only one left in this world.¡±


    ¡°Ludia.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s that. You¡¯re going to leave me and go fight someone again. the D-Demon Lord chased after us.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°T-Take me with you. Take me with you, please. I don¡¯t want to be left by myself like a fool again.¡±


    She didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d listen no matter what I said, so I shut my mouth and held Ludia¡¯s hands. Ludia took the opportunity to throw herself into my embrace and didn¡¯t let go. When I raised my head, not knowing what to do, mother opened the door in the perfect time with a te full of fruits. Then, she smiled kindly and closed the door. Damn it, I didn¡¯t like that needlessly kind consideration!


    ¡°Don¡¯t go. If you¡¯re going, take me with you. Please?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous if youe.¡±


    ¡°Shin, take me with you. Let me go too.¡±


    She really didn¡¯t listen! It seemed she wouldn¡¯t let go until I agreed to take her. In the end, I sighed and replied.


    ¡°There are two conditions.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    ¡°First, you have to hide your identity. This is easy since you can buy an item called Otus¡¯ Secret from the Floor Shop.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    ¡°Second, you have to get stronger. I can¡¯t take you if you don¡¯t break through the 40th floor at least.¡±


    ¡°... 40th floor?¡±


    Ludia¡¯s eyes trembled slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m only in the entrance of the 36th floor.¡±


    ¡°There are still 3 weeks until I finish grinding the 50th floor. I¡¯m sure you can do it.¡±


    ¡°T-Then I¡¯d have to be away from you.¡±


    ¡°Right, since I can¡¯t go back to the 36th floor.¡±


    ¡°I, I can¡¯t. No. I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going to leave you behind.¡±


    ¡°Ah, aah.¡±


    Ludia looked at me like the world just crumbled down. The next moment, she suddenly looked brighter as she spoke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anyone to party with me now. Shuna still can¡¯t take a foot out of the Residential Area.¡±


    I had forgotten about Shuna until now,. Ludia had known about Shuna, but didn¡¯t go back to the dungeon even once, and was only now using her as an excuse. I thought for a moment which of us were worse, but I didn¡¯t say anything, concluding that we were both bad.


    ¡°But Ellos¡¯ party is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°K-Kasina is...?¡±


    Ludia retorted as if she¡¯d never imagined it. ¡®So she¡¯s not that close to Ellos...¡¯ Thinking to myself, I nodded. Ellos had actually messaged me recently.


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s waiting for your return on the 36th floor.¡±


    ¡°N-No. I can¡¯t anymore. I lost my confidence.¡±


    ¡°But if you can¡¯t clear the 40th floor, I won¡¯t take you with me. I¡¯m not lying.¡±


    ¡°N-No... R-Right, I can¡¯t go back to them alone.¡±


    ¡°Miss Shuna will be there too.¡±


    ¡°Shuna can¡¯t climb the dungeon anymore.¡±


    Shuna had no house nor guild. It was unlikely that other guilds would take her in. That¡¯s what Ludia said.


    Since it came to this, I decided to tell Ludia the truth.


    ¡°Ludia, you see...¡±


    Looking around my Special Mansion, Ludia made a nk expression. She saw more than one hundred rooms, swimming pool and grand bath, basement training room and personal training room, grand dining hall and basement storage room, and finally the Giant Iron Boar ruining the garden¡¯s look. Speaking of the Giant Iron Boar, it was now reduced to 20 meters from 60 meters in size. Ludia shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to live here with you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to found a guild.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ludia made an expression like she just stepped on dung, and spoke.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just make it our home?¡±


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t. Weren¡¯t you Miss Shuna¡¯s best friend? What about Miss Shuna?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give my house to Shuna. It¡¯s easy to transfer ownership. That way, Shuna can be an independent explorer too!¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°W-Well, I¡¯m... of course...¡±


    Ludia¡¯s faced turned red, as she looked down and pulled on my sleeve. I lightly pulled my sleeve back and spoke.


    ¡°See, out of words, right? I¡¯m going to make a guild.¡±


    ¡°... I hate you. I hate you so much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can hate me as much as you want. Though, I won¡¯t hate you.¡±


    ¡°You big insensitive idiot! I really want to kill you...!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    Making a guild was easier than I thought. I just had to visit the Residential Area¡¯s administrator and submit the necessary documents. But when I went to see Mdel, he opened his mouth after seeing Ludia linking her arms with me.


    ¡°Y-You. Who is thatdy?¡±


    ¡°A friend.¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear lord. Is this the fate of a Hero...? My poor Master...!¡±


    ¡°Stop speaking nonsense and take my guild creation application.¡±


    As Mdel epted my application, he continued to say iprehensible things like, ¡®Do you like boats?¡¯ or ¡®I suggest you wear an abdominal belt.¡¯ Then, messages popped up in front of my eyes.


    [You created a guild! You became the guild master of the F rank guild, ¡®Revival¡¯!]


    [Guild member: Kang Shin (Guild Master, Gold), Palludia Gren Ehuir (Guild Member, Silver). Total: 2]


    [You can raise the guild rank by increasing the number of guild members or by making achievements by clearing Event Dungeons or Event Raids. With higher guild rank, your guild will be more well-known in the dungeon, giving you better rewards in Event Raids and giving you more freedom in the dungeon.]


    It wasn¡¯t much. It didn¡¯t increase my strength. As I didn¡¯t expect anything, I didn¡¯t feel disappointed either.


    ¡°You can request a guild emblem when you be D rank. People from famous guilds usually wear brooches or capes engraved with their guild emblem to show their status.¡±


    ¡°Like a uniform?¡±


    ¡°More like empty show.¡±


    Even while I was talking with Mdel, Ludia stayed still. She must have heard the messages too. Then, she murmured silently.


    ¡°Revival...¡±


    ¡°Um... It¡¯s a word from Earth¡¯snguage called English. It means resurrection, recovery, or resurgence. I wanted to use the Korean word for it, but it said there¡¯s already a guild by that name.¡±


    ¡°BhuWhal[1. ?? (Bhu Whal) = Revival in Korean]. It means ¡®toy¡¯ in Syrnor continent¡¯snguage.¡±


    ¡°Why would they make a guild with that meaning!? Are the guild members the guild master¡¯s toy? Ek.¡±


    Suddenly, I felt weight on my back. I turned around and saw Ludia who had her face buried in my back. I couldn¡¯t see her face. Flustered, I talked to her.


    ¡°L-Ludia?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ludia... Ludia?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Ludia said in a small voice.


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try... climbing the dungeon. I¡¯ll contact Shuna... and Kasina too. I¡¯ll try.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why she was suddenly so willing. Perhaps, she felt a sense of security at the fact that she belonged to a guild with me. Perhaps, she had been strengthening her determination this entire time. Perhaps...


    I could think of many possibilities, but I didn¡¯t ask her. It was fine the way it was now.


    ¡°Yeah. Thanks for taking a step forward, Ludia.¡±


    ¡°Un... Un.¡±


    *


    I had a dream.


    The sky burned and dark smoke shot up.


    Morning didn¡¯t wake and night didn¡¯t sleep.


    Fairies that remained in fantasies were chased out to reality. Holding their torn wings, they cursed humans.


    ¡°XXX, I always think why I always go through such hardships when I involve myself with you.¡±


    ¡°X, that¡¯s wrong. Those that can say they went through hardships after involving themselves with X are those that survive. It¡¯s usually hard to survive after involving oneself with X.¡±


    Under a bloodstained sunset, a giant and a handsome young man were exchanging jokes. One held an enormous ymore and the other held a longsword, which were both suitably big for their masters size.


    ¡°You¡¯re all noisy. Go out and kill the monsters. Be careful so blood doesn¡¯t stter onto me. Also, if you curse X, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Witch, shut up and prepare your mes. Because of yourid-back attitude, I thought I¡¯d see the afterlife today.¡±


    ¡°Guys[2. ¡®Guys¡¯ was in English.], I just thought up an extremely funny joke. Don¡¯t fight and calm down! Lizard King is the king of the lizardmen, right? But if you look, there are 5 Lizard Kings running at us! What do you think this is? The small kingdoms have joined!¡±


    A red witch, ck assassin, cheerful gunner, and several others. Although there weren¡¯t many, each of them were incredibly strong allies.


    ¡°Xa, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°XX, your armor is really cool!¡±


    ¡°Haha, it really is. At least it¡¯ll garner full attention. I praise thy courage.¡±


    Someone wearing an armor radiating five-colored brilliance stepped forward, setting them all side. Even though it was my first time seeing him, my heart dropped a beat. I had the same reaction every time. From the first time I saw him to even now.


    ¡°I have the strongest body here anyways. Really, there are probably no other guilds where the guild master is treated like a punching bag. Alright... Revival, we¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°X!¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. XXX... Can I leave it to you?¡±


    Standing tall in a world of sunset alone, he turned and smiled at me. I held myself back from mixing up business and private affairs, and shouted confidently, ¡®Of course!¡¯ Along with a prayer in my heart, hoping to be of help to the one I love.


    ¡°O Power, O Blessing vested in the Earth! We will fight to protect thee, let us borrow thy power! O Mitarus, bless and sublimate this power!¡±


    Author¡¯s note:


    Just because I kept the narration in first person POV, it doesn¡¯t mean it will always be that way!


    Also, I already warned that you¡¯d regret it if you read thest chapter half-heartedly!


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    It¡¯s hard to show it in English, but each of the Xs is one syble. Xa = Yua (I think); just mentioning that one because X is English, making Xa look weird...


    You guys can do the detective work for the other ones if you¡¯d like :P


    There are enough clues to figure out all the names and whose POV the dream was in.

 Chapter 125. You in the World of Sunset (3)

    Chapter 125. You in the World of Sunset (3)


    The next morning, I woke up in the temporary bed I installed next to my bed. Because Ludia wanted to be with me even while sleeping, I had no choice but to install this temporary bed. Plus, because I only needed to sleep two to three hours, I gave Ludia my bed and slept in the temporary bed.


    In any case, because I wanted to sleep for a while longer, I closed my eyes again, but soon reopened my eyes from the slight tingle I felt in my hand. At the same time, I realized what had woke me up. I was holding hands with Ludia, who had stretched her hand out of the bed.


    ¡°Ludia, you¡¯re up?¡±


    ¡°... Un.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you can change first. I¡¯ll turn around and... Hm?¡±


    Ludia peeked her head out of the nket. When her eyes met mine, her face suddenly reddened as she went back into the nket. Even so, she didn¡¯t let go of my hand. What was happening?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Ludia?¡±


    ¡°Noth.... Nothing...!¡±


    ¡°Tell me. I¡¯m worried. Come on.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing... I only just realized that I was the worst piece of human trash...!¡±


    What the hell happenedst night!?


    ¡°That¡¯s not ¡®nothing¡¯!¡±


    ¡°L-Leave. I can¡¯t think straight if I¡¯m with you right now.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave... but you have to let go of me.¡±


    I took my hand out forcefully from Ludia¡¯s grasp. This girl, when did she get so strong?


    But after grasping empty air, Ludia¡¯s hand once again took hold of mine. Instead of letting go, she even pulled strongly, and I almost fell into the nket with her. I held on since I was stronger than a priestess, but I pulled the nket down and looked at Ludia¡¯s reddened face.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, stay with me. I¡¯m sorry. Please stay.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    In the end, I had to stay within an arm¡¯s reach of Ludia. With my head turned the other direction, Ludia changed. I thought I¡¯d die from embarrassment.


    Ludia was wearing a white dress. Although the ribbon decoration or the dress¡¯ material changed from time to time, she always wore white dresses when she was in my house. Drawing my attention with her white and smooth legs showing under her dress, she casually said somethingpletely shocking.


    ¡°I think I just awakened.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Was awakening something that only happened to people from Earth!? People from other worlds could do it too!? While I was staring at her nkly in shock, Ludia stared at me with a pleased smile.


    ¡°How ugly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, you¡¯re really ugly... Come closer.¡±


    ¡°How ugly I am doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is your abili...¡±


    ¡°O Earth.¡±


    I stayed still, but the floor wriggled and I was moved in front of her. I was shocked once again. What ¡®Earth¡¯? This was the 2nd floor! Shocking things were happening ever since I woke up.


    Ludia reached out and caressed my face. With her hand feeling my defenseless face, I felt quite strange. I tried my best to not bite her fingers and opened my mouth.


    ¡°Ludia, is that your awakened ability?¡±


    ¡°Un. I can control the earth and utilize its power. It¡¯s an ability based on animism. Perhaps it¡¯s better to say it¡¯s based on belief of nature.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t lying. Even though I wasn¡¯t on guard, I didn¡¯t notice her moving me at all. Perhaps, her awakened ability was stronger than her healing ability as a priestess.


    ¡°Un. If I had this power when I was in Luka continent... No, there¡¯s no use in thinking that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d awaken an ability in Earth either. By the way, are you going to continue touching me?¡±


    ¡°In my dream... I met many people I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°When are you going to stop tou... Dream?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    Ludia easily ignored my question and said in a slightly sleepy voice. Dream? Ah, the premonition dream. The dream that acted as the trigger to awakening abilities and showing one¡¯s future possibilities... Of course, with what happened in Luka continent, I confirmed that it wasn¡¯t absolute, but it was true that something simr would happen. I became curious as to what dream she had.


    ¡°Was I in that dream too?¡±


    ¡°Un, you were. That¡¯s why it¡¯s hard to control myself.¡±


    ¡°What does me being in your dream and you controlling yourself have to... Wait, you said control?¡±


    ¡°Un. Can you... bend down a bit more?¡±


    ¡°Ludia, your breathing is a bit rough. Are you sick?¡±


    Feeling a sense of unease, I put my hand up to take Ludia¡¯s hand off. At that moment, the door opened. Mother, who was standing there, spoke with a bright smile.


    ¡°Son, it¡¯s great to be so healthy early in the morning, but can you wait until the night for reproductive acts?¡±


    ¡°What!? What reproductive act!?¡±


    ¡°New daughter, I¡¯ll actively create the right mood at night, so do your best then. Alright,e down and eat breakfast.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, mother.¡±


    ¡°New daughter!? Why is Mom calling Ludia ¡®new daughter¡¯? Ludia, do you even know what that means? Hm?¡±


    I, Kang Shin, a man among men, almost became a married man at the age of 21.


    ¡°Then, see youter.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince-nim, see youter!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Ludia. Miss Shuna too, see you bothter... I said, see youter.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    In Marianne¡¯s Garden, which had be a guild house, I saw Ludia and Shuna off. Ludia found it hard to separate from me, as she woulde clinging after taking a few steps away from me and being startled. After she repeated it a few times, I couldn¡¯t just let it continue. I took Ludia off and gave her to Shuna.


    ¡°Miss Shuna, take care of her.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes! Crown Prince-nim, by the way... Are you dating Ludia...?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re just friends... Ow!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Surprisingly, Ludia seeded in getting away from me! Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know exactly why she seeded.


    Shuna put on a bitter smile while watching us, but clenched her fists and spoke happily.


    ¡°So I still have a chance...¡±


    ¡°Shuna, let¡¯s go... forever.¡±


    ¡°Kyak! L-Ludia! No, sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Watching them talking loudly, I saw them off to the dungeon. It looked like Ludia was beating Shuna, but trusting that it was simply an expression of affection, I also headed to the dungeon.


    Time passed slowly when you were bored. After sending Ludia off to the dungeon, all I had to do was to hunt Wendigo three times and train my techniques. Although I knew how important it was, with how boring and unthrilling it was, I felt like I was forcing myself to do so.


    If there was one positive side, it was that I was confident that I had caught up to the Spear Technique and Peruta Circut that I had forcefully leveled up. I considered using skill points to level them up again, but since I couldn¡¯t be sure that I could always get more skill points, I decided to save them for when the two skills were higher leveled.


    [Climbing the dungeon alone is getting boring.]


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s unexpected. I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d like being in a party so much.¡±


    Running across Wendigo¡¯s arm, I replied to the message I received.


    [I want to quickly party with Shin. Plus, you don¡¯te to school nowadays.]


    ¡°Sorry, but I prioritize solo y.¡±


    The reason I didn¡¯t go to school nowadays was because it was hard to separate from Ludia.


    [I know it¡¯s because you¡¯re embarrassed.]


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t...¡±


    Replying sincerely, I stabbed Wendigo¡¯s eye and released a lightning attack. I leapt up, avoiding the screaming Wendigo¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What floor are you on now?¡±


    [40th floor. The reaper killed me twice.]


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d pass that easily.¡±


    [Ugh, the first time, it suddenly appeared behind my back and killed me. The second time, I was doing my best to memorize its movement patterns, but it suddenly shot a scythe from its stomach and killed me. When Master finds out I died, I¡¯ll get scolded...]


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you how the strategy for defeating the reaper?¡±


    [I¡¯m not a monster like Shin!]


    It seems the 40th Floor Master couldn¡¯t be defeated easily with just her natural talent and magic. It made sense as the Grim Reaper was one of the strongest bosses. Once she defeated him, she should have no problem until the 50th floor. Plus, she could get even stronger from the 50th floor.


    ... Of course, that was given that Ye-Eun could somehow deal with the freezing energy. While pondering about it, I dodged Wendigo¡¯s whitened hands andnded on his head.


    ¡°Some of my friends are about to reach the 40th floor. Why don¡¯t you try hunting the reaper with them?¡±


    [Friends? Sure! Shin¡¯s friends must all be nice, right?]


    ¡°Mm, well, yeah.¡±


    It was good timing. Even though Ludia got stronger with her newly awakened ability, adding a powerful damage dealer like Ye-Eun to her party would be like adding flowers to embroidery.


    [Hehe, I want to meet them soon. D-Don¡¯t worry! I just mean I¡¯m looking forward to seeing them asrades. I don¡¯t mean I¡¯m looking forward to meeting other men!]


    ¡°One of them is the older sister of your old party leader. She¡¯s called Palludia. If possible, try not to bring up her younger sister.¡±


    [... A girl?]


    ¡°Well, yeah, that¡¯s what sister means.¡±


    I delivered a Heroic Strike to Wendigo¡¯s forehead. Ignoring the Wendigo trying to shake me off, I used White Lightning Consecutive Strike.


    [A friend... but a girl? A girlfriend?]


    ¡°She¡¯s just a friend. Like you and me.¡±


    [I hate you, Shin.]


    ¡°In any case, treat her well, okay? She lost her younger sister not too long ago...¡±


    [Yeah, okay.]


    After talking with Ye-Eun, I finished up my fight with Wendigo. Lost her younger sister, huh... Coming from the one who killed her, I felt nauseous. Even though Shina tried to kill me first, even though she betrayed her world to join the Demon Lord, she was once my friend and was Ludia¡¯s younger sister. It didn¡¯t change the fact that I killed her.


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Wendigo¡¯s Fur Boots


    2. Frozen Crystal]


    ¡°Damn it, I need to let it go too... *crunch*.¡±


    [You consumed Frozen Crystal to its limit, greatly increasing your resistance and affinity to freezing energy! Your magic increases by 6! Consuming more of this item will likely have no effect.]


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    I suddenly realized that a month had passed since I started grinding the Wendigo!


    Author¡¯s note:


    PS ¨C ¡®I¡¯m a person of this world now¡¯ is the hint from 2 chapters ago.


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    That¡¯s... a weak hint.


    EDIT: He¡¯s 21, not 26. I don¡¯t know how I misread that... It¡¯s been fixed!

 Chapter 126. You in the World of Sunset (4)

    Chapter 126. You in the World of Sunset (4)


    [You equipped the Wendigo Set. Your magic and dexterity increase by 25. When the Wendigo Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Ice Touch¡¯ once per day.]


    [With Ice Touch, you can gather extreme freezing energy on your hands. When you attack your enemies, it ignores the enemies¡¯ resistance and freezes them, but they can break out after 5 seconds depending on their resistance.]


    ¡°Mm, I see.¡±


    I nodded my head imposingly as a response to message noona, then took off the fur coat as it was irritatingly hot. Then, as I stored Ice touch on the 10 o¡¯clock position, I pondered, ¡®How was I supposed to use this skill? ... Wait.¡¯


    ¡°If I use Divine Speed and beat up the enemy for 3 seconds, then use Ice Touch before Divine Speed ends, I can beat up the enemy for 5 more seconds!¡±


    Together, I would have 8 seconds to beat the enemy up freely! Plus, I didn¡¯t need to use this freezing energy in close-range only. There must be a way to use it somehow with Ruyue. After all, all Floor Masters¡¯ skills were useful.


    ¡°Alright... It¡¯s time to contact her.¡±


    I took out the letter I always carried with me. Ciara Kenex. I didn¡¯t know what she wanted from me, even after reading the letter thrice. It would be faster to ask her in person. After making my decision, I put it to action. Once I set my mind to do something, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate. That was my personal philosophy.


    The next day, I gathered my family, including Yua who still wouldn¡¯t talk to me, and told them I had to go to America. Yua¡¯s expression was quite a sight.


    ¡°Again!?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really busytely, son. You¡¯re going to lose weight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I did get slimmer, but I got a lot stronger as well.¡±


    ¡°Hm, America... Are you going to that canyon where wyverns appear?¡±


    ¡°Father, do you want toe with me?¡±


    Father surprisingly thought about it seriously, then shook his head.


    ¡°No. I would have gone if it was any other time, but I¡¯m almost about to make a breakthrough in my spearmanship... I heard that wyverns are strong. Be careful and don¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    ¡°Ludia has a healing ability. Since we¡¯ll be together, there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Palludia-ssi is going too!?¡±


    Yua¡¯s anger seemed to have soared to the heavens. She then shouted, ¡°I¡¯m going to start going to church!¡±


    ¡°Yua!?¡±


    ¡°I want to be a priestess too!¡±


    ¡®Yua, even if you be a nun, I don¡¯t think you can be a priestess that uses holy magic.¡¯ Thinking that in my head, I ced my hand on Yua¡¯s head. She tried to take my hand off in anger, but before she could do so, I said, ¡°Thanks for worrying about me, Yua.¡±


    ¡°Uk!¡±


    ¡°If Yua bes an Awakened, then oppa won¡¯t leave Yua alone at home.¡±


    ¡°What about being a dungeon explorer?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t climb the dungeon without abat ability. If Yua bes an Awakened, we can talk then.¡±


    ¡°Uuu...¡±


    Yua seemed to have acquiesced, as she nodded with a frown. Thank god!


    ¡°Good. Oppa will bring back presents from America for Yua, okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child, don¡¯t try to appease me with presents. I hate oppa.¡±


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    It seemed I needed more time before Yua¡¯s anger could be appeased.


    [I¡¯m going too.]


    ¡°... Hwaya?¡±


    [You came to help me before, so I¡¯ll go with you to Arizona.]


    When I told Hwaya I¡¯d be in America for a while, she said she woulde with me, making me flustered. As her reason made sense, I was even more flustered.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s different than this. I know I¡¯m going to an S rank Field Dungeon, but it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be in a dangerous situation. You don¡¯t need to trouble yourself.¡±


    [But wouldn¡¯t it be easier if I was there?]


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but... You¡¯re Britain¡¯s ability user. If youe, they might take it as Britain¡¯s assistance.¡±


    [No, I¡¯ll make it clear that I¡¯m participating as Thunder Knight¡¯s friend.]


    ¡°You mean you¡¯re not going to make it a trade between America and Britain?¡±


    [Yeah. Britain won¡¯t understand my worth unless I show them.]


    Coming from someone as patriotic as Hwaya, it was a surprise. Brightman really must have made her angry. I continued, still half-surprised from what she said.


    ¡°To be honest, you¡¯ll be in my way.¡±


    [That¡¯s too honest! I¡¯ve gotten stronger too! Plus, I got a Legend-grade defensive equipment, so I¡¯ve perfectly covered my weakness. Don¡¯t be surprised when you see me! I¡¯ll prepare a ne for us in two days, so be ready!]


    With that, Hwaya hung up. ¡®At least she was eager to go...¡¯ With that, I sighed. I had no choice but to acknowledge that she wasing.


    Thankfully, Ye-Eun safely defeated the Grim Reaper with Ludia and Ellos¡¯ party. Since Ludia has broke through to the 41st floor and even awakened an ability, I decided to take her with me to America like I promised.


    The day of promise then came.


    ¡°Shin, hi!¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    There was one uninvited guest waiting for me in front of my house.


    I turned around to Ludia and demanded an exnation. Ludia buried her face in my back and dodged my eyes as she replied.


    ¡°S-She said she woulde. I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. I didn¡¯t want to tell her either.¡±


    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re so mean. You should have called me if you were going somewhere so dangerous!¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re weaker than me.¡±


    ¡°I got stronger by climbing the dungeon, so I wanted to try hunting wyverns too! By the way Palludia, can you get off of Shin now? I heard that the two of you are just friends!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Ludia returned Ye-Eun¡¯s burning gaze with her special cold gaze. At the same time, I sent Ye-Eun a message only she could hear.


    [I told you, Ludia has a special circumstance.]


    [But it¡¯s annoying watching her like that in front of me!]


    [Do you want to go home?]


    ¡°... Tsk.¡±


    Ye-Eun finally seemed to have understood. I felt sorry in a way, so I decided to get her a gift to make up for it. With that, I headed to the airport with both Ludia and Ye-Eun. I had already turned down Ciara Kenex¡¯s offer to prepare a method of transportation. Hwaya and I promised to meet here, and her private ne would be waiting here. As expected, when I arrived at the airport, Hwaya was already waiting at the airport. It was obvious she had used some kind of magic to prevent herself from being noticed by people other than me.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Shin... Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it really has, Hwaya. Sorry, I forgot to tell you about my friends. They¡¯re both ability users and dungeon explorers.¡±


    The moment Hwaya saw Ludia and Ye-Eun, she opened her eyes widely in surprise. However, it was Ludia and Ye-Eun who were more surprised, as they noticed Hwaya only after I spoke with her. The two of them rudely pointed their fingers at Hwaya and shouted.


    ¡°T-That¡¯s Ye Hwaya, right? Ye Hwaya!¡±


    ¡°I saw her on TV!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my Korean name. Even though I¡¯m staying in Korea for now, I¡¯m British. Hwaya Mastiford. I¡¯m a Second Dungeon explorer and a friend of Shin.¡±


    Hwaya seemed to be ustomed to such reactions, as she introduced herself with a sigh. Ludia and Ye-Eun¡¯s response differed.


    ¡°Shin, you, when did you be friends with someone like her...? Uk, no, I¡¯mcking in all aspects...!¡±


    ¡°Palludia. I have a family name, but I¡¯m not using it right now. Shin is... my friend. For now.¡±


    At Hwaya¡¯s introduction, Ye-Eun wrapped her head with her hands and crouched down in agony, while Ludia made a light smile and puffed out her nonexistent chest to introduce herself. Eh? Ludia, she... Eh? When did she... Eh!?


    ¡°I see. Friend ¡®for now¡¯... Hm, okay. Nice to meet you.¡±


    Hwaya smiled lightly at Ludia and knocked on the airstairs next to her ne.


    ¡°Shin, no one else ising, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go. The skunk ne is going to depart soon. We can continue talking once we take off. We¡¯ll have to fly for at least 7 hours anyways.¡±


    While I was bewildered from Ludia¡¯s inexplicable change, Hwaya urged us to get on board. Ye-Eun also looked slightly out of touch with reality as she staggered up the stairs.


    ¡°I, I¡¯m on Ye Hwaya¡¯s personal ne...¡±


    ¡°Shin, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ludia linked her arms with mine and pulled me along. Now that I realized the change in Ludia, I shivered at the sensation I could feel with my arm. Dear god, there was no way this was artificial... It had to be natural! When I walked up the stairs as shocked as Ye-Eun and entered the ne, Hwaya, who walked by me, asked me in a whisper.


    ¡°So, there should only be six explorers on Earth. How do you exin bringing two explorers?¡±


    ¡°I can exinter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be sure to hear it when we¡¯re alone, so prepare yourself.¡±


    ¡°Shin!¡±


    When I was standing still listening to Hwaya, Ludia called my name and pulled on my arm. I made a bitter smile, and Hwayaughed with her eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Shin won¡¯t run away. You don¡¯t have to shout his name. Don¡¯t be so nervous.¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Hwaya and Ludia exchanged nces for a short moment. Was it a power struggle? Could this be the women¡¯s fight, which I only ever heard about? One that determines who¡¯s superior in their first meeting? Now that I thought about it, neither Ludia or Hwaya should have lost to anyone in appearance. Hwaya was famous on Earth for her beauty, and Ludia was regarded as one of the top beauties in the dungeon.


    It was almost impossible to objectively judge a person¡¯s appearance, but it would be hard for me to find anyone more beautiful than Hwaya and Ludia purely in appearance. Since the two of them met, it was probably normal for them to have their own thoughts about the matter.


    I flinched seeing them exchange nces, but I soon urged Ludia to keep going.


    ¡°Ludia, let¡¯s sit.¡±


    ¡°Un, wait... Mastiford. I don¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way, Palludia.¡±


    They both smiled. It was the kind of smile that emanated chills. Because their smiles were almost exactly the same, I almost got goosebumps. However, this atmosphere, which was as if Wendigo had used Ice Touch, was soon melted by a voice.


    ¡°Shin, there¡¯s a drinking bar here! Do you think there are fries too!?¡±


    ¡®Ye-Eun, I really like your never changing self...¡¯ With a sigh, I replied.


    ¡°You know, you didn¡¯t even introduce yourself to Hwaya yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. I¡¯m Su Ye-Eun. Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, nice to meet you too. I think I can get along with you.¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s an honor! Uu, but I feel conflicted...¡±


    Just like that, the four of us set off to Arizona. Ciara Kenex would be waiting for me at Antelope Canyon. Would she know that I¡¯d bring them along? Perhaps, she might with her special ability. With a grin, I leaned my head against the seat.


    Would I be at Arizona once I woke up? How did Ciara Kenex know I was the Hero? Does she know more about Heroes than me?


    Perhaps, she knew why and how I became the Hero.


    Thinking about questions that I had no way of answering for now, I slowly closed my eyes.


    I heard the rumble of the skunk ne taking off.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Awakening is amazing!


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    It is indeed...

 Chapter 127. Team Revival (1)

    Chapter 127. Team Revival (1)


    My first impression of Antelope Canyon was as such.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the Grand Canyon?¡±


    ¡°Shin, think about Windermere Lake. They say higher ranked dungeons go through greater terraforming.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s majestic...¡±


    ¡°Hm? Aren¡¯t all canyons this big?¡±


    The Antelope Canyon was known for its narrow passageways, formed by the erosion of sandstone, and the beam of light that shined down from above.


    However, the current Antelope Canyon was wide enough to y a game of ser, and its beautiful passageway had taken a strange formation. It wouldn¡¯t be weird if a golem popped out of it. Furthermore, it was incrediblyrge. I couldn¡¯t tell where the canyon ended. Though, perhaps the fact that it was curly night had something to do with it.


    ¡°Oh, who are they?¡±


    ¡°Hwaya Mastifor and Thunder Knight. They¡¯re famous. They¡¯re the ones who cleared Britain¡¯s Field Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Not even America can ignore them. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯de here though.¡±


    A few ability users were grouped in front of a car at the entrance of the canyon. I could clearly hear their whispers. It was the power of 300,000 gold.


    ¡°There are two more girls though. They¡¯re both wearing masks.¡±


    ¡°Thunder Knight¡¯s wearing a mask too. They¡¯re probably his friends.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not alone? I¡¯m getting more curious as to who he is.¡±


    ¡°They could be me Witch¡¯s subordinate. There is a rumor that Thunder Knight only appeared at Windermere because he was the me Witch¡¯s subordinate.¡±


    ¡°Shin, I¡¯ll go burn those idiots.¡±


    ¡°Just let them talk. We don¡¯t need to care about weaklings like them.¡±


    Unhappy with the ability users whispering to themselves, Hwaya created mes on her palm, but I calmed her down. I was looking for something else. A few months had passed since the Field Dungeon had been created. Just like at Graveyard Over the Lake, there were several buildings above the canyon, ruining its natural scenery. I suspected that the person waiting for me was in one of those buildings.


    As expected, not long after we arrived, a voice rang out in my head.


    [You came. I¡¯m happy. If it¡¯s okay, can we meet right away?]


    It was the voice of a young and frail girl. I remembered from her letter that she could use telepathy. However, I didn¡¯t know how to respond to her.


    [If it¡¯s okay, nod your head once.]


    I nodded my head. She answered immediately.


    [Come inside your lodging. Room 1301, I¡¯ll be waiting there.]


    With that, the telepathy cut off. I led mypanions looking at me curiously to the lodging, while I gave them an exnation.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been contacted by a telepathy. You guys didn¡¯t hear anything?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all.¡±


    ¡°Is it like the messaging system between dungeon explorers?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit different. The messages ring in my ear, but this one rings in my head.¡±


    ¡°Uk, that doesn¡¯t soundfortable.¡±


    There was no elevator in the building. In other words, we had to climb the stairs to the 13th floor. Since Ludia refused to unlink our arms, it was a bit ufortable, but Hwaya, who was wearing a long dress unsuitable for climbing stairs, seemed more irritated.


    ¡°Kuk, I don¡¯t like this girl...! Telling my friend toe and go as she wants, and even making me climb these stairs...!¡±


    ¡°Ludia, can you let go? It¡¯s hard to walk up the stairs like this.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Four blind spots, seventeen points... If I install traps here...¡±


    When I realized, Ye-Eun was analyzing the building and murmuring like some bomb expert. ¡®Damn, I want to pretend not to know these people!¡¯ Feeling the people¡¯s gazes piercing me every floor we went to, I med the heavens.


    When we arrived on the 13th floor, it was extremely quiet, unlike the floors we passed through. There was no one walking around, and the hallway even looked different. Hwaya tilted her head and looked back at the stairs to the 12th floor. Then, she pped once with a bright expression.


    ¡°This is a barrier. Anti-recognition barrier. A kind of conditional barrier.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but can you exin it in anguage I can understand?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a barrier that prevents people that don¡¯t know about the 13th floor from reaching the 13th floor.¡±


    It was truly a simple, yet extraordinary, barrier. Ye-Eun and I were only slightly surprised, but Ludia looked shocked as she asked Hwaya.


    ¡°Such a high-rank magic is being used like this?¡±


    ¡°High-rank? It¡¯s not that hard in the modern magic system.¡±


    ¡°Uuk....!¡±


    Without my knowledge, Ludia¡¯s losses were increasing. With a bitter smile, I knocked on room 1301 with them.


    [It¡¯s open, Hero-nim. Come in.]


    Why was she using telepathy when we were within audible range? I opened the door. Arge living room and, beyond the window, the Antelope Canyon transformed into arge canyon caught our eyes. We also saw several wyverns flying through the night sky and the ability users fighting against them.


    At the same time, we saw a little girl sitting on a chair.


    [Nice to meet you, Hero-nim and Hero-nim¡¯spanions.]


    The girl got up and bowed respectfully.


    [I am Ciara Kenex. You can call me Ciara.]


    With her introduction, I could immediately tell why she couldn¡¯t move her body easily. I shouted.


    ¡°You¡¯re a kid¡±


    [I¡¯m 12 years old this year. I¡¯m just a bit of ate bloomer.]


    ¡°A 12 year old is still a kid, you know...¡±


    Ye-Eun murmured in shock. Ludia and Hwaya also had surprised expressions. As for me, I noticed something else the moment I saw her.


    ¡°... Can you not see?¡±


    [I was born blind. At first, I couldn¡¯t hear or talk, but thankfully, my ears opened up as I grew.]


    Even as she greeted us, she had her eyes closed. I asked because of it, but I didn¡¯t think I would actually be correct. Was that why she was talking to us in telepathy? Thankfully, we could all hear her through telepathy. She could likely see us through an ability simr to her telepathy.


    As for her appearance, she was quite cute. It was a bit different than Koreans¡¯ ck hair, but her charming ck hair reached her waist in curls. With her small frame and white skin, she really looked like a doll.


    Hwaya made a look of pity at Ciara¡¯s words, but soon erased it. She likely thought it was rude. As if to erase the thought from her mind, Hwaya asked quickly.


    ¡°Alright, since you called Shin here, can you tell us why Shin is the Hero? I¡¯m quite curious too.¡±


    I already exined to Hwaya and Ye-Eun in the ne. Although they made fun of me at first, Ludia got mad and told them about her continent. After that, Hwaya and Ye-Eun were more worried than me. I knew how annoying and dangerous being a Hero was, but it seemed like someone else¡¯s problem until they began to make a big deal about it. As a result, even I felt a bit odd.


    [Hero-nim, are they...?]


    ¡°Yeah, you can trust them. Also, don¡¯t call me Hero-nim. Call me Shin.¡±


    [... Understood, Shin-nim. Then, I¡¯ll start from the beginning. From the moment I first awakened. It was 3 years ago...]


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Hwaya immediately interrupted her.


    ¡°Two Moon only happened a year and two months ago. 3 years? That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    [But I awakened 3 years ago.]


    ¡°What...?¡±


    Ye-Eun and I, who understood what she meant a bitte, were also shocked. What was she saying? She awakened before Two Moon? 2 years at that! Although Hwaya wanted to say something, I reached out and stopped her. I believed Ciara would exin.


    She also said she awakened from a premonition-like dream. She hade of age, and was standing next to me. There were also countless other people and giant enemies. In her dream, she taught people when and in what size monsters would appear, and how strong they would be. Resistance against the monsters were centered around her.


    [Perhaps because my ability is stillcking, but its range is only wide enough to cover a city.]


    ¡°That¡¯s an amazing ability, especially in this day and age, where even satellites are being shot down by monsters¡¯ attacks. If your ability can really grow to how it was in your dream...¡±


    [Hero-nim was the strongest and most radiant among them.]


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tter me.¡±


    [After that dream, I became more sensitive to human presence. I could feel their hostility towards me, how strong they were, how much potential they had... Of course, before Two Moon, there were no monsters in this world and no ability users, so it wasn¡¯t that useful.]


    That wasn¡¯t it. The day after she awakened her ability, she once again dreamt several hundred dreams.


    ¡°... Wait. Several hundred?¡±


    [Yes. In my dreams, I saw countless particles of light. There were countless number of oddities.]


    ¡°Countless oddities...?¡±


    [The dream continued. For 2 years, I saw and experienced hundreds of thousands of abilities. Worlds and environments other than Earth. They fought each other, demons, invaders, alien insects, bugs that lived in the mind, monsters that lived in electromaic waves, orcs with countless mutations, fallen group of dragons that lost their intelligence and others.]


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand...¡±


    No, I think I understood. The problem was that I understood. If she was telling the truth, it would be truly absurd.


    [One day, around early evening, I fell asleep. I had a dream, and I met someone who gave me a portion of power.]


    ¡°The world¡¯s power?¡±


    I said nkly. Damn, I felt like I understood. Although it sucked, I think I knew.


    [Our world¡¯s power is especiallyrge. He kept saying inexplicable things like the World of Origin or the World of End.]


    ¡°Who is he?¡±


    [I don¡¯t know. He could be the embodiment of the worlds, or perhaps just Earth. All I know is that he was worried about the monsters stealing this world¡¯s power and worried that people of Earth wouldn¡¯t have the power to resist them.]


    ¡°...¡±


    [So he separated the world¡¯s power into two. The smaller power, which was still necessary to maintain this world, was given to Hero-nim. The bigger power, which was more pure, was given to me. Of course, it was too big for me to bear it alone.]


    After hearing until there, I asked.


    ¡°You... created the ability users?¡±


    She answered.


    [Yes, Hero-nim.]


    Author¡¯s note:


    Huu, one secret has been revealed.


    Right, Ciara was young! (Bang!)


    I¡¯m kidding, of course. I¡¯m sure everyone understands that the secret I mentioned wasn¡¯t about that. In any case, with this, I hope no one asks if Ciara is a heroine...


    It¡¯s the start of a new chapter. Once the talk with Ciara is over, you¡¯ll see Shin and hispanions shining within wyverns and new ability users.


    I got a lot of criticisms about the girls¡¯ rtionshipsst chapter and also a lot of encouragements. I think everyone said it because they¡¯re fond of the story and its characters.


    As I said before, not everyone can be happy. There were good advices here and there, of course! Regardless... the story will take the direction I think is best.


    If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t like, that¡¯s unfortunate, but I hope you can continue to enjoy this novel. If there¡¯s one thing I can promise you, it¡¯s that I will be happy if you can continue with thiscking author.


    Then, see you tomorrow!

 Chapter 128. Team Revival (2)

    Chapter 128. Team Revival (2)


    Everyone was lost for words. However, I organized my thoughts and asked her a question.


    ¡°How did you choose them?¡±


    [I didn¡¯t choose them. They were already chosen. I simply picked the right dreams to send to the chosen ones. Though, I did have to use my precognitive power to read their future.]


    ¡°So it¡¯s you that decides whether someone awakens a D rank ability or an SS rank ability?¡±


    [No. Like I said before, it¡¯s important how well an ability suits its master. Plus, people have their own talents and limits. If they are given abilities that aren¡¯t suitable for them, it might end in tragedy. That¡¯s why it¡¯s important to choose which abilities go to who. If I give abilities to those who meet all the conditions, I¡¯m not left with many choices.]


    In other words, she wasn¡¯t as omnipotent as I thought. A sense of distance I felt from her had been reduced somewhat. However...


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t this ¡®being¡¯ do this task himself?¡±


    [I¡¯m not sure. It could have something to do with the world¡¯s power.]


    That was the most important part, but it seemed Ciara did not have the answer to it. While I was thinking over the things I heard, Ludia asked.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying, you¡¯re the one who gave me the power of the earth?¡±


    [Yes. I was surprised because someone who had to receive an ability suddenly appeared. But since I was certain, I gave you a suitable ability. It should be S+ rank.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Ludia became speechless. I understood where she wasing from. I asked Ciara once again.


    ¡°Why were you chosen? I mean, why was such a great authority and mission given to a young child like you?¡±


    [Hero-nim, that is the same as asking, ¡®Why am I the Hero?¡¯]


    ¡°You mean...¡±


    [I don¡¯t know either.]


    The moment I heard that, I felt strength leaving my body. Did I expect too much? My motivation plummeted. I wanted to go back home. When I staggered, Ludia silently held me.


    [Sorry. I don¡¯t know why Hero-nim and I were chosen.]


    ¡°I told you, call me Shin.¡±


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t tie yourself together with Shin. It¡¯s unpleasant.¡±


    I retorted, and Hwaya added apletely irrelevantment. Listening to her, I suddenly remembered that we had not talked about the most important thing.


    ¡°What was the reason you called me here? Was it to tell me your ability? To tell me how people awakened their abilities?¡±


    [That¡¯s part of the reason. I wanted to let Hero... Shin-nim know about my existence. You are the World¡¯s Core, entrusted with the world¡¯s power. You are someone who will lead all the Awakened and someone I should support from the side.]


    ¡°And what does this ¡®support¡¯ include?¡±


    She was most likely waiting for this question. Her face seemed to brighten. As she answered, I felt a hint of eagerness from her voice.


    [I have both funds and manpower prepared. I¡¯m ready to do anything for Hero-nim. Since Hero-nim has the qualification to lead all the Awakened, a new group will be created for that purpose! A group that is not tied to the government like Guardian, nor tied to money like Freedom Wing. A group solely to save the world!]


    ¡®Mm, I see.¡¯ I nodded and said, ¡°Go find someone else.¡±


    [Hero-nim?]


    ¡°I was wondering what you were going to say.¡±


    Because it was more boring than I thought, I lost all interest. With a snort, I turned around.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, guys.¡±


    ¡°Shin, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired... I want to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the person in charge? I hope he can get each of us our own room. Shin, want to drink before sleep?¡±


    [Wait, Hero-nim! You¡¯re going to go back?]


    Ciara stopped me. Without turning around, I replied.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m going to party here. I¡¯m curious how wyverns look like.¡±


    [In that case, can we meet tomorrow to talk? We have to discuss things in more detail! I have a lot of data organized.]


    ¡°Sorry, but I heard everything I needed to. Like I said, you should go find someone else.¡±


    [Hero-nim!]


    ¡°My name is Shin. Plus... I don¡¯t need something like that. I hate only bothersome things. Leading all Awakened? Like you said there are two organizations that move with money or government orders, so you should ask them instead.¡±


    [But this is something Hero-nim needs! Soon, dungeons will be mass created, and the monsters¡¯ threats will be greater! Hero-nim will be the first one they will aim for! To protect Hero-nim...]


    ¡°Dungeons will be mass created soon?¡±


    Now that she mentioned in, she did say something about the second wave in her letter. It seemed she was talking about Event Dungeons. Telling myself to take note, I replied.


    ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll protect my own body. You want me to gather ability users to protect myself and y Hero? I¡¯m not interested. Don¡¯t make mee and go for something like this again. I¡¯ll let it slide this time since I wanted to visit the Wyvern¡¯s Nest anyways.¡±


    [Hero-nim!]


    ¡°I have a lot to say, but since you have a lot to learn, I won¡¯t say anything. See you. Ah, one more thing...¡±


    [Yes, Hero-nim?]


    I turned around. Even though she couldn¡¯t see with her eyes, she must have realized I turned around with her ability as she fixed her posture on the chair and raised her head.


    ¡°What do you think about the dungeon?¡±[1. In Korean, singr and plural nouns aren¡¯t distinguished frequently (which is also why it¡¯s tricky to trante sometimes). In this case, Shin is asking about ¡°the dungeon¡± (as in First, Second, etc. Dungeons). Ciara is understanding it to be the ¡°dungeons¡± that will be created on Earth]


    [If they aren¡¯t taken care of quickly, they will cause harm to this world. If Hero-nim leads the dungeon subjugation, you will be able to quickly gather support and...]


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    With that, I left the room. Hwaya, Ludia, and Ye-Eun read the atmosphere and also left without saying anything. I could hear Ciara trying to contact me with her telepathy, but it was cut off when I raised my mana. In the end, her telepathy was an ability that interfered with its target. If I wanted, I could easily defend myself from it.


    While walking down to the 12th floor, I quietly said, ¡°As I thought, she doesn¡¯t know about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I thought she would.¡±


    ¡°But if you think about it, she never appeared in our dreams either.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she can¡¯t see the dungeon with her ability.¡±


    ¡®Even though she could see other worlds?¡¯ I asked inwardly. When we were about halfway down the stairs, Hwaya, who was walking down on my right, said with worry.


    ¡°Shin, the Kenex family is one of the most powerful families in America. It¡¯s probably true that she has the funds and manpower. I don¡¯t know how much her family will support her, but this could be an important opportunity. After all, what she said wasn¡¯t wrong... Plus, she has information about you. This might be more dangerous than you being the Hero.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not that type of person. She won¡¯t tell others the secrets she knows.¡±


    I was certain. It was a special privilege to know that I¡¯m the Hero. She said that she was ¡®chosen¡¯, while equating herself with me. It could have been to instill the idea that we were natural allies, but she was incredibly proud about it. It sounded like she was putting herself and me in a special positionpared to others. It was the exactly something kids her age would think of.


    As such, she would never tell someone about me. She won¡¯t give others a chance to intervene. Of course, even if she did...


    ¡°I hate doings things ording to others¡¯ ns. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.¡±


    Create an organization because the manpower was there? It was something elementary school kids would say. Though, I couldn¡¯t say anything since she really was an elementary school kid. Although I had forgotten about it because of her mature way of talking, Ciara was a kid. It was obvious from how she reacted when I didn¡¯t respond the way she thought that I would.


    I was never thankful of the fact that I became a Hero. I didn¡¯t know who made me a Hero or why, but I didn¡¯t like that he left this heavy burden on me without saying a thing, and it was extremely irritating that he did so without my consent. If we ever met, I would punch him in the face. I had no intention of feeling responsible as a Hero since I never asked for it.


    Additionally, I didn¡¯t like Ciara¡¯s idea that I had to lead everyone and protect myself because I became an existence that was not allowed to die. In the end, it meant I should sacrifice others to protect myself. It was exactly the kind of thing I hated.


    I will get strong. So that no matter whoes after me to obtain this power inside me, I can send them flying with my own strength. Since the world ended when the Hero died, everyone should cooperate with me? That was why the Heroes had high charm? Fuck that.


    Damn, because I met an irritating person and talked about irritating things, I ended up getting irritated.


    There was only one way to relieve my stress. It was to go wild.


    ¡°You guys should go look for our housing. I need to stop by somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    Ye-Eun tilted her head and asked. On the other hand, Hwaya looked like she knew what I meant.


    ¡°You... At this time of day?¡±


    ¡°Stupid, don¡¯t you know night fishing is the best?¡±


    With that, I left them. Seeing Ye-Eun block Ludia, who was trying to chase after me, I gave her a thumbs up. Then, I headed straight to the canyon.


    Obviously, wyverns were flying monsters. They had scales stronger than steel with wingspan that easily reached 20 meters. Their ws were strong enough to break diamonds. They could be thought of as miniature versions of dragons that appeared in western fantasies.


    They were strong and tough enough to be called dragons. They even breathed fire. Plus, they quickly soared through the sky and snatched up their prey. Even experienced martial artists had difficulty responding to their crafty movements. It was hard to shoot them down with magic, and it took forever to take them down with melee weapons. It was understandable that the Field Dungeon stayed uncleared even though several months had passed since the Graveyard Over the Lake was cleared.


    Even in the dead of night, the wyverns¡¯ hunting continued. Ability users were also running around frantically, trying to protect their own lodging and ordinary citizens living in a city not far from here. Since they were likely all S ranked or higher, I couldn¡¯t fathom just what percentage of the world¡¯s rankers were here.


    Equipping my armor, putting on my cape, and putting down my helmet¡¯s visor, Ipletely concealed my appearance. Then, I joined the ability users.


    ¡°Hey, this is a S rank Field Dungeon! Entering alone is strictly prohibited!¡±


    ¡°Wait, I saw that red armor somewhere.¡±


    ¡°He... He¡¯s Thunder Knight!¡±


    ¡°Thunder Knight? Why is he alone? I heard the me Witch came with him.¡±


    People who noticed me opened a path as they tilted their heads. With a grin, I stepped into the canyon. The canyon, which was only wide enough for a few people to walk side by side, had been widened so much that the entire business department could walk side by side. There were already several surveince devices andrge headlights to light up the darkness. I could also see numerous ability users ready to fight wyverns whenever they appeared.


    I had Tria. With it, I could freely fly for 30 minutes per day. However, since I wasn¡¯t nning on hunting wyverns for 30 minutes only, I couldn¡¯t solely rely on Tria. Looking at the wyverns flying in the sky far away, I called my elementals.


    ¡°Ruyue, you should leave the egg there.¡±


    [Okay...]


    Ruyue went to return the egg in Fairy Garden with a sad expression. Meanwhile, I infused Peika into my gauntlet. My affinity with Peika grew day by day ever since I obtained Zeus¡¯ true name. Now, just by having Peika infuse into my gauntlet, it radiated golden brilliance and flickered with threatening sparks. People watching me flinched and took several steps back.


    [I left it! Now, hug me!]


    ¡°Ruyue,e inside my boots.¡±


    [I¡¯m not materializing?]


    ¡°You can¡¯t fly.¡±


    [Kukuku, serves you right!]


    Ruyue infused herself into my boots with a sad expression, while Peika sneered at her. Thinking how friendly they were, I looked up at the sky again. At that moment, a red-scaled wyvern that was flying through the sky suddenly began to descend swiftly. By the sh in its eyes, it seemed it discovered me. People nearby began to scatter, and some of them contacted others with their radio.


    ¡°Alpha Area 3-7, a wyvern descended! Again, Alpha Area 3-7, a wyvern descended! It¡¯s alone, and is aiming for Thunder Knight! Requesting immediate reinforcement!¡±


    ¡®You guys are so nice!¡¯ I was pleasantly surprised. Technically, I was only a fool that walked into a restricted area and drew a wyvern¡¯s aggro. Thinking rather useless things, I bent my knees. The wyvern was extremely fast. It seemed it would reach me in about 2 seconds.


    However, it was no match for me.


    ¡°Divine Speed!¡±


    The moment I activated Divine Speed, I jumped with full force. With how long I spent my time grinding through the dungeon, I could easily leap dozens of meters into the air. With the addition of Divine Speed, I was in front of the wyvern in less than 0.5 seconds. ring at the wyvern blinking its eyes extremely slowly, I pulled my fist back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even need a second to kill you! Tempest!¡±


    Centered around my fist containing formidable lightning energy, a small yet powerful whirpool raged. As Peruta Circuit¡¯s level increased, the power of the whirlpool increased. I shot out my fist without a shred of hesitation. Under the effect of Divine Speed, my fist struck the wyvern¡¯s head faster than a typhoon.


    [Critical Hit!]


    With a lucky critical hit, the wyvern¡¯s head exploded. I burned the sshing brain with lightning energy and smiled. Feeling the pent up irritation disappearing, I shouted so that my voice could reach the entire canyon.


    ¡°Come at me, you damned flying lizards!!¡±


    The night hunt was only now starting!


    Author¡¯s note:


    Shin is a bit strong now. He has Peika and Ruyue¡¯s power, and even learned (recently) that Peruta Circuit could be used in Martial Arts Technique. With that, it shouldn¡¯t be hard for Shin to clear an S rank Field Dungeon.


    Next chapter is the start of the subjugation of Wyvern¡¯s Nest. Look forward to Shin¡¯s party and other rankers!

 Chapter 129. Team Revival (3)

    Chapter 129. Team Revival (3)


    I¡¯ve been thinking about something for a while, and I realized it was possible during my fights against the Wendigo. It was that I could stay in the air using Ruyue¡¯s power.


    Of course, it would be best if Ruyue could fly, but she was a wolf. She did not have wings, so she could not fly. Even so, I wanted to freely move in the sky. Tria¡¯s duration was too short. I needed a more consistent and longsting method.


    What I thought of was to infuse Ruyue into my boots. With my proficiency in Spirit Aura and affinity with Ruyue, I could freeze anything my boots touched. It might only seem useful when I attacked with my feet, but there was another purpose. With it, I would be able to walk on air. Using Spirit Aura, I would freeze a portion of the air below my feet, creating a temporary step out of ice. Once I stepped off, I would take away the elemental power and the temporary step would disappear. That way, I wouldn¡¯t use much mana, and once I got used to it, I would be able to stay in midair for a long time. I considered making a hoverboard out of ice and controlling it with Ruyue¡¯s power, but I gave up since that would consume too much mana.


    At first, I wasn¡¯t sure if it would work well, but there was no problem when I tested it. With Spirit Aura, I could urately create circr steps where my feet touched. By leaping from off of them and retrieving the mana from the steps I already created, the ice would lose the power to maintain itself and disappear. I realized it was quite simple and convenient. Plus, it felt really good. I could fly in the sky without any restraints! Though, in order to not waste mana, I couldn¡¯t walk, only jump to cover more distance.


    In any case, thanks to this realization, I could freely go wild at the Wyvern¡¯s Nest.


    ¡°Th... Thunder Knight is...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s walking on air. Is that his ability, too?¡±


    ¡°Look under his feet. He¡¯s stepping on something. It¡¯s hard to see because it¡¯s night, but it shines when you expose it to light.¡±


    Spotting a wyvern flying through the sky, I once again kicked off the ice step. It also saw me and flew toward me while breathing fire. I quickly created an ice step and jumped.


    [Guaaaa!]


    The wyvern cut off its fire and looked up. Then, it started breathing fire again. I charged into it. Although I roused Ruyue¡¯s power and created a barrier using her freezing energy, I couldn¡¯tpletely block the wyvern¡¯s mes. I could feel my armor getting hot. If I was in the dungeon, I could probably see my HP falling.


    Without paying it much attention, I sent my fist inside its mouth.


    [Kuhak!]


    The wyvern made a strange cry and tried to spit out my fist, but I wrapped my other arm around its neck and concentrated my mana in my fist.


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Thunder Bomb!]


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    The shock of the lightning explosion caused the wyvern¡¯s mes to cease. Thanks to Ruyue, my armor, which had gotten hot enough to cook eggs, cooled down. Meanwhile, I pushed my fist deeper into its mouth.


    ¡°Die! Tempest!¡¯


    [Thunder Bomb!]


    Tempest and Thunder Bomb were mixed together. The mana whirlpool, which had reached a certain level of attainment, took in Thunder Bomb and transformed into a violent lightning storm. Immediately afterwards, the wyvern¡¯s head exploded into pieces. Hah, what was this incredibly refreshing feeling...?


    [You created the skill, ¡®Thunder Tempest¡¯! By adding strong lightning¡¯s explosive force to the whirlpool created by Peruta Circuit, you can deliver a deadly blow to your target! Unlike Elemental Tempest, which strengthened the whirlpool with nearby elementals, Thunder Tempest is powered by lightning elemental power and focuses its destructive force in a small area. By using at least 5% of your mana, it deals a powerful lightning attribute explosion damage to your target. By adding more mana, you can increase its destructive force. As the skill¡¯s creator, the skill level is adjusted to mid-rank level 2.]


    [You created a skill! Thunder Tempest is a variation of Elemental Tempest. While it¡¯s more suited for one-on-one battles, it maintains an overwhelming destructive force. This skill, which shows its creator¡¯s high level of attainment in Peruta Circuit and elemental magic, contains a destructive force that no one can ignore. You obtained 1 skill point as reward. Current skill points: 3]


    I knew it! I had really created a new skill. I didn¡¯t know mixing Tempest and Thunder Bomb would create such a powerful skill. Wait, I could probably use this with a spear too! My excitement grew from the unexpected skill and the skill point I obtained.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue.¡±


    I grinned inside my helmet. If I could relieve my frustration, I didn¡¯t care what came my way. As I was now, I felt like I could destroy everything.


    ¡°Get over here, you damned lizards!!¡±


    [You used Provoke! Nearby enemies¡¯ hostility bes fixed onto you!]


    My shout, which rang out through the entire canyon, even caused other people to react.


    ¡°Eh? Was Thunder Knight French?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? He just spoke in German.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, that was Japanese.¡±


    Well, as long as I had the choker on, I would get found out anyways. You guys can think however you want!


    I grinned on the ice step I was standing on. Creating whirlpools mixed with lightning on both hands, I mmed them together. The wyverns were getting closer. Tomorrow, I would have an enjoyable wyvern meat party.


    Until 6 A.M., I waspletely absorbed with hunting wyverns. In the end, I managed to hunt almost 70 wyverns by myself. When Inded after killing thest wyvern, people began to murmur.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t that strong when he was in Britain.¡±


    ¡°He was strong, but not as strong as them.¡±


    ¡°But now...¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an SS ranker.¡±


    On the other hand, there were some who came to talk to me directly. It was a Caucasian man, who seemed to be part of America¡¯s Guardian. He was wearing an armor engraved with Guardian¡¯s emblem.


    ¡°I¡¯m America¡¯s S ranker, John Smith.¡±


    ¡°John Smith?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my real name.¡±


    That was the fake name I wanted! How unfortunate. I wanted to be called John Smith instead of something strange like T.K. John Smith, who had be the target of my envy, pointed at the wyvern I just fell and asked.


    ¡°If you¡¯d like, we can collect the wyverns you hunted for you. Of course, we won¡¯t do anything else.¡±


    ¡°Why? That seems too good of an offer.¡±


    I had nned on letting Hwaya collect themter with her usual extradimensional storage excuse, but I tilted my head at the unexpected offer.


    ¡°It the least we can do. You came to America from a foreign country and reduced the number of wvyerns greatly in a single night. Taking care of the monster corpses should be the least we can do to thank you for your work.¡±


    ¡°Ah... I see.¡±


    Now that I thought about it, it made sense. In any case, I was happy that there was less work for me to do. Collecting all 70 wyverns would have been tedious, but since they should be able to monitor the entire canyon, they should be able to do it quicker.


    ¡°Hm, then you guys can have 10 of them.¡±


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t make the offer to get any benefits.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯ll be to thank you for your work. Will 10 be enough?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than enough. Wyverns are rare monsters, so we hunt however many we can. If you¡¯d like to sell the other 60, we¡¯ll pay a generous amount for them.¡±


    For the record, he said each wyverns were over 2.3 million dors. In Korean won, that was 2.5 billion won. Geez, they were a billion won more expensive than the melting tunas! Wait, doesn¡¯t that mean I just made over 180 billion won? No matter how much money I made, I never used it, so I didn¡¯t realize just how much it was. For a moment, I thought, ¡®Was giving 10 away too much?¡¯ I should have asked for the price first! However, as a ranker, it was unsightly to ask for them back.


    I asked while trying to calm myself.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll sell 20 of them for now.¡±


    ¡°Understood. We can talk about the details in the afternoon after getting some rest. Of course, we¡¯ll collect all the wyvern corpses until then.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    I returned to the lodging. Even though I cleansed myself of the wyverns¡¯ blood and flesh with Ruyue¡¯s power, it was impossible to dodge thempletely. The Guardian employee at the lobby became startled when he saw me, and led me to the shower room. As expected of a ce for rankers, there were private shower rooms for each. I could finally take my mask off.


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    Even though I relieved my stress using the wyverns, I was reminded of what happenedst night under the hot shower water. The shocked Ciara, and Hwaya who looked at me with worry. Ludia wasn¡¯t in a state to talk about Heroes and Ye-Eun was worried about me, but Hwaya was different.


    She considered Ciara¡¯s offer realistically and asked if I was okay with refusing her. She knew how dangerous being a Hero was, and thought it was better for the world and for my safety to ept her offer.


    ¡°Organization, huh...¡±


    It would be a lie if I said I never considered it. It would be a lie if I said I never considered myself in the shoes of other continents¡¯ Heroes, who fought against their worlds¡¯ enemies as their worlds¡¯ cores.


    It was irritating and ufortable in that it was an unavoidable future, but it was also something exciting, cool, and mystical that every boy dreamed of. A man fighting with the world¡¯s fate on the line. It was quite clich¨¦. Plus, it wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t like being safer. I wasn¡¯t that stupid.


    I didn¡¯t want to die. I was worried about my family, friends, Ludia who was relying on me, and... Loretta, who would be hurt.


    There were many things I had to protect. Many people I loved and many that loved me back.


    That was why I was even more afraid.


    That I¡¯d use countless number of people just because the world¡¯s fate was on the line. That many people would die to protect me. I was afraid of the blood that would flow under the name of Hero.


    I was afraid. It was disgusting and fearful.


    As such...


    ¡°I have to get strong.¡±


    I had to get stronger. Strong enough to crush everything with my own strength.


    I remembered Luka continent.


    In face of the world¡¯s ruin, I remembered the people who joined hands with the demons to save themselves.


    In face of the world¡¯s ruin, I remembered the emperor, who sacrificed his life for those who had not enjoyed their life to their fullest.


    If the Hero didn¡¯t die, such things wouldn¡¯t have happened. Traitors wouldn¡¯t have had to join hands with the demons to save themselves, and the emperor could have put his life on the line for the future, not the present. However, the Hero died, and the world fell. My friend despaired and her parents died a dog¡¯s death.


    As such, Earth¡¯s Hero will not die. He was not allowed to. To not die, he had to get stronger. Overwhelming so, as to not create meaningless deaths.


    I turned off the shower head. I wiped my body with a towel and pondered. I thought about a way to solve this problem.


    I couldn¡¯t think of anything. As always.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Shin is not perfect as a main character, both physically and mentally. You could say he¡¯s still inexperienced, but it won¡¯t stay that way forever.


    He thought the dungeon only as a ce where he could get stronger. In face of reality, that will slowly change. What awaits him, what decisions he will make, please wait and see. You will not be disappointed.

 Chapter 130. Team Revival (4)

    Chapter 130. Team Revival (4)


    After taking a shower, I got dressed and went to the lobby, where I saw Hwaya sitting by herself on a table and drinking. It was whiskey. Because I felt like my hair wasn¡¯t dry yet, I thought about taking off my mask to dry my hair, but I was then surprised when I saw her.


    ¡°What are you doing here so early in the morning!?¡±


    ¡°Someone stood me upst night, so I¡¯m here drinking in the morning to make up for it.¡±


    ¡°What, I already told you that I was going to be out hunting.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d stay there the whole night. Do you know how hard it was to make that girl sleep? I was with Ye-Eun too. I really didn¡¯t think you¡¯d hunt wyverns the entire night...¡±


    Hwaya pouted. With a shrug, I apologized and sat across the table. Hwaya, who was staring at me fixedly, then asked.


    ¡°I want to see your face. I want to know what expression you¡¯re making.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°With how strong you are, you can probably show yourself... Are you still afraid?¡±


    At Hwaya¡¯s provocative smile, I snorted and took a sip from the bottle of whiskey. My strengthened body barely reacted to the alcohol. Putting the bottle down, I responded.


    ¡°I won¡¯t fall for provocations.¡±


    ¡°How rude. You stole my drink. Plus, you¡¯re a coward.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the reason you¡¯re drinking whiskey alone where everyone can see you?¡±


    At my question, Hwaya grinned and messaged me.


    [I didn¡¯t think I could say it when I was with the others. I wanted to say itst night, but you stood me up.]


    [Yeah, yeah. I already apologized. So, what is it? Ciara Kenex?]


    [No, Palludia.]


    ¡°Uk.¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s eyes were shining strangely.


    [That girl is weird. You didn¡¯t exin yesterday. What¡¯s her problem? Why is she so obsessed with you? I haven¡¯t seen a girl like her in a while.]


    [So there are people like her?]


    [That¡¯s another story. Did something happen in the world you went to as a Dimensional Mercenary? Did she be like that because her world fell? What happened?]


    [Mm, sorry. It¡¯s a secret.]


    [Hey.]


    [Sorry, but I don¡¯t think I should tell you, or anyone else for that matter.]


    ¡°... Hu.¡±


    Hwaya let out a sigh. She raised her cup to take a drink, but she realized that it was empty. She reached towards the bottle of whiskey, but I took it away before she could get it.


    ¡°Your constitution isn¡¯t that strong. Stop before you get drunk. Do you even want to drink something I drank with my mouth?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good...¡±


    Hwaya sighed again and took her hand off her ss.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s stop drinking. Sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have asked you so suddenly. I was just feeling impatient, unlike my usual self. It was justpletely unexpected, so I was surprised.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason for it, so try to understand.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll try, though I probably won¡¯t seed.¡±


    ¡°How honest.¡±


    I smiled. Hwaya also smiled and continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    [Ciara Kenex too?]


    [... Yeah.]


    Hwaya stared at me for a while, but soon got up while smiling.


    [Alright, I¡¯ll trust you. I was hesitating too, since it would getplicated if the Kenex family intervened. Plus, if there¡¯s an enemy you can¡¯t handle, I doubt anyone from the Kenex family could help.]


    [This is what you really wanted to talk about, right?]


    ¡°It¡¯s both. They¡¯re both important to me. Anyways, let¡¯s go wake them up and go out for breakfast. I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    Hwaya answered nonchntly and left. Looking at her back as she walked away, I thought that it was a miracle that I got to know her.


    The moment Ludia opened her eyes, she jumped on my arm, but since she had to get changed, I got her off with Hwaya and Ye-Eun¡¯s help. As this continued, I hoped her symptoms would slowly disappear. Once she changed, she clung to my arm again, making me somewhat doubtful. After we had breakfast, we went straight to the Field Dungeon. I wasn¡¯t particrly tired and neither were mypanions.


    ¡°Shin, I can¡¯t fly in the air like you, so what should I do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see once we get there. Also, make sure not to call me by my name. If you need to, use the dungeon¡¯s message system.¡±


    I could hunt the wyverns alone, but most melee-range fighters could not do so. Most of the Awakened scattered around the Field Dungeon were members of the American Guardian. They watched over and reported the slightest changes in the dungeon. When wyverns descended, they called nearby parties and hunted them together.


    Those that hunted wyverns more actively always had long-ranged attackers with close-ranged attackers. They first drew the wyverns toward them with long-ranged attacks and had the close-ranged attackers fight them. However, since the wyverns here seemed capable ofmunicating with each other, they would have to fight two wyverns at once if they were unlucky. As such, most parties didn¡¯t hunt by themselves and cooperated with the other countries¡¯ ability users.


    Some ability users, however, gave up the ground to fight the wyverns in the sky. They rode in helicopters to fight them.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that more dangerous?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called an attack helicopter, but yeah, that sounds more dangerous.¡±


    Once hit by the wyverns¡¯ mes, a helicopter would just be a chunk of scrap metal. Even attack helicopters, made from monster materials for the purpose of hunting monsters, could not withstand the wyverns¡¯ mes for long. If wyverns headbutted, wed, or bit the helicopter, it would go down sooner.


    As such, when fighting a wyvern on a helicopter, the party had to consist of ideal members. One long-ranged attacker, one defense magic user to protect the helicopter from the wyvern¡¯s attacks, and one close-ranged attack who had the maneuverability to jump on the wyvern to take its life and jump back to safety. As that would take time, it was better to have two close-range attackers.


    ¡°Are there teams like that?¡±


    ¡°One or two from what I could tell. Most of the others fight on the ground with the method I told you about.¡±


    Seeing is believing, or so the saying went. In the Field Dungeon¡¯s sky, we could clearly see two helicopters flying around and fighting the wyverns. I couldn¡¯t say they were fast, but they were at least faster than the parties on the ground, who could only wait for wyverns toe near them. Of course, they were iparably slower than I wasst night. Plus, the moment they made a mistake, the helicopter would fall. I heard helicopters made with monster materials cost over 150 billion won, so one of those things had to kill at least 60 wyverns to make up for its cost... Though, that wasn¡¯t exactly true since they could get lucky and find Mana Stones in the wyverns. After all, a Mana Stone from wyverns were about 10 billion won.


    Since even S rankers had such difficulty fighting them, it was no wonder that the Wyvern¡¯s Nest was taking so long to get cleared. At first, they employed many methods to hunt the wyverns more easily, but mechanical devices were destroyed and magical devices were broken from the wyverns¡¯ high mana resistance. In the end, only ability users were left to toil. Although I had not experienced it myself, when I thought about all the proud rankers having difficulty hunting wyverns, I couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for them.


    ¡°There should be other people who can use ice steps. Or wind steps, maybe.¡±


    ¡°Most ice or wind ability users that are S ranked or above are long-ranged types. There¡¯s no way they would fly in the sky and put themselves in danger.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t they fly together with close-range attackers?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll end up falling to death after running out of mana!¡¯


    Hwaya shouted and stopped my rude imagination. Then, after looking at how people were hunting the wyverns for a bit, she asked.


    ¡°Can we rent a helicopter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bicycle, you know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±


    ¡°Uhuk!?¡±


    When I turned around, John Smith was there. With an amiable smile, he answered.


    ¡°I came to talk about the average cost of wyverns and the ones you¡¯ve chosen to sell. Since you were asking something I could answer, I did so.¡±


    ¡°T-Thanks. Let¡¯s start with the wyverns.¡±


    ¡°Yes. In truth, wyverns are different in sizes and quality of the skin. Most of their skin were in perfect shape, though I can¡¯t say the same for their heads. You are truly amazing. Since the size of the wyverns change their cost, Thunder Knight-nim will have to choose which wyverns to sell.¡±


    We then went to the area where the wyverns I huntedst night were gathered. Large wyverns over 20 meters long were piled up on top of each other. It was quite the sight. Because of the mountain of wyvern corpses, sunlight couldn¡¯t even reach us.


    ¡°You hunted all this by yourself...!?¡±


    ¡°I expected as much, but...¡±


    Ye-Eun eximed in surprise and Hwaya spoke with a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°We chose the cheapest wyverns for the ten you have chosen to give us. If you¡¯re curious, we could bring them back and show you. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to move them again.¡±


    ¡°Plus, most of their heads were blown up. If you obtained any Mana Stones, we would love to buy them too.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I have my own uses for them.¡±


    I would get more than enough money from selling the wyverns¡¯ corpses anyways. If they were willing to pay so much for the wyverns¡¯ corpses and Mana Stones, it meant they had appropriate uses for them. In that case, they would be highly valued in the dungeon as well. I wanted to first secure the Mana Stones and the wyverns¡¯ corpses. I might have to visit Lin soon.


    I sold 20 wyverns on the spot for over 60 billion won. Since I didn¡¯t have an ount for ability users other than the one for Yeon Hwawoo, they created an ount for me with the 60 billion won. That said, I didn¡¯t know where to spend all this money. Maybe I should fill the swimming pool in Marianne¡¯s Garden with shrimp crackers...


    Plus, we could rent an attack helicopter for free. After hearing it was 130 million dors, I felt a bit hesitant.


    ¡°Well, if there¡¯s any problem, I could just buy it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate by barrier.¡±


    With Hwaya and Ludia¡¯s double attack, I got on the helicopter. Ye-Eun, who considered 100 million won to be an enormous sum, trembled and got on with a frown. Now that she was a high-ranking ability user, I knew her sense of money would change eventually. In a way, it was sad.


    ¡°We should make a team name too!¡±


    Once the helicopter took off, Ye-Eun made a excited suggestion. Ludia seemed to agree as well. It seemed she was obsessed with making connections with people.


    Surprisingly, Hwaya supported it as well.


    ¡°Right, it¡¯s good for fostering a sense of camaraderie and for letting other knows who we are.¡±


    ¡°Are there other famous parties?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Guardian¡¯s team names oftene up on mass media, and it¡¯s the same from Freedom Wing. Rogue teams get paid ording to how famous they are, not the ranking of their team members.¡±


    [Shin, you should really show more interest in other people.]


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but that¡¯s because I only care about people who are important to me.¡±


    I acknowledged what Ye-Eun messaged. Then, Hwaya swung the staff she was holding at my forehead. I, of course, blocked it with my hands.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be proud, idiot. If you keep living like a child, you¡¯ll be dead before you even realize.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a problem... but I don¡¯t have much free time.¡±


    Climbing the dungeon every day, going to university, and training... I was especially busytely. I had my excuses, but I should really expand my horizon like Hwaya said...


    When I showed signs of self-reflection, Hwaya took back her staff.


    ¡°Revival.¡±


    Ludia announced.


    ¡°It has to be Revival.¡±


    ¡°Revival? That¡¯s unexpected. Why?¡±


    [That¡¯s the guild he made.]


    [Guild!? Shin, you made a guild? Don¡¯t you need a mansion!?]


    [Ah, yeah. I do have one, so I took the opportunity to make a guild.]


    [I want in! Let me in Shin¡¯s guild!]


    [I thought you¡¯d say that. Go ahead. You¡¯ll probably cry if I refuse.]


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    Ye-Eun bounced in joy inside the helicopter. Since the pilot couldn¡¯t hear our messages, he was probably weirded out by the strange flow of our conversation. On the other hand, Hwaya didn¡¯t look happy.


    [If it¡¯s First Dungeon¡¯s guild, I can¡¯t enter it...! No, wait, I should have been the one to create a guild... But I don¡¯t have a mansion!]


    [Mm... Right, sorry, Hwaya.]


    [No, I¡¯ll be a First Dungeon explorer for sure. Kuk, since I don¡¯t have a mansion, I¡¯ll have to enter your guild... Kuuk!]


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go with Revival for the team name.¡±


    Hwaya looked unhappy that she couldn¡¯t be the leader, but she still agreed on the team name. ¡®You learned to swallow your pride. You matured, Hwaya...!¡¯


    [We can make you the team¡¯s leader, Hwaya.]


    [No, it¡¯s fine. It would look weird if I¡¯m the leader. Besides, you gathered the members, so you should be the leader. But if you ever give me the position of the guild leader, I¡¯ll be the team leader too!]


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen...¡¯ I thought about it, then realized it was Hwaya¡¯s way of acknowledging me as the leader. In a way, she got embarrassed easily.


    Just like that, we became Team Revival. When we yelled hurrah with a sense of camaraderie, the helicopter pilot suddenly shouted.


    ¡°There¡¯s a wyverning straight toward us!¡±


    Tell us earlier!


    ¡°O Mitarus! O Earth!¡±


    Ludia quickly created a barrier around the helicopter. The wyvern that appeared in front of the helicopter began to breath out fire. However, it could not prate Ludia¡¯s barrier. In anger, it tried to use physical attacks, as it folded its wings and flew toward the helicopter. Although Ludia said it would be fine, I was slightly worried whether her barrier could withstand the wyvern¡¯s attack. I immediately prepared myself to jump out of the helicopter.


    However, before the wyvern could reach the helicopter, the sound of a machine gun rang out like the one I heard in movies. Along with it, the wyvern became a beehive. Without even screaming, the wyvern fell to the ground. I was astonished.


    ¡°... A gun? Against a monster?¡±


    ¡°I heard about it before. It should be...¡±


    When Hwaya looked up, murmuring in a surprised voice, we saw a helicopter approaching us. It was a helicopter just like ours, but it was letting out a ck luster. Plus, the machine gun attached under the helicopter was smoking as if it just fired. I was certain that it was that machine gun that killed the wyvern.


    ... But how? Guns shouldn¡¯t be able to kill wyverns, or most monsters with mana for that matter! While I was trying to figure out how it was possible, the ck helicopter¡¯s window opened and a young man peeked his head out. He had ck skin color and ck hair with white teeth that shone under the sunlight. His smile was especially charming.


    ¡°Hey, guys[1. This was in English]! Don¡¯t forget to buy me a drink when yound!¡±


    It was my first meeting with America¡¯s SS ranker, Leon Pepper.


    Author¡¯s note:


    America¡¯s SS ranker, Leon Pepper, has appeared! If you say, ¡®Hey, you said you can¡¯t kill monsters with guns!¡¯ I can only say, ¡®He¡¯s the exception!¡¯ Look forward to finding out his ability and finding out what happens.


    PS ¨C ¡®Hey, guys!¡¯ Was in English. Why? To add character! That¡¯s it...


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    Hey guys, I identify as an attack helicopter. Please no me...

 Chapter 131. Team Revival (5)

    Chapter 131. Team Revival (5)


    ¡°Thanks for the help, but we could have killed it too.¡±


    Hwaya responded with a snort, and the young man made an exmation of surprise.


    ¡°Hwaya Mastiford, Britain¡¯s SS ranker! I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be here! Nice to meet you. I¡¯m America¡¯s SS ranker, Leon Pepper!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±


    Hwaya became flustered at his overly high-tension greeting and nodded her head. I messaged her.


    [Do you know about America¡¯s SS ranker?]


    [I¡¯ve heard rumors. I know America¡¯s SS ranker is African-American.]


    After answering me, Hwaya greeted Leon Pepper.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue on the groundter. We¡¯re in the middle of our enemies¡¯ territory right now.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Alright, then we¡¯ll have to take care of them quickly! See you in a bit!¡±


    It seemed he was piloting the helicopter himself. The helicopter turned around and flew away. It met a wyvern not long after, and promptly obliterated it with its machine gun. It was truly mesmerizing.


    ¡°What is that!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s his ability. Object Control, I think it was.¡±


    As long as his ability could reach it, he could freely control any object. The SS ranker we met truly had a powerful ability. Unfortunately, as the range of his ability was for now limited to small vehicles, guns, and things like bazookas. Even so, it was an incredible ability. The most important thing was that he could empower objects under his control with mana, giving them destructive force that could pierce through usually imprable barriers.


    A cheat, so to say.


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s cool...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shin¡¯s cooler!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, his weapon is too simple and not sophisticated at all.¡±


    Two of themforted me, but it only made my sense ofpetition rise.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this. Let¡¯s starting hunting the wyverns! Let¡¯s show them Team Revival will not lose to anyone!¡±


    ¡°Ooooh!¡±


    ¡°Geez, men are all kids...¡±


    Unlike Ye-eun and Ludia¡¯s eager response, Hwaya¡¯s cold gaze made me a bit embarrassed. In any case, we then started our wyvern hunt.


    To be honest, our party was very, very outstanding. Even without me, who could hunt wyverns alone by flying, Hwaya was a long-range attacker with great firepower, Ludia had an overwhelming defensive and healing capability after obtaining the earth¡¯s power to strengthen her holy magic, and Ye-Eun was a powerful close-range attacker. Ye-Eun could easily jump on approaching wyverns, take its neck, and jump back to the helicopter. Her agile movements almost resembled a spider¡¯s.


    Until lunch time, we continued hunting wyverns on the helicopter. The pilot foamed at my order to charge at any wyverns he saw, but after the first couple times, he seemed to have liked the taste of it, as he ran to any wyverns he saw without even asking us. In the end, we ended up hunting about a hundred wyverns in a few hours.


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    When we got down for a lunch break, Leon Pepper was waiting for us.


    ¡°Truly amazing! Is everyone a SS ranker?¡±


    ¡°Of course, not. Not officially, at least.¡±


    I retorted mischievously with a smile. Pepper smiled back.


    ¡°With you guys, this tedious subjugation mission might finally end. I got a report that wyverns that left Antelope Canyon are returning too!¡±


    ¡°Because we killed so many of them?¡±


    ¡°Yes! After all, you guys are killing ten wyverns for every wyvern other people kill. Thanks foring to America, Thunder Knight, me Witch, and...¡±


    ¡°Kyak.¡±


    Ludia dodged Pepper¡¯s eyes and hid behind my back. It was the same for Ye-Eun. With a bitter smile, I told Pepper, ¡°They¡¯re shy.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, two girls. How talented, Thunder Knight. Alright, I can always greet themter! I told you before, but we should go out for a drink tonight. How about it?¡±


    When he asked, Hwaya immediately messaged me.


    [It¡¯s okay, right? It¡¯s our chance to be friends with a foreign country¡¯s SS ranker.]


    [Of course, it¡¯s okay.]


    When I answered, Hwaya looked at Leon Pepper and responded as she nodded her head.


    ¡°Sure. We can leave behind the kids who can¡¯t drink, and go out with just us three.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid!¡±


    ¡°I can drink too!¡±


    ¡®Rather than denying Hwaya¡¯s words, you should realize you guys look like kids... Before Hwaya gets hooked on it at least.¡¯ I sighed and calmed them down.


    I didn¡¯t know how other ability users would react when they heard this, but I thought hunting the wyverns at the Antelope Canyon was enjoyable. No wyverns could even touch our party, and the money we got from selling them was enormous even if it were split among the four of us. Competing with Leon Pepper was fun too. Other than the gazes of envy and jealousy we were getting, there was no problem.


    However, like Leon Pepper said when we first met, the number of wyverns in the canyon was increasing day by day. Wyverns that had escaped from their nest were all returning. Perhaps because they knew they would be in danger if this ce was subjugated, they were attacking more actively.


    ¡°This is a good sign.¡±


    Spinning the pistol he always carried around with his finger, Pepper muttered.


    ¡°It means we¡¯ll run into their boss soon.¡±


    ¡°Boss... I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Want to bet who¡¯s going to kill it, T.K.?¡±


    ¡°I told you, don¡¯t call me T.K... But sure, let¡¯s bet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the boss of a S rank Field Dungeon. Graveyard Over the Lake was dangerous, so be more careful this time.¡±


    When Pepper and I half-jokingly discussed on betting, Hwayamented with a tired voice. Of course, I didn¡¯t forget about what happened at Windermere. Hwaya was especially surprised at the time and had worried about me. I didn¡¯t think Pepper would punch me to the boss¡¯ mouth, but it seemed Hwaya was worried about the boss fight in general. However, mypanions and I were all too strong to be afraid of a S rank Field Dungeon boss. Although I shouldn¡¯t let my guard down, it wouldn¡¯t be good to be too conservative.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hwaya. We have reliablepanions this time.¡±


    ¡°Are you implying I wasn¡¯t reliable?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re included, obviously, but you couldn¡¯t intervenest time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve only gotten good at speaking.¡±


    Hwaya pouted and tilted her ss of alcohol. Ever since the first time we drank with Pepper, Hwaya and I often sneaked out after Ludia and Ye-Eun fell asleep to drink with Pepper. Though, it was more that Pepper joined in when we were drinking with just the two of us.


    ¡°Are you guys dating?¡±


    Pepper asked out of the blue. While I opened my eyes widely in surprise, he added.


    ¡°I thought you were dating that blondedy, but you looked rather uninterested. In that case, the me Witch was the next best candidate.¡±


    ¡°First, I¡¯m friends with that blondedy you¡¯re talking about. She¡¯s just overly reliant on me.¡±


    I¡¯d have to make her stop clinging to me one day. Though, that would be hard now.


    After my retort, Hwaya added.


    ¡°T.K. and I are friends for now too. I don¡¯t know what the future has in store for us though.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Pepper burst intoughter, and I stared at Hwaya¡¯s strange response. However, Hwaya simply shrugged and continued.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that how man-and-woman rtionships are? You¡¯re a good guy, and you¡¯re not dating anyone right now. I just happen to be an extremely good girl, and I¡¯m also single. So if I suddenly jump at you out of the blue, you can¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°I think something¡¯s wrong with your logic, but I¡¯ll try to avoid being alone with you for now. I¡¯m nning on enjoying my dates with monsters for a while more, so I have no ns on getting a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha! You guys are too funny!¡±


    Pepper pped his hands as heughed. However, I couldn¡¯tugh along with him. It didn¡¯t look like Hwaya was joking at all. For now, I refused her jokingly.


    I would have thought, ¡®Why would Hwaya like me!?¡¯ but I had already precedent with Loretta and Ye-Eun. Agh, damn, this was all because I was a Hero! Definitely! Maybe, monsters running rampant, global warming getting worse, wars continuing to rage across the globe, andnds cracking from droughts were all because I was a Hero!


    A week after we came to Arizona, the wyverns had suddenly gotten stronger.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve seen this phenomenon before.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what a coincidence. Same here.¡±


    After returning to the helicopter using ice steps, I thought about the wyverns I just killed. Wyverns used to die from a single Thunder Tempest, but now it took two or three of them to barely kill a wyvern. I murmured after drawing my breath.


    ¡°But still, they got too strong. They used to not be able to withstand your fire for long, Hwaya.¡±


    ¡°I heard that the stronger monsters get, the stronger the boss is. Ye-Eun, maybe...¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t fight the boss?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Ye-Eun was exactly at the level of wyverns. Although she could manage to kill the strengthened wyverns, if the boss was stronger than we thought, we would need to pull her back from battle for her safety. We were here to hunt wyverns safely, not to risk our lives.


    ¡°But I want to help Shin...¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the sentiment.¡±


    ¡°T-Then will you give me a kiss?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°That was too fast...!¡±


    The tension was high in the entire Antelope Canyon. Then, one ability user fought against a wyvern without properly assessing its strength, and died. Of course, as there was no one below S rank in this canyon, the one who died was also an S ranker. The canyon¡¯s atmosphere became darker. Pepper couldn¡¯t justugh and enjoy either.


    Two days after the casualty appeared, a heavy rain poured down. As we couldn¡¯t stop just because of a rain, we got on our attack helicopter, which waspletely fine under rain, and set out to hunt wyverns. Ludia had been feeling uneasy the entire day, and after the helicopter took off, she pulled on my sleeve and murmured.


    ¡°Shin, I¡¯m feeling strangely uneasy.¡±


    In truth, it was the perfect atmosphere to feel uneasy. Someone had died, wyverns had gotten stronger, and a heavy rain was pouring down today, so much so that it was hard to see in front of us.


    I responded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the boss is going to appear for sure.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean!?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean what does that mean? Can¡¯t you see the powerful mana raging in the distance?¡±


    Not long after I said that, the pilot screamed. From deep inside the canyon, a dragon-like wyvern twice asrge as other wyverns came out. As I thought, it appeared today!


    Then, Ye-Eun, who was likely also sensing the boss, suddenly raised her head.


    [Shin, it¡¯s strange.]


    [What¡¯s strange?]


    [I don¡¯t know how to describe it... But there¡¯s something more.]


    I frowned at her words. It was then that a giant dragon suddenly appeared in the air.


    [An Event Raid has broken out! SS+ rank 100-man, ¡®me Drake.¡¯ Because you were at the location of the raid boss, you will be forced to participate!]


    Author¡¯s note: N/A


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    This was a little unclear (even in the next chapter), but the ¡°dragon-like wyvern¡± and the ¡°giant dragon¡± are two different beings.

 Chapter 132. Team Revival (6)

    Chapter 132. Team Revival (6)


    [Your party holds the priority for the Event Raid. Unless you want to reveal its existence, other dungeon explorers will not be notified until 1 hourter!]


    ¡°What? How can an Event Raid appear in a Field Dungeon!?¡±


    ¡°Event Raids don¡¯t only appear when Event Dungeons are cleared! We must have met some sort of a condition!¡±


    In the heavy rain, Hwaya¡¯s voice reached me clearly. However, it wasn¡¯t the answer I wanted to hear, since it meant there was nothing wrong with that monster being here.


    Of the explorers on Earth, the only one that wasn¡¯t here who could be of help was father. However, we were facing the boss monster of a SS+ rank 100-man raid. Should I prioritize running away? Or should I call father?


    [Shin, make it public immediately! Sumire wille help!]


    [Sumire!? She¡¯s not stro¡ª]


    [She¡¯s Gold ranked!]


    Gold!? She couldn¡¯t climb 20 floors in 2 years, but she managed to climb over 30 floors in half a year!? That¡¯s... like me! What happened to her!?


    I hesitated for a moment, but soon made the Event Raid public. Now that I thought about it, father would rathere and die than do nothing when his son was in such a dangerous situation.


    Meanwhile, the drakended on the ground, causing a tremor. It didn¡¯t have wings like wyverns, and its body was simr to the Giant Iron Boar that appeared in Guangzhou. It had beefy legs, and its front paws had razor-sharp ws. In addition, its front paws looked like they could reach dozens of meters in the air. The dense mana it emitted made it hard to breathe. It seemed stronger than most demons I met in the Luka continent.


    ¡°Turn the helicopter around.¡±


    I shouted.


    ¡°We can¡¯t fight that guy on a helicopter!¡±


    The pilot immediately turned the helicopter around. However, the drake seemed to have locked onto us already, as it opened its mouth and breathed fire directly at us. Although the heavy downpour made it hard to see, its giant orange me wasn¡¯t weakened in the slightest and flew toward the helicopter like aser.


    ¡°Tsk, I¡¯ll go on ahead!¡±


    Then, Hwaya clicked her tongue and jumped out of the helicopter. As she could fly with her ability, she could fight against the drake in the air. Although it might be okay if the drake focused on using magical attacks, if it used physical attacks, it would be hard for Hwaya to deal with it alone. It was why she stayed in the helicopter until now, safely shooting magic at wyverns.


    As such, I prepared myself to also jump out. Looking back at Ye-Eun and Ludia, I spoke.


    [That guy¡¯s extremely strong. We can always run away to the dungeon if it gets dangerous, but there¡¯s still a chance something might go wrong. I¡¯m not going to force you, but...]


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confident I can run away if it gets dangerous!¡±


    That¡¯s what I thought they¡¯d say. There was no way Ludia would leave me behind and escape, and Ye-Eun was almost addicted to hunting monsters after she got rid of her monsterphobia. The problem was that she was too careless with her life.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it clearly. You guys don¡¯t need to risk your lives here. If it gets dangerous, I¡¯m going to take you in my arms and use Return, got it?¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Their eyes were sparkling for some reason. I hoped it wasn¡¯t because I said I¡¯d take them in my arms! It wasn¡¯t the time to be so rxed!


    ¡°Hu, okay. I¡¯m going to go ahead, soe back after you return the helicopter. Tria!¡±


    I summoned Tria and leaped into the air. Hwaya was blocking the drake¡¯s attack with her ability. On the tip of the fingers, a circr ring of fire rose up and absorbed all the fire the drake breathed out. It went without saying that it was thanks to her that our helicopter was still safe.


    ¡°Fight me, you lizard! You won¡¯t be able to even touch me with your mes!¡±


    Standing confidently in midair, Hwaya shouted. Looking at her, I was reminded of the video on TV where she killed the wyvern that appeared in Busan. I thought she looked cool back then and envied her, but now I was fighting with her shoulder to shoulder. I couldn¡¯t be more deeply moved.


    Hwaya ran out to fight the drake without hesitation, even after hearing it was SS+ ranked. She wasn¡¯t being reckless. It was because of her strong mentality, which did not let her fall back in the face of her enemy. It was possible because she believed in herself to be one of the strongest on Earth, who did not allow defeat. Thinking how cool she was, I also thought I should take after her spirit.


    To do that, there was something I needed to do.


    ¡°Get over here you god damned lizards. All of youe!¡±


    [You mastered mid-rank Provoke! Your provocation seeps into your soul. You can now provoke deaf monsters!]


    [You learned high-rank Provoke. Existences in the same area as you cannot escape your provocation. Weak monsters might die from having their spirits suppressed by your provocation.]


    My provocation spread through the entire Field Dungeon without being hindered by the torrential rain. It even caught the attention of the ability users who were panicking from the sudden appearance of the me Drake and the wyvern boss. It had even calmed their confusion temporarily.


    However, the ones I really wanted to call were the ordinary wyverns!


    [Kiaaaaaak!]


    [Kyaaaaaaa!]


    Countless wyverns as numerous as the raindrops falling down flew toward me! Seeing them, I was delighted. Damn, the world sure chose the wrong guy as the Hero. Why do I smile in such dangerous situations!?


    Regardless, there was one important thing. For the first time since the demon¡¯s Army Commander, I was facing a formidable enemy. I couldn¡¯t worry about hiding my abilities. I had to go all out. Although I couldn¡¯t defeat the Army Commander without Peruta¡¯s help, I didn¡¯t think the enemy in front of me would make me do the same.


    If I could do it with my own strength, I would do so. I could always call Peruta, but that was only as ast resort. If I continued to rely on my master, how could I surpass him?


    I took out Gluttony Spear from my inventory. The moment I firmly gripped the spear shaft, I felt myself bing more excited. I shouted.


    ¡°Peika, let¡¯s go full power!¡±


    [Leave it to me, Master. I¡¯m the strongest now!]


    Strongest? The moment I knitted my brows, Gluttony Spear began to shine with a golden light. It was undoubtedly Spirit Aura, but it was much stronger than ever before. Why? The moment I asked in my head, a bolt of lightning fell from the sky.


    ¡°Huk!¡±


    [Mo... More!]


    I was surprised for a second, thinking the lightning struck me, but that wasn¡¯t it. The lightning waspletely absorbed by my spear and was clearly strengthening it. Not to mention, with all the storm clouds in the sky, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if another...


    BOOM! B-B-BOOM!


    My ear deafened. Lightning struck my spear continuously. A few of them even missed their target and struck down iing wyverns. I finally understood. Elementals were born from nature. They were existences always in line with nature and were greatly affected by nature. In this severe thunderstorm, Peika was at her strongest since the day we met.


    ¡°Peika, let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Send them flying!]


    The iing wyverns stopped and flinched at the lightning. Meanwhile, I put them in my spear¡¯s trajectory. To be exact, it was just that they were in the way to the me Drake. It was why I gathered them in the first ce.


    Kicking off the air, I used Gale Track.


    ¡°Uooooooooooh!¡±


    Using the power of lightning, Peika¡¯s Spirit Aura had erged the spear like I was using Sky God¡¯s Rage. The moment my spear even touched the wyverns, they all exploded, and my spear grew stronger each time they died. It was because Gale Track increased my attack power by 5% each time I sent an enemy flying!


    [Kugyaaaaa! Hero, I came for you!]


    ¡°I¡¯m not into bestiality! If you want me, at least try to polymorph to a beautiful girl!¡±


    17th. 18th, 19th...! I was approaching the drake. Since I was under super-armored state, nothing could stop me. 20th! 100% fully charged! Then, I flew past Hwaya. Seeing her widely opened eyes looking at me, I couldn¡¯t help but think she was cute.


    The drake opened its mouth after seeing me draw closer. Was he nning on swallowing me? I shouted.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Ask me anything!]


    ¡°Help me so that guy will obediently let me attack him!¡±


    [If it¡¯s now, anything you want...!]


    Then, I suddenly heard the sound of a machine gun. Pepper, who was controlling his helicopter from nearby, had fired at the drake! Imbued with his mana, the bullets seemed to be effective against the drake.


    [Freezing!]


    Ruyue took about 30% of my mana and casted an elemental magic. Although it was for a brief instant, I thought the world would freeze. In fact, our surrounding becamepletely frozen. The beams of light shining down became arrows of ice, the fire breathed out by the drake froze, and its entire body also frozen.


    [The world is on my side now!]


    So that was it! Usually, she created water from the water vapor in the air, but now, there was water everywhere around us. Even our enemy waspletely soaked with water! Even if he was an SS+ ranked boss monster and had fire-attribute, Ruyue could freeze it. Both of my elementals could show their greatest strengths in this environment. I felt at least 50% stronger than my normal self.


    The moment I realized it, I charged towards its mouth and pierced my spear through it.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuaaaaang!]


    Its frozen body instantly defrosted, while blood burst out from the top of its mouth like a fountain. Although the heavy rain would wash away the blood in time, the blood that sshed onto me made me feel ufortable. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t poisonous.


    [Herooooo! I¡¯ll eat you!]


    ¡°I already told you, no!¡±


    I was now as free as a bird! Afternding my attack perfectly, I flew back up. I didn¡¯t need to use Divine Speed, and as soon as I backed off, Hwaya quickly blocked the drake¡¯s mes. She was on fire today! Pun intended.


    ¡°Guys! Let me join in too!¡±


    Pepper flew toward us, shooting down nearby wyverns with his helicopter. At the same time, the ground lightened up and a few people appeared. The dungeon explorermunication channel became noisy.


    [Son, I came to help!]


    [Unni, Hwawoo-nim! Minami Violet Sumire, reporting for duty!]


    [Shit... I¡¯m going to really die if I¡¯m not careful...!]


    Besides one, the reinforcing explorers couldn¡¯t be more reliable. I instantly thought, ¡®Walker might die if he¡¯s not careful...¡¯


    ording to our contract, he had toe help us if we called him for Event Raids or Event Dungeons, but he came without Hwaya or me asking him. Because we thought this battle would be hard for Walker, we hadn¡¯t nned on calling him at all.


    Perhaps, father had caught him and brought him along, but he could have escaped if he wanted to. I was happy that he came on his own ord. If possible, I hoped this raid would end without Walker getting hurt.


    ¡°Huhu. All the dungeon explorers on Earth are here.¡±


    Hwaya remarked as she flew next to me. I wasn¡¯t sure if she absorbed the drake¡¯s power, but she was emitting strong mes from her body. Since Ludia and Ye-Eun would soon return, she was right.


    Looking at the drake still bleeding from its mouth, I snorted. It could be dangerous to think this way, but I didn¡¯t think I could lose to anyone now!


    The moment after I thought that, a giant wyvern twice as big as normal wyverns appeared in front of us.


    Because of the drake, we had forgotten about it. It was the dungeon boss of the Wyvern¡¯s Nest.


    Author¡¯s note: N/A


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    In case it wasn¡¯t clear, the me Drake is the boss of the Event Raid, and the giant wyvern is the Field Dungeon¡¯s boss.

 Chapter 133. Team Revival (7)

    Chapter 133. Team Revival (7)


    [Hero.]


    ¡°So you can talk too.¡±


    I was surprised, but I instinctively tightened my grip on the Gluttony Spear and aimed it towards it. To be honest, in the heavy thunderstorm, I thought even the boss of Wyvern¡¯s Nest couldn¡¯t be a match for me.


    ¡°Good. Thanks foring, but sorry. I want to end it quickly.¡±


    However, what it said next shocked me greatly.


    [I know you have the ability of a Tamer, Hero. I want to be Hero¡¯s subordinate.]


    ¡°You, what?¡±


    I doubted my ears for an instant. What did this wyvern with the avian flu just say?


    [After the drake appeared, I thought only death awaited me.]


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you two on the same side?¡±


    [Are you stupid, Hero? Between monsters, you either eat, share, or get eaten.]


    Well, that¡¯s nice to know. Share probably refers to monsters from the same family or from the same kind. Although wyverns and the me Drake were seemed to both be species of dragons, it seemed they weren¡¯t allies.


    [I¡¯vee to admire you after seeing you destroy dozens of wyverns with a single attack. Be happy. You forced the Queen of the Wyverns, Dark Wing Zirte, to surrender!]


    I obtained two more useful information. The first was that this wyvern felt admiration at me killing dozens of her kind, and the second was that this wyvern was female. I was wondering why her voice was slightly high! Dark Wing Zirte then continued.


    [Of course, what I want the most is to kill Hero and to obtain Hero¡¯s Light, but I know that is impossible. As such, I chose the second best option.]


    ¡°Since you can¡¯t kill me, you will serve under me?¡±


    [And I will kill the drake.]


    For a monster, she sure acted like a bully... Well, it didn¡¯t matter, since it was good for me.


    The wyvern looked into my eyes. Meanwhile, Hwaya shouted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but hurry up! That guy¡¯s charging toward us!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Alright, good. You¡¯ll probably be faster than Tria.¡±


    [From now on, I am Hero¡¯s. Now, grant me a new name.]


    ¡°I can¡¯t just call you Zirte?¡±


    [I need a new name to tie myself to Hero.]


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go with Lotte.¡±


    [Good. My name is now Lotte! As the Hero¡¯s partner, I will take after his brilliance!]


    Immediately afterwards, several messages rang in my ear, as if they had been prepared beforehand.


    [You made an achievement of taming the S+ rank boss monster, ¡®Dark Wing Wyvern.¡¯ You obtained 1 skill point. Current skill points: 4]


    [Taming became level 3. You can tame your target more easily, and even the targets you cated temporarily will remain so for a longer time.]


    [Spirit of the Tamer became level 3. You will win good first impressions, and the hostility and wariness against you decreases. Current tamable targets: 2/2]


    Although Wyvern¡¯s Nest was a S rank dungeon, Lotte was S+ ranked. I wondered why, and suspected it was because she originally possessed a name.


    Plene, for example, didn¡¯t have a name until I gave her one. On the other hand, Lotte had the name, Zirte. Just by looking at her wings and ck skin, I could tell she was different than the other wyverns. She was called the Queen of the Wyverns and Dark Wing, both emphasizing that she was special.


    That said, their goal should have been to kill me and take the world¡¯s power. It felt a bit weird that they gave up and joined my side because they weren¡¯t strong enough. I thought themand they received was absolute, something they had to prioritize over their own lives, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case. After all, Plene came over to my side rather easily, and it was the same for Lotte. Was it because I was a Tamer? Or was it just because I showed how domineering I was like Lotte said? Were their own lives more important than themand? Or was there something special about Plene and Lotte? For now, I had no way of knowing.


    [Get on, Hero.]


    ¡°Right. Excuse me.¡±


    [Mmm.]


    ¡°Can I let myrades ride too?¡±


    [That¡¯s unpleasant. The only one I acknowledge is Hero, my master.]


    She called herself my partner and Taming definitely worked, but it looked like it didn¡¯t mean she would bepletely obedient. With a bitter smile, I nodded.


    ¡°Alright, it can¡¯t be helped then. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Don¡¯t fall. Gryaaaaaa!]


    Lotte opened her jaws and let out a scream. Then, she charged straight towards the drake. I raised my spear, and the constant lightning strikes from the sky strengthened Spirit Aura.


    [Where did you get that!?]


    [If you want, you can try to entice one of the nearby wyverns!]


    After replying to father¡¯s message, I looked ahead. Although the connection between Lotte and me wasn¡¯t as deep as my connection with Ruyue, as expected of Queen of the Wyverns, Lotte aptly dodged the drake¡¯s mes and flew past its front paw.


    In that instant, I used Elemental de and shed its front paw. A strong explosion of lightning urred upon impact, bursting the drake¡¯s scales and scorching its flesh.


    [Kuaaaaaa! You bitch, you dare betray us!?]


    [It¡¯s better than bing your dinner!]


    The drake became enraged and stomped, causing the entire canyon to crack. Because of the falling boulders, people on the bottom of the canyon were busy running for their lives. Hoping that mypanions were safe, I aimed my spear at it again.


    [I will have you!]


    The drake shed its eyes and red at me. At that moment, however, a flurry of bullets pierced through the top of its jaws. I was surprised from how urate the shots were. From his helicopter, Pepper had urately attacked the spot I struck earlier with my spear. I couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by his skill.


    ¡°T.K., you got yourself a cool mount! That spear too, how cool!¡±


    Pepper flew next to Lotte, shouting with a loud voice that did not lose to the roaring monsters. With a grin, I retorted.


    ¡°Good shots, Pepper!¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t much!¡±


    We wished each other luck and immediately separated. The drake¡¯s meser shot through the air between us. Meanwhile, all the rankers resting at their lodging and the rankers that were scattered throughout the Field Dungeon were gathering. There were about 70 of them. However, even if more than one third of the world¡¯s S rankers were here, I couldn¡¯t confidently say they could defeat the drake.


    [Come down, I¡¯ll give you a Blessing!]


    Ludia sent me a message. It seemed he had returned afternding the helicopter in thending zone. I hesitated, but seeing Pepper¡¯s helicopter move like a living creature and drawing the drake¡¯s attention, I nodded. Ludia¡¯s Blessing could not be ignored. It would be best to quickly go get it while Pepper was holding back the drake.


    Lottended in the quagmire created by the heavy rain. Looking at Lotte¡¯srge body, both Ludia and Ye-Eun were startled.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s twice as big as a wyvern!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a wyvern so big... How did you...?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll exinter! Ludia, give me the Blessing!¡±


    ¡°Un! O Power vested in the earth, O Blessing! We shall fight to protect thee, lend us thy power! O Mitarus, bless and sublimate this power!¡±


    [You received Mitarus¡¯ Warrior Blessing, strengthened by the power of the earth. For the duration, your health and mana recovery increases greatly, and your attack and defense increases by 20%. On defense, you have a chance to ¡®absolutely defend¡¯ your enemy¡¯s attack.]


    I knewing down was a good idea! After confirming that I received Ludia¡¯s Blessing, I told Lotte to fly up again. However, before Lotte could p her wings, Ludia took off her hoody and exposed her face to the rain. Although she was wearing a mask, it couldn¡¯t protect her face from the rain.


    ¡°Shin, don¡¯t die, okay!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You be careful too.¡±


    I lightly retorted with a grin. I wasn¡¯t sure if she could see my face clearly in the rain, but she looked like she was smiling too. Good, she was getting better.


    Ye-Eun was charging at the drake with a dagger in each hand, and I also made Lotte fly toward the drake. It was then. The drake lightly stomped the ground, and arge fissure began to spread out. It was an earthquake attack.


    [Son, let me get on too!]


    [She says she doesn¡¯t want other people riding her!]


    I descended down to the ground like an arrow as I messaged father. No matter how wide the canyon had expanded, it was still a canyon. If the ground began to fissure in the middle, it would be hard for anyone to escape. With Lotte¡¯s ws, I grabbed the people about to fall down into the abyss.


    ¡°Uaaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, I¡¯ll drop you off in a safe area soon!¡±


    I put them on top of the canyon. It was probably safer, and it would be easier for me to deal with the drake. Without listening to their thanks, I went off with Lotte again. However, after I spent some time saving people, the ordinary wyverns made me unable to focus on fighting the drake. They were attacking the rankers ferociously, as if to eat ast meal before the drake killed them.


    ¡°Can¡¯t youmand the other wyverns?¡±


    [Between monsters, you either...]


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡±


    Lotte pped her wings and raised her altitude. The weather was getting worse, as the sky rumbled and lightning sparked continuously. I raised my Gluttony Spear. Hearing Peika¡¯s excited shout, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°Lotte, we¡¯re going to use the skill that wiped out the wyverns earlier. The final target is obviously the drake.¡±


    [Understood.]


    ¡°Alright, then... Uaaaaak! Everyone,e fight me!¡±


    [You used Provoke! All enemies in this area bears deep hostility towards you!]


    [Kiaaaaaak!]


    [Kuaaaaaak!]


    The wyverns changed their target from the ability users to me. They pped their wings violently, as they cried. The drake also faced me and shot aser straight toward me. The wyverns in the path waspletely burned to death. As for me, Lotte dodged its attack with her quick movement.


    ¡°Good, Lotte. Well done.¡±


    [Hmph. This much is nothing.]


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go! Gale Track!¡±


    Because of the drake¡¯sser, it was hard to ce twenty wyverns in the path of Gale Track. However, thinking back to the Gale Track Peruta used, I violently circted Peruta Circuit and led Lotte.


    ¡°Huaaaaaap!¡±


    First, second, third... Changing the trajectory naturally, I killed the fourth, then fifth...! The drake shed its eyes and shouted.


    [Volcano!]


    ¡®What volcano? There¡¯s no volcano here... Wait, there is!¡¯


    A scarlet me erupted from the crack made from the earlier earthquake. Watching the S rankers trying their best to dodge or block it, I hurriedly called Ruyue.


    ¡°Can you freeze it?¡±


    [No problem!]


    When theva shot toward Lotte and me, Ruyue instantly froze it. She could even freezeva! We immediately broke through it. Eleventh, twelfth...! Shoot, theva killed most of the wyverns!


    [I¡¯ll fly straight to that bastard now!]


    ¡°Go! Ruyue, block that guy¡¯s attack!¡±


    [Got it!]


    Immediately after Ruyue nodded, the streaks of rain in front of us transformed into ice crystals and began to spin around Lotte¡¯s body. More and more ice crystals gathered around Lotte, and in the end, we looked like a whirlwind of ice crystals.


    [With your strength, you won¡¯t be able to even scratch me!]


    When the drake shouted, the earth tremored, and the raindrops that had fallen on his body burst out into all directions. How could a me Drake wield water!? I knew he had just used his boundless mana to send the water flying, but it was still enough to damage the S rankers. Furthermore, the attack continued, almost like Pepper¡¯s machine gun. Although I was fine thanks to Ruyue¡¯s ice crystal whirlwind, I urged Lotte on, thinking of the S rankers.


    Then, the drake suddenly stopped moving. A ck stream of blood burst out of its neck. At the same time, a voice filled with ominous mana rang out throughout the entire canyon.


    ¡°Ahaha, ahahahaha! This is fun, very fun! Uuuung, Earth is the greatest!¡±


    ... Wasn¡¯t that Ye-Eun¡¯s voice!?


    Author¡¯s note: N/A

 Chapter 134. Team Revival (8)

    Chapter 134. Team Revival (8)


    I was shocked, but I wasn¡¯t shocked enough that I¡¯d miss this valuable opportunity. Right now, the drake was almostpletely defenseless! When we neared the drake, Ruyue firstpressed the ice crystal whirlwind that was protecting us, and shot it toward the drake. Blood spurted out of its face, and even the blood soon froze.


    [Kuaaaak!]


    ¡°I¡¯ll take an eye!¡±


    Gale Track¡¯s final blow! I frantically circted Peruta Circuit and added Gale Track¡¯s wind power to my lightning spear.


    I pulled the spear back. The frozen blood on the drake couldn¡¯t defeat its hot blood and evaporated. At the same time, thrust my spear forward!


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kiaaaaaa!]


    ¡°This is the power of the Skull Breaker!¡±


    The moment the lightning spear stabbed through its left eye, tearing through the mana barrier protecting its body. At the same time that I realized a critical hit urred, its eye exploded into pieces.


    There was already a bonus for charge type attacks. With Skull Breaker¡¯s effect amplifying critical hit damage, not even a SS+ rank boss¡¯ eye was safe. Because of the unexpected effectiveness of the attack, I was once became wet with blood.


    [Kuhuhu, as I thought, Hero is amazing!]


    ¡°Fly back for now! This bastard¡¯s going to thrash around again!¡±


    ¡°Kyahahaha! Cool, you¡¯re so cool! Take me with you!¡±


    When I was about to fly back with Lotte, someone suddenly jumped toward us from the drake¡¯s neck. It was Ye-Eun! Holding two daggers shing with ck aura, she easilynded on my back. Not paying attention to Lotte¡¯s struggle to throw her off, she rubbed my back (though it was covered by my armor) and asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name? Hm? Tell me.¡±


    It was Ye-Eun¡¯s voice, but something felt different. If Ye-Eun talked like a middle-school girl, her voice currently exuded the charm of a mature woman. In fact, the way she looked at me as she peeked her head over my shoulders was unable to describe with words.


    ¡°You, you manifested in Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You know my disciple? Huh? Mmm, I see. No. Can I have him?¡±


    I felt like I could understand what she and Ye-Eun were talking about... I lightly pushed her face back and retorted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let it go since it¡¯s an emergency situation, but you shouldn¡¯t jump on someone else¡¯s wyvern without permission.¡±


    ¡°What? Kyahaha, you¡¯re funny! Mm, as I thought, I like you.¡±


    [I¡¯ll kill this woman.]


    ¡°Calm down, Lotte. Ah, dodge!¡±


    As expected, the agitated drake swung its tail down at us. Lotte quickly dodged it, and the drake¡¯s tail struck the ground, causing even more fissures to spread out. Furthermore, the drake¡¯s body became redder, and a red steam-like gas was shooting out of its body.


    ¡°What is that?¡¯


    ¡°What do you think that is? It means it got harder to jump on its neck and attack.¡±


    Although the wyverns were mostly taken care of, it was still difficult for other rankers to fight the drake. The ground was fissured andva was erupting out of it. The drake¡¯s body was on fire, and although a few long-ranged S rankers were attacking it, the red steam was blocking all of them. ¡®Blocking both close and long-ranged attacks... That¡¯s a cheat!¡¯


    [Is everyone safe!?]


    [I¡¯m safe. That bastard¡¯s tail is as big as a Floor Master.]


    [I¡¯m safe too, Hwawoo-nim!]


    [I¡¯m... alive...!]


    As Ludia wasn¡¯t in Earth¡¯s dungeon explorermunication channel, I sent her a separate message. She said she blocked the earthquake with her ability and was now focusing on supporting from the distance. There weren¡¯t many with healing abilities. As such, she would greatly increase the number of survivors.


    ¡°Kuha! The bullets just melt when they get near him!¡±


    Pepper¡¯s helicopter flew near me. Although he said it with a refreshing smile, he didn¡¯t look too happy. It seemed his bullets couldn¡¯t pierce through the red steam either. However, after seeing Ye-Eun, Pepper eximed in a surprised voice.


    ¡°Mm!? Lady, you look the same, but you somehow look sexier! Did I fall in love?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! As I thought, my appearance can¡¯t hide my charm! But sorry, I already chose him.¡±


    ¡°Pepper, can you think of a way to attack?¡±


    As an SS ranker, Pepper wouldn¡¯t just give up with this. When I interrupted Pepper and Ye-Eun(?)¡¯s small talk and asked, he grinned.


    ¡°I normally would have charged forward with my bazooka, but I think the water drops it shot out earlier broke something. The helicopter isn¡¯t responding well! So, friend, I came to deliver my trump card!¡±


    He threw something at me. When I received it and looked, it was a ck metallic ball with a red button.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fragmentation grenade specially created for me. Only S ranked or above monsters were used to make it, so you should be able to imagine its power! Since it can¡¯t operate without my mana, there¡¯s no safety pin or anything. Normally, if I put mana into it and press the button, it explodes in exactly 3 seconds, but...¡±


    ¡°You put all your mana in it, right?¡±


    ¡°Bingo!¡±


    Although it looked simple, the mana I could feel inside it was no joke. In detail, all of an SS ranker¡¯s mana was in it.


    ¡°It¡¯s 3 seconds after you press that button, friend! I¡¯ll entrust you with it!¡±


    ¡°Damn, you cool guy... Leave it to me. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Good, then I¡¯m going to go save the others. Let¡¯s go out for a drink afterwards, friend! Good luck!¡±


    Pepper grinned and crossed his fingers over the pilot seat, then turned his helicopter around to go save the other ability users. Damn, that guy was just too cool... For now, I put the grenade in my embrace.


    Then, the situation changed again.


    [Hero! Hand over yourself to me!]


    ¡°Hero this, Hero that! You¡¯re noisy!¡±


    When the drake shouted, once again eruptingva, Hwaya shouted back. In the next moment, theva erupting from the ground shot toward her surprisingly. Startled, I was about to charge toward her, when Hwaya raised both of her hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s my turn now! Army of mes!¡±


    Along with her hands¡¯ movements, theva flying toward her fell in clumps and began to take different forms. Eagle, hawk, crow... All kinds of birds known for their aggressive nature began to appear in thousands. The Animal Kingdom... No, it was the Army of mes, Avian Edition! Because of the pouring rain, their bodies continued to sizzle and give off steam, but they didn¡¯t shrink and continued to burn.


    As if that wasn¡¯t enough, the biggest clump ofva formed a giant wyvern. Hwaya got on its back and grinned toward me. Even in the rain, I could clearly see her smile. Ye-Eun¡¯s voice then rang out from behind.


    ¡°Ptui, big breasted ones should all go to hell.¡±


    ¡®Ye-Eun wasn¡¯t even t... I can see your past self...¡¯ Although the thought crossed my mind, I thought she¡¯d break my neck if I said it, so I kept it to myself.


    After Hwaya turned all the eruptingva into her army, the rankers¡¯ counterattack also began.


    ¡°Let¡¯s group up! Magicians, please protect us with barriers!¡±


    ¡°Take at least one of its scale!¡±


    ¡°Protect ournd! We will protect America!¡±


    Most of the American ability users burned with determination to protect their home country, and other countries¡¯ ability users did the same as to not smudge their country¡¯s name. The ones who cared more for their lives probably left the battlefield already!


    [Humans always like to gather in mass! They also always died in mass!]


    The drake roared. The steam covering its body transformed to long and thin needles. It then shot them out like it had done earlier with the raindrops.


    Immediately afterwards, Hwaya¡¯s Army of mes blocked the steam arrows. The few that slipped through would have to be dealt with by the ability users.


    BOOM!


    A steam arrow flying toward them suddenly bounced back with a boom. I tilted my head, feeling like I¡¯ve seen that ability before. Then, the protected ability users shouted in thanks.


    ¡°Dark Knight! It¡¯s Dark Knight!¡±


    ¡°Ooh, both Thunder Knight and Dark Knight are here!¡±


    Father¡¯s identity was being revealed for the world to see.


    [My mes prey on the sky itself!]


    The drake¡¯s mes continued to get stronger. However, the atmosphere was different than before. The chaos created from the wyvern boss and the ordinary wyverns had settled down, and everyone was now focused on the drake.


    [You insects squirming until death!]


    ¡°Kuuk! New daughter, please!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Ludia used her power of the earth and protected the ability users, while father was in front, shooting out shockwaves and blocking the drake¡¯s attacks. The attacks he could notpletely block with his shockwaves were being blocked by Minami.


    ¡°Powered Guardian! Haap!¡±


    Although father had blocked a portion of them, her defensive capability wasn¡¯t ordinary. However, the drake¡¯s steam arrow attacks seemed to be a disguise for its real attack, as itsrge tail mmed down on Minami. Although others managed to get away in time, Minami was... Kuk! When I began to charge toward her, Minami shouted.


    ¡°Aegis!¡±


    I twitched my brows. Aegis? Wasn¡¯t that the shield of Athena...? Soon after the thought crossed my mind, the shield in her hand shone with a golden light. At the same time, I sensed a feeling I had grown used to by now. Although it wasn¡¯t my ce to say that with my two god¡¯s true names, the Second Dungeon¡¯s Gold ranked Minami was... a genius!


    ¡°Minami obtained Athena¡¯s true name!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who Athena is, but she must be an amazing god. The feel great power from her!¡±


    Ye-Eun¡¯s master nodded and remarked. While the two of us were talking, what was happening on the ground was a sight to behold. The moment the drake¡¯s tail collided with the Aegis in Minami¡¯s hand, the SS+ ranked raid boss¡¯ tail began to petrify. It was likely the effect of Medusa¡¯s head, said to be ced on Aegis. It was a bit weird that it petrified on contact rather than sight, but it was certainly effective.


    [Kuaaaaa! You little bitch!]


    Enraged, the drake swung its tail and broke the petrified part. Because of its resolute sacrifice, the petrification did not continue. Even so, a fourth of its tail shattered and blood spurted out from the wound like a fountain, dying the canyon red. With that, it should have heavily drained its strength and mana. Furthermore, it should now be impossible for it to attack with its tail! As expected of a god¡¯s power...


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. The more agitated the enemy gets, the easier it is to stab a dagger in his enemy.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I was also thinking the same. When the SS+ ranked boss first appeared, it carried an overwhelming prestige, but now it was just a lizard with one of its eye and tail missing. Though, its magic power was still just as threatening.


    [The rain! I¡¯m drenched in rain!]


    ¡°C-Commence attack!¡±


    Bolstered by father and Minami¡¯s sess, some of the S rankers closed in on the drake and attacked. Although the difference in their strength was clear, the drake wasn¡¯tpletely immune to their attacks. It was why the drake was thrashing about.


    [The likes of you dare to approach me! Hero, give me the Hero!]


    The steam covering its body freely transformed and swept out, still carrying its extreme heat. Few rankers who could not avoid it fell back with huge wounds. Seeing how it made S rankers retreat with such a simple attack, I grew tired of its strength.


    ¡°You! A mere lizard dares to covet a human!?¡±


    Seeing the ability users he was fighting with falling back one by one, father gritted his teeth and pierced the drake¡¯s foot with his spear imbued with shockwaves. Minami seemed to have lost Aegis¡¯ power with the previous attack, but she still moved around quickly and protected the others from the drake¡¯s attack. It was then that we came near.


    ¡°You¡¯ll distract it, right?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t just distract it. I¡¯ll kill it.¡±


    Ye-Eun¡¯s master whispered in my ear, and I retorted lightly as I fixed my grip on my spear. Feeling the Peruta Circuit circting violently, I red at the drake. The rain and lightning pouring down strengthened me and weakened the drake. I didn¡¯t matter that it was SS+ ranked or that it was a 100-man raid boss. I could be its opponent. That¡¯s all that mattered.


    ¡°You¡¯re really my style. Good, my name is Duca Eilie. Remember it well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Kang Shin. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll ever see each other again, though.¡±


    ¡°I can just ask my disciple! Next time, we should enjoy a heated night!¡±


    With that, Duca jumped off Lotte¡¯s back. When the drake noticed us and raised its head, I shouted while drinking a highest-grade Mana Potion.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Crystal Rain!]


    The rain pouring down became fiercer. The streaks of rain became ice arrows strengthened with elemental magic and shot toward the drake! The drake had opened its mouth to attack Duca, but was greeted by countless ice arrows. Not only its mouth, but its head, body, and tail were all attacked mercilessly. My mana was also drained mercilessly.


    [Can I charge now, Hero?]


    ¡°Not yet...!¡±


    Red steam waved from its body. It was to block Crystal Rain, but Duca was able to safelynd because of it. The moment shended on the drake, she struck down at the drake¡¯s neck with her two daggers, giving off a ck aura. As she broke the scale on its neck one by one, she shouted excitedly.


    ¡°Kyahahaha! This is fun, fun!¡±


    What a crazy woman... Kuhum. Anyways, now was the time!


    [Grrraaaaaiiaaaaaaa!]


    As Lotte elerated toward the drake, birds of me also flew toward us from all directions. The birds collided with the drake¡¯s mes, preventing them from reaching us. How was Hwaya blocking an SS+ ranked boss¡¯ me by herself? It was more than just impressive.


    ¡°Whew, that was fun! I¡¯ll leave the rest to you honey!¡±


    On the other hand, after scratching off the drake¡¯s scales, Duca stabbed her daggers on its back and jumped down, holding the daggers in reverse and slicing down. Did she think that was a safe way tond? The ck aura plucked off the drake¡¯s scales in a line, causing it to let out a bloodcurdling scream.


    On the other hand, Lotte¡¯s elerated more. Scarlet me erupted out from the drake¡¯s body. It was as if its boundless magic power was going out of control. ¡®I could hear nearby ability users screaming. Minami-ssi, protect them well! I will...!¡¯


    ¡°Aim for its neck, where Duca stripped off its scales!¡±


    [I¡¯m going now!]


    My surrounding distorted. The me birds could not keep up with Lotte and fell behind. In an instant, we were at its neck. If we weren¡¯t this fast, the drake would have counterattacked us easily! Without a shred of hesitation, I used Divine Speed and Heroic Strike. The white lightning spear, crazily elerated by Divine Speed, pierced through its neck without resistance, widening the hole that was there. Good!


    ¡°Eat this!¡±


    I took out the grenade Pepper gave me and pressed the button. Throwing the grenade inside the gaping hole, I pulled out my spear. Lotte quickly elerated and flew back. Not even the me Drake withstand Pepper¡¯s grenade filled with all of his power... Eh? Why wasn¡¯t it exploding?


    [Kuaaaa! You dare make a hole in my neck!? I must have you no matter the cost!]


    ¡°P-Pep...! Peppeeeeeeer!¡±


    You gave me a nonfunctioning grenade, you son of a bitch!!

 Chapter 135. Team Revival (9)

    Chapter 135. Team Revival (9)


    At the unexpected situation, I was almost hit by the drake¡¯s fire breath. If Hwaya didn¡¯t send her birds to block the mes in time, I would have been seriously injured.


    ¡°Be careful, idiot! If you die, I¡¯ll drag you out of your grave and kill you again!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Hwaya!¡±


    I thanked Hwaya, but was still embarrassed and angered by Pepper¡¯s grenade. Even in the heavy rain, I could clearly see the hole in the drake¡¯s neck and the grenade buried in it.


    It was amazing. What was amazing, you ask? It was that the grenade didn¡¯t explode even with the drake¡¯s fire erupting out just now. Those bastards went too far with the safety device!


    ¡°Leon Pepper, I swear I¡¯ll strangle you...!¡±


    I gritted my teeth and raised my spear again, absorbing the surrounding lightning energy. Since the easy method was now gone, I could only use the more difficult method. Ugh, it would be fine for SS rankers like me and Hwaya, but S rankers might get hurt, which I wanted to avoid... Ah!


    [Mega Rock Strike!]


    The drake stomped the ground with both of its feet. Ability users panicked and scattered to avoid its attack, but the a sinkhole appeared in the ground, dragging a few of the ability users underground. Immediately afterwards, a huge rock shot up from the sinkhole.


    ¡°Save them! If they get stuck down there, there¡¯s nothing we can do!¡±


    ¡°O Earth, give back the ones you swallowed!¡±


    Ludia and other ability users scrambled to save the ones who fell into the sinkhole, but I was more concerned with the huge rock that was shooting up hundreds of meters up into the air by the drake¡¯s magic power.


    What did it shout just now? Although it didn¡¯t exin what it did, I could tell what it nned to do by seeing the huge rock in the sky.


    That drake was nning on dropping the rock and smashing the ability users!


    Everyone was moving about in panic. Since I was the only one who could block it, I didn¡¯t need to hesitate. I ordered Lotte to fly up. However, Lotte shook her head.


    [We can¡¯t block it! If we get hit, I might be fine, but Hero will die! That isn¡¯t a normal rock!]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t rush into things knowing I have zero chance of winning. I won¡¯t die.¡±


    Lotte sighed and began to ascend. Just in case, I activated Dragon Skin. With this, even if the method I thought of didn¡¯t work, I wouldn¡¯t die. Although my speed fell with Dragon Skin, Lotte¡¯s speed was unaffected, as she soared up quickly.


    It was then that the rock had reached its peak height, and began to fall. In truth, it was terrifying. Huge didn¡¯t begin to describe how big it really was.


    ¡°Shin, no!¡±


    At that time, Hwaya flew over, while riding a me wyvern. She must have thought I was nning onmitting suicide, as her face was pale. As if. I wasn¡¯t remotely close to a martyr.


    I asked Hwaya, who looked like she wanted to drag me away.


    ¡°Hwaya, can you slow that rock down from falling?¡±


    ¡°If I do, can you do something about it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. So, is it possible?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s just slowing it down... Yes, a little.¡±


    Hwaya took out a potion from her inventory and put it in her mouth. Then, she raised her hand. On it, a spherical white me appeared. She looked back at me, while putting more power into the white me. I could clearly see worry in her me-like eyes.


    ¡°I only have enough mana to maintain the me army, so you need to do the rest, okay?¡±


    ¡°Thanks Hwaya. You really are a cool woman.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say half-hearted words. I¡¯d rather get a deep kiss.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t even let mepliment you...?¡±


    When I murmured, Hwaya smiled and threw thepleted white me at the rock. The moment the falling rock collided with Hwaya¡¯s white me, its surface became red, and the resistance slowed down the rock. Good! With this, it would be much easier for me to execute my n!


    ¡°Hwaya, you can run now!¡±


    Without waiting for Hwaya¡¯s response, I flew higher with Lotte. Lightning flickered in the spear I held up, and Lotte seemed to be slightly terrified at the approaching rock. I couldn¡¯t me her. It was as big as an apartment building. Hundreds of people could stand on it without a problem.


    The rock was falling. 100 meters, 70 meters, 35 meters, 10 meters! I thrust my spear forward.


    ¡°Outburst!¡±


    The moment my spear collided with the rock, I felt that the spear overcame the rock¡¯s crushing force. However, in order to protect the spear shaft, the spear transferred the crushing force directly to me. Along with an enormous shock in my arms, I felt an electrifying pain in my sr plexus. However, believing in Dragon Skin¡¯s power, I gritted my teeth and continued to thrust my spear forward.


    ¡°You god damn lizard bastard! Eat this!¡±


    The rock split, not from shock of colliding with the spear, but from an unnaturally strong shock. It split into dozens, then hundreds of pieces. Then, just as unnaturally, the broken pieces rained down in a straight line. Of course, their aim was...!


    [Kuaaaaaa, Heroooo!]


    If I recorded it, I could use it as an rm clock! The rain of rocks struck the drake¡¯s body. I didn¡¯t think it would receive a fatal blow, but I clenched my fists, as I had prevented S rankers from dying in vain.


    However, suddenly feeling raindrops in my head, I raised my hands to touch it, and saw that my helmet had been split into two. It seemed that a piece of rock had zed past my head. My mask would still hide my identity, but I would have to pay to repair the helmet. I gritted my teeth and put the two pieces of the helmet into my inventory.


    The fight wasn¡¯t over yet. If I let the drake freely rampage any longer, mypanions might really be in danger. Because of its attacks, the Antelope Canyon was already in a sorry state. The damage was even reaching outer perimeters of the canyon.


    Hwaya¡¯s mana wasn¡¯t infinite, and she wouldn¡¯t be able to block its mes forever. Without her, I suspected that half of the people currently alive would be dead.


    As such, I had to kill it before her mana ran out.


    ¡°Huu...!¡±


    First, I resolved myself. Will one minute be enough? Will I be able to aim properly? Should I really do it?


    No, with Ludia¡¯s buff, it should just barely be possible!


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaa!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    Strength overflowed in my body. Of course, that wasn¡¯t it. Standing firmly on Lotte¡¯s back, I aimed my spear at the me Drake, currently swinging its front paw and breathing fire at the S rankers attacking it.


    ¡°Gigantic! Uk!¡±


    [Kuk... It¡¯s heavy, Herooo!]


    ¡°Endure it just for a second, Lotte!¡±


    The spear grew to dozens of meters in an instant! The spear had be incredibly heavy, and it was devouring an unimaginable amount of mana from Spirit Aura. I gritted my teeth and shouted.


    ¡°Sky God¡¯s Rage!¡¯


    The giant spear transformed into a lightning bolt. Oh, the spear became lighter! Plus, when I activated Sky God¡¯s Rage, thunderps rang out consecutively and bolts of lightning fell from the sky. My spear directly absorbed all of the lightning and became even bigger.


    [Hahaha, I feel super high, Master!][1. She literally says ¡°high¡± in English. And Shin says ¡°heavy¡± in English.]


    ¡°I feel super heavy!¡±


    At Peika¡¯s spirited shout, I clenched my teeth. The strength from all my muscles surged. Damn it, if I didn¡¯t learn it as a skill, it would have been impossible for me to concentrate all my strength in this situation!


    ¡°Here I go... Heroic... Striiiiike!¡±


    I flung the lightning bolt whole.


    ¡°Kuk! What is that giant lightning!?¡±


    ¡°Thunder Knight, it¡¯s Thunder Knight¡¯s power!¡±


    ¡°What... That¡¯s the power of an SS ranker? It¡¯s well above it!¡±


    ¡°Ah, the drake is moving! Stop it!¡±


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    In truth, the spear I threw wasn¡¯t as fast as real lightning. The drake was quite dexterous for its size, so it could definitely dodge it.


    That is, if I didn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡°Shadow Blink!¡±


    The next moment, I was on the drake¡¯s neck. It erupted strong mes from its body and threw the ability users back, and was now trying to dodge the iing spear. Of course, I had no n of letting it do that.


    I raised my whitened hand and struck down at its neck, shouting, ¡°Ice Touch!¡±


    [Your target freezes for 5 seconds. Afterwards, it can dispel the status effect depending on its resistance.]


    [Kak!]


    Like a lie, the drake froze in ce. With a grin, I leaped off. Lotte flew like an arrow and caught me.


    ¡°Nice, Lotte.¡±


    [I¡¯m falling back!]


    It seemed Lotte could feel the power behind Sky God¡¯s Rage. She pped her wings quickly and flew off. Less than a second afterwards, the spear I threw out pierced the drake¡¯s body.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kyaaaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Wow, a critical hit.¡±


    I watched, as I stood on Lotte¡¯s back. After zing past the drake¡¯s neck, Sky God¡¯s Rage burned everything in its path and pierced the drake¡¯s body. Digging deep into it, it dyed the world golden for a moment, as formidable lightning struck its body.


    At the same time, even the grenade that was stuck in its neck exploded! Right, if it could withstand Sky God¡¯s Rage, it would be an SSS rank boss monster, not a grenade! The shrapnel from the grenade shredded the drake¡¯s throat. Although it wasn¡¯t as strong as Sky God¡¯s Rage, with its positioning and the fact that all of Pepper¡¯s strength was imbued in it, it dealt critical damage.


    [Kuaaaaaaa...! The He...ro¡¯s... power...!]


    The drake screamed. Its voice became quieter and quieter until no one could hear it. If it didn¡¯t die from this, I would have to resort to Deific Manifestation. When I was resolving myself to do so, the tension in my body disappeared. I had heard the voice I was waiting to hear.


    [Event Raid sess! Six of Earth¡¯s dungeon explorers and one independent dungeon explorer, a total of seven dungeon explorers has sessfullypleted an Event Raid! This great achievement increases the rewards greatly! As your average rank is lower than the raid boss, the reward increases again!]


    [Your dignity is worthy of receiving the attentions of Transcendents. All gods that love battles and wars begin to observe you closely.]


    The reward increased even more this time!? Plus, that message... It seemed I needed to prepare myself for what was toe.


    [You obtained 5 stat points forpleting the Event Raid.]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Rage of Vulcan (Epic)


    2. Bride of Ignis (Epic)


    3. Executioners in Two Moon (Epic)


    4. Elixir


    5. Volcanic Lance (Epic)


    6. Volcanic Guardian (Epic)


    7. 5,000,000 Gold]


    ¡®... Even the worst reward is 5,000,000 gold!? And the potion reward is Elixir!?[2. Not the elixirs as in strengthening elixirs,pressing elixirs, etc. The Korean word for that ispletely different than this potion, which is literally ¡°Elixir¡± phicized in Korean.] If that¡¯s what I think it is... isn¡¯t it the miracle potion that restores someone to normal from all physical or mental injuries and status effects!? If the potion is Elixir, then what about the other rewards!? I mean, they¡¯re all Epic!¡¯


    ¡°S-Shin, did the rewardse out? It did, right? You¡¯re the first in contribution, so how is it? Anything good?¡±


    I was clearly first in contribution. It couldn¡¯t be anyone else. Hwaya, who knew that fact well, approached me and asked with sparkling eyes.


    When I looked at her, the water vapor evaporating from her was lessening. The heavy rain had passed.


    Seeing the ray of light shining down from between the storm clouds, I said with a solemn expression.


    ¡°Hwaya... we struck it big.¡±


    Author¡¯s note:


    Good for you Peika! You¡¯re feeling super high! The people on Munpia now are feeling super low... (T/N: this is referring to the fact that Munpia had some server error, and thus the chapter came outte or something)


    PS ¨C Feeling super high: Jojo¡¯s Bizarre Adventure. Dio¡¯s famous quote!


    (Trantor¡¯s note: I think the English trantion of it was ¡°This is the greatest high!¡± or something, but I¡¯m just going with feeling super high lol)

 Chapter 136. Team Revival (10)

    Chapter 136. Team Revival (10)


    After that, everything was taken care of in a moment. Everyone¡¯s goal was to subjugate the Field Dungeon, Wyvern¡¯s Nest. Since I tamed the dungeon¡¯s boss, Dark Wing Lotte, their goal had been aplished.


    However, the me Drake, a raid boss, had suddenly appeared. Although no one had expected it, most ability users had joined the drake subjugation to protect their country and its honor.


    Although they couldn¡¯t damage the drake much, I was very impressed by the fact that so many rankers joined forces in such a dangerous situation. If someone asked me if I could risk my life for my country¡¯s honor... I would undoubtedly say no.


    In any case, with the drake now defeated, the Wyvern¡¯s Nest would be peaceful. Twenty four ability users had died. Although an equal number of people got injured, with a few S ranked healers and Ludia, the injured could easily recover.


    Immediately after the drake died, its corpse strangely disappeared. All ability users became flustered and felt empty, but the one who was frustrated the most was America¡¯s Guardian. The corpse of the strongest monster ever known on Earth! Since they had lost it in vain, how couldn¡¯t they be angry!? I¡¯d rather not describe the faces of the Guardian members who came running to the sight immediately.


    If I had to truthfully discuss sharing the corpse, Team Revival had the highest share. America did not have a say in it.


    In truth, looking at American ability users¡¯ selflessness and their treatment toward other countries¡¯ ability users, I thought the American government would be like them, but it seemed all higher ups thought the same way. In any case, they would have to give worthy rewards to the ability users, who had risked their lives for America. The ability users gathered at the Antelope Canyon were too powerful and too many in number for them to pretend not to be blind.


    Seeing the situation settle, I sent my party members a message.


    [We can split it based on our contributionter.]


    [Ah, Shin can have my share, as the guild application fee!]


    [There is no fee though.]


    [M-Me too. What¡¯s Shin is mine, and what¡¯s mine is Shin¡¯s anyways.]


    [No, that¡¯s not right either. What¡¯s yours is yours, and what¡¯s mine is mine.]


    [Mm... Son, do I have to give you my share for the guild application fee too? Plus, howe you didn¡¯t say anything to your father after getting a mansion!?]


    [Like I said, there is no application fee. Also, if I told you, you would have gone mad from jealousy, father.]


    [Whatever! Shin isn¡¯t the type to take advantage of us, so we should be happy with the rewards! This dress is amazing!]


    [Hmm... I feel bad taking 5,000,000 gold when I didn¡¯t do anything. Since I couldn¡¯t injure the drake at all, you can take my reward. If I ept it, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep at night.]


    [Me too. I like this shield a lot... Hwawoo-nim, or rather, Shin-nim and unni was too amazing! You were really like mythological heroes!]


    [I could say the same about you, Sumire! When did you get a god¡¯s true name!?]


    Leaving everyone to talk happily in the partymunication channel, I opened my inventory. Then, I grinned with satisfaction.


    Right. Within it was theplete corpse of the me Drake.


    I had put it in my inventory when I had gone to retrieve my spear. With Divine Speed, it was a piece of cake! If I left it alone, America would grind their teeth to obtain it, and there was no reason for me to let that happen!


    However, I had to show proper respect to the selfless rankers who died while fighting the me Drake. If I deemed that America treated them unjustly, I nned to reward their family even if I had to use up all my gold. That said, seeing how America had invited them so openly, I probably wouldn¡¯t need to worry about it.


    For my reward, I chose Rage of Vulcan. I didn¡¯t need 5,000,000 gold or Elixir. I considered choosing Volcanic Lance, but I already had Crimson Gluttony Spear. As such, I decided to let father have the Volcanic Lance. In any case, I chose what looked like the best item.


    Although I hoped that it was an essory, Rage of Vulcan was an Epic grade sword. It seemed Spirit of the Collector didn¡¯t work properly this time. Disappointed, I disregarded its excellent effects or special skill, and just fed it to Gluttony Spear.


    [Crimson Gluttony Spear absorbed Rage of Vulcan. Growth: 96%]


    Eh!? Since it was at 87 percent before, it had gone up by 9 percent! It gave more percentages than the Demon Army Commander¡¯s weapon, even though they were both Epic grade...! With this, it wouldn¡¯t be long until Crimson Gluttony Spear¡¯s growth would reach 100%! Thinking about it made my heart beat. If it was already so strong, how much stronger would it be when it evolved? If I thought about all the weapons it ate, it was only obvious that I would look forward to it so much.


    Once I chose my reward, obtained the drake¡¯s corpse, and took care of all the ability users¡¯ recovery and evacuation, I wanted to go home. Walker, father, and Sumire had already returned. Only me, Ye-Eun, Ludia, and Hwaya remained. Although we considered going back using Return, I decided to see Pepper before we left.


    I grabbed him by his cor immediately.


    ¡°You bastard, I almost died because you gave me a dysfunctional grenade!¡±


    ¡°Kek, it¡¯s not my fault! It was fine when the grenade was outside, but because the inside of its body had high mana resistance, I couldn¡¯t detonate it with my mana alone!¡±


    ¡°You should have said that earlier, you bastard!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d drill a hole in its neck and put the grenade in it! Uaaak, the sky is shaking, T.K.!¡±


    After shaking Pepper for about 5 minutes to vent, I let him go and said my goodbye. Although I strangled him just a moment ago, Pepper seemed reluctant to part with me.


    ¡°You, Miss Mastiford, the dagger girl, and the priestess girl. It¡¯s a shame that I have to say my goodbye.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll meet again one day.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! If a monster as horrible as this one appears in America, you¡¯ll be the first one I look for, T.K.! Take good care of me then, too!¡±


    ¡°Why are you only thinking of making me work. You better prepare a hefty reward.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the government will take care of that! Just like this time! Hahaha!¡±


    Seeing Pepper¡¯s happy smile, I made a bitter smile. It was impossible to dislike a guy like this.


    That said, there weren¡¯t only pleasant farewells. When I was cleaning the room I stayed in, I heard a knock on the door. When I thoughtlessly said to enter, a girl entered along with six men in suits.


    It was Ciara Kenex.


    ¡°Can you hear it, Hero-nim?¡±


    With her eyes closed, she raised her hand and pointed outside the window.


    ¡°Everyone is praising Hero-nim. They are touched by Hero-nim¡¯s aplishment of defeating such arge monster practically alone.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just me. It would have been impossible without everyone¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°That is precisely the reason that Hero-nim must lead them. This is the best opportunity!¡±


    I thought she¡¯d bring it up again. With a sigh, I turned to face her, and continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to say this without a shred of falsehood. I was genuinely impressed by the ability users¡¯ attitude. They risked their lives for their country and that should be respected.¡±


    ¡°Hero-nim...!¡±


    ¡°But even without them, we would have defeated the drake.¡±


    I said concisely.


    ¡°They lost their lives in vain. They died for nothing! They should have shined elsewhere. Not by fighting an SS+ rank beast like the drake, but by fighting monsters that B or A ranked ability users couldn¡¯t fight. They should have protected people that way. They shouldn¡¯t have thrown away their lives here!¡±


    ¡°But without them, who would have defeated the drake!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t kid. If you knew something like this would happen... you should have known... You should have known that they wouldn¡¯t have been able to even scratch the drake.¡±


    The moment the words left my mouth, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. If that was true, then... this child...


    ¡°... You knew, right? That the drake would appear. You said it yourself, that you knew when monsters would appear. You called me here at this time for this reason, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And you knew. You knew that mypanions and I would have been able to defeat the drake by ourselves.¡±


    ¡°I...¡±


    Even though she couldn¡¯t see, she turned away, as if to dodge my gaze. Seeing it, I couldn¡¯t help my voice from rising in anger.


    ¡°You, did you stay quiet because you wanted to see other ability users praising me? You let them die for something like that? To let other rankers know of my strength? Twenty four S rankers died because of it. Twenty four precious lives disappeared!¡±


    ¡°But their abilities will be retrieved by me, and I can allocate them to next appropriate people! Although they died, as a result, Hero-nim obtained an absolute authority among the Awakened. I think this is a great reward beyondpare!¡±


    For a moment, my head became nk. I couldn¡¯t think of anything. It almost felt like I received a mental attack.


    If I raised my hand and lightly punched her, she would undoubtedly die. With the rage boiling inside me, it would be especially hard for me to control my strength. When I raised my hand, the men in suits moved to protect her. When I put it back down and red at them, they froze in ce.


    Trying to control my anger, I continued.


    ¡°You should have told everyone the truth. You should have evacuated all ability users, and let my party members and I take care of the drake.¡±


    ¡°Hero-nim, in that case, Hero-nim¡¯s aplishment won¡¯t be properly evaluated! The reaction would be entirely different than what it is currently! In fact, people might have called it a scam!¡±


    ¡°Not being properly evaluated or it being thought of as a scam is fine! In fact, we should have called other SS rankers and fought the drake together! That should have been the original function of your ability!¡±


    ¡°Hero-nim!¡±


    I felt something in my head being severed.


    ¡°Screw off. Right now, all of you... SCREW OFF!¡±


    [You obtained the passive skill, Overwhelm. This skill appears with extremely low chance among people with high magic and charm stats. Just by possessing this skill, you decrease the stats of all opponents by percentages, regardless of whether they are stronger or weaker than you. At level 1, it decreases all opponents¡¯ stats by 5%. The chance of your opponent failing to activate a skill increases by 5%.]


    I didn¡¯t hear any response. The door closed silently. I mmed my fist down on the table, and the table instantly turned into dust.


    I couldn¡¯t face the approaching despair with numbers. I felt it in the Luka continent. Absolute strength. An absolute strength was needed, one that would not kneel in face of fear. Although number was important, it wasn¡¯t enough against an enemy like the Demon Lord.


    It would be different than the wars as Earth¡¯s history would show.


    Military strength would decrease the longer the fight went on. It was also our most critical weakness. Why? Because monsters and dungeons were appearing even now, and there wasn¡¯t an end in sight! If people died, could we rece them? No, humans weren¡¯t objects or weapons!


    This wasn¡¯t something like a war. It was an infinitepetition for survival!


    And what we needed wasn¡¯t number, being consumed endlessly and heading to destruction. It was a select few with immortal strength, a Hero who would stand tall against all odds and would defeat all enemies!


    I had no n of saying that only I could do it. I had no n of saying that anyone with the strength should do it. In fact, if someone forced me to fulfill the role, I would reject it with great displeasure. If someone like Brightman said he¡¯d fulfill the role, I wouldn¡¯t even believe him.


    However, we needed to be stronger to protect the ce we could stand.


    Before we all descend to a bottomless pit with nowhere to stand.


    Author¡¯s note:


    This was a chapter where Shin¡¯s thoughts were made clear. Easily put, it exined Shin¡¯s point of view before we moved on. I don¡¯t know how the readers would take it, but I wanted to give the feeling that Shin had understood reality and the reason he should get stronger. It was also one of the hidden meaning behind the title ¡ï


    As everyone should already know, Ciara doesn¡¯t only have the ability to distribute abilities, but also her own ability. It¡¯s been talked about before. That she knew when and where monsters would appear and how strong they would be. She can see it through a vision of ability users and monsters fighting. In that case, it was only obvious that Ciara Kenex would know about what would happen at the Wyvern¡¯s Nest, since she was already there. With that, it¡¯s the end of the arc!


    Next is the long-awaited dungeon!


    Trantor: Tfw MC gets Emperor¡¯s Haki


    ED: Doesn¡¯t Emperor¡¯s Haki have the ability to knock people out?


    Trantor: True...

 Chapter 137. The Third Explorer (1)

    Chapter 137. The Third Explorer (1)


    Using Return, we left the Antelope Canyon without anyone knowing. With what happened in Britain, people surmised that Thunder Knight and the me Witch had an ally that could use mass teleportation.


    What was more troubling was that even in all the chaos, someone filmed us fighting the me Drake and spread it for the world to see. Perhaps... No, I was certain. It had to be Ciara Kenex¡¯s work.


    All I did was to fight the drake on a ck winged wyvern, so why were alll the channels on TV talking about Thunder Knight? In fact, because I defeated the drake on a wyvern, my name had changed from Thunder Knight to Dragon Knight.


    All countries focused on Dragon Knight¡¯s identity and were shocked by Dragon Knight¡¯s strength. The fact that I was the strongest ability user seemed to be going around like an undeniable truth.


    To be honest, it was very troubling. It really felt like it wouldn¡¯t be weird if an organization was made. Thinking about how more troubling things would be if my identity became known, I vowed to hide myself more thoroughly.


    My father, of course, looked at me with envy. He was the world¡¯s greatest in terms of being unable to act his age.


    ¡°Kuu, I¡¯m going to obtain a god¡¯s true name too, son!¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. Do you want a hint? I told you before, right?¡±


    ¡°I could have missed something! Repeat it for me!¡±


    I doubted hearing it for the second or third time would help, but when I exined all the circumstances where I obtained a god¡¯s true name, father let out air through his nose and ran to the dungeon. Didn¡¯t you say you were trying to make a breakthrough in your spearmanship? What happened to that, father?


    In addition, with this incident, mother had found out about Ye-Eun and Hwaya as well. Although Yua already knew about Ye-Eun and Hwaya, when she saw them on TV, she seemed even angrier.


    As Ludia lived a disciplined life, she fell asleep at 10, and at thetest, 11. After she started climbing the dungeon, she stopped clinging onto me 24/7. Now, she only held me until she fell asleep and shouted my name when she woke up, so I was quite free from... Eh? Why did I feel like nothing changed?


    In any case, with Ludia asleep, I was being interrogated by mother and Yua.


    ¡°So son, of the three of them, who¡¯s the real one?¡±


    ¡°None. They¡¯re all friends. Just friends.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t they smack you every time you say that?¡±


    How did she know!? When I opened my eyes widely, Yua let out a deep sigh, while motherughed hysterically.


    ¡°Ahaha, that¡¯s so funny! I thought my son would die without ever dating a girl. When did he get so skilled? Not to mention, they¡¯re all so beautiful. Ehew, you¡¯re going to make my mouth rip from smiling too much.¡±


    ¡°Why is Mom so happy? I won¡¯t give oppa to women like them. Never!¡±


    Yua shouted, then stomped up the stairs to her room. I was confused, but mother chuckled and spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time Yua graduated from her oppa too. I¡¯m happy that you guys have such good rtionship, but it¡¯s too much to be honest. You should really settle on one quickly. I won¡¯t say anything if you get married to Ludia now. To be honest, she¡¯s the most fair. Her personality too... Other than the fact that she relies on you a bit too much, she¡¯s kind. Although she can¡¯t cook yet, she¡¯s good at cleaning and doing theundry.¡±


    It felt weird hearing someone say that Ludia was kind. Well, since mother only met Ludia recently, it wasn¡¯t... Wait, what? Marrying Ludia? I sweated and exined to her.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m only 21 now. What do you mean settle down... And Ludia? Not Palludia?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what she asked me to call her. Isn¡¯t it nice? It¡¯s more friendly! Ah, that¡¯s not what¡¯s important! You shouldn¡¯t feign ignorance when a girl is openly telling you her feelings. That¡¯s the best way of getting hated!¡±


    ¡°I properly declined them!¡±


    ¡°What? Declined? Ehew, you don¡¯t know how lucky you are. Ah, wait!¡±


    I forcefully ended the interrogation.


    If Dark Wing Lotte was living anywhere near our house, my identity would be revealed to the whole world in a moment. As such, I moved her to the dungeon. Instead of the cramped mansion (there was a new resident in the garden named me Drake), she was in a better ce. It was Resting ce of the Angels.


    [Wow, it¡¯s Shin!]


    The moment I arrived, Plene noticed me instantly and ran to my embrace. As it happened every time I met Plene, I had somewhat gotten used to her the softness of her body. Though, it was a lie... I mean, Plene¡¯s attire was too light!


    [Are you sleeping? What do you want to eat? Should I catch you a fish?]


    Like her name suggested, Plene[1. Her namees fromarium!! I finally found out this chapter. That said, I¡¯ll still stick with Plene since that sounds like (P-Leh-Neh), while ne (sounds like ne as in airne).] shaped her eyes like stars and looked at me, making it hard for me to decline. However, I first asked her about the new resident.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Lotte?¡±


    [I don¡¯t know. She hates me. She keeps flying around.]


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Plene took the chance toin about Lotte as she clung to me. Thinking the way Plene liked to cling was exactly the reason why Lotte didn¡¯t like her, I waited for Lotte toe. As I thought, it seemed Lotte could sense my presence too, as she soon flew down andnded with her wings folded. She was big no matter how many times I saw her.


    [Are we going somewhere to fight, Hero?]


    ¡°No, you can rest a bit more. You too, Plene. When dungeons start appearing on Earth, you¡¯ll both get busy.¡±


    [I¡¯ve been expecting it ever since I joined Hero¡¯s side. Once we killed that drake, it became toote to turn back. I will follow Hero.]


    [Mmm, I like Shin, so I¡¯ll protect the people Shin likes! Monsters are bad, so I¡¯ll beat them up!]


    Lotte then looked down at Plene and snorted.


    [You are also a monster. I can¡¯t believe what you¡¯re saying, just because you fell heads over heels for a man.]


    [Eeeek! But you like Shin too!]


    [I only kneeled at the difference in our strength. Since I swore I would follow him, I would continue to do so, but that is it.]


    [Liar, liar! You like Shin too! Loretta said Taming won¡¯t work if you don¡¯t like Shin!]


    [You biiiiitch!]


    If they really fought, Plene would easily lose, so I had to protect her as I calmed Lotte down.


    ¡°Guys, don¡¯t fight and train your abilities. Please.¡±


    [Okay! Got it!]


    [Tsk... If it¡¯s Hero¡¯s request, there¡¯s no choice.]


    When I patted their heads, Plene was openly happy, while Lotte smacked her tail on the ground strangely. At least, it seemed she didn¡¯t hate it.


    Now that I was done with checking out how things were in the Resting ce of the Angels, I had to return to my everyday schedule. Of course, that only meant one thing for me.


    It was dungeon exploring!


    ... For the record, there was a very simple reason that I didn¡¯t bring Lotte and Plene along to explore the dungeon. For Plene, monsters on the ordinary floors weren¡¯t strong enough for me to need her, and monsters that were strong could resist Plene¡¯s ability easily.


    Simply put, Plene was still too weak. Thankfully, it seemed she was content with just singing in Resting ce of the Angels. Although she was continuously growing her ability, she was still too weak to bring to real fights. That said, I suspected that I¡¯d need to borrow her ability soon on Earth.


    As for Lotte, I tried to bring her along once, but she was too big to freely fly in the dungeon. It was quite unfortunate. As such, I had to break through the 51st floor on Ruyue¡¯s back.


    Before then, however, I wanted an answer from Loretta.


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim. There¡¯s... 20 years left.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    At Loretta¡¯s response, I asked her again naturally. With a face on the verge of crying, she answered.


    ¡°Until Earth¡¯s protective barrier disappears and all monsters realize that Shin-nim is the monster.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s 20 years... until then?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡®Wait... Hold on.¡¯ I put my hand on my forehead.


    Wait, what? 20 years? When I asked Loretta about it before, why did she use an expression like ¡®a little while longer¡¯? Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s joking right now? No, but she looks like she¡¯s about to cry!


    ¡°Is it really 20 years?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s only 20 years left... I¡¯m sorry. This is why I didn¡¯t want to tell you...¡±


    ¡°Loretta, how old are you this year?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m two thou... Kyak! Rude, how rude! Why are you asking me that so naturally? I almost answered you!¡±


    ¡°Huk!¡±


    Loretta screamed. The punch she sent out zed past my nose. What? Two thousand...!? This elf that looked younger than me was at least two thousand years old!? Of course, I couldn¡¯t ignore the digits that followed. But, I see... With that, I understood.


    No matter how much medical science had advanced, humans currently could not live past the age of 150. Although 20 years were long for humans, for Loretta who lived for over 2 thousand years, 20 years could be rtively short.


    In any case, now that I knew, strength left my body. I fell on the ground in panic, and Loretta sat down next to me. She sobbed for a bit, and after seeing that I had fallen down, she blinked her eyes and looked at me.


    ¡®Sh, Shin-nim? Did my punch hit you? Oh no, it must have hurt a lot!¡±


    ¡°If you think it¡¯ll hurt a lot, don¡¯t swing your fist around... And don¡¯t worry, I wasn¡¯t hit. I was just... relieved.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Relieved?¡±


    Loretta tilted her head adorably.


    ¡°How can you be relieved, hearing that there¡¯s only 20 years left?¡±


    ¡°Well, if I have 20 years, I should be able to reach the end of this dungeon. No, I will do so for sure.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Finding Loretta¡¯s stupefied expression cute, Iughed again. However, hearing myughter, Loretta let out a dry cough and spoke with a stern expression.


    ¡°Shin-nim, this dungeon was here before I was even born. Back then, although the method of climbing was a bit different, the difficulty wasn¡¯t too different.¡±


    ¡°You mean two thou...¡±


    Something shed before my eyes and a deep hole appeared in the dungeon¡¯s wall. Even my Heroic Strike could only leave a tiny gap in the wall!


    Loretta smiled sweetly, and I forced myself to smile back.


    ¡°What did you say, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°1, 17 years ago maybe? Was that when the dungeon was created?¡±


    I answered as I sweated. Loretta looked satisfied at my answer.


    ¡°Huhu, the dungeon was created long before I was born. In any case, many people challenged the dungeon during this time, but only three people managed to reach its end.¡±


    ¡°But Ellos said no one had seeded... Though, Loretta would know more about it.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, he¡¯s also right. After the dungeon changed to the method it now has, no one has managed to conquer the dungeon. To be honest, the past method was much easier andx. Because of that, there were errors between achievements and the blessings given out, causing more worlds to... No, never mind. There¡¯s no need to think about it.¡±


    ¡®I can hear you perfectly, though...¡¯ I grinned, and Loretta also grinned. However, she was back to her stern expression in the next moment.


    ¡°The dungeon is strict. It is not a ce that wantonly gives out strength to people. Shin-nim, are you saying you will conquer the dungeon in only 20 years?¡±


    ¡°yes.¡±


    ¡°In that case, there¡¯s something else Shin-nim should know.¡±


    ¡®What is it?¡¯ When I tilted my head and asked, Loretta spoke with a stiff voice.


    ¡°Does Shin-nim... still think that First Dungeon is the most difficult dungeon?¡±


    Author¡¯s note:


    ICDS will continue for the next 20 years! (Lies)


    If things will be peaceful for 20 years, I wouldn¡¯t have brought up the Hero so early on, right? ^^


    Look forward to the future development, everyone!

 Chapter 138. The Third Explorer (2)

    Chapter 138. The Third Explorer (2)


    I paused at her question, then grabbed her shoulders and shouted.


    ¡°So there really is one? I knew it!¡±


    ¡°Kyak! Sh, Shin-nim, it¡¯s still day time... N-Not that I hate it. In fact, you¡¯re free to go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind that!¡±


    ¡°That!? Did you just consider my okay sign as something petty!?¡±


    ¡°Loretta, is there a Dungeon higher than the First Dungeon?¡±


    Loretta grumbled and answered.


    ¡°There is. Only administrative guild masters like myself or explorers that have gone there know about it.¡±


    ¡°What are the conditions?¡±


    ¡°Before that, are you prepared? That dungeon certainly has higher rewards than all other dungeons, but the price you have to pay is equally high. Shin-nim might even regret going there. Just climbing the First Dungeon might be better. I¡¯m certain. Do you still want to listen?¡±


    I became quiet at her words. Then, I somewhat realized why she brought it up in the first ce. Thus, I asked.


    ¡°If I conquer the First Dungeon, will I be able to defeat the world¡¯s enemy?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I asked again.


    ¡°What if I clear the higher dungeon?¡±


    ¡°If you canpletely clear it... probably.¡±


    ¡°Then isn¡¯t the answer obvious?¡±


    ¡°... Right. Really, Shin-nim is...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m what?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. Nothing at all.¡±


    Loretta shook her heads at my question. The corners of her mouth was curled up to a smile, unlike before. At her extremely pleasant smile, I also smiled.


    ¡°Okay. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll bring you back to the First Dungeon even if I have to threaten the Lord!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll break through it with my strength.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll teach you how to get to ¡®Beyond.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Beyond?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is somewhere only First Dungeon explorers can hope to reach. Even amongst them, only those with the greatest abilities, potential, and qualifications can enter it. As the reason for its existence is different than the other dungeons, it is called Beyond.¡±


    First condition. Being a First Dungeon explorer.


    Second condition. Defeating all bosses one versus one.


    Third condition. Obtaining a god¡¯s true name.


    Fourth condition. Being acknowledged by an administrative guild master.


    Fifth condition. Being above Gold rank.


    Sixth condition. Making achievements.


    It was truly a path of blood and iron. However, I had alreadypleted most of them. Loretta telling me about Beyond signified that she acknowledged me, so there was only one left for me to fulfill.


    ¡°Is the sixth condition what I think it is? Like the achievements I¡¯ve been making so far?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It hasn¡¯t been revealed how many achievements you need to make, so I can¡¯t tell you when you¡¯ll be able to enter Beyond. As such, Shin-nim has to focus on making achievements. Since you decided to climb Beyond, it¡¯s better to go as soon as possible. Just like its name suggests, Beyond is a dungeon that lies past the First Dungeon. Every time you clear a floor on the First Dungeon, you¡¯ll be able to challenge Beyond. When you clear a floor in Beyond, you¡¯ll return to the First Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°In other worlds, I¡¯ll be able to climb more in Beyond the lower my level is.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Of course, since no one has seeded in conquering the First Dungeon, it¡¯s too early to worry about this, but Shin-nim really gives people hope.¡±


    For example, if the First Dungeon had 100 floors in total and I became a Beyond explorer after clearing the First Dungeon¡¯s 75th floor, then once I cleared Beyond¡¯s 1st floor, I would have to return to clear the First Dungeon¡¯s 76th floor. Once I cleared it, I would be able to challenge Beyond¡¯s 2nd floor. In that case, when I cleared the 100th floor of the First Dungeon, I would be able to challenge the 26th floor of Beyond. But that would be it. I wouldn¡¯t be able to challenge Beyond¡¯s 27th floor even if I cleared the 26th. I wouldn¡¯t be able to conquer Beyond, being able to only conquer the First Dungeon.


    Even if the First Dungeon didn¡¯t end at the 100th floor, it was clear that bing a Beyond explorerter was disadvantageous.


    How unreasonable!


    ¡°Because no one has reached the end of Beyond, no one knows how many floors Beyond has. So don¡¯t worry about it too much and focus on the First Dungeon. If it¡¯s Shin-nim, I believe Shin-nim will be able to enter Beyond before the 70th floor!¡±


    ¡°I hope that¡¯s the case. Then, see youter.¡±


    As Loretta advised me with a big smile, I also answered with a smile. Then, I left for the 51st floor, vowing to myself that I would one day reach beyond the First Dungeon.


    [You became level 52. You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You obtained the qualification to go beyond the First Dungeon.]


    [Would you like to be an explorer of ¡®Beyond¡¯? The moment you ept, you will be removed from the dungeon¡¯s ranking.]


    [Please choose carefully. This ce is entirely different than the First Dungeon, and those that pass this threshold may not go back.]


    ¡°...¡±


    On the 51st Floor Shop, I looked at Loretta. She looked back and smiled sweetly.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Shin-nim? You were fast today, too! To think you¡¯d break through the 51st floor, which is full of trolls, in just 5 hours!¡±


    ¡°Um... Loretta.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°It looks like I got the qualification to go to Beyond.¡±


    ¡°...What!?¡±


    I must say, Loretta¡¯s surprised expression was extremely cute.


    [You became a Beyond explorer! You can challenge Beyond¡¯s 1st floor. Once cleared, you can challenge the First Dungeon¡¯s 52nd floor and you cannot immediately challenge Beyond¡¯s 2nd floor.]


    [You made an achievement of bing the fastest to enter Beyond since the dungeon¡¯s founding! You obtained 4 skill points. Current skill points: 8]


    [You became the current Beyond¡¯s third explorer. You are currently ranked 3rd in Beyond. Beyond¡¯s explorermunication channel has been opened.]


    [The residence and resort in your possession has changed their affiliation to Beyond.]


    After listening to the messages in a daze, I looked at Loretta, who was also in a daze.


    ¡°Loretta, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Mmm... I don¡¯t know!¡±


    Loretta was too cheerful. When I sighed, she became startled and began to contemte the matter seriously. She then came up with an answer.


    ¡°I think what Shin-nim did in another world as a Dimensional Mercenary, then defeating the drake that appeared on Earth had significant impact.¡±


    ¡°Those two were acknowledged as great achievements?¡±


    ¡°Yes! But you really are amazing. Fastest to be a Dimensional Mercenary, fastest to be a Beyond explorer... If it¡¯s you, you might really do it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tter me too much.¡±


    ¡°Huhu. You don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about yet.¡±


    Loretta rejoiced with her hands together, but I was slightly scared at her eyes that seemed to be looking somewhere far away. Would she tell me if I asked? Or would she tell me to wait again? Suddenly feeling my heart tighten, I turned away. Startled, Loretta grabbed my sleeves.


    ¡°Shin-nim, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I have to go to Beyond now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right... You surprised me, geez... Really. Don¡¯t disappear without saying anything! You have to properly say you¡¯ll be back!¡±


    Loretta pped her ears quickly as if she was angry. I was relieved. She was properly looking at me now.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    ¡°Eit!¡±


    Loretta tried to kiss me habitually, but as I was expecting it this time, I easily dodged to the side. Then...


    [You received Queen Elf¡¯s Blessing. For the next 5 hours, you receive the following effects: You are protected against all low-rank and mid-rank status effects. You can maintain your consciousness for 5 minutes after falling in half-dead state. Your luck increases by 100. All members of the Faerie race will see you favorably.]


    ¡°Eh? Didn¡¯t I dodge it just now?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s...¡±


    Seeing Loretta dodged my eyes as if something pricked at her conscience, I realized. It seemed these blessings didn¡¯t need to be applied with kisses. Loretta had always used Blessings under the guise of kissing, and when I dodged her this time, she failed to kiss me, but the blessing had gone through.


    Dumbfounded, I murmured.


    ¡°You really kissed me just because you wanted to?¡±


    ¡°I, I already told you. I¡¯m kissing you because I love you...¡±


    Even as she said that, she seemed embarrassed as she tried to cover her face with her ears. Of course, even with her long ears, it wasn¡¯t possible. This person, or rather, this elf... why was she so cute? Feeling the sense of unease I just felt disappearing, I reached my hand out to pat her head.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Mm, well, I appreciate it. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t know what¡¯s what. To be honest, my head is already full because of the dungeon and the matter with being a Hero. Sorry. You don¡¯t have to wait for me, so...¡±


    ¡°S-Stupid. I¡¯m extremely used to waiting! Even if I don¡¯t want to!¡±


    For some reason, she called me stupid.


    ¡°R-Really?¡±


    ¡°Really! So don¡¯t worry about something like that, and go!¡±


    Just like that, Loretta chased me away. I didn¡¯t understand what just happened.


    Since thinking about it wouldn¡¯t help, I tilted my head.


    In the ce where the stairway to the 52nd floor should be, a grey gate had appeared. Without much thought, I jumped into it.


    [Commencing exploration of Beyond¡¯s 1st floor. You cannot stop exploring Beyond whenever you want. To give up and leave, your vitality must hit zero and you must be forced out to your home in the residential area or your world. You need one month to remence exploration, and you cannot climb the First Dungeon during this time.]


    ¡®Loretta, before trying to kiss me, you should have told me about this! Though, even if you did, I would have gone anyways... But this means I won¡¯t be able to go back to Earth until I clear Beyond¡¯s 1st floor!¡¯


    In any case, the first impression of Beyond I had was that it was quite big. Also, its structure was a bit different than the dungeon floors I¡¯ve climbed so far.


    ¡°Is it a maze?¡±


    There were hard brick walls to my left and right. When I tried to attack it with my spear imbued with mana, it didn¡¯t budge in the slightest. In fact, the red bricks absorbed my mana and reflected it back to me. I could read the mana¡¯s movements and avoid the attack, but it was stronger than my original attack. It seemed the walls had strengthened my attack before reflecting it back. I would have to keep this in mind as I went on.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaang!¡±


    Then, I suddenly heard a rather familiar roar. ¡®Strange... I definitely heard this roar before!¡¯ I tilted my head and walked forward. If I didn¡¯t, nothing would get done.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaang!¡±


    ¡®Hm, the sound is closer.¡¯


    The fact that I couldn¡¯t break the walls down stressed me greatly. On the other hand, I thought that this dungeon was more true to its role than the dungeon I¡¯ve climbed until now.


    Slowly, I approached the source of the roar. As I walked, my increased intelligence clearly drew the maze¡¯s map in my head. As I understood the maze¡¯s structure little by little, I understood how far I would need to walk to meet the source of the roar.


    ¡°Kuaaang!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡®This... is a bit different than the other voice.¡¯ I suddenly felt a chill down my back. Feeling uneasy, I immediately took out Gluttony Spear. Then, with one hand on the right wall, I slowly walked forward. I was certain. The source of the roar was up ahead.


    As I thought, when the wall came to an end, arge open area appeared. It was spacious enough for the me Drake to lie down.


    There, I found them.


    ¡°Orc Lord?¡±


    My god, how long had it been!? Orc Lord, it was an Orc Lord! The one that had helped me be a proper dungeon explorer! d to see him again, I raised my voice and ¡®they¡¯ looked back at me. Their eyes were bright red.


    ¡°There are... many Orc Lords?¡±


    I found the source of the chill I felt. My god, there was a small conference being held here! But let¡¯s think carefully. Orc Lords were bosses from the 5th floor. No matter how fancy their armors were or how much they exuded imposing auras, they shouldn¡¯t be able to win against me, who was level 52...


    ¡°Kuaaaang!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaang!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaang¡±


    [Orc Lord used ¡®Warcry¡¯! All orcs are cleansed of negative status effects! All orcs temporarily be super-armored. Their attack power increases by 50%!]


    [Orc Lord used ¡®Warcry¡¯! All orcs are cleansed of negative status effects! All orcs temporarily be super-armored. Their attack power increases by 50%!]


    [Orc Lord used ¡®Warcry¡¯! All orcs are cleansed of negative status effects! All orcs temporarily be super-armored. Their attack power increases by 50%!]


    I couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®Don¡¯t tell me. The Orc Lords¡¯ Warcries...¡¯


    ¡°Whenever one uses them, do the others¡¯ attacks go up...?¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaaang!¡±


    [Orc Lord used ¡®Warcry¡¯! All orcs are cleansed of negative status effects! All orcs temporarily be super-armored. Their attack power increases by 50%!]


    All the Orc Lords charged towards me. The ones that didn¡¯t use Warcry shouted as they ran.


    Looking at them, I grinned. Then, I turned around and ran.


    It seemed I was underestimating Beyond too much.


    Author¡¯s note:


    The third explorer referred to Shin bing Beyond¡¯s third explorer! I bet no one thought he¡¯d immediately go to the higher dungeon! This is what¡¯s called Toika quality! Fast, fast!


    Also, there is something our clumsy Shin missed. I¡¯m sure the readers will be able to pick up on it. ^^

 Chapter 139. The Third Explorer (3)

    Chapter 139. The Third Explorer (3)


    I threw some useless items and tested their attack power. It wasn¡¯t as strong as I thought. It was just enough for the troll¡¯s bones I obtained on the 51st floor to be dust by touching their weapons.


    ... If I get hit even once, I¡¯ll die! I¡¯ll definitely die!


    Once I ran into them once, Orc Lords suddenly began to appear from all pathways. Once I got surrounded, it would be the end. I realized I had stepped off the wrong foot. I should have killed them the moment I saw them. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if I didn¡¯t run away!


    ¡°Kuaaaaang!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I got it, you bastards! Eat this!¡±


    Confirming that an Orc Lord appeared in the path I was trying to charge through, I threw out a Heroic Strike. Although I managed to kill him, five more Orc Lords appeared behind him. Now that it hade to this, there was no other choice!


    ¡°Uwaaaaaaaaak!¡±


    [You used Crimson Roar. Everything zes as mes.]


    Although I had not thought about it, the mes that began to burn everything continued to get stronger. It seemed the reflective property of the dungeon¡¯s walls had strengthened the mes. Of course, as the mes were created by Crimson Roar, they did not harm me, while they served as poison for the Orc Lords.


    ¡°Kuaaang!¡±


    ¡°Hu, Humaaaaaan!¡±


    However, even after taking Crimson Roar, which could be said to be my strongest area of effect skill, a few Orc Lords were still alive. If they were the same Orc Lord as the one on the 5th floor, it would not have been possible. It seemed their defense was much higher as well.


    Even so, Crimson Roar was still a powerful skill. After inhaling the smoke, the few that survived the mes staggered, and were then easily killed by Peika¡¯s Thunder Spears. Each of them gave 1,000 gold. It was the same amount as what the 5th floor¡¯s Orc Lord gave. Even though Beyond¡¯s Orc Lords were much stronger, they still only gave 1,000 gold. It was very infuriating.


    ¡°Huff, huff... It¡¯s been a while since I ran so hard. I didn¡¯t even have my elementals summoned... Peika, Ruyue!¡±


    [Ugh, it smells burnt.]


    [Meat? Are you eating that?]


    ¡°You¡¯ll get sick if you do, Ruyue. First, materialize.¡±


    [Okay!]


    Telling Ruyue not to eat the Orc Lords once more, I checked the corpses of the Orc Lords, which were disappearing into particles of light. After gifting me gold, they were disappearingpletely. I gritted my teeth at the sight.


    I could only use Crimson Roar once per day. As it was the same for Floor Master skills, I had toe up with a way that relied on my own strength only. No matter how confident I was in my spearmanship, against the Orc Lords, I couldn¡¯t continue to attack and retreat repeatedly. I could toy with just one or two Orc Lords, but since more Orc Lords always arrived when I found one, doing so would be foolish.


    ¡°No choice then. I have to use my crossbow.¡±


    Silver Bone Crossbow, obtained on the 30th floor. I thought that I was too strong to use it now, but with Spirit Aura, any weapon would be powerful, regardless of its quality. Plus, I could use the 51st floor¡¯s troll bones as crossbow bolts for additional damage. It would be nice if I could use me Cartridge as well, but it only added the me attribute and small explosions. As Peika¡¯s ability was much stronger, it wasn¡¯t useful at all now.


    ¡°It would be ideal to shoot crossbow bolts at their mouths, so they can¡¯t use warcry...¡±


    [I can bait them!]


    Peika shouted with confidence. With Spirit Aura¡¯s increased level, she could now control the trajectory of projectiles as well. I patted her head to thank her for letting me know. With this, I may have found a way out.


    ¡°Kuaaaang!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already killed dozens of them... Just how many of them are there? Alright. Ruyue, Peika, let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Okay!]


    [Run? Do I run?]


    ¡°Yeah, run!¡±


    [Auuuuuuuu!]


    Ruyue kicked off the ground. With a potion in my mouth, I raised my crossbow.


    ¡°Peika, I¡¯ll give you as much mana as you need, so put lightning into the bolts like they¡¯re Thunder Spears.¡±


    [Huhu, okay! I really like Mastertely. It feels like Master is filled with lightning from head to toe!]


    [No! Every strand of hair on Shin is ice cold!]


    That¡¯s apliment right? You were trying topliment me, right? It seemed elementals thought of me strangely as my affinity to different elements got higher. As I broke through the pathway, I shot a bolt at an Orc Lord¡¯s head.


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    ¡°Nice, Peika!¡±


    The bolt went directly into the mouth of the Orc Lord as it flickered with lightning. There was no need to doubt Peika¡¯s ability. With that, I just had to raise my reaction speed so that I could attack the Orc Lords the moment they appeared.


    ¡°Kuaakuk!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaakak!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop shooting until you guys shut up!¡±


    Ruyue continued to run. Once they used Warcry, they would continue running regardless of whether I shot a bolt in their mouth or up their ass, but as long as they didn¡¯t use Warcry, they didn¡¯t have the temper to withstand the pain and shout.


    If other Orc Lords didn¡¯t appear, I could simply use Elemental de to cut them down. If they did, I just had to shoot bolts into their mouths too.


    ¡°Kuaaagaaaga!¡±


    ¡°Elemental de! Can you stop making those weird noises!?¡±


    [Critical Hit!]


    Shooting, shing, shooting, shooting, shing. Although simple, I had to make sure the bolts I shot did not miss their targets. If one identally hit the wall, it would change trajectory and fly back. If it hit me, even I would feel pain.


    [Twenty two up ahead!]


    ¡°Damn, there sure are a lot of them.¡±


    Beyond¡¯s maze had apletely different structure than the First Dungeon¡¯s. Unlike the First Dungeon, where I could just hunt monsters and move forward, Beyond had multiple pathways that twisted and turned. Monsters appeared in the pathways, but there were also spacious areas where arge number of monsters were gathered. The worst part was that they respawned rather quickly. In other words, if I got lost and went back to where I was, the monsters I defeated would have respawned. However, as I said before, my intelligence stat was preventing that from happening.


    ¡°Agh, damn it!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaang!¡±


    [Orc Lord used ¡®Warcry¡¯! All orcs are cleansed of negative status effects! All orcs temporarily be super-armored. Their attack power increases by 50%!]


    If even a single Orc Lord seeded in using Warcry, like just now, I had to stop using my crossbow to shut them up. As they became super-armored, it was impossible. I had to take my spear and aim at their vital spots, as I weaved through them on Ruyue. It was the start of an exciting fight of cat and mouse. That said, if their number went over 30, I couldn¡¯t handle their increasing numbers with my crossbow or with elemental magic.


    As a result, I had to do what I had not done for a long time.


    ¡°Peika, materialize!¡±


    [I¡¯ve been waiting for those words!]


    Confirming the number of high-grade Mana Potions (379) in my possession, I materialized Peika. The elemental magic of a materialized elemental was iparably stronger than when the elemental was unmaterialized. Of course, there were downsides to it as well. When materialized elementals got attacked, they would lose mana, and excessive damage might reverse-summon the elementals.


    ¡°Kuaaaaang!¡±


    ¡°An elemental, it¡¯s an elemental!¡±


    After appearing in midair with her elegant dress, Peika did not even have the chance to show off her beauty, as she swung around a lightning whip. Although Orc Lords charged toward her, as Peika could fly, they were unable to catch her.


    ¡°They can¡¯t get paralyzed, so you have to just damage them!]


    [I know!]


    Peika¡¯s whip was strong enough to instantly burn the Orc Lord¡¯s defensive equipment, and it was fast. Her whip, which was condensed from her elemental power, weaved through the Orc Lords as it damaged them. Meanwhile, I secured our escape route and knocked down the Orc Lords that stood in its way. This damned area was half made of air and half made of Orc Lords.


    [Master, the walls have amplification and reflect enchants!]


    ¡°Oh, so those things are called enchants!?¡±


    I pretended to thank Peika for her currently useless piece of info, and continued to swing my spear. Then, a strange voice rang out in my ear.


    [Alright, with this, I¡¯ll take care of them at once! Thunder Dragon Wave!]


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    When I looked up, Peika¡¯s powerful lightning whip shot up past my head diagonally from below. Frightened, I jumped back, and the whip hit the ceiling, bouncing to the ground with greater strength, bouncing again and going through my legs. At the lightning whip¡¯s destination was an Orc Lord that was about to strike her.


    ¡°Kuaaaak!¡±


    The lightning whip easily tore through the Orc Lord¡¯s head and continued to fly forward. After hitting the wall again, it bounced back and hit another Orc Lord¡¯s arm. The whip continued to bounce around, hitting an Orc Lord¡¯s leg, then hitting Peika¡¯s body. Surprisingly, Peika looked even stronger!


    [Huu, it got more energy!]


    The lightning whip then went through Peika¡¯s body, having gotten even stronger, and burned or detonated the Orc Lords one by one. It didn¡¯t matter that they were super-armored. The whip, which endlessly strengthened itself, pierced through them without ever giving them the chance to counterattack. When it sometimes pierced through Peika¡¯s body, it only became stronger before continuing on to annihte the Orc Lords. Me? I was frantically dodging Peika¡¯s whip!


    After some time, the Orc Lords gathering here to attack us dwindled until not many remained. Eventually, when I could no longer hear Peika¡¯s spirited shout and the flickers of her lightning whip...


    [Done!]


    Peika put down her whip refreshingly, like she just finished doing herundry. The whip that had been bouncing around struck Peika¡¯s body and waspletely absorbed by her. Peika¡¯s face was sparkling even brighter than when she first materialized, as she looked at me and winked.


    [Didn¡¯t I do well, Master!?]


    ¡°Y-Yeah. Since you don¡¯t get injured by your own weapon, you can even do that... Amazing.¡±


    [Huhuhu, right, I¡¯m amazing!]


    [Chii, I can do it too!]


    To be honest, I was surprised seeing Peika utilize the environment¡¯s special trait in her attack. Although I knew attacks got stronger when the walls reflected them, I didn¡¯t think to use that property as I needed to calcte the trajectory. After all, it wasn¡¯t my forte.


    However, after seeing it once, I could understand it more easily. It was just that I had not thought about it before. Now that I did, I understood how to reflect my attacks three or four times to amplify the damage. Any more could be a bit tricky as I would need to dodge the attack and calcte the trajectory again, but it wasn¡¯t impossible if I tried it once or twice. In fact, I already had a few trajectories in mind.


    I finally realized. If I didn¡¯t try to use my brain, it wouldn¡¯t be used! I was underestimating my intelligence too much. With all the bonus stats, my intelligence stat was now at 76. If I wanted, such calctions should be a piece of cake.


    ¡°Peika, you helped me realize something important. Thanks.¡±


    [Really?]


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Until now, I thought I had fought rather intelligently. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. I had mistaken using the techniques I learned with my body and my reaction speed with using my intelligence.


    Right. Until now, I was able to get by with no problem with my superior ability. Rather than intelligence, technique and strength were more important in fights. However, from now, in Beyond, that was no longer the case. If it wasn¡¯t for Peika, I would have had difficulty fighting them just now.


    The hint had been given to me already. The stacking Orc Lord¡¯s Warcries. The dungeon wall¡¯s power of reflection and amplification. I had wasted my effort when the answer was already there. To defeat the Orc Lords, I had to do the same thing they were doing. Using the wall¡¯s property, I had to amplify my attacks. Luckily, I even had a long-ranged weapon.


    ¡°Hu... Good. Let¡¯s use my brain.¡±


    I felt quite awkward saying it, but I ignored the awkwardness for now. What was important was to clear Beyond¡¯s 1st floor. It was important to utilize my potential. For a long time, I did not apply my intelligence stat in battles. Now was the time to right that mistake.


    Just like that, two weeks passed.


    I was still in Beyond¡¯s 1st floor.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Look forward to how much Shin grew in 2 weeks!

 Chapter 140. The Third Explorer (4)

    Chapter 140. The Third Explorer (4)


    asionally, Orc Lords dropped their meat. With a bit of expectation, I checked the meat¡¯s description. After finding out that eating it won¡¯t raise my stats, I burnt it decisively. After all, why would I eat orc meat if it didn¡¯t raise my stats? My inventory already had a hefty amount of food! The Orc Lord meat was likely there for explorers that didn¡¯t prepare food beforehand. If it wasn¡¯t, it was just that.


    Compared to the First Dungeon, Beyond was incredibly big. Plus, other than the attack reflecting walls, there were tons of other traps, making it much different than the First Dungeon, where I could simply charge forward on Ruyue¡¯s back. Here, I had to constantly observe my surroundings, look for traps, and hunt Orc Lords.


    New pathways and Orc Lords appeared endlessly. Because I had to keep the maze¡¯s map in mind and urately calcte the trajectory of the crossbow bolts bouncing around, I felt like I was overtaxing my brain.


    Of course, I got some benefits as well. Crossbow Marksmanship broke through low-rank and became mid-ranked. Perhaps because calcting the bolts trajectory gave a lot of experience, it was already level 2. My Elementalist skills also grew greatly. More difficult situations led to increased experience. Whoever thought of this system had to be a sadist.


    I shot a bolt forward.


    ¡°Eit.¡±


    ¡°Kak!¡±


    In the blink of an eye, the bolt bounced around from wall to wall, collecting more power, before it pierced the head of an Orc Lord that just made its appearance. As it had not used Warcry, it became paralyzed after taking lightning damage. I leisurely swung my spear and killed it. I had fought Orc Lords here for 2 weeks. Now, they were no longer my match.


    It was the result of repeated learning. Once I understood the dungeon¡¯s structure and Orc Lords, it wasn¡¯t that hard to conquer them. When I heard an Ord Lord¡¯s footsteps, I would shoot my bolt out preemptively. As they all had the same size, as long as I knew where the footsteps wereing from, I could figure out where and when they would pop out. Using the volume of their footsteps, I calcted the distance between us and shot my bolt out so that it would hit their face. The result was as I just showed with that Orc Lord.


    Hunting a single Orc Lord was very easy. When there were two or three, the calctions got a bit trickier, but I could still manage it.


    The problem was when there were over 20 of them.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaang! Human!¡±


    ¡°Agh, those bastards are doing that shit again.¡±


    On the 1st floor, there were spacious areas, which were always filled with dozens of Orc Lords. It wasn¡¯t even big enough for them to all lie down and sleep, so I didn¡¯t know what the hell they were gathered for. Almost as if they were suffering from insomnia, they all waited with their eyes wide open. Once they saw me, they waved their hands in greeting and shouted. Seeing the Orc Lords swinging their ives, which never dropped, was infuriating to say the least.


    ¡°Kuaaaang!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaang!¡±


    ¡°Tsk, like I¡¯d let myself be hit by your crappy spears!¡±


    However, if I fought them straight on, it would only be my vitality that is reduced to zero. I fell back, dodging their charges. Just like I had been doing for the past 2 weeks, I raised my crossbow and shot out hundreds of bolts towards the walls, as I continuously moved.


    The troll bone bolts ran out on the third day, and I was subsisting on skeleton bones. But now, I was running low on those as well. Once Ipletely ran out, I would have to resort to elemental magic, which took three times as much mana. Considering the number of Mana Potions I had left, it wasn¡¯t a wise choice.


    ¡°Kuhak!¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    The bolts I shot out bounced around without hitting each other, then assaulted the Orc Lords. I ducked or moved to the side to dodge the flying crossbow bolts as I shot even more bolts. Ruyue was, of course, dematerialized. It wouldn¡¯t be funny if she was hit by my bolts.


    [Mid-rank Crossbow Marksmanship became level 3. Even without imbuing mana, you can damage spiritual bodies.]


    After continuously shooting bolts and cutting down Orc Lords for 5 minutes, the Orc Lords were wiped out. My Crossbow Marksmanship also leveled up.


    I couldn¡¯t remember exactly when, but I became able to hit spiritual bodies with my spear when my Spear Technique became high-ranked. I didn¡¯t know whether my Spear Technique affected it in any way, but I became able to attack spiritual bodies with crossbows at just mid-rank level 3. In truth, it was quite unexpected. It meant I had already be skillful enough to apply the principles of Spear Technique in marksmanship.


    Damn it, somebody, somebody find my identity! I¡¯m a spearman!


    It was then. I heard the ground tremor from far away. It gave me a sense of unease. Here, other than me, only the Orc Lords were able to make the ground tremor.


    At the same time, the dungeon walls shook and began to transform. The twisted pathways became straight, and new pathway opened up. It seemed to be about... 2 kilometers long? It was a distance I could easily cover within 30 seconds, but that wasn¡¯t what was important.


    ¡°Gate...!¡±


    There, I saw the same gate I used to cross over to Beyond. I tried to regain myposure, as I felt the mana emanating from the gate. At the same time, I dispersed my mana out to check for any traps on the way. The result ¨C they were both clean. The gate was real, and there were no traps.


    Mana detection and mana dispersion were both things I learned in the past 2 weeks. I had naturally developed a habit for them as I constantly used them to locate the damned Orc Lords and to check for traps. Although they were so basic that they didn¡¯t even register as skills, they were probably my biggest gain.


    In any case, now that I knew the gate was real, I knew what to do.


    ¡°I have to kill all the Orc Lords...!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaang!¡±


    ¡°Kuoooong!¡±


    ¡°Human meat!¡±


    ¡°This is the only chance to eat it!¡±


    There was a simple reason that the pathway became straight. It was to make me unable to dodge the Orc Lord¡¯s rush. About a hundred Orc Lords came from behind, and there were even moreing from the front.


    As expected, they all shouted Warcries as if they werepeting, and in this narrow space, they amplified each other to a horrifying extent. My ear rang from their repeated shouting, and their endlessly amplified spirit almost made my body stiffen.


    ¡°Kuu... I didn¡¯t think I would have trouble moving my body...!¡±


    Could it be? Was the reason that the maze continued endlessly to help me grow my ability to handle them all at once? Looking at the walls that still had their reflect and amplification property, I became certain. However, as the pathway changed shape, I had to recalcte the trajectory from the beginning.


    That said, once I defeated all the Orc Lords and arrived at the gate, I could proudly say that Ipletely cleared this ce.


    Even though I had gotten used to Crossbow Marksmanship in the past two weeks, I didn¡¯t think there would be such an annoying final hurdle. Thinking how sadistic the person that made this dungeon is, I shouted.


    ¡°Crimson Roar!¡±


    As the Orc Lords were all clumped up together, I easily sent them to their death with Crimson Roar. Then, I jumped into the gate and left Beyond. Hehe, with such an easy method of getting through, why would I trouble myself and use my brain!?


    [You conquered Beyond¡¯s 1st floor. You can challenge the dungeon¡¯s 52nd floor.]


    [Your maximum HP and MP increase by 2%. You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [Experience has been added to skills you frequently used to progress through Beyond¡¯s 1st floor.]


    [Mid-rank Crossbow Marksmanship became level 4. Your bolts piercing power bes greater, and they can pierce through two enemies at once.]


    [Mid-rank Spirit Mastery became level 9. Taking a step forward in handling all souls connected to you, it bes easier to feel a sense of unity with them and their destructive power increases.]


    [Mid-rank Spirit Aura became level 7. Spirit Aura¡¯s power increases and less mana is required to maintain it.]


    [Mid-rank Elemental Control became level 7. You can draw out the power of your contracted elementals almost perfectly.]


    [Mid-rank Elemental Contract became level 7. Your contracted elementals be even more powerful.]


    Just by clearing Beyond¡¯s 1st floor, I gained incredible rewards. First, I obtained the same amount of stat points as when I leveled up. Then, the skills I used to fight the Orc Lords jumped up in experience. I could feel that I was much stronger than I was just a moment ago.


    Beyond was truly amazing. Of course, as great as the rewards were, Beyond was huge, the monsters were stronger, and the traps were annoying. It would only get harder as well. However, now that I tasted the fruit of my efforts, I vowed to conquer this ce. There was someone fanning my resolution. It was Loretta, who was sweating and fanning me with a folding fan.


    ¡°Shin-nim, don¡¯t be mad, please?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad. I just think that you could have exined more about Beyond in the time you spent fooling around.¡±


    ¡°F-Fooling around!? That was the most important thing to me!¡±


    I had to restock on Mana Potions and repair my weapon, but I decided to put it off forter.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be off then. Because of a certain someone, I didn¡¯t go home for two weeks, so my parents must be mad.¡±


    ¡°Ah, aaah! Shin-nim, I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorrrry! Forgive me!¡±


    Although I couldn¡¯t go outside while I was trapped in Beyond, the explorers¡¯munication channel still worked. More importantly, phones still worked. It was a mystery I would never solve.


    Although my parents and friends were shocked when I told them I couldn¡¯t go back for a while, since I could call them, they didn¡¯t worry about me that much.


    Except Ludia, that is.


    After returning, I said hello to mother and father, took a shower, and got changed. Immediately afterwards, Ludia came back from the dungeon in a hurry and embraced me. Because her pale expression scared me, I couldn¡¯t force her off of me.


    Because I disappeared for two weeks, I couldn¡¯t make any excuses either. Especially because I didn¡¯t say anything beforehand. In Ludia¡¯s perspective, it could be seen as me leaving her behind. Tsk, just when her condition was getting better...!


    ¡°You won¡¯t get off, right?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    Like a kitten, Ludia rubbed her face against my arm and marked her territory. ¡®How did that proud princess be like this...?¡¯ With that thought, I patted her head in pity. Mother, who suddenly appeared in that timing, gave me a thumbs up. I became certain that mother had an ability I wasn¡¯t aware of.


    After a spending a somewhatfortable and somewhat itchy time together, Ludia regained herposure and suddenly said something absurd.


    ¡°Ah, our guild house¡¯s environment changed.¡±


    ¡°What? The environment changed?¡±


    ¡°Un. If you go out, it¡¯s dark, regardless of whether it¡¯s day or night. But the area I walked became a bit brighter. Also, there was a message that said something like 0.5% of Beyond¡¯s Residential Area being explored.¡±


    ¡°Uh... Mm...¡±


    After listening to her, I remembered. When I became a Beyond explorer, I had heard a message saying that my residence and resort had changed their affiliation to Beyond. My guild house had been sent to a strange ce!


    Author¡¯s note:


    Beyond¡¯s 1st floor, clear! The next chapter will show Marianne¡¯s Garden, flying through unidentified space!


    PS ¨C I added some information on Crossbow Marksmanship. Skills¡¯ level up messages don¡¯t only show the result of the skills¡¯ growth. They also show effects shared between skills. That is, without high-rank Spear Technique, Crossbow Marksmanship being level 3 wouldn¡¯t be able to attack spiritual bodies!

 Chapter 141. The Third Explorer (5)

    Chapter 141. The Third Explorer (5)


    Immediately afterward, I headed to the guild house with Ludia. In the hall, I met Shuna for the first time in quite a long time.


    ¡°Ah, Crown Prince-nim, Ludia! H-Hello!¡±


    ¡°Hello, Miss Shuna.¡±


    ¡°You can just call me Shuna. You don¡¯t have to be so formal! C-Can I also say Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°You want me to stop being formal, but you want to address me so respectfully!?¡±


    Shuna was hard to understand. However, since she was cute, it was pleasant talking to her. She was more cute, rather than beautiful.. She looked good with Ludia, who exuded a more noble and mature aura.


    ¡°Then, Shuna.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim! Kyaa, I called him by his name!¡±


    I was surprised by how happy she was, but I didn¡¯t say anything as my instincts were warning me to not question it. More specifically, I had a feeling that Ludia might kill Shuna.


    ¡°You must have been surprised because the guild house suddenly moved. Can we still get to the Residential Area?¡±


    ¡°Yes! We can go to the First Dungeon¡¯s Residential Area just like before! Also...¡±


    ¡°Also?¡±


    Shuna stretched her arms out to the side and shouted.


    ¡°We can also go to the Second, Third, and Fourth Dungeon¡¯s Residential Areas!¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course, it¡¯s only the Residential Areas, not the dungeons themselves.¡±


    I was confused for a moment but I soon understood. I knew this ce¡¯s affiliation changed to Beyond, but I didn¡¯t think it would let me go other dungeons¡¯ Residential Areas. Eh? Hold on, does that mean...


    An absurd thought crossed my mind, and I was then shocked that it wasn¡¯t as absurd as I initially thought.


    ¡°Did this guild... transcend the First Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°What does that mean, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°... It means we might get some new members, Shuna.¡±


    Shuna pped in response, but Ludia didn¡¯t look so happy.


    ¡°My dream of a newlywed¡¯s home...¡±


    ¡°I can hear you. And that¡¯s not it.¡±


    To be honest, I wanted to explore Beyond¡¯s Residential Area, but it was more important to confirm whether my conjecture was right. I pulled up my friend list and immediately took action.


    As a result, in less than 20 minutes, a few people gathered at our guild house.


    ¡°Ooh, is this the first present my son is giving me!?¡±


    ¡°No, father. This is my mansion. I won¡¯t be giving it to you, so stop dreaming.¡±


    ¡°Amazing. I can really enter...¡±


    ¡°Wow, this is Shin-nim¡¯s mansion? How cool!¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, how did you climb the dungeon to be able to afford a mansion like this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice now that we¡¯re all here!¡±


    Marianne¡¯s Garden became noisy. Shuna became flustered seeing them for the first time and hid behind my back, while Ludia linked her arm with mine and frowned.


    ¡°As you guys know, this is my friend Ludia. The pretty, pink haired girl is Shuna, Ludia¡¯s friend. They¡¯re both guild members.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Hwaya Mastiford.¡±


    ¡°He... Hello!¡±


    Shuna easily fell for Hwaya¡¯s charm and sociability. With Hwaya serving as the mediator, the awkwardness quickly disappeared and Shuna learned to talk with others. However, Ludia seemed unhappy for some reason and continued to stay by my side.


    Of course, there was a reason I called them over. It was impossible before, but it was possible now. It was to create a guild that transcended the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Dungeons. Since they all wanted to join a guild, things went smoothly. Other than me, only Hwaya owned a residence. Since she adamantly said she wanted to join my guild, there was no problem whatsoever.


    It felt like it was just yesterday that she said she wanted to make her own organization, but now she was acknowledging me as the guild master. It was the same for Sumire, who happily joined my guild. That said, a lot had changed since the first time themunication channel opened.


    Of course, I had changed a lot too. Although I thought it wasn¡¯t necessary to form a group, after partying with Hwaya a couple times, I had changed my mind. I had created the guild on my own ord and invited others since I became a Beyond explorer, but even if it was Hwaya standing in my position, I would have happily joined her guild.


    The biggest reason I refused her offer back then was that I couldn¡¯t trust her. Half a year had passed since then, and things were a bit different. I trusted Hwaya and I trusted Sumire. It was the same for Walker, who was tied by a contract. We were stronger together, and as dungeon explorers, we could trust each other. The guild would only bind us together more.


    [Guild ¡®Revival¡¯ became D rank! When challenging Event Dungeons or Event Raids, when 5 or more guild members are present, all guild members¡¯ abilities will be increased by 5%!]


    [Guild members: Kang Shin (Guild Master, First ¨C Gold & Beyond), Kang Yungoong (First ¨C Gold), Su Ye-Eun (First ¨C Gold), Palludia Gren Ehuir (First ¨C Silver), Shuna Aren Lihita (First ¨C Silver), Hwaya Eleni Mastiford (Second ¨C Gold), Minami Violet Sumire (Second ¨C Gold), Edward Walker (Third ¨C Gold). Total: 8]


    Now, it was more like a guild. Seeing the list of guild members, I smiled. Walker had also broken through the 50th floor. With this, couldn¡¯t we be called elites? Plus, I liked their our abilities increased when 5 or more of us were together. Event Dungeons and Event Raids were on Earth as well. Together, our chance of survival would increase. I wish Loretta would have told me about this sooner!


    ¡°Ooh, when my vitality hits zero, is this where I¡¯lle back to?¡±


    ¡°How nice. Shin, you¡¯ll prepare a room for me next to yours, right...? Huhu.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I call the other side!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m going to live in Shin¡¯s room!¡±


    ¡°As the guild master, I¡¯m iming an entire hallway to myself, so stop dreaming.¡±


    Ignoring the girls¡¯ints, I assigned them their rooms. When I did, keys were given to them, binding the rooms to them entirely. It was the feature of a guild house. Since the mansion had over 100 rooms, giving private rooms to the guild members wouldn¡¯t have any problems.


    ¡°Oi, Kang Shin. What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°What, it¡¯s just a Giant Iron Boar and a me Drake.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re using those precious things as decorations...? You¡¯re as amazing as always.¡±


    While everyone was focused on the inside of the mansion, Walker was looking at the garden. The Giant Iron Boar was now 7, 8 meters, making it awkward to even call it ¡®giant.¡¯ The me Drake corpse was also shrinking. It wasn¡¯t that mana was leaving the corpses. Now that I could better detect mana, I could clearly feel it. They were beingpressed.


    I didn¡¯t know what they were working so hard for even as corpses. I just knew that Marianne¡¯s Garden wasn¡¯t a normal space. Since it looked like they were making themselves more expensive, I decided to just let them be.


    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s something we need to do first.¡±


    Although everyone looked like they wanted to explore the mansion more, I gathered them together.


    ¡°We need to find out what¡¯s outside.¡±


    ¡°Monsters?¡±


    ¡°Monsters can¡¯t appear in the Residential Area. But since Ludia said she felt a strange presence, there might be something else.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    Hwaya grabbed onto my sleeve as she said that. Thinking back to the time she was scared by the spiders, it seemed she was rather weak hearted. Ludia looked mad when she saw Hwaya, but she soon calmed down. You¡¯ve improved, Ludia!


    However, feeling my body getting heavier, I looked back. Ye-Eun and Shuna were also grabbing onto me. I smiled at them kindly and spoke.


    ¡°All of you, get off of me.¡±


    We left the garden. It was truly dark. Because of the thick fog, we couldn¡¯t see far ahead either. However, when we walked forward, the fog disappeared.


    ¡°Do you want to split up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s split into two teams. Contact us periodically or if you find anything.¡±


    I went to the right with Minami, Ludia, and Walker. I dispersed my mana as far as I could to increase my detection range, when Minami asked me.


    ¡°Shin-nim, you just expanded your aura outward, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. By dispersing my mana, I can expand my senses.¡±


    ¡°Wow, amazing... If it¡¯s okay, can you teach me how?¡±


    ¡°Sure. We¡¯re both guild members, so I can teach youter.¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Ah, and you don¡¯t have to be formal! You can call me Sumire too.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    Now that I thought about it, I had not talked to Minami, or rather, Sumire, much. When we met in Yeungdeungpo to clear the Event Dungeon, she seemed impressed by my strength and continued to address me with ¡®nim¡¯ in respect.


    I had seen sparkling eyes like hers often. The martial artists, who respected father, often had such eyes. Considering her strength and attitude towards martial arts, she might be a martial artist herself.


    ¡°I heard you learned martial arts from Yungoon ajusshi, but you¡¯re stronger than him now, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a step behind father in terms of the depth in martial arts, but overall... I should be stronger.¡±


    ¡°I knew it...!¡±


    Burdensome. Sumire¡¯s sparkling eyes and Ludia hugging my arm like she wanted to break it were burdensome!


    Wait, hold on.


    ¡°Walker, did you feel that?¡¯


    ¡°I did. It looks like a barrier of some sort.¡±


    I expanded my senses, but they were cut off like they collided into something. I dispersed my mana in all directions, checking where my senses were cut off and how far they could reach. The fog in the area my senses reached also disappeared. The ground revealed a stone floor, while a huge wall stood in the distance. Beyond it, I saw a medieval castle simr to my own mansion. After that, my mana was cut offpletely.


    ¡°Amazing...! You¡¯re really amazing, Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°Huhu.¡±


    Sumireplimented me and Ludia got happy in my ce. I didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°What do you think that is? A new dungeon?¡±


    ¡°There are Event Dungeons in Residential Areas too.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel like that¡¯s...¡±


    Sumire and Ludia thought the castle could be an Event Dungeon. However, after observing the outline of the castle walls, Walker proposed.


    ¡°Oi, Kang Shin. Isn¡¯t that a mansion like yours?¡±


    Almost as if to prove that his conjecture was right, a voice rang in my ear. It was the voice of a beautiful, young man. I realized after I heard the voice. It wasing from Beyond¡¯smunication channel!


    [Go back, Third Explorer. I have no intention of dealing with you.]


    [You are... Excuse me. I just came here, so I was exploring the Residential Area with mypanions.]


    Perhaps interested in what I said, he became silent for a moment. Just when I thought he no longer wanted to talk, his voice rang out again.


    [... A guild master, I see. I was once also interested in such childish games. In any case, go back. What you desire isn¡¯t here. Go west. You¡¯ll find some treasures there.]


    [Thank you for telling me. We¡¯ll be off then.]


    [Wait. You must have been acknowledged by an administrative guild master.... Who is it?]


    [It¡¯s Fairy Garden¡¯s master, Loretta.]


    [... Is that so...]


    His silence continued. I sensed something from his silence. Could it be that he is...?


    [She is... No.]


    With that, I was certain.


    [No, it¡¯s nothing. Second Explorer is also listening. It¡¯s fine, go back.]


    Feeling strange, I turned back. He was my senior as he entered Beyond before me. Although he sounded young, he must have lived for much longer than me. Perhaps, he was Loretta¡¯s...


    ¡°I can¡¯t understand why I¡¯m feeling so weird...¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you use your mana too much? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°N-No, I¡¯m fine. Let¡¯s go. That was another explorer¡¯s house. He said there¡¯s something to the west, so let¡¯s go there.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°How kind of him to tell us.¡±


    Sumire, Ludia, and Walker followed after me. I still felt weird. Loretta must have known, right? Then why didn¡¯t she tell me about it? No, it was probably me that was weird. There was no doubt about it. Whether Loretta¡¯s first love was here or not, it had nothing to do with me.


    After 5 minutes, we got a report from the team that went the other way that they found something.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Guild Revival has absorbed Earth¡¯s explorers! This is the start of a legend!


    What did the other team find!? Find out next chapter!


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    The author refers to the guild as ¡°Guild Revival¡± instead of ¡°Revival¡± or ¡°The guild, Revival,...¡± I thought of changing it to just Revival, but I decided to just go with Guild Revival (as ites up often and seems to be a better fit). Basically just saying Revival loses the ¡°guild¡± aspect (the readers know it¡¯s a guild, but people listening don¡¯t). Saying ¡°The guild, Revival,...¡± is slightly inurate, and also has way too manymas (the author already has a billion uses and whatnot).

 Chapter 142. The Third Explorer (6)

    Chapter 142. The Third Explorer (6)


    ¡°It looks like an Event Dungeon! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Pointing at the mansion surrounded by thorn-covered walls, father shouted. I retorted shortly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    ¡°No, why!?¡±


    Walker answered in my stead.


    ¡°Kang Yungoong, this is a mansion. It belongs to one of the two other explorers Kang Shin talked about.¡±


    ¡°What, it isn¡¯t an Event Dungeon!?¡±


    Father shouted in shock as he touched the tightly shut iron gate. Immediately afterward, the mana flowing through the iron gate bounced his hand off. Father really was an idiot! At the same time, a voice rang in our ear again. It was the Beyondmunication channel.


    [Don¡¯t. Come. In.]


    The cold, snapping voice belonged to a woman. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. To think the second explorer was also staying in the mansion...


    [Sorry for mypanion¡¯s rudeness. He thought it was an Event Dungeon. I¡¯ll take him back with me immediately. Sorry.]


    [Don¡¯t ever,e back... don¡¯t, bother me...]


    Just by talking for a bit, I immediately understood. The way this woman talked easily exhausted people. We¡¯ll be living together in the Residential Area, so how could I note back!? Even so, I told her what she wanted to hear.


    [Understood. We¡¯ll be going back now. Sorry for troubling you.]


    After apologizing to her, I red at father, then brought everyone away from the mansion. Before I was about to leave, however, she asked me.


    [Did your world... fall?]


    [No.]


    [I see...]


    She continued.


    [If you think you¡¯ll die, tell me... I want to buy your corpse.]


    [It¡¯s not for sale! And what do you mean, when I think I¡¯ll die!?]


    All these seniors are annoying!


    The treasure the first explorer talked about was indeed that. Located in the west were Event Dungeons. Right, there were more than just one. They were sprawled across the field in the form of gates. There was nothing beyond them, so gates of mysterious Event Dungeons were the only things that were here. This had to be the treasure he talked about.


    Looking at the Event Dungeon gates scattered about, I wondered if the other dungeons¡¯ Residential Areas also initially had gates to Event Dungeons. It would be strange if only Beyond¡¯s Residential Area had Event Dungeons, and since I had entered an Event Dungeon in Fairy Garden, I thought it was a possibility.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve looked around, so let¡¯s go back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°There were food ingredients in the mansion¡¯s storehouse. I can cook something up. I wanted to treat everyone to a meal, so this is the perfect opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Hm, the new daughter from Japan has good manners. Shin, father rmends her as the new daughter.¡±


    ¡°H-How could I be Shin-nim¡¯s... Rather than that, I want to be Shin-nim¡¯s disciple!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t marry a girl without her consent, father.¡±


    No one objected to my decision of going back. We exchanged small talk and turned away from the gatesbeled SSS rank. Just like that, our exploration of Beyond¡¯s Residential Area ended.


    First Explorer bastard, I¡¯ll get my revenge one day!


    As I somewhat expected it when I saw trolls on the 51st floor,rge humanoid monsters seemed to appear in 51st through 55th floors. Following trolls were minotaurs.


    They didn¡¯t have insane regenerative power like the trolls, but the minotaurs¡¯ bone axes were huge and powerful. After I broke through the 52nd floor in 3 hours, I challenged the 52nd floor again. It was because the minotaurs¡¯ sharp bones were perfect to be used as crossbow bolts. Although Beyond¡¯s 2nd floor could be different than the 1st floor, it was better to restock on bolts than to regret not doing soter.


    ¡°Shin-nim, your eyes are slightly different now.¡±


    ¡°My eyes?¡±


    When I returned to the Floor Shop to rest after spending a whole day collecting minotaur bones, Loretta suddenly spoke after staring at me intently.


    ¡°Different how?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, they¡¯ve gotten slightly more serious. They were always serious, but now they look like they¡¯re focused on one thing. Huhu, it seems Beyond wasn¡¯t easy.¡±


    ¡°It took 2 weeks for a reason. There were many difficulties and a lot I had to think about.¡±


    ¡°With Shin-nim¡¯s level, 2 weeks is a miracle.¡±


    ¡°Loretta, um...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    When I stopped in the middle, Loretta looked shocked.


    ¡°Shi, Shin-nim is hiding something from me...!¡±


    ¡°Things I¡¯m hiding from Loretta? There are lots of them.¡±


    ¡°Huk! W-What are they! Hurry, hurry up and tell me! I¡¯ll listen to them all, even if I have to stay up the entire night! Women? It¡¯s about women!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you. I have to go back to collect more minotaur bones.¡±


    ¡°Shin-niiiiiiim....!¡±


    Maybe I didn¡¯t do such a good job of evading the answer, as Loretta clung to me with teary eyes, almost making me forget what I wanted to say.


    Just because it was Beyond, it didn¡¯t mean that different monsters appeared on each floor. When I arrived at the 2nd floor, worrying that I might need to fight Wendigos on the 10th floor, I tilted my head when I saw more Orc Lords.


    ¡°Kuaaaang!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaang!¡±


    ¡°Heh, their shouts are the same too.¡±


    Just like on the First Dungeon, the Orc Lords on the 2nd floor were stronger than the Orc Lords on the 1st floor. However, as the walls¡¯ amplification was also stronger, it didn¡¯t pose much of a problem. It was just annoying that Orc Lords began to throw their weapons.


    Of course, as they were stronger, being hit by their weapons would instantly kill me. With their weapons¡¯ trajectories on top of the bolts¡¯ trajectories, there were more to calcte. However, once I got used to it in a couple of days, I thought of a way to kill them even quicker taking their ives¡¯ trajectories into ount. Since they threw their weapons in predictable trajectories, just by minding my position when they appeared, I could get their ives to bounce three or four times and attack them! However, there were cases where their weapons continued to bounce around after all the Orc Lords died, threatening my life. I had to use Divine Speed to dodge these.


    In the end, it only took 10 days to clear Beyond¡¯s 2nd floor. Likest time, Crimson Roar did most of the work towards the end.


    ¡°Maybe... I¡¯m a genius...!¡±


    [Master is talking like an arrogant young master.]


    [Shin is cool!]


    Around the time I cleared Beyond¡¯s 2nd floor, it was the time for college finals. After thinking for a bit, I decided to take a leave of absence. Once I got into Beyond, I wouldn¡¯t be able to leave for several days. Although I could still go to college while I was climbing the First Dungeon, it was impossible for Beyond.


    Between school and dungeon, thetter was obviously more important. After all, going to college was only to satisfy mother¡¯s wishes and to give myself a proper outward identity. Even mother seemed to have changed her mind since I came back from America, as she said I could do whatever I wished about school.


    However, when I told Ye-Eun about taking a leave, she pouted and took a leave as well.


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to focus on the dungeon too! I¡¯m going to obtain a god¡¯s true name and go to Beyond!¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not something you can get so easily. You should think about it more carefully.¡±


    ¡°I did! I carefully thought about my future and ns for making a family!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m certain you didn¡¯t think carefully after hearing that. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll be family!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that for certain! So I¡¯m going to do my best!¡±


    Damn, where did the timid and unsociable girl go, and where did this straightforward and optimistic girle from...!? Although her unyielding mindset was burdensome, it was an extremely effective mindset to have to quickly improve as an explorer.


    Plus, no matter how much I tried to stop her, it was toote. Her leave had already been approved. Ye-Eun started to grind the 50th floor boss for Frozen Crystals, as elixirs finally began to drop for her.


    She should have had difficulty resisting Wendigo¡¯s freezing energy, but using her uniquely high mana resistance and a bunch of anti-freezing energy items she bought from the Floor Shop, she managed to defeat the Wendigo three times every day. I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t proud of the effort she was putting in. If her decision to go all out in climbing the dungeon was to let me see her more favorably, it was an incredibly smart decision... No, I shouldn¡¯t fall for it!


    As for Beyond, the 3rd floor was slightly different than the previous floors. The monster I had been expecting to eventually appear had appeared. It was the Wraith Queen, and of course, there were more than just one of them. These half-transparent apparitions wore dreary dresses, where spider seemed to dwell. Seeing them fly around and scream in groups was quite the spectacle. Here, I came to experience a very odd situation.


    [Kyaaaaaa!]


    [Kiaaaaaaaak!]


    [Human, living humaaaaan!]


    [Wraith Queen used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail! With high magic, charm, and luck stats, you resist the confusion and fear status effects!]


    [Wraith Queen used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail! With high magic, charm, and luck stats, you resist the confusion and fear status effects!]


    [Wraith Queen used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail! ¡®Subus¡¯ Pupil¡¯ reflects the status effect.]


    [Kyak! Humans, too many humans! There are too many humans! Save me, save me!]


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Once they fell and trembled, the Wraith Queens were rather cute... I mean, easy to take care of. As my magic, charm, and luck stats were high and I had raised my Soul Guard to level 5, I could easily cancel Wraith Queens¡¯ Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wails.


    Since I had also had an earring specializing in mental status effect defense, Beyond¡¯s 3rd floor became extremely easy for me. Although Wraith Queens could also summon wraiths and shoot ectosm arrows, the wraiths died from a single swing of my spear and ectosm arrows only helped me kill them quicker, as they bounced off the walls like the Orc Lords¡¯ ives.


    However, if I didn¡¯t have Soul Guard or if its level was low, I would have had to use Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry every day, running around for 5 minutes, then hiding for the other 23 hours and 55 minutes. Beyond¡¯s 3rd floor was undoubtedly a ce to test one¡¯s mental or status effect defense. Though, since there were still sleeping gases, poisonous swamps, poisonous arrows, dark areas, and ice and lightning traps, it did a fine job tormenting the explorer in multiple other ways.


    Considering the First Dungeon¡¯s structure, I expected Orc Lords to appear on the 3rd floor, but only Wraith Queens appeared on the 3rd floor.


    I realized then. Even in the First Dungeon, there were multiple asions where the monsters that appeared on the 1st and 2nd floors were separate from monsters that appeared on the 3rd floors. The 4th floors would then have abination from both, and the 5th floors would have strengthened versions of them.


    If Beyond worked simrly, I would have to fight both Orc Lords and Wraith Queens on the 4th floor, and 5th floor could have monsters that took the strengths of Orc Lords and Wraith Queens. Monsters that could use both mental and physical attacks... What kind of hellish monster would that be? Thankfully, my mental defense was extremely solid.


    However... I couldn¡¯t keep following the dungeon. Now that I somewhat knew what I would have to face, I wanted to smack the dungeon on the back of its head.


    As such, I sent a message using the guildmunication channel.


    [Everyone, I won¡¯t be able to see you for a while.]


    [N-No, Shin, don¡¯t. It¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m sorry, pleasee back. I won¡¯t be selfish anymore. I won¡¯t secretly crawl into your bed either.]


    As expected, Ludia started by apologizing.


    [Why? Did something happen? Can I help somehow? ... Also, Palludia, who did you say crawled into Shin¡¯s bed?]


    [That¡¯s great. I won¡¯t have to see your face, how fortu... Kuhuk!]


    Hwaya and Walker also responded as I expected. However, father¡¯s response was surprising.


    [Are you training?]


    [Father...]


    He found out instantly.


    [I knew you were troubled because your spearmanship wouldn¡¯t improve recently... Do you need father¡¯s help?]


    [No, I¡¯m trying to do it by myself, father.]


    [Hmm, I see. Right, you are a proper martial artist now.]


    [I want to help Shin-nim too... but my attainment in spearmanship is still too low ...]


    Whenever Sumire had time, she was learning spearmanship from me.


    [Shin, did I do something wrong?]


    [Like father said, I¡¯m just going to train. It¡¯s not because of you, so don¡¯t worry.]


    [How long will you be gone for?]


    [I don¡¯t know. It might be a while though.]


    [... Un, I¡¯ll be patient. But if it¡¯s too long...]


    [Then I¡¯ll obtain a god¡¯s true name before youe back!]


    [G-Good luck, Shin-nim!]


    Ye-Eun interrupted Ludia and shouted with spirit. Shuna also chimed in to cheer me on. With a grin, I replied.


    [I¡¯ll leave themunication channel open, so we can always talk. Don¡¯t worry too much.]


    [If you obtain what you want, let¡¯s have a spar when youe back.]


    [Sure, father.]


    After responding confidently, I got up from the ce I was resting. The Wraith Queens that were flying around screamed and charged toward me the moment they saw me. I raised my spear and aimed it towards them. I nned on only using my spear to fight the Wraith Queens. Ah, and Peruta Circuit as well.


    The reason was simple. Against the Wraith queens, I could freely use my spear without worrying about dying, and in here... in here...!


    Sorry father, but it seems skill experience goes up twice as much in here! I¡¯lle visit with Peruta¡¯s spear techniques!


    Author¡¯s note: N/A

 Chapter 143. What We Can Do (1)

    Chapter 143. What We Can Do (1)


    There were two skill experience calctions in Beyond. The first was when I used skills while fighting Beyond¡¯s monsters. I didn¡¯t know whether it was because they were Floor Master ss, because there were so many of them, or because it was Beyond¡¯s special characteristic, but skill experience undoubtedly increased morepared to when I used skills in other ces. For example, Crossbow Marksmanship had soared in levels, and by the time I cleared Beyond¡¯s 2nd floor, it became mid-rank level 6.


    The second was when I cleared Beyond¡¯s floors. The skills I mainly used to clear the floors increased exponentially. Because of it, Elemental Control, Spirit Aura, and Elemental Contract had all risen to mid-rank level 8.


    Although I wanted to raise their levels more, I wanted to increase my Spear Technique levels more.


    Peruta said I would have the qualification to learn his spearmanship when my Peruta Circuit became level 7 and I mastered high-rank Spear Technique. His spear techniques were able to deal irrecoverable wounds to the Demon Army Commander, endlessly attack by continuously recovering mana, and both attack and defend at the same time. To me, who had lived three quarters of my life without knowing mana, he seemed like a martial god. I wanted to learn his skills. This desire was as strong as my desire to climb to the dungeon.


    If there was another skill I wanted to raise using this opportunity, it was Soul Guard. The Wraith Queen¡¯s Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail was an extremely strong mental status effect magic. Just by blocking it, Soul Guard¡¯s skill experience would go up by a lot. Beyond¡¯s 3rd floor was full of such wailing noonims. After I used skill points to raise SoulGuard to level 5, I was having trouble training it, so I couldn¡¯t let go of this opportunity to easily train Soul Guard.


    [Kyaaaaaak!]


    [Wraith Queen used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail! With high magic, charm, and luck stats, you resist the confusion and fear status effects!]


    ¡°Eat... this!¡±


    Putting great care to direct the flow of mana from Peruta Circuit to my spear, I struck the Wraith Queen¡¯s face with my spear. The basis of the attack was Tempest, which used up 300 mana. However, Tempest was actually a technique to shoot out the uncontroble rotational force. In other words, it was an iplete technique. The true Tempest was different. The rotational force had to be brought out more naturally while being controlled perfectly. To be honest, I didn¡¯t know what it meant.


    [Kiaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Stop using ectosm arrows!¡±


    One of Wraith Queen¡¯s specialty was shooting out dozens of ectosm arrows at once. Although I could just dodge them, because they bounced around, I had to move around to dodge them even when the Wraith Queen died. It was extremely annoying. Can¡¯t they stop using suicide attacks!?


    ¡°Ruyue, freeze only the Wraith Queens¡¯ mouths! Peika, when you see a Wraith Queen, first electrocute her!¡±


    [T-That sounds fun!]


    [I don¡¯t like this ce. Those women¡¯s breasts are too big.]


    Since I couldn¡¯t ck off on my Elementalist skills, I had my elementals summoned and on guard against the Wraith Queens. Without the Orc Lords, I could leisurely raise my skills¡¯ experience! I doubt another chance like this woulde, so I had to do my best now. Mmm, maybe the Giant Wolf and Wendigo floors might be easy too...


    [Too many humans, humans are scary, the living are scary...!]


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll let you rest soon.¡±


    [Human, a handsome human! There wasn¡¯t a human like that when I was alive!]


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll send you off too.¡±


    Time flew when you were focused on something.


    After grasping the 3rd floor¡¯s structurepletely, I always turned back a step before so that the final pathway wouldn¡¯t appear. Although the crafty traps would sometimes change their locations, I always detected them with my mana and destroyed them.


    Ludia was fine for the first three weeks, but after that, she began to call me once a day, sobbing and calling my name. Other than that, everything was progressing smoothly.


    Then, a month passed since I entered Beyond¡¯s 3rd floor. It was the end of June. Meanwhile, a huge trouble urred in the outside world. Hundreds of Event Dungeons had appeared on Earth. It was what Ciara prophesied.


    [There are 18 just in Korea! I don¡¯t understand why there are so many in this tiny country!]


    [Although there¡¯s no guarantee that Event Raids would break out, if we were to leave them alone because we¡¯re afraid, they would onlye back as bigger dangers. Maybe, Earth wille to have a simr human to monster ratio as other worlds.]


    [We¡¯ll have to trust Guardian and Freedom Wing. Everyone is well aware of Event Dungeons¡¯ danger now.]


    [Shin, shouldn¡¯t we clear as many Event Dungeons as we can?]


    [R-Right! Once Japan¡¯s Event Dungeons are taken care of, I want to join everyone too!]


    At this time, my Spear Technique was at high-rank level 8. Swinging my spear and killing three Wraith Queens at once, I murmured.


    [Several countries probably want to let low-ranked Event Dungeons turn into Field Dungeons.]


    [... You¡¯re exactly right. They most likely want a source of Mana Stones that they can regte and control. As for the high-ranked Event Dungeons, or what they call Gates, most say that they should be destroyed first.]


    [They aren¡¯t wrong, but they¡¯re probably using that as an excuse to buy time. That way, the low-ranked Event Dungeons would turn into Field Dungeons for them to control.]


    The reason was simple. It was lucrative.


    In truth, high-ranked dungeons had much more value. Just look at Britain¡¯s Windermere Lake and America¡¯s Antelope Canyon. After I subjugated the bosses, their monster reproduction rate greatly decreased, giving them a safe and steady source of ie. Each melting tuna was 150 million won and each wyvern was 250 million won.


    However, as valuable as these two dungeons were, they were the most troublesome to clear. A countless number of rankers stepped in to clear them, and in Wyvern¡¯s Nest, many rankers died. Countries should have realized that high-ranked dungeons will be more disastrous when they be Field Dungeons.


    [Yeah. A lot of the high ranking ability users were sent to A or A+ ranked dungeons. For Event Dungeons ranked S or above, the Guardian ns on clearing them one by one in order. They¡¯re sending all of their rankers. Freedom Wing and rogues are also being called to prepare for Event Raids.]


    [That sounds like it¡¯s going to take a long time... It¡¯s perfect for ncing over Event Dungeons ranked B or below.]


    [A lot of people are saying that low-ranked dungeons should also be cleared. But... they¡¯re all being ignored.]


    It seemed humans were still only thinking about how to benefit from the change brought by Two Moon. I couldn¡¯t me them. A year and a half passed since the world transformed into fantasy. Civilization remained unhurt by what seemed like a cmity, and monster remains and Mana Stones even improved the advancement in science and technology. It made sense that some called emergence of monsters the ¡®blessing of God shifting the world¡¯s paradigm.¡¯ To them, ability users killed by monsters would only be ¡®pain necessary for change.¡¯


    It was only obvious. As long as they didn¡¯t know about the dungeon, as long as they didn¡¯t know about other worlds heading to ruin, it was only natural. As long as their lives weren¡¯t in danger, all humans, including me, would rather satisfy their hungry stomach than to worry about the future. The reason we were making a fuss over it was that we were dungeon explorers before we were Earth¡¯s ability users.


    To make them understand, the number of dungeon explorers just had to increase over hundreds of years. During that time, countless Event Dungeons would appear and transform into Field Dungeons. Countless Event Raids would also break out and destroy Earth¡¯s civilization.


    Humanity will then understand. That the emergence of monsters wasn¡¯t a blessing.


    [Even if Field Dungeons don¡¯t appear, humanity already lost too muchnd to monsters.]


    [Philippines, Madagascar, Republic of South Africa, Dominican Republic...]


    There were already several ruined countries, and ten times as many countries relinquished entire regions to monsters. Even so, humans weren¡¯t considering taking back thends imed by monsters and were thinking about increasing monsters¡¯ territories just because they would be able to control them. This couldn¡¯t continue. Like this, Earth would only being closer to ruin.


    [Hwaya, if you have something you want to say, say it.]


    I thrust out my spear. A whirlpool instantly formed on its tip, which then shot toward the Wraith Queen¡¯s head.


    [... But I¡¯m not the guild master, Shin.]


    [I¡¯m ordering you with full confidence. Do as you¡¯d like.]


    [I want to burn all the thoughtless idiots into cinders.]


    [What you want to do before that.]


    [I want to get rid of all the Event Dungeons...]


    At Hwaya¡¯s words, I became silent for a moment. It wasn¡¯t just because 12 Wraith Queens were flying toward me while shooting ectosm arrows. I could simply use Divine Speed once and take care of them all.


    It was because I thought of Ciara. I was displeased and annoyed that what we were about to do was exactly what she wanted. However, since it was unavoidable for me to achieve my goals, I would have to bear with it. If I gave up my goals just because of a slight annoyance in the process, I would only regret itter.


    Besides, Ciara wasn¡¯tpletely wrong either. I would be safer if there were more people helping, and if I was safe, Earth would be safe as well.


    Just look at the current situation. Instead of helping Earth be safer, humans were doing foolish things for their own greed. Since Guardian nor Freedom Wing couldn¡¯t get out of their selfishness, Ciara¡¯s suggestion for me to lead Earth¡¯s ability users wasn¡¯t entirely wrong.


    That said, I wasn¡¯t wrong either.


    [... There should be countries that don¡¯t have the necessary defensive capabilities against monsters. They should be allowing other countries¡¯ ability users to enter their gates.]


    [Shin!]


    [I think you know what I¡¯m trying to say, but... ¡®for now,¡¯ let¡¯s try to do it wfully.¡¯]


    [Th.... Thank you!]


    [I know what¡¯s important, Hwaya. I also know what¡¯s best for the future. If it¡¯s something we can do, we should probably do it. I doubt it¡¯ll be dangerous with our guild members¡¯ strength, but don¡¯t force them toe. Only take volunteers. I don¡¯t want to use my position as the guild master to order them around.]


    [I¡¯ll help! If that¡¯s what Hwaya unni wants and what Shin-nim rmends, I¡¯ll help dly!]


    [I want to help too! I want to take this opportunity to go to Earth!]


    [Clearing Event Dungeons give achievements right? I¡¯ll help too!]


    [If it¡¯s what Shin wants, I¡¯ll do anything.]


    [I¡¯ll help, but I want to do it alone. I want to test my improved spearmanship.]


    [I probably have to help too... How annoying.]


    [No, Walker. Considering the current state of affairs, you stay home and focus on protecting Yua.]


    [Damn it. While you guys aplish cool things, why do I have to stay home and be a bodyguard... Kuk!]


    Wraith Queens were gathering. Traps exploded, spreading poisonous mist, frost crystals, and sleeping gas. Using Tempest, I blew them all away, then gathered my aura in my spear. White aura. It was the Heroic Aura, only allowed for Heroes.


    [As for the ¡®others,¡¯ I¡¯ll take care of them when I get out. Just wait for one month.]


    [Okay!]


    [I¡¯ll wait for you, Shin-nim!]


    [I love you, I want to see you.]


    [Wait, who was the girl that just confessed her love to Kang Shin? She used the Floor Shop¡¯s voice changing item! I couldn¡¯t even think about buying it because it cost 1.5 million gold!]


    [How can you be certain it was a girl, Walker? There are men in this guild, too... Could it be... you?]


    [Do you want to fight, you old... Kuk!]


    It was impossible to avoid getting attention. We were strong. We would inevitably obtain a special positionpared to other ability users. In that case, I would rather do things my way.


    ¡®I don¡¯t like your methods, Ciara. People should sacrifice themselves to protect the Hero? That¡¯s wrong. That would only be a never-ending vicious cycle. Furthermore, I hate the idea that people should live or die for others. As humans, we have a right to die for our sake.¡¯


    I didn¡¯t want to restrict others. For that to be possible, the Hero had to be stronger than anyone else. He had to be so strong that they didn¡¯t need to worry about me. Thankfully, the Hero in question was an excellent man of extreme talent. Furthermore, he still had 20 years left to grow.


    20 years. It was enough time for humanity to grow ande to take care of itself. Coincidentally, I had the appropriate identity to influence them toward that direction.


    ¡°Huaaaaaaaaaap!¡±


    [Kyaaaaaaaak!]


    [Kiaaaaaaaa!]


    I thrust out the aura imbued in my spear. The spiraling aura instantly swallowed all the Wraith Queens and exploded. Perfect.


    One month. I couldn¡¯t wait.


    Author¡¯s note: N/A

 Chapter 144. What We Can Do (2)

    Chapter 144. What We Can Do (2)


    Guild Revival¡¯s aplishments quickly spread. It was only obvious. Father said he¡¯d act alone, so only beautiful girls were left to clear Event Dungeons. No matter how weak they were, they would have received attention. What made it worse was that each of them had incredible strength. Even the lowest leveled Shuna had a special ability passed down in her royal family, granting her shocking defensive capability.


    Perhaps because she was simr to Sumire in a lot of ways, they got along well. From what I heard in the guildmunication channel, it seemed they were best friends. They were around the same age as well.


    In any case, the 5 girls didn¡¯t hide their identities and confidently marched into the gates of countries that allowed foreign ability users to enter them. Of course, Hwaya provided her private ne for transportation.


    Regardless of whether the Event Dungeons were ranked C or A, they cleared them thoroughly. Even when Event Raids broke out, they effortlessly cleared them. Since the me Witch Hwaya Mastiford was already well known, people at first suspected that they were affiliated with Britain¡¯s Guardian. However, after they identified Ludia and Ye-Eun as the girls who fought with Dragon Knight in America, they began to say that the group was under Dragon Knight¡¯smand. They were right.


    Their decisive and swift action of destroying Event Dungeons regardless of their ranks drew the attention of other ability users and various mass media. They probably wanted to know our objective, but Hwaya avoided contact with the media. After all, even if Hwaya didn¡¯t exin, everyone should already know why Event Dungeons had to be destroyed. Hwaya simply led the others to clear as many Event Dungeons as possible.


    Thanks to their action, other regions began to clear their Event Dungeons too. They were probably thinking something like, ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s what, but they must be getting something amazing. So Let¡¯s do it, too!¡¯


    They weren¡¯t wrong. Hwaya and the others were getting great benefits from clearing the Event Dungeons. However, these benefits were only avable to dungeon explorers, not regr ability users. That said, if they could reduce the harm caused by governments trying to let Event Dungeons turn into Field Dungeons, that would be good for the future.


    As each Event Dungeons gave at least 1 bonus stat, Hwaya and the others grew greatly, clearing 88 dungeons in the given time. Since they even cleared Event Raids perfectly, I couldn¡¯t help but be jealous after calcting the stat bonuses they must have gotten. Of course, I wasn¡¯t so stupid as to make them stop and wait for me. To me, the current training was the most important. I could bear with hearing Hwaya¡¯s bragging.


    [Huhu, I just cleared my 30th.]


    [Congrattions, father.]


    Father also destroyed many dungeons by himself. Considering how confident he was ofte, it seemed he had mastered high-rank Spear Technique. I was certain, considering how he was bragging about reaching a new height in his spearmanship. He was worthy of the self-proimed title of world¡¯s strongest.


    [How are you doingtely, son? Is your spear training going well?]


    [It¡¯s so-so. I¡¯ming close to grasping it.]


    [Ho, even so, you won¡¯t be able to reach father¡¯s level.]


    [Just wait and see.]


    I had to concentrate on Beyond even more. Today was thest day of the one month period I promised.


    With Guild Revival¡¯s effort, and Guardian and Freedom Wing trying to clear high-ranked dungeons, 222 Event Dungeons had been cleared so far. It was just over half of the total. There were still two SS ranked dungeons in Russia and America, and 14 other dungeons ranked S+ or above. There were 35 dungeons between A rank and S rank, which the government elites were trying to clear, and 167 dungeons ranked B or below, which various governments were scheming to turn into Field Dungeons.


    Good. With just that, it was worth a try.


    [Kiaaaaaa!]


    [Kyaaaaaak!]


    Standing in the middle of a long and straight pathway, I nced at the front and back. Hundreds of Wraith Queens were screaming and flying toward me.


    [Soul Guard became level 7. You develop a perfect resistance to almost all mental attacks. Your league of existence increases further. Weapons without mana can no longer hurt you.]


    Ooh, just by being here, I can feel my Soul Guard¡¯s experience skyrocketing! However, I couldn¡¯t just stay here forever. The hasty Wraith Queens had already begun spitting out ectosm arrows.


    I shot out a few crossbow bolts, shooting down the arrows I couldn¡¯t possibly avoid. Then, I lowered my center of gravity. Below my feet, light whirlpools appeared, sending me flying. After Peruta Circuit reached level 7, I became able to apply Peruta Circuit to a certain extent.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    Shooting forward forcefully, I shed the Wraith Queen in front of me. Immediately afterward, I stepped on the ground, shooting up like a spring and activating a skill. It was Gale Track.


    [Kiaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Third, fourth, fifth!¡±


    Gluttony Spear beamed with golden Spirit Aura as it pierced through all enemies blocking its path. As Spear Technique leveled up, each attack drew out more damage. As a result, the Wraith Queens in Gale Track¡¯s path died instantly when they were unlucky. Of course, once I killed ten Wraith Queens, adding 50% bonus damage to my attack, they all died instantly.


    ¡°Huaaaaaa!¡±


    [Kyaaaa!]


    [My... heart....!]


    Peika was infused in my spear, while Ruyue stayed on the outside, hindering Wraith Queens¡¯ movements and leading them so that I can kill them more easily. Peika¡¯s ability focused on attacking, while Ruyue¡¯s ability could be used in various ways.


    ¡°Every single one of you,e!¡±


    [You used Provoke! All enemies in the area attack you with great hostility!]


    [Kill that human!]


    [Don¡¯t let him leave!]


    [Make him our ally!]


    [A male... ally... Wraith King?]


    [Make him our ally!]


    [Husband... I mean, ally!]


    Huk! The Wraith Queens¡¯ eyes were shing strangely! They were like the eyes Loretta sometimes had!


    Using Gale Track, I charged through to where the gate was, shredding all Wraith Queens on my way. Once I was in front of the gate, I turned around, surging with great rotational force. The wind energy gathered on the tip of my spear, seemingly wanting to burst out at any moment. It traveled around my body, then gathered on the tip of my spear again.


    I raised my spear. There were still about a hundred Wraith Queens left alive.


    ¡°Elemental Tempest!¡±


    [It¡¯s a festival!]


    [Wind, fan!]


    [Super spin spin~!]


    Elementals flew toward my spear, where wind energy spiraled around. With the addition of the elementals, the spear gave off a rainbow light. The explosive wind energy and power from the elementals caused my hand holding the spear to shake, but I firmly gripped my spear with a snort.


    Then, I thrust it forward.


    [Kyaaaaaaa!]


    With 50% of my mana instantly leaving my body, a sense of fatigue swept through my body. I stretched my foot back and prevented myself from falling. The Wraith Queens filling up the pathway died in mass, and I constantly heard messages that I obtained 3,000 gold.


    ¡°Hu, it¡¯s over.¡±


    It was really over. Seeing the wide pathwaypletely empty, I was deeply moved. Now, I couldn¡¯t grind even if I wanted to.


    Currently, my Spear Technique was level 9. This had happened almost two weeks ago. Still, I didn¡¯t know if thest two months of grinding would let me master my Spear Technique. Skill experience wasn¡¯t something I could calcte. However, I couldn¡¯t just stay here forever.


    Even if I couldn¡¯t master high-ranked Spear Technique, it was fine. It didn¡¯t mean that the two months of training was meaningless. I grew more used to practical application of Peruta Circuit in battles, and I was confident I had reached great heights in my spearmanship. Soul Guard had reached level 7, and my Elementalist abilities also grew. That was enough.


    ¡°Alright then... let¡¯s go!¡±


    With a sense of unease, I stepped beyond the gate. In that instant, several messages rang in my ear.


    [You conquered Beyond¡¯s 3rd floor. You can challenge the dungeon¡¯s 54th floor.]


    [Your maximum HP and MP increase by 2%. You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [Experience has been added to skills you frequently used to progress through Beyond¡¯s 3rd floor.]


    [High-rank Martial Arts became level 5! Positive effects will be added to all actions using your body!]


    [Mid-rank Crossbow Marksmanship became level 8. You can shoot without aiming and hit your target¡¯s vital points.]


    [You mastered low-rank Gale Track! The wind energy gathered for the final blow is amplified.]


    [You learned mid-rank Gale Track! Every time an enemy is pushed away, your attack power increases by 7% up to 200%!]


    [Mid-rank Dash became level 6! Positive effects will be added to all charge type skills!]


    [Peruta Circuit became level 8! Even in fierce battles, you can circte Peruta Circuit and recover mana like normal. At the same time, you can effectively attack and defend using the flow of mana.]


    [Soul Guard became level 8! Your lofty league renders most mental attacks ineffective and reflects them back to their user. You will not be intimidated by enemies stronger than you, and as your existence bes moreplete, your resistance to dark mana increases greatly.]


    [Overwhelm became level 2! Just by existing, you cause all enemies to tremble. It decreases all of your opponent¡¯s abilities by 10%. The chance of your opponent failing to activate a skill increases by 10%]


    [High-rank Spirit Mastery became level 2. All souls connected to you obtained the possibility to leap past their souls¡¯ original potential.]


    And.


    [You mastered high-rank Spear Technique! When you¡¯re holding a spear, aura will form automatically. Even without a spear, you can create a spear using your aura. You greatly intimidate enemies with lower levels of weapon techniques. Your spear begins to sprout the potential to covet godhood.]


    [Now, you must create your own Spear Technique. This path is long and arduous, and is bound to happen slowly. Do not get impatient. If you can seek help, it is rmended that you do so. Unique Spear Techniques that surpass high-rank Spear Technique are not created so easily.]


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, message noona.¡±


    [...]


    ¡°But instead of worrying about that, first...¡±


    Seeing Loretta widening her eyes, I grinned and waved my hand. Then, I shouted inwardly.


    ¡®Yes! I mastered Spear Technique! ¡®


    ¡°Shin-nim, you finally came back!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I obtained what I wanted.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°High-rank Spear Technique master.¡±


    Loretta¡¯s jaws dropped.


    ¡°Did... Did you just say master? A high-rank weapon technique?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Father seems to have mastered it too. Shouldn¡¯t most Gold ranked explorers have it mastered?¡±


    ¡°Do you wante with me to the Residential Area and try shouting that out loud? I can promise you, people will start throwing stones at you within 30 seconds.¡±


    ¡°I worked hard for two months, you know.¡±


    ¡°Whew, I don¡¯t know what to say to Shin-nim, but... I¡¯m d you¡¯re back safe and sound.¡±


    Because Loretta¡¯s gaze was making me feel slightly ufortable, I took a step back. Loretta¡¯s eyes quickly narrowed.


    ¡°This is our reunion after two months. Can¡¯t you be happier, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°I just have a lot to do. I¡¯m going to be busy from now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Loretta stared at me intently. Her golden eyes were so clear and bright that they seemed to be sucking out my soul.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s wrong, Loretta?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, with me...¡±


    ¡°With Loretta?¡±


    Loretta¡¯s lips lightly budged. It seemed she was hesitating to say something.


    ¡°With me... No, nevermind. It¡¯s nothing. What am I saying... Huu, it¡¯s nothing. Shin-nim is doing well. I¡¯m just feeling a bit uneasy.¡±


    ¡°Can you say it so I can understand?¡±


    ¡°I meant Shin-nim should let me know when things get rough. Let me know even if things don¡¯t. I can at least give Shin-nim a massage. Though, I¡¯ll take properpensation for it that¡¯s not money, huhu...¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re saying that because you¡¯re worried about me, but I won¡¯t ever ask Loretta for a massage.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Loretta clicked her tongue. Then, sheughed lightly.


    ¡°This much should be fine. But Shin-nim, you can¡¯t overwork yourself. When things get too tiring and difficult, you have to let me know. I¡¯m saying this seriously, okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not tiring and difficult at all, but sure, I will.¡±


    Tiring and difficult? It seemed Loretta didn¡¯t know me that well. As I headed to my mansion after saying goodbye, I thought, ¡®I¡¯ve never been more full of energy in my entire life! Strengthening my abilities, learning spearmanship! Reaching new heights I¡¯ve never seen! These things were erasing the irritation I was feeling from everything!¡¯


    There was no one at the mansion. It seemed everyone was busy working. That was good. If possible, I didn¡¯t want to be bothered.


    I headed to the basement training room. Standing in the middle of the dark and spacious room, I closed my eyes.


    ¡°Deific Manifestation!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t someone calling my name[1. Remember, Deific Manifestation = Kang Shin (in Korean) = MC¡¯s name]. It wasn¡¯t even me calling my own name.


    [Using half of your mana and vitality, you manifest the Mythological Heroic Spirit, ¡®Peruta Rello Vatifoa,¡¯ for 37 minutes and 21 seconds.]


    It was a call for the guide who would help me take a step forward.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Next chapter is the long awaited appearance of Peruta¡¯s Spear Technique! Look forward to it!

 Chapter 145. What We Can Do (3)

    Chapter 145. What We Can Do (3)


    [I had a feeling you¡¯d call me soon.]


    ¡°Really?¡±


    [Yes. Your mana was getting clearer. I knew you would soon reach the necessary realm.]


    It sounded like I was a cultivator in a martial arts novel. Of course, Peruta was probably telling the truth.


    ¡°I learned a lot from you back in the Luka continent.¡±


    [Huhu, it seems you realized something about Peruta Circuit. First, let¡¯s have a spar. I can pass my spear technique down afterward.]


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    We didn¡¯t need to say much. I immediately closed my eyes, and Peruta created an Imagine World. We now had 37 hours to work with. Within this time, I had to learn Peruta¡¯s Spear Technique. Otherwise, I would have to wait another month.


    Peruta Circuit was a method to bring the flow of mana toward its user. The spiraling mana sucked in external mana, and at the same time, strengthened the mana through rotational force. The whirlpool of mana didn¡¯t just happen in the mana pathway but spread out through the entire body and the outside. A special flow urs inside the mana whirlpool, which only the user can manipte. Depending on how it¡¯s used, it can block an opponent¡¯s attack or strengthened one¡¯s attack.


    ¡°Ho, you already learned the practical application of it.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t bepared to your spearmanship though.¡±


    A whirlpoolpletely matching the flow of Peruta Circuit circted through the spear Peruta was holding. As each of his attacks were heavy, in order to block it, I had to use the same whirlpool in my attacks or pour my aura into the spear until the limit.


    Of course, that was the past me. After the special training I went through, I could imbue aura into my spear and draw Peruta Circuit¡¯s whirlpool from it. Even so, the difference between mine and Peruta¡¯s was like heaven and earth.


    ¡°If it¡¯s the current you, you¡¯ll understand it naturally while we spar.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    ¡°No, I can guarantee you. If you experience it for just 30 hours...¡±


    As he raised his spear wrapped in a whirlpool, Peruta gave a teasing smile. It was my own face, but I wanted to punch it! However, before I could charge toward him, he attacked me first.


    I jumped to the side to dodge his spear which was shing down vertically, then counterattacked. As expected, Peruta read my movements and struck my spear away with his spear swirling with a whirlpool.


    ¡°Oho, your dodging skills improved!¡±


    ¡°I just came back from a ce where I¡¯d die if I... didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re still not there yet!¡±


    Peruta¡¯s spear was terrifyingly fast and powerful. His spear technique wasn¡¯t just utilizing Peruta Circuit¡¯s whirlpool. His spear¡¯s movement and its trajectory were as free as the capricious wind. It¡¯s methodical flow suddenly twisted and distorted, and if it caught me, it would swallow me like a raging tide. It was light, then heavy. It was calm, then violent. As someone facing it, it couldn¡¯t be more annoying.


    ¡°You can do it. You already know the key!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t... think so... at all...!¡±


    Peruta¡¯sforting only gave me despair. Although we shared the same body, the realm of martial arts he embodied was far and lofty. He was called an ancient Martial God and a War God. Even so, I...


    BOOM!


    ¡°Good, you¡¯re getting more natural!¡±


    ¡°No, not at all...! I¡¯m only just starting!¡±


    I will catch up to him! It¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t see the difference between us before, and now, I knew the height in front of my eyes was a level I could reach!


    By the time 10 hour passed, my white aura began to swirl around my spear in the shape of a whirlpool. The result of starting to show from repeatedly shing with Peruta¡¯s spear.


    ¡°You took your first step! Good, but are you satisfied with just that?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡±


    His spearmanship wasn¡¯t the only thing I had to catch up to. His movements as he wielded his spear, his spear flowing with his movements, his footwork, the Peruta Circuit¡¯s mana erupting from his feet, the flow that amplified, converged, and released!


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to try to follow my movements. Peruta Circuit is an unconstrained whirlpool. You just have to mix it however you want.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I already... know that!¡±


    The whirlpool enveloping my spear was fast and destructive. Although it wasn¡¯t as capricious as Peruta¡¯s nor was it as mysterious and elusive, it became stronger as it advanced and overwhelmed the enemy with its unpredictable destructive power! It was persistent and relentless!


    Peruta Circuit¡¯s current became more and more powerful as it flowed. Even as it stumbled, it did not stop, and continuously and endlessly drew in mana. The pain it gave made me happy. I felt like I finally understood how to wield mana. What was left was to direct it, not just using my spear, but using my entire body!


    [You learned the Unique Spear Technique, ¡®Peruta ¨C Mad Typhoon.¡¯ Although it is based on Peruta Circuit, this Unique Spear Technique has been tempered by your martial path, which naturally maniptes its shocking flow of mana into speed and destructive force. You obtained 2 skill points. Current skill points: 10]


    This message was heard 24 hours after the start of my sparring with Peruta. Although the way I enveloped my spiraling white aura around my spear was different than Peruta¡¯s method, I became able to sh with him without being pushed back. It seemed Peruta had also realized it, as his smile became deeper.


    ¡°Congrattions. You paved your own way forward.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a bit too straightforward.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just your character. Once your movement is added on top of it, not many will be able to dodge your spear.¡±


    After finding out that I had learned my own Spear Technique, Peruta stopped. With a satisfied expression, he looked at me and my spear.


    ¡°For me to reach that realm, it took me 70 years in human time. This is only the start, so don¡¯t be overconfident.¡±


    ¡°70 years...¡±


    Even though Peruta spent 70 years to reach this height, he only considered it the start? As I thought, I had a lot to learn from his mindset.


    After that, Peruta advised me about Peruta Circuit and spearmanship, then disappeared saying he¡¯d see me in a month. Once I was left alone in the basement training room, I copsed. Since I did 24 hours¡¯ worth of movements in 24 minutes, it was only natural for fatigue to build up. I looked at the clock. It was 2 in the afternoon. I didn¡¯t have the time to stay lying on the floor like this.


    ¡°Ruyue, wash me...¡±


    [Okay!]


    In an instant, ice enveloped my entire body, then disappeared. My body drenched in sweat was now clean. Along with the cleanliness, drowsiness naturally swept over me.


    ¡°Haaa... I shouldn¡¯t...¡±


    No. Go with the flow. Peruta seemed to be telling me so. I couldn¡¯t go against master¡¯s words, so I obediently went to sleep.


    When I woke up, Sumire was in front of me.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I blinked. Then, I realized I was using Sumire¡¯sps as pillows.


    ¡°Um, Sumire? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The floor is hard, Shin-nim. Myps are hard from muscles too, but I thought they were still better than the floor.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to go so far... Well, thanks though.¡±


    ¡°Yes! You trained immediately aftering back from your training, I¡¯m impressed!¡±


    I got up. Sumire also got up slowly.


    ¡°Is everyone back?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Because Shin-nim ising back today, we came back after clearing 3 Event Dungeons. I came down to practice spearmanship while we waited, but then I found Shin-nim here.¡±


    ¡°You should have woken me up... Do you want to lightly spar?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Sumire¡¯s eyes sparkled. It seemed she was waiting for those exact words. Looking at Sumire grabbing her spear and taking her stance, I grinned. Then, I likewise grabbed my spear.


    After the spar, Sumire reached mid-rank Spear Technique. This girl... was really a genius.


    ¡°Shin!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was expecting you.¡±


    Ludia ran into my embrace the moment she saw me. I patted her back to calm her down and reported to the others that I was back. We could now talk about the things we needed to do.


    ¡°We¡¯re at our limit. Even if the remaining Event Dungeon turn into Field Dungeons, the countries they¡¯re in can manage them. They have tight security around their gates, preventing anyone from entering without their permission. There are 162 such dungeons.¡±


    Hwaya exined as she gritted her teeth. I had already somewhat heard about it through themunication channel, but now that I heard the exact number, I could only sigh.


    ¡°How long did it take for the first wave of Event Dungeons to turn into Field Dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Two months, Shin-nim.¡±


    Sumire answered quickly. Since the Event Dungeons appeared a month ago, while I was in still in Beyond¡¯s 3rd floor, we still had a month left.


    ¡°They won¡¯t be open to discussions.¡±


    Walker spoke as one corner of his mouth curled up. Seeing as how he was here, it seemed Yua was already home.


    ¡°Even though Mastiford specifically contacted the British government, they¡¯re still trying to protect their gates.¡±


    ¡°The problem isn¡¯t just that Event Dungeons would turn into Field Dungeons. The Event Dungeons might not get turned into Field Dungeons and have their bosses freed. That would be more of a headache...¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, humans naturally delude themselves into thinking they can control everything. If there is a precedent, it is especially so. They¡¯ll think they¡¯re prepared and that there¡¯s no need to worry about it. The result will almost always be disastrous.¡±


    Walker had quite a twisted view on the world. Of course, with the way things were going, I couldn¡¯t deny him. How annoying.


    When I looked at Hwaya, she was frowning. Was it because Ludia was still in my embrace? Like a barnacle, she wouldn¡¯t get off of me even when Ye-Eun and Shuna pulled on her.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Hwaya?¡±


    ¡°Guardian¡¯s leaders are extremely forward in protecting the gates.¡±


    ¡°You can say it straight out. Brightman, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I should¡¯ve beaten that guy up earlier.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just Brightman. Most SS rankers are helping to thoroughly protect their countries¡¯ gates. So much so that it¡¯s taking longer to clear dungeons ranked S+ or above.¡±


    ¡°Huu, I at least hoped that the ones who obtained their abilities through the dreams would be better...¡±


    No, I couldn¡¯t just stay here and sigh all day. I had to do what I could do.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with Korea. Is Korea also protecting its Event Dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Of the 18 Event Dungeons in Korea, the three Event Dungeons ranked D or below were instantly destroyed when they appeared, and Event Raids didn¡¯t break out either. There are 4 dungeons ranked S or above, of which two are S rank and two are S+ rank. As you know, Korea doesn¡¯t have any SS rankers and only a few S rankers. Because of that, they weren¡¯t prioritized in the Guardian¡¯s ordering. They probably won¡¯t get cleared within the next month.¡±


    ¡°What about the others?¡±


    ¡°The list of the other 11 Event Dungeons are: 1 A+, 2 A, 1 B+, 3 B, 2 C+, and 2 C. The Korean government is also trying to protect the dungeons ranked B+ or below. The dungeons ranked higher than that can¡¯t be cleared because of theirck of ability users. Once they enter, they can¡¯t get out until they clear the dungeon, so they¡¯re being careful about where to send their troops.¡±


    After thinking for a bit, I came to a decision.


    ¡°I want to clean up Korea first. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Son, you know that the government is protecting the gates, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, father, but I¡¯ll do it forcefully. It¡¯ll be fine. Our country is too weak to stop us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you can say that as a Korean...¡±


    But it¡¯s true! Even if Korea¡¯s 3 S rankers worked together, they won¡¯t even be able to pierce through Sumire or Shuna¡¯s defense!


    ¡°Let¡¯s split into three teams. Hwaya, you go with Walker and Shuna.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Father, go with Sumire and Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, going on a stroll with my new daughter candidates doesn¡¯t sound so bad.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with Ludia.¡±


    Ludia looked ready to burst into tears, so it was probably difficult to separate from her again. Plus, with her power of the earth for defense and healing ability, she was undoubtedly the best candidate to bring with me. Ah, Ludia¡¯s face lit up. How cute.


    ¡°The way I split the members is simple. I made it so that no one in Korea will be able to stop us. Even if Event Raids break out, we should be able to take care of them. Let¡¯s split the eleven low-ranked dungeons into three based on their distance and start. Don¡¯t openly reveal your identities. Equip something like Otus¡¯ Secret.¡±


    ¡°How pleasant. You¡¯re giving us orders right aftering back.¡±


    ¡°This is only the start, Walker. My goal is topletely sweep through all the Event Dungeons on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of peopleing to stop us?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s going to stop us?¡±


    With a grin, I retorted.


    ¡°No one can stop me now, Walker.¡±


    Author¡¯s note: N/A

 Chapter 146. What We Can Do (4)

    Chapter 146. What We Can Do (4)


    Ludia and I were in charge of Gangwon-do province, where the B, A, and A+ ranked dungeons were. As it was far from Seoul, it was the most efficient for me to go, as I could ride on Lotte, who was faster than fighter jets.


    ¡°But...¡±


    After getting on Lotte¡¯s back with me, Ludia muttered coldly. She pointed towards the girl wrapping her arms around my back with eyes shaped like stars. She wore a water-colored dress that was perfect for going on strolls.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Plene, a siren. She¡¯s apanion of mine, like Lotte.¡±


    [Hi! I¡¯m Plene! Isn¡¯t it a pretty name? Shin gave it to me!]


    Plene smiled innocently and unwrapped her arms from me. She held her hand out to Ludia, but Ludia simply red at her.


    ¡°I... I thought you were asking me on a date.¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re going to a dungeon. What date?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really a fool.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the fool.¡±


    [She¡¯s a meanie! She won¡¯t ept my greeting! Shin, scold her!]


    ¡°Ludia is normally a bit rude. Forgive her, Plene.¡±


    ¡°She even stole my spot. I hate her...!¡±


    Plene was perfect to hold Ludia in check. Although it might be a bit cruel to Ludia, who I met in two months, I thought Ludia was using all sorts of excusestely to be intimate with me!


    I¡¯m a man and Ludia a woman. It would be fine if were dating, but as we weren¡¯t, sticking so close was troublesome. Both Hwaya and Ye-Eun were giving Ludia strange res as well. I said I would take responsibility for Ludia¡¯s dependence on me, but that didn¡¯t mean I would marry her! If she became even more intimate than she currently was... my... Kuhum.


    But what about now? Plene, who liked being intimate just as much as Ludia, held Ludia in check! As Ludia spends more time separated from me, she would realize she doesn¡¯t need to always cling to me!


    ... But, strange. Why did I feel like nothing had changed other than that Plene reced Ludia!?


    In any case, we first decided to clear the B rank dungeon. This Event Dungeon had appeared in the middle of Gangwon-do¡¯s camping ground. I was shocked by how many Guardians were lined up and protecting it. With that number, they could just go in and clear it themselves!


    The Guardians didn¡¯t see us in the sky. It was because Lotte was a cheaty wyvern that was even specialized in stealth. Her skills, ¡®Presence Concealment¡¯ and ¡®Invisibility¡¯, were hiding us perfectly! It was also the reason that I couldn¡¯t recognize her when we first met, even though she appeared right in front of my eyes.


    ¡°Shin, what are you going to do? Are you going to talk to them?¡±


    Ludia asked as she raised her staff. Strange. Why do you look like you¡¯re in yourbat mode rather than normal mode? Did you hit the spacebar twice by mistake?[1. Mabinogi reference.]


    Although I was dumbfounded, I would be troubled if she shouted, ¡®O Earth!¡¯, so I quickly answered her.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re going to sing.¡±


    ¡°Sing?¡±


    Ludia tilted her head. Soon, she looked at Plene, clearly thinking, ¡®Is it her?¡¯


    When I eyed Plene, she nodded with a shy smile. Then, she began to sing.


    ¡°Lla~¡±


    ¡°Mm? Where is this sounding from?¡±


    ¡°What a beautiful voice.¡±


    ¡°Idiots, it might be a monster¡¯s attack. Stay on your...¡±


    With Plene¡¯s voice ringing from the sky, the Guardians began to copse one by one, starting from the one admonishing the others to stay alert. After bing my subordinate, Plene¡¯s singing ability was increasing the more she practiced. In essence, it was being treated like a skill by the dungeon¡¯s system. As she continued singing ever since we met, her ability, which even affected S rankers, had grown much stronger. Even magic type Awakened with innate resistance against mental attacks would find it difficult to resist Plene¡¯s singing.


    ¡°This song, how beautiful...¡±


    ¡°To us, it¡¯s just a beautiful song, but to them...¡±


    To them, a special effect would be added. One that helps them fall asleep in just 10 seconds.


    Just by singing for 30 seconds, Plene made all nearby ability users drop their weapons and fall asleep. When they woke up, they would find themselves relieved of fatigue. If you¡¯re suffering from insomnia, I rmend you get a siren! They would be super popr. Thinking rather useless things, I lightly tapped Plene¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Lla~ Mm? Why?¡±


    ¡°You can stop singing now, Plene.¡±


    ¡°But I want to finish this song...¡±


    ¡°You can singter. I¡¯ll listen to the full song then.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Just in case an Event Raid breaks out after we cleared the dungeon, we moved the ability users elsewhere. Shortly afterward, we were the only ones around the gate.


    ¡°What an unbelievable ability.¡±


    ¡°Plene, Ludia isplimenting you.¡±


    ¡°Really? Thank you! I like you!¡±


    ¡°N-No! That wasn¡¯t apliment!¡±


    As always, it was too easy to earn points with Plene. Listening to them bickering behind me, I grinned and ordered Lotte.


    ¡°Charge into the gate.¡±


    [Understood, Hero!]


    Lotte pped her wings once and swiftly flew into the gate.


    Our surroundings warped and the Event Dungeon appeared. It was an open grasnd with deer running around yfully. They had turquoise skin and were three times asrge as normal deer. On each of their foreheads was a spiral-shaped horn, and their feet hooves were shaped like scissors. If not for these characteristics, the entire view would have looked extremely peaceful.


    ¡°Deer meat doesn¡¯t even taste good... damn it.¡±


    ¡°You were thinking about eating them!?¡±


    Plene performed outstandingly even inside the dungeon. By changing her tune, she could apply various status effects. Currently, she was using the status effect sirens were known for. Right, her singing was luring its listeners toward her like mindless zombies. Whether the deer were grazing on the grass or having mixed martial arts fights, they turned their attention to Plene¡¯s singing. They stopped what they were doing and walked across the grasnd toward us. As Plene continued singing, we flew around the grasnd on Lotte¡¯s back.


    ¡°Shin? What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see? I¡¯m collecting the deer together.¡±


    ¡°Lla~!¡±


    Around the time I could confidently say that we looked around the entire Event Dungeon, there was a gigantic herd of deer following us.


    ¡°Kraaa...¡±


    ¡°Krrrrr...¡±


    In the past, I wanted to hunt monsters the moment I saw them. Now, weak monsters couldn¡¯t draw out my fighting spirit in the slightest. I was d that I brought Plene along.


    ¡°Do we need to hunt all the monsters before the boss appears? How was it in the other dungeons, Ludia?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s based on how many monsters you encountered, not how many you defeated. Since all you need to do is find monsters, it should be appearing any time soon... Ah, it¡¯s here!¡±


    [Kuooooooo...!]


    [Kdeer Grasnd¡¯s boss monster, ¡®Iron Kdeer,¡¯ has appeared! Defeating the Iron Kdeer and clearing the Event Dungeon will grant special rewards!]


    At the same time the boss appeared, I finally found out what these monsters were called. Kdeer! As for the boss, just its body was over 3 meters tall, while its legs were made out of steel! Itsrge, thick horn looked like it would be a good decoration. That said, why did all animal type boss monsters appear as metallicized versions!? I carefully raised my spear.


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    [You defeated the Event Dungeon boss monster, Kdeer!]


    [30,000 gold is distributed evenly amongst party members. You received 15,000 gold.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Iron Kdeer¡¯s Horn Sword


    2. Iron Kdeer¡¯s Antler]


    Of course, kdeers didn¡¯t disappear just by killing the boss. First, I selected Iron Kdeer¡¯s Horn Sword and fed it to Gluttony Spear (it didn¡¯t even grow by 0.3%). Then, I swiftly took care of the kdeer with a single Elemental Tempest. Meanwhile, Ludia...


    ¡°Ludia, what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Antler.¡±


    ¡°... What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Pulverizing it.¡±


    ¡°For what...?¡±


    ¡°To make Shin eat it.¡±


    Ludia¡¯s devotion toward me was truly admirable. Antlers were indeed good for the body, so I was thankful[2. Western scientists disagree.]. That aside, it seemed I needed to question mother. Just what was she teaching Ludia!?


    [Youpletely cleared an B rank Event Dungeon! All party members received 1 bonus stat!]


    [You will now return.]


    We cleared the other two Event Dungeons, but no Event Raid broke out. Altogether, we receive 4 bonus stats. Clearing the A+ rank dungeon only gave 2 bonus stat. It was most likely because I had long surpassed its standard.


    [We¡¯re done. How about you guys?]


    [We¡¯re still on our second one.]


    [We¡¯re also on our second, son. How are you done so quickly?]


    [Do you want to know, father?]


    [No, it¡¯s fine. You should go ahead and clear the other dungeons.]


    After checking the news through my phone, I leisurely cleared the other two dungeons. The Korean government had found out that we were destroying the Event Dungeons and sent additional forces to uncleared Event Dungeons. They even criticized us through the media. In any case, their actions didn¡¯t stop me in the slightest. Plene simply put everyone to sleep, and we cleared the dungeons. afterward, news began to spread that unidentified assants with malicious intent were going around invading Korea¡¯s gates.


    ¡°Although Guardians are guarding the gates, in truth, they have no right to prevent us from clearing the Event Dungeons.¡±


    Although there werews regarding Event Dungeons, as long as the dungeons and the potential Event Raids could be dealt with, neither the government nor the Guardian could say anything about it. After all, the gates appeared on their own. They did not belong to anyone.


    In any case, the news imed that we were terrorists trying to release monsters into Korea by clearing Event Dungeons and making Event Raids break out. If that were true, the Guardian undoubtedly had the right to step in.


    Hey, who knew being a terrorist was so hard?


    [They were confirmed to be the same group of people, who were actively destroying various countries¡¯ gates within the past month. This group, known to be led by the SS ranker Hwaya Mastiford, has...]


    [Breaking news. A picture has been taken of a group of people riding on a wyvern. The man on top is suspected to be the Dragon Knight, who recently made headlines with his aplishment in America. His current goal seems to match that of Hwaya Mastiford.]


    [Why could they be doing this? Some say that they are destroying Korea¡¯s gates for the same reason that they destroyed the other gates within the past month.]


    [The government has heavily deployed Guardians to the uncleared ga... Ah! We just received the report that all gates other than the four S or S+ ranked gates have been destroyed!]


    I couldn¡¯t say it was pleasant, as they made it sound like I was a criminal. Of course, I could understand where they wereing from. They must be thinking, ¡®Why us!?¡¯ If I could, I would tell them.


    Don¡¯t worry, the same will happen to all the other countries!


    I headed to Seoul on Lotte, where we promised to meet. The other two teams were heading over as well. We were purposefully being conspicuous. That was more convenient. I didn¡¯t want to have to exin twice.


    ¡°Yep, looking good. I¡¯m sure Shin will shine even in front of the camera.¡±


    ¡°Shin is cool!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need the ttery. Thank you though.¡±


    For the past month, although I wasn¡¯t there, Guild Revival had gotten rid of Event Dungeons. Their aplishment would help make my announcement incredibly powerful. Thanks to them, I was ready to step in front of everyone.


    It was the time for Revival to step up to the world stage. Not as everyone¡¯s ally, but as a strange group that mastered the Provoke skill.


    ¡®Ciara, you wanted to me to lead the world¡¯s ability users, but the method I chose is different. It¡¯s going to annoy you, ha!¡¯


    Author¡¯s note:


    I¡¯m not saying this just because I put a Mabinogi reference this chapter, but I heard they made a Mabinogi Caf¨¦ near Sadang Station¡¯s 11th exit.


    I. Want. To. Go!


    Damn it, from 6th grade to the second year of high school, I poured in my youth to Mabinogi! Mabinogi Caf¨¦, a Mabinogi Caf¨¦! I want to go!!


    That¡¯s enough of my tantrum.

 Chapter 147. What We Can Do (5)

    Chapter 147. What We Can Do (5)


    It only took Lotte a few minutes to get from Gangwon-do to Seoul. When we arrived at the caf¨¦ we promised to meet, the guild members were all waiting around a big table.


    ... Furthermore, there was a circle of cameramen and Guardians surrounding them from a distance. Even the outside of the caf¨¦ was crowded with them. I nonchntly walked into the caf¨¦. The ones with power should be inside.


    ¡°You¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Are you guys done warming up?¡±


    ¡°Son, get these things away. They¡¯re bothering me.¡±


    Because of the conversation we just had and the wyvern sitting outside the caf¨¦, everyone turned their attention toward me. Just from a nce, it seemed all three of Korea¡¯s S rankers were in this caf¨¦!


    ¡°Are you really the Dragon Knight?¡±


    ¡°Dragon Knight, why are you destroying Korea¡¯s gates?¡±


    ¡°Dragon Knight, are you really Korean?¡±


    I raised my hand and lightly waved across the air. A small whirlpool appeared and pushed them back. Of course, the S rankers didn¡¯t get pushed back from just this, but I didn¡¯t care.


    I brought my hand up to Otus¡¯ Secret. Then I changed my hair and eye colors. My eyes became ck like it normally was, and my hair became grafy.


    It was Yeon Hwawoo¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°Ah, you are!¡±


    ¡°Yeon Hwawoo, Korea¡¯s fourth S ranker!¡±


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m Yeon Hwawoo. Just like you said, I¡¯m also the Dragon Knight.¡±


    I replied calmly. Whistles rang and sighs were heard.


    ¡°Korea also had an SS ranker!¡±


    ¡°Why did you keep your identity hidden!?¡±


    ¡°What is your rtionship with the me Witch, Hwaya Mastifo... Kuk!¡±


    I decided to ignore the reporter that disappeared with a scream.


    Although we were in a caf¨¦, there were so many cameras that it was no different than a press conference. It simply meant that a lot of people were interested in us. Of course, I suspected that over half of them were angry at us, but when I nced at Hwaya, she nodded and messaged me.


    [It will spread to the whole world. I already confirmed it.]


    [Thanks for giving me the spotlight, Hwaya.]


    [I¡¯m the one who should be thankful, Shin.]


    I opened my mouth, looking at the people eyeing me.


    ¡°It is because I wasn¡¯t an SS ranker until just recently. Furthermore, I had no intention of joining Guardian or Freedom Wing.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying the power of S ranker you showed as Yeon Hwawoo was real?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Then, a man in his prime stepped forward. He was one of Korea¡¯s S rankers and a close-ranged type attacker. The man, who I couldn¡¯t remember the name of, asked.


    ¡°Do you still have no intention of joining Korea¡¯s Guardian now that you have be an SS ranker?¡±


    ¡°No. I believe I found my own ce.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you disturbing public order?¡±


    People looked flustered by the S ranker suddenly diving into the core problem. I could see why. No matter how valuable Field Dungeons were, a single SS ranker was still much more valuable. Now that the truth that I was Korean was revealed, Korea¡¯s Guardian would be better off coaxing me to join them. In any case, I was thankful for his to-the-point question. I didn¡¯t want to talk to them for long.


    ¡°I want to ask why you think it is disturbing public order.¡±


    ¡°Woo, Woo Youngha-ssi, you shouldn¡¯t...¡±


    The S ranker, Woo Youngha, ignored the Guardian trying to stop him and shouted.


    ¡°If this isn¡¯t disturbing public order, then what is!? I do not obtain monster remains or Mana Stones by hunting such weak monsters. However, I know how important those things are to Korea¡¯s economy. Why is a Korean ranker trying to screw us over?¡±


    ¡°When gates naturally disappear after a certain period of time, Field Dungeons might appear like in America or Britain, but there¡¯s also a chance for strong monsters, like the one I fought before, to appear.¡±


    ¡°That is something we should control. It is absurd to destroy all gates because of such a small risk. Furthermore, monsters might appear even when you break the gates!¡±


    ¡°Hm, it seems you do not know what mypanions did for the past month.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    For the past month, Guild Revival had destroyed Event Dungeons and cleared potential Event Raids without any outsider being hurt. With how famous the story was, there was no one who hadn¡¯t heard of it.


    ¡°Is that really it? You¡¯re destroying the gates to prevent uncontrobly strong monsters from running amok?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s also to prevent Field Dungeons from appearing.¡±


    ¡°Why is that, Dragon Knight?¡±


    The reporters jumped in once again. I replied to them with a question of my own.


    ¡°Do you think this will be thest time that gates will appear?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°When gates appear again, will you protect the low-ranked gates again to turn them into dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. We will only maintain a manageable number!¡±


    ¡°Who said the number of gates that will appear will be within your control? Once they escape your control even once, it is all over. The number of dungeons on Earth will only increase, and humans¡¯ territory will disappear.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we should create dungeons now! To control that exact situation! Dungeons give everything an Awakened needs!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me. Even before the gates appeared, the Awakened were free to earn money and buy equipment they wanted. Furthermore, the equipment that cane from dungeons you can manage is easy to see, so you¡¯re still saying that? If Guardian manages the dungeons, do you think they will invest the money they earn into all Awakened?¡±


    Looking at Woo Youngha, I continued.


    ¡°It will be toote if we don¡¯t start getting rid of them now. Monsters did not emerge for the prosperity of humans. They are invaders trying to chase us out and rece us. This, I can guarantee. Even if we don¡¯t increase the number of monsters by leaving the gates alone, there are still countless monsters threatening ournd. You should have caught a glimpse of that through the monster called me Drake.¡±


    Woo Youngha¡¯s eyes shook. I see, so he was there. No, he wasn¡¯t there while we were fighting the me Drake. Did he run away? In any case, he shut his mouth. I continued, not just to him, but to everyone watching.


    ¡°In terms of ability, we are confident that we are second to none. You should think carefully about why we are destroying the gates when we have nothing to gain from them.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it to prevent other Awakened from getting stronger?¡±


    ¡°If we didn¡¯t act and let you all do as you wanted, they would get eaten by the monsters before they could get stronger.¡±


    ¡°Why Korea?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Korean, and I also grew up in Korea. Shouldn¡¯t I protect my country first?¡±


    Then, I lightly smiled.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re limiting us to just Korea.¡±


    My words made them freeze for a second.


    ¡°You mean...¡±


    ¡°Danger doesn¡¯t go away just because all of Korea¡¯s gates disappear. Mypanions spent the past month destroying the gates of weak countries. Do you not understand what this means?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking of destroying other countries¡¯ gates too!?¡±


    ¡°Dragon Knight, you are Korea¡¯s ranker! As a ranker, if you break thews of other countries, you will also bring harm to Korea!¡±


    As a Korean, there was a clear difference between clearing Korea¡¯s Event Dungeons and other countries¡¯ Event Dungeons. The former could be justified, while thetter was a crime. At least, that¡¯s what the reporters were saying. It wasughable.


    ¡°I won¡¯t trouble countries that n on destroying their gates on their own. But I will not allow countries to selfishly turn gates into dungeons.¡±


    ¡°What you are saying is a crime!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. If any country dares to regard my actions as representative of Korea, I will make sure theye to regret it. Then, Korea will not receive much bacsh.¡±


    ¡°M-My god...!¡±


    I was done joking. It was now time to say what I came to say.


    ¡°Hwaya.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    What I took from Hwaya was a piece of paper recording all the locations of Event Dungeons ranked S or above. I was still surprised four of them had been in Korea, but that wasn¡¯t the important thing right now.


    ¡°In the past, it took two months before the gates turned into dungeons. If the gates all take the same amount of time, we have exactly one month left.¡±


    ¡°R-Right.¡±


    ¡°I heard that Guardian, Freedom Wing, and some rogues were trying to destroy these S rank dungeons. In truth, other than the fact that everyone is trying to ignore dungeons ranked A or below, I think it is an excellent n.¡±


    ¡°The Guardian headquarters and we also agree. For that, we¡ª¡±


    I cut him off and continued.


    ¡°And in the past month, exactly 12 gates were destroyed. They were all S rank dungeons, and in the process, over 40 rankers got killed or injured. Plus, not once did more than 3 SS rankerse together.¡±


    ¡°Getting the project started was a pain. However, from now on, the number of injured or deceased should decrease, while the number of destroyed gates should increase.¡±


    ¡°You mean you can destroy 34 remaining gates until the next month?¡±


    I grinned. Everyone should have understood already.


    That it was impossible.


    ¡°Where will you give up and where will you save? I can guarantee that you will waste more time deciding that, and let more gates be dungeons. Can you confidently say that won¡¯t be the case?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Neglecting the gates that you should be able to destroy for profit, while neglecting the gates you must destroy because you can¡¯te to a consensus, because of conflict of interest, because ofck of ability... When the dayes where there are more monsters than humans on Earth, I wonder if you can still say we are disturbing public order.¡±


    I announced.


    ¡°We are Guild Revival. Our members aren¡¯t too different from the rest of you. Heavy and cumbersome things like humanity or nation have been put aside. We gathered to first protect our friends and family.¡±


    ¡°Guild Revival.¡±


    ¡°He said Revival.¡±


    ¡°I heard of Team Revival before.¡±


    Ignoring their murmuring, I continued, dering my intention to all those listening from beyond the camera.


    ¡°We will take care of all of the gates in Korea, starting with the two S+ rank gates and S rank gates. After that, you should have no doubt about our abilities. We can talk again then. All of you mustpensate us for helping to destroy other countries¡¯ S rank or above gates.¡±


    If you wanted something, you have to pay for it. Give and take. It was the most basic principle that even children understood.


    Between safety and resources, what would they choose? To be honest, it didn¡¯t matter how they reacted, so I maintained my nonchnt expression. Why?


    It was obvious. We would destroy all Event Dungeons regardless! This was just a promation. To tell them to crawl on their own!


    I had no intention of letting even a single Event Dungeon escape. I would protect Earth, obtain stats, piss off Guardian, Freedom Wing, and Ciara, and get rewards from bosses! There was nothing so full of benefits! I already missed a month¡¯s worth of Event Dungeons to train, so I couldn¡¯t possibly miss any more!


    ¡°I hope everyone will watch over us. We will show you the power and will of Guild Revival.¡±


    With aposed expression, yet eager eyes, I red at each of the cameras and shouted inwardly.


    ¡®Just you wait, Event Dungeon! I¡¯ming around to sweep you up!¡¯


    Author¡¯s note:


    My, I took the whole chapter just talking (looking at a far away mountain)


    I hope it wasn¡¯t too lengthy. It was pretty important so I put some spirit into it... T.T I hope you¡¯re happy with it.


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    Clearly, the author has never read Chinese web novels...

 Chapter 148. What We Can Do (6)

    Chapter 148. What We Can Do (6)


    After my one-sided promation ended, we left the caf¨¦ and jumped on Lotte¡¯s back. When I first tamed her, she refused to let others ride on her, but after getting used to the guild members and getting more familiar with me, she allowed this much.


    ¡°I will go too. It looks like the Guardian headquarter won¡¯t approve of you, but I want to see with my own eyes the skills you are so confident of.¡±


    A young woman popped out from the crowd and asked to join us. She was another one of Korea¡¯s S rankers... But, of course, I couldn¡¯t remember her name. Feeling her re, I nodded.


    ¡°Sure. You can follow us if you can.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Our Lotte won¡¯t let non-guild members ride her, you see.¡±


    [If you asked me to let that whore ride on me, I would have eaten her whole.]


    Lotte muttered. I scratched her neck to calm her down and shouted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡¯


    ¡°W-Wait! Yeon Hwawoo-ssi, Yeon Hwawoo-ssi!¡±


    Lotte pped her wings. Not even the S rankers could resist the wind pressure. Lotte kicked off the ground and leaped up. The concrete ground crumbled, but Lotte was already flying.


    ¡°Wait, Yeon Hwawoo-ssi! I said, take me with you!¡±


    ¡°My god.¡±


    She was a wind ability user!? That S ranker flew slightly slower than Lotte as she shouted at the top of her lungs. Plene, who was still stuck to my back,ined.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that woman¡¯s voice.¡±


    ¡°Now women are going after him even though he¡¯s wearing a mask. What do we do about this man? Should we just wrap his head around with a boxing tape?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t turn me into a mummy!¡±


    [I¡¯m going to go faster.]


    ¡°Sure, Lotte.¡±


    [Mm.]


    When Lotte raised her speed, the woman fell behind for a moment, but soon, she sped up and continued to follow us. Looking at her, I realized she was holding the hands of the other two S rankers. I could see Woo Youngha¡¯s pale face clearly, as she grabbed him by his neck like she would to a cat. Seeing me show interest in the rankers, Hwaya introduced them.


    ¡°They¡¯re all in Guardian, which is why A+ rank is the highest in Korea¡¯s Freedom Wing.¡±


    ¡°You really know everything, Hwaya.¡±


    ¡°N-Not everything. I just know what I have to... You need to know your enemy so you can prepare for them.¡±


    ¡°Enemy, huh... It sure is getting crazy, damn it.¡±


    ¡°Humans biggest enemy is themselves, Kang Shin. You should have felt it in Britain. If you think everyone wille to your side after listening to you, you¡¯ll only be badly hurt.¡±


    Walker said with a snort. Seeing him crossing his arms and gazing at the clouds, I felt that he looked a bit lonely. Then, I considered why he said that. Was he... worrying about me?


    I muttered.


    ¡°... Are you actually a good guy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s disgusting. Screw off.¡±


    I was certain Walker was changing. Perhaps one day, quicker than I would have thought, the contract might be unnecessary.


    ¡°The important thing is that we¡¯re doing the right thing, son. Event Raids that break out when you least expect it, and Field Dungeons that resets a few months after being cleared. Didn¡¯t you experience them both with your own body? Event Dungeons cause too much harm. No matter how big the potential gain is, our work must continue.¡±


    ¡°Of course, father. I won¡¯t hesitate. I already made up my mind a month ago. Plus, I knew from the very beginning that what we were doing was right.¡±


    I lightly smiled and retorted. I wasn¡¯t troubled about that at all. What I did today... although I couldn¡¯t be sure, I felt like it would go the way I wanted.


    Our first target was the S+ rank Event Dungeon. Coincidentally, it appeared in Yeungdeungpo. I was surprised Hwayasted until today with how stressed out she must have been.


    ¡°Really, I¡¯m going to have to tell Mom to move. Shin, is there a house up for sale near yours?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but my mother will jump for joy, so please don¡¯t.¡±


    This time, the Event Dungeon appeared in the middle of a park. The park, of course, became off limits, and countless Guardian forces were protecting it. It was to prevent meaningless deaths.


    ¡°It¡¯s Dragon Knight!¡±


    ¡°His wyvern sure is huge!¡±


    ¡°I-Is he really trying to enter this gate? Isn¡¯t he crazy?¡±


    Lotte pped her wings midair and red at the gate. Frightened by Lotte, they panicked.


    ¡°Do not enter! This ce is under Guardian¡¯s jurisdiction and is not open to the public! If you want to enter, you must form a party and get approved by the government!¡±


    ¡°I see!¡±


    I politely responded to the voiceing from below.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t care!¡±


    Lotte immediately charged into the gate.


    [You entered the S+ rank Event Dungeon, Forest of Rage.]


    ¡°It¡¯s another forest.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me there are more spiders...?¡±


    ¡°So this ce is...¡±


    ¡°We came in...¡±


    Eh? I turned around at the unfamiliar voices. Lo and behold, Korea¡¯s three S rankers were there! I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d really follow us into the gate!


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you went ahead without caring about us... It was hard catching up to you!¡±


    ¡°Uh... Good job, but you know this ce is an S+ ranked dungeon, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, now that you mention it!¡±


    There were no S+ rank Awakened in Korea. These three were all S rank Awakened. I wondered what gave them the confidence to march into this dungeon. At that moment, a roar rang out across the entire dungeon.


    [Kuaaaaaang!]


    The S rankers became stiff. For the record, Walker also went stiff.


    ¡°Damn it, if I die here, I¡¯ll reveal your evil deeds in my will, Kuuk!¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t die, so don¡¯t worry, Walker.¡±


    I grinned and took out my spear. Although Yeon Hwawoo was known to use his fists, he was just revealed to be the same person as Dragon Knight, who already fought against the drake with a spear. As such, it didn¡¯t matter even if I used a spear.


    Spinning the spear in my hand, I dispersed my mana into the surroundings. Then, I stopped not long after.


    ¡°I found it.¡±


    At the same time, a great breaking sound rang out from the forest.


    [Hero! I can feel the Hero¡¯s presence!]


    ¡°Everyone, get down and prepare. 11 o¡¯clock, 5 meters tall. It¡¯s charging straight at us. It looks like a close-ranged type, but a part of its body has mana clumped together, so it might be hiding a trump card.¡±


    I concisely exined the information I gathered from mana detection, then began circting Peruta Circuit. Ludia spread her arms out and cast Blessing on the party members. In an instant, the whirlpool around my spear became stronger.


    With a boom, the trees in front of us fell and it made its appearance. As I said before, it was 5 meters tall. Although it was shaped like a human, its skin was green and unnaturally muscr, while it had only one eye.


    ¡°Cyclops!¡±


    [Hero, I will have the Herooo, kyakuk!]


    The Gluttony Spear I threw out easily turned the cyclops¡¯ head to dust. I hadn¡¯t even used Heroic Strike, so it really died in vain. I retrieved the Gluttony Spear by pulling on its mana and spoke to mypanions.


    ¡°I¡¯ll support you guys from above. They shouldn¡¯t be that hard from what I see.¡±


    ¡°Not that hard!? They weaken others by casting the fear status effect!¡±


    ¡°Honestly, you should block something like fearing.¡±


    ¡°Y-You...!¡±


    Leaving the raging Walker be, I ordered Plene.¡±


    ¡°When the cyclopes appear, sing your weakening song, okay?¡±


    ¡°Un, okay! The song where we all have fun together, right!?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Dragon Knight! What should we do?¡±


    She¡¯s asking me? What a smart woman!


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you to fight, but since you decided to observe us, do it while you run away.¡±


    ¡°Y-You want us to run?¡±


    ¡°Lotte, let¡¯s go!¡±


    With just me on her back, Lotte flew up. Although the rankers probably wanted to ride on Lotte, I didn¡¯t even turn around as I flew forward. If I could fly in the dungeon, I was clearly better off fighting on Lotte. If I got into a serious fight on Lotte, not only would they vomit and get motion sickness, but they would also get thrown off.


    [What will you do, Hero?]


    ¡°My guild members are strong. They should be able to take on two of them at once.¡±


    [Then we should find groups of three or more.]


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Lotte raised her flying speed. This dungeon was contained the one-eyed giants, cyclopes. Befitting the title of S+ rank, they had powerful strength, resistance against mana, and ability to weaken magic and aura. However, Mad Typhoon was greatly effective against such special traits.


    The endlessly spinning whirlpool of aura broke down their resistance and dealt special blows that were impossible to regenerate from. Peruta, who created this, was indeed worthy of being called a god.


    [Kuaaaaang!]


    ¡°Gale Track!¡±


    [Kraaaaaaa!]


    Lotte roared and charged. No matter how big the cyclopes were, Dark Wing Lotte was the biggest and strongest of all wyverns. Not even the cyclopes could block her charge. Imbued with a gale, the Gluttony Spear pierced through the cyclopes. The trees in Lotte¡¯s path all fell and marked our track.


    ¡°Lotte, go there, where five of the mare gathered! I¡¯m using the final blow!¡±


    [Understood, Hero!]


    After sending twenty cyclopes flying, a strong wind energy gathered around the Gluttony Spear, which had been strengthened by 140%. Even as Lotte charged forward, the energy flowing in from all sides transferred to the whirlpool of aura. The whirlpool almost looked like it was enveloping both Lotte and me.


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Yeah!]


    Looking at the cyclopes that got up from their rest and prepared to throw trees at us, I shouted my elemental¡¯s name. Peika instantly gathered golden lightning to the tip of my spear. It was a Thunder Bomb, which had all of her power concentrated.


    ¡°Thunder Tempest!¡±


    Unable to hold in my excitement, I shouted out the skill name. Immediately afterwards, I strongly shed with the group of cyclopes. The force of the whirlpool mixed with the lightning and a violent explosion broke out.


    [Kiaaaaa...!]


    [It was... the Hero...!]


    The cyclopes standing in the front instantly died, and the ones behind them were also swept away by the explosion. Although the ground tremored loudly from their copse, they were like music to my ears.


    I had be strong. Even an S+ rank dungeon was a yground for me. Delighted, I made a big smile, when suddenly...


    ¡°What are we supposed to do if you kill them all? We¡¯re practically just spectators!¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s voice rang out from far away. When I turned around, there were cyclopes in the path Lotte and I crossed. After using Gale Track, I had killed all the cyclopes I could see, so I forgot to leave some for the others.


    [S-Sorry. I went a bit too wild.]


    [No, you did well. It¡¯s better the more overwhelming you appear to them. You were cool.]


    [Scary basta... Kuuk!]


    Contrary to what she just shouted, Hwaya had a very satisfied tone in the guildmunication channel. Although I hadn¡¯t nned on it, I had ended up showing the S rankers an effective show of force.


    Of course, not all cyclopes were dead. Other than the five cyclopes that ate the brunt of my final blow, others were copsed on the ground with their limbs or chunks of their bodies torn apart. I then traced Gale Track¡¯s path and took care of the cyclopes left alive.


    ¡°D-Dragon Knight...¡±


    ¡°He killed these monstrous creatures in one blow...¡±


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    After joining the others, I couldn¡¯t help butugh, seeing the three rankers¡¯ change in expression. Although they were the only ones with that expression, once we finished cleaning up Korea¡¯s dungeons...


    [Kuaaaa!]


    [Kill the Heroooo!]


    Because of the ruckus I caused, more and more cyclopes were gathering. I spun my spear around again as I turned around.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s finish within 3 hours. I want to get rid of the other three before the day breaks.¡±


    ¡°Taking care of Korea in just one night. ...That sounds fun!¡±


    Father grinned.


    ¡°Damn, you know, I have to guard your sister tomorrow, too...¡±


    ¡°Do your best, Walker!¡±


    ¡°You devil! Kuaak!¡±


    Walker screamed. Startled, the S rankers backed off from Walker.


    I slightly pitied Walker, but only just a little.

 Chapter 149. What We Can Do (7)

    Chapter 149. What We Can Do (7)


    For the past month, mypanions had joined hands to clear all sorts of Event Dungeons. Although those dungeons were below A rank, I didn¡¯t feel that the time was wasted. They had gotten more ustomed to fighting with each other.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    With a spirited shout, father thrust his spear forward. A chunk of a cyclops¡¯ leg blew up, making it fall on top of two of its friends. Of course, incapacitating the two of them didn¡¯t do much to help the current situation. Ever since a while ago, piles of cyclopes wereing at us.


    ¡°Just one of them is annoying enough. Where are they alling from?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to our cute leader. They must have realized that they have no chance of winning unless they all joined forces.¡±


    Hwaya leisurely retorted, reaching her hand out and burning the cyclopes in that direction. Sumire and Shuna were blocking the cyclopes from the front, while Hwaya burned them with long-ranged attacks. As for us close-ranged attackers, we ran around killing iing cyclopes on our own. One thing for sure, we had too many close-ranged attackerspared to the one long-ranged attacker we had.


    ¡°Shin-nim, help the right side!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Responding to Sumire¡¯s call, I kicked off the ground, while a whirlpool surged around my spear using Peruta Circuit. The two cyclopes attacking Sumire were sent flying by the spear I thrust out.


    ¡°Plene!¡±


    ¡°Lla~!¡±


    When five new cyclopes appeared, Plene began to sing energetically. Every time she sang with a delightful expression, it looked like strength were leaving the cyclopes¡¯ bodies.


    ¡°Kuk, I¡¯m losing strength...¡±


    ¡°Damn... it...¡±


    The S rankers, who weren¡¯t considered to be in our party, were also affected, but it was fine since they didn¡¯t need to fight. Without caring about them, I continued hunting.


    ¡°Lotte!¡±


    [I know!]


    As I decided to fight with the party members on the ground, Lotte and I were moving separately. Lotte harassed the cyclopes while freely flying in the sky. The ck mes she breathed out could heavily injure them, and even cast curses.


    [Kuaaaa! A bird with wings keeps blocking us!]


    [That bird is a harmful bird!]


    The cyclopes tried to attack Lotte, but without any long-ranged attacks, it was impossible. As Lotte also knew this, she jumped in and out, drawing as much of their aggro as possible. Meanwhile, we used the openings she created to attack them.


    ¡°Eit! Eit! Die!¡±


    Ye-Eun made cute shouts as she tenaciously focused on the cyclopes weak points. In her hands were one ck and one white pair of daggers, the reward she got from the me Drake raid. Her shouts and expression didn¡¯t match at all, so I wished she¡¯d stop.


    ¡°What are we doing with their corpses?¡±


    Hwaya asked, as she endlessly generated mes to burn the cyclopes. She gave me a small wink. Although we already talked about it, it seemed she said it for the S rankers to hear. I also replied casually.


    ¡°We¡¯ll sell them. I¡¯m sure many people will want S+ rank monster corpses. Ah, we¡¯ll keep a few as souvenir... I wonder if they taste any good.¡±


    [Ku, Kuooooooo!]


    [T-The Hero is scary!]


    After hundreds of cyclopes died, the situation changed, as ck cyclopes began to appear. These cyclopes were bigger than the normal ones and were holding gigantic clubs in their hands. Since Hwaya¡¯s mes couldn¡¯t easily burn them, it seemed they also had higher resistance to elements.


    ¡°The boss is going to appear soon, Hwaya!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re tired, fall back to the defense line and rest until the bosses!¡±


    Hwaya shouted in response to my words and shot out white mes at all sides. It was a powerful attack, which made all of the cyclopes step back. Walker immediately ran to the back. It seemed father was tired from the constant fighting, as he also ran back after Walker.


    ¡°Huk huk, damn it, my attacks are barely effective...!¡±


    [Walker, if you keep it up, you¡¯ll get stronger from the stat bonuses.]


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t force me into being your sister¡¯s bodyguard, I would have been much stronger right now!¡±


    ¡°Walker, you have to seize the opportunity when it arrives!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you prevented me from doing that!¡±


    Although I wanted to talk to him in the guildmunication channel, it seemed Walker didn¡¯t want to. It probably didn¡¯t matter, since the S rankers were too focused on what was happening in front of them that they didn¡¯t pay attention to our conversation. I became seriously sorry for Walker. I hoped to reward him soon!


    Chatting with Walker was fun, but it was about time to clean up the battlefield and prepare for the boss. First, I took out a highest-grade Mana Potion and put it in my mouth. I fixed my grip on my spear, bending down and leaping up.


    ¡°Shuna, Sumire! Get back!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim!?¡±


    After instantly jumping over 10 meters in the air, I pulled my spear back and activated Peruta Circuit to its limit. A five-colored light then began to gather in my spear.


    [Kyak! One-eyed giants!]


    [Are you teaching them a lesson? Prince-nim, are you teaching them a lesson?]


    [I can ride this! Strangely, I¡¯m fine!]


    [Everyonee, it¡¯s a special spin spin!]


    Countless elementals caused the whirlpool enveloping Gluttony Spear to take a rainbow hue. In the short moment where I stayed in the air, I thrust my spear toward the iing cyclopes and shouted.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡®Damn, I wonder when I¡¯m going to fix my habit of shouting.¡¯


    [Critical Hit!]


    From the sky to the ground, a violent elemental storm raged. The ck cyclopes in the front were quickly swept through, as were the cyclopes behind them. Although not all of them were dead, they were incapacitated.


    ¡°Hwaya, let¡¯s clean up!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah!¡±


    Hwaya, who was nkly staring at me for a moment, snapped out of her daze and began to quickly kill the cyclopes that managed to survive. She simply threw her white mes into their throat. If there was no response, they were dead. Otherwise, they choked on it and died. It was quite convenient.


    Afternding, I drank the Mana Potion I put in my mouth. After Elemental Tempest ended, countless elementals scattered, giving me blessings and blowing me kisses. I couldn¡¯t help but smile. I had heard that I would be able to see the elementals I wasn¡¯t connected to as I grew as an Elementalist. It seemed that was true. Although they were still a bit hazy, I could somewhat recognize them.


    ¡°Y-Yeon Hwawoo-ssi, what ability was that? Wasn¡¯t your ability lightning?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really think I¡¯ll tell you that, right?¡±


    I responded to the female ranker¡¯s question and gave her a wink. Then, I threw away the empty potion bottle. Although Elemental Tempest took 50% of my mana, if I prepared a potion beforehand and drank it in time, most of my mana would be restored by the time I was done! Since I could reduce the potion¡¯s cooldown time, it was quite smart.


    ¡°What an enviable ability. Mm....!¡±


    ¡°Shockwaves are good too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough chattering. Get ready.¡±


    Hwaya shouted acutely. Since we would be going up against a S+ rank dungeon boss, it was understandable. Plus, she was likely preparing for the potential Event Raid as well.


    [Shin, I¡¯ll use Blessing again.]


    [Yeah. Thanks, Ludia.]


    ¡°Plene, get ready to sing again.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Ludia stuck her staff into the ground and began to chant a holy scripture with a silvery voice. The fatigue that had unknowingly built up disappeared and my body brimmed with strength. It was truly mysterious. Even after her world fell and Ludia moved to Earth, she still maintained the power of the god she believed in. Although I didn¡¯t think too deeply, I thought about the existences called gods once again.


    ¡°The boss is probably going to be a cyclops. After Lotte breathes her ck me to decrease its resistance, we¡¯ll each use our strongest attack. The boss fight will start from there.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°The cyclopes¡¯ boss... I can¡¯t even imagine what it would be.¡±


    The party members began to prepare their attacks. Father¡¯s spear was vibrating since a while ago. I suspected that it was the new path of martial arts he created.


    Then, it finally appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. It just suddenly appeared in front of our eyes.


    [Guoooooooo!]


    It was over 10 meters tall, and its red skin and ghastly eyes exuded an oppressive aura. As if just two arms weren¡¯t enough, it had an additional two for a total of four. It held a club in each hand. At the same time, Gluttony Spear began to vibrate. Eh? Wait, could it be...? As a thought crossed my mind, it opened its mouth. Since it probably wasn¡¯t going to breathe mes, it was probably going to shout.


    [ck Curse Breath!]


    What a cool name!


    Before it attempted to fear the entire party, Lotte¡¯s poured ck mes on it. The word ¡®pour¡¯ was extremely suitable for her attack. Like tar, her mes stuck to its body, unpleasantly squirming around and burning its body. If she wasn¡¯t on our side, I would have been frightened out of my wits.


    [Guooooook!]


    [It won¡¯tst long. It¡¯ll reduce its attack power, movement speed, and resistance to everything.]


    [Why didn¡¯t you use that against the drake?]


    [I couldn¡¯t back then. I acquired it after being with Hero... Mm.]


    It seemed like Lotte was embarrassed, but I didn¡¯t have the time to think about that right now. Hwaya was the first one to attack. Her mes were so white that they could be mistaken as light.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Was that a universal shout!? Her mes struck the cyclops¡¯ chest, scorching it until its bones could be seen. Even more shocking was the fact that Lotte¡¯s tar was preventing it from regenerating. Father¡¯s spear attack then struck the same ce. An explosion boomed and it trembled from the shock, coughing out arge amount of a blood. Father dodged its club swing and fell back, all the while shooting a condensed shockwave aura.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°Really! It just soundsme!¡±


    We don¡¯t need to all say the same thing!


    ¡°Eit, die!¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    ¡°Huu... Spear Charge!¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m going too! Shield Rush!¡±


    The other members exploded out with their attacks. The cyclops let out an enraged scream and tried to swing its clubs at them. Lotte¡¯s tar was slowly losing its effectiveness.


    ¡°O power of the earth, stop the sword of the mobs!¡±


    [Guoook!]


    Ludia¡¯s silvery chant rang out, and the cyclops¡¯ clubs halted in midair. Its wounded chest was wide open.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Ludia shouted. Her staff was radiating incandescence.


    I aimed my spear at its chest. I had long since finished turning it into a white lightning bolt. The chest wound burned by Hwaya and dug by father! I could even see its beating heart.


    ¡°Dieeeee!¡±


    ¡°E-Embarrassing...¡±


    Almost as if my spear was being sucked in, it pierced its chest with a huge explosion of aura. The whirlpool of aura devoured its regenerative power and sessfully blew up its heart.


    [You defeated the Event Dungeon boss monster, Cyclops Lord!]


    [2,000,000 gold is distributed evenly amongst party members. You received 250,000 gold.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Cyclops Lord¡¯s Broadsword


    2. Cyclops Lord¡¯s Rags


    3. Half Elixir


    4. 1,000,000 Gold


    5. Cyprus Dagger


    6. Cyclops Lord¡¯s Golden Eye


    7. Lump of Refined Blue Iron


    8. Deathblood Ring]


    ¡°Shin killed it, now¡¯s our chance, everyone atta... Eh!? It died!?¡±


    Just like that, we perfectly cleared the Forest of Rage.


    Author¡¯s note:


    For the other 3 dungeons in Korea, they won¡¯t take so much of the chapter, and will mostly be skipped over. The important thing is the characters¡¯ aplishments, not the process of conquering the dungeons... The dungeon will have to at least be SS rank to be exciting, right? ^^

 Chapter 150. What We Can Do (8)

    Chapter 150. What We Can Do (8)


    Although bonus stats were indeed something to look forward to, the rewards were undoubtedly more alluring. Other than a few that looked like traps, they all looked great.


    After a bit of consideration, I chose the Deathblood Ring. It was a ck metallic ring adorned by red gems. Just like its name suggested, it was quite chilling.


    [Deathblood Ring (Unique)


    Durability ¨C 120/120


    Equipment Requirement ¨C Level 50+, Magic 100+


    Option ¨C All stats +5, Magic +10


    Skill ¨C Deathblood: 1. On attack, 2% chance to absorb 10% of enemy¡¯s mana to recover your mana. 2. On attack, 1% chance to inject your blood into the enemy. In exchange for 5% of your HP, the enemy falls under irresistible ¡®blood contamination¡¯ status effect.]


    Well damn! I might have to kowtow to the dead Cyclops Lord for this!


    I took off my gauntlet for a moment and equipped the Deathblood Ring. Although it looked a bit scary, it was also fashionable in a way. While I was looking at my hand satisfactorily, the female S ranker approached and asked with widened eyes.


    ¡°W-Where did that ringe from?¡±


    ¡°Curiosity will only bring your harm.¡±


    Meanwhile, the others were also choosing their rewards. I was most curious about who would choose the Cyclops Lord¡¯s Golden Eye and the Lump of Refined Blue Iron. In the end, it seemed they were taken by Hwaya and Shuna, respectively.


    ¡°Oh wow, this is an Orb!¡±


    ¡°... A what?¡±


    When I turned around, a golden eye was shining on her palm.


    ¡°I thought it was a magic material, but look!¡±


    On top of Hwaya¡¯s palm, the golden eye ball that made me hesitant to touch it began to emit brilliant light and spin. It seemed Hwaya could move it as she pleased.


    ¡°There was something called sub-weapon. I didn¡¯t know about it before. How lucky.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you got what you needed.¡±


    ¡°D-Damn it... A freaking rag... Wait, this thing¡¯s defense is amazing!¡±


    It seemed Walker was satisfied with the reward he chose too.


    ¡°Sumire, you¡¯re still waiting to choose your reward, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have to recover our strengths before we get out in case an Event Raid breaks out.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know about ability users, but for dungeon explorers, they could not leave the Event Dungeon until they picked their rewards. The Event Raid would only break out after this phase. As they spent the past month clearing Event Dungeons, it seemed they were quite familiar with the process.


    ¡°W-Where did everyone just...¡±


    ¡°What is it? An extradimensional storage?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, extradimensional storage. It¡¯s my ability.¡±


    With a smile, Hwaya lied without blinking an eye. She was currently ted from receiving a sub-weapon, and the rankers also looked happy to see her smile, as they didn¡¯t say much else about it. Seeing others starting to rest, I approached the Cyclops Lord¡¯s corpse. Ludia tilted her head and asked through the guild message.


    [Are you going to put that corpse into your inventory?]


    f


    [Ah, that¡¯s that, but more importantly, my weapon was responding to this guy.]


    [Weapon?]


    The four weapons the Cyclops Lord was holding. As Gluttony Spear didn¡¯t eat the same weapon it already ate, it only ate one of the cyclops¡¯ club and stopped responding. Although the Cyclops Lord¡¯s weapons looked the same, it was possible that they were slightly different. Since no one used clubs in our party, I obtained their consent and brought Gluttony Spear up to one of the Cyclops Lord¡¯s weapon. Gluttony Spear devoured the club instantly. I brought it up to the other club just in case, and it really did eat it!


    ¡°Ooooooh!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaak!¡±


    Seeing my weapon eat another weapon, the female ranker, though it was annoying to keep referring to her this way, screamed. Of course, I didn¡¯t pay her any attention and let Gluttony Spear absorb the other two. Immediately afterward, the Gluttony Spear radiated a brilliant light. Finally, finally...!


    [Gluttony Spear reached 99.9% growth. To reach 100% growth, you must imbue all of your mana into it.]


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that now...! Why are you shining then!?¡±


    As full of expectation as I was, I became angry enough to almost snap the spear in half. If I consumed all of my mana now, I would have to make everyone wait for over 20 minutes while I waited for two Mana Potions worth of cooldown time. It was probably better to wait until the fighting was over. With a bit of disappointment, I put the Cyclops Lord¡¯s corpse in my inventory and turned around to face the others.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s done resting, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°T-That! Was that also an extradimensional storage!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    After Sumire chose the final item, a message appeared in front of us.


    [Youpletely cleared a S+ rank Event Dungeon! All party members receive 3 bonus stats!]


    [You will now return.]


    The raid boss did not appear. Some clicked their tongues while some sighed in relief. Not long afterward, we were outside the gate.


    The moment we came out, we found ourselves surrounded by countless Guardians. What was shocking was that most of them were at least S ranked Awakened. In other words, it wasn¡¯t just Korea¡¯s Guardians that were here. Behind them were soldiers armed with guns and tanks.


    A man who seemed to be the representative of Korea¡¯s Guardian stood in the front. After meeting my eyes, he spoke.


    ¡°The Guardian and the government have decided that they cannot allow you to rampage any longer. We rmend that you surrender peacefully.¡±


    Come one, if you were going to do this, you should have done it earlier! No, were they waiting for us to tire ourselves out from clearing a S+ rank dungeon? I first turned around. Woo Youngha and one other S ranker were copsed on the ground. Seeing as how father was taking his hand back, it seemed they were trying to do something and got beaten up. That would mean... I looked at the female ranker, who was blinking her eyes in confusion.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Shin. That looks to be the case.¡±


    ¡°Haa, whatever then. Just stay put, got it?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡±


    Good, she¡¯s listening. I turned back around to the man. Then, I asked.


    ¡°Alright, first... Mmm, did you watch the video?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re still using force.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You are bringing danger by being too confident in your strength. You entered a S+ rank dungeon without the country¡¯s permission. As the citizens were not evacuated, if arge S+ rank monster appeared and you could not defeat it, countless civilians would have been exposed to danger.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You mean destroying low-rank gates won¡¯t be a problem?¡±


    ¡°ording to the New Moon Law, gates ranked A or below are under the jurisdiction of Guardian and Freedom Wing. What you are nning on doing is simply illegal.¡±


    ¡°And it can¡¯t be helped if they let gates turn into dungeons because of their ck of ability¡¯?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I asked.


    ¡°You... Will you be okay with S or S+ ranked gates turning into dungeons? If the three remaining gates in Korea turned into dungeons, you should know well enough that Korea will be powerless against them.¡±


    ¡°Of course. We want to get rid of gates just as much as you do. We need to have a conversation. Not with such ill-nned and ill-considered method, but with a method that would secure the safety of Korea and the interest of¡ª"


    ¡°So you want to negotiate.¡±


    They wanted to destroy S or S+ ranked gates, but they wanted to keep the Event Dungeons A ranked or below for themselves. That was what that oldie was trying to say.


    ¡°You just have to promise that you will not enter foreign countries¡¯ gates without their permission. If you do, we will spare no efforts to help you get rid of the gates. Of course, we will also take your words into consideration regarding the removal of gates.¡±


    We realize that you¡¯re strong, so we¡¯ll put a cor on you and erase only the gates we want to erase. If you listen well, we¡¯ll even give you a couple low-ranked gates.


    How surprising. His words were being tranted automatically. Though, it¡¯s funny to think that Korean needed to be tranted.


    ¡°There are already no gates left in Korea, so I don¡¯t understand why... No, nevermind, I understand. It¡¯s probably for shares, support from other countries¡¯ Awakened, or something along those lines. Fine, I¡¯ll keep this short.¡±


    I raised my spear and mmed it down. Other than the female S ranker, Korea¡¯s other two S rankers had their legs broken.


    ¡°Come at me, you fuckers.¡±


    [Prince is angry!]


    [He says not to kill them.]


    [What does killing mean?]


    [Killing is... Elemental de!]


    First, I shot an Elemental Tempest to the front. All ability users surrounding us were sent flying. Since they were all at least S rankers, I believed that they wouldn¡¯t die.


    ¡°S-Shoot! Fire!¡±


    The soldiers panicked and began to shoot, but unfortunately, none of us were weak enough to be hurt by guns or cannons. Weapons without mana could not prate our bodies, which were brimming with mana. In fact, most S rankers were immune to guns. Since they should have known this already, they probably expected us to give up after seeing their numbers...


    ¡°If you don¡¯t stop shooting those annoying things, I¡¯ll blow them up. When they do, we won¡¯t be the ones dying.¡±


    At Hwaya¡¯s words, the firing immediately stopped. They had lowered their tail after being threatened with death. Modern weapons did not mix well with Hwaya. Just by snapping her fingers, they would be ineffective and might even blow.


    While Hwaya neutralized the soldiers with all sorts of magic, I counted the number of ability users who withstood my initial attack. Although Walker and Ye-Eun were disarming the ability users taken out by Elemental Tempest, there were still over fifty ability users that were totally fine. To think they could gather so many rankers while we were clearing the Event Dungeon... It seemed Korea¡¯s Guardian wasn¡¯t so bad. Perhaps they considered us to be serious threats.


    I fixed my grip on my spear.


    ¡°I counted heads, so don¡¯t you think about running away. As long as you don¡¯t die, our kind healer will heal you, so rx ande... Otherwise, I¡¯ll make my move!¡±


    Only after my shout did the rankers start moving. S rankers should be more than strong enough to fell a few buildings by themselves. Lightning, me, arrows, restraining power, clumps of metal. All sorts of abilities were being used. Meanwhile, I extended my spear with Elemental de and swung it in an arc.


    [I, I knew it! Ueeeeeeeeek!]


    [I think that guy actually really enjoys Elemental de!]


    [Wheeee!]


    [Ah, wind! That¡¯s mine!]


    ¡°You poor bastards, go to sleep!¡±


    ¡°O Earth!¡±


    Father¡¯s shockwave swept the area. A few ability users attempting to approach Ludia were struck by the wall of earth that suddenly popped up from the ground and were sent flying away. The area was bing a total chaos. Only 10 minutes had passed since we came from the Event Dungeon, but the earth was fissuring, nearby buildings were falling, and trees were being rooted. At the same time, all rankers copsed. The army already fell back with tears.


    ¡°Satisfied now?¡±


    I asked the man who made the offer. He had run away the moment I neutralized Korea¡¯s two S rankers, but now that I looked, he was back.


    ¡°... I¡¯m satisfied.¡±


    He answered. On his face was a faint smile.


    ¡°Geez, you didn¡¯t have to make it so difficult.¡±


    ¡°I apologize, but currently, no matter what you say, you cannot be justice. Even so... there are people who wish to be on your side. We just did what we could do.¡±


    ¡°... It seems Guardian isn¡¯tpletely rotten.¡±


    ¡°It is an organization formed to protect Earth. Please remember that.¡±


    I smiled and spoke.


    ¡°If you want anything, tell me. I¡¯ll sell it for a cheap price.¡±


    ¡°You know how to trade! In that case, we would like some materials you obtained inside the gate. I don¡¯t know about other countries, but Korea¡¯s ability users often cannot hunt properly fromck of equipment. It is so bad that even I was tempted by the idea of letting gates be dungeons.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact you separately. Do you need help cleaning up?¡±


    ¡°We already have people ready, but thank you for the offer. Rather than that, you should go do what you want to do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m liking you more and more. Good, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do.¡±


    I grinned and turned around. Ye-Eun tilted her head and asked.


    ¡°Shin, why are you being so friendly with that guy? What happened?¡±


    ¡°You see...¡±


    I looked back at mypanions. It seemed Walker really was tired, as he leaned on a wall and fell asleep, while father was looking at the copsed S rankers like he had not gotten enough exercise. Hwaya forgot about the rankers and were ying with her golden Orb, while Ludia was treating the injured and Shuna was bringing the fainted people together. Sumire was assisting Ludia beside her with her own unique healing spell.


    In other words, Ye-Eun was the only one who went wild without fully understanding what was happening. Mm, how do I exin this...


    ¡°Basically, we got an unofficial approval to do whatever we want.¡±


    ¡°E-Eh!? What? When did we discuss that!?¡±


    ¡°Alright, if everyone¡¯s done resting, let¡¯s go! We have to finish Korea before the day breaks!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already past midnight, Kang Shin!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to hurry!¡±


    I snickered and retorted. Walker muttered, then grabbed his head in pain again. I couldn¡¯t tell whether that guy was smart or dumb.


    That day, before dawn, we took care of the three remaining gates in Korea. No one dared to bother us.


    It was just that the word ¡®Revival¡¯ became the most trending word on the inte.


    Now, it was time to leave Korea and party on the world stage.


    Author¡¯s note:


    If you noticed from the beginning, you¡¯re a genius! I would have noticed when I saw the army there. The only ones that aren¡¯t aware that the army is ineffective against high ranking ability users are ordinary citizens. In other words, the army was there to appeal to ordinary citizens, not the Guardian or the Freedom Wing. ^^


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    If it sounds weird with all the ¡°S or above / below,¡± it¡¯s because in Korean, the word ¡°above/below¡± is inclusive, while it¡¯s exclusive in English. For example, ¡°above S rank¡± in Korean would include S rank, but it wouldn¡¯t in English.


    Also Equipment Limit has been changed to Equipment Requirement

 Chapter 151. Crimson Chaotic Spear (1)

    Chapter 151. Crimson Chaotic Spear (1)


    When we finished cleaning up the remaining dungeons in Korea, it was 11 A.M. Event Raids did not ur once. ording to Hwaya, the chance of an Event Raid happening wasn¡¯t that high. Although it was best for everyone¡¯s safety that they didn¡¯t ur, but I would have liked one so we could clearly show our skills to the masses.


    We were currently in Hwaya¡¯s private ne. Although it would have been overwhelmingly faster to travel on Lotte, we all needed rest after clearing 4 S and S+ ranked Event Dungeons. Right when I was about to get some sleep, a thought crossed my mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over the rewards.¡±


    We promised to sell monster remains we got from A ranked or below dungeons to Korea for a cheap price. It was the same for monsters from S ranked or above dungeons, though we would selectively sell only a portion of them. I had no business with the corpses that were taking most of my inventory space. I did, however, have business with the rewards from the two S ranked dungeons and S+ ranked dungeons.


    The first was the Deathblood Ring. Although the stats it gave wasn¡¯t bad, what was more important were its effects. A 2% chance to steal 10% of the enemy¡¯s mana, and a 1% chance to use 5% of my HP to put blood contamination status effect on the enemy. While I was clearing the other three dungeons, I felt ted every time the mana steal effect activated, but unfortunately, the blood contamination effect never activated. I was curious what it would do.


    The second reward was a Half Elixir I got from an S rank dungeon. I considered choosing a weapon to feed to Gluttony Spear, but since its growth was at 99.9%, I decided to just go with the consumable. Even if I was on the brink of death, the Half Elixir would restore 50% of my HP and MP and cure me of all status effects. I already had a few emergency life ropes, but it wasn¡¯t bad to have another one.


    The third reward was a battle sword I got from the second S rank dungeon. There was no need to describe it. It was Gluttony Spear¡¯s food.


    Since none of us obtained much from this dungeon, we cleared the S+ rank dungeon with our cheeks puffed. This dungeon was amazing. Humanoid monsters appeared in this dungeon, and its boss was actually a group of 10 hunters. They each used different weapons as well. In other words, the rewards had variety to them! As it was an S+ rank dungeon, they were also extremely valuable.


    The reward I got was...


    [Perfect Hunter (Epic)


    Durability ¨C 360/360


    Equipment Requirement ¨C Strength +150, Dexterity +150, Magic +150, Mid-rank Crossbow Marksmanship


    Options ¨C Strength +15, Dexterity +15, Magic +15, Adds wind attribute to attacks using bolts, Attack Speed +20%, Automatic Reloading, Can create Mana Bolts with 10 MP


    Skill ¨C Invisible Shooter: Your bolts be invisible, and their sound and presence disappear. Added 30% bonus to speed and attack power.]


    It was a crossbow that drew the jealousy of all party members. It was the only Epic-grade item that dropped from this dungeon. Though it was an Epic item, it wasn¡¯t showy. It was made out of some ck metal and looked rather coarse, but it still could not hide its luxurious aura.


    I realized it with Hwaya equipping her Orb. It seemed this crossbow was being treated as a sub-weapon. Just by having it hanging by my waist, it raised my stats. The precious strength, dexterity, and magic stats had all gone up by 15. I really wanted to give this crossbow a kiss.


    ¡°I¡¯m done with going over the items, so what should I do now...?¡±


    ¡®I feel like I was forgetting something... What was it?¡¯ I tilted my head and looked around. It was rather quiet, as everyone was resting in their own way. I then caught sight of Walker.


    He had just woken up from sleep and was busy cutting and rearranging the rag he obtained from the Forest of Rage. I blinked and looked at Walker, trying to figure out why he had caught my attention. Then, I realized.


    ¡°Walker, what about Yua?¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s a school vacation.¡±


    Walker looked somewhat happy.


    ¡°I got a phone call saying that I didn¡¯t need to guard her today.¡±


    ¡°... Phone call?¡±


    ¡°From your mother! Don¡¯t point your spear against someone¡¯s neck!¡±


    ¡°Sorry. You made an easily misunderstood expression, so I overreacted, haha.¡±


    ¡°Just how much do you like your sister...!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, all oppas love their younger sisters.¡±


    I puffed out my chest and dered proudly. Walker red at me with the expression of a dead frog that was hit by BB gun pellets.


    ¡°I should show you an example. Go see how Brightman treats his younger sister...¡±


    ¡°He has a younger sister? I¡¯d rather not meet her.¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about, but she¡¯s different than what you think.¡±


    ¡°No, I understand. Unlike her oppa, she¡¯s extremely kind, right? That¡¯s how it usually is in novels. Unfortunately...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯repletely wrong. What I meant was, she isn¡¯t as childish as Brightman.¡±


    Walker snorted and said. His voice had be slightly higher.


    ¡°Sophie doesn¡¯t try to act cool like Brightman. She understands her position extremely well and is quite reasonable for her age. Plus, her entrepreneurial talent is much higher than her older brothers. Most everyone in the Brightman conglomerate agrees that the one who should lead the group should be Sophie, not Joshua.¡±


    ¡°... Oh?¡±


    Why was I so quick-witted about these things? I grinned and asked.


    ¡°You like her, right?¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t joke. I already told you, I grew up with Brightman. She naturally became a younger sister to me. Unlike Brightman, she didn¡¯t consider me a servant... No, maybe she knew but didn¡¯t treat me that way on purpose. After all, she hates the way Brightman orders people around.¡±


    Walker still had a serene expression. Was I wrong? I became uncertain, but it seemed Walker didn¡¯t want to tell me the answer, as he turned away and went back to working on his rag. I felt like there was something more, but since he wouldn¡¯t tell me, I reluctantly gave up.


    After bing bored again, I opened my inventory to put Gluttony Spear awa... wait. What I was forgetting about was evolving Gluttony Spear!


    My mana waspletely full, and we would arrive at Japan in 20 minutes. Since it would take time to fly to the Event Dungeons, I should have enough time to restore my mana!


    Good. I put Gluttony Spear down on the ne¡¯s aisle. Because of its length, people might get hurt if I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I roused my mana and injected it into Gluttony Spear. Soon, it began to give off a crimson glow, which got more and more brighter as I injected more mana into it. Eventually, when most of my mana was injected, it gave off a simr brilliance as it did in the Forest of Rage!


    ¡°W-What¡¯s happening!?¡±


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    I closed my eyes, then opened them back up. My spear had changed its appearance. The shaft became... slightly thicker? The spear de was longer and sharper. It waspletely red from the tip of the spear de to the edge of the spear shaft, while strange engravings were inscribed onto it.


    [Crimson Gluttony Spear evolved to Crimson Chaotic Spear. A weapon that wasn¡¯tpletely absorbed has been umted as growth. Crimson Chaotic Spear¡¯s growth: 47%]


    [Crimson Chaotic Spear (Legend)


    Durability ¨C 450/450


    Attack ¨C 7,000


    Equipment Requirement ¨C Strength +150, Dexterity +150, High-rank Spear Technique


    Options ¨C All stats + 10, Strength +25%. Adds ¡®Chaos me¡¯ attribute to basic attacks. Evolves by absorbing weapons. By injecting mana and chanting ¡®Transform,¡¯ it can be changed to its choker form. To transform it back into a spear, you can inject mana and pull it back.]


    Legendary. I see, so that¡¯s the grade that came after Epic. Plus, its growth was already at 47% since it was unable topletely absorb a weapon before. It seemed like the Holysword was more amazing than I thought. Not to mention, even with these crazy stats, it could still evolve.


    I tensed and grabbed the spear. Instantly, my body was overflowing with strength. All stats increased, and my strength increased by 25%. It felt like the first time I obtained Zeus¡¯ true name. I murmured, trying to quell the sense of omnipotence.


    ¡°Do people on the higher floors all have weapons like this?¡±


    No, probably not all of them. I could tell instinctively that this wasn¡¯t a weapon people can get just by climbing the dungeon for a long time. Even so, explorers on the highest floors should have Legendary weapons and maybe even Legendary equipment.


    Without a weapon like this, it must be impossible to break through the levels of the dungeon they were in.


    All in order to beat their world¡¯s enemy, which might not be possible, even with such weapons.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m calm now...¡±


    I nned on picking up my spear, but I changed my mind. It would be more convenient if I put it back in my inventory, but I would lose the strength I temporarily gained. Although there wouldn¡¯t be a huge problem since it wasn¡¯t too different from when it was Gluttony Spear, I couldn¡¯t handle a weapon that would change my physical ability in such a way.


    I had to carry it around as much as possible to get used to it. I looked at Chaotic Spear¡¯s option again. Transform... I already had a choker (trantor). I hoped people didn¡¯t think I had a strange hobby...


    I was quick to take action. I injected mana into the spear and quietly murmured, ¡°transform.¡± The spear immediately transformed to a reddish-ck choker, which I promptly equipped. As it was still treated as being equipped, my strength was the same. Looking at the mirror, I found that the two chokers didn¡¯t look so bad together.


    At that time, Hwaya peeked her head out into the aisle. After seeing me, she asked.


    ¡°Shin, what¡¯s that choker?¡±


    ¡°Something more important than my entire fortune.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s face was full of question marks. However, she didn¡¯t ask anything else. An in-flight announcement had flown out.


    [We will soon arrive at Japan¡¯s Kansai Airport. Please make sure your seat belts are fastened.]


    Once wended, I would be able to show Hwaya what it does. With a grin, I sat back down on my seat. After being emptied, my mana was slowly filling back up. I could feel that my body was itching for a fight.


    What kind of dungeons would Japan have? While drinking a Mana Potion, I thought of the dungeons that were waiting for us.

 Chapter 152. Crimson Chaotic Spear (2)

    Chapter 152. Crimson Chaotic Spear (2)


    Japan didn¡¯t have any S+ ranked gates, but it did have three S ranked gates. In addition, it had eleven dungeons ranked A or below. Although it was less than Korea, considering there were only about 200 Event Dungeons left scattered through Earth, Japan strangely had a lot of Event Dungeons. Right, simr to Korea, Japan had unnaturally many Event Dungeons.


    Because of what happened in Korea, the media portrayed us as awless group. What was interesting was the reaction of the civilians when we neared an Event Dungeon.


    ¡°Whoa! Holy shit, it¡¯s Dragon Knight!¡±


    ¡°He came to Japan first!¡±


    ¡°Take good care of us!¡±


    Most of the people that saw us were cheering us on. I was rather bewildered by their unexpected reaction, but I soon realized why.


    ¡°To them, this ce is their home.¡±


    ¡°Imagine that a dungeon appeared in your backyard, and the only weapon and defensive equipment you had was a kitchen knife and a chopping board.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that happen often? It¡¯s like that whenever you¡¯re cooking and suddenly forced into battle. Ah, for the record, you¡¯re better off bare-handed.¡±


    ¡°The one holding the knife and the chopping board isn¡¯t a monster like you, but an ordinary civilian! Of course, you¡¯d be better off with a knife than just your fists!¡±


    To ordinary people, monsters were only targets of terror. Plus, Event Dungeons appeared wherever they wanted. They could be in the middle of desserts or heavily popted areas.


    When dungeons became Field Dungeons, the government would aid the original residents, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that they would have to move away or live with monsters right in front of them. Both options were extremely stressful. Since someone volunteered to get rid of the dungeons, it made sense that they were so happy.


    Just like that, we cleared our first dungeon with an unexpected wee. After eating ate breakfast in a nearby restaurant, I went to get Lotte back, as she had gone back to the dungeon during our flight here. When I came back, Hwaya approached me with a piece of paper.


    ¡°Shin, I nned out our route. If we¡¯re lucky, we should be able to take care of all of the dungeons other than the S ranked dungeons. But, we have to ride your wyvern instead of my ne.¡±


    [I refuse!]


    ¡°Please, Lotte?¡±


    [Mmmm...!]


    When I scratched Lotte¡¯s neck and pleaded, she elongated her neck and began to contemte. Hwaya made a dumbfounded expression, but I silenced her by giving her a thumbs up. Then, I scratched Lotte¡¯s neck more. It was a special technique of mine. If ordinary people tried, they would only have their fingers broken.


    ¡°You¡¯ll do it, right? Hwaya only says that because she knows you¡¯re much faster than a ne.¡±


    [Mmm...]


    ¡°Lotte, you¡¯re the only one I can rely on. You¡¯ll let us ride you, right?¡±


    [F-Fine... Since it¡¯s Hero¡¯s request, I¡¯ll allow the inept humans to ride me.]


    ¡°Thanks, Lotte!¡±


    [Mm, scratch me more, Hero.]


    [Shin, you¡¯ve gotten pretty used to handling women, haven¡¯t you...?]


    [I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d call Lotte a woman, Hwaya.]


    Since we were in the middle of a city, we naturally caught the attentions of countless people. After they recognized Hwaya and me, it became even worse. In any case, I took the paper from Hwaya to memorize the route, when someone called me from behind.


    ¡°Oppa, here!¡±


    A cute little girl handed a box of chocte to me. It was simr to the chocte mushroom snack[1. Note, it¡¯s not actually mushroom vored or anything. It¡¯s just shaped like one, with the mushroom cap being the chocte and the root being the cracker.] from Korea. When I took it, the girl smiled and shouted.


    ¡°Eat this and defeat those monsters!¡±


    ¡°Ah, thanks.¡±


    To be honest, I was surprised. Not even a day passed since we caused a ruckus in Korea, but even a little girl knew us! As I thought, mass media is scary!


    That aside, I patted her head to thank her for cheering us on.


    ¡°Thanks. It means a lot. I like this snack too.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, I like it too!¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have anything to give you... Ah, do you like meat?¡±


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re not going to dismantle a monster here, right!?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Hwaya. Meat is a universally loved food!¡±


    Because Hwaya jumped in and stopped me, I had to give up on giving the little girl meat. I ended up giving her the cup ramen from my inventory instead, which she happily received.


    After the girl left, the others came out of the restaurant as well. It seemed they were watching the little girl from just now, as Ludia¡¯s expression was... shaking.


    ¡°Shin, you like... little girls...?¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that, but no. She must have seen me somewhere. She just gave me a snack.¡±


    Ludia still looked like she didn¡¯t believe me, but Hwaya grinned and supported me.


    ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since the world began to revolve around monsters and ability users. High-ranking ability users are global superstars. Not to mention, we disyed the shiest performance. Since Japan¡¯s time isn¡¯t that different from Korea¡¯s, they already had morning and night time news to hear about us. It¡¯s understandable that a little girl like her recognizes Shin.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten famous, Kang Shin. How about writing ¡®Ally of Justice¡¯ on a cape? You¡¯ll be able to appeal to the masses better.¡±


    ¡°You shut up, Walker. We¡¯re just doing what we can. What justice?¡±


    I replied to Walker¡¯s teasing bluntly. I opened the box of Japanese chocte mushroom, grabbing a handful and throwing it in my mouth. It was delicious.


    In Korea, we¡¯d already shed with Guardian once. It served as a show of force, not only to Guardian but also to Freedom Wing and various governments. Although it was a secret n by the pro-gate destruction faction within Guardian, we¡¯d still sent all of the rankers to the hospital. It was clear that we were unstoppable.


    As for what happened, I presumed it went like this. Within Guardian there were those that agreed with dungeonifying gates, while there were those that disagreed. The former seemed to have the upper hand in the conflict, but when we made amotion, the gate destruction faction took the chance to crush the other faction. Then, they showed the result to the whole world.


    A conflict between a small number of people, who wanted to destroy the gates, and the Guardian, who wanted to create dungeons to reap benefits. If they could overwhelm us, they could have used us as the sacrificialmb to calm the voices of dissent. Guardian was the world¡¯s protector. They would push the narrative that we were terrorists, and they would rte our cause to the act of terror as well.


    Although it was absurd, the victors always had the stronger voice, while the losers could not say anything even if they were med for crimes they didn¡¯tmit.


    However, Guardian lost thoroughly. It was exactly what the gate destruction faction wanted. The pro-dungeonification faction lost in physical strength and they also lost their cause through my interview. Could they stop us again in such a situation?


    The reason Guardian was bigger than Freedom Wing was that it was an organization created to protect ordinary civilians from the monsters. Now that their im that dungeonifying gates would protect humanity crumbled, they had no means to stop us.


    Even so, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do aplete 180 and start destroying dungeons ranked A or below. If they did, it would be the same as bowing down to Revival, which only consisted of 8 members. In the end, the only thing they could do was to leave us alone. They would pretend not to care no matter what we did and would focus on clearing S ranked gates to show their good side. It was the best way to recover their image.


    What I didn¡¯t expect was how glorified we were. I clearly told the representative from Korea¡¯s Guardian that I would cheaply sell the monster corpses ranked A or below. However, he had announced this grandly. In other words, we became Santa us, who got rid of various countries¡¯ gates and gave them monster remains. In a way, it wasn¡¯t wrong.


    At first, I was unhappy that he made such a big deal out of it, but we didn¡¯t have much use for low-ranked monster remains anyway. Since his announcement increased our reputation, we also decided to cheaply sell monster corpses to Japan. In truth, it was possible since no one in our group wascking money.


    Perhaps for that reason, our poprity in Japan reached the heavens. Up until now, the only Asian SS ranker was China¡¯s Xin Shaomei, but Revival had 4 Asians. They especially seemed to like the fact that its leader was Asian. Of course, there were the Korean-hating Japanese who went out of their way to leave hatefulments on every news about us. However, they were only an extreme minority.


    Plus, even though Sumire was hiding half of her face with a mask, people suspected that she was Japanese from her frame and facial structure. Revival¡¯s poprity in Japan was only natural. That said, Sumire was a half, and her frame and facial structure were both different from a traditional Japanese girl¡¯s... Well, since she was still Japanese, I couldn¡¯t say anything about it.


    After Japan, our dungeon breaking[2. Like dojo breaking] continued to Britain (Brightman was nowhere to be seen), France, Switzend, Germany, Austria, and other Western Europeans nations, all in just two days. That said, there were only 18 gates in Western Europe. Korea and Japan really did have an unnaturallyrge number of gates. With how big Russia and China were, they had 23 and 28 gates respectively. Even so, they were rtively fewpared to Korea and Japan.


    ¡°Are we mostly done with Western Europe?¡±


    ¡°Other than Italy, yeah. Though, that could be considered Southern Europe.¡±


    ¡°Italy...¡±


    When I was young, I had visited there with father for training. Of course, back then, surviving and getting stronger were my only goals, so I didn¡¯t visit any tourist attractions. While I was reminiscing about Italy, Hwaya whispered in my ear.


    ¡°You know that there¡¯s an SS ranker in Italy, right? I heard that person is quite sexy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested...? Besides, France also has an SS ranker, but we didn¡¯t see him. There¡¯s no guarantee that we¡¯ll meet all the SS rankers.¡±


    ¡°For the record, the SS ranker is a man.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    I became irritated. I don¡¯t know what kind of a crazy person used the word ¡®sexy¡¯ topliment men, but I didn¡¯t like it! It wasn¡¯t because I was expecting a sexy female ranker! Ludia began ring at me too!


    ¡°I wonder how handsome he is. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    When I grumbled, Hwayaughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, so don¡¯t worry about it too much. I¡¯m only focused on a single man right now. I don¡¯t have the leisure to look at other men.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a funny joke.¡±


    ¡°Haha, sorry.¡±


    My face reddened and I turned away. Because Hwaya¡¯s hit and run came at the most unexpected timing, I couldn¡¯t get out of it well. Thankfully, if I just sat in this awkward atmosphere, someone came to take care of it. Who?


    ¡°You¡¯re too close to Shin!¡±


    ¡°O Earth...!¡±


    The other girls, of course. With a sigh, Hwaya got off.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Don¡¯t worry, kids. I won¡¯t do any foul y. Anyways, start getting ready.¡±


    Italian ranker... I wonder what kind of a person he is. No, I¡¯d rather prefer that I didn¡¯t meet him. Murmuring to myself, I got up. Italy had a S+ ranked Event Dungeon. To be honest, I couldn¡¯t wait to get the S+ ranked dungeon¡¯s rewards. I transformed the choker into a spear and pointed it at the direction of Italy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! To Italy!¡±


    ¡°I want to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa!¡±


    ¡°I want to see Rome and Firenze!¡±


    ¡°Venice¡¯s gond rides! And Undines!


    ¡°We aren¡¯t going there as tourists! And no matter how hard you look, you won¡¯t find any Undines!¡±


    ¡°T-There aren¡¯t Undines?¡±


    No! If you want to see them, look in Neo-Venezia!


    Author¡¯s note:


    Japan and Western Europe were taken care of in just one chapter. The chapter title is Crimson Chaotic Spear, but somehow it was only mentioned once towards the end. Oops.


    When I was nning, I created the SS rankers based on countries¡¯ images. There are 4 SS rankers in Western Europe alone... (2 in Britain, 1 France, 1 Italy). Mmm... it¡¯s not because I like Western Europe! Definitely!


    PS ¨C 1. The Japanese chocte mushroom snack is called Kinoko no Yama. It¡¯s from Meiji Dairies Corporation. There¡¯s a high chance it copied Korea¡¯s chocte mushrooms... T.T For the record, there¡¯s a simr snack called Take no Ko no Sato by the samepany. I heard there is a war between the two snacks to determine who takes the throne (kidding)


    2. Undine, Neo-Venezia: It¡¯s a reference to the famous healing anime, ARIA. More specially, it refers to the city and the boatmen.

 Chapter 153. Crimson Chaotic Spear (3)

    Chapter 153. Crimson Chaotic Spear (3)


    We safely took care of most of the dungeons in Italy. Although Sumire was a bit sad that there wasn¡¯t a dungeon in Rome, after I told her that we could alle back to visit after we were done clearing Event Dungeons, she seemed happy.


    The only remaining dungeon was the S+ ranked dungeon.


    ¡°Why did it appear in Venice¡¯s waterway of all ces?¡±


    ¡°Eh... Really?¡±


    Didn¡¯t this happen before? Right, wasn¡¯t Windermere like that too? Hwaya seemed to have thought the same thing as she shrugged and nodded her head.


    ¡°Yeah. If it turns into a Field Dungeon, Venice would be done for.¡±


    ¡°In various ways...¡±


    I finally understood why Italy¡¯s media was especially supportive of uspared to other countries. It would be more detrimental to have Venice¡¯s Event Dungeon turn into a Field Dungeons than to lose a few low-ranked Event Dungeons. I grinned and urged Lotte on.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go lessen their worry, Lotte.¡±


    [Graaaaaaaa!]


    Lotte answered with a spirited shout and flew faster. With her astounding speed, it only took 20 minutes for us to reach Venice.


    There, I met with someone I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d meet.


    ¡°I¡¯m Luca Bruno. You all really are extremely beautifuldies.¡±


    On top of the bridge near Venice¡¯s Event Dungeon, Italy¡¯s SS ranker was waiting for us. Like Hwaya said, he was very handsome. His slightly messy hair and shirt looked showy, and he seemed to be in his mid-20¡¯s. In any case, the powerful mana I could feel from his body certainly told me that he was an SS ranker.


    ¡°Oh, how beautiful. I¡¯ve seen many women across the world, but I¡¯ve never seen such dazzling beauties.¡±


    ¡°Hiik.¡±


    When Luca Bruno extended his hand, Ye-Eun and Ludia, who were bad with strangers, made frightened noises and hid behind my back. Sumire, who didn¡¯t like ttery, frowned, while Shuna looked a bit happy and Hwaya wasughing. For the record, Plene got tired from clearing the A ranked or below dungeons, so she wasn¡¯t currently here.


    ¡°Beautiful? I haven¡¯t heard suchpliments recently.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Miss Mastiford, but you¡¯re even more beautiful than I imagined. Your eyes are like rubies, only prettier.¡±


    Hwaya smiled at Luca Bruno¡¯spliment and said to me.


    ¡°Did you hear that, Shin? He said they¡¯re prettier than rubies.¡±


    ¡°Well... I don¡¯t think he¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then shouldn¡¯t you tell me that? No matter how beautiful I am, I won¡¯t know if you don¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not the type to say something like that. Imagine if I said those words to you.¡±


    ¡°... Pft! Puhahaha!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going tough, don¡¯t ask!¡±


    Hwaya burst intoughter. Since an SS ranker praised her on their first meeting, it was no wonder she was feeling good. I looked at Luca Bruno, who looked confused at Hwaya¡¯sughter and sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m Revival¡¯s leader, Yeon Hwawoo. Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I apologize for my rudeness. I¡¯ve been distracted by the beauties. My bad, Dragon Knight. I¡¯m Luca Bruno from Italy¡¯s Guardian. As you probably know, I am an SS ranker.¡±


    Luca Bruno exined why he was here. It seemed he wanted to help us clear the S+ ranked dungeon. Although I was confident we would have no problem without him, it wouldn¡¯t hurt us for him to help. Just when I was about to nod...


    ¡°Sorry, but we¡¯ll have to decline.¡±


    Hwaya answered with a smile. Then, she did what I couldn¡¯t understand. She approached me and linked her arms with mine. I was dumbfounded by her sudden approach, while Ludia jumped and Sumire made a cute shriek.


    ¡°If someone joins in, it¡¯ll be hard to do this. You understand, right? Ah, we can still provide the monster corpses from the dungeon. Not for free, of course.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I almost made a mistake.¡±


    ¡°No problem. You already did, but you should know with this, right?¡±


    Hwaya gave him a wink and turned away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in, guys.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Her voice was light but resolute. We followed her as if we had all been enchanted. The moment we entered the dungeon, however, she gritted her teeth and growled.


    ¡°Shin, next time you see him, kick his balls.¡±


    ¡°What, why?¡±


    ¡°That bastard tried to make a move on me. His ability has to be hypnosis or charming. I¡¯m sure of it. I felt his mana moving stealthily. Not just to me, but to all the other girls. You didn¡¯t feel it?¡±


    ¡°What!? Damn, I didn¡¯t notice it at all!¡±


    It waspletely out of my expectation. To think Luca Bruno would scheme on all the girls in my party! I finally understood what Hwaya meant when she said he already made a mistake!


    However, it was hard to believe he used his mana without me noticing. How could I not notice? Considering Hwaya noticed but I didn¡¯t, his ability was surely a mental type ability. Ye-Eun, who remained silent the entire time, nodded her head at Hwaya¡¯s words and added.


    ¡°Yeah, it was scary. For a second, he looked like Shin and was attractive. I thought about calling Master, but the feeling disappeared instantly when I used ¡®Bleeding Heart.¡¯¡±


    ¡°To confuse a man like him with Shin...¡±


    Ludia berated Ye-Eun with a cold voice. I didn¡¯t even know why Ye-Eun was being scolded. After all, she canceled his ability immediately with the special breathing method she learned from Duca!


    Hearing Ludia, Hwaya asked her.


    ¡°How was it for you, Ludia?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Ludia! ... I felt something, but I shook it off with my holy power. Mitarus is the Goddess of Justice and Love, so an ability that brings false love is useless against me. I didn¡¯t think you guys were so weak that you would fall for such an attack. If you asked me beforehand, I would have helped you shake it off.¡±


    ¡°Uuu, I think he had me, Ludia. When Hwaya unni refused and exerted her mana, I snapped out of it. I protected myself with guardian power afterward, but I was afraid to say something. That man is scary.¡±


    Listening to the others, Sumire was gritting her teeth. It seemed she didn¡¯t feel anything. Was it the power of Athena¡¯s true name? Regardless, I was certain she was extremely angry. Unlike her usual calm self, she was shouting curses.


    ¡°He¡¯s the worst! The worst, worst kind of men!¡±


    ¡°Right. People who try to control other people¡¯s feelings are the worst. Smiling on the outside like nothing, while trying to... That bastard, I want to kill him.¡±


    Hwaya gritted her teeth and joined hands with Sumire. Several white fireballs were floating around her. Bewildered, I shouted.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?I would have immediately cut off his lineage!¡±


    ¡°Huhu, my son¡¯s all grown up.¡±


    ¡°He probably turned out like that because of you, Kang Yungoong. After being with you, I finally began to understand Kang Shin. You¡¯re the real enemy... Kuk.¡±


    Looking at how angry I was, Hwaya surprisingly made a small smile.


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d react this way, so I came into the dungeon first. We¡¯re finally in a good position with everyone supporting us. Imagine what would happen if you harmed an SS ranker. Everything would have gone back to square one.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s not like I started it to get everyone¡¯s support. It¡¯s more important to pay back the indignation everyone suffered.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m happy with just your words. Though, I¡¯m a bit unsatisfied that you didn¡¯t refer to me specifically.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is my precious friend andrade!¡±


    When I emphasized that point, Hwaya made a dumbfounded expression, but soon smiled again. My grip on my spear became loose because of her lovely smile.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s see how long you¡¯ll run away with those words.¡±


    Because I couldn¡¯t get myself to face her smile, I turned away. I knew what she wanted from me... but I couldn¡¯t answer her at the moment.


    So instead of answering her, I urged everyone on.


    ¡°Let... Let¡¯s go hunt monsters! We need to clear this dungeon fast, so I can go kill the bastard!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you can¡¯t kill him. Did you hear what I said? Plus, he probably ran away already.¡±


    Regardless, Luca Bruno¡¯s scheme enraged us all, and motivated us to clear the S+ ranked dungeon faster.


    The dungeon itself was quite peculiar. Was it because it appeared in the waterway? The dungeon was half-submerged in water, while smanders and fish type monsters stood erect inside the water. They took turns jumping out and shooting high-pressure water that seemed to be powerful enough to cut diamonds. Without Hwaya, it would have been difficult. In other words, with Hwaya, they were of no threat to us. Her powerful mes easily evaporated the water they shot out, and we took the opportunity to kill them.


    ¡°Please forgive us, we don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    ¡°We learned the humannguage just to apologize!¡±


    ¡°Screw off back into the water!¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s mes raged, sweeping through the fish spouting nonsense. Because she focused all the bonus stats she gained through clearing Event Dungeons in magic, her mes had gotten incredibly powerful. They could even instantly turn S+ rank dungeon¡¯s monsters to ashes. We were busy trying to catch up to her performance. Although sheughed it off in front of me, it seemed she was extremely angry about what Luca Bruno did.


    In the end, we managed to clear the dungeon in just two hours. After we defeated the two boss monsters, arge smander and arge fishman called Sahuagin[1. DnD reference], we chose our rewards. For the first time in a while, my contribution was 2nd. In any case, I chose an item called ¡®Crystal Lair,¡¯ as it had a fancy name...


    ¡°An underwater tent? A high-ss household tent that makes underwater as cozy as the surface...?¡±


    I picked an item that looked good, but a strange item popped out. As its option, it provided an unlimited supply of purified water and bread. With this, I would be able to live underwater forever! Though I didn¡¯t need to at all!


    I stored the puzzling item in the inventory and waited for the others to finish.


    ¡°If arge monster appeared, Venice would be done for.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t jinx us.¡±


    Although people nearby should have already been evacuated, Venice¡¯s beautiful waterways, bridges, and buildings would all be destroyed. Shivering at what Ye-Eun said, I waited for the message.


    [Youpletely cleared the S+ rank Event Dungeon! All party members gain 3 bonus stats!]


    [You will now return.]


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    ¡°Someone just clicked her tongue! Who was it!?¡±


    With a new mystery, our dungeon breaking in Italy ended. As Hwaya expected, Luca Bruno was nowhere to be seen. I wanted to go find him and break his legs, but there were still Event Dungeons we had to destroy. For now, I had no choice but to let him go.


    Brightman and now Bruno. The number of people I had to beat up was increasing. That was good.


    ¡°Why are all male rankers like this? Why do all of them care so much about women?¡±


    While leaving Italy, I asked. Ludia then retorted bluntly.


    ¡°Shin, you need to be more like them.¡±


    ¡°Ludia¡¯s right. You need to care more.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, my bad.¡±


    No, now that I thought about it, there was a normal ranker. The American man in the ce we were currently flying to.


    ¡°Pepper, how about Leon Pepper!?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s... gay, I think?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying people who don¡¯t act like Brightman and Bruno are all gays!? Isn¡¯t that too much!?¡±


    While Hwaya¡¯s controversial ims continued, our ne firmly headed to America.


    One of the two SS dungeons on Earth was waiting for us.


    Author¡¯s note:


    A new SS ranker! And almost like it was promised, he was a bad guy. He has to die!


    Luca Bruno will appear againter. This Italy chapter was mainly to introduce him. I hope he¡¯ll get beaten up the next time Shin sees him!

 Chapter 154. Crimson Chaotic Spear (4)

    Chapter 154. Crimson Chaotic Spear (4)


    For a month, Hwaya led the other guild members to clear Event Dungeons, and 20 days passed since I joined in. There were now only 48 Event Dungeons left in the world.


    ¡°Just my bonus stats are over 150. I have a lot of skill points saved up, too.¡±


    Sitting in a New York hotel, I looked at my status.


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: Elementalist (Sub ¨C Skill Collector, Tamer) Title: Zeus Rank: Gold 9


    Level: 54


    HP ¨C 43,820/43,820 MP ¨C 35,460/35,460


    Strength ¨C 215(+111) Dexterity ¨C 205(+79) Constitution ¨C 194(+66)


    Intelligence ¨C 32(+59) Magic ¨C 200(+109) Charm ¨C 87(+99) Luck ¨C 39(+49)


    Normal Skills ¨C High-rank Martial Arts (Lv 6), Peruta ¨C Mad Typhoon (Lv 1), Mid-rank Crossbow Marksmanship (Lv 9), Mid-rank Gale Track (Lv 2), Mid-rank White Lightning Consecutive Strike (Lv 4), High-rank Heroic Strike (Lv 2), High-rank Provoke (Lv 5), Divine Speed (Master), Return (Lv 4), Heavy Armor Mastery (Lv 5), Mid-rank Dash (Lv 7), Peruta Circuit (Lv 8), Soul Guard (Lv 8), Dimensional Travel (Lv 1), Overwhelm (Lv 2), Deific Manifestation, Death Counter, Riding


    ss Skills ¨C High-rank Spirit Mastery (Lv 2), High-rank Spirit Aura (Lv 9), Mid-rank Elemental Control (Lv 9), Mid-rank Elemental Contract (Lv 9), Mid-rank Thunder Tempest (Lv 2), Mid-rank Elemental de (Lv 8), Mid-rank Elemental Tempest (Lv 8), Thunder Beast (Lv 3).


    Subss Skill ¨C Endow Skill, Taming (Lv 3), Spirit of the Collector, Spirit of the Tamer (Lv 3)]


    [Speed +45%, Strength +40%, Charm +15%]


    [148 Event Dungeon clears, 9 Event Raid clear. umted bonus stats: 195]


    [Current skill points: 21]


    No matter how generous I was, these were not the stats a level 54 explorer should have. Walker, who had cleared Event Dungeons with me for the past 3 weeks, only had half of my total stats. In addition, I currently could not bring out the full potential of my stats. After all, my stats had gone up by over 150 in the past few weeks. I could constantly feel my body getting stronger and adjusting itself, but I did not know when it would end.


    ¡°Did you sleep well, T.K.?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Pepper.¡±


    I put my mask on just in time and replied to Pepper with a sigh. Then, I got up from my bed. Pepper was standing in front of the opened hotel room door.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so nd! It¡¯s our reunion! Then again, it¡¯s been too soon.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d see you again so soon either.¡±


    I retorted unenthusiastically and drank some water. Pepper looked around the door and blurted out in surprise.


    ¡°What, the blonde miss isn¡¯t here?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think Ludia is always sleeping with me. She¡¯s calmed down a lot. Plus... Wouldn¡¯t it be more of a problem if she was here? You would have just walked into the two of us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right! I was just too excited for today! It¡¯s today, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s today. I don¡¯t know who, but you sure have a good informant.¡±


    After finishing my water, I mmed down the cup on the table and twisted the corner of my mouth up.


    Right, today was the day we entered the SS ranked dungeon in Lower Eastern Manhattan.


    ¡°T.K., as you already know, America suffered a lot from Antelope Canyon¡¯s dungeonification. Because of it, they¡¯ve thought a lot more about gates than other countries. This time, when the gates appeared in mass, they already decided to destroy all gates, even the lower-ranked ones.¡±


    Pepper exined as the two of us went on the hotel¡¯s elevator.


    ¡°The fact that Team Revival was working to destroy gates also influenced them. You know about it, right? That day... we owed a huge debt to all of you.¡±


    ¡°Debt, you say...¡±


    I naturally thought about Ciara, but that wasn¡¯t what was currently important. I let Pepper continue.


    ¡°You see, America actually has this amazing ability user. She¡¯s a daughter of an esteemed family, and she can tell if arge monster will appear when a gate disappears.¡±


    He began to talk about her.


    ¡°With her help, we began destroying the gates where giant monsters wouldn¡¯t appear. Guardian, Freedom Wing, and rogues all worked with the same goal in mind. Of course, we didn¡¯t have the time to destroy all of them. We really have to thank you for helping us destroy them.¡±


    ¡°For such arge country, America didn¡¯t have that many gates. Plus, monsters appeared from two of them.¡±


    Thankfully, America¡¯s Guardian had already told us about it. As thanks, we sold them monster corpses for a cheap price. This way, it would be a fair give and take.


    When they told us that they knew where boss monsters appear, I already suspected Ciara had a hand in it, but I didn¡¯t think she was so deeply involved. It seemed she was doing her best for her country as well.


    ... If only she would continue to do so.


    ¡°Good morning. Eh, Pepper¡¯s here too? Don¡¯t tell me, he really is...¡±


    ¡°I was surprised seeing his face so early in the morning too.¡±


    ¡°d to see you¡¯re healthy, me Witch! Anyways, T.K., to cut to the chase, America is very supportive of you guys. We empathize with your cause and we want to help you! Many Americans are touched by your bravery to go into an SS ranked dungeon, too! So, as an SS ranker, I can¡¯t miss out, can I? If I did, I would be losing my honor as a Guardian! That¡¯s why I¡¯m here!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just doing what we can.¡±


    ¡°Ku, how cool, T.K.!¡±


    Listening to Pepper¡¯s somewhat sarcastic praise, I joined the others. As we didn¡¯t want to go into an SS ranked dungeon when we were tired, we each took some time to rest and check over our equipment and potions. We also cleanly used up the bonus stats we got. After a day, we were in our peak condition.


    Even Shuna, who was the weakest among us, could just barely be considered an SS ranker in terms of physical ability. On the other hand, Hwaya and I, who were the strongest, could... probably only be described as SSS rank.


    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°I got changed and I¡¯m all ready to go!¡±


    ¡°Well, I feel like I won¡¯t die anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    Everyone seemed to have done maintenance on their equipment, as they were shining. As for me, I looked incredibly suspicious with Otus¡¯ Secret, ordinary shorts, and a t-shirt. However, I had several rings on my fingers and a bracelet that changed into a sturdy set of armor whenever I injected mana into it. On my ears were fancy earrings, and two chokers on my neck. It was then that I realized something...


    ¡°... Don¡¯t I look like a delinquent?¡±


    ¡°No, thanks to your mask, you only look like a weirdo.¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    ¡°But with your handsome face and good body, you look okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not apliment!¡±


    The SS ranked dungeon was located in a park in Lower Eastern Manhattan. Because the gate appeared right at the entrance of the park, the entire area became off limits and the most elite Guardians were protecting it. Although Guardian and Freedom Wing rankers nned to enter it initially, they gave up after we stepped in.


    To be honest, even if we didn¡¯te, it was uncertain whether they would actually get organized enough to go in. After all, they were still having trouble clearing S ranked dungeons. Only two S+ ranked dungeons had been cleared by groups other than Revival. It went without saying that the other SS ranked dungeon in Russia was also left alone.


    ¡°The dungeons¡¯ difficulty is growing faster than ability users.¡±


    Hwaya said bluntly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when another wave of Event Dungeons wille, but at that time, an SS+ ranked dungeon might appear. One day, even an SSS ranked dungeon might appear.¡±


    To prevent that from happening, we had to let ability users grow. The easiest way to do that was... I nced at Pepper. If it was him, I felt like I could trust him.


    I asked Hwaya for her opinion through eye contact, and she shrugged in response. It meant it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try. I immediately asked Pepper.


    ¡°Hey, Pepper. Do you want to join our team?¡±


    ¡°Oh? You guys are recruiting? Sorry, T.K. America would be in danger without me, hahaha! But I like you and your friends, so we can talk about it again when another SS ranker appears in America!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, take your time.¡±


    As I expected, Pepper refused my offer. I didn¡¯t me him. He should prioritize his country. However, if he didn¡¯t be our allypletely, we couldn¡¯t appoint him as a dungeon explorer... Mmm, how troublesome. At that moment, Sumire stepped up.


    [If you¡¯re hesitant to appoint him to the First Dungeon, how about the Second, Shin-nim?]


    [No, Sumire, that¡¯s...]


    [I feel like he¡¯s trustworthy. Shin-nim thinks so too, right?]


    [I do... but...]


    There weren¡¯t many ability users like Pepper, who was pure and strong. He had a good personality. Even so, we didn¡¯t watch over him for a long time, and if he decides to say anything about it...


    Hwaya then spoke.


    [Soul Contract.]


    [Ah!]


    [Uuuk... You cruel bastards, kuk! I remembered it again, kuuk!]


    Soul Contract cost 500,000 gold. Although it originally cost 1,000,000 gold, neither were prices I couldn¡¯t afford. I couldn¡¯t say it was a small amount, but with the First Dungeon and Beyond, it would be easy to make that much.


    ¡°Pepper, I want to make an offer.¡±


    ¡°Man, thank you for thinking so highly of me, but persistent men are hated!¡±


    ¡°I want to give you something as a temporary member.¡±


    ¡°... Temporary member?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we can talk again after the dungeon. How about it?¡±


    Pepper looked to be in thought. Soon, he nodded.


    ¡°Alright, since my friend is thinking about me so much, I can do that much.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s focus on the dungeon from now.¡±


    I smiled and led the crew to the dungeon. However, my mood soon plummeted. The met the one person I didn¡¯t want to meet.


    [Hero-nim, I wanted to see you!]


    This person that called me Hero. Plus, she was the only one on Earth who could randomly contact people with telepathy. Ciara Kenex. Wearing a see-through dress and surrounded by countless guards, she was waiting for us near the SS rank gate. I wanted to go back home immediately, but I held myself back.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really want to see you.¡±


    [Can you make some time for me? We can talk over a cup of tea.]


    ¡°No.¡±


    [Then I¡¯ll be rude and steal a bit of Hero-nim¡¯s time here. Please forgive me.]


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Even at my blunt rejection, Ciara didn¡¯t even blink. No, she had her eyes closed anyway. Her voice didn¡¯t shake at all. No, it was telepathy. Mm. She used telepathy as if she wasn¡¯t fazed at all.


    [You became more reliable and imposing since thest time I saw you. You also became extremely strong. In such a short time... Although I can¡¯t see with my eyes, I can tell.]


    ¡°How sad.¡±


    [I heard about Hero-nim¡¯s aplishments. They were truly hero-like. My eyes weren¡¯t wrong. You really are perfect!]


    ¡°Knowing that what I did is to your liking makes my stomach churn.¡±


    It was hard to refute what she was saying. I had to use the influence my name had in America. Even though I told Ciara I wouldn¡¯t do as she wanted, I ended up using the fame she helped create.


    However, I also couldn¡¯t deny that it was the best choice. At the very least, I was confident that the method I chose produced the least amount of sacrifice.


    [Hero-nim created conflict within Guardian and is bing renowned throughout the whole world. Even without my help, Hero-nim could create a worldwide organization of ability users!]


    ¡°Their conflict has nothing to do with me. In addition, I¡¯ll refuse anyone who asks to work for me.¡±


    [I was too insolent. I acted as if Hero-nim needed my help when Hero-nim is already outstanding... I finally understand. I just want to do what I can by Hero-nim¡¯s side. I only want to protect Earth against the danger it faces, and unite ability users to a single organization. That is all I want. Though, if Hero-nim would let me give birth to a child, I would be extremely happy...]


    This girl was insane. Completely insane. She wasn¡¯t even listening to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to say it again. I have no ns to ept such heavy responsibilities. I¡¯m going to continue doing what I can, protecting myself, my family, and friends. I can¡¯t confidently say I¡¯ve been doing that, but at least from now, that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡®Though, the number of friends I have to protect have been increasing recently...¡¯


    When I was done talking, it seemed Ciara had paid attention to me this time, as she smiled. Even though she couldn¡¯t see, she looked at me urately. It was kind of frightening.


    [Huhu, I can¡¯t wait. The world will be saved by Hero-nim, and dirty humans¡¯ conflicts will disappear under Hero-nim¡¯s rule. And I... Yes, I would like to think of our child¡¯s name beforehand!]


    It seemed world domination was the goal she had in mind for me. I was sincerely disgusted by Ciara¡¯s ecstatic expression and shouted.


    ¡°I will never, ever, never, ever, never get in a rtionship with you, not even if the world ends and we¡¯re the only two people left in the world. If you want me to be more straightforward, I will. Nothing will happen between us even if I have to die!¡±


    At my shout, people began to p. Other than Pepper, all of the members of Revival were pping.


    ¡°Yep, I recorded it. I¡¯ll make Ludia listen to it while she¡¯s sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡±


    I took the recorder from Hwaya and also shouted at Ciara.


    ¡°If you¡¯re done, screw off!¡±


    [C-Can I have your contact information?]


    ¡°Never.¡±


    [But sometimes, I want to hear Hero-nim¡¯s voice...]


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like a kidnapper and screw off!¡±


    [T-Then, can I call you next time? Thank you! You really are kind!]


    Now that I thought about it, she already knew my address! This girl only asked me to get my permission, and she was pretending that I did when I didn¡¯t! For a moment, I got curious as to how she¡¯d call me since she wouldn¡¯t be able to use her telepathy over the phone, but I felt like asking her would only make the situation worse. As such, I chased her and her guards out with a little show of force.


    [Ah, if you destroy this gate, a giant monster will appear! Be careful, Hero-nim!]


    ¡°I¡¯m not thankful at all!¡±


    Just like that, the nine of us (with the addition of Leon Pepper) came to challenge the SS ranked dungeon. Although my physical condition was best, my mental condition was... This was all Ciara¡¯s fault!

 Chapter 155. Crimson Chaotic Spear (5)

    Chapter 155. Crimson Chaotic Spear (5)


    [You entered the Event Dungeon, ¡®Insect World.¡¯]


    ¡°Hiiiiiiik!¡±


    The moment the message rang out, Hwaya screamed and jumped at me. Feeling the sudden warm touch and the sweet scent, I looked down at Hwaya nkly. At the same time, the others, who were also looking at me nkly, said with cheerful voices.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to expect help from Hwaya, but let¡¯s do our best!¡±


    ¡°Daughter, spiders aren¡¯t insects. You won¡¯t see them here, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Ajusshi, I¡¯m bad with both spiders and insects...¡±


    Yep, I knew she¡¯d say that... I couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    ¡°Hwaya, I understand how you¡¯re feeling, but this is an SS ranked dungeon. Without you, we¡¯ll be in danger.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry... I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t even run into any monsters yet.¡±


    ¡°How long are you guys going to stick together!¡±


    Seeing Hwaya not getting off after saying she¡¯d do her best, Ludia raised her eyebrows. With a bitter smile, I slowly separated from Hwaya and turned around.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go survey the area on Lotte... Lotte?¡±


    [This Event Dungeon prevents monsters with strong mana from entering. Tamed monster, ¡®Lotte,¡¯ could not enter the dungeon.]


    ¡°It¡¯s just one thing after another.¡±


    Since Plene wasn¡¯t strong enough for an SS ranked dungeon, I sent her back. Lotte, on the other hand, could raise my strength by twofold just by being with me. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t enter the dungeon. She probably won¡¯t be in any danger outside, but without her, we might be in danger.


    No, that was the old me. My stats were increasing by the day, and I had also learned Mad Typhoon. Even before that, mypanions and I defeated the SS+ ranked me Drake. There was no reason we couldn¡¯t clear this dungeon with our current strength. It wasn¡¯t good to underestimate ourselves.


    ¡°T.K., what¡¯s up with her? What is she scared of all of the sudden... Insect?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ll understand soon.¡±


    The moment I answered Pepper, the ground fissured, almost as if a secret base was hidden underneath. Then, a ck head emerged from it. It seemed like the head of an ant, only magnified thousands of times.


    Hwaya then jumped on me again.


    ¡°I, I might not be able to do it. Can I just stay like this?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    While I shouted at Hwaya, father charged forward with his spear. His spear vibrated strongly as shockwaves gathered around it. The ant discovered father and pointed its giant head, creepy eyes and annoying antennae at father. Then...


    ¡°Men!¡±[1. In Kendo, this is what you yell when you strike the helmet/head area]


    ¡°I know how you¡¯re feeling, but you¡¯re a spearman, father!¡±


    Father struck his spear down vertically at the ant¡¯s head. Surprisingly, the ant easily received father¡¯s spear with its hard carapace. Even as its head grinded against father¡¯s vibrating spear, not even a scratch appeared on it. It really had an incredibly powerful integument.


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    However, father didn¡¯t back down and shot out even more powerful shockwaves. He was probably the best in the world in bypassing his enemy¡¯s powerful outer defense and attacking its internal system. The ant twitched for a moment before its head exploded and shot out its bodily fluid.


    ¡°Kyaaaaaak!¡±


    Because the terrified Hwaya blocked the bodily fluid with her mes, it didn¡¯t ssh on us. On the other hand, father looked like he had gone swimming in a pool of it. He didn¡¯t seem to mind at all, as he gave us a thumbs up.


    ¡°Did you see that, son!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, father. It was a perfect battle.¡±


    I inattentivelyplimented father, when Ye-Eun suddenly hushed us by putting her index finger over her mouth.


    ¡°Something¡¯sing here inrge numbers, Shin.¡±


    ¡°Inrge numbers?¡±


    I promptly focused on the tremor of the ground and the presence of mana. There really were enemies gathering here inrge numbers. The problem was that they weren¡¯t justing fromnd.


    When I looked up, it was exactly as I expected. I could see a ck cloud swarming toward us. That was...


    ¡°A swarm of locusts.¡±


    ¡°Huk... Kyaaaaaa!¡±


    In the end, Hwaya couldn¡¯t ovee her fear of insects and exploded. The scarlet mes she shot out pulsed like waves and swept over the swarm of locusts heading toward us.


    ¡°Don¡¯te, don¡¯te, don¡¯teeeee!¡±


    ¡°Girls who hate insects are scary...¡±


    I inadvertently nodded my head at Walker¡¯s murmuring. An indescribably vast scale of mes ¨Cone that I had never seen before¨C began to burn the locusts that numbered close to a disaster. Each of the locusts that died crashed on the ground, ringing arge thud. At the same time, a spicy fragrance spread out, and I had to stop my drooling father.


    ¡°There are othersing!¡±


    Ye-Eun shouted hurriedly. Damn it, I had briefly forgotten about it because Hwaya¡¯s attack was so overwhelming! I could feel countless presences from the ground as well. The moment I realized, I stuck my spear into the ground and shouted.


    ¡°Thunder Wave!¡±


    [Kiaaaaa!]


    [Kashakashakasha....]


    The damned insects sang in response to my lightning attack. No, please stop... You¡¯re giving me goosebumps!


    Just like the ant we initially killed, they appeared from within the earth. Most of them were ants, but there were also beetles, worms, andrvae. I didn¡¯t think insects were that creepy but seeing them magnified thousands of times, I could undoubtedly say they were one of the most frightening and creepy monsters I met.


    After Hwaya saw them, she began to shake.


    ¡°I, I¡¯m scared, Shin. I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing great, Hwaya. Just focus on burning the locusts. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah, g-got it.¡±


    Hwaya tightly shut her eyes. Meanwhile, the others were killing the insects in their own ways.


    ¡°Haha! I didn¡¯t think there were monsters who could survive a bullet from my Desert Eagle! How fun!¡±


    ¡°O Earth, punish the creatures who stole thy blessings and defied thy providence!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re tough! But they aren¡¯t looking at me even when I hit them!¡±


    At Ye-Eun¡¯s words, I looked around. No matter how much mypanions attacked them, the insects ignored them and were charging to a particr ce. It seemed their target was... my father.


    ¡°Hahahaha,e at me! I, Kang Yungoong-nim, will take you on!¡±


    Father shouted a line from a 90¡¯s movie and faced the iing insects. His shockwave ability was an extremely good match against the insects, as it destroyed the insects¡¯ insides.


    What was the difference between father and the other party members? It was obvious. Father was covered with the bodily fluid of the ant he killed. Plus, he was being updated in real-time with other insects¡¯ bodily fluids.


    ¡°Father, you need to wash yourself off! The ant¡¯s bodily fluid is attracting the insects!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have to kill them all anyways!? Why don¡¯t you get covered in it too?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, that¡¯s exactly what I thought you¡¯d say!¡±


    If father volunteered to take the aggro, it was the duty of a good son to make use of him.


    ¡°Father said he¡¯ll bait them on his own! Ludia and Pepper, reduce the number of insectsing from afar! All the close-ranged attackers, stay near father and attack the insects! Ah, Shuna, you stay and protect Hwaya, Ludia, and Pepper!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Good idea!¡±


    After exining our strategy, I took Hwaya off of me and gave her to Shuna. Then, I shot forward with my spear. Peika was already infused in my spear and flickering with lighting. As I surged up the power of Peruta Circuit, a whirlpool began to form. I shouted.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Yay, it¡¯s been a while since I materialized.]


    ¡°I¡¯m going to use a skill. Will you be able to run?¡±


    [Yeah!]


    I immediately jumped on Ruyue¡¯s back. As Ruyue ran forward, I thought, ¡®There were just too many of these insects. Not even mentioning the swarm of locusts covering the sky, there were hundreds of insectsing toward us.¡¯


    Hundreds of SS ranked monsters! What a... What an enjoyable battle!


    I immediately activated Gale Track. With the increased speed, I instantly sent a beetle in front of me flying.


    ¡°Oraaaaaaa!¡±


    Every time I sent an insect flying, Ruyue elerated and the charge became stronger. With the effect of the armor and tattoo, our charge was already amplified by 110%. Every time we sent an insect flying, it was rising by an additional 7%. After the tenth insect, the insects¡¯ bodies began to explode just by making contact with my spear. I freely changed the trajectory of the charge and killed the insects. If you wanted to defeat Revival, defeat Kang Shin with just this much, you were gravely mistaken!


    ¡°Haaaaaaaaap!¡±


    I let out a spirited shout, realizing that Gale Track¡¯s power had reached its peak. In other words, we had already sent over 30 insects flying.


    My original strength was amplified by Gale Track, which was then amplified by 110%, and was then amplified by another 200%. Although I would have been stronger if I was on Lotte, there was no reason to discuss what could have been. I was d that Ruyue was here.


    ¡°What are you, a tank!?¡±


    ¡°Wow, he¡¯s so strong!¡±


    ¡°O Earth, protect him from injuries!¡±


    How many insects did I kill? After running wild in the front line for a while, I suddenly felt the earth trembling. I could only imagine that the second wave of insects wasing.


    I took care of the insects nearby and got ready for Gale Track¡¯s final blow. Wind energy gathered and strengthened Mad Typhoon.


    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll send the leading monster flying...!¡±


    I held my spear tightly and adjusted my stance. I was prepared to kill any monster with one blow.


    Then, it shot up from the ground. A head with a terrifying horn, a leg like a crimson thorn, a segment, a leg, a segment, a leg, a segment, a leg... I couldn¡¯t help but shout.


    ¡°A centipede! Hey, you¡¯re not an insect!¡±


    Damn, if you¡¯re going to do this, name yourself Bug World, not Insect World! Now that I thought about it, I felt like there were non-insects in the ones I already killed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that guy getting caught up on the wrong things?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s what¡¯s cute about him!¡±


    ¡°I got it, me Witch, but you open your eyes and say that?¡±


    ¡°Die, you stupid arthropods!¡±


    I ced my rage in my spear and released its storm on the centipede. The centipede that had finally appeared was instantly blown into pieces, dying without evenpletely pulling itself out of the earth. Just the part that was outside was well over 20 meters long. By the looks of it, not even half of it was out of the ground.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s a semi-boss monster.¡±


    I ced my hand on the centipede¡¯s severed head and ced it in my inventory. Checking with Mana Detection, around the third segment, I noticed... a Mana Stone. Good, the Mana Stone of an SS ranked dungeon¡¯s semi-boss! This is what makes dungeon runs exciting!


    ¡°Guys, there¡¯s something other than locusts flying here!¡±


    While I was drunk on the feeling of victory, Pepper¡¯s rather tranquil voice rang out. Something other than locusts? I raised my head and looked at the sky Pepper was pointing toward. I could really see another swarm of insects that weren¡¯t locusts. I inadvertently cursed out loud.


    ¡°God damn Asian giant hos!¡±[2. Google it. These guys are vicious and quite famous in Asian culture for being able to kill people. Every year, in Japan, they kill 30-40 people]


    It seemed the fight would only get worse from here. I heard Asian giant hos could kill humans, but those guys were erged thousands of times. That¡¯s... cheating! The biggest cheat was...


    ¡°You bastards don¡¯t even live in America!¡±


    Ignoring my shouts, the Asian Giant Hos flew toward us like arrows. It was the start of a second round.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Next chapter, we¡¯ll finish the dungeon boss and start the Event Raid! The chapter after that, we¡¯ll finish the Event Raid and head to Russia¡¯s SS rank dungeon... maybe...


    PS ¨C I n on holding a character poprity contest soon. One contest for all the characters and one with just the heroines. Finally, a contest... for whether the ending should be harem or not! (This isn¡¯t a poprity contest per se but I¡¯ll do it anyway!) This contest can affect how the series will end (since I haven¡¯t decided on it yet, especially the third contest), so please join in! I¡¯ll do it around ch160 or 170!


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    We¡¯re doing the same contest! Although it won¡¯t matter in terms of how to story will progress (heh). I¡¯ll do it whenever the author does it, hehehe.


    Editor¡¯s note:


    My heart is eternally in favour of Loretta. (Uncreative)

 Chapter 156. Crimson Chaotic Spear (6)

    Chapter 156. Crimson Chaotic Spear (6)


    Chapter 156. Crimson Chaotic Spear (6)


    ¡°Hwaya, take care of them!¡±


    ¡°B-Bees!? H-Hos! ... Huuua.¡±


    I heard something copsing. Walker quickly reported.


    ¡°Oi... Mastiford stopped moving.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good!¡±


    I wanted to make Hwaya snap out of it, but the Asian giant hos were too quick for me to afford to look away. I had to block the hos while Hwaya was recovering.


    ¡°Ruyue, please!¡±


    [Un! Crystal Cloud!]


    Ruyue¡¯s elemental magic created countless crystals of ice in the air. Invisible particles formed a foggy cloud and continued to expand.


    ¡°T.K., is this your ability? How amazing!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the ability of the wolf I¡¯m riding. Her name is Ruyue. Keep watching, it¡¯s only the beginning.¡±


    The swarm of hos flying toward us entered the cloud. Immediately, they slowed down. The ice crystals had stuck to their bodies and wings, slowing them greatly. But that was only the beginning!


    ¡°Peika, materialize!¡±


    [I¡¯ve been waiting!]


    Spirit Aura was canceled, and a beauty wearing a ck dress appeared in midair. She knew exactly what she had to do. With a smile on her face, she held a whip of lightning. I put a Mana Potion in my mouth and shouted.


    ¡°Cook them all!¡±


    [Chain Lightning!]


    The crystal cloud covering the hos turned into a storm cloud in an instant. The wave of lightning raged in the vast sky and burned the hos. However, there were still many hos, and there were still insects crawling out of the hole the centipede created. Even though they were all SS ranked monsters, they really had no manners, popping out in groups instead of one by one.


    Waiting for the Mana Potion¡¯s cooldown time to end, I swung my spear. Father, Walker, and Ye-Eun also decreased their numbers. I was d that I brought Pepper along. He had a handgun in each hand. Other than when he reloaded, he constantly shot out bullets. His attack was magnificently stopping the advance of the insects. It was then that Hwaya snapped out of it.


    ¡°Hwaya, help!¡±


    ¡°Sob, I hate this ce so much...!¡±


    It seemed she was feeling better now that she had woken up after fainting. Even as she sobbed, she held up her staff. Her staff became heated red, and her mana instantly surged up. The mana then traveled back into her body and flowed to her Orb. The golden eye constantly blinked and radiated light. Then, I felt that the insect army all turned their attention toward Hwaya.


    ¡°Everyone, get ready to attack!¡±


    Hwaya shouted and threw the Orb up. I realized then that it wasn¡¯t Hwaya that drew their attention, but the Orb. The Orb repeatedly flickered with golden light before the light burst out into all directions.


    [Kyaaaaaaa!]


    [Kigigigigi!]


    Both the insects that crawled out of the ground and the insects that flew in the sky stopped in ce. I thought it was some sort of a restraint magic, but Hwaya then said something absurd.


    ¡°I tied them all together. The ones exposed to light will all take 10% shared damage for the next 10 seconds!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a cheat skill!¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s the Orb¡¯s ability!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a cheat item!¡±


    In any case, I couldn¡¯t waste the 10 seconds she gave us. I poured my aura into Chaotic Spear. A reddish ck chaos me began to burn above the spear. I gave the rest of my mana to Peika and shouted.


    ¡°Peika, attack just one of them with full strength!¡±


    [Thunder Bolt!]


    The lightning Peika shot out then burned a nearby beetle until not even its ashes remained. The bugs that were exposed to the orb¡¯s light really screamed and began to burn. The other members also used this opportunity to each attack one target with full force.


    [Kiaaaaaaaaa!]


    [Kaaaaaa!]


    The effect was astounding! They didn¡¯t just stop moving, they were dropping dead! Watching the Asian giant hos die was especially enjoyable. I then focused my energy in my spear. Before the 10 second period passed...


    ¡°This is the final blow...!¡±


    In front of me was an especiallyrgedybug. Because of Peika¡¯s powerful lightning, it still couldn¡¯t move properly. I aimed my spear, which was burning with a ck me, at it, and thrust it right on top of its carapace!


    [Kiaaaaaaaa!]


    The strongest move I could do was Heroic Strike! With my entire strength concentrated on the Chaotic Spear, the spear easily pierced through thedybug¡¯s carapace andpletely burned its body. With this, my mana waspletely empty. However, I could deal a powerful blow to it within the 10 second Hwaya gave us. Other bugs should have received heavy damage as well.


    I would never have thought that the ¡®chaos me¡¯ effect, which I only thought was an attribute, could turn into ck mes when I put in my pure aura. I had only just noticed because I had always used Spirit Aura before. As I thought, it wasn¡¯t a Legendary grade weapon for nothing! Since thedybug was burnt up in an instant, it was clearly extremely powerful.


    ¡°Whew, I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    After taking my spear back, I immediately struck down on the ground and held myself up. The Mana Potion was still on cooldown, but the Health Potion had a different cooldown. However, before I could take it out and drink it, I felt myself feeling invigorated. Ludia had healed me. I raised my head to thank Ludia.


    And I froze.


    ¡°My god...¡±


    ¡°Shin, what did you do?¡±


    ¡°What is this, son?¡±


    ¡°... T.K., you¡¯re amazing!¡±


    Everyone looked dumbfounded as they added their remarks. Since I was just as dumbfounded, I couldn¡¯t really say anything. It was only now that I realized... the effect of chaos me when used without Spirit Aura and with pure aura!


    [Kiaaaaaaaa...!]


    [Kigigigigigi!]


    [Kugagagagaga!]


    All the bugs that had been exposed to the Orb¡¯s light were burning with ck mes. No matter how much they screamed or hit their bodies against the ground, the mes weren¡¯t extinguished.


    They screamed endlessly and struggled against the mes, but with the damage they took from the other party members, they didn¡¯tst long and copsed. The countless army of insects had all died.


    Only then did the ck mes recede and disappear.


    Hwaya shouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s a cheat skill!¡±


    ¡°N-No! It¡¯s Chaotic Spear¡¯s ability!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a cheat item!¡±


    Damn, she returned the words right to me...! It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t know Chaotic Spear added chaos me attribute to my basic attacks. I just thought it was an ordinary attribute bonus. I never even imagined that it would be stronger than Peika¡¯s Spirit Aura. I had only just realized this attribute¡¯s strength.


    A me that couldn¡¯t be extinguished until the targets¡¯ death. Wasn¡¯t that Amate... No, any more was dangerous!


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    Suddenly, the ground began to shake and fissure. The SS ranked monsters corpses were falling into the crevices. Although these precious items were falling into nothingness, we couldn¡¯t grab them. The ground under us was fissuring too!


    ¡°Kuk, O Earth!¡±


    Ludia¡¯s staff let out a radiant light. The splitting earth subsided and the crumbling earth rose back up and supported us. It seemed it was not an easy feat even for Ludia who could control the earth, as she was sweating profusely. Ludia bit her lips and shouted as she struck her staff on the ground.


    ¡°T-There¡¯s something underneath...!¡±


    ¡°Since all the bugs are dead, it¡¯s probably the boss.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be a spider, please, please, please don¡¯t be a spider...!¡±


    At Ludia¡¯s words, Hwaya also began to sweat and murmur. Her prayer seemed to have worked as a long and giant horn popped up. Then, a second horn popped up.


    Its imposing head appeared, covered by a helm, and it stood tall with its armored body that was dozens of meters tall. Almost like a god of death from hell, ominous ck mes were covering its body, making it look all the more horrifying.


    He let out a low and long roar.


    [Uoooooooong...!]


    Its voice was full of dignity and instilled terror in its listeners. Although I wasn¡¯t affected thanks to my Overwhelm skill effect, I shook and shouted.


    ¡°Hercules Rhinoceros Beetle...!¡±


    ¡°I-Is that something to be so surprised about?¡±


    Leaving behind the somewhat serious Ye-Eun, I tightened my grip on my spear and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. It didn¡¯t look simple at all. Not only was it ginormous, but the ck mes burning around it added additional pressure. Could it be that it¡¯s... No, how could that be!?


    Because of its size, it took a while for it topletely leave the ground. However, we stood around in a daze, waiting for it to make its appearance. No one thought to attack it. We experienced facing an overwhelming enemy during our fight against the me Drake. The reason we were staying still wasn¡¯t because of that. We... We...


    Then, it finally finisheding out of the ground. It felt like the ground had heated up. It raised its head and observed us. Almost like an emperor of the sky, it looked down at the ground. The ck mes covering its body raged as if to burn us for just looking at it. Because of the mes¡¯ increasing pressure, we had to fall back a bit. Thinking that we were afraid, it let out a satisfied roar.


    [Uoooooong...]


    Then, it copsed.


    [You defeated the Event Dungeon¡¯s boss monster, ¡®Evil Rhinoceros Beetle Lord!¡¯]


    [4,000,000 gold is distributed evenly amongst party members. You received 500,000 gold.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    Just like that, we cleared America¡¯s SS ranked dungeon. Cyclops Lord¡¯s Golden Eye really was amazing!

 Chapter 157. Crimson Chaotic Spear (7)

    Chapter 157. Crimson Chaotic Spear (7)


    If I didn¡¯t kill thedybug with chaos me, defeating the boss might have been more difficult. However, I burned thedybug thoroughly, and the boss also appeared with mes on it. I had only found out with this incident, but it seemed chaos me could deal continuous damage to its enemy in addition to being inextinguishable. With how big the Hercules Rhinoceros Beetle was, the mes were dealing fatal damage to it.


    If I tried to set it on fire without all that, it would have been impossible with my mana. The party members¡¯ stamina and willpower would have been worn down as well. We couldn¡¯t tell because it was already dead, but we might have had even more trouble depending on how it fought. We could easily see that its horn would deal fatal damage to anyone hit by it. He must have also had other means of attack. Of course, everything was impossible to know now that it was dead.


    We could say we had gotten lucky. I believed it was thanks to the good karma I gained throughout my life. Then, I put the boss¡¯ corpse into my inventory. Everyone was focused on me.


    ¡°Son, hurry up and choose your reward. Don¡¯t make your father die while waiting.¡±


    ¡°What a fun father, T.K... But a reward? Choosing it? What are you talking about? And what did you do to that beetle?¡±


    ¡°There must be other things you find strange. I¡¯ll tell you all about it when the raid ends. Of course, you won¡¯t be able to run away after hearing everything, kukuku.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t threaten someone while youugh maniacally! Also, choose your reward!¡±


    Since everyone was getting impatient, I turned my attention to the reward list.


    [1. Golden Scarab¡¯s Tattoo.]


    After seeing the first item on the list, I chose it immediately. I didn¡¯t even check the other rewards. A tattoo! I had to have it! It wasn¡¯t like an equipment, which I would rece eventually. Tattoos raised my stats permanently. I wouldn¡¯t be losing out by choosing it. Immediately afterward, the back of my left hand became hot. I took off my gauntlet and looked, where I saw the tattoo of a golden scarab.


    [You obtained Golden Scarab¡¯s Tattoo. Your luck and defense increase by 20%. All defense type skill effects increase by 50%. Positive effects will be added to all reproductive activity.]


    Just as I expected, the effect was amazing. Since the luck stat could not be increased with bonus stat points, the only way to increase it was through items or titles that raised all stats. The Golden Scarab¡¯s Tattoo raised my luck stat my 20% on top of raising defense by 20%. It even amplified defense type skill effects! I could only imagine how powerful Dragon Skin would be now. Plus, this positive effect to all reproductive activity... I wasn¡¯t doing any reproductive activity, but I was sure having it wouldn¡¯t hurt me!


    One thing I was curious about was that this Golden Scarab¡¯s Tattoo was shaped differently than the Evil Rhinoceros Beetle Lord. Of course, it wasn¡¯t too important of a matter. When I was stroking mypleted scarab tattoo in satisfaction, Hwaya screamed.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing but insects!¡±


    ¡°Hwaya, you remember what this dungeon was called, right? Don¡¯t forget there¡¯s an Event Raid afterwards.¡±


    ¡°I hate it, I hate everything...¡±


    In the end, everyone other than thest person finished choosing their rewards. A helmet for father, a ring for Hwaya, and even though no spiders appeared at all, there was a dress made out of spider silk, which Ye-Eun chose. It seemed it wasn¡¯t what she was expecting, as she screamed when she received it. She didn¡¯t even show me what it looked like.


    As for Ludia, even though she could choose a better item, she chose the Elixir. If I remember correctly, she would always choose Elixirs, Half Elixirs, Mana Elixirs, or the like whenever they appeared as Event Dungeon and Event Raid rewards. Although full recovery items like Elixirs were rare and she wasn¡¯tcking in equipment... I couldn¡¯t help but ask out of curiosity.


    ¡°Ludia, why do you always choose Elixirs?¡±


    ¡°Unlike the consumables from Floor Shops, they can be used on other people... I¡¯ll use them when Shin¡¯s in trouble.¡±


    ¡°... Y-Yeah, thanks. But you have to use them when you¡¯re in danger too, okay?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    Damn, I was the idiot for being unable to guess the reason. Because I wasn¡¯t expecting that to be her reasoning, I became flustered and fell back. I thought no one had heard it, but Walker was already making fun of me.


    ¡°Love is always sacrificing oneself for one¡¯s partner. You two share a beautiful love.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push your twisted ideas on love onto me.¡±


    What should I do? If things continued, I felt like I really would end up as Ludia¡¯s husband. Feeling a chill run down my spine, I turned around toward Ludia. As she was looking at me with clear eyes, I turned away quickly.


    ¡°How¡¯s everyone¡¯s condition?¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡±


    ¡°Same!¡±


    ¡°T.K., you can even manipte when monsters will appear?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll tell you about that soon, too.¡±


    ¡°Really, if I didn¡¯t fight with you in Antelope Canyon, I would be extremely suspicious of you right now! But since you said you¡¯ll exin it to me properly, I¡¯ll wait! I¡¯m also in a perfect condition, so let¡¯s go!¡±


    Walker took out a potion and put it in his mouth. Then, he chose his reward. The world immediately began to crumble. At the same time, a huge energy gathered in mid-air, forming the appearance of a monster.


    [An Event Raid has broken out! SS rank 50-man Raid, ¡®Evil Mantis Queen.¡¯ As your party cleared the Event Dungeon, you have the priority!]


    The park outside the dungeon appeared along with the struggling remains of the Insect World. In the midst of their boundary, arge mantis began to raise its body. Hwaya made another manhwa-like scream. Immediately afterwards, her scream was buried by an ear-splitting high-pitched voice.


    [Humans, you dare chase me out! Send me back! Send me back now!]


    We trembled at the chilling voice. SS ranked raid boss¡¯ power was added to the furious voice to the point that it almost could directly affect our mind.


    [Do not involve me and my children in your battle! Send me back!]


    My head rang. As for father and Walker, whose mental defense was much weaker than mine, they staggered without being able to carry themselves properly. This guy, or rather, gal... For a 50-man raid boss, she was too full of spirit! However, something she said caught my attention.


    Right, she had just said the word ¡®children.¡¯


    The Event Dungeonpletely disappeared, and we looked at the giant mantis who destroyed the entire park. Looking at its lower body... we could tell that it was unnaturally bloated. My god, she... she...!


    ¡°She¡¯s pregnant! She¡¯s bearing eggs!¡±


    [Hero, Hero, Hero! You dog with a cor on your neck, it¡¯s you! You brought me here!]


    ¡°Cut the bullshit, Mantis! You were already here the moment the Event Dungeon appeared!¡±


    [Aaa, Aaaaah! I curse you! I curse all of you! I curse him and this world! Since it¡¯se to this, I will eat all of you! I will not let anyone who threatens my children live!]


    Its front leg shined, and boundless mana began to gather in it. It was then...


    [Hero!]


    Lotte flew down toward me. She was waiting for me nearby! I jumped on her back and patted her. Lotte looked at the mantis and growled.


    [That bitch prevented me froming in! She was trying to hide from other monsters! That bitch is a deserter!]


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not sure what that means yet.¡±


    [You cowardly bitch, you dare separate me from Hero...! Next time, I will not leave Hero alone!]


    ¡°Uh, mm... Yeah, thanks.¡±


    It seemed she was furious that she couldn¡¯t enter the dungeon. I again patted Lotte, who was pping her wings furiously. Could it be that not all monsters were on the same side? Was that a good news for humans? I could think about thatter. I had to focus on something more important right now.


    ¡°If an SS ranked raid boss gives birth, the result will be catastrophic. We need to defeat her here no matter what.¡±


    Even as Hwaya said that with a trembling voice, she held her staff and Orb and prepared herself for battle. Cyclops Lord¡¯s Golden Eye began to shine again. It seemed she was gritting her teeth and holding on at this unprecedented event. Walker also stopped joking and murmured.


    ¡°A mantis¡¯ egg sac will hatch hundreds of tiny mantises. It could be less since it belongs to a monster, but... it could also be more for the same reason.¡±


    With how bloated her stomach was, she would give birth soon. If she escaped, hundreds of mantis monsters, ones that received the power of their SS ranked raid boss mother, would be born. Just thinking about it was chilling.


    ¡°We¡¯ll stop her.¡±


    Father said. His spear was vibrating from umted shockwaves.


    ¡°We¡¯ll stop her here and now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s undoubtedly weaker than the me Drake. There¡¯s no reason we shouldn¡¯t be able to defeat her.¡±


    I also added to father¡¯s encouragement. Although it had a stronger spirit than the me Drake, it could be understood as she was a child-bearing mother.


    In truth, we couldn¡¯t leisurely look at her. Mantises had wings. Although it was only my spection, she probably could fly with them. That¡¯s how monsters were. There were wingless monsters that could fly, so how could winged monsters not fly?


    As such, we had to end it as soon as possible.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go on ahead! Lotte!¡±


    [Wings of light formed from ck mes!]


    Lotte spread her wings out and soared into the sky. She was already extremely fast, but she had gotten even faster. When I looked back out of curiosity, ck mes were burning on her ck wings. It was a skill she had never shown before. She... was furious.


    ¡°Son, stop her front leg! I¡¯ll attack her legs!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll join in, Second Master!¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯ll protect you two!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go behind her to attack.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll attack on my own too!¡±


    The close-ranged attackers charged toward the mantis. It seemed like she was far away because of her towering height, but in truth, she was quite close. That was just how Event Raids worked. In only a moment, everyone had reached her.


    Surprisingly, the one who sent the signal for attack was Hwaya.


    ¡°Eat this!¡±


    When the Golden Eye shed, a ray of light shot out toward it. When it hit the mantis¡¯ left front leg, it exploded.


    [Kiaaaaaa!]


    ¡°A beam! How many skills does that thing have!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it! Hurry up and go!¡±


    I imbued my spear with aura and let chaos me burn up. Looking at its enormous size, I felt like I was Gulliver who hade to a kingdom of giants.


    ¡°Ruyue, Peika. Block its front leg.¡±


    [Okay!]


    [Got it.]


    My dematerialized elementals replied reliably. Feeling them drawing out their elemental power, I smiled and shouted at Lotte.


    ¡°Charge at full speed!¡±


    [I¡¯ve been waiting!]


    Lotte really elerated instantly and charged toward the mantis¡¯ face. However, the mantis¡¯ reaction speed was also great. Before I could stab my spear into its face, its front leg quickly flew toward me.


    [I will harvest your power!]


    [You dare!]


    [Freeze!]


    If I hesitated even for a moment, the charge effect would disappear! I believed in my elementals¡¯ powers and without even turning around, I stabbed my spear, burning with ck mes, in its face. Its front leg was paralyzed by Peika¡¯s lighting and froze from Ruyue¡¯s ice. As a result, it only cut through the air.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kyaaaaaaak! mes, mes won¡¯t extinguish!]


    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡±


    Lotte quickly elerated and flew behind the mantis, leaving a trail of mes behind. Because she was so fast, the wind was hurting my face.


    [Hero, I¡¯m turning!]


    ¡°If I¡¯mte even just a little, the others will be in danger! Aim for her face and continue charging!¡±


    I shouted bluntly and put aura into my spear again. When we were charging toward her again, her entire body shook.


    [YOU... YOUUUUU!]


    [It¡¯s dangerous! She¡¯s emitting a powerful aura!]


    [It¡¯s going to explode!]


    [Hero, dieeeeeeee!]


    It was undoubtedly the skill she was initially trying to use! I thought it was canceled, but it seemed she had finished gathering mana!


    Her left front leg, which had half-blown up from Hwaya¡¯sser, glowed with a red light and flew toward me. Because of Lotte was going too fast, I didn¡¯t think she could dodge it. Even my elementals could not do much against it!


    I thought quickly and even more quickly acted on it. Clicking my tongue, I kicked Lotte¡¯s back. My strength was powerful enough to affect Lotte, who was flying at full speed, setting her off course and crashing into the ground.


    [Hero!]


    ¡°I won¡¯t die, soe catch me! Dragon Skin!¡±


    I used my defense skill and flew toward the mantis. Although my speed was halved when I used Dragon Skin, with Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo and Hermes¡¯ true name, I was 45% faster. With my dexterity stat, I couldn¡¯t be said to be slow.


    [You¡¯ll die!]


    ¡°Ha, why don¡¯t you try!?¡±


    My spear, burning with ck mes, and the mantis¡¯ front leg, glowing red, shed. The front leg instantly exploded into pieces, then rained down on me as sharp thorns. There was nowhere to run.


    [Kukuku, I will have your power, Hero! It is the punishment for ridiculing a mother!]


    The mantis¡¯ voice rang out unpleasantly. I couldn¡¯t reply as I was too busy defending against the raining thorns. It was extremely painful.


    ¡°O Mitarus! Protect him!¡±


    I heard Ludia¡¯s voice clearly amidst the sound of thorns endlessly striking my armor. I could feel my drained vitality rising in an instant. I opened my eyes and shouted.


    ¡°Lotte!¡±


    [On my way!]


    I safely fell on Lotte¡¯s back. Using my mana, I pushed out the thorns stuck in my armor and raised my spear. I then heard the mantis¡¯ shocked voice.


    [H-How can you be alive after that... Kahak!]


    Before I noticed, one of her legs was severed and she was leaning to one side. Of course, it wasn¡¯t my doing. Because her fury was entirely focused on me, mypanions could easily attack her.


    [Y-You... You dare!]


    ¡°It¡¯s your turn now, Mantis...!¡±


    ck mes zed around my spear. When I focused all my energy, a newyer of white me appeared over the ck mes. The ck mes tried to dye the white mes ck, while the white mes only protected its territory. After fighting for a bit, they became silent, almost as if they acknowledged each other¡¯s existence. The others¡¯ attacks died down momentarily. The Mantis Queen had started to shoot small thorns like it did before.


    [Mere humans dare to humiliate this Mantis Queen! You shall not be forgiven! Next time you see me, I will be your god of death!]


    No, it was a feint! She had opened her wings and were about to fly away. However, we would not let that happen.


    ¡°Burn!¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s great mana distorted the whole space. Then, crimson mes red up from the Mantis Queen¡¯s wings. My elementals also attacked her wings.


    [Don¡¯t you dare run away after hurting Shin!]


    [I¡¯ll make you incapable of hurting Master anymore!]


    Ruyue and Peika burned and froze her wings with their elemental power. They had also grown strong enough to fatally wound an SS ranked raid boss! In only a moment, her wings were broken. Her attempt to escape failed. Now that she had lost her wings on top of one of her front legs and back legs, she let out a furious roar.


    [Kyaaaaaaaa! I curse you all! Why did I have toe here!? Why did I have to hurt so miserably by mere humans!? Hero, hand over your power! Since you brought us here, pay the price with your life!]


    This time, her right front leg stormed toward me. I charged at it to stab my spear in it, but the front leg backed away while dancing crazily.


    When I looked down, Pepper, who was armed with a minigun, were shooting at it whileughing.


    ¡°Madam Mantis, you¡¯re a million years too early to challenge humans! Huhahahaha!¡±


    [Kyaaaaaak!]


    I had things I wanted to say to Pepper¡¯s remark, but now wasn¡¯t the time! Because of an ability user¡¯s natural physical strength, he was unaffected by the gun¡¯s recoil and had perfect aim. After being struck by hundreds of bullets, the mantis¡¯ front leg could not reach me anymore. Now was my chance. I had to make use of this opportunity Pepper created!


    ¡°Eat this! It¡¯s an attack made out of 50% of your hated Hero substance and 50% of chaos!¡±


    I aimed my spear toward its face, where the ck mes I previously shot out was still gnawing on it. With this blow... I¡¯ll end it!


    [Aaaaah! Why must we disappear? Why must we lose our ce!? Why must I die to the likes of you!? My children! What about my children!? Kyaaaaaaaak!]


    ¡°Sorry... But we¡¯re busy looking for a way to survive!¡±


    I gritted my teeth and shot my spear forward. Almost like they never fought, the white and ck mes amicably pierced the mantis¡¯ throat. Just like that, the mantis¡¯ neck fell off.


    [Event Raid sess! Six of Earth¡¯s dungeon explorers and two independent dungeon explorers, a total of eight dungeon explorers has sessfullypleted an Event Raid! This great achievement increases the rewards greatly!]


    [You obtained 3 stat points forpleting the Event Raid.]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Dimensional Travel Magic Book


    2. Return Magic Book


    3. Soul of Battle de


    4. Elixir


    5. Mantis Queen¡¯s Guardian Dagger


    6. Mantis Queen¡¯s Battlescythe


    7. 3,000,000 Gold


    8. Wild Dance of Fresh Blood Technique Book]


    After I saw the reward list, I fell from exhaustion. Simrly, Lotte pped her wings slowly andnded. Now that I thought about it, Lotte did a lot today, even using a skill I had never seen before. Although it was to save her, I had even kicked her... I stroked her head.


    ¡°Sorry, Lotte. Did my kick hurt?¡±


    [It¡¯s okay, Hero, as long as you stroke my head a bit more.The Hero is quite skilled at the head stroking technique. I can feel my fatigue disappearing.]


    I smiled at Lotte¡¯s words and stroked her head like she wanted. Perhaps because she was my pet, but I found it cute that she could not be honest with herself.


    ¡°Shin, are you okay!?¡±


    ¡°T.K.!¡±


    ¡°Hurry and pick your reward, I¡¯m curi.... Kuk!¡±


    ¡°Son!¡±


    ¡°Shin!¡±


    Since I took the Mantis Queen¡¯s attack previously, it seemed everyone was worried about me. Ludia should know my condition the best since she healed me before, so I didn¡¯t know why she was running at me with such teary eyes. Well, I guess it¡¯s okay since it¡¯s cute.


    And you, I only just realized, but aren¡¯t you calling my name too freely in front of Pepper!? If he runs away, you better go catch him for me!


    Author¡¯s note:


    Ah... It went over... 10,000 characters... damn...


    There just wasn¡¯t a good ce to cut it in the middle. I didn¡¯t think it would drag out so long. Uaaaaaaah! It¡¯s double the normal chapter length!!


    Trantor/Editor note:


    Uncreative: ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)


    Illidan: hint hint wink wink


    Fudge: My editors are all lewd...

 Chapter 158. The Rondo of Scarlet Flame and Silver Ice (1)

    Chapter 158. The Rondo of Scarlet me and Silver Ice (1)


    After the raid ended, I honestly just wanted to sleep. Fatigue had built up from consecutively clearing an Event Dungeon and an Event Raid, and the Mantis Queen¡¯s words wouldn¡¯t leave my mind.


    The world and the invaders. The rtionship that I thought was simple did not seem to be so anymore. It seemed the monsters didn¡¯te here on their own ord. There was an existence controlling them from the shadows and forcing them here. It was already confusing that monsters were hostile to each other, but there were more things to consider now.


    ¡°Hurry up and choose your reward.¡±


    ¡°Wait, let me take care of the risk factor first.¡±


    I put my hand on the Mantis Queen¡¯s corpse and put it into my inventory. Pepper, who was watching, narrowed his eyes and muttered.


    ¡°T.K., the me Drake we fought before...¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s choose our rewards and go eat.¡±


    I openly changed the subject and turned my attention to the reward list. Then, I was surprised. To think Dimensional Travel and Return would appear like this! I already knew that there were few ways to obtain them. So Event Raid was one of them!


    ¡°It makes sense, I guess. SS ranked Event Raids are rare...¡±


    Guild Revival¡¯s members all knew about Dimensional Mercenaries from my exnation.


    Since all Ye-Eun needed was more achievements and getting a title of an incarnation of a god, she probably wouldn¡¯t be interested in these. The one who would be interested was probably...


    First, I chose my reward. Although Wild Dance of Fresh Blood was tempting, Spirit of the Collector was shouting that the 3rd item, Soul of Battle de, was a better item. After a bit of hesitation, I chose the de.


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    Surprisingly, it was a small silver sphere. Not to mention, it looked rather familiar. Right, there was no doubt. It was the same shape as the elixirs I¡¯ve gotten from 5th to 50th floors. I checked the item description just in case, and it was indeed a consumable item. Feeling a bit doubtful, I swallowed it.


    [Your strength and dexterity increase by 10. You learned ¡®low-rank de Rush.¡¯ Using the skill and charging forward will create sharp des from your body using your mana. Upon reaching your target, all des will be shot toward the target. As strength, dexterity, and skill level increase, the des¡¯ damage will increase.]


    I was already surprised that it raised my strength and dexterity by 10, but it even gave me a skill! Not to mention, it was a charge type skill! If Gale Track was a multi-target charge skill, this skill was a single-target charge skill. I was always slightly apprehensive about Gale Track, as it took time (29 targets) to be fully-charged (200%). With this, I could focus on damaging one target, while still having the 110% amplification for charge type skills.


    ¡°Hm.... Okay, Return.¡±


    While I was checking my item and its effects, it seemed the others finished picking their rewards. Dimensional Travel and Return went to father and Hwaya, respectively. Father said he chose Dimensional Travel because it seemed harder to obtain, while Hwaya nned to choose Return from the beginning. When I asked her why, she answered.


    ¡°I got a clearer information. When I solo clear the 80th floor, I can choose to go back to level 50 and start on the 50th floor of the First Dungeon. An administrative guild¡¯s guild master told me, so I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Level 50? If you¡¯re falling by 30 levels, you¡¯ll lose a lot of stats, HP, and MP.¡±


    ¡°I pretty much made up for it during all the Event Dungeon runs. More than I expected, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    She was right. She started clearing Event Dungeons a month before me. She had gained about 250 bonus stat points. Excluding HP and MP, it was equal to about 50 levels¡¯ worth.


    Although it should be higher, it seemed there was a limit to the bonus points Event Dungeons could provide us. After clearing 200 Event Dungeons under S rank, Hwaya couldn¡¯t get bonus stats from those dungeons. She could only earn bonus stats from dungeons that were at least S ranked. Furthermore, the amount of bonus stats she was getting from those had also decreased.


    I was surprised she had cleared over 200 dungeons, but since I was nearing that number, I couldn¡¯t say anything.


    Since we found out that the bonus stats obtainable from Event Dungeons were limited, being Dimensional Mercenaries was that much more attractive. Since Hwaya¡¯s desire to improve herself was as great as mine, she had wanted to be one the moment I told her about it. She couldn¡¯t give up on the First Dungeon either for the same reason. It would make her stronger.


    Of course, it would still be true that she would get weaker, but Hwaya would be able to enter the First Dungeon with high stats, and she would be able to obtain the Dimensional Travel Magic Book from solo clearing the 50th floor¡¯s Wendigo. Since her level would decrease by 30, she might be able to grind it as well.


    Now that I thought about it, clearing 200 Event Dungeons and raking in stat points should be something only possible for early dungeon explorers like us. In other worlds, there were probably people like us, who raked in stats when monsters first began to appear. In other words, the moment that the world changed was the most dangerous time, but also the most opportunistic. Though different worlds must have been in different situations, it shouldn¡¯t have been too different.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but is everyone finished?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, yeah.¡±


    I remembered that there was someone here, whom we couldn¡¯t share the joy of getting rewards with. Since Pepper was looking at me with an extremely curious expression, I first decided to leave the area. Soon, the story that the SS ranked gate disappeared would spread, and things would only get more tiring if the media began to pester us.


    A few hourster, Pepper became a Second Dungeon explorer under Sumire. Using Soul Contract, we made him promise to not tell anyone about dungeon explorers. Once another SS ranker appeared in America, he would have to join Revival and clear Event Dungeons or Event Raids when they happened.


    Furthermore, when he leveled up and obtained the right to appoint another explorer, he would have to get the majority of Revival¡¯s member¡¯s agreement before he could make someone an explorer. This did not apply to just Pepper, but to all of us.


    Right. It seemed Hwaya was a bit dissatisfied that I made Ye-Eun into an explorer on my own. Hwaya and I were fairly closed back then, so she was unhappy that I didn¡¯t ask for her opinion on the matter. Since I felt a bit sorry, I agreed to this use. Of course, we didn¡¯t make anyone else use a Soul Contract, but we knew that no one here would renege on a promise.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve been hiding an immense secret like this, T.K.!?¡±


    Once Pepper entered the dungeon and came back, he couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. He checked his status window or opened his inventory as he continued to make exmations of surprise. With a grin, I told him.


    ¡°With your ability, you should be able to climb to upper floors quickly. You¡¯ll get stronger as you level up, too.¡±


    ¡°My god, T.K...¡±


    ¡°You can call me Shin. My real name is Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°Shin... Well then, friend, you can call me Leon! Since we¡¯re now friends that share the same fate!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±


    Pepper... seemed to be overly excited. There was no music, but he was dancing to some beat.


    ¡°Hahahaha! Good, monsters hidden in some mysterious space! I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    Other than me, it seemed all the dungeon explorers had strange quirks... I made a bitter smile.


    After making an ally in America, we left to clear the remaining Event Dungeons. Guardian and Freedom Wing weren¡¯t just ying around either, as they cleared some dungeons ranked S or above. In the end, on the 58th day since the Event Dungeons appeared, there was only one Event Dungeon left on Earth. It was the SS ranked dungeon in Russia¡¯s snowy mountains.


    The reason that it was the only remaining dungeon was simple. It was because whoever the Guardian and Freedom Wing sent never returned.


    When Revival began to tour around the world to clear Event Dungeons and received an unexpectedly positive response, Guardian must have felt impatient. They didn¡¯t want to believe that a small group of fewer than 10 people could undermine their group.


    There was only one way for them to recover their reputation. It was to conquer an SS ranked dungeon before us. As a result, Russia¡¯s SS ranker, France¡¯s SS ranker, and over 50 other S rankers joined to attack Russia¡¯s SS ranked dungeon.


    Of course, this all happened without public knowledge. The reason we couldn¡¯t see France¡¯s SS ranker when we visited was that France¡¯s ranker had already gone to Russia. We only found out about everything when we arrived in America.


    As I said before, the result was catastrophic. After entering the gate, nothing was heard from them again. When the other countries¡¯ SS rankers heard that the rankers had gone missing for over 3 weeks, they refused to enter the gate. The reason was obvious. Even if they knew that a disaster would strike when an SS ranked gate turned into a dungeon, there was nothing they could do if entering the gate meant death. Not to mention, it was another country¡¯s gate. France¡¯s SS ranker became the idiot for volunteering.


    It was then that we cleared America¡¯s SS ranked Event Dungeon and even perfectly subjugated the Event Raid monster. Although it wasn¡¯t Revival, Guardian, or Freedom Wing¡¯s intention, Revival¡¯s poprity had skyrocketed. Some even called us thest hope of humanity. It was exactly the type of thing I hated.


    ¡®You Guardian bastards, can¡¯t you do anything right!?¡¯ I shouted in Africa as I stepped on crocodile monsters.


    [Our government officially requests Revival. Please save Russia from its impending disaster. We will agree to any demands you have.]


    The situation only got worse by the day until Russia¡¯s Prime Minister finally made an official request to us. I imaginedplicated talks were exchanged in the process, but what was important was that Russia¡¯s humiliating announcement was equivalent to Guardian¡¯s surrender. Ever since we shed in Korea, Guardian had never even mentioned us, pretending that we didn¡¯t exist. But now, they had reached out to us on their own ord.


    Although it wasn¡¯t our intention, we had nned to visit Russiast. However, they may have thought that we wouldn¡¯t subjugate Russia¡¯s SS ranked gate. I could only imagine the faces they would make if the truth was revealed.


    In any case, Russia¡¯s promise was a promise we would dly take. While thinking about what we could request from Russia, we flew toward Russia on Hwaya¡¯s ne.


    ¡°Russia and France¡¯s SS ranker... Do you think they¡¯re dead?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still SS rankers, so shouldn¡¯t they be alive? Though I¡¯ve never met them, so I can¡¯t say for sure.¡±


    Hwaya answered uninterestedly, as she polished her nails. I was surprised since I didn¡¯t think she would be so aloof about the death of other countries¡¯ rankers. Almost as if she read my mind, Hwaya smiled at me.


    ¡°There¡¯s no use worrying about it now, Shin. Thinking negatively will have negative impacts on yourself, your friends, and the world.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re polishing your nails instead?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I have to always look perfect! Then, whoever looks at me will be happy. That¡¯s a good reason, right?¡±


    As Hwaya gave a unting smile, I ended upughing as well. After polishing her nails, she started doing her eyshes. I wondered if that was something she should do in front of others, but I had to admit that she looked beautiful. I retorted.


    ¡°You¡¯re really full of confidence.¡±


    ¡°Why, did I say something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m also happy right now.¡±


    ¡°... If only you could always be that honest.¡±


    Although that¡¯s what Hwaya muttered, it seemed she didn¡¯t n on pursuing an answer, as she hummed and continued to do our eyshes. It seemed she was in a better mood.


    I took my eyes off of her and looked at Ludia, who was leaning on my arm and sleeping. She looked as beautiful as an angel. Looking at her, I felt deep affection rising up from my heart and weighing me down.


    ¡°.... Huu.¡±


    ¡°Shin, my mom says good fortune will run away when you sigh.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even sigh now!?¡±


    But what a very Korean saying! I¡¯d like to meet her!


    After we entered Russia, everything was taken care of easily. The people we¡¯d only seen on TV bowed and offered their handshakes. We stayed in the highest ss luxury hotel and ate in the highest ss luxury restaurant. In truth, it was quite meaningless to someone like me, who had no problem sleeping wherever or eating whatever.


    Although we arrived in the middle of the night, a countless number of people greeted us. What was surprising was that they only showed their faces, then said that we should go eat and rest since we must be tired from traveling. I thought they would ask us to enter the gate immediately, but it seemed we had really gotten famous.


    The next day, the prime minister asked to see me alone. I knew I had gotten famous from Revival, but I didn¡¯t think the prime minister would ask to see me personally. I became slightly flustered and told the others about it before I got on the limousine with the prime minister¡¯s secretary.


    [Shin, careful!]


    [It¡¯s fine. I can probably survive a nuclear bomb, too.]


    I wasn¡¯t kidding. With my mana protecting me, neither the radiation nor the st could damage me. I could hold my breath for 10 minutes if it came down to it, and if it was looking bad, I could always escape to the dungeon.


    I had some idea about what the prime minister would say. It would probably be an exnation for Guardian¡¯s actions until now, an apology, and things regarding the future rtionship between Russia and Revival. He might even ask Revival to join Russia. Other than that... he would probably ask if Russia could buy monster corpses we got from Event Dungeons or if we could rescue the rankers that went in previously.


    But when I got to the small reception room, the prime ministerid out all sorts of overbearing ttery, like how thankful he was that I came or how good of a leader I was, then said this.


    ¡°If Russia¡¯s SS ranker is alive... please kill him.¡±


    It was somethingpletely unexpected.


    Author¡¯s note:


    After the next chapter, we¡¯ll go back to the dungeon! Shin will challenge the dungeon¡¯s 54th floor and Beyond¡¯s 4th floor!

 Chapter 159. The Rondo of Scarlet Flame and Silver Ice (2)

    Chapter 159. The Rondo of Scarlet me and Silver Ice (2)


    [Our SS ranker was always mentally unstable. Before he entered the gate, he caused a huge incident. He murdered all key personnel of the government and top brass members of Guardian before he entered the gate.]


    [He probably thought he could escape us forever by going inside the gate. It just shows how mentally unstable he is.]


    [The team we created did not consist of 2 SS rankers and 50 S rankers as you may have heard, but France¡¯s 1 SS ranker and the 50 S rankers led by him. In other words, he was out of our control.]


    [No matter how important SS rankers are, we can no longer tolerate his madness. He is a psychopath and a murderer. I beg you, please kill him. We will take care of the rest.]


    I said that wasn¡¯t for me to do and refused. However, before I left the reception room, I told him that once I went inside the gate, I would act appropriately given the circumstances. When I came back to mypanions, I told them what happened. Hearing that the government personally requested me to kill an ability user, they were extremely displeased.


    ¡°He killed all key personnel of the government, but the prime minister is alive?¡±


    ¡°Something stinks. Even if he¡¯s telling the truth, it¡¯s irritating. If he¡¯s not, it¡¯s more irritating.¡±


    ¡°Mentally unstable person... Why would someone like him have such a power...?¡±


    If the prime minister was telling the truth and Russia¡¯s SS ranker was alive, we may have to fight a human, not monsters, when we entered the dungeon. When I considered that the reason France¡¯s SS ranker and other 50 S rankers couldn¡¯t clear the dungeon was because of Russia¡¯s SS ranker, a chill went down my back. However, Hwaya and father came to a rather simple conclusion.


    ¡°There¡¯s no problem. We can just think of it as having one more SS ranked enemy.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right, son. No matter who appears, can that person be stronger than me? Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°No, father, what I¡¯m worried about is... No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t spoil the mood when everyone sounded so confident. Plus, I had already killed a human before. I couldn¡¯t ask whether they could kill a human, even if he appeared as an enemy.


    Before we entered the Event Dungeon, we inspected our equipment and condition. After seeing that that everything was perfect, we headed to the snowy mountains where the Event Dungeon was located. The prime minister also came with us. This person... didn¡¯t he have better things to do?


    When we were about to enter the dungeon, Ludia tilted her head and asked.


    ¡°Shin, where¡¯s the wyvern?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Lotte? She left for training.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re kidding, right?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m kidding?¡±


    Lotte seemed to be extremely vexed that she couldn¡¯t enter America¡¯s SS ranked Event Dungeon with me, as she asked for my permission and left for training. I wanted to ask what training she was doing or if it was even effective, but I didn¡¯t. Since she wanted it so much, I couldn¡¯t say no. I let her go after telling her not to overdo it.


    I didn¡¯t know what it was that she wanted. I just hoped she wouldn¡¯t return as something like Dark Destiny Wing... In any case, not having Lotte wasn¡¯t detrimental to our sess. As such, we entered the dungeon.


    [You entered the SS ranked Event Dungeon, ¡®Frozen Castle.¡¯]


    The moment I stepped inside the Event Dungeon, a bone-chilling wind blew. Of course, with my contract to Ruyue and the effect of Red Dragon Felixes¡¯ Cape, it only felt like a light breeze. However, it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case for mypanions.


    ¡°C-C-C-C-C-C-Cold.¡±


    ¡°Father, I thought you were an undead.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I-I-I-I¡¯m c-c-cold t-too.¡±


    With that, Ye-Eun jumped in my embrace. Then, she cheered.


    ¡°Shin¡¯s cape is hot!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s made out of a red dragon¡¯s leather.¡±


    The moment Ye-Eun yelled, few more people clung to my cape. Pushing them off forcefully, I shouted.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you buy cold weather clothes in the dungeon? Wear that instead!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s hard to fight in it.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re clinging onto me, neither of us can fight!¡±


    In the end, everyone other than Hwaya and me wore thick cold weather clothes. Although I was fine thanks to my cape, it seemed Hwaya could protect herself with her me ability.


    ¡°So, where are we?¡±


    ¡°It looks like the castle¡¯s underground corridor. Everything¡¯s made out of ice.¡±


    I looked around. We were in a corridor about 5 meters wide and 10 meters tall. The t walls had no windows. It was the perfect underground corridor where you¡¯d expect to hear the cries of captured criminals. However, for an underground corridor, the ceiling was too high. Not to mention, everything was made out of ice. The floor, walls, ceiling, everything!


    Although we entered all sorts of dungeons, the surroundings were always wide open and we had a spacious area to explore. However, although the ce we were standing in was fairly spacious, it was clearly limited since we were caged in. If we took ount the freezing energy that was continuously pouring in, the penalty we were suffering from couldn¡¯t be said to be light.


    We put Hwaya and Ludia, who were weak to close-rangedbat, in the middle, and quickly walked along the corridor. If the Event Dungeons we had entered so far all had the monsters attack us immediately, this dungeon was theplete opposite. Even after 30 minutes, we had not run into any monsters.


    ¡°Echoo!¡±


    ¡°Ludia,e here.¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    After we walked in this cold for a while, Ludia, who had a weak constitution, kept sneezing. Even though we prepared ourselves for any environment we might find ourselves in, it seemed it wasn¡¯t enough.


    Feeling sorry, I brought Ludia to my side. I couldn¡¯t give her my cape because it was bound to me, but she would be able to share the warmth by being near it. After Ludia grabbed the edge of my cape, she stopped sneezing. Instead, Hwaya and Ye-Eun¡¯s cheeks were puffed up.


    ¡°I¡¯m cold, too... I¡¯m so jealous.¡±


    ¡°Your favoritism is too strong. I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    Ye-Eun, your condition is much better than Ludia¡¯s! And Hwaya, you¡¯re warmer than anyone else here! I wanted to argue, but since it would probably be a hassle, I didn¡¯t. I simply ignored them and firmly walked onward.


    However, not long afterward, I hate to stop everyone. I had discovered blood sshed on the wall.


    ¡°There was a battle here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s frozen.¡±


    I looked around, but there was nothing other than the trace of blood. I told everyone to be on guard, then we continued onward as I actively used Mana Detection. After about 30 minutes, I suddenly felt a presence in front of me. It came with an extremely cold energy.


    ¡°Ludia, get back!¡±


    I pushed Ludia into our formation. I pulled out my spear and manifested my aura. At the same time, I called Ruyue and Peika. The moment they were summoned, they floated up over my shoulders and emitted elemental power. Soon, the enemy made its appearance. It was a golem about 7 meters tall, made out of dozens of boulder-like ice. I finally understood. The ceiling had to be this high for this golem to appear.


    [Guooooooo!]


    When the golem saw us, it roared and charged directly at us. However, it couldn¡¯t have picked a worse opponent.


    [Don¡¯t touch Shin!]


    [Guoooo...ooo!?]


    Just three words from Ruyue made the golem freeze in ce. Dozens of ice crystals also rose up and stormed the golem. Shockingly, the ice forming the castle broke off readily and followed Ruyue¡¯smand. Hmm, could this ce be a stage for Ruyue to shine?


    However, the golem looked fine even after being struck by Ruyue¡¯s frightening attack.


    [Guoooooo!]


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    The w was that Ruyue couldn¡¯t deal huge damage to the golem as they were both had ice attribute. Ruyue, who was looking proud, quickly became dejected.


    [Uuu, I have to protect Shin.]


    ¡°That was enough. Focus on blocking the golem¡¯s movements, Ruyue. Hwaya!¡±


    ¡°Eit!¡±


    Hwaya threw a white me at the golem. Even after colliding with the ice, the me was not extinguished and continued to burn until itpletely swallowed the golem.


    [Guoooooooo!]


    In the end, the golem melted to a puddle of water, while Hwaya proudly puffed out her chests.


    ¡°Huhu, did you see that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good job.¡±


    ¡®For someone who fainted just by seeing bugs...¡¯ It seemed she forgot all about what happened in America. In any case, it was true that defeating the golem was easier with Hwaya. I adequately lifted Hwaya up and surveyed my surroundings with Mana Detection again.


    ¡°Ah, wait, let me go back.¡±


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll run into monsters from now, so stay with me, Ludia.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Ludia! I¡¯m going to be with Shin!¡±


    ¡°Come, it¡¯s warm next to me, too, right?¡±


    ¡°... You big-breasted jealous witch.¡±


    ¡°... Hmph, it¡¯s better than being a tiny-breasted jealous witch, right?¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m still growing! The alphabet just changed, too!¡±


    Please don¡¯t say what alphabet changed... Like B, C... Ah, no, I shouldn¡¯t be thinking about this!


    After that, we fought giant bats, gargoyles, and golems all made out of ice. Ruyue immobilized them, and Hwaya¡¯s mes violently melted all enemies even in this environment filled with ice.


    Unfortunately, because the monsters were all made out of ice, they didn¡¯t leave any corpses. However, we were happy because Mana Stones dropped with a higher chance. Mana Stones could be used as currency in both Earth and the dungeon.


    We were most likely underground. After all, there were no windows anywhere. Almost to prove that I was right, the rooms along the corridor were all weapon storage rooms (full of golems), food storage rooms (full of golems), or prisons ( full of golems).


    After three hours, we explored the entire corridor. It seemed that we were on the lowest floor. We found a staircase going up. I couldn¡¯t hide my excitement as things started looking more and more like an RPG game.


    ¡°Let¡¯s first eat before we continue!¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that!¡±


    Because everyone other than Hway and me were freezing, we all agreed to eat to warm ourselves up. I cooked ramen, using the Floor Shop¡¯s special item, ¡®Burned to White Ashes....¡¯ With it, I had no reason to fear the Ice Castle, which even extinguished Hwaya¡¯s me in a few minutes. After all, even without fire, this magical item could heat up its content at the desired temperature for a desired amount of time!


    However, things didn¡¯t go the way I expected.


    ¡°Oh, no. The water won¡¯t boil.¡±


    ¡°Damn it... Even though the pot is hot, the water won¡¯t boil because it¡¯s too cold outside!¡±


    What kind of an absurd environment was this!? Even as I shook from this illogical situation, I refused to give up. If it the outside was too cold, I just had to make it warmer! I cleared some space around the pot and enveloped the area in chaos me. Chaos me wouldn¡¯t be extinguished unless I wished for it, and it wasn¡¯t just hot; it was scorching! Seeing the water boil, I became satisfied.


    ¡°You¡¯re using a me that could kill an SS ranked dungeon¡¯s boss to boil water...¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that Walker when you¡¯re using that me to warm your body.¡±


    With all the training expeditions I went with father, I had be a master of making ramen. Even while boiling 10 packs, I could maintain the noodles¡¯ springy texture. I considered it a marvelous talent! Soon, when we were gathered around the Ice Castle¡¯s underground corridor and eating ramen...


    We sensed someone¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Are you... going to eat that?¡±


    Hwaya and I turned around with noodles in our mouth.


    There, we saw the Witch of Silver Ice.


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    It¡¯s unknown whether Russia/France¡¯s SS rankers are male or female as gender-neutral pronouns are used.

 Chapter 160. The Rondo of Scarlet Flame and Silver Ice (3)

    Chapter 160. The Rondo of Scarlet me and Silver Ice (3)


    After slurping down the noodles in my mouth, I scanned her. She was short, perhaps about 130 centimeters tall. Her face and build were small. She had long silver hair that flowed down to her waist and shined like transparent ice. Her skin was milky white, while her eyes were rosy pink. Silver hair and red eyes. I murmured as I held up my spear.


    ¡°Is she not human...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s albinism, idiot.¡±


    Hwaya put down the bowl of ramen she was holding and said as she knocked me on my head. Damn, it¡¯s not like I knew everything!


    I remembered with what Hwaya said. Albinism. It was the condition where one¡¯s skin or hair appeared white due tock of mnin. I knew about it too. Even though I knew, I¡¯ve only seen it once in a lion in Africa!


    ¡°Are you France¡¯s SS ranker?¡±


    Hwaya asked. I also suspected that she was a ranker. Although she looked young, the overwhelming mana she possessed easily matched an SS ranker¡¯s mana and even neared Hwaya¡¯s and mine. It was also the reason I thought she wasn¡¯t human. Really!


    ¡°I¡¯m... Illina.¡±


    ¡°Hi. I¡¯m Hwaya Mastiford.¡±


    ¡°... Hi.¡±


    Seeing Hwaya wave her hand, the girl did the same. Then, she replied with her small pink lips. I couldn¡¯t help but notice her refined doll-like features.


    ¡°Are you... eating that?¡±


    ¡°Do you want some, too?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯ll give it to me?¡±


    Hwaya smiled and called her over.


    ¡°Come here. No matter how much mana you have, it¡¯s better to be warm than cold.¡±


    ¡°I was told not to go near people.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t go near people?¡±


    ¡°Un. They would die if I did.¡±


    ¡°Die? Who?¡±


    While Hwaya was tilting her head curiously, I asked, feeling relieved.


    ¡°You¡¯re Russia¡¯s SS ranker, right?"


    She nodded very candidly.


    ¡°Un.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Shin! Didn¡¯t the prime minister say that Russia¡¯s SS ranker was male!?¡±


    ¡°No, now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think he said it clearly. I just kind of assumed. Plus, if she¡¯s alone, she fits the description of Russia¡¯s SS ranker perfectly. If you want to be sure, take off your choker.¡±


    Hwaya took off her choker like I suggested. Then, she gestured for us to talk. I asked her again.


    ¡°Why do people die when you go near them?¡±


    ¡°Because... everyone bes like this.¡±


    Illina waved her hand. Then, ice crystals formed like fluttering flowers. The space her hand touched all turned into ice, which stayed afloat in the air.


    I looked back at Hwaya. She nodded.


    ¡°Right, that was Russian.¡±


    ¡°*Slurp*, so Russia¡¯s SS ranker has an ice ability...¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t control it...? *sip*¡±


    ¡°Second Master, I heard, *slurp*, kids who awaken abilities, *nom*... have trouble controlling their abilities.¡±


    The others each slurped noodles or sipped on the soup as they murmured. I wish they¡¯d choose between eating or talking. In any case, it seemed the prime minister had lied. Even so, how could they be so rxed in front of such a powerful ability user!? I red at them, then faced Illina again.


    ¡°Is that because you can¡¯t control it?¡±


    ¡°Un. Because Illina can¡¯t control it, everyone said to stay away.¡±


    So that was why... From a while ago, she kept her distance without approaching us. However, she wasn¡¯t moving away either. In fact, as we conversed, she was getting closer to the pot surrounded by chaos mes. It was then that I realized three weeks had passed since she came here.


    ¡°What did you eat until now?¡±


    ¡°Golems.¡±


    Golems... In other words, ice.


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Bats... and rats... and armors.¡±


    In other words, ice. Ei!


    ¡°It was probably thanks to your mana, but I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still alive. Come on, eat. We have lots.¡±


    ¡°But if I go... you¡¯ll die...¡±


    ¡°No one here is weak enough to die from something like that. Don¡¯t worry ande over.¡±


    ¡°Mom and Dad also said they wouldn¡¯t die, but they did. The Ajusshi from TV also died. The oppa that said I was pretty also died. The Ajusshi who was mad at me died, and the people that came in here also died after saying they wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    I became lost for words. She was staring intently at the pot, almost as if what she said had nothing to do with her. But that couldn¡¯t be the case. There wasn¡¯t anyone who would feel nothing after killing their parents.


    But I understood why the Russian government wanted me to kill her. How could they control a girl who lost her parents because she couldn¡¯t control her powers? Plus, the people that entered this dungeon must have been S ranked at the very least, and they died too... She turned around, leaving me behind.


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    I shouted instinctively, feeling that I had to stop her. I was confident that she wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt Hwaya or me, but from the way she was acting, it didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d touch us easily. When I thought about the reason Illina recklessly came into the dungeon, I became more certain.


    Before she walked away, I hurriedly summoned Ruyue. As soon as Ruyue saw her, she eximed in surprise.


    [Wow! She¡¯s colder than Shin!]


    ¡°Ruyue, give this to her. Make sure that it doesn¡¯t get colder. Can you do it?¡±


    [Yeah! I can do it now!]


    I took out a bowl, putting some ramen noodles in it along with chopsticks. Ruyue made it float with her power and carried it to Illina. Seeing the bowl float toward her, Illina widened her eyes and epted it. Then, she became even more surprised.


    ¡°This... won¡¯t freeze...! It¡¯s hot!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my friend helped me.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    With her eyes still opened widely, she picked up the chopsticks. After struggling with it for a bit, she frowned and muttered.


    ¡°This is hard.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, I¡¯ll get you a fork.¡±


    The fork was also delivered with Ruyue¡¯s power. After eating ramen for the first time, Illina stuck out her tongue.


    ¡°Spicy!¡±


    ¡°Ah, was it too spicy for a kid?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid!¡±


    A small ice appeared above her tongue. Then, it became dew. So this was how she was drinking water! Although she did it effortlessly, it was nheless an amazing skill.


    ¡°Spicy. It¡¯s spicy... but it¡¯s hot. I couldn¡¯t eat anything hot after Mom died...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Warm... Delicious.¡±


    ¡°... *Sniffle*¡±


    ¡°Damn, the ramen is too spicy! It¡¯s making me cry!¡±


    Father, if you¡¯re going cry, do it quietly like Ludia and Sumire! Don¡¯t make dumb excuses!


    Illina then finished the ramen I gave her and even drank the entire soup. Looking at her reddened face, it was obvious that it was an expression of ¡®I finished it because it was hot, but I can¡¯t handle the spiciness.¡¯


    ¡°Do you want ice cream?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like ice cream. It¡¯s too cold.¡±


    ¡°Do you want caramel, then?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    While I delivered caramel to her with Ruyue, the party members were all watching this strange exchange. They were eating ramen while crying silently or wiping their eyes. Hwaya made an indiscernible expression and messaged me.


    [It¡¯s like you¡¯re taming her!]


    [... I can¡¯t deny that.]


    Illina finished the caramel as well. Her expression had be much more rxed thanks to the caramel¡¯s sweetness. At least, that was how it looked. Now was my chance.


    I asked.


    ¡°Illina, why did youe here?¡±


    ¡°The ajusshi from TV told me that people wouldn¡¯t die if I came here. I came in because I didn¡¯t want to kill people... but other people entered and died.¡±


    ¡°That son of a bitch.¡±


    I still didn¡¯t have the full picture. However, I somewhat understood. Illina caused many casualties, including her parents. The Russian government probably wanted to exploit her even if they had to make sacrifices. After all, any sacrifice was eptable in front of the SS ranker title.


    Of course, the sacrifices they had to make ended up being too big for them to handle. In the end, they decided to throw her away. ¡®Luckily,¡¯ an SS ranked gate had conveniently appeared. They probably hoped that she¡¯d die on her own.


    What I couldn¡¯t understand was why Guardian sent a team of ability users to conquer the dungeon. Did they try to exploit the Russian government¡¯s n?


    No, wait.


    ¡°Illina, when did youe in here?¡¯


    ¡°A month and a half ago.¡±


    It was about 3 weeks prior to when Guardian¡¯s team entered. I see, if they couldn¡¯t hear from her for three weeks, it made sense that they thought she was dead! However, that would mean Illina didn¡¯t eat properly for a month and a half. So an SS ranker¡¯s magic power was this powerful! Illina¡¯s seemed to be especially special.


    ¡°Shin, we...¡±


    ¡°I know, I was thinking the same thing.¡±


    After answering Hwaya, I looked at Illina. She also looked at me. Her indescribably mystical rose-pink eyes seemed to be sucking me in.


    ¡°Illina, if you want¡ª¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    While I was still talking, she suddenly bowed. I began to feel uneasy.


    ¡°Thanks to you, I had some pasta for the first time in a while.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t really pasta, but if you want, Illina, we can make you more.¡±


    ¡°Kind people and good people... I don¡¯t want to freeze people like them anymore.¡±


    ¡°Wait. We won¡¯t freeze even if you touch us! I can touch you directly! Plus, I have a friend that can control fire and heat¡ª¡±


    ¡°This ce is dangerous. You should run away.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Illina!¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    With that, she quickly disappeared. I couldn¡¯t feel her presence anymore. The only thing left was the bowl that had fallen to the ground.


    ¡°Damn, she just did a dine and dash...!¡±


    ¡°Shin, your ability to cloud the issue sometimes surprises me, but now isn¡¯t the time!¡±


    Hwaya looked even angrier than me. She gritted her teeth and shouted.


    ¡°Russia, those arrogant bastards! They didn¡¯t call me, the greatest fire ability user, to control an ice ability user!? They¡¯ll pay for this!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one clouding the issue!?¡±


    We argued for a while, forgetting about the matter with Illina. However, there was one thing we agreed on. It was that Guild Revival¡¯s tenth member had just been decided.

 Chapter 161. The Rondo of Scarlet Flame and Silver Ice (4)

    Chapter 161. The Rondo of Scarlet me and Silver Ice (4)


    After we finished eating and resting, we climbed the stairs. What awaited us was arge hall and giant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Of course, it was also made out of ice. In addition, there were thousands of ice bats hanging on the chandeliers. Although we took care of them easily, we became slightly worried, realizing that the castle might be much bigger than we anticipated.


    ¡°How long do we have left until uncleared Event Dungeons turn into Field Dungeons?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact time, but it shouldn¡¯t be long. Last time, they turned into Field Dungeons on the 61st day exactly.¡±


    ¡°And today is the 59th... No, 60th, right?¡±


    In other words, if we assumed that it was the same asst time, we had less than 24 hours until the Event Dungeon turned into a Field Dungeon. I didn¡¯t want to rush, but it was true that we had been taking it a bit leisurely.


    ¡°Should we split up?¡±


    ¡°No, we should prioritize our safety. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going toe out, so we should stick together.¡±


    Even if we werete and the dungeon turned into a Field Dungeon, it didn¡¯t mean that we would die. It was just that humanity would continually be afflicted with a hell hole. Mm, maybe the situation was serious after all.


    Personally, I thought we could more easily clear the Ice Castle if we had Illina by our side. After all, her ability was practically made for this ce. She didn¡¯t know that Event Dungeons could turn into Field Dungeons. If she did, she wouldn¡¯t have ignored me just now and would have lent her help. If we didn¡¯t clear the dungeon, the Field Dungeon might take countless people¡¯s lives.


    With a glimmer of hope, I tried to detect Illina¡¯s mana with Mana Detection. Of course, I couldn¡¯t do something like that suddenly.


    ¡°In that case...¡±


    ¡°Can I burn the entire castle down with my mes...?¡±


    ¡°No, before we use such a brute force method, we need to see if there are any survivors. At the very least, France¡¯s SS ranker might be alive.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think he got done in by Illina?¡±


    ¡°I hope that SS ranker didn¡¯t have an aggressive personality...¡±


    Considering Illina¡¯s temperament, it was unlikely that she attacked people first. It was probably her overly sensitive self-defense mechanism that poured in boundless mana of ice into whoever touched her. In other words, if France¡¯s SS ranker didn¡¯t try to touch her, he might still be alive.


    However, if he tried to capture her, seeing as how Illina was fine, he probably froze to death somewhere in this castle. Thawing someone and bringing them back to life was something only possible in science fiction novels. It wasn¡¯t something we could do. Once someone froze, they were dead. If a ranker died in a ce like this, that would be troublesome. Though, I wouldn¡¯t mind if it was Brightman or Bruno.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up from now.¡±


    ¡°Walking faster makes it colder...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but bear with it.¡±


    High stats were made tost in situations like this. For a month for me and two months for the others, we cleared hundreds of Event Dungeons without rest and obtained over 200 bonus stat points.


    We obtained the maximum amount of bonus stats from Event Dungeons ranked A+ or below, a feat that I would have thought was impossible. HP and MP. ording to what I heard from Loretta some time ago, there were some things one gained just by leveling up, depending on what dungeon he was in. Even without taking that into consideration, 200 bonus stats equaled 40 levels worth of stats. Although we each had our own strengths, we all had at least S ranked abilities. After gaining 200 bonus stats, it was safe to say that we had far surpassed the realm of human beings.


    Ordinary people would have instantly frozen to death just by stepping in this ce, but we onlyined that it was cold. After Ye-Eun became an ability user and a dungeon explorer, leveling up and increasing her stats, she probably never felt too ¡®hot¡¯ or ¡®cold.¡¯ When she came to this castle and felt the coldness she hasn¡¯t felt for a long time, she probably exaggerated it a little.


    ¡°So bear with it.¡±


    ¡°So? You can¡¯t say, ¡®so bear with it,¡¯ when you didn¡¯t say anything beforehand!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Damn, I was connecting my internal monologue with what I was saying aloud! But I thought everyone would still understand... Realizing that reality was different than my ideals, I despaired. Then, I exined to Ye-Eun about the reality of the ¡®cold¡¯ she was feeling.


    On the castle¡¯s 1st floor, we ran into what Illina casually mentioned. The armor made out of ice. I couldn¡¯t understand. Living armors were supposed to pretend like normal armors, then attack unsuspecting adventurers. But what was it disguising itself for when this castle was only full of traps!?


    In any case, there wasn¡¯t any time for questions. As spacious as the 1st floor was, it was filled with enemies, and had numerous ambushes set up.


    ¡°Eiit!¡±


    ¡°There are moreing to your left!¡±


    ¡°The chandelier is alive!¡±


    ¡°Uwoah, the wall is moving too!¡±


    This better not end like, ¡®Hey, the entire castle was a monster, too!¡¯ If it did, I¡¯m going to tear the castle apart!


    Thankfully, the chandelier and the wall were both disguised ice mimics. There really wasn¡¯t anything we could trust in this castle.


    At the same time, with us destroying every enemy in our path, the castle was getting noticeably cleaner. We ended up clearing the 1st floor in just 2 hours, much quicker than we took to clear the basement. Immediately afterward, we climbed up to the 2nd floor using the staircase we found on the west side of the castle¡¯s 1st floor.


    The 2nd floor didn¡¯t have a hall but had a long corridor with many rooms. Surprisingly, I could feel the presence of humans from them. It didn¡¯t belong to Illina! I urged the others on.


    ¡°There are survivors, let¡¯s hurry!¡±


    ¡°Shin, I¡¯ll just burn the 2nd floor! I¡¯m going to run out of mana, so make sure to catch me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks!¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s white mes spread out in all directions, and we ran toward the presence. The enemies we faced on the way were quickly taken care of by Hwaya¡¯s Army of mes. In exchange for our extremely quick advance, Hwaya was turning pale and was looking like she was about to faint.


    [Guaaaaaang!]


    After some time, bats, rats, paintings, chandeliers, and armors were all melted away by Hwaya¡¯s mes. We thus ran to the presence without hindrance, and soon arrived in front of arge door.


    [Uooooooooooh!]


    A giant golem standing in front of the door like a gatekeeper roared. It raised its giant ice mace but was melted by several white me beasts before it could swing it even once. It must have been pretty strong as it took a majority of the beasts with him.


    ¡°Shin, I¡¯m about to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hwaya!¡±


    As I thought, it seemed the Army of mes, especially one with her white mes, took a heavy toll on her body and mana. The moment the Army of mes disappeared, Hwaya fell backward powerlessly. I hurriedly ran behind her and caught her. Her body was cold. It was the symptom of one beingpletely out of mana.


    ¡°You can¡¯t move at all?¡±


    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s no choice. It might be a bit ufortable, but I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry you, unni! You must be morefortable with a girl than a guy, too!¡±


    ¡°Ye-Eun, you...!¡±


    When Hwaya responded to Ye-Eun touched, she silently smiled. Ye-Eun then made me get back and carried Hwaya on her back. To think they had developed such a close bond! I was touched. Next to me, however, Walker whispered to me seriously.


    ¡°Kang Shin, I think you should go die, kuuk!¡±


    ¡°Hm? What?¡±


    ¡°I feelplicated. I should cheer on unni, but...¡±


    ¡°N-No, it has to be Ludia. That way, there will be some hope for me...!¡±


    ¡°Eh...? What¡¯s happening?¡±


    When we opened the gate, the tragic scene in front of us was more than enough to shut out such trivial thoughts.


    ¡°My god.¡±


    ¡°So many people are...¡±


    Frozen corpses were everywhere. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if someone mistook them as ice sculptures. There were at least 40 of them, each with different faces, but the same miserable expressions. Was this Illina¡¯s doing? In front of the absurd horror, we couldn¡¯t hide our shock.


    ¡°Shin!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    As I thought, there was a survivor. He was in a miserable state, as he was frozen from his feet to his right under his nose. He noticed us and opened his eyes widely. He seemed to want to say something, but his mouth wouldn¡¯t open. In truth, I was shocked that he was still alive in such a state. I first made sure that there were no monsters nearby, then asked Ludia.


    ¡°Ludia, can you save him?¡±


    ¡°Not as he is now. We have to thaw him.¡±


    To think we¡¯d actually have to do it! In any case, it was probably better to move him to a safe area before we...


    KRRRRRR.


    A loud sound rang out. When we turned around, the door we opened was shut tightly. Plus, the surrounding had gotten even colder, so much so that even I could feel it. Was I mistaken? When I was about to move the man, father called out.


    ¡°Son, something¡¯s not right.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, father?¡±


    ¡°My fingertips are freezing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s serious...!¡±


    I immediately turned around and checked on father¡¯s status. Although he spoke nonchntly, it wasn¡¯t just father¡¯s problem. Aside from me and Hwaya, everyone¡¯s hands and feet were slowly freezing. In other words, the frozen corpses weren¡¯t caused by Illina, but by some other existence in this space!


    [Guuuuuuuu....!]


    [Kuhaa...]


    The corpses I thought were dead began to move while making strange noises. The Awakened¡¯s corpses were being used!


    ¡°Hwaya, how¡¯s your mana!?¡±


    ¡°I still need more time before it¡¯ll fill up!¡±


    ¡°Mana Elixir! Ludia!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t open... my inventory...!¡±


    Damn! If I could, I would open Ludia¡¯s inventory for her. However, inventories could only be opened by their owners. Could this be considered a status effect? If it was, I could dispel it with Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! However, after I thought about it, I realized that although Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry could cancel frostbite or paralysis from the cold, it could not prevent someone from being frozen. Plus, if I super-armored them haphazardly and forced them to move their frozen bodies, it could have devastating effect afterward. I didn¡¯t want to imagine such a thing happening.


    In that case, I could only do something about it myself! Frozen corpses. Seeing the ice zombies closing in, I bit my lips and dispersed my mana outward. No matter who or what was freezing us, something had to be caught!


    Then...


    [Humans... Humans always worry about their own lives in critical situations, so why do they all pretend to care about others?]


    A voice rang out. It was the voice of a boy that hadn¡¯t passed his puberty. It was a cold, frozen voice. I raised my head.


    [What do you think, human¡¯s Hero?]


    A pretty boy, who could be mistaken as a girl, was right in front of me. With a sour expression, he sometimes pulled on his shirt with his hands, as if he didn¡¯t like anything.


    [Well, you probably can¡¯t hear or see.]


    When I was about to say something, the closed door suddenly opened. Illina, who had disappeared three hours ago, was standing there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t... kill him.¡±


    [You...?]


    When the door opened, the boy became flustered and turned around. When I saw her, a relieved smile appeared on my face. I could feel her sincerity. Seeing her step up for someone who only gave her a bowl of ramen, I became certain that we didn¡¯t think wrong.


    I could feel the victory in the air. To make that victory more certain and to turn it into something happy, I took action.


    I decided to use the skill points I had been saving up.


    Author¡¯s note:


    The answer has already been given!

 Chapter 162. The Rondo of Scarlet Flame and Silver Ice (5)

    Chapter 162. The Rondo of Scarlet me and Silver Ice (5)


    [Why did youe, Ice Girl?]


    ¡°That person... don¡¯t kill him.¡±


    [To achieve your goal of not hurting humans with your ability, everyone here has to die!]


    The boy spread out his arms and epassed all members of Revival. Surprisingly, even though Illina couldn¡¯t have heard the boy, she instantly frowned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t... kill them...¡±


    [I see, I thought you were different, but in the end, you are also a human. A weak human, a human that can¡¯t keep her vows, a human that mes others for theirck of ability!]


    ¡°Don¡¯t... kill them!¡±


    Along with Illina¡¯s shout, a freezing wind blew inside the room. The first ones to get affected were the zombies running toward us. Though they were already frozen, they got stuck to the floor, then became cut to pieces by de-like ice crystals that appeared in mid-air. Her ability was truly powerful and unstable. That is, it was affecting us as well.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Un!]


    The moment the boy¡¯s power wavered, I summoned Ruyue. She seemed to instantly realize what she had to do, as she protected everyone with her ability.


    ¡°Can you thaw them?¡±


    [It¡¯s hard. We need to do something about that guy first!]


    ¡°Alright... leave it to me!¡±


    While Ruyue¡¯s elemental power surged up to protect all party members, the boy, who was fighting Illina, opened his eyes widely after seeing Ruyue.


    [An Elementalist!? Kuk... So you could hear me! I hate you even more now, die!]


    The boy¡¯s shout almost seemed like a shriek, as the room itself trembled. The freezing energy inside the room became stronger, shing with Illina¡¯s power and making it hard for me to see anything. Both Illina¡¯s and the boy¡¯s energy was immense, and Ruyue was busy trying to block their energies.


    It would be harder to hold out for long with just Ruyue¡¯ power. If I didn¡¯t do it now, it would be toote.


    I immediately took action. It was simple, as I just had to distribute 3 skill points to each skill.


    [You mastered mid-rank Spirit Aura! In addition to weapons and defensive equipment, you can now infuse elementals into your own body, amplifying your physical abilities!]


    [You learned high-rank Spirit Aura! While active, you can freely use mid-rank elemental magic. As the skill level increases, the amount of mana needed to infuse and maintain elementals in your body decreases and your ability amplification increases.]


    I somewhat expected it, but with high-rank Spirit Aura, it was really possible to infuse elementals into my own body. Although it would be good to have my weapon use Spirit Aura, I could now use chaos me-attribute aura. As such, bar for a few special asions, I didn¡¯t need to use Spirit Aura. It was good that I could now use Spirit Aura with my body.


    [You mastered mid-rank Elemental Control! Elementals not connected to your soul will listen to you attentively and will follow your orders if they do not have a master.]


    [You learned high-rank Elemental Control! You can draw out the potential of your contracted elementals to their maximum. You canmand free elementals as if they are your own.]


    Finally...


    [You mastered mid-rank Elemental Contract! You can perfectly draw out the true power of your contracted elementals!]


    [You learned high-rank Elemental Contract! Your contracted elementals¡¯ are released from high-ranked seals, and all elemental-rted techniques are greatly strengthened. The number of elementals you can contract increases by one.]


    Then, the wind blowing inside halted. When the wind disappeared, only Illina¡¯s ability remained, but soon, it was stopped.


    The boy looked back at me with a flustered expression. I grinned at him.


    [E....Eh?]


    ¡°Did you just notice?¡±


    [You... You can see me.]


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    [Im... Impossible.]


    The boy took a few steps back. I then heard relieved voices from behind me.


    ¡°W-Whew, I¡¯m alive.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you did, but thanks, son.¡±


    Mypanions, who were slowly freezing, were now thawing. Someone who could calm Illina¡¯s ability and bring about this change... I nced at Ruyue. Ruyue, who had materialized without my knowledge, was not in her wolf-form. Rather, she had the form of a girl, who had wolf ears and wolf tails... Huh?


    With a small face and delicate features, she looked just like a 17 year old girl. Perhaps because she was originally a wolf, she was incredibly well-developed. Her beautiful silver hair that looked like a wolf¡¯s manes was exuding a unique charm. Did beast-type elementals take human form when their high-ranked seals are undone?


    Thankfully, she was wearing a dress that was seemingly made out of leather. Seeing me tilt my head curiously, Ruyue widened her eyes, which were just as blue as when she was a wolf.


    [Shin, I became weird!]


    ¡°Yeah, I thought you¡¯d say that. You¡¯re the one who thawed the others, right?¡±


    [Yeah! I suddenly became stronger!]


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    [Hehehe. Praise me more!]


    Ruyue¡¯s ears fluttered happily as she ran into my embrace. Without thinking, I hugged her back and patted her head. Then, after realizing what had just happened, I became flustered. Although I had done it without much thought when she was a wolf, now that she had turned into a girl, the softness of her body and the stares I was getting werepletely different.


    Hwaya Mastiford, you¡¯re looking at me like I¡¯m some criminal! I¡¯m only being intimate with my elemental as her master!


    The one that seemed to be most in shock was the boy.


    [She... evolved!]


    ¡°Yeah, in a way, just for you.¡±


    [A-As I thought, you¡¯re... but...!]


    The boy shouted.


    [My contractor is already dead!]


    Damn! I see, if that wasn¡¯t the case, it wouldn¡¯t make sense that an elemental like him would be cooperating with monsters! Perhaps his contractor was... Wait, no. Something¡¯s strange... Ei! I can solve thatter! That wasn¡¯t the important thing right now!


    ¡°Just because you lost your contracted master, it doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t contract another one.¡±


    [My master will only be Pesina! Other than her, no one can touch me... Plus, you¡¯re a human! Throughout the long history, human Elementalist has never...]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m definitely an Elementalist, and you¡¯re definitely connected to me.¡±


    My very existence confused him, and at the same time, charmed him. That was what soul connection was. Just like how the maddened Ruyue returned to being a pure elemental when we met, now that this free elemental realized he was connected to me, he couldn¡¯t go back to how it was before.


    [No... I hate you!]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll listen to everything you want to say.¡±


    [No! Go away, I hate humans! Humans, who took Pesina away from me, should all die with monsters! Someone like you isn¡¯t my contractor!]


    As I thought, some bastards had harmed his contractor! It was then that he did somethingpletely unexpected.


    ¡°Shit, Illina!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    The free elemental had charged toward Illina, who was standing in front of the door. Damn, was he trying to forcefully possess her!? Although Illina couldn¡¯t see or hear the free elemental, considering how she noticed that there was someone else here the moment she came in the room, it seemed she could feel his mana. Of course, that was an amazing feat.. Regardless, if she couldn¡¯t detect his body, it would be hard to block him.


    I instantly activated Divine Speed and ran forward. Since mypanions had already thawed, they should be able to protect themselves against the zombies. What I had to do now was to protect Illina, who hade to save me and my friends.


    [Kuk! I will not contract a human! I will kill you soon, just you watch!]


    ¡°Shin!¡¯


    ¡°N-No!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Several shouts filled the room. The result was quickly shown.


    I reached Illina first, embracing her and rolling on the ground. As such, the elemental left the room without being able to reach his target. As the zombies had been swiftly taken care of, the only hostile thing left in the room was the freezing energy being emitted endlessly. Of course, Ruyue was easily controlling the freezing energy, preventing it from affecting everyone, and Ludia was hurriedly healing everyone who had almost be frozen.


    Illina, who was in my embrace, opened her eyes widely.


    As we were sprawled on the ground, I quickly got up and dusted her off. Meanwhile, Illina simply stared at me in shock.


    Once I got done dusting her off and stood up straight, she checked that I was fine, then tapped my arms like she couldn¡¯t believe it. She opened her trembling lips.


    ¡°Y-You won¡¯t freeze...¡±


    ¡°I told you I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You really won¡¯t freeze...?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Her mana was unnaturally enormous. It could be that staying in this dungeon for over a month had increased her ability, but regardless, the amount of mana she had neared the amount Hwaya and I had. She wasparable to me, even after I cleared so many Event Dungeons andpleted Event Raids! The energy she was emitting was undoubtedly not something ordinary people could endure. It was easy to see that it was hard for her to live a normal life.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if you¡¯re with me.¡±


    ¡°Really...?¡±


    ¡°Shin, can you not leave me out of it?¡±


    For someone who just recovered, Hwaya strut toward us. Illina became startled and tried to back away, but Hwaya quickly ced her hand on her head.


    ¡°Huhu, huhuhu! See, Shin! I won¡¯t freeze either! It¡¯s not just you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t really win against yourpetitiveness.¡±


    ¡°Excuse you, it¡¯s not because ofpetitiveness. I¡¯ve been wanting to pat her the moment I saw her! Remember, the first one to pat her was none other than... Mm? D-Don¡¯t cry! Sorry, did you not like it?¡±


    ¡°Hic, Hic...¡±


    Oh, no. Illina¡¯s red eyes were tearing up. I jokingly said to Hwaya.


    ¡°How can you make a little girl cry?¡±


    ¡°Y-You...!¡±


    ¡°Uu, uuaang...¡±


    Illina began to cry with a muffled voice. From it, I could feel her built up pain. She must have been crying like this all this time. Without anyone knowing, she must have cried inwardly to herself. Ever since the day she lost her parents...


    I made eye contact with Hwaya. She gestured with her chin, but I shook my head and gestured with my chin. After all, a girl should be better than a guy at consoling a child.


    Hwaya smiled as if she couldn¡¯t help it, and held Illina with both arms.


    ¡°There, there.¡±


    ¡°Uuuu... Hic...!¡±


    ¡°Let it all out. Illina, thank you for saving us. You¡¯re a good girl.¡±


    ¡°Uuu... uuuuang!¡±


    ¡°Good, good...¡±


    Well, she¡¯s all ready to be a mom! Seeing Hwaya perform better than I expected, I turned around to check how others were doing. Then, Illina held my sleeve. For the record, ¡®held¡¯ was just the way I put it. To be exact, a stream of ice had reached out from her hands to my shoulder part of my armor and pulled it.


    ¡°I-Illina...?¡±


    ¡°Hic, hic...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s asking where you¡¯re running away.¡±


    ¡°Is that what your ears heard?¡±


    With no other choice, I approached her. Illina, who was hugging Hwaya, reached out with one arm and embraced me. Although I stuck to Hwaya¡¯s body unintentionally, it seemed she didn¡¯t mind. Instead, the people watching us did. I, of course, ignored them. Illina was the top priority, right now.


    I reached out and patted Illina¡¯s back. Her tears seemed to have subsided as well. Because of how much she cried, her red eyes and turned even redder. Then, she murmured.


    ¡°Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Uh, mm... Illina? Sorry, but I¡¯m still¡ª¡±


    While I wore a dumbfounded expression, Illina turned to Hwaya and murmured.


    ¡°Mommy.¡±


    ¡°M-Mommy!? Kuk, no, mmm...!¡±


    ¡°Mommy.¡±


    ¡°... Are you calling us twice to assure yourself?¡±


    ¡°Daddy and Mommy...¡±


    Illina murmured and buried her face between us. My eyes met Hwaya¡¯s, and we dropped our shoulders and gave up. I had a suspicion that we would need to carry this title for a while.


    Early autumn, I, Kang Shin, 21 years old, had gotten a daughter. A foreigner at that!


    Author¡¯s note:


    Someone¡¯s going to say, ¡°Another harem member!?¡± But I will say, ¡°No, elementals aren¡¯t harem members!¡± Since their souls are connected, they¡¯re already one without needing to hit the bases...


    After being unsealed, Ruyue went from a wolf to a human. Here¡¯s a question. What about Peika...?


    Hint ¨C Remember the moment of their contract.


    By the way, after this part, we will have the poprity contest I talked about! We¡¯ll also be going back to the dungeon.

 Chapter 163. The Rondo of Scarlet Flame and Silver Ice (6)

    Chapter 163. The Rondo of Scarlet me and Silver Ice (6)


    Chapter 163. The Rondo of Scarlet me and Silver Ice (6)


    Although I wanted to wait until Illina fully calmed down, I was also anxious to save the surviving ability user. As such, as soon as Illina¡¯s crying subsided, I patted her head and told her, ¡°Illina, I¡¯m sorry, but there¡¯s someone I need to save. Stay with Hwaya for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Ina.¡±


    ¡°Ina?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Mommy and Daddy calls me.¡±


    ¡°... Okay, Ina. Wait a bit.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    After hearing me call her Ina, she let me go. Worrying that there was possibly no way out of this situation, I approached the ability user with worry. Although everyone else turned into ice zombies and shattered, he was still alive. However, he was in a much worse situation than before, as he was frozen up to his eyes. Thankfully, Ruyue¡¯s ability had gotten stronger at just the right time, and the freezing had stopped.


    When I approached the others, Walker was the first to speak to me teasingly.


    ¡°Oh, herees the father.¡±


    ¡°Walker, if you want to fight,e. I¡¯ll be happy to crush you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not cruel enough to injure a man with a daughter. Protect your home, Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°Walkeeeeeeer...!¡±


    On the other hand, Ludia shook her hand and denied what Walker said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ept it. She isn¡¯t my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯re not my wife either.¡±


    ¡°I want to pat Illina, too... Can I?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably freeze instantly.¡±


    ¡°Why is it only Shin and Hwaya unni...¡±


    Well, I could understand where Ye-Eun wasing from. Ina was small and cute and looked just like a princess from a fairy tale. Although people with albinism were suffering from a pain that people without albinism couldn¡¯t understand, with how pretty Ina was, it might be considered a blessing than a curse.


    Plus, with the amount of mana that rivaled an SSS rank¡¯s, she couldn¡¯t be feeling the pain ordinary people with albinism had. Although she had lost a lot in return, it would be different from now. I wanted to make sure that it would be.


    In any case, I had to treat this ability user that was on the verge of death.


    ¡°Ruyue, can you bring him back to normal with your ability?¡±


    [Un! But that yellow-head needs to help me.]


    Ruyue answered energetically and pointed at Ludia. To use her beautiful blonde hair to call her yellow-head... How bold, Ruyue!


    ¡°Ludia, help. We need to save him.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Because of my previous clear-cut refusal, Ludia¡¯s cheeks were puffed up. Even though she didn¡¯t answer me, she approached us, then pointed her staff at the ability user.


    ¡°What should I do, Wolf?¡±


    [I¡¯m Ruyue! I¡¯m not Wolf!]


    ¡°Yeah, Wolf. So what do I do?¡±


    [Shin, this yellow-head is calling me Wolf!]


    ¡°Can we just hurry up? If he really dies, it won¡¯t be funny...!¡±


    Although Ludia and Ruyue kept bickering, they still cooperated to heal the ability user. As Ruyue slowly thawed him, Ludia invigorated his mana and healed his injuries. Surprisingly, after a while, he began to operate his mana to help them, while his eyes were still closed. I wasn¡¯t sure when he was frozen, but he really was...


    About 10 minutes afterward, the man slowly opened his eyes after regaining his appearance. He was a handsome middle-aged man with blonde hair mixed with white streaks and grey eyes. This must be what people mean when they say that people ¡®aged well.¡¯


    ¡°Thank you for helping me. I thought I¡¯d die here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Revival¡¯s Yeon Hwawoo.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the greatest hero of this century. You¡¯re even better looking in person. Your eyes look soft but show strong will. It¡¯s an honor to meet you. I¡¯m Laz Michel, France¡¯s SS ranker.¡±


    He reached his hand out to me. When I held his hand, I instantly realized. He was a physical reinforcement type ability user!


    ¡°Was everyone in here yourrades?¡±


    ¡°There were others, but most of them were killed by the ice monsters.¡±


    As he said that, he stealthily stole a nce at Ina. Anyone other than me wouldn¡¯t have noticed. Although he didn¡¯t say anything aloud, I knew what he was hinting. I couldn¡¯t help but thank him for being considerate.


    Although he was being frozen to death, he had seen everything that happened. He knew Ina didn¡¯t want to kill people, and probably wouldn¡¯t touch the subject if we could control her ability.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to express my gratitude again. Really, thank you. I thought I¡¯d end my short life in this ce. I still have many things I want to enjoy!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great that we could save you before it was toote. I¡¯m sorry to say this to someone who just came back from the verge of death, but can you help us clear the gate? Having a powerful and reliable ability user such as yourself would be of great help to us.¡±


    ¡°Of course. In fact, I¡¯d like to ask if I could help. I¡¯m not the type of person who can sit still after being hit. I won¡¯t be satisfied if I don¡¯t get my revenge.¡±


    He grinned and held up his sword, which he had been holding even whilst he was frozen. For a one-handed sword, the sword¡¯s body was wide and thick. It was a bastard sword.


    ¡°I¡¯m confident in my ability to fight with my body.¡±


    ¡°Good to have you on board.¡±


    Once our introduction was over, Hwaya approached us with Ina in her arms. To be exact, Ina wouldn¡¯t let go of her. Now that she was done crying, Ina was practically in siege mode. Hwaya spoke with a voice mixed with happiness and distress.


    ¡°Get her off me!¡±


    ¡°Why? You guys look nice together. Better than her clinging on me.¡±


    ¡°Mommy¡¯s warm.¡±


    ¡°Well, she is a fire ability user...¡±


    Seeing Hwaya and Ina together really put a smile on my face, but there was something I had to tell Ina.


    ¡°Ina.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    When I called her, she seemed to have noticed that my tone was serious, as she looked up and stared at me.


    ¡°The guy that ran away. Have you talked to him before?¡±


    ¡°Un. He talked in an ice caterpir form.¡±


    As I thought, he could forcefully possess living creatures. It was something only mad elementals were capable of. Of course, once a mad elemental sessfully possessed a creature, non-Elementalists would be able to talk to them too.


    ¡°He lost someone important to him and hurt others because of it. I want to catch him before he makes any bigger mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Is he like me?¡±


    ¡°No, even if he¡¯s gone mad, he hurt and killed many people. He¡¯s not like Ina, who ran away because you didn¡¯t want to kill anyone.¡±


    ¡°But I killed lots of people, too. Everyone said that Ina is a bad kid. That the dead Mommy and Daddy would hate me, too.¡±


    Damn, everything she said was making me cry. What bastard said that to Ina? I tightened my grip on the spear and contemted about what to say to Ina. However, I couldn¡¯te up with anything. Hwaya hugged Ina in my stead and stroked her gently.


    ¡°Ina isn¡¯t a bad kid. No one is bad. You just couldn¡¯t control the power entrusted to you. I¡¯m sure that Mommy and Daddy who passed away wouldn¡¯t hate Ina.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m Ina¡¯s Mommy now. Don¡¯t you believe Mommy?¡±


    ¡°I do... Daddy, too?¡±


    She was acting like Ina¡¯s mom like it was natural. How funny. But since she consoled her perfectly, I let it slide. I also stroked Ina¡¯s head.


    ¡°Of course, Ina. No parent could ever hate their child.¡±


    When I turned around, father silently gave me a thumbs up. It was a bit embarrassing to say this in front of father, but... I was right, no parent could ever hate their child. A parent would love even a hateful child. That was just how parents were. I was sure that parents hadmitted a huge crime against their children in their past lives. Otherwise, their unconditional love couldn¡¯t be exined.


    Eit, this is too cheesy and embarrassing!


    ¡°Ina doesn¡¯t have to kill anyone now. We¡¯ll help you. Ina, I want to help him, too. Humans were the ones who made him turn mad. Since I¡¯m a human, I have to bring him back.¡±


    All elementals were born with nk tes. When they met their contractors, they would gain deeper emotions, but when their contractors died, or more specifically when their contractors met a tragic death like that boy¡¯s, the shock would easily turn them mad. It wasn¡¯t easy for elementals to go mad, but when they faced humans¡¯ desires, it would happen more easily. Perhaps that¡¯s why the number of human elementalists had decreased.


    Once an elemental turned mad, it was incredibly hard to bring it back to normal. Unless one could perfectly suppress it and drain it of all of its energy, there were only two ways to bring an elemental back to normal. That was to kill the elemental or to find a new contractor.


    When I first met Ruyue, I had nned to drain her energy and beat her until she snapped out, but after realizing that my soul was connected to hers, I contracted her. When I saw the boy, I realized that I was connected to him as well. After all, he wasn¡¯t materialized at the time.


    To maintain a materialized form without a contractor, an elemental had to use his own elemental power. That was fine if the elemental was in a ce full of elemental power like Fairy Garden, but that wasn¡¯t the case now. As such, he did not materialize and used the environment to its fullest to attack us. His true strength should be much stronger.


    That said, I couldn¡¯t understand why unique elementals I met after Peika were all mad elementals. Not to mention, they were all connected to me. Perhaps... Ei, let¡¯s think about thatter, too.


    ¡°To do that, Ina, we need your strength.¡±


    ¡°My strength?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I haven¡¯t told Ina yet, but this dungeon will soon appear on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Really? What should I do? I don¡¯t want to kill people anymore.¡±


    ¡°You just have to stay with us. I told you, right? I¡¯ll help you so that you don¡¯t hurt anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Ina¡¯s expression became bright. Did she not believe me before? It seemed I would need to say things to her multiple times. With a bitter smile, I continued.


    ¡°When this dungeon moves to Earth, we probably won¡¯t be able to meet him anymore. When more people die, it will be toote to go back. He¡¯s running away from me right now. He must have really loved his previous contractor, but if we don¡¯t capture him, he will hurt more people. I want to stop that from happening.¡±


    ¡°We have to catch him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Ina. Can you help?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    ... Perhaps, she didn¡¯t need long exnations. Now that I thought about it, she probably wasn¡¯t mature enough to understand everything I was saying. I didn¡¯t know why I was exining so seriously to a little girl. Ina suddenly raised her hand. I tilted my head and called her, as I couldn¡¯t understand what she was doing.


    ¡°Ina?¡±


    ¡°I caught him.¡±


    What? I looked at Hwaya. Then, I realized that the ce we were in wasn¡¯t the same as the previous ce. We were undoubtedly in a giant hall in the castle¡¯s 2nd floor, but the ce we were in had windows to the castle¡¯s outside. Seeing the height we were in and the ceiling that looked like a dome, I thought...


    ¡°Could this ce be... the highest floor!?¡±


    Everyone, including Hwaya, Guild Revival¡¯s members, and France¡¯s SS ranker Laz Michel, had all been teleported. Wait, does that mean...!? I looked around. Then, I was dumbfounded.


    [You¡¯re already here... Kuk!]


    [Girl, you changed your mind...?]


    I saw the elemental making a shocked expression and an army of ice armors filling up the area. What was most shocking was the throne on the innermost part of the room, and a giant ice armor sitting on it like a king.


    For an armor made out of ice, it was adorned with intricate engravings, which were glowing with red light. As I expected, this dungeon¡¯s boss wasn¡¯t the elemental!


    The giant armor looked at us and slowly got up. On his hand was a truly giant ice hammer.


    [Come. The Eternal Army will not fear thee.]


    Seeing it full of spirit, I turned around and looked back at Ina. Couldn¡¯t you have said something!? Without knowing how I was feeling, she puffed out her chest proudly.


    ¡°I can go anywhere I want inside here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good job...¡±


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t me her. I nned to raise my child with nothing butpliments!


    ¡°If anyone¡¯s not prepared, tell me. Ina should be able to teleport us again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°Same!¡±


    ¡°O power of the earth, bless us! Lend us your power! O Mitarus, bless us!¡±


    ¡°Haha, my targets are all here!¡±


    It seemed everyone was fully prepared. That was also the case for our enemies.


    [Good, I will kill you here and now. All of you humans!]


    [Don¡¯t act wildly on your own. Maintain your elegance. Soldiers, open your eyes.]


    The ice armors slowly got up. As they stood tall with their weapons, it was easy to tell they were much more orderly,pletely different than the ones we saw before. They were undoubtedly much stronger, too. I¡¯m sure that Ice Castle¡¯s environment had something to do with it, but each ice armor was overwhelmingly stronger than any of the bugs we met in Insect World. Now, there were about 200 of them. Even I couldn¡¯t stayx in such a situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to get wild.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, catch him. I¡¯ll catch the rest.¡±


    ¡°What, Ina?¡±


    ¡°Eit.¡±


    Ina widened her eyes in Hwaya¡¯s arms and grasped her hands in mid-air. Then, all 200 ice armors suddenly stopped. Could it... be?¡±


    ¡°Go back!¡±


    Even if youmand them like they¡¯re your pets... What? All 200 ice armors crumbled together!


    [You really are strong, Ice Witch! But I won¡¯t lose!]


    The giant armor gritted its teeth and shouted. Shockingly, the armors began to rise again. I could feel a frightening amount of mana moving. However, Ina pushed it back easily. As I thought, Ina was incredibly strong in this ce...!


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of them, Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll handle the boss. You stop the elemental!¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    I left the armors to Ina and Ina to Hwaya. Then, I stared at the elemental floating above and ring at me.


    ¡°You should be feeling it, too. Stop running away!¡±


    [I told you... Pesina is my only contractor!]


    He shouted in anger and emanated pressure in all directions. Kuk, I somewhat considered it with what happened in the previous room, but he really was a wind elemental! In any case, it was best to stop an elemental with another elemental. I called my partners.


    ¡°Peika, Ruyue!¡±


    [You called?]


    [Un!]


    I turned around. Once unsealed, it seemed they could maintain their appearance while they were in their spiritual form, as a miniature-sized wolf-eared girl and a dragon with beautiful scales were staring at me.


    ... Dragon!?


    Author¡¯s note:


    Let me exin! This chapter had a lot of exnations, so the author put in 160% of the normal chapter length to make up for it!


    Also, remember what Peika said when she and Shin first met? About Shin¡¯s soul being simr to hers!?


    This arc will end next chapter. Will a new elemental contract Shin!?

 Chapter 164. The Rondo of Scarlet Flame and Silver Ice (7)

    Chapter 164. The Rondo of Scarlet me and Silver Ice (7)


    ¡°Peika, what¡¯s with your appearance?¡±


    [My appearance? What do you me... Kyaaaak! When was the seal released!?]


    Seeing Peika screaming, I thought back to the moment we made our contract. Peika had said that the small dragon tattoo on her cheek was a creature closest to the essence of my soul. However, when I contracted Ruyue, the tattoo that appeared on her back wasn¡¯t a creature, but some geometric shape. At the time, I just thought it was different for a mad elemental, but...


    ¡°You... Did you lie?¡±


    [L-Lie? ... Y-Yes.]


    I was told elementals couldn¡¯t lie, but everything was a lie! Wait,e to think of it, elementals were the ones who told me that! Those liars!


    [But I thought you¡¯d hate me if my real body was a dragon!]


    ¡°Ai...¡±


    [Do you hate me? Un? Do you hate me?]


    ¡°Of course not. No matter what you guys really are, you¡¯re still my precious elementals. You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡±


    Peika looked noticeably relieved as she hugged my arm. It seemed coiling around my arm was her way of expressing affection. In truth, she looked very simr to a snake. If it wasn¡¯t for the two horns on her head and her marvelous scales, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell.


    The wind elemental, who was watching us, was acting strangely.


    [Hateful... You took her away from me, but you¡¯re together with elementals!]


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who took Pesina away from you!¡±


    [Unforgivable! All humans are the same. Humans took my Pesina away from me! They should all die!]


    It¡¯s getting worse! I quickly summoned Tria and flew up. At the same time, I infused Ruyue into my body since she couldn¡¯t fly when she materialized. For an instant, I felt my body getting cold. However, I could also feel myself getting stronger.


    [Wow, I became one with Shin!]


    ¡°Uh, yeah... Certainly, I feel much stronger.¡±


    I somewhat dodged Ruyue¡¯s awkwardment and focused on my next duty. It was to materialize Peika.


    [C-Can I materialize in my human form?]


    ¡°Whichever one is stronger.¡±


    [Uuu. O-Okay.]


    Soon, a ck dragon appeared in mid-air. With a body length of about 15 meters, she truly looked like a dragon from Eastern legends. The two horns on her head were continuously letting off sparks, and her ck scales were also brimming with lightning.


    Looking at Peika¡¯s awe-inspiring look, I widened my eyes. The amount of mana she was using up waspletely different than before. Ruyue also used more mana after she was unsealed, but it wasn¡¯t to this degree.


    Peika wasn¡¯tpletely unsealed. What was she really? I swallowed my question and hurriedly took out a highest-grade Mana Potion from my inventory and drank it. Although I was curious, that wasn¡¯t my priority.


    [Die... die!]


    [Fine, I¡¯ll beat you up until you¡¯re almost dead!]


    It seemed she wasn¡¯t happy with being in her dragon form, as Peika shouted angrily and charged at the elemental. He tried to blow her away with his wind, but Peika snorted and shot out lightning from her mouth. The lightning easily annihted the wind mixed with freezing energy and continued to hurl toward him. Peika shouted.


    [Try materializing!]


    [You think I can¡¯t!? But if I do...!]


    [If you¡¯re going to be stubborn and refuse to ept the world¡¯s greatest master, you better bet your life on it!]


    Peika was emitting an overwhelming pressure. The endless lightning shooting out from her body became spears that rushed to the wind elemental, and he could only run away. Even though he posed great danger to us in the 2nd floor, he couldn¡¯t do anything now.


    Would I have won if I just materialized Peika before? How did she get so strong!? No, I can¡¯t just stay here and let Peika do everything!


    ¡°Let¡¯s go before Peika really kills him!¡±


    [Un!]


    I kicked off the air with Tria¡¯s power and charged toward the elemental. In my hand was the Chaotic Spear.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk, I¡¯ll do it your way!¡±


    [Kuu... No, noooooo!]


    [Master, he¡¯s materializing!]


    His presence suddenly became bigger. The spear I thrust out was caught by the elemental¡¯s hand.


    [This... This is why I hate it!]


    I girl¡¯s voice rang out. At the same time, a giant wall of wind pushed toward me. I formed chaos mes and pushed away from the elemental¡¯s hand. I blocked the wall of wind and murmured in shock.


    ¡°You... I see.¡±


    An elemental that refused to materialize. Elements might not want to materialize for multiple reasons. I thought that a free elemental would refuse to do so as it didn¡¯t want to waste its elemental power. That was what I thought.


    But that wasn¡¯t the case for him. It was obvious from his appearance.


    Long ears and clear facial features, a slim, yet somewhat voluptuous, body. It was undoubtedly the appearance of a female elf. Boundless elemental power and mana. He possessed a mana that an elemental could not possibly have.


    ¡°You fused.¡±


    [Yeah, yeah, yeah! It¡¯s because of you humans! You tricked me by saying it¡¯ll help defeat the Demon Lord!]


    It was only obvious that he would go mad. Throughout history, the fusion of an elementalist and an elemental only brought about tragedy! This fusion was an evil magic,pletely different from infusing an elemental into one¡¯s body like I was doing with Spirit Aura.


    It was unlikely that an elf would do such a thing, so just he said, humans had to be involved. How irritating. First Ruyue, now him. Innocent elementals were hurt. The humans who made him like that must have died. There wasn¡¯t anyone for me vent my anger.


    [Do you realize now? DO YOU!?]


    [Why are you getting mad at my master! He¡¯s innocent, you idiot!]


    The reason ¡®he¡¯ kept a male appearance was probably to not subconsciously go back to that appearance. Fusing an elemental and an elementalist was already horrible. Whoever did so couldn¡¯t have made their sex different, as that would only increase uncertainties.


    [Pesina died in pain! I hate humans, I really hate humans!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Although it was unstable, the fused power of an elemental and an elementalist was truly powerful. The wind power instantly overwhelmed Peika¡¯s lightning and pushed her back. However, I gritted my teeth and charged toward him... no, her.


    ¡°How long do you n on tormenting her!?¡±


    [I¡¯m not tormenting Pesina!]


    ¡°Then remember your name! Let her go!¡±


    I swung my spear. The wind arrows hurling toward me were all burnt away, as I continued to fly toward her.


    [No, I don¡¯t want to lose her forever!]


    ¡°Are you going to torment her for eternity for a stupid reason like that, Sharana!?¡±


    Although I was the one that said it, I couldn¡¯t help but stop in shock. It was the same for the elemental... Sharana.


    [Ah, aaaaah!]


    She screamed. She suddenly began to shine. Then, I remembered how I knew her name. Right, in the dream I had to awaken my ability, I wasn¡¯t just with Peika and Ruyue. Sharana was there, too!


    ¡°God, to think Ciara would actually be helpful...¡±


    When I fought Ruyue, I barely made her remember her name after beating her up. Back then, I couldn¡¯t remember the dream at all. Feeling somewhat strange, I approached her.


    [Ah, aaaah.... Shara, Sharana...]


    ¡°Sharana!¡±


    The moment I shouted her name, something I didn¡¯t expect happened.


    [Pesina, let¡¯s stop. This person isn¡¯t your enemy... He¡¯s my new master.]


    A new clear voice rang out. She was calling me Master. It was then that I realized I had been gravely mistaken. The one I was facing wasn¡¯t Sharana. I should have realized when she attacked her contractor.


    She was Pesina, who was pretending to be Sharana.


    [Pesina, you can go back now. Look, someone who could save us came.]


    [Sharana, can you believe a human? I can¡¯t do it!]


    [Pesina, I don¡¯t want to see you in pain... He¡¯s right. We have to go back when we can.]


    Seeing two voices taking turns to talk in one body was somewhat surreal. I simply watched them quietly. Perhaps because Sharana spoke out, Pesina sounded a lot calmer.


    [Sharana... Is that okay with you?]


    [He¡¯s a good person. Look, he has two elementals that can materialize.]


    Her gaze fell on me. From beyond the elf body, I could feel the elemental, Sharana¡¯s eyes.


    [But you¡¯re human, like the humans who tormented me and Sharana!]


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a hobby of tormenting my elementals. Isn¡¯t that obvious from seeing me?¡±


    [But, I...!]


    [Pesina, let¡¯s stop hurting and rest. Okay?]


    Sharana¡¯s words silenced Pesina. Although mypanions were fighting around us, the area we were in was quiet. Even the strong winds had subsided, as we were waiting for her answer.


    Finally, Pesina opened her mouth.


    [I¡¯m...]


    [You¡¯re free now, Pesina.¡±


    [If Sharana¡¯s... okay with it...]


    [It¡¯s for Pesina and me.]


    [Okay...]


    With a voice of resignation, she reached her hand out toward me. While Peika was coiled up and watching us, I caught her hand.


    [I¡¯ll trust you onest time, Human.]


    ¡°Leave it to me, Pesina.¡±


    [Okay. Now, I¡¯ll rest...]


    Pesina¡¯s eyes slowly closed as she fell into my embrace. To be exact, their fusion had been released and her body fell after losing the power of its soul. With Pesina¡¯s ¡®corpse¡¯ in my arms, I looked around. There, I saw an elemental. Not an elemental who looked like a boy or looked like an elf, but a beautiful elemental who wore a dress weaved with the wind.


    I finally understood. The reason that Sharana, no, Pesina was in the form of a boy was to prevent Sharana froming out. Now that she was freed from Pesina, Sharana had regained her appearance.


    She looked like a lively girl in her teens, whose long green hair was split into two-side-up tails[1. Two-side-up is a twintail-like hairstyle, but slightly different. In two-side-up, the back hair isn¡¯t fully tied up like in a twintail. Look up ¡°anime two-side-up¡± hair.].


    [I¡¯m Sharana. Thank you for catching Pesina.]


    ¡°I¡¯m Kang Shin, nice to meet you. Also... it¡¯s only obvious that I show your past contractor respect.¡±


    First, I put Pesina into my inventory. I didn¡¯t know if I was going to bury her or cremate her, but leaving her body out in the open here would only damage it further. Sharana flew toward me and spoke.


    [Tomemorate Pesina¡¯s departure, I want to cry all night and sleep in Master¡¯s embrace. Can I do that after we sweep this ce?]


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±


    [Then let¡¯s first finish our contract, Master!]


    With that, Sharan flew toward me and kissed me on the lips. She was swift, as expected of a wind elemental. Feeling the scent of a cool breeze on my lips, I opened my eyes, while Peika screamed.


    [Ugyaaaaaak!]


    At that moment, a fanfare rang out in my ear. I felt like I hadn¡¯t heard it in a long time.


    [You formed a contract with the wind elemental Sharana! Your affinity to the wind element increases greatly!]


    [List of Contracted Elementals


    1. Peika ¨C Lightning elemental. Unique elemental. Materialized. First seal released. Second Awakening.


    2. Ruyue ¨C Ice elemental. Unique elemental. Materialized. Unsealed. Second Awakening.]


    3. Sharana ¨C Wind Elemental. Unique elemental. Materialized. Unsealed. Second Awakening.]


    Feeling the new power flowing through my body, I knew the contract between me and SHarana was made. At the same time, Sharana took my mana and began to materialize. She became taller and more mature. Her hair always became longer and fluttered in the air as the wind blew around her.


    Right, this was the normal unsealing. Ruyue and Peika were truly unique in this regard as they changed their form. Ruyue became a girl from a wolf and Peika became a dragon from a girl.


    [Wow, the seal was released right after we formed our contract! We must really be a perfect match, Master!]


    Sharana looked at her body with widened eyes, then hugged me excitedly. Mm, why did elementals¡¯ intimacy go through the roof as soon as they formed contracts? Strange, I didn¡¯t remember pulling the same card more than once.[2. I don¡¯t know what this is referencing. Perhaps some card game where you can ¡°evolve¡± or ¡°strengthen¡± the same card?]


    As Peika was ring at Sharana like she wanted to eat her, I pushed Sharana away slightly and answered.


    ¡°My affinity to wind was practically at the peak already.¡±


    It had been strengthened by many things, so it made sense that Sharana¡¯s seal was undone the moment we formed our contract. In any case, with Sharana no longer being a mad elemental, I was done with my job. I turned around to see how others were doing.


    [He was defeated!?]


    ¡°Ah, an opening!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so hard and cold!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re done, hurry up and help us!¡±


    [Ice Souls! Catch them!]


    ¡°Ludia, block them!¡±


    ¡°I told you, don¡¯t call me Ludia! O Mitarus, embrace this evil soul with your love!¡±


    [Ice Witch, take this!]


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Scarlet me


    The close-ranged attackers were all fighting the giant armor while dodging its hammer smashes. The long-ranged attackers were destroying the army of armor minions that the giant armor was endlessly creating, while also attacking the giant armor. It was a total pandemonium.


    ¡°Haaaaap! Heaven Copsing Strike!¡±


    [Hmph!]


    The spear father thrust out shed with the giant armor¡¯s hammer. A boom rang out. Meanwhile, Laz Michel charged toward the giant armor and struck down on its foot with his bastard sword.


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    [Kyaaaa!]


    ¡°Huu, now!¡±


    ¡°Hit and run, Shadow!¡±


    ¡°I know, Ajusshi!¡±


    [You can try to hurt me, but it¡¯s useless!]


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ming!¡±


    A giant scarlet me rose up above the giant armor. Focused on the area carved away by the others, the scarlet mes were slowly but surely devouring its body. The giant armor roared and summoned more minions, which were promptly melted by a wave of Ina¡¯s hand. Hwaya¡¯s mes and Ina¡¯s ice were dominating the battle.


    ¡°Peika, let¡¯s go in straight.¡±


    [Leave it to me, Master!]


    I formed chaos mes again and asked Sharana.


    ¡°Sharana, what are you most confident in?¡±


    [Master, I can make everything stronger. Colder ice, faster lightning, hotter lightning!]


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m sorry to ask you when you just materialized, but can you help us?¡±


    [dly!]


    Sharana¡¯s body seemed to scatter into thin air. In the next moment, the chaos mes began to rage as if to break through the ceiling. The chaos mes¡¯ power had almost doubled in an instant! Its powerful energy made everyone focus their attention toward me.


    [Elemental, so you choose to side with humans! Even though the Lord gave you a chance!]


    [Demon-ssi, I hate demons more than I hate humans! Let¡¯s go, Master!]


    I imbued all my mana into my spear. The giant armor sent armor minions after me, but they were easily blocked by Peika. While it was focused on me, mypanions attacked violently.


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Un!]


    If I was the only one here, I would have attacked with Crimson Roar, but that skill attacked everyone, whether foe or ally. As such, the next strongest attack was to use chaos mes!


    [I¡¯ll melt your fat armor!]


    [Like I¡¯d bow to a mere elemental!]


    While Peika and I were charging toward him together, Peika opened her mouth widely and elerated. She dodged the hammer it swung and bit down on its neck, immediately releasing a vast amount of lightning. For an instant, the spacious hall became dyed in gold.


    [Kuaaaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Attack now!¡±


    With the opening created by Peika, the attackers each left a grave injury on its body. Father used his shockwaves to break the ice forming its body, Ye-Eun and the others left cracks on its body with quick sessive attacks, and Laz Michel widened the cracks with his unexpectedly delicate control over his sword.


    [Freeze!]


    Even with Peika¡¯s full-force attack, it was daunted in the least. Its eyes shed and the air instantly became colder. However, we had our way of dealing with it.


    ¡°That won¡¯t work on us!¡±


    Along with Hwaya¡¯s sharp shout, the air began to heat up. The ice that tried to form were quickly sublimated to vapor, as foggy steam filled up the hall. At the heated air, the giant armor roared.


    [Kuaaaaaa!]


    It was then that I decided to make my move. Amidst the dense water vapor in the air, I charged toward the giant armor. It seemed it could clearly see me even in this fog, as it shed its eyes and shot its crumbling fist toward me.


    [I can see you, cowardly human!]


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that, so I prepared this specifically for you. Shadow Blink!¡±


    In the next moment, I was behind it. Using Divine Speed, I gained more time and focused the chaos aura and heroic aura to the tip of my spear. Then, I thrust forward!


    [Critical Hit!]


    My spear easily pierced through the giant armor¡¯s neck, which had been weakened by Ina and Hwaya¡¯s joint attack. A huge me erupted. Strengthened by Sharana¡¯s power, the inextinguishable me ignored its resistance and zed, eventually separating its neck from its body. It let out a death throe.


    [Kuaaaak! Y-You cowardly human!]


    ¡°Life¡¯s about the result, Fool.¡±


    As I swung my spear and shook off the chaos me, I murmured to myself like a cold city man. I was pretty cool if I said so myself.


    Immediately afterward, a fanfare rang out for all of us.


    [You defeated the Event Dungeon¡¯s boss monster, ¡®High-rank Demon Prote!¡¯]


    [4,000,000 gold will be distributed evenly among party members. You obtained 500,000 gold.]


    As the other party members were watching, I made a cool pose on top of the crumbling Prote¡¯s body. I knew what they wanted to say. It was probably why I was acting so cool or that my me was a cheat. But since I didn¡¯t get the first ce in contribution, it should be fine!


    I shouted inwardly and said to the others.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go home!¡±


    Our short, yet long, expedition had finallye to an end.


    Author¡¯s note:


    You must have a question after reading this chapter. Put it aside, as it will be revealed in the next arc.


    This arc hase to an end! We¡¯ll finish off the matter with Earth early next chapter and go back to the dungeon! Plus, since I promised to end the arc by this chapter, it¡¯s 200% the normal length! Hu, I¡¯ve gotten used to it by now... haha... ha...


    Trantor:


    ...


    Also, elementalist has been de-capitalized.

 Chapter 165. Double Crisis (1)

    Chapter 165. Double Crisis (1)


    When we came out of the dungeon, the Guardians¡¯ cheer was truly breaking through the heaven. This time, I felt like it was a true wee. Russia¡¯s prime minister also ran over as soon as he heard that the dungeon disappeared.


    Of course, as soon as he saw Ina in Hwaya¡¯s arms, he froze. Seeing him shaking, I winked and spoke.


    ¡°In exchange for taking care of Russia¡¯s SS ranked gate, Revival requests Russia to officially ept Illina Alexandrovna Mikhalova¡¯s citizenship renunciation. She has already asked to be naturalized to Korea.¡±


    There was only one eptable answer. I put so much effort into memorizing Illina¡¯s name that I would have smacked him if he didn¡¯t ept my request.


    We then split ways with Michel on a good note. Although Sharana wasn¡¯t at fault, she materialized and apologized sincerely. Before he got on his flight to France, he told me, ¡°It was a truly astonishing experience. A giant armor that can talk, an elemental, and a different world... You know more about it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. In theing days, I suspect that I will have to tell you about it and seek your help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen with my own eyes why your organization exists, so I won¡¯t doubt you. I hope the dayes soon. It seems it¡¯s much more serious than anyone could anticipate.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your thoughts.¡±


    After saying our goodbye to Michel, we went back home immediately. Sumire returned to Japan, Shuna went back to the guild house, Ye-Eun went back to her home (though she kept turning around and looking at me), and Walker went back to his new house, which was right next to ours.


    Then, a problem arose.


    ¡°Daddy, don¡¯t you live with Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Uh, mm...¡±


    Right, we weren¡¯t sure what to do with Ina.


    At first, I thought it would be easy since Hwaya said she¡¯d take care of her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her. My ce is pretty big for just me and my mom. I think Mom would like Ina, too.¡±


    ¡°Will you be okay? Isn¡¯t your mother an ordinary person?¡±


    ¡°M-Mother... Kuhum. O-Of course, I promised Ina, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... true.¡±


    This was the promise.


    First, I would appoint Ina to be a First Dungeon explorer. This had already been done. She was now a First Dungeon explorer.


    Second, Ina would quickly climb the dungeon and reach the 21st floor, when she would be able to enter the Residential Area.


    Third, we¡¯d invite her to the guild house. She¡¯d stay with Mommy (Hwaya) or Daddy (me) when she was on Earth, and stay in the dungeon or the guild house when we were both away.


    The third use was especially important. Without Hwaya or me, Ina would be treated as a dangerous ability user again. To help her live as a regr child, the third use was necessary. Though she couldn¡¯t really live as a regr child from the moment she was made a dungeon explorer.


    ¡°Plus, even if anything happens, I can quicklye back, so it¡¯s okay. With my power, I can save people as long as not much time has passed.¡±


    Hwaya spoke with a reddened face and hugged Ina again. Then, Ina tilted her head and reached out and grabbed my sleeve. As I wasn¡¯t wearing my armor, it was my actual sleeve.


    ¡°What about Daddy?¡±


    ¡°.... Hm?¡±


    ¡°Daddy¡¯sing too, right?¡±


    We became speechless for a moment. I wasn¡¯t sure how to exin this to her. However, Ina skillfully read the awkward air between Hwaya and me and asked.


    ¡°Are you having a divorce?¡±


    ¡°We never married in the first ce, Ina!¡±


    As much as Ina was hungry for affection, she was indulging herself and having us spoil her. Because of it, she felt younger than her actual age, but she wasn¡¯t a girl that couldn¡¯t understand reason. She should know that Hwaya and I aren¡¯t really husband and wife, nor that we were dating.


    Even so, I exined to Ina again to drive the point home. Ina then puffed her cheeks and said, ¡°But the two of you are a match made in heaven.¡±


    ¡°Where did you learn that phrase?¡±


    ¡°Mommy taught¡ª¡±


    When Ina was about to reply, Hwaya blocked her mouth naturally and pulled her into her embrace.


    ¡°Ina, Mommy told you about the guild house, right? You can see Daddy there.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t live together?¡±


    ¡°Ina, you can¡¯t be stubborn about this.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Ina helplessly nodded. Then, she gave me a peck on the cheek and made me promise.


    ¡°You have toe see me every day!¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll try, Ina. Every day might be hard though.¡±


    Beyond wasn¡¯t a ce I could clear so quickly. Even when I exined that to her, Ina sulked. Kids really were difficult.


    Before we all returned to our daily lives, I called the guild members together. We then held a funeral for Pesina in the guild¡¯s resort, Resting ce of the Angels. The funeral was a special ceremony for elementalists, and Sharana watched in her materialized form.


    It was something only possible when a fellow elementalist was present. In this funeral, elementals would gather in the corpse of the elementalist and they would sublimate the mana left in the corpse. The body would then naturally dissipate. The myth was that an elementalist that went through this funeral would reincarnate as an elemental.


    As it used up a lot of the helping elementalist¡¯s mana, it wasn¡¯t viable during battle. It was rare for there to even be an elementalist to help. In addition, most elementalists hated to this funeral ceremony to be seen by others. Thus, it was a rare sight.


    That said, the elementalist funeral ceremony was probably one of the most beautiful forms of funerals for humans.


    ¡°Elementals, light up the path forward for your friend.¡±


    [An elf elementalist!]


    [Poor girl, she couldn¡¯t die all this time.]


    [Prince said to help.]


    [This is my first time doing this!]


    Countless colorful elementals gathered in Pesina¡¯s corpse. In the process of naturally taking out her mana, the elementals shone with a light that even those who couldn¡¯t see elementals could see. It was almost as if a rainbow was being drawn above Pesina¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°Beautiful...!¡±


    ¡°My.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable, to think Kang Shin could show such a beautiful sight.¡±


    Except for Walker, the rest of Revival¡¯s members watched silently. It would have been nice if we could have held funerals for the rankers that died in the Event Dungeon, but their corpses became lost when the Event Dungeon disappeared.


    As time passed, the light became stronger. Eventually, the light began to diminish around a focal point. By the time the elementals stopped giving off light, Pesina¡¯s corpse became particles of light and scattered into the air. All mana left in her body had been used up.


    [Goodbye, Pesina. It was really fun being with you.]


    Sharana spoke with a cheerful voice and created a breeze to send the particles away. I couldn¡¯t help but ask Sharana.


    ¡°Will Pesina be reborn as an elemental?¡±


    [Yes. Since we even held an elemental funeral ceremony, I¡¯m sure of it. I¡¯d like to meet her again one day...]


    She murmured in a whisper, then bowed.


    [Thank you, Master. I didn¡¯t think you even knew about the elemental funeral ceremony.]


    ¡°Ites with being an elementalist. Though, I don¡¯t really know how I know.¡±


    I smiled bitterly and turned to look at the party members, who were still standing around with nk expressions.


    ¡°Thank you foring over, everyone. Let¡¯s enjoy a good tuna sashimi at the mansion and go back to exploring the dungeon!¡±


    I wanted to finish it soon. The melting tuna... no matter how much I ate, it wouldn¡¯t disappear! Hwaya and I were eating it whenever we could, but there was no end in sight. Perhaps I had to give some of it away to Fairy Garden.


    While everyone began to move, there was one person that continued to stand still. It was Ludia. When I approached her, she stood in ce and asked.


    ¡°Shin, what did you say was the name of the elf elementalist?¡±


    ¡°I told you, it¡¯s Pesina. Why?¡±


    I tilted my head and put my hand on her shoulder. She flinched as if she was slightly surprised, then became pale and asked.


    ¡°Shin, Pesina is the name of the legendary elf Hero who fought against the Demon Race in Luka continent 50 years ago...¡±


    I immediately ran to Loretta. Because I told her I would be away for a while, she had temporarily gone back to Fairy Garden. Thus, I had to run to Fairy Garden to meet her.


    ¡°Loretta!¡±


    When I opened the door to the log cabin, I saw Loretta and Lin drinking tea, and also a beautiful woman sitting right next to Lin. When Loretta saw me, she threw the teacup she was holding (the woman on the opposite side of her caught it with magic), and jumped toward me.


    ¡°Kyak, Shin-nim! I wanted to see you so mu... I, I mean! You took too long, stupid!¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see Loretta a lot too, but there¡¯s something more important right now.¡±


    ¡°You treated it like an unimportant matter again! Treating my feelings like tha... Wait, you said you wanted to see me a lot? Ehehe...¡±


    Loretta¡¯s expression quickly changed from a look of injustice to a blooming smile. Though it looked stupid, it was also quite cute. However, I didn¡¯t have the time right now.


    ¡°Wow... So this is Loretta¡¯s boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. He¡¯s a bit of an idiot, but he strangely attracts women. You be careful, too.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s like you, Lin.¡±


    ¡°You dare to make fun of a draconian? How bold. Good, follow me, I¡¯ll show you my rage.¡±


    I could hear Lin and the woman¡¯s chatter, but I ignored them and pulled off Loretta, who was rubbing her face on my chest as if to poke a hole through it.


    ¡°Loretta, you know I left to destroy Event Dungeons, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim told me about it. You became so strong, but you shouldn¡¯t trust your status too much. What¡¯s important is your level. No matter how overwhelming your stats arepared to an enemy, if your level is too low, the league of your soul will fundamentally pale inparison.¡±


    ¡°You can tell me about thatter in more detail. There¡¯s something I wanted to ask Loretta about that.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Shin-nim?¡±


    It seemed she realized that I was being serious. Loretta¡¯s eyes had also be serious. I calmly exined to her what happened. Meeting the elf elementalist Pesina and my new partner Sharana in the dungeon, and that they were both from the Luka continent.


    ¡°Is the Demon Army that attacked Luka continent also attacking Earth? Loretta, how can that be possible? The Demon Army only just conquered the Luka continent. How could they have been invading Earth since 2 years ago? Did they operate 2 separate armies? Or is there a warp in time that I¡¯m not aware of?¡±


    ¡°N-No, neither of them are true.¡±


    Loretta shook her head. Her lips were trembling.


    ¡°Oh, please, I can¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°Loretta.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t Earth¡¯s enemy. I¡¯m sure of this because only worlds that have lost their power can invade other worlds...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I heard an absurd secret. Wait, did that mean that the world¡¯s enemy was also residents of other worlds like us? Were they invading other worlds to steal their power? How did they lose their power in the first ce!?


    No, I could solve that mysteryter. The important thing now was...!


    ¡°Then why did an Earth¡¯s dungeon have a boss who served the Demon Lord?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious, kid? They can¡¯t pave a pathway themselves, but they can use the pathway that¡¯s already been drilled.¡±


    Lin responded in ce of Loretta, who was lost for words. His eyes shed with coldness.


    ¡°Your world is currently being attacked by two forces. Although it¡¯s rare, it¡¯s not like it hasn¡¯t happened before. Ones that got a taste of the world¡¯s power could easily turn their attention to other worlds¡¯ powers. Even after they achieved the continual existence of their world, they aren¡¯t satisfied and seek to obtain even greater powers. That¡¯s who you¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    He continued with a slightly trembling voice.


    ¡°We call that a Double Crisis. Simply put, you¡¯re fucked.¡±


    Author¡¯s note:


    I googled Double Crisis just in case and I got Pokemon... WHY!?


    Hello, this is Toika. The secret behind the world is being slowly revealed. A new administrative guild master has been revealed, though she hasn¡¯t been introduced yet! ICDS¡¯s setting is starting to be revealed!


    Double Crisis will be exined more in detail next chapter! Then, after that will be more dungeon conquering. Next chapter is pretty important so pay attention!


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    FYI, Korean authors put in asterisks for curse words becausews... But I didn¡¯t put f*ckers, because let¡¯s be real, we¡¯re all adults here.

 Chapter 166. Double Crisis (2)

    Chapter 166. Double Crisis (2)


    ¡°Originally, the invasion process is extremely slow. After all, there¡¯s a limit to the number of times that the pathway can be used before it can be used again. But once a Double Crisis urs, the dimensional pathway widens and the invasion speed elerates. The world that faces a Double Crisis then faces more enemies more quickly.¡±


    Loretta¡¯s exnation validated Lin¡¯s words. Just like he said, Earth looked pretty fucked.


    ¡°Shin-nim, tell me. How many Event Dungeons appeared this time?¡±


    ¡°About 300.¡±


    ¡°300... 300... The invasion of Earth began 1 year and 8 months ago, and it was about two and a half months ago that the Demon Army from the conquered Luka continent began to reach out to another world...¡±


    The woman who was talking to Lin responded instead of Loretta.


    ¡°It looks like one of the forces invading willpletely arrive in 2 years at least... Isn¡¯t your world over?¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Eleine.¡±


    Loretta said with a smile. The woman, Eleine, flinched. With that, their rtive positions were made clear.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. If it¡¯s Shin-nim, he might be able to do it... He¡¯spletely rewriting the dungeon¡¯s history. If he can climb to the end of the dungeon within 2 years...¡±


    ¡°Ha? You think he can conquer the First Dungeon, which has never been conquered, in just 2 years? What floor is he in? 98th?¡±


    ¡°54th.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s an explorer of Beyond.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The woman called Eleine had a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°Loretta, are you saying that for real? Or have you finally lost your mind? Fine, as an explorer of Beyond at just the 54th floor, it is true that he is a genius. I¡¯ll admit that. Even so, it¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s physically impossible. He can perhaps barely achieve it if he¡¯s given 200 years.¡±


    ¡°Just 1 year and 8 months ago, Shin-nim was on the 5th floor.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Oh, I knew that expression. That was the expression Ye-Eun had when I first told her about the dungeon. It was the, ¡®What the hell is this person saying?¡¯ kind of expression. However, Loretta gestured at her, as if it was a waste of time to exin things to her.


    ¡°Eleine, sorry, but leave. I don¡¯t want non-guild members to hear what I have to say from now.¡±


    ¡°You should know this, but Loretta...¡±


    ¡°Leave.¡±


    With that, Loretta gestured strongly with her hands. Eleine¡¯s words were interrupted and she faded away. With a harrumph, Loretta snorted and exined.


    ¡°That woman¡¯s is the guild master of the administrative guild, ¡®Lost Valley.¡¯ Ever since she fell for Lin, she would ignore her status as a guild master and visit Fairy Garden. You don¡¯t need to pay attention to a fool like her.¡±


    I had the feeling I knew a simr woman, but I didn¡¯t say it aloud. Loretta then began to drink her tea again. Meanwhile, I asked Lin to fix my equipment. As I hadn¡¯t done any equipment maintenance for one month, they were quite bruised. Lin scowled, but still epted my armor and began to work on it.


    Loretta, who was drinking tea, suddenly grit her teeth after seeing my armor.


    ¡°Lin, Shin-nim¡¯s equipment is old. For how long are you going to let him wear such lousy equipment?¡±


    ¡°Noonim, it hasn¡¯t been that long since I made them for him. Plus, they¡¯re Epic-grade items...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me say it twice.¡±


    ¡°Tsk... Understood. I¡¯ll make him better ones.¡±


    I had felt it before, but perhaps Loretta was quite a tyrant to those working for her. While I was thinking about their subordinate-superior rtionship, Lin red at me and spoke.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t do it for free. Bring me some reasonable material, something that would make me hit my knees and yell, ¡®That¡¯s it!¡¯¡±


    ¡°What would Lin be impressed by? me Drake?¡±


    ¡°Please. Where would I use that lizard? If you want to impress me with the type of creature, bring me a dragon or a peak-rank demon.¡±


    Lin snorted and answered. He made me remember something. I took out the corpse of the Demon Army Commander Shatuno, which I had just stuffed into my inventory.


    ¡°How about this, Lin?¡±


    The moment Lin saw Shatuno¡¯s corpse, he bit his lips and clenched his fists. Then, he muttered like he hated it.


    ¡°Damn, this is it...!¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you hitting your knees? Go on, I¡¯ll be watching. Do it.¡±


    ¡°Agh, how annoying!¡±


    Besides Shatuno¡¯s corpse, Lin took parts of the Evil Rhinoceros Beetle¡¯s carapace, the Cyclops Lord¡¯s skin and blood, and other monsters which were stuffed in my inventory. Then, he took Red Dragon Felixes¡¯ Cape, which was originally attached to the armor set.


    ¡°I¡¯ll refine the cape by adding the demon¡¯s skin. It looks like I¡¯ll be busy...¡±


    ¡°Great! It looks like you found yourself a job to do, Lin!¡±


    ¡°I already have a lot! Do you want to kill me, noonim!?¡±


    ¡°Ei, how could my Lin die from something like that? So hurry up~¡±


    Loretta pressured Lin with a bright smile. Lin scratched his head and let out a deep sigh before he got up.


    ¡°Damn it... Then I¡¯m going to go work on these. Oi, Kang Shin. It¡¯s going to take me a while, so live without a cape for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lin.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    He gave me a snort and left the cabin. Seeing his back, Loretta snickered.


    ¡°Lin must really like Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Which part of that conversation gave you that idea!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? No matter how much I plead, Lin never makes equipment for someone he hates.¡±


    I thought what Loretta did was more like threatening with authority than pleading, but I must have misunderstood. I was certain. It definitely wasn¡¯t because I was afraid of her Last Bullet of Extermination.


    ¡°Then, Shin-nim, let¡¯s go back to talking about the matter at hand.¡±


    Loretta put down her teacup, ced her hands on her knees, and looked at me intently. Her mystical eyes that asionally shed with light seemed to be examining me with worry.


    ¡°Um, don¡¯t worry too much about what Eleine said. It¡¯s not over yet.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    I remembered what we just talked about. However, the fact that 20 years had turned into 2 years didn¡¯t really strike me as real.


    2 years? I had to face someone like that Demon Lord in 2 years? Compared to the Luka continent¡¯s countless number of warriors, Earth was too ill-prepared. The ability users were not finished growing yet and there were only a few dungeon explorers. We could only now begin to look for trustworthy allies, but to think we only had 2 years left...


    Not to mention, the one behind this crisis was none other than the Demon Lord who attacked the Luka continent... I asked the suspicion I had since a while ago.


    ¡°Loretta...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a coincidence.¡±


    Loretta interrupted me.


    ¡°It¡¯s not because Shin-nim went as a Dimensional Mercenary. If that was enough to cause a Double Crisis, no one would want to be a Dimensional Mercenary.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m Earth¡¯s Hero. Could that have affected¡ª¡±


    ¡°No. Shin-nim, I can promise you. That¡¯s not it. Do you not trust me?¡±


    Loretta brought her face up to mine. Her golden eyes were shining like two bright gems. She was close enough for me to feel her breath. Seeing Loretta¡¯s resolute eyes, I shook my head.


    ¡°I trust you.¡±


    ¡°The Demon Lord probably doesn¡¯t know about Shin-nim¡¯s existence. He will only realize once he crosses over. He simply invaded another world through a pathway, which happened to lead to Earth. Please, trust me, Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I trust you.¡±


    ¡°Un... Good.¡±


    Loretta moved back with a satisfied expression. Then, she suddenly pped.


    ¡°Alright, then think about what you should do now!¡±


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    ¡°You should finish climbing the dungeon in 2 years!¡±


    She said it as if it was simple.


    ¡°If possible, your allies, too.¡±


    ¡°That sounds extremely difficult.¡±


    ¡°But Shin-nim is the only one qualified to enter Beyond, right? If it¡¯s just the First Dungeon, Shin-nim¡¯s friends might be able to seed with a monopoly over the blessings.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like it if that were the case.¡±


    ¡°If that happens, you have a great chance to seed. I can guarantee it.¡±


    ¡°You want us to do in just 2 years what other explorers couldn¡¯t in hundreds of years?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, Shin-nim¡¯s world wille to an end.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    When I became silent, Loretta also became silent. This time, the silence continued for a long time. When I couldn¡¯t handle the atmosphere anymore and was about to get up, Loretta opened her mouth.


    ¡°Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°If... If Shin-nim is scared... I...¡±


    ¡°... Loretta?¡±


    ¡°Even if you abandon your world, I won¡¯t me you.¡±


    I doubted my ears.


    ¡°Loretta.¡±


    ¡°It would go against the dungeon and the Lord¡¯s philosophy... but Shin-nim is more important to me. I, I won¡¯t me you, so if... if the burden gets too heavy... if Shin-nim can¡¯t bear it anymore...¡±


    I cut her off and asked.


    ¡°What happens if I run away?¡±


    ¡°... If a Hero stays in the dungeon for too long, it will be the same as his world losing its power.¡±


    ¡°In other words, the same thing that happened to the Luka continent will happen to Earth.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Her silence was the strongest affirmation. Seeing her reaction, I felt alleviated.


    Running away... It wasn¡¯t that I hadn¡¯t considered it. But if I did, what about my parents? Even if I made mother and Yua into dungeon explorers and brought them to the dungeon, what about my friends? Would they think the same way as me? If they didn¡¯t, would I be able to leave them behind and abandon Earth?


    No, of course not. I didn¡¯t n to in the first ce. Why did I have to abandon my friends and escape to the dungeon? Because of the Demon Lord? Because of the other unknown enemy? I should stay put in the dungeon because I was afraid of them? If I threw away what was important to me and survived, would the life I have be worth living?


    I was certain that the answer was no. I hated losing my freedom the most. No one could tie me down. I hated the people trying to restrain me because I was a Hero, but what I hated the most was throwing away my freedom because i was afraid of monsters.


    I grinned.


    ¡°You already know my answer, right?¡±


    ¡°But Shin-nim...¡±


    ¡°I decided. 2 years, right? Are you sure about that?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. It¡¯s 2 years at the earliest. But¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it within 2 years then.¡±


    I said lightly and smiled. Then, I wiped Loretta¡¯s eyes, which were beginning to tear up.


    ¡°Short and simple. If I can conquer the dungeon in 2 years, I can destroy whateveres my way, be it the Demon Lord or anything else.¡±


    ¡°B-But it doesn¡¯t have to be Shin-nim that does¡ª¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s only me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I know I can. So don¡¯t worry and just watch over me. I¡¯ll break through the dungeon and save the world. I¡¯ll be the coolest guy in the world.¡±


    ¡°Shin-niiim...¡±


    Loretta was still frowning. So, I continued.


    ¡°For Loretta, I¡¯ll make sure I seed.¡±


    ¡°For... me...?¡±


    ¡°Loretta, I¡¯m going to be different. Trust me.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim.¡±


    Loretta widened her eyes. With her already big eyes, she looked slightly scary.


    ¡°How did you...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to see.¡±


    ¡°N-No, Shi, Shin-nim, I, Shin-nim is the only, ah, uuk, did you perhaps meet, ahuk!¡±


    Loretta ended up biting her tongue. I couldn¡¯t help butugh seeing her clumsiness.


    ¡°I already know. Don¡¯t worry about something like that and wait. The First Dungeon¡¯s 54th floor and Beyonds¡¯ 4th floor. I¡¯ll first clear them ande back.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim.¡±


    I patted her head and continued.


    ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    ¡°... I trust you. I trust in Shin-nim¡¯s potential. So... let me keep supporting you.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Then, I¡¯ll be off.¡±


    I smiled and left the cabin. I heard Loretta¡¯s sniffling, but I didn¡¯t turn around.


    Now, it was the time to conquer the dungeon! Just you wait, 100th floor!


    ... By the way, I didn¡¯t propose to Loretta, did I!?


    Author¡¯s note:


    You waited long, everyone. This chapter was of Loretta, for Loretta, and with Loretta! This is what everyone wanted, right!?


    Shin¡¯s heart has been slightly revealed as well. If the others don¡¯t try harder, the fight for the heroine position might just end! We need those poprity contest votes!


    From the next chapter, we¡¯ll go full-speed to the upper levels of the dungeon. There will be Event Raids, other administrative guilds, other strong/famous guilds, etc. along the way, but those aren¡¯t important!


    Editor¡¯s note:


    Wooo loretta x shin ship is real

 Chapter 167. Double Crisis (3)

    Chapter 167. Double Crisis (3)


    Because it¡¯s been so long since I entered the dungeon, I¡¯ve almost forgotten what monsters appeared in the 50th floor range. Regardless, I met the giant humanoid monsters of the 54th floor head on and broke through in just one hour.


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    This was the first time I had broken through a dungeon floor in one hour. When I reached the Floor Shop and saw that Loretta wasn¡¯t back, I realized just how quickly I had broken through the 54th floor. Flustered, I looked back.


    [Huhu, this is my power, Master!]


    ¡°Yeah, Peika is really amazing.¡±


    [It¡¯s a good thing my seal was released!]


    It seemed like the biggest reason was that I charged through the floor by riding on a materialized Peika. When I materialized Peika, I didn¡¯t have the spare power to summon Ruyue or Sharana. I simply drank Mana Potions whenever they were off cooldown and scorched monsters in our way with chaos me. It was fine to use Peika¡¯s ability from time to time, but I was stillcking in mana to ride her and rush forward for dozens of minutes.


    This method would not work in Beyond. Just five stacks of Orc Lords¡¯ Warcries would turn our quick charge into a shortcut to death.


    ¡°Regardless, I need to clear the First Dungeon as quickly as possible. After all, Beyond inadvertently takes up more time.¡±


    I first dematerialized Peika and circted Peruta Circuit to restore mana and relieve fatigue. Now, climbing the First Dungeon wasn¡¯t so difficult. If it was, I would be troubled. I only had 2 years left. The less time I spent in the First Dungeon, the better. I needed to focus my time on conquering Beyond.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go once I¡¯m fully revitalized! My goal is to break through in 4 days!¡±


    [Master can do it if Master is with me! Master doesn¡¯t need the others!]


    I smiled at Peika¡¯s deration and patted her head. ¡®Sorry Peika, but I¡¯m going to need Ruyue and Sharana¡¯s power too for Beyond.¡¯


    On Beyond¡¯s 4th floor, both Orc Lords and Wraith Queens were waiting for me. I already knew how fierce Orc Lords were, but the Wraith Queens¡¯ mental attacks couldn¡¯t really affect me. Since the only physical attack they could do was shooting ectosms arrows, I felt that I could just ignore them. Of course, things didn¡¯t go as I expected.


    The Orc Lords¡¯ warcries affected all allies. In other words, the Wraith Queens were also strengthened. Their mental attacks weren¡¯t strengthened by much, but their ectosm arrows were extremely scary. Just a single one of them could break through my armor and shake my soul. If that wasn¡¯t enough, they were shooting hundreds of them at once, which bounced around and got strengthened further. It was like I was in hell.


    [Human! A human with a shining soul!]


    [Kuoooooo! Eat him!]


    [Handsome men are all enemies!]


    ¡°You bastards... including personal enmities...! Have a taste of my crossbow bolt!¡±


    My Spear Technique couldn¡¯t do much on Beyond 4th floor. Since the Wraith Queens shot hundreds of ectosm arrows at me whenever they saw me, I didn¡¯t have the chance to run into them and create whirlpools or whatnot. What I relied on was the Epic-grade crossbow, Perfect Hunter.


    [Perfect Hunter (Epic)


    Durability ¨C 351/360


    Attack ¨C 3,750


    Equipment Requirement ¨C Strength, Dexterity, Magic +150. Mid-rank Crossbow Marksmanship


    Option ¨C Strength +15, Dexterity +15, Magic +15. Adds wind attribute to bolt-based attacks. Attack speed +20%. Automatic reloading. Uses 10 mana to create mana bolts when the user is out of bolts.


    Skill ¨C Invisible Shooter: Makes the bolts invisible and removes sound and presence from bolts. Adds 30% bonus to speed and attack power.]


    Thankfully, Perfect Hunter already had a wind attribute bonus. When Sharana was infused into it, the wind attribute was strengthened even more, maximizing the speed and piercing power of the bolts. In addition, one couldn¡¯t see the bolts Perfect Hunter shot out. As a result, it was hard to dodge them and many only recognized the bolts once they were hit.


    [Kuaaaaaaaaang!]


    [Cowardly human!]


    [Kuaaaaa! Kill that human!]


    No matter how much they struggled and tried to kill me, they couldn¡¯t catch up to me in speed. The only thing they could do was to use Warcries and shoot out the strengthened ectosm arrows. But since ectosm arrows exploded upon contact, it was possible to shoot them down. I left Ruyue to this task. The countless ice crystals Ruyue created was perfect for blocking the ectosm arrows.


    [Elemental! Kill the elemental!]


    [Girls prettier than me should all die!]


    [Kill all the girls hanging around guys!]


    ... And the important thing was to purposefully let a few ectosm arrows go through.


    After I dodged them with acrobatic maneuvers, they would bounce around the walls and kill Wraith Queens or Orc Lords. It was simr to how I was dealing with them before.


    [Kyaaaaaak!]


    [My soul is being purified...!]


    ¡°How are you being purified by your own arrows... You¡¯re going to put exorcists out of business. Haat!¡±


    I busily maneuvered around, dodging their attacks and shooting out bolts. With my stats increased over thest month, I felt much lighter. It was why clearing the 4th floor was quicker than the 2nd floor. If I could control the ectosm arrows with Ruyue, the 4th floor was a piece of cake. That said, I couldn¡¯t continue this hit-and-run tactic forever. As I had to continue onward to find the pathway, it was possible that I had reached a dead-end.


    [Kuaaaaaang!]


    As expected, when I found myself in a dead-end, the Orc Lords shouted and charged at me, as if they were waiting for this moment. The Wraith Queens also shot out a countless number of ectosm arrows as they flew toward me. I ordered Ruyue to create a whirlpool of ice and used it to strike away the ectosm arrows. Then, I shouted.


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Thunder Ground!]


    A ck dragon appeared in the air. A thick bolt of lightning shed through the crowd of monsters. When the powerful lightning joined the ice crystals, it became stronger and spread out in all directions. The monsters all screamed in unison.


    [Kuaaaaaaaak!]


    ¡°Next up..!¡±


    I hung the crossbow on my waist and took out the Chaotic Spear from my back. Because the monsters were super-armored, they continued to run at me even as they screamed in pain. If I didn¡¯t kill them now, I would be trampled to death by them.


    ¡°Elemental Tempest!¡±


    Elementals gathered in my spear while chatting noisily. Peruta Circuit spun vehemently and covered my entire body in a whirlpool. I tamed the whirlpool of mana that seemed to want to explode and trapped it at the tip of my spear. As more elementals gathered, the spear shone with more and more brilliant light.


    [Die, humaaaaaaaan!]


    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t die even once...!¡±


    The moment they arrived in front of me, I released the storm of elementals. Almost as if I shot a cannon, a giant back st pushed me backward and made me hit the wall behind me. I groaned and checked my surroundings. If any of them were alive, I had to get them before they got me.


    However, after the storm passed, the pathway was still. Just like always, the monsters all disappeared without leaving a trace. Although they would respawn soon, there were currently no monsters within my detection range.


    ¡°... Good.¡±


    After confirming that no monsters survived, I put my spear away on my back. Then, with a deep sigh, I took out and drank a new Mana Potion. The highest-grade Mana Potion was delicious no matter how many times I drank it!


    ¡°Peika, I¡¯ll call you again.¡±


    [But I want to stay with Master.]


    ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s okay during battle, but it¡¯s hard to keep three elementals out at all times.¡±


    [Pii.]


    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡±


    I sent Peika back and quickly moved on. When I wasn¡¯t in battle, I infused Sharana into my body instead of the crossbow, so I could maximize my movement speed. If I used more mana, I could even fly. Tria¡¯s usefulness had somewhat disappeared. Though, if I summoned Tria, my speed would increase even more!


    [It looks like Master is very used to flying. Most elementalists have trouble when they fly for the first time.]


    ¡°I have something called Tria. It lets me fly for a fixed period of time every day. I was using it when I was fighting Pesina, too.¡±


    [Wow! Now that you mention it, you really were flying back then! You really are special, like having three elementals isn¡¯t enough...]


    While listening to Sharana and flying through the pathway, I shot a bolt toward the ground. The bolt then bounced around from the ground to the ceiling multiple times like a bouncy ball, then struck a corner of the wall with a mountain-crumbling force. Immediately afterward, a boom rang out along with a scream.


    [Kuaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Good. This zone is taken care of.¡±


    Using Mana Detection, I had detonated a trap I discovered and even killed an Orc Lord that was waiting around the corner. It was truly a satisfying feeling.


    [Kiaaaaaaaaaaa!]


    The Wraith Queens that were outside of the trap¡¯s range came out and began to shoot ectosm arrows. However, if they weren¡¯t strengthened by Warcries, I didn¡¯t even need to dodge them.


    ¡°Ruyue, shield!¡±


    [Crystal Guard!]


    I took out my spear and charged at the crowd of Wraith Queens. At the same time, Ruyue¡¯s ice crystals enveloped me like a cloud. I circted Peruta Circuit and activated Mad Typhoon. The whirlpool of mana mixed with the ice crystals disintegrated all ectosms arrows it touched.


    [Kyaaaaaaaak!]


    [Kill that human!]


    ¡°Haaaaaaap! de Rush!¡±


    Before I reached them, I activated de Rush. des then immediately protruded out from my mouth. I bumped into a Wraith Queen, tearing her to shreds. Then, the des shout out and tore apart the rest of them. Chaos mes swept over those that survived.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kyaaaaak!]


    ¡°Huu, how long do I have to listen to your screams?¡±


    I muttered and erased all traces of the Wraith Queens. The moment the monsters disappeared,plete silence once again arrived. I had gotten used to it by now. In Beyond, it suddenly became loud, then suddenly became silent. It was truly a capricious space.


    However, even though everything was proceeding smoothly, I couldn¡¯t be happy. Two days had passed since I entered Beyond¡¯s 4th floor. I was confident that I was advancing quickly, but I still hadn¡¯t seen a straight pathway. Though, I knew I was rushing thingspared to myst Beyond explorations.


    It seemed Ruyue had seen through my impatience, as she cheered me up.


    [Don¡¯t worry! Shin is very strong!]


    I wasn¡¯t sure what being strong had to do with it, but I knew she was trying to console me. I patted Ruyue, who materialized on her own ord and hugged me. Sharana, who was infused in my body, also added.


    [Even if Master doesn¡¯t hurry, Master is already very fast!]


    Her words were much more meaningful than Ruyue¡¯s. I made a bitter smile and nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. If I rush too much and die, it would be a true disaster. Thanks. Let¡¯s keep going at this pace.¡±


    The two year time limit was extremely stifling. I could no longer climb the dungeon solely based on my desire to improve myself. The fact that I had to save my friends and family continued to push me.


    Perhaps, it was acting as a poison. When the spear held up to protect freedom was weighed down by responsibility, it would lose its sharpness and swiftness. That would be truly foolish.


    ¡°Alright... Snap out of it and go!¡±


    I pped my cheeks with spirit and flew up again. I even summoned Tria. I wanted to push away some of this stifling feeling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Un!]


    [Yes, Master!]


    20 minutes after that, the straight pathway opened, and I broke through the corridor filled with Orc Lords and Wraith Queen using Crimson Roar and Elemental Tempest. I had broken through Beyond¡¯s 4th floor in two days. It was a pleasant surprise.


    Damn, I should¡¯ve waited a bit more! I wasted Tria!


    Author¡¯s note:


    Quickly, quickly, quickly!

 Chapter 168. Double Crisis (4)

    Chapter 168. Double Crisis (4)


    After clearing Beyond¡¯s 4th floor, I immediately continued to the First Dungeon¡¯s 55th floor, as I wanted to make use of the time I had left on Tria. While I was sweeping my way through the floor, I received a message from a friend for the first time in a while.


    [Crown Prince, are you listening?]


    ¡°Ah, Ren. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    [You¡¯re finally picked up. Did something happen recently?]


    It seemed he had messaged me a few times when I was busy clearing Event Dungeons. I must have really been busy if I didn¡¯t notice. I spoke with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been busy with things in my world.¡±


    [I see. Well, I¡¯m sure all explorers are busy in one way or another... So, what floor are you on?]


    ¡°I¡¯m about to challenge the 55th floor.¡±


    [... 55th floor?]


    Ren became flustered.


    [Just how busy were you? I¡¯m grinding the 55th floor¡¯s elixirs right now.]


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one thing, but I entered the dungeon above the First Dungeon.¡±


    [You mean Beyond!?]


    I couldn¡¯t hide my surprise that Ren knew about Beyond.


    ¡°How did you know, Ren!?¡±


    [My fath... M-My continent¡¯s Hero was Beyond¡¯s explorer. I see. When we first met and you told me you defeated the Lizard Knight alone, I suspected that this might happen, but to think it really would...]


    ¡°Ren...¡±


    Hm? Wait.


    ¡°Ren, did you also defeat all bosses alone until now? I didn¡¯t think you did.¡±


    [Of course. The reason I took so long breaking through the dungeon before I met Crown Prince was because of it. Fath... The Hero said I had to defeat the dungeons¡¯ bosses alone, so I defeated the Orc Lord and the Wraith Queen alone. It was just that I didn¡¯t grind the elixirs they dropped.]


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Because he was so happy when he defeated the Lizard Knight alone, I always thought that was the first time he defeated a Floor Master alone, but it seemed he was just happy he seeded without ever dying.


    [Did I never tell you about it? Regardless, meeting Crown Prince increased my dungeon clearing speed by dozens of times. I really can¡¯t thank you enough.]


    Putting aside the fact that he never told me about it until now, just what was Ren? The son of a Hero and master of a strong knight... Could Ren be a crown prince or something in his continent?


    Wait, Beyond currently only had three explorers. One was a woman and one was me. Then, could the other man be Ren¡¯s father!? I was curious, but I didn¡¯t feelfortable asking Ren about it.


    Surprisingly, the dense Ren seemed to have read my mind.


    [It¡¯s unlike Crown Prince to hesitate. My continent¡¯s Hero is dead.]


    I felt stifled.


    ¡°I... see.¡±


    [There was no time to transfer the position of Hero to me either. Our enemies¡¯ evil hands had already reached the upper echelons of our forces and there was nothing we could do.]


    The position of Hero was transferrable. Loretta had told me about it too. However, it wasn¡¯t something that could be transferred so easily. Both the receiver and the relinquisher had to meet certain conditions and it took a long time. Simply put, once one received the position of Hero, it was extremely difficult to hand it over to someone else.


    ¡°Ren, then...¡±


    [I already told you. I¡¯m the only explorer in Panan continent, including the Second, Third, and Fourth Dungeons. Of course, we have no Beyond explorers either.]


    ¡°Ren...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe that he could say what he was saying so nonchntly. The Hero was dead. There were no warriors who could reim the world¡¯s power. I could understand why Lebuik had escaped from Panan. In that case... why...


    ¡°Why are you staying in that world, Ren?¡±


    Ren became silent for a bit, then spoke. Rather than saying he was choosing his words, it seemed like he was making a vow to himself as he was exining to me.


    [Because... there are still things I need to protect there. That¡¯s why, Crown Prince.]


    Most likely, I would remember his words for the rest of my life.


    His resolute heart, expressing that he would not doubt his decisions and actions, caused me to feel respect for him. Thinking that I would never forget this moment, I said respectfully.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can help you with, tell me.¡±


    [Thank you, Crown Prince. I¡¯ll remember it. Hahaha, Crown Prince couldn¡¯t be more reliable.]


    After that, we chatted more about trifling matters and ended the conversation. I felt like a new courage had filled my heart. Thinking that Ren and I would develop into a special rtionship that was different than the one with currently had, I stopped in front of the 55th Floor Master room.


    The 55th Floor Master was an ogre. It wasrge and muscr, had rust colored skin, and was said to be the strongest of all biped monsters.


    Strangely, it had two heads, which was said to double his strength. I was curious how having an extra head doubled one¡¯s strength, but I didn¡¯t think anyone would answer me.


    ording to Ren, he sessfully overpowered it with his overwhelming strength. Though, he said he died two times before he seeded. As such, I opened the door feeling tense.


    ¡°Fight me!¡±


    [Kyahahahahaha!]


    As expected, there was only a giant ogre standing in a spacious wastnd. The moment it saw me, it screamed strangely and charged at me. Every time it stomped on the ground, the ground tremored. Feeling its strength from the ground, I couldn¡¯t help but be shocked.


    ¡°My god...!¡±


    It was weaker than an Orc Lord with 7 stacks of Warcry! This guy was a total weakling!


    [Kyahahahaha!]


    ¡°Peika, materialize!¡±


    [I¡¯ve been waiting, Master!]


    The moment Peika appeared in her dragon form, I jumped on her back and held the Chaotic Spear with both hands. Infused into it was none other than Sharana. With her, the chaos me attribute wasn¡¯t eaten up, as she could amplify it purely.


    The chaos me zed ominously and rose up in a whirlpool along with the vigor of Mad Typhoon. I took in a breath and squeezed Peika with my legs. It was the signal telling her to charge.


    [Uhuhuhu.]


    ¡°Peika, don¡¯t make weird noises and charge! There¡¯s only one reason I materialized you!¡±


    [Short-term fight, right? Okay, I¡¯m going now!]


    [Kyahahahaha!]


    I didn¡¯t know what it found soughable, but the Twin-headed Ogre continued tough as it approached me. As the saying, ¡®fools rush in where angels fear to tread,¡¯ went, this was exactly that. Plus,pared to the Orc Lord, it wasn¡¯t even that fast!


    ¡°Eat this!¡±


    [Kyahaha!]


    When Peika shot toward it like an arrow and sted it with a lightning bolt, it raised its arms and crossed them to block it. Ogre skin was famous for being highly resilient, and this guy was also a Floor Master. I wondered if it would easily block Peika¡¯s lightning, but it seemed the unsealed Peika¡¯s lightning waspletely different than her old lightning. It instantly pierced through the skin¡¯s resistance and electrocuted the ogre.


    [Kyaaaaak!]


    ¡°Now that¡¯s what I wanted to hear! Tempest!¡±


    When it let out a bloodcurdling scream and stepped back, I shot the me whirlpool enveloping my spear forward! It blocked the Tempest I aimed at its left head with its arm, but the chaos me devoured its entire right arm and began to scorch it.


    [Kyaaaahak!]


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Leave it to me!]


    The ogre screamed and swung its arm toward us. Although there was no way we would be hit by it, when its menacing ws cut through the air, they drew glowing traces of ck aura, which flew toward Peika and me. Peika then skillfully maneuvered its body and dodged the attacks before she spat out another lightning bolt.


    [Kyahahahak!]


    ¡°Not enough!¡±


    I still had most of my mana remaining. I gripped my spear tightly and fiercely circted Peruta Circuit so that the spinning sound was even audible from the outside. In an instant, another whirlpool of me shot up around the spear.


    [Master, the w attack ising again!]


    ¡°What, damn it!¡±


    [Kyaaaaaaaa!]


    It seemed to disregard the me devouring its right arm as it swung its arms violently. With every swing, five aura streams shot toward me. In the end, dozens of aura streams were flying toward me. Peika hurriedly flew up to dodge them, but she soon clicked her tongue.


    [Master, the auras are changing direction and following me!]


    ¡°Turn around and charge toward him!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be strong physically? How? He¡¯s just ying with auras! I gritted my teeth and tightened my legs around Peika¡¯s back to fasten myself.


    [Ehe, I can die happy now!]


    ¡°You can¡¯t die, Peika!¡±


    Peika¡¯s body shone with a golden light and discharged lightning. Countless bolts of lightning flickered and dealt lightning damage to the ogre, paralyzing it.


    [Kuoooooooo!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Even so, it managed to raise its left arm against me! I instantly widened my eyes and controlled Peika to dodge its thick arm. Although it was weaker than the Orc Lord, it was still true that it was stronger than me in terms of pure strength. If I faced its attack with my spear, I couldn¡¯t guarantee my shoulder¡¯s safety. Thankfully, Mad Typhoon could damage my enemies without ever needing to touch them.


    [Kyagagagak!]


    When it realized it missed, it turned its left head toward me and swung its arm once more. However, its stance was already ruined. I leapt forward strongly and thrust my spear out in full force. The chaos me enveloping the spear swept over it as if to devour it whole.


    ¡°I¡¯ll burn your arms off!¡±


    After we sessfully left chaos mes in its left arm, we brushed past its body. Then, we heard the aura streams it flew out striking its body and exploding. Peika instantly turned around and charged toward it again.


    [Master, attack!]


    ¡°I¡¯m already on it!¡±


    When I imbued my spear full of aura, Sharana cheered and expanded the chaos mes more strongly. Enveloped by the reddish ck whirlpool of me, the Chaotic Spear looked like a dragon.


    However, the Twin-headed Ogre didn¡¯t seem to want to lose so easily. Although its arms were being eroded by the chaos mes and letting out a strange smell, it raised its arms without a care in the world and screamed.


    [Twin-headed Ogre used ¡®Ogre Power¡¯! Its strength doubles for a period of time!]


    ¡°Wow!¡±


    A skill I really wanted popped out! My eye¡¯s sparkled as I pulled my spear back. With that skill, I could control Gigantic freely!


    [Master, that guy got super strong!]


    ¡°Can you block him, Peika?¡±


    [... Of course!]


    It sped its hands and struck down on the ground. The ground then sprung up. It was almost as if it used Duhan¡¯s Outburst skill, except with its bare fists. However, the lightning shooting out of Peika¡¯s body perfectly struck the earth shards away.


    [Master, are we dodging?]


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t need to waste our time on this guy. Charge!¡±


    Without replying, Peika increased her speed and charged toward the ogre. I also raised my spear high up in the air. Above the whirlpool of chaos mes, white mes began to ze. The Twin-headed Ogre spread its arms out and ran toward me. It seemed it wanted to capture me, but that definitely wouldn¡¯t happen!


    ¡°Sorry, but... you¡¯re nothing more than a smallfry!¡±


    [Kaooooooo!]


    BOOM!


    It smashed its arms against each other. Some of the chaos mes around it even fell off because of it! However, immediately before it did so, Peika dematerialized and dropped me, letting me dodge its arms perfectly. Its attack brushed past my head and could only pick off a few strands of my hair.


    Before Inded on the ground, I saw a good target. As expected of a wild ogre, there was something asserting its presence on its uncovered body! Damn, where¡¯s the mosaic!? Otherwise...!


    ¡°Take this! Egg... Breaker!!¡±


    The me whirlpool elerated to the limit with Mad Typhoon, didn¡¯t just break, but rather ravaged and ground everything it touched. I dodged the blood, skin, and bone waste flying about everywhere andnded on the ground. Then, I let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Whew. The spear hit an unfortunate area. From now, Teacher Ogre can never have a child... In other words, he cannot ever have a sexual rtionship.¡±


    [Kya, Kyaaaaaak!]


    I shook my head and held up my spear. The Twin-headed Ogre could no longer makeughing noises.


    It was already dead. Both mentally and physically.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Panan continent wille up again soon... ^^


    PS ¨C The poprity contest has been pushed back to next Monday! Along with the new chapter for that day, the chapters¡¯ments will be used for poprity contest so pay attention! ^^


    PS2 ¨C Background on Ren has been modified a bit. It was said that he defeated the Floor Master alone for the first time on the 20th floor, but that part has been changed. It was a mistake as I hadn¡¯t fleshed out the details on Ren back then... You¡¯ll forgive me, right?


    PS3 ¨C No, Shin... That¡¯s a g you don¡¯t want to raise!


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    We¡¯ll do our poprity contest using a strawpoll. I¡¯ll leave it as the trantor note when the chapter the author is talking aboutes (chapter 171).

 Chapter 169. Double Crisis (5)

    Chapter 169. Double Crisis (5)


    [You became level 56. You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond¡¯s 5th floor.]


    [Amazing! You are the first in First Dungeon¡¯s history to seed in soloing the Twin-headed Ogre on the first try! The dungeon will remember you as a Great Explorer. You obtained 2 skill point as a reward. Remaining skill points: 20]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Twin-headed Ogre Master.¡¯ All stats increase by 2. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You defeated the Twin-headed Ogre alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Leather Pants.¡¯]


    [You obtained 350,000 gold.]


    [You received the only reward left hidden by the First Explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 1.]


    [Secret. Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo]


    I was ecstatic that no one had gotten the first achievement for the 55th floor. Not to mention, the reward was a tattoo! I happily chose the reward. Immediately, my arms began to heat up. The Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo was engraved on my legs, but it seemed the Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo was for my arms. I took off my armor and checked the tattoo. Streaks of red lines were being drawn on my arms.


    [You obtained the Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo. Your strength increases by 15%, and once per day, you can add 50% damage to a close-ranged skill.]


    ¡°I¡¯m... full of power!¡±


    I tried to look cool and made a pose showing off my muscles. Feeling the strength surging through my body, I nodded in satisfaction. Then, I put my armor back on. What reward did Ren get? Since he didn¡¯t get the first reward, could it be a single-headed ogre tattoo?


    In any case, I had no longer had any business in the boss room. Peika, who had dematerialized and returned to her small dragon form, coiled around my arm, as I walked out of the room. When Loretta saw me from the Floor Shop, she pped her ears and weed me. Though I¡¯d seen it many times by now, the ways her ears pped were always amusing. I thought, ¡®I¡¯m curious about elves¡¯ muscle structure! Could it be that Elf Queen¡¯s had different muscle structure?¡¯


    ¡°Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°You were really quick. The Twin-headed Ogre shouldn¡¯t have been an easy enemy.¡±


    ¡°Compared to the Orc Lords, he wasn¡¯t anything.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha...¡±


    Loretta smiled wryly, then seemed to remember something as she said, ¡°Shin-nim. Now that I think about it, I forgot to ask you. I¡¯m sorry to make Shin-nim even busier, but I think Shin-nim would like it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need the lecture.¡±


    ¡°Okay. So, if you could fight Floor Masters more than three times per day, would you?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    I nodded my head vigorously and pushed my face toward hers. Then, feeling embarrassed, I pulled back, but Loretta lookedpletely unaffected as she took something out of her pocket. It was a stack of glowing golden paper!


    ¡°Fighting a Floor Master three times every day, but never get tired! The Floor Shop has specially prepared an item just for you! Ten times! Ten times per day! This entrance ticket for high-ranking explorers is iparable to the average entrance ticket. It is called, ¡®Ten Times a Day, You Monster...!¡¯ Now, each ticket is only 100,000 gold! Don¡¯t miss this chance!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy it, so change the name immediately! Change it!¡±


    Make it a simplebination of adjective and noun! Who¡¯s the one that named it! Bring that person to me now!


    The entrance ticket¡¯s name was quite disturbing, but since it was exactly what I needed, I bought it anyway. Using all the money I had, I bought 400 tickets. Since I got 350,000 gold per raid, each of them would be a 250,000 gold profit.


    If I used all this money on Earth instead of the dungeon, the market would undoubtedly crash. It still felt unrealistic that the gold from the dungeon could be exchanged for Earth¡¯s currency.


    ¡°You really bought it. I knew my eyes weren¡¯t wrong! So many ¡®Ten Times a Day, You Monster...!¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Change the name!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it? Eleine said it was her best work...¡±


    ¡°Alright, let me go beat her up now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Eleine should be hard for Shin-nim right now, so wait until Shin-nim¡¯s level 90! No, since Shin-nim is in Beyond, level 80 might be enough!¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the advice, Loretta...¡±


    That Eleine woman looked frail. To think she would be that strong... Since Loretta chased her away with a single wave of her hand, just how strong was Loretta? As if to stop my train of thought, Loretta stared at my face fixedly.


    ¡°Will you be okay? Fighting the Floor Master ten times a day isn¡¯t something to scoff at. I shouldn¡¯t say this as the seller, but you¡¯ll be exhausted...¡±


    ¡°The more time I save on the First Dungeon, the more time I can invest into Beyond. So, of course, I should do it. Isn¡¯t that why you brought them to me, Loretta?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true... but...¡±


    Loretta¡¯s ears drooped slightly. I smiled and patted her head.


    ¡°Thanks anyway. You can¡¯t sell this to just anyone, right?¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m the one who asked Shin-nim to do such a difficult task, so it¡¯s only right that I support Shin-nim to the best of my ability... Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯m off.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Are you leaving? W-Where? Aren¡¯t you fighting the Floor Master again?¡±


    ¡°N-No, there¡¯s someone I need to meet...¡±


    ¡°... A girl?¡±


    Loretta¡¯s soft and flowery eyes quickly turned into the sharp cold eyes of a solitary assassin. It was seriously scary.


    ¡°S-She¡¯s technically a girl.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Meeting a girl instead of fighting Floor Masters. I¡¯m quite curious as to who it could be, huhu.¡±


    ¡°Loretta, can you put the battle axe back in the Floor Shop and calm down? She¡¯s only nine years old.¡±


    ¡°9!? N-No, I¡¯m almost 300 times... K-Kuhum!¡±


    I erased what I just heard from my head and chanted the sentence, ¡®Loretta¡¯s 17 years old,¡¯ when Loretta asked with teary eyes.


    ¡°Does Shin-nim like younger girls? That¡¯s cheap. I can¡¯t do anything about that!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m like a father to her. It¡¯s not what Loretta¡¯s thinking about, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°... Father?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Loretta made a radiant smile and took out two giant battle axes from the back of the Floor Shop. Carrying a weapon on each hand! This woman, she¡¯s serious!


    ¡°Huhu, to deliver another hook punch right after the first. Shin-nim is really amazing. Now, if you obediently tell me who the mother is, you¡¯ll only see a single person¡¯s blood.¡±


    ¡°You mean you¡¯re going to kill her, right!? You¡¯re killing that person, right!?¡±


    In the end, I didn¡¯t say Hwaya¡¯s name. I knew Loretta wouldn¡¯t really hurt her, but I was worried that Hwaya would be in trouble when she crossed over to the First Dungeon and met Loretta. Although I wanted to trust Loretta, she was clearly not thinking straight with those two axes of hers. I dodged her charging toward me and hurriedly escaped to Marianne¡¯s Garden.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ina.¡±


    As I had already told Hwaya and Ina that I would be back soon, the moment I arrived, I was greeted by Ina¡¯s headbutt. She smiled happily and rubbed her face on my cheek. For the record, Ina could use her mana to move extremely quickly. Though, she couldn¡¯t teleport like when she was in Ice Castle. She was simr to Hwaya in many ways.


    No matter how outstanding her ability was, if she continued moving like that and hunting monsters, she would run out of mana. Fortunately, HP and MP werepletely restored when a floor was cleared. As such, Ina was already on the 22nd floor on just her second day. We may have created an unbelievable monster.


    I originally nned toe as soon as I finished Beyond¡¯s 4th floor, but I ended up taking three more hours because I didn¡¯t want to waste Tria. I made a wry smile at the slight sense of guilt, as I patted Ina¡¯s back.


    ¡°How are you so fast, Shin? Didn¡¯t you say it could take over a week?¡±


    Hwaya appeared behind Ina and asked. Since she was still wearing her battle dress, it seemed she had juste back from the dungeon.


    ¡°There¡¯s... a reason that I have to hurry a bit more.¡±


    ¡°A reason to hurry?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... This is a good chance. I¡¯ll tell you first.¡±


    ¡°Just me?¡±


    ¡°The others might not be ready for it. I feel like you won¡¯t be shaken that much even if I told you.¡±


    Hwaya puffed out her chest, apparently happy with what I said. She really was weak topliments.


    ¡°You can tell me anything! I¡¯ll hear you out, huhuhu!¡±


    I patted Ina a few times since she was asking for my attention. Then, I messaged Hwaya.


    [The enemies we faced in thest Event Dungeon was from the Luka continent¡¯s Demon Army. Ludia told me about it, and I looked more into it, so I¡¯m sure.]


    [Luka continent...? Where Ludia used to live?]


    [Yeah.]


    [Eh... Doesn¡¯t that mean Ludia knows about this too?]


    Why was she sad about that? As Ina kept poking my face, I tickled her for revenge.


    ¡°Kiki, I¡¯m ticklish.¡±


    [Ludia is from the Luka continent. It was thanks to her that I noticed it so quickly.]


    [Ne... Nevermind. Sorry, I know I¡¯ve been weirdtely. It¡¯s unlike my usual calm and collected self. I have to fix it soon.]


    Strange. Did the Hwaya I know go through cattle muttion? The Hwaya I knew was always short-tempered and straightforward... Of course, I didn¡¯t say it aloud as I worried that the ¡®cool and collected¡¯ Hwaya would burn in rage.


    [Hurry and get to the point.]


    [It seems our world is getting attacked by two forces right now.]


    [...]


    [Because of that, we don¡¯t have much time. I was told that one of the forces wouldpletely crossover in 2 years.]


    Hwaya became silent. I also didn¡¯t say anything else. Ina was the only one making a sound, as she kept ying adorably. Without her, the atmosphere would have been heavier. For someone with an ice ability, she sure knew how to warm someone¡¯s heart! Could my daughter be the world¡¯s greatest daughter!?


    Hwaya¡¯s silence soon ended. She sauntered up to me and pushed her face up against mine. I backed off a bit, flustered, and Hwaya frowned. I inadvertently froze. For someone with a fire ability, she sure knew how to freeze someone! Could she also be the world¡¯s greatest? I asked her slightly panicked.


    ¡°W-What is it?¡±


    ¡°... Are you okay?¡±


    Though she was frowning just a moment ago, she was now looking at me with concerned eyes. I shrugged in response.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why I¡¯m diligently climbing the dungeon. I heard I could do something if I conquered the dungeon within two years. Even so, it should be hard with just my strength alone, so¡ª whoah!¡±


    Hwaya suddenly pulled me into her embrace. Flustered, I froze. Ina, who ended up being squeezed between Hwaya and me,ughed.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s wrong? I¡¯m not the only one in danger! The entire Earth is in jeopardy!¡±


    ¡°But in the end, they¡¯re all aiming for you. You¡¯re their target, only because an unknown being gave you an unknown power.¡±


    ¡°B-But as you know, I¡¯m quite strong... C-Can you let me go? Sorry, but I have someone I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of my business.¡±


    This woman just cut me off! Just when I took the courage to say it!


    ¡°What¡¯s important is that you look strained and that I want to embrace you. ¡°


    ¡°... Really.¡±


    I responded brusquely, but to be honest, I might have slightly fallen for her. No, I fell for her a lot. This woman¡¯s uselessly many charms really troubled me.


    ¡°Shin, you won¡¯t run away, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    There was no doubt in her tone. It was as if she knew exactly how I would act. I couldn¡¯t help but break out intoughter. At the same time, she hugged me even tighter.


    ¡°Good... Remember, I¡¯ll always be by your side. I won¡¯t let you bear everything alone... If... If you die, I¡¯ll still be by your side. Do you understand what I mean...?


    ¡°Why would you... go so far?¡±


    ¡°If you really don¡¯t know the answer to that question, I¡¯m going to burn you now... I¡¯m surprised too, but right now, I¡¯m the most serious I¡¯ve ever been in my life.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t refuse... right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    How pressuring.


    I didn¡¯t know whether she was consoling me or threatening me. But, to be honest, the load weighing down deep inside my heart seemed to have be much lighter. I decided to thank her honestly.


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll be relying on you.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m happy that you know my worth.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy because Mommy and Daddy are happy!¡±


    Ina, who was still between us, shot her arms up in the air and shouted. We were taken aback by her sudden outburst, but soon, we met each other¡¯s eyes andughed. Then...


    ¡°I inadvertently ended up seeing a beautiful sight. I need popcorn.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the popcorn, Walker. *nom nom*.¡±


    ¡°Is... Is this the time to eat popcorn!? They¡¯re acting like a family! I won¡¯t allow this!¡±


    ¡°O Earth...!¡±


    All of Revival¡¯s members were there. We fell into a panic.


    ¡°H-How!?¡±


    ¡°I broke through the 60th floor and came to the guild house to rest when I saw you two filming a melodrama. I couldn¡¯t let the others miss this, so I called them.¡±


    ¡°Walker, you...!¡±


    When I turned around to look at Hwaya, I caught her hiding her hand after giving Walker a thumbs up. I already saw you, Hwaya! When I was about to lecture them angrily...


    [An Event Raid broke out in the First Dungeon! SS+ rank 500-man, ¡®Power Basilisk.¡¯ The guild, ¡®Desert Scorpion,¡¯ has requested for help from all guilds ranked D or above! You can participate in the Event Raid with members your guild who agrees to participate!]


    Author¡¯s note:


    Hwaya¡¯s counterattack was super-effective! Kang Shin bes charmed!


    Today¡¯s chapter brought to you with worries that Ludia and Ye-Eun are bing wall decorations! It wasn¡¯t my intention as the author, but two people have stood up as the heroines... The poprity contest! The poprity contest!!


    Next chapter will feature Revival and Shin bing involved in the dungeons¡¯petition. Look forward to it!

 Chapter 170. What Is Not Allowed for Her (1)

    Chapter 170. What Is Not Allowed for Her (1)


    We all froze. First, I calmly took Hwaya off of me, and appeased Ina and put her down, as she wanted to stay with me.


    ¡°You¡¯re already a father, Son.¡±


    ¡°Show of hands. Who wants to go?¡±


    I ignored father and asked everyone whether they wanted to participate. There was no need to exin anything. As it was an Event Raid in the dungeon, we wouldn¡¯t actually die. As such, it could only be beneficial. I assumed other guilds and explorers thought the same way. I didn¡¯t know whether that would be of benefit or loss for us, but we didn¡¯t need to avoid people just because we didn¡¯t know them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay out. I¡¯m not strong enough. Maybe when I advance to the Second Dungeon...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay out too, Shin-nim... My defense ability probably won¡¯t be useful versus the giant basilisk.¡±


    Walker and Shuna were the first to decline. Ye-Eun also raised her hand.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go either, Shin. Until I learn the technique Master taught me, I¡¯ll have trouble with monsters that haverge bodies. I¡¯ll only damage my pride if I go.¡±


    Everyone else was quiet. In other words, Hwaya, father, Ludia, Sumire, Ina, and I would be going. I asked Ina.


    ¡°Ina, will you be okay?¡±


    ¡°Un! I got even stronger!¡±


    Now that she was a dungeon explorer, she was undoubtedly stronger than before. The amount of mana she had even rivaled Hwaya¡¯s. Regarding mana, Ina was most likely the strongest amongst Earth¡¯s Awakened. It was also why she couldn¡¯t control her ability for such a long time...


    ¡°Un? You¡¯re crying, Daddy? Don¡¯t cry!¡±


    ¡°N-No, why would Daddy cry.¡±


    I patted Ina¡¯s head and smiled. Then, I turned to Ludia and asked.


    ¡°Will you be okay, Ludia?¡±


    ¡°My ability is supportive, so it¡¯ll be okay. I¡¯ll focus on supporting you and father.¡±


    ¡°Haha, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Ludia, don¡¯t make Yungoong ajusshi your father on your own. You better support me too.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, I¡¯ll be expecting your support as well, Palludia.¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to ask Hwaya and Sumire. Hwaya was the strongest one in the guild besides me, and with her god¡¯s true name, Sumire was stronger than Shuna. Plus, with Sumire¡¯s unnaturally fast pace, I had the feeling she would cross over to the First Dungeon soon. Although Shuna was working hard with Ludia... Eh?


    ¡°By the way, Ludia, do you still party with Ellos?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t been able to contact him recently. We were also gone for two months, so we¡¯re climbing separately. Shuna and I are strong enough on our own now.¡±


    ... It seemed that clearing Event Dungeons for two months sessfully strengthened everyone. With a wry smile, I looked at everyone. Everyone appeared to have made up their minds.


    ¡°Alright, then the six of us should go.¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m seeing the First Dungeon¡¯s explorers. I wonder how strong they are...¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment. Let me check if Lotte cane with us.¡±


    I messaged Lotte, but she didn¡¯t say anything after replying, ¡®I trust Hero.¡¯ It seemed she was still busily training. No choice. If I had to fly, I would just have to use Sharana¡¯s ability or take the mana consumption to ride on Peika.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    Seeing that everyone gathered around me, I clicked the ¡®participate¡¯ button on the window. Then, just like when we entered Event Dungeons or teleported, the surrounding instantly changed.


    We found ourselves on a rocky hill.


    [The Event Raidmunication channel has opened!]


    [3 minutes to go! The raid will begin in 3 minutes!]


    [Tsk, that¡¯s not enough time! Why doesn¡¯t the Lord give us more time!?]


    [Be content stopping him for 10 minutes, Ralph.]


    Amunication channel opened the moment we arrived, and voices of explorers flooded us. I first checked the terrain. We were at high altitude, on a hilltop about 3 kilometers in diameter. I could see the cliffs around the edges. Including us, there were about a hundred or so people.


    ¡°Eh? There are some new faces!¡±


    ¡°What, is it a new guild? Why are there so few of them for a D rank guild?¡±


    ¡°Oi! What are your ranks!?¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s Gold!¡±


    I shouted back at the man wearing an armor and a cape. Although Ina and Ludia are still Silver ranks, Ina was incredibly strong, and Ludia¡¯s ability didn¡¯t lose to anyone either.


    The man¡¯s cape had a yellowish brown scorpion. I could immediately tell that he was a member of Desert Scorpion, the guild leading the raid.


    ¡°Gold!? Gold ranks are participating in an SS+ rank raid? Hey, don¡¯t you know your ranks? You should at least be level 80 for SS+ rank raids! You have to be tinum, understand?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t me you if we die, so don¡¯t worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, these newbies...¡±


    ¡°Ralph, stop trash talking and help with straightening up the terrain!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going! Ptui.¡±


    Ooh, how unpleasant. He spat at us and headed back to the direction of his guild. Fatherughed as he took out his spear, but I stopped him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Son? I¡¯m just trying to educate someone on basic manners kindly.¡±


    ¡°Father, what floor are you on?¡±


    ¡°64th floor.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll catch up soon, right? You can pick up your spear then. They¡¯re the raid¡¯s host and have the strength to back up their arrogance. Unless we¡¯re definitely above them in strength, we can¡¯t respond justly to their rudeness.¡±


    ¡°Haa... Fine. Since you¡¯re our leader, father will listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Father.¡±


    ¡°Kuhum, now that you¡¯re a father, I can feel the sincerity in your words.¡±


    ¡°That has nothing to do with it!¡±


    Was everyone here tinum ranked? Indeed, I could feel each of them emanating powerful energies. We weren¡¯t inferior regarding stats, but the spirit they were emitting had entirely different qualities. The difference in the league created by levels. With Soul Guard raising my soul¡¯s league, I could more easily feel the difference. It was aplicated feeling that was hard to describe.


    ¡°Ku...¡±


    ¡°Wow, look at Shin¡¯s expression. He looks like he¡¯s about to die from anticipation.¡±


    ¡°But unni¡¯s expression says unni¡¯s about to die from loving Shin-nim too much...¡±


    With the female member¡¯s looks, we were only getting more and more attention as time went on. Even so, no one openly made a move. It seemed they understood the importance of the uing raid.


    ¡°Oi, since you won¡¯t be able to deal decent damage, try to survive. We were stupid for thinking anyone from the First Dungeon would be dumb enough to join an SS+ rank dungeon without a n. I¡¯m going to say it clearly. Don¡¯t me us if you die.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for worrying about us.¡±


    I responded with a smile to the man, Ralph, who talked to us before. He raised his hand as if to say something else, but he soon clicked his tongue and walked away. Meanwhile, Revival¡¯s members were talking excitedly. They were forming a n without me having to say anything!


    ¡°The me Drake was only a 100-man raid, but he was so powerful. I wonder how strong the Power Basilisk is.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too much, Daughter. We¡¯re here to get stats. There¡¯s no need to overdo it and get ourselves in danger.¡±


    ¡°Just call me Hwaya, Ajusshi... Unless you want me to call you Father?¡±


    ¡°Hwaya Eleni Mastiford...!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, you can call me Ina!¡±


    ¡°Oooh, that has an excellent ring to it. Call me again, Ina.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa!¡±


    Hey, you guys talking like a harmonious family! Why are you doing that now!? You had all the chance to do it before!


    ¡°Let¡¯s at least form a basic n. I can somewhat guess what kind of attacks the basilisk will make.¡±


    ¡°Basilisks are known for their ability to turn people into stone. I hear their breaths also have a petrifying ability.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about petrification. With the power of the earth, I can neutralize even the basilisk¡¯s petrification.¡±


    Ludia dered confidently. I already began to think it was an excellent idea to bring Ludia along.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably going to be huge...¡±


    ¡°Hwaya and Ina should stay back and attack from a safe distance.¡±


    ¡°Un! I¡¯m stronger when I¡¯m with Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Of course, huhu. Mommy is also strong with Ina.¡±


    ¡°Father, Sumire, and I will be in the front as usual. Sumire, there¡¯s no need to use Athena¡¯s power unless you absolutely need to.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll focus on defense, Shin-nim!¡±


    When I was about to say something father, the earth suddenly began to tremble.


    [The Event Raid begins. The Power Basilisk makes its appearance!]


    With pounding hearts, we all waited for the Power Basilisk to appear. We took out our weapons, and I also summoned my three elementals. At the same time, I grabbed a Mana Potion. I was ready to drink the Mana Potion and explode with Peruta Circuit at any moment!


    It slowly appeared. We couldn¡¯t hide our shock. Its body was over 300 meters long. Not only was it bigger than any monsters I¡¯ve seen before, but it also emitted petrification energy just by opening its enormous mouth. I could see the surrounding turning into stone.


    More importantly, its entire body was...!


    ¡°A suit!? What are you, the Iron Man?¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why it¡¯s called ¡®power¡¯!¡±


    Hwaya made an exmation of surprise as I yelled angrily. It was covered in a strange armor. Across it was several hundred meters long armor with geometric symbols which emanated powerful mana. It was as if it was wearing a power suit.


    [Attack! If that mana seal fully activates, we¡¯re screwed!]


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening, but let¡¯s first attack!¡±


    Along with the shout from a member of Desert Scorpion, we also used our strongest attacks. Ludia struck the ground with her staff, making needle-like rocks shoot up and hurl toward the basilisk, while I created and threw a huge ice spear with Ruyue¡¯s power. Everyone in the raid seemed to have some long-ranged attacks, but only twenty or so had exceptionally powerful long-ranged attacks. The basilisk¡¯s armor easily blocked most attacks.


    ¡°Haaaap!¡±


    Then, Hwaya created an enormous white fireball in the air and hurled it toward the basilisk. Itnded on the basilisk¡¯s head, which was also covered in an armored mask, heating it up greatly. At the same time, Ina yfully waved her hand, freezing the mask with extreme freezing energy and shattering it easily. This daughter and motherbo... Amazing!


    However, after being hit, the basilisk realized the attack hade from our guild, as it turned to our direction and shot a breath with a furious roar!


    ¡°O Earth!¡±


    Ludia quickly transmuted the rock needles into an earthen shield, while Sumire stood behind the shield as the second in defense. Once exposed to the breath, Sumire¡¯s shield and arms began to petrify slowly. However, just like she said, Ludia could easily cure Sumire. The other explorers, who also skillfully dodged the petrifying breath, cheered after seeing the basilisk¡¯s bare face behind its broken mask.


    [Bravo! We got its mask off with the first wave of attacks!]


    [Amazing! Who did that!?]


    [It was that Gold rank.]


    [A Gold rank did that?]


    [...]


    [Shit, it¡¯s charging! It¡¯s going to use its tail to attack afterward!]


    The ground began to tremble once again. Seeing that we were unaffected by its breath, the basilisk was charging toward us! Damn, we took its aggro too much! Despite how massive it was, or perhaps precisely because it was so massive, it shortened the distance between us quickly.


    ¡°Scatter! Everyone scatter! Hwaya and Ina, go with Ludia far behind the tanks! Everyone else, separate and attack whenever you see the chance!¡±


    Hwaya hugged Ludia from the back and flew into the air. Ina also flew back with Hwaya. Father forcefully kicked off the ground to get away. As for Sumire...


    ¡°Sumire, sorry!¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, i-it¡¯s my pleas...!¡±


    With her heavy armor andrge shield, Sumire wasn¡¯t as mobile as the others. I held her in my arm and flew up with Sharana¡¯s power.


    Most of the people in the basilisk¡¯s path dodged, but there seemed to be slow people even among tinum ranked explorers, as some could not avoid in time. The basilisk¡¯s weight crushed them, instantly making their vitality hit zero. The basilisk was strong enough to one-hit K.O. tinum ranked explorers. I could only imagine how much it would hurt if it hit me.


    ¡°Thank you, Shin-nim. Uu, I don¡¯t think I can block it with my shield.¡±


    ¡°You just have to dodge its charges, cheer up.¡±


    ¡°... Yes! If Shin-nim says so, I¡¯m sure I can do it!¡±


    ... Before I noticed, this child¡¯s belief in me had almost turned into a religious fanaticism.


    After putting Sumire down, I flew back up. Including me, about thirty people were flying in the air. tinum ranks were certainly different than others.


    [Start from the right leg! Right leg, got it!?]


    [Oi, long-ranged attackers, go for its left eye first! Its mask is off, so obviously you should go for its head!]


    [Ah, I¡¯ve been curious for a while, but who¡¯s the epic witch controlling that fire? I¡¯d like to hire you as my secretary.]


    [I guarantee you¡¯re going to die in this raid, you shithead.]


    The explorers simultaneously began to assault its right leg. The basilisk ignored the dozens of long-ranged attacks hurling toward its eye and breathed its petrifying breath at the close-range attackers closing in on its leg.


    Half of the explorers shook off the breath with their high resistance and pierced their swords, spears, axes, and hammers at the basilisk¡¯s foot. On the other hand, the remaining half became partially petrified and had to fall back. Of course, with my abnormally high resistance, I quickly overcame the petrification and set its foot on fire with chaos me. Although the power suit... or rather, carapace blocked the me; it began to burn up. However, the me then got smaller. It seemed its carapace had the ability absorb chaos me¡¯s mana to extinguish it.


    [Heal!]


    [Healers, move! If damage dealers go below half health, it¡¯s over!]


    [Isn¡¯t the blonde girl in the priestess robe the famous crown princess from Luka continent? She was alive!]


    [Focus on the basilisk, retard!]


    Then, an explorer suddenly shot up into the air. It was a man wearing a blue armor and carrying arge sword. His cape also had the emblem of Desert Scorpion guild. There was only one reason why I paid any attention to him. It was because the amount of mana he was emitting was making me shake.


    The Basilisk also discovered him and opened his mouth.


    [Kyaaaaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Ice Crash!¡±


    After arriving at the basilisk¡¯s right leg in an instant, he shed down with his sword. He urately hit the part of the carapace weakened by chaos me, which then exploded with a crackling noise. Shockingly, his attack didn¡¯t end with just that as it froze most of its right leg. Right, froze. The ice he creates seemed incapable of melting, as it weakened the energy being emitted by the basilisk. I instinctively realized that his ice was of simr nature to my chaos me.


    When I raised my head, I saw him grinning at me. It was as if he was saying, ¡®Your me got extinguished half-way, but my ice froze him wonderfully!¡¯ Sly bastard! If you froze him first, my me would¡¯ve broken its carapace and burned its leg!


    I just wanted to take the bonus stats from the raid without going all out, but a switch turned on inside me. I didn¡¯t want to lose to that bastard even if I died.


    Difference in levels? Eat shit! My weapon isn¡¯t my level, but this... I¡¯ll make you regret provoking me!


    Author¡¯s note:


    Hehehe, aren¡¯t we all used to having longer chapters now? ... T.T


    Actually, there was a ce I could¡¯ve ended the chapter, but itcked the impact. As a result, 8500 characters... cough.

 Chapter 171. What Is Not Allowed for Her (2)

    Chapter 171. What Is Not Allowed for Her (2)


    Chapter 171. What Is Not Allowed for Her (2)


    With its right leg¡¯s carapace broken off, the basilisk let out a furious roar that reverberated across the entire hilltop. Several of the people who heard the terrifying roar then became stiff, and signs of petrification could be seen on their bodies. I also halted for a moment, but I soon snapped out of it with the help of Soul Guard and my mana resistance. I then immediately saved Sumire, who had frozen stiff.


    [You can use Athena¡¯s power if you want.]


    [Really, Shin-nim?]


    [Yeah. Let¡¯s show them our strength. You also don¡¯t want to be looked down on, right?]


    [Yes, Shin-nim! I understand!]


    I fanned some wind toward Sumire, who was looking at me with respect and flew back into the air. After roaring, the runic patterns on the basilisk¡¯s carapace began to shine, and it shot small rock-like things everywhere. These rock-like bullets also petrified whoever they touched.


    [Kyaaooooooooo!]


    The basilisk¡¯s roar continued. Unless there was continued healing, it was easy for people to die. Long-ranged attackers were pouring attacks at the basilisk¡¯s exposed face, but the basilisk swung its massive tail and blocked the attacks before they could hit its face. His tail then fired more bullets at all the explorers. I charged toward him as I dodged these bullets.


    ¡°de Rush!¡±


    Massive monsters had a boundless life force, making them difficult to kill. However, their size also made them easy targets. I easily dodged the basilisk¡¯s tail swing and weaved through the rain of rock bullets. Then, I stabbed my spear into its left leg with full force. Chaos me once again red up above its carapace, and the des from de Rush also hammered on its carapace. Of course, just this wasn¡¯t enough to damage him.


    ¡°Dark Thunder Explosion!¡±


    The basilisk¡¯s body twitched for a moment, after which ck lightning shot up from my body and poured into its carapace. Themunication channel instantly became noisy.


    [What¡¯s that!? Isn¡¯t that the 15th Floor Master¡¯s skill!?]


    [I haven¡¯t seen that in 40 years!]


    [Can someone exin what happened? That guy isn¡¯t wearing something like the Dark Ratman Set in an SS+ rank raid, right?]


    [Oi, once that skill hits, it paralyzes its target regardless of the target¡¯s strength. Attack now!]


    Unfortunately, Dark Thunder Explosion¡¯s duration wasn¡¯t that long! The moment the skill ended, I once again struck down at the carapace on its leg, then backed off. Immediately afterward, its tail swung past where I was standing just a moment ago.


    If it were to hit me, it would petrify the part of my body it hit, which would then be shattered by the following shock. It would be a fatal damage. In fact, one of the other explorers was hit and instantly died. These tinum ranked explorers weren¡¯t all that much! How could they not read such a giant monster¡¯s movements?


    Regardless, once people began to die left and right, the surviving explorers became more spiteful and poured more attacks toward the basilisk. Almost everyone was attacking its left leg instead of its frozen right leg.


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    [Kugyaaaaaaaaaa!]


    At that moment, its carapace emitted a brilliant light. I instinctively flew up and avoided the light. Most of the flying explorers did the same. However, several of the explorers on the ground couldn¡¯t do so.


    These explorers then perfectly turned to stone.


    [Damn it, its armor¡¯s activating! Priests, hurry!]


    [Malph!]


    [Its eyes are shining! Attack! Stop it!]


    [Damn, was it too hard with 100 people...!?]


    [Stop being defeatist and use your damned skills!]


    Thanks to someone¡¯s shout, bright lights began to shine from the ground. Among them was one particrly brilliant light. A beautiful girl holding an ornate shield was making the basilisk scream in pain... Wait, that¡¯s Sumire!


    [Look, the basilisk is petrifying!]


    [What!? Someone¡¯s petrifying the basilisk?]


    [A god¡¯s power! That girl must have a god¡¯s true name!]


    [An unknown explorer with a god¡¯s true name? What guild is she from? She must be the guild master, right?]


    [She¡¯s even young and pretty. She¡¯s just my type!]


    [Hey, you son of a bitch. Who the fuck are you? If we fail this raid, I¡¯m going to kill you. What guild are you from?]


    Good, Sumire! Well done!


    Sumire had undoubtedly created an opportunity for us to overturn the situation. Although the basilisk possessed a petrifying ability, it was pushed back by the Medusa¡¯s head on Athena¡¯s shield. Starting from its eyes, which were about to do something, it became partially petrified. The experienced explorers present did not miss this opportunity, shooting powerful attacks at the basilisk. Of course, father and I were among them.


    Father contained a powerful shockwave in his spear and sessfully dealt a blow that the basilisk could not ignore. He had aimed for its petrified face. Although the petrification was done by a god¡¯s power, since the basilisk possessed a petrifying ability, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if it broke out of it sooner. It was better to shatter the petrified parts of its face before it recovered on its own.


    However, I aimed for a different ce. Several long-ranged attackers were focusing its face, and as its one unpetrified eye began to shine, I avoided its face.


    ¡°Haaaaaaaap!¡±


    I descended from the sky like an arrow and surged up the energy of Mad Typhoon. A whirlpool of chaos me becamepressed and gathered at the tip of my spear. With a spirited shout, I struck down at the basilisk¡¯s massive tail.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kyaaaaaaaak!]


    Good, it was effective! With Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo, I had gotten much stronger. With the momentum created by my quick descent, my attack sessfully shattered the basilisk¡¯s tail armor!


    [The tail armor broke!]


    [There¡¯s a crack in its back armor! Attack there!]


    [Ah, wait! Stop!]


    Two flying attackers charged toward the basilisk¡¯s back despite the dissuasive shout. They were both warriors holding a hammer and an axe respectfully. They seemed to be from the same guild, as they simultaneously struck down on the basilisk¡¯s back with their weapons filled with aura. Immediately afterward, the basilisk¡¯s back emitted a bright light. A message then rang out in my ear.


    [Sage Time guild, annihted!]


    ¡°A-Annihted... They¡¯re going to get sage time for sure...¡±[1. Read the trantor¡¯s note.]


    I was curious as to who came up with that guild name, but unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t all that important right now. I broke out in a cold sweat as I checked the basilisk¡¯s back. What took away the Sage Time guild members¡¯ lives was none other than a group of flying snakes. There were hundreds of mini-basilisks shooting out from the basilisk¡¯s back.


    [Damn, this never happened before!]


    [They¡¯re going to split! Hurry up and kill them!]


    Themunication channel became noisy with shocked voices and curses. The magicians¡¯ attacks became focused on the mini-basilisks, but their magic resistance was annoyingly high. In other words, warriors had to take care of them. The one who stepped up was the man who froze the basilisk¡¯s right leg before.


    [Magicians, focus on stopping the basilisk¡¯s movement! Focus especially on its head! Warriors, kill the small ones and break the basilisk¡¯s dorsal armor!]


    He was most likely Desert Scorpion¡¯s guild master. After shouting out his orders, he charged toward the group of mini-basilisks, followed by about ten flying warriors, all wearing the same fluttering Desert Scorpion cape. As I also didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity, I hurriedly charged forward.


    ¡°Sharana, we¡¯re going full speed!¡±


    [Yes, Master!]


    ¡°Gale Track!¡±


    There were finally guys that could boost my attack power. There was no way I would let others have them! I frantically elerated and shot past the others.


    ¡®No matter how high leveled you are, you won¡¯t be able to catch up to my speed! I am the owner of Hermes¡¯ true name and the contractor of the unique wind elemental, Sharana!¡¯


    [Who¡¯s that!?]


    [He¡¯s that Gold ranked guy.]


    [Gold rank? With that speed? You¡¯re kidding, right?]


    A trail of chaos me was left in the path I took. I charged toward the mini-basilisks like aet. The first mini-basilisk that faced me blew up after being hit with my spear. Great! With this...!


    ¡°Come!¡±


    [You used Provoke! All enemies in the area will attack you with great hostility!]


    In an instant, I was surrounded by mini-basilisks. They seemed to be capable of petrifying people with their gazes as I could feel a ticklish sensation of resistance from parts of my body they were ring at. Of course, they weren¡¯t strong enough to prate Soul Guard. I smirked and sent them flying. Most of them were killed in a single strike.


    ¡°Uaaaaaaaaaaah!¡±


    [Looks like we won¡¯t be needed. Turn! We¡¯re attacking its dorsal area!]


    [Hm...]


    Magic shed from all sides, while the basilisk¡¯s attacks shook the earth. Of course, its armor was being broken by the explorers even now. Everyone present had the strength to threaten the basilisk¡¯s life. Perhaps, it was why this battle seemed especially exhrating. After all, this was the first time fighting with explorers stronger than me!


    However, I still wanted to defeat that guild master.


    [Master, the wind energy is getting stronger!]


    ¡°Gather as much of it as you can! We¡¯re going to make a huge attack!¡±


    Even as I ordered Sharana, I constantly changed the direction of my charge and pierced through the mini-basilisks with my spear. Ten, twelve, fifteen, twenty...!


    ¡°A bit more...!¡±


    ¡°A god¡¯s power!¡±


    ¡°Damn, is that guy a monster!?¡±


    Then, along with the shocked exmations of a few explorers, the basilisk stopped moving. It¡¯s over 300-meter long armor waspletely frozen white! It was undoubtedly that guild master¡¯s attack... For a desert scorpion, you sure like using freezing attacks!


    [Attack while Scizarnath¡¯s power holds it back! It¡¯s almost out of stamina! If we can properly break its armor, it will be our victory!]


    His confident voice reached all the explorers through themunication channel. The explorers then used their most powerful skills they were saving to break the basilisk¡¯s armor bit by bit. The armor that once covered its giant body perfectly was now in a pitiful state.


    It was then that I finished the thirtieth mini-basilisk and prepared for Gale Track¡¯s final blow. I could feel the wind energy gathering around me from Peruta Circuit¡¯s powerful rotational force forming a storm-like whirlpool. With a grin, I shot up. Although I didn¡¯t obtain Ogre Power yet, Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo gave me just enough strength to try this.


    [What¡¯s that whirlpool? It¡¯s flying up!]


    [It¡¯s that guy.]


    [Does he also have a god¡¯s true name?]


    [No way. It¡¯s already surprising that a new holder of a god¡¯s true name appeared today. Throughout the entire First Dungeon, there are less than 20 people with a god¡¯s true name!]


    ¡®Yeah, keep talking!¡¯


    I was already hundreds of meters up in the air. The mighty wind whirling around my spear and body was so powerful that it was hard to see with the naked eye. However, I wasn¡¯t done yet.


    ¡°Gigant!¡±[2. The author changed the skill name from Gigantic to Gigant. The pronunciation is easier to see now too.]


    The pressure on my arms instantly became stronger. Even with the stats, gods¡¯ true names, tattoos, and strength from Chaotic Spear, it is hard to use Gigant. I could tell that I could onlyst about 2 minutes with this erged spear.


    Thankfully, that was more than enough to finish off the basilisk.


    ¡°Sky God¡¯s Rage!¡±


    BOOM!


    A golden lightning descended on the long and thick Chaotic Spear. The wind energy gathered from Gale Track changed its property through Sharana¡¯s influence and began to empower Sky God¡¯s Rage further. The lightning energy instantly became amplified, dying the clear sky in a golden hue. The lightning spear immediately grabbed everyone¡¯s attention.


    [I knew it, he¡¯s a holder of a god¡¯s true name!]


    [Who is that bastard!? No, what is this guild!?]


    [E-Eh...? Wait... The 1st ce for guild contribution! It might get stolen!]


    [Hey, stop! Getting 1st ce over the host?]


    [Did anyone tell them?]


    [They said they were all Gold ranked! Would you have told them!?]


    [Hurry up and kill the basilisk before he attacks!]


    [Please, if it were that easy, god¡¯s power wouldn¡¯t have been necessary!]


    It was already hard to just kill it together, but it seemed there was some rule. Explorers sure liked to make things difficult... Of course, it was none of my business.


    ¡°Peika,e into the spear!¡±


    [Kyahaha! It has an incredible energy, Master!]


    The lightning was strengthened once again. I found it hard to keep my eyes open. However, I couldn¡¯t stop now. I forced my eyes open and tightened my grip on the erged Sky God¡¯s Rage spear. Then, as I descended toward the roaring basilisk, I shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to take its head!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    Then, I activated the effect of Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo, which boosted the damage of a close-ranged attack skill by 50% once a day. Even though I was wearing armor, Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo appeared above it and glowed with a crimson light. Feeling the iing threat, the basilisk shot a petrifying breath toward me, but it was blocked by the force of Sky God¡¯s Rage.


    I became a streak of a crims and shot down toward the basilisk.


    As it was the final blow of a charge skill, my armor, and Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo boosted the damage by 110%, Gale Track boosted the damage by 200%, Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry boosted the damage by 50%, and finally, Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo boosted the damage by 50%. In total, the attack just now was increased by 410%. Of course, as that was just the increase, the actual damage I did was 510%. There was no need to describe its destructive power.


    I wasn¡¯t done. I added Heroic Strike on top of everything. I scraped together every bit of mana in my body and poured it into my spear. As I swallowed the Mana Potion I had prepared in my mouth, I shouted.


    ¡°Divine Speed!¡±


    My already unfollowable speed became not three times, but ten times faster. There was no chance for the basilisk to dodge my attack. I took the basilisk¡¯s petrifying gaze without being fazed, and struck my spear down on its forehead!


    [Critical Hit!]


    It was very fortunate. After all, the basilisk undoubtedly had bones! With Skull Breaker¡¯s effect, all critical damage was increased by 50%. As critical hits normally dealt 200% of the normal amount, with the Skull Breaker title¡¯s effect, the attack was amplified to 300%! I found it funny that I was ying with numbers so much, but the result wasn¡¯t funny in the slightest.


    [Kugyaaaaaa!]


    Once the spear collided with its forehead, it discharged the lightning of ultimate strength and pierced through its head. The spear, which was dozens of meters long, split the basilisk¡¯s head into two! The basilisk barely squeezed out its death throe before it became silent. From its split head, it no longer emitted the petrifying breath or gaze.


    Immediately afterward, the armor left on its body detonated. Its body became dust and disappeared.


    The SS+ rank 500-man raid boss was finished.


    Author¡¯s note:


    What is a sage time?


    It is the short period of time given to the Braves who toiled through hardships and agony, where their brain functions the most rationally, allowing them to answer the most philosophical questions! Unfortunately, today in 2015, the meaning has changed somewhat, signifying the moments where those who suffered a great defeat or unexpected event questions their existence in OTL position.


    The raid boss reward and meaning of the arc¡¯s title will be revealed next chapter. Look forward to it!


    Also, the poprity contest will open up today! Don¡¯t forget!


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    Sage time is the Korean term for the refractory period (aka, the period after orgasm).

 Chapter 172. What Is Not Allowed for Her (3)

    Chapter 172. What Is Not Allowed for Her (3)


    [Event Raid sess! Out of a total of 117 participants, 83 survived andpleted the raid! This achievement increases the reward!]


    [You received 2 stat points forpleting the Event Raid.]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution. All guilds other than the annihted guilds achieved the necessary minimum contribution! Guild masters will be rewarded in order of guild contribution. Leftover rewards will then be distributed among non-guild master explorers.]


    [Guild Revival¡¯s contribution is the highest! Its guild master may choose a reward.]


    [1. Evil Eyes of Petrification (Legend)


    2. Mega Rock Breaker (Epic)


    3. Rock Tail


    ...]


    [Guild ¡®Revival¡¯ became C rank! When challenging Event Dungeons or Event Raids, when 5 or more guild members are present, all guild members¡¯ abilities will be increased by 7%!]


    I raised my head. All the surviving members were staring at me. Then, the man who talked down to us in the beginning, Ralph, flew over to me with his cape fluttering.


    ¡°Hey! Pass over the picking right! You can¡¯t be thinking of taking the reward before the host, right?¡±


    ¡°Should the host always get the first pick?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what the dungeon¡¯s system seems to think.¡±


    ¡°Fool, it¡¯s a regtion! The host lets others participate in an Event Raid, and in exchange, the host chooses the reward first. It¡¯s a basic courtesy in the dungeon!¡±


    It was an interesting im. I felt like I had experienced it before. The part where some fools are trying to press an unwritten rule!


    ¡°But you requested for help because you couldn¡¯t have taken care of it alone. We epted it because we had something to gain from it. There¡¯s no reason for us to hand over what¡¯s rightly ours.¡±


    ¡°You want to defy Desert Scorpion, the First Dungeon¡¯s strongest guild? Do you need me to exin why one plus one is two?¡±


    ¡°Everyone understands that one plus one is two, but no one understands why we have to give up something that belongs to us.¡±


    With that, I turned and stared at Desert Scorpion¡¯s guild master, who was standing in mid-air without looking our way.


    ¡°What do you think? My guild was acknowledged as the first ce in the contribution by the system, and probably by everyone else here. Will you not ept this result?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He was silent. Meanwhile, Ralph tried to grab me by the cor but backed off after seeing Peika discharge a bit of lightning. Then, he shouted.


    ¡°The system is weird, too. Without Master, it would have been impossible for you to deal the final blow to the basilisk!¡±


    ¡°Your guild master raised contribution thanks to me too. Regardless, I want to hear his thoughts. No, before that, I want to know. Did this ¡®regtion¡¯ apply to you when you weren¡¯t hosts?¡±


    No one responded. Themunication channel buzzed.


    [Hey, Newbie. Desert Scorpion is an S ranked guild. Simply put, it¡¯s one of the strongest guilds in the First Dungeon. I like what you¡¯re trying to do, but if you don¡¯t follow the rules they created, you won¡¯t have a good future.]


    [Isn¡¯t it obvious that this rule only applies when they¡¯re the host? Do you know how much crap they spout in the raids they¡¯re invited to? Everyone tries their best to get the first ce contribution, so who¡¯d want to give it up? Tsk, those bastards.]


    [I was impressed with your spearmanship, do as you want. With your guild¡¯s strength, I doubt the Desert Scorpion will be able to do much. Plus, I¡¯m looking forward to it... The day you overtake them will be the day the dungeon¡¯s caste system changes.]


    [Let me add something. Can you give one of your guys to our guild? Just one. Honestly, Just one.]


    [Where is your confidenceing from, you pervert? Who are you? Don¡¯t change your voice and use your real voice. Come on.]


    I looked at Desert Scorpion¡¯s guild master once again. He finally opened his mouth.


    ¡°I witnessed your strength. To be honest, I was impressed... My guild can make you even stronger. Throw away your title as a guild master ande to us. If it¡¯s you, we can even make you the vice-guild master. Since you came this far on your own, you should know what the wise thing to do is.¡±


    It was aplete non-sequitur.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I threw away any hesitation I had and picked the Evil Eyes of Petrification. Immediately afterward, my eye stung with a burning sensation. I could barely hold in my scream.


    ¡°Kuuuuk!¡±


    ¡°Ah, that bastard!¡±


    ¡°He chose the reward...! Damn, is that...!?¡±


    [The Evil Eyes of Petrification tests your capability as its wielder. Peruta Circuit rotates strongly! Mad Typhoon activates! Soul Guard activates! High-rank Spirit Mastery activates! Overwhelm activates! The power of all elementals connected to you undtes!]


    [The Evil Eyes of Petrification acknowledges you as its rightful owner. The power of petrification is vested in your eyes. You can draw the full strength of Evil Eyes of Petrification.]


    [You obtained the Evil Eyes of Petrification! Your magic stat increases by 100. With just your will, you can petrify all targets with magic resistance under S rank. You can also turn petrified targets back to normal. You can remove petrification status effect from targets petrified through other means. At your current level, depending on the amount of mana you imbue, you can petrify targets up to SS+ rank. Even if a target cannot be petrified, its movement speed will be decreased if exposed to your gaze! Overwhelm skill strengthened the Evil Eyes of Petrification! It will increase further through intelligence stat, magic stat, and Overwhelm¡¯s skill level.]


    [Your resistance to all types of Evil Eyes increases.]


    [You be the focal point of gods with inheritances rted to the eyes.]


    When the pain disappeared, and I regained my senses, I blinked my eyes as I thought over the messages I had heard. My eyes didn¡¯t hurt anymore. In fact, they felt extremely refreshed. I felt like I could see all the mana in the world.


    A thought crossed my mind; I immediately asked Ruyue.


    ¡°Can you make me a mirror?¡±


    [Un!]


    Arge mirror of ice instantly appeared, reflecting my entire body. I put up my helmet¡¯s visor and checked my eyes. I spat out.


    ¡°Ah, shit.¡±


    My ck Korean irises had be golden. Although the center of my irises took a hint of gold after contracting Peika, it had been barely noticeable. Now, however, it was easy for anyone to see.


    Plus, almost as if the entire milky way had been stuffed inside my eyes, countless particles of light were sparkling within.


    No, my eyes became anime! It looks like I have eighth-grade syndrome! What am supposed to do when I use these eyes!? Yell, ¡®Banishment, this world!¡¯???


    [Master became like me!]


    Peika deactivated Spirit Aura on her own and coiled around my arm. It seemed she was thrilled. Wait, this meant my eyes were like Loretta¡¯s. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t so bad...


    In any case, the members of Desert Scorpion didn¡¯t look so happy.


    ¡°That bastard got Evil Eyes...!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. Evil Eyes...¡±


    ¡°We must have our revenge! What guild was he from?¡±


    ¡°Revival! From here on now, guild Revival is banned from the Residential Area!¡±


    After realizing what I obtained, Desert Scorpion¡¯s guild members became enraged and caused a ruckus. Meanwhile, the guild master slowly descended from the sky toward me. I could see his eyes shing with subdued anger.


    However, what he said next waspletely unexpected.


    ¡°You, are you an explorer of Beyond?¡±


    ¡°... How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Because Revival isn¡¯t a guild within the First Dungeon. I looked at the list of guilds this afternoon, so I¡¯m sure. The only way your guild could be here is if your guild was of Beyond¡¯s affiliation. After all, only Beyond¡¯s guilds can be invited to the raids from all dungeons.¡±


    That¡¯s... amazing! I thought we could participate in the First Dungeon¡¯s raid because I was originally from the First Dungeon, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t the reason. However, after confirming that I was from Beyond, he continued with an even more enraged voice.


    ¡°You Beyond explorers always act so rampantly. Evil Eyes... You dare take Evil Eyes from the Event Raid I hosted!?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but this belongs to me. I¡¯m just saying this in case you somehow believe otherwise.¡±


    ¡°How arrogant. Even if you came to possess Evil Eyes, do you think you could wield it properly with your low level?¡±


    ¡°Mm, if you want to continue talking, can you pick your reward first? Other people are waiting to pick theirs, you know.¡±


    I then added.


    ¡°Also, can you get out of my face? You¡¯re even uglier up close.¡±


    ¡°You and your guild won¡¯t be able to enter the First Dungeon¡¯s Residential Area. You¡¯ll pay for taking Desert Scorpion lightly.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    He snorted at my innocent question.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to use any shops or auction houses. My guild has the power to make that happen. Also, you won¡¯t be able to see Event Dungeons or Event Raids for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s quite surprising!¡±


    I wondered since when non-administrative guilds could do such a thing. I suspected that an administrative guild was backing them up.


    However, even if what he said was true, we could simply use other dungeons¡¯ shops and auction houses. Event Dungeons and Event Raids? We could simply go to other dungeons¡¯ Event Dungeons and Event Raids. At this moment, I became certain. That was, bing a Beyond explorer had freed me from the conflicts between the explorers and guilds of the First Dungeon.


    Since I knew that, I smiled lightly.


    ¡°That¡¯s very scary.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...! Know that no explorers will participate in any Event Dungeons or Event Raids, you host. Let¡¯s see how long you can continue to climb the dungeon alone... One more thing.¡±


    He grimaced.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be involved with Daisy Ectradion. Otherwise, what I just said will only be a child¡¯s ypared to what you¡¯ll go through.¡±


    With that, he turned around and left. I grabbed the Chaotic Spear, which had fallen after the effect of Gigant wore off, then tilted my head.


    ¡°Daisy Ectradion? Who¡¯s that?¡±


    His words remained in my mind. My intuition told me that the name woulde up again. I looked over at the explorers, who were talking amongst themselves to choose their rewards, while I thought I should go back and ask Loretta about it.


    That very night.


    [An announcement to all explorers of the First Dungeon. It hase to light that the First Dungeon¡¯s S ranked guild, Desert Scorpion, vited the First Dungeon¡¯s rules and bribed an administrative guild to oppress other explorers for personal reasons. Four out of five administrative guild masters have testified. Thus, Desert Scorpion has been demoted to D rank, and will eternally be restricted to 10 maximum members.]


    [Please hurry. Unless guild members withdraw until the maximum member limit is met, guild members, including the guild master, will be randomly kicked out. Also, all members that withdrew will be unable to enter another guild for ten years, and will forever lose the right to be a guild master.]


    [The guild master and members of Desert Scorpion will be unable to participate in Event Dungeons and Event Raids for 50 years. They are also forbidden from hosting Event Dungeons or Event Raids. Furthermore, their contribution points in Floor Master battles will be deducted, and they must pay 1.5 times the average amount for all items in the Floor Shop.]


    [Desert Scorpion members who withdraw within the next one hour will only face the first penalty.]


    That night, Desert Scorpionpletely copsed. From what I heard, the vice-guild master was the first to leave.


    Isn¡¯t this too much, Loretta!? I appreciate the sentiment, but... the love is too much!


    Author¡¯s note:


    If you touch small Loretta, you just die. It¡¯s game over.


    The conflict between First Dungeon¡¯s explorers and guild, and a little foreshadowing was shown this chapter. Desert Scorpion isn¡¯t the only S ranked guild, so you don¡¯t have to be disappointed!


    Also, I¡¯m sure most readers figured out who Daisy Ectradion. In that case, you should know who this chapter title refers to! Shin, let¡¯s go sell things!


    Poprity contest is here! The following are the categories:


    1. Favorite character from the entire series


    2. Favorite heroine (from Loretta, Hwaya, Ludia, Ye-Eun)


    3. Harem or pure-love? (I know some people might say that harem can be pure-love, but you know what I mean).


    Answer here:

 Chapter 173. What Is Not Allowed for Her (4)

    Chapter 173. What Is Not Allowed for Her (4)


    Chapter 173. What Is Not Allowed for Her (4)


    ¡°Daisy Ectradion?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Loretta. Do you know who that is?¡±


    The next day, seeing Loretta actpletely nonchnt, I decided to give up asking her about what happened with Desert Scorpion. Instead, I asked her the other question I had. If Desert Scorpion¡¯s guild master told me not to get involved with this person, I figured that Loretta knew about her as well. However, as soon as she heard what I said, she took out her axe and smiled.


    ¡°So, who¡¯s that woman, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who asked! Also, aren¡¯t you taking that axe out way too oftentely!?¡±


    ¡°But Shin-nim is the bad one for asking about other women knowing how I feel.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s bad is Loretta¡¯s head! Didn¡¯t I exin!?¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll stop joking and...¡±


    ¡°You were really joking, right? You won¡¯t use that axe, right!?¡±


    ¡°... Huhu.¡±


    Loretta simply answered with a bright smile. That meant she wasn¡¯t joking, right..?


    ¡°Sorry, Shin-nim. I can¡¯t tell Shin-nim even if I want to. But I think Shin-nim already has somewhat of an idea who she is.¡±


    ¡°I do... yeah...¡±


    I didn¡¯t know exactly who Daisy Ectradion was. However, the only thing he knew about me was that I had a god¡¯s true name and that I was Beyond¡¯s explorer. In other words, this Daisy Ectradion was likely to be Beyond¡¯s second explorer. It was the strange woman who offered to take my corpse.


    I was concerned about her. Just like the first explorer, it seemed she didn¡¯t want to leave her mansion. Why wasn¡¯t she exploring the dungeon? Perhaps, Desert Scorpion¡¯s guild master had something to do with it.


    ¡°Then do you want to stroll through the Residential Area and asked around?¡±


    ¡°Why are you linking your arms with mine?¡±


    ¡°To make the best use of our time, huhu.¡±


    In the end, Loretta dragged me off to the First Dungeon¡¯s Residential Area. However, the people that saw us together acted rather... strange.


    ¡°Hey, is that guy...¡±


    ¡°Revival¡¯s guild master, right? The holder of Evil Eyes.¡±


    ¡°Evil Eye holders are even rarer than holders of god¡¯s true names... There are less than ten of them!¡±


    ¡°I hear he has a god¡¯s true name too.¡±


    Ah, my Evil Eyes gave away my identity! They had to be talking about me since I was probably the only one who recently gained Evil Eyes. However, their following words made me drip with sweat.


    ¡°I only found out with this incident that administrative guilds also have ranks.¡±


    ¡°Look at him! He looks like a natural women ma. It¡¯s not surprising that he could even seduce the Fairy Garden¡¯s famous queen.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re walking around quite publicly. Did Desert Scorpion not know about this?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t appear often in the Residential Area. It looks like he¡¯s trying to show off right now.¡±


    ¡°He sent Desert Scorpion to their death so it¡¯s understandable.¡±


    ¡°Desert Scorpion simply paid the price for their deeds. They¡¯re the ones who bribed an administrative guild to try to destroy an innocent new guild. They got what they deserved.¡±


    I looked back at Loretta. She was happily humming as she pressed her body against me. I sang the national anthem inwardly and asked Loretta.


    ¡°Loretta, tell me honestly. What¡¯s your goal for walking around this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m advertising to everyone so other women won¡¯t bother Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m warning others who might bother Shin-nim or Shin-nim¡¯s guild!¡±


    She was brutally honest. It seemed she wasn¡¯t really avoiding the matter with Desert Scorpion.


    ¡°Really, I didn¡¯t think there would still be such a dirty guild remaining in the First Dungeon! I got slightly angry and ended up being a bit overzealous. The administrative guild almost became four, huhu.¡±


    ¡°F-Four!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shin-nim, it was resolved peacefully. All administrative guild masters are close friends!¡±


    There¡¯s a liar here! It seemed Loretta understood what I was thinking, as she put her hand on her mouth and smiled with her eyes curled to a crescent shape.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. Everything I did was within my authority, so there won¡¯t be anyone who won¡¯t acknowledge it. Harming other guilds or explorers for the benefit of one¡¯s own guild is strictly forbidden in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, then.¡±


    All the attention we were getting was starting to get annoying. When I nced over them, they seemed to have thought I would attack with my Evil Eyes as they all turned away scared.


    ¡°Huhu, I¡¯m so happy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... good.¡±


    Seeing the extremely happy expression on Loretta¡¯s face, I could only smile wryly. Since she did it for my sake, I decided to enjoy this moment as well.


    Soon, however, a man stood in front of us, blocking our way. It was Desert Scorpion¡¯s guild master!


    ¡°Well... done.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, really. You made it sound like you could do whatever you wanted with the First Dungeon, but it seems there are properws in this ce, huh?¡±


    ¡°This won¡¯t be the end of it! No, this is only the beginning!¡±


    He gritted his teeth and shouted. Of course, purely in terms of strength, he was stronger than me. I could feel him already trying to overwhelm me with spirit. Trying to kill me my spirit in the middle of the Residential Area... This guy had to be nuts. I held Loretta back, who was about to step forward angrily. I made up my mind to try out the Evil Eyes.


    I would get in huge trouble if I identally turned bystanders into stone, but I suspected that the magic resistasnce of an S ranked guild¡¯s guild master wouldn¡¯t be lower than SS+ rank. Even if the petrification went through, I could always cancel it, so there was no worry. In the first ce, the spirit he emitted was also threatening to people with low abilities, so we were doing the same thing.


    I poured mana into my eyes, and the golden Evil Eyes began to shine brilliantly. Even I could tell that a bright light wasing out of my eyes. Desert Scorpion¡¯s guild master¡¯s spirit immediately subsided. He gritted his teeth to hold his stance.


    ¡°Kuk! You... You can already wield the Evil Eyes so freely...!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m a lot stronger than you think. I¡¯m warning you now. I¡¯m already busy with everything going on in my world, so don¡¯t bother me. If you do, I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡±


    ¡°Ha...! I already lost everything because of you. I have nothing left to lose!¡±


    I smirked.


    ¡°Because of me? If someone overheard, they¡¯d think I was the guild master of arge guild that bribed an administrative guild to harass and threaten small guilds that got in our way.¡±


    ¡°... Mark my words. You¡¯ll regret what you did! Remember that you made an enemy of the holder of Scizarnath¡¯s true name. I¡¯ll kill you one day, Earth¡¯s Hero!¡±


    He¡¯s saying that knowing that I¡¯m Earth¡¯s Hero? How can he act like he¡¯s the victim when he simply paid for the crimes hemitted? I guess the dungeon has people like him too... No, perhaps, being an explorer for dozens of years is what made him change.


    In any case, I wasn¡¯t afraid of him whatsoever. I saw his strength during the raid. I knew that he had a god¡¯s true name and that he was currently much stronger than me. However, the time we spent was different. He said he¡¯d kill me one day? Fool, you already lost your chance when you said ¡®one day¡¯ instead of ¡®a week¡¯ or ¡®a month¡¯!


    I deactivated the Evil Eyes¡¯ power with a smirk. Only then did he pick himself up properly, still ring at me intently. It was then that I remembered something. He was the best person to ask about Daisy Ectradion.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Daisy Ectradion?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re Beyond¡¯s explorer, you should know that deserter wench. I already warned you. Don¡¯t get involved with her. Don¡¯t think about helping her either.¡±


    ¡°Deserter...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, she¡¯s a filthy deserter! A deserter that dared to defy me...! Just like you, I will kill her too.¡±


    He turned around, leaving me behind. However, Loretta caught him with his words.


    ¡°Hold on, customer. How can you just leave?¡±


    ¡°Fairy Garden¡¯s master...! You¡¯re not satisfied with taking everything from me? What else do you want?¡±


    ¡°Of course there¡¯s something I want.¡±


    Loretta tilted her head like he just asked the most obvious question.


    ¡°You announced that you¡¯d kill another world¡¯s explorer. You can¡¯t be expecting me to gloss over it. Plus, you mentioned another world¡¯s name and threatened to kill its Hero... As the dungeon¡¯s administrator, I cannot let that slide.¡±


    ¡°So what, you¡¯re going to kill me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Loretta smiled brightly.


    ¡°From this moment on, you are no longer a dungeon explorer. Moreover, you¡¯ll have to promise that you¡¯ll never do anything to hurt Shin-nim. Through a Soul Contract, of course.¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t be ridiculous! You can¡¯t do that to me! What right do you have to¡ª¡°


    At that moment, a door suddenly opened up. He tried to enter it, then screamed. The door was closing before he could pass through it. Loretta said with a slightly lowered tone.


    ¡°I can see how much Sipua is looking out for you. Threatening another explorer is a grave offense that is strictly forbidden in the dungeon. When that explorer is a Hero, the punishment bes unimaginably heavy. Dungeon explorers are expected to help each other. Didn¡¯t Sipua teach you properly?¡±


    ¡°Y-You...!¡±


    ¡°You freely oppressed others with Sipua¡¯s backing, so you have expected that the same could happen to you. It seems you prevented explorers that went against your guild from using the Residential Area¡¯s facilities? You should be d you aren¡¯t being punished by the Lord personally. If it wasn¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t be able to keep your life.¡±


    ¡°You. Who are... Kuk!¡±


    He knelt on the ground. I widened my eyes. I could feel that his strength disappearing. His soul¡¯s league, his powerful constitution, and boundless mana, they were all disappearing! Now, he only had the strength of a level 30 explorer. It was probably the mana and strength he built up through training outside of levels. Most of it should be from the god¡¯s true name.


    A sparkling piece of paper appeared in mid-air. Loretta caught it and took out a pen.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see... What should I write to make you suffer more... Huhu.¡±


    ¡°Loretta, was the reason we strolled around the Residential Area today...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me that. Just think of it as a good wife helping her husband!¡±


    Loretta expected us to run into him. No, she baited him toe. Once he saw us, he would undoubtedly threaten me, and Loretta would then punish him thoroughly.


    Everything had gone as she nned.


    ¡°Loretta, I can¡¯t quite understand. How can someone lose his qualification as an explorer so easily?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? Heroes receive special treatment in the dungeon too. At the very least, they shouldn¡¯t be threatened by other explorers, should they? Of course, if someone threatens to murder a Hero, he must face a grave punishment. And the one who administers that punishment is...¡±


    Loretta pointed her pen toward herself. Her calm smile gave me a chill.


    ¡°I¡¯m so d that I could catch him before Sipua got to him! I was worried that she warned him beforehand!¡±


    ¡°You... bitch...!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that cursing at an administrative guild¡¯s guild master is also punishable? Regardless, I¡¯ll be adding to your list of crimes.¡±


    I came to understand that making an administrative guild¡¯s guild master was disastrous.


    Then, a woman appeared mid-air.


    ¡°Loretta, you! How could you do this to my Lod¡ª kyak!¡±


    ¡°You need to be disciplined too, Sipua. Stay put in your guild house and wait for your punishment.¡±


    She was instantly sent back by a wave of Loretta¡¯s hand. After taking care of her like swatting a fly, Loretta threw the contract in her hand at the man gasping for breath on the ground.


    ¡°Quietly read it and sign it. If you do, your punishments won¡¯t increase any further. Do it for Sipua, who cares about you.¡±


    ¡°Ku.... Kuaaaaaaa!¡±


    Just like that, he lost his qualification as an explorer and was kicked out. Furthermore, he was forbidden from meddling in my affairs in any way. Everything happened under Loretta¡¯s leadership. Seeing me stare at her nkly, Loretta said carefully.


    ¡°Shin-nim is busy with clearing the dungeon and matters back on Earth, so I can¡¯t have Shin-nim distracted by trash like him. I can only do these types of things... D-Do you think I went overboard? I simply did what was within my authority to do, don¡¯t hate me...!¡±


    ¡°N-No, I was just surprised because Loretta sent him away so cleanly. Thank you. It¡¯s just that... I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be threatening even if I left him aloneo.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, that kind of thinking is na?ve.¡±


    Loretta¡¯s expression suddenly became more serious.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that Shin-nim is the only special person. Even after losing their power as a dungeon explorer, there are many people who can threaten Shin-nim. Not making any enemies or cleanly destroying all enemies. These are the only choices Shin-nim has. Of course, I think the former is much better. Though most explorers also think the same way, there are always outliers like that trash. So if Shin-nim makes enemies, make sure to tell me about them.¡±


    Loretta continued with a firm voice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take out the trash.¡±


    ¡°... From now on, I¡¯ll take care of it, so Loretta doesn¡¯t have to do anything.¡±


    She was right, I was na?ve. I had the Dimensional Travel skill. If I really wanted to harass another world¡¯s explorer, I could think of many ways to do so. Although I wouldn¡¯t do something so troublesome, there were many crazies in the world; ones that did things without thinking about the consequences, ones that only lived for revenge.


    It seemed I relied too much on the assumption that personality was part of the qualification to be a First Dungeon explorer. I should have known that people could change. Only after Loretta took care of the dirty work did I realize this. Really, I was wasting my intelligence stat.


    ¡°If possible, don¡¯t make enemies. If I do, destroy them thoroughly. That¡¯s it, right?¡±


    ¡°If possible, it¡¯s better to use Soul Contracts to tie their lives down.¡±


    ... Still, Loretta¡¯s methods were iron-blooded!


    ¡°By the way, the wisest thing Shin-nim could have done was to not participate in the raid. Although Shin-nim¡¯s guild is strong, it¡¯s still not in a position of absolute strength.¡±


    ¡°Then from now...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine now. Fortunately, we crushed a guild and its guild master. I doubt anyone will try to be Shin-nim¡¯s enemy. It really turned out well!¡±


    Loretta smiled as if to ask for my agreement. I didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.


    ¡°R-Rather than that, since I got the information I wanted, I¡¯m going to go.¡±


    ¡°To Daisy Ectradion?¡±


    ¡°Uh, mm... Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Loretta linked her arms with mine again and shouted joyfully. I had somewhat expected she would do so.


    With a bitter smile, I headed to Beyond¡¯s Residential Area. It was time to meet Daisy Ectradion. Of course, my arm was still linked with Loretta.


    Author¡¯s note:


    The iron-blooded wife, Loretta. She¡¯ll destroy anyone who dares to touch her lover!


    PS - The poprity contest is a poprity contest! It¡¯s not how the story will go. It¡¯s just something that will let me know which characters are popr. Feel free to vote however you want.


    The poprity contest is still up! I¡¯ll probably announce the results next Friday. Check out the announcement post if you missed the link!

 Chapter 174. What Is Not Allowed for Her (5)

    Chapter 174. What Is Not Allowed for Her (5)


    I ended uping to the guild house with Loretta without much thought, but... wasn¡¯t this the first time I brought Loretta here? Yes, it was... After realizing that, I began to sweat.


    ¡®If Hwaya or Ludia sees me...!¡¯


    A war that destroys the entire Residential Area might break out! However, I soon became relieved after discovering that no one was in the guild house. Loretta pulled on me.


    ¡°Come on, Shin-nim. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah.¡±


    Loretta should have an idea about who¡¯s in my guild. Was she not curious? Though that¡¯s why I thought, I didn¡¯t ask her. There was no reason to pull back the disaster I avoided.


    ¡°Make sure to introduce me to Shin-nim¡¯s guildmates next time, okay? Huhu.¡±


    ¡°Ek!¡±


    Loretta... You scary woman!


    As I had already explored Beyond¡¯s Residential Area, there wasn¡¯t much fog, and it wasn¡¯t hard to find the second explorer, Daisy Ectradion¡¯s mansion.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been here.¡±


    ¡°Re... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes... I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d evere back.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who suggesteding along.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m extremely happy because I¡¯m with Shin-nim.¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond and continued to walk silently. She also followed suit without saying anything. After 20 minutes, we finally arrived at the second explorer¡¯s mansion. Only then did I sigh ande to a stop. Really, I thought I¡¯d die from the awkwardness.


    [Go back.]


    Now, I felt like I understood what the mana surrounding this mansion did. As such, I wasn¡¯t surprised when themunication channel got noisy.


    [I came because I have something to talk to you about. Can you make time? If possible, I¡¯d like to add you to my friend list.]


    [Friend list? You don¡¯t even know my name. There¡¯s no way you could... Don¡¯t tell me.]


    [Can I?]


    [... Go ahead.]


    I added Daisy Ectradion, and she epted it. I immediately messaged her.


    [As you expect, I met with Desert Scorpion¡¯s guild master. He talked about you.]


    [Lodert Hydelcyon, head of Cyon Empire¡¯s Royal Knights.]


    [Yes, him.]


    It was the first time I heard his full name, but I still answered calmly. I felt like I was worthy of getting an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.


    [You... If you fought him at your current strength, there¡¯s no way you could be safe and sound.]


    [The reason you¡¯re cooped up in your mansion is rted to him, right?]


    [What if it is?]


    I faced Loretta. She tilted her head cutely. Nowadays, she was trying to show off her charms whenever she could. She must have realized it was working!


    [Him and his guild are over. It was found out that they bribed an administrative guild.]


    [How could that... Could it be the person you brought along?]


    [Precisely.]


    There was no answer for a while. Then, the fog covering the mansion cleared up a bit, and the mansion¡¯s gate opened.


    [I want to hear what happened.]


    I felt like I would get an alert saying ¡®Quest Sess!¡¯ With a smile, I entered the mansion with Loretta. The mansion must have been neglected for a long time as all sorts of thornbushes, vines, and weed covered the area. She must have never left the estate... I called Sharana and Peika.


    ¡°Can you clean up the garden?¡±


    [Of course! Should I cut everything up?]


    [I¡¯ll burn everything. Let¡¯s go, annoying wind girl.]


    [After you, perverted worm-ssi.]


    Please... don¡¯t fight...! Regardless of their rtionship, the garden was cleared up in 3 minutes with their cooperation and went back to being a spacious garden. It was as if one hundred professional gardeners had worked on it.


    [Elementals are... really strong.]


    After we finished cleaning up the garden, the mansion¡¯s front door opened and its spacious hall showed itself beyond the door. I entered the door along with Loretta and the elementals. Even after they finished the job, Sharana and Peika didn¡¯t think to go back. Sharana sat on my shoulder modestly, while Peika coiled around my arm. Since I wasn¡¯t in battle and had to worry about using mana, I didn¡¯t particrly mind them being out.


    [I¡¯m on the second floor. The room furthest into your left.]


    I opened the door to that room. I expected it to be extremely messy, but it was actually immacte. The window taking up the entire side of the room was open, letting air through. Daisy Ectradion was on the bed in the corner of the room.


    She was lying face down, wearing nothing but a white dress shirt. Her ckce panties were in full view, but Loretta poked my eyes to block the view. Ow!


    ¡°What are you doing, Loretta!?¡±


    ¡°Kuk, so the Evil Eyes can petrify me too... Huhuhu, you¡¯ve grown so much, Shin-nim!¡±


    Loretta shook her hands, and her partially petrified fingers went back to normal. She gave me a meaningful smile, but I continued to quibble.


    ¡°Why did you poke my eyes!?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t look away quickly, I¡¯m going to attack you again!¡±


    Damn, but I want to see more! I¡¯m kidding, of course!


    While I looked away, Loretta approached Daisy Ectradion and shouted.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you wearing anything underneath!? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re trying to seduce my Shin-nim!? Do you want to get hit, customer?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have... the strength... skirts are... ufortable.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and wearing something!¡±


    ¡°I only have the uniform...¡±


    ¡°Uuuu! Then at least cover yourself with a nket!¡±


    It took another 30 seconds before I was allowed to look again. Daisy Ectradion was now sitting on the bed, wrapped in her nket like a sushi roll. From her ufortable expression and her fully buttoned up dress shirt, I could tell that Loretta buttoned her up too.


    I somewhat expected it from what Lodert Hydelcyon said, but she was gorgeous. Her ash-like hair flowed down her shoulders, and her ominous red eyes had a magic power that drew people in. They were undoubtedly Evil Eyes of some sort. I could recognize it more clearly now that I possessed them as well.


    Her facial features were slightly unnatural. Her red irises took up more space in her eyes than the sclera, making her look a bit creepy. Her nose was small and stout, while her lips were overly thin and ash-colored like her hair. Also, her ears were small and sharp. Her lips and ears were especially unnatural. Her skin was also a pale grey-white. After a bit of thinking, I asked her.


    ¡°Can I ask what race you are...?¡±


    ¡°Un... I¡¯m a grey elf.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    She narrowed her eyes and stared up at me. Then, she asked.


    ¡°What happened... to Lodert Hydelcyon?¡±


    ¡°Simply put, he picked a fight with my guild and got his guild destroyed. He lost his qualification as a dungeon explorer and was kicked out to his world.¡±


    ¡°To his world? My world... Sylon continent was ruined. It¡¯s been taken over by the Book Walkers.¡±


    I immediately made a silent prayer. Good luck surviving, Lodert.


    Ectradion became quiet after that and looked at Loretta who was standing next to me.


    ¡°Did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. He can¡¯t set foot in the dungeon anymore.¡±


    ¡°I... see...¡±


    She seemed to be immersed in thought. Then, she surprisingly bowed.


    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t-do it. I can¡¯t enter your guild.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, did I...?¡±


    ¡°My Evil Eyes. They receive others¡¯ thoughts or send them my thoughts. Because you possess Evil Eyes, I can only read a little... but I thought you were lying, so I read your mind. Sorry.¡±


    She got me! To think she could do it so stealthily without me noticing. Damn, it was my fault for letting my guard down based on her appearance. I hit my cheeks, then asked her.


    ¡°How about now?¡±


    ¡°Amazing. I can¡¯t read your mind at all... Really. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Well done, Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pat me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the woman. I couldn¡¯t read you at all, but I could read it just now... Why didn¡¯t you do what you were thinking of?¡±


    ¡°Whoops. It seems I let my guard down. Geez, I¡¯m still inexperienced. Shin-nim, can you leave the room for a moment? I¡¯ll call you back once Ipose myself.¡±


    ¡°I feel like you¡¯re going to do something to Ectradion, so no.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Loretta gave up on her ns to bury Daisy Ectradion. Relieved, I asked her.


    ¡°It was my final goal to ask you to enter my guild. For now, I¡¯ll be happy if you continue your activities as an explorer. There¡¯s no one to hold you back now.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    She widened her eyes, then blinked a couple of times.


    ¡°I... want to try again. My world copsed, but if I climb the dungeon again... maybe... I can chase them out...¡±


    ¡°Then why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... a necromancer.¡±


    She continued.


    ¡°I can¡¯t obtain corpses in the dungeon...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any?¡±


    ¡°On the decisive day, half. In the dungeon, the remaining half to Hydelcyon. I lost everything.¡±


    With that, she raised her head and shed her red eyes. I instinctively knew she was trying to convey something to me. I rxed my Evil Eyes and let her thoughts flow into me in a way that it wasn¡¯t overbearing.


    Daisy Ectradion was the head of the military unit of Selone, an elven country in the Sylon continent. At a young age, she was chosen to be a First Dungeon explorer. She proliferated and became the strongest in Selone. As she continued to get stronger, she could turn stronger demonic beasts into undead. Eventually, she obtained a god¡¯s true name and entered Beyond. It went without saying that she was the forefront warrior in the war against her world¡¯s invaders, the Book Walkers.


    However, the day her world¡¯s Hero died, she lost half of the army shemanded. The surviving people lost their will to resist the Book Walkers, but Ectradion continued to fight. It was then that a conflict broke out between her and Lodert.


    Lodert had always harbored evil intentions against her, and using the Event Raid that erupted when they were climbing the dungeon together; he crushed the remaining half of her forces. As they belonged to different countries, the Empire who wanted tomand Ectradion as they wished supported Lodert¡¯s scheme. As Ectradion knew this, she returned to her mansion without going back to Sylon. Lodert had wanted her to offer her body in exchange for letting her recreate her army, and Ectadion had refused to ept his terms.


    When she tried to obtain corpses some other way, she could not achieve her goals in Sylon because Lodert obstructed her. It was the same when she tried to obtain them from other worlds¡¯ explorers, as the guild Lodert operated, the Desert Scorpion, prevented them. In the first ce, monsters strong enough to help clear Beyond didn¡¯te out for sale. She was no longer allowed to make an army for herself.


    In the end, rather than submitting to such a cowardly man, she decided to give up on her world. Just like that, she became a neet.


    Even if she had a god¡¯s power, as a necromancer, she couldn¡¯t advance in the dungeon by herself. It was especially the case as an explorer of Beyond. Just like that, for the past 73 years, she was lying on the bed of her mansion.


    ¡°I already gave up. Corpses... To clear Beyond¡¯s 12th floor, normal corpses won¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°So you want to just die in your mansion.¡±


    ¡°Un... Thank you for ruining Hydelcyon and making him so miserable. Now, there¡¯s no reason for me to raise my whip. I have... no regrets.¡±


    With that, shey back down and closed her eyes. I could finally see her clearly. For a hero of Selone and an explorer of Beyond, her body was petite. Perhaps it was a trait of the elves, but her chest and butt were certainly voluptuous. However, she still had a small frame. Her shoulders were narrow, and her limbs were pitifully thin.


    I felt like I was watching a withering flower. I couldn¡¯t just let her be.


    ¡°Ectradion. If... If there are corpses you can be satisfied with, will you continue exploring?¡±


    ¡°Do I have to enter your guild?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll back down for now. After all, I can¡¯t bother you with my world¡¯s problem. Once I push back the danger my world¡¯s currently facing, I¡¯ll ask you again.¡±


    At my words, Loretta burst intoughter.


    ¡°Shin-nim, what are you talking about!? Shin-nim is talking like Shin-nim is going to defeat other worlds¡¯ enemies!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Loretta?¡±


    I tilted my head and answered.


    ¡°Once I defeat the two enemies my world is facing, do you think I¡¯ll have anything to be afraid of? In that case, why wouldn¡¯t I go defeat other worlds¡¯ enemies?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, you really...¡±


    As my words were too reasonable, Loretta became speechless. Then, I heard the sound of a nket falling. I turned my head toward the direction of the sound. Daisy Ectradion, who put her nket aside, was standing up and looking at me. Her Evil Eyes were shining with an exceptional red light.


    ¡°The corpses... Let me see them.¡±


    Good! That¡¯s what I wanted to see! With a grin, I answered.


    ¡°First, wear a skirt.¡±


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    The poprity contest will be ongoing until the end of this week!

 Chapter 175. What Is Not Allowed for Her (6)

    Chapter 175. What Is Not Allowed for Her (6)


    I was kicked out of the room. Realizing that Daisy Ectradion would take forever to put on her clothes by herself, Loretta chased me out so that she could help her. I was already talking to Ectradion when she didn¡¯t have anything on, so was there really a need to kick me out? I felt wronged. ...Have I been too hungry for affectiontely? No, I¡¯ve been hungry since I was born!


    Then, the door opened.


    ¡°Shin-nim, let¡¯s go now!¡±


    ¡°Mm... I¡¯m calm now.¡±


    The two of them came out. Seeing Ectradion, I became lost for words. Just one minute ago, she was only wearing a white dress shirt and ckce panties.


    But now, she was wearing a grey zer with gold buttons, and a ck leather mini-skirt that revealed her thighs. On her head was a sharp grey beret, and she was wearing ck high-heeled shoes. Finally, ck stockings wrapped around her delicate legs put the finishing touch. Not even an experienced army private would be able to change so fast into his uniform.


    ¡°How did you change so fast...? Not to mention, the uniform is very... Earth-esque.¡±


    ¡°Several worlds share simr cultures and styles, Shin-nim. Think about all the weapons you¡¯ve seen.¡±


    ¡°My battle uniform. With my enchant skill, my equipment, I can put in. Huhu.¡±


    Ectradion was bragging about something I didn¡¯t even ask about!


    ¡°T-Then let¡¯s go, Loretta, Ectradion. I have a lot of corpses, but the best one is in my guild house.¡±


    ¡°Call me Daisy. Myst name is too long.¡±


    ¡°Then, Daisy-ssi. You can call me Shin.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like being formal. It¡¯s too long. Unnecessarily.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay, then I¡¯ll just call you Daisy.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    Although Daisy yawned and followed us nonchntly, I took it to mean that we had gotten closer. Loretta also smiled and whispered to me.


    ¡°Shin-nim, you¡¯ve gotten skilled at tricking people.¡±


    ¡°Tricking? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Saving other worlds. You said it to gain her favor, right?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    There was a slight mimunication with Loretta, but we returned to the guild house without much problem. When we arrived, however, we saw father and Walker drinking alcohol under a parasol.


    ¡°Father, you drink with Walker?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s someone to drink with, so why wouldn¡¯t I? You want to join?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to gloss over this matter, Kang Shin. Who are the girls behind you?¡±


    Walker pointed at Loretta and Daisy with his ss of alcohol in his hand. I turned around to introduce them to each other. While Loretta had her hands together modestly, Daisy quickly ran to the boar and drake corpses decorating the garden. The two of them had gottenpressed so much that the boar was now the size of a small car, while the drake was also only about 7 meters.


    ¡°Amazing... Such perfect refinement. The master who did this, introduce me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking at him.¡±


    ¡°You have such profound knowledge over corpses?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Meanwhile, Loretta was bowing to father respectfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to finally meet you, Father. I¡¯m Loretta. I got to know Shin-nim in the dungeon. Though I¡¯m still inexperienced, I¡¯m supporting Shin-nim in climbing the dungeon. I¡¯m not too keen on Korean etiquette and may make many mistakes, but please guide me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the polite greeting, Daughter. So Son, when can I see my grandkids?¡±


    ¡°Not any time soon! Loretta, why are you making him misunderstand?¡±


    ¡°Misunderstand!? He¡¯s my future father-inw!¡±


    Loretta dered without batting an eye. Fatherughed wholeheartedly, while Walker snickered with his eyes open.


    ¡°I thought this one was the real one, but I guessed wrong, hehe. If Mastiford sees this, she¡¯s going to get angry. To think you hid a woman from your wife. You¡¯re quite good.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a wife, Walker!¡±


    ¡°Hu, I¡¯m surprised you can say that when you have such a big daughter.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, can I hear about this in more detail? So you really had a partner. Geez, I don¡¯t like it when you hide things like this, uhuhu.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scared the most when youugh like that, Loretta...¡±


    Really, Heaven was helping me by not letting Hwaya be here. Back then, she ignored what I was trying to say, but she must have realized I had someone in my mind. If she knew that was Loretta... Kuk. Just thinking about it made my head hurt. In terms of personality, I knew Hwaya wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone.


    I called Daisy.


    ¡°So? Can you use them?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re both... perfect. The boar surpassed its limit. When it bes an undead... it might continue to grow. It¡¯s the same for the me Drake. Here, the corpses weren¡¯t... being stored. They were... evolving.¡±


    Daisy sped her hands together and murmured in a dazed voice. Although her slow speech made it hard to understand what she was saying, I could tell that she liked the corpses.


    ¡°But... two isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    She drooped her shoulders. So she could show such reaction in front of corpses... Thinking rather stupid thoughts, I began to put corpses down onto the garden one by one. When I began taking out the corpses I gained from the SS rank dungeon, Insect World, Daisy¡¯s red eyes shone ominously.


    ¡°Giant... insects. Insect undead... Cool.¡±


    ¡°Setting aside the fact that you¡¯re a necromancer, do you just like undead?¡±


    ¡°This rhinoceros beetle is... perfection.¡±


    She was already in pure ecstasy from looking at all the insect corpses. She wasn¡¯t paying attention to me in the slightest. I made a wry smile. Then, curious about father and Walker¡¯s reaction, I looked back at them.


    Loretta was pouring alcohol into father¡¯s ss.


    ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°You can have Shin now. Take him!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Father! I will serve him well!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me away on your own, Father! Loretta too, don¡¯t take his words seriously.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, what a boring son.¡±


    ¡°I agree, Father. Ah, but Shin-nim has many good points as well!¡±


    They were getting along extremely well. I thought Hwaya and Father were a good pair, but it seemed Loretta was even better. I guess she didn¡¯t live 2,700 yea... 17 years for nothing. I didn¡¯t change what I was thinking because I felt a vast killing intent. Not at all!


    Father finally stopped cracking jokes with Loretta and looked at Daisy. She was still buried inside the pile of corpses being ted.


    ¡°Who¡¯s she?¡±


    ¡°A Beyond explorer. It¡¯s hard to exin, but I want to sell her our corpses. Though it isn¡¯t now, she¡¯ll eventually join us.¡±


    ¡°Do you really need to get our permission, Kang Shin? What¡¯s in your inventory is yours. Even if they aren¡¯t, as long as you exin properly, no one will mind it. Though, I¡¯m sure many of them will be unhappy that you¡¯re selling them to such a beautiful woman.¡±


    Walker added useless remarks as he snickered. It seemed he becamexer when he drank.


    In any case, Father seemed to agree.


    ¡°That¡¯s better than letting the corpses rot in your inventory. You weren¡¯t nning on selling them for money anyways.¡±


    ¡°I saved them in case we needed them.¡±


    ¡°Wanting to help others is always admirable, Son. That¡¯s especially true if the person you¡¯re trying to help wishes to walk on her two feet. Do as you want.¡±


    ¡°When someone owes a debt of gratitude, they¡¯ll feel pressured to pay it back more than it¡¯s worth. Yup.¡±


    Most people would take things for granted and ask for even greater favors. Only a few would do as Walker said.


    Daisy faced me. Her eyes sparkled.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible... with these. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°d to be of help. Just know that they won¡¯t be cheap.¡±


    ¡°Of course. But, there¡¯s something I want to ask.¡±


    She looked at me in the eyes.


    ¡°If I help you, your world... Will you save... my world?¡±


    I widened my eyes. Although I wanted her help and was ready to ept it wholeheartedly, I didn¡¯t expect her to make the offer. Did this mean she trusted me? I collected my thoughts and answered.


    ¡°... I was expecting you to pay meter.¡±


    ¡°I have eyes for people.¡±


    Her eyes shed. She was undoubtedly talking about her Evil Eyes. Indeed, there were no ¡®eyes¡¯ like them. I nodded.


    ¡°Of course, if you help save Earth.¡±


    ¡°Then, good.¡±


    Daisy also nodded and answered.


    ¡°Guild Revival. I¡¯ll join.¡±


    The 10th member of Revival was thus born.


    [Guild ¡®Revival¡¯ became B rank! When challenging Event Dungeons or Event Raids, when 5 or more guild members are present, all guild members¡¯ abilities will be increased by 10%!]


    ¡°How strong are you that the guild ranked up just by you joining?¡±


    ¡°First guild. Not sure.¡±


    Even as she answered, she was busily walking around the mountain of corpses in the garden. Then, she stopped in front of one and seemed to fall into thought. Soon, she crushed it. It then transformed into mana and spread to all the other corpses. It seemed it was a corpses reinforcement technique for necromancers.


    Just like that, she crushed a few additional corpses in poor conditions and made the other corpses abundant with mana. She hummed and made a satisfied expression. She then put her hand on the skirt¡¯s chain belt and pulled on it.


    ¡°Uwoah, what are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°This, my weapon. Strong and cool.¡±


    Daisy bragged needlessly. She was holding her belt... no, whip. Her skirt didn¡¯t fall. The whip wasn¡¯t actually tightening her skirt like a belt. While I let out a sigh of relief, Loretta grinned.


    ¡°Disappointed, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°You can ask after you put down those fingers you¡¯re pointing at my eyes.¡±


    ¡°This, and this.¡±


    While Loretta and I were ring at each other, Daisy continued to work. Every time she swung her chain whip, the monster corpses filling up the garden began to twitch. It was a truly horrifying sight. Even so, it mysteriously drew people¡¯s attention. Daisy¡¯s mana continued to spread across the garden, and in the end, captured all the corpses perfectly.


    The corpses... rather, the undead were lining up in front of her. We all watched her in awe.


    ¡°If they all attacked together, it¡¯d be difficult to deal with them.¡±


    ¡°Necromancers are... amazing...¡±


    ¡°Really... Not to mention, such a beautiful girl ismanding this army of corpses.¡±


    ¡°Is it an enemy? Do I kill her?¡±


    ¡°Uuu, there are two new beauties.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see! Daddy, hold me up!¡±


    As Ina was fretting, I held her up to let her see more easily. But Ina, you can fly... Eh?


    ¡°When did youe!?¡±


    ¡°Just now. Walker sent us a report. So? Can I get an exnation, Ina¡¯s Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Can you not address me in ways that would cause misunderstandings!?¡±


    ¡°... Oh?¡±


    The horn was sounding for war! Not against the army of corpses, but it was here and now!

 Chapter 176. What Is Not Allowed for Her (7)

    Chapter 176. What Is Not Allowed for Her (7)


    Hwaya stood on Ludia¡¯s side for once and red at Loretta. It was because Loretta was standing right next to me. Ye-Eun was still in a panic, while Daisy was busy with moving the corpses and didn¡¯t care about what was happening here.


    ¡°Shin, who¡¯s that woman?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s Loretta, the Floor Shop shopkeeper and a guild master of one of First Dungeon¡¯s administrative guilds.¡±


    ¡°Hello, my name is Loretta. You¡¯re members of Shin-nim¡¯s guild, right? It¡¯s nice to meet you all.¡±


    ¡°Administrative guild master...? She¡¯s not an explorer?¡±


    The girls looked flustered. Hwaya then said with a more rxed voice.


    ¡°I misunderstood. It looks like my intuition¡¯s not working well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also Shin-nim¡¯s future wife!¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡±


    ¡°An enemy...!¡±


    At Loretta¡¯s bold statement, Hwaya and Ludia immediately entered battle mode! Loretta most likely said that to keep them in check, but it seemed Hwaya and Ludia took it as a provocation. Balls of me appeared in mid-air and the garden¡¯s ground began to crack. I was afraid they would really turn this mansion into a battlefield if left alone, so I stopped them with a sigh.


    ¡°Loretta, don¡¯t spread lies. You guys too, stop using your power for useless things.¡±


    ¡°Lies? Really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not useless. It¡¯s justice.¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t be angry, Shin-nim. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Loretta was eventually going to meet the others, and I knew Hwaya and Ludia would react this way. But if they really fought, it would only end with Hwaya and Ludia getting punished by the administrative guilds. Regardless, since Loretta was the one who provoked them, I warned her.


    ¡°Loretta, I¡¯m sure you were kidding, but don¡¯t cause trouble. Got it?¡±


    ¡°B-But I wasn¡¯t kidding... I was being honest... Shin-nim got mad at me. Shin-nim...¡±


    Loretta drooped her ears and sulked. It seemed she was shocked quite a bit as her eyes were slightly teary. I wanted to hug her, but I wasn¡¯t done talking. I turned to face Hwaya and Ludia.


    ¡°Hwaya, Ludia, Loretta isn¡¯t an enemy. She¡¯s a benefactor who helped me for a long time. You guys are being rude to her. She didn¡¯t do anything wrong, she was just kidding. Plus, I should be the one angry at her joke, not you.¡±


    ¡°Shin, I told you how I felt about you. It¡¯s normal for me to get angry.¡±


    ¡°M-Me too! I¡¯ll be troubled if you go to someone else!¡±


    ¡°Let me say this clearly.¡±


    I breathed in and breathed out. Then, I continued.


    ¡°Until I solve the danger Earth is facing, I won¡¯t date anyone.¡±


    The atmosphere chilled, but I didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°I think I said before too, but I don¡¯t have the time for it. I¡¯m already busy breaking through the dungeon and fighting Earth¡¯s monsters, so how am I going to find the time to have a rtionship? Even if I had the time, I wouldn¡¯t have the peace of mind to do so. Even now, I¡¯m confused because of all of you. You¡¯re all charming and out of my league, but you all said you like me! I can¡¯t just choose one of you like choosing a college course! I have to think about it over and over again, but I don¡¯t have the time for that right now! Even if I have to miss this golden chance that might nevere again in my lifetime and have you alle to not like me. Even if I have to remain single for the rest of my life! I still can¡¯t make a decision! Romantic rtionships aren¡¯t allowed for me right now! Understood?¡±


    ¡°Puhahahaha! So my son can say that!¡±


    ¡°G-Gol, Golden chance, kukukuk!¡±


    ¡°... Un.¡±


    Father and Walker burst intoughter, while Hwaya nodded and the others drooped their heads. Hwaya¡¯s cheeks were flushed.


    ¡°That was a pretty good effort. I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m happy that you can¡¯t decide on me, but I¡¯ll let it slide.¡±


    ¡°You sure are confident.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m the best woman in the world. But, since she isn¡¯t from our world, I¡¯ll still leave some space for deliberation.¡±


    ¡°I like Shin too... I was the first to confess too... I hate unni.¡±


    ¡°But remember, I won¡¯t let you go until you fall for me. I told youst time, right? What¡¯s important is that I like you, so be prepared. Ina, let¡¯s go back.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Ah, unni, me too.¡±


    Hwaya took her me back. Then, with a slightly uneasy expression, she took Ina from me and went into the mansion. Sumire looked at me for a moment, then ran after Hwaya.


    While Hwaya¡¯s words were weighing down my head, Loretta pped her ears and shouted.


    ¡°I, I¡¯m used to waiting too!¡±


    ¡°You say that, but you take out your axe whenever I talk about other women.¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s... Sorry. I know I shouldn¡¯t, but I get worried about thieving cats... I apologize for today. I¡¯ll go back and reflect on it, soe console me kindlyter.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think if you can say you¡¯re reflecting when you¡¯re asking me toe console you...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter then, Father.¡±


    After politely saying goodbye to Father, Loretta disappeared from Marianne¡¯s Garden. Hwaya and Loretta. The two storms had passed by safely, and I couldn¡¯t help but sigh in relief.


    Daisy then approached me. She seemed unfazed by everything that just happened. She simply had a jubnt expression that showed just how ted she was about getting new corpses.


    ¡°I used my skills. First time in a long time. I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Daisy, why are you asking me tha... Eh? What happened to all the corpses?¡±


    ¡°Inventory. Do you want payment?¡±


    ¡°Later. For now, let¡¯s go in the mansion. I have to properly introduce you to everyone. After that... I¡¯ll let you eat an amazing tuna sashimi.¡±


    After hearing the phrase ¡®tuna sashimi,¡¯ Father and Walker slowly got up and walked into the mansion. When I was about to invite the others in, I noticed that Ludia was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Ye-Eun, where¡¯s Ludia?¡±


    ¡°She took Shuna and went to the dungeon. She looked like she was extremely troubled. I¡¯m worried...¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll message herter. Let¡¯s go in for now.¡±


    What I said might have shocked Ludia. She was relying on me, but what I said today was no different than saying that the status quo would change. Perhaps, she might have imagined a future without me.


    Huu... It really wasplicated.


    ¡°Um, Shin.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Before I noticed, Ye-Eun had approached me. Her eyes trembled apprehensively.


    ¡°Can it not be... me? Am I not charming at all to Shin?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Don¡¯t be absurd.¡±


    ¡°But, I¡¯m just a normal girl...¡±


    ¡°What normal? You¡¯re extremely charming and unique. You don¡¯t lose to anyone.¡±


    Especially when you¡¯re fighting monsters. Because I didn¡¯t add thest part, Ye-Eun seemed to be feeling much better.


    ¡°Hehe, thanks. I really like you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I like you too.¡±


    ¡°Then is today our day 1!?¡±


    ¡°My answer is the same asst time.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go in. I¡¯m sure everyone¡¯s waiting. I don¡¯t want to see Father¡¯s personality when he¡¯s hungry.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    ¡°Blood sugar... low. Can¡¯t, move.¡±


    While joking with Ye-Eun, I dragged Daisy, who had gotten extremely sluggish after ying with the corpses, inside the mansion. This time, we managed to finish a fourth of the melting tuna that I had left.


    Around dinner time, I left the guild house. Although it was good to spend time with my guildmates, it was more important to quickly finish grinding the Twin-headed Ogre. If I dawdled too long and a day passed by, I would have wasted a day. I reluctantly refused father who asked if I wanted another drink and headed to the dungeon.


    Since Walker was there, I figured he wouldn¡¯t be lonely. Though they weren¡¯t that close, in the beginning, they had gotten much closer after drinking together. I wanted Walker to participate in the guild¡¯s activities out of his own volition, not because of the contract. In order to do so, it was best that he got closer to the guild members.


    Walker wasn¡¯t a saint, but he wasn¡¯t evil either. He was over thirty, but talking to him, I realized just how caged he had lived his whole life. More specifically, he was very biased toward one side of things. His thoughts were dark, sometimes overly down-to-earth, and sometimes cold-hearted. Since he must have had to deal with Brightman¡¯s shady actions, it was understandable.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean he had to continue that way forever. That wasn¡¯t the proper and normal way of living. Though, I couldn¡¯t say that our current lives were normal either.


    Being bound to us through the contract and having to work with us, it seemed he was changing one step at a time. I could tell that he was opening up to the people in the guild. He was even joking with me when I had severely beaten him up and forced him to sign a contract.


    I was certain that a day woulde where the contract would be unnecessary. I wanted that day toe.


    *


    I had an idea of what kind of elixir the Twin-headed Ogre would drop. When I ground the Giant Wolf on the 45th floor, it dropped tattoo invigoration elixirs. When I was talking with Ren, he casually remarked that he was grinding invigoration elixirs on the 55


    floor. As such, I was more or less certain.


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Ogre¡¯s Tattoo Invigoration Elixir


    2. Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Leather Belt]


    To my eyes, the words ¡®Ogre¡¯s Tattoo Invigoration Elixir¡¯ looked like the words of God. Without hesitating, I chose the tattoo invigoration elixir and threw it in my mouth. Instantly, the tattoo on my arms glowed. If this elixir had the same function as the one for the wolf tattoo...


    [Your Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo bes more invigorated. Your strength increases by 0.5% and constitution increases by 1. As you have the Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo, your strength increases by an additional 0.5% and your constitution by an additional 1.]


    As I thought, there was an additional bonus! I flexed my arms contently and thrust my spear into the air a couple times. No other explorer had the Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo. I was the only one who had it.


    When the normal Ogre¡¯s Tattoo was invigorated to its limit, it would raise its possessor¡¯s strength by 15%. However, that would only be half of the strength increase I would enjoy.


    ¡®First¡¯! It was truly a sweet word! The 55th floor was the best!


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s continue this momentum and go again!¡±


    [Yes, Master! If it¡¯s only this, I can go 100 times without feeling tired!]


    ¡°I wish I could...¡±


    The dungeon¡¯s mana, the effect of other explorers, and whatnot, it seemed the dungeon¡¯s system wasn¡¯t so simple. Although this ten-time battle ticket looked like a simple piece of paper, it contained an extremelyplicated arrangement of vast mana that I could not even begin to fathom. Plus, it was undoubtedly made of special material as well. I was certain that the price I bought them from was a bargain.


    With such a thought, I left the Floor Master room. When Loretta saw me from the Floor Shop, she pped her ears with a blooming smile. Then, her ears drooped. It seemed she remembered me scolding her.


    ¡°You came, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going to go back for another round though.¡±


    Although I didn¡¯t mean to answer curtly, Loretta shrunk back slightly and asked carefully.


    ¡°Are you... still mad?¡±


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t mad, to begin with. It was just that I didn¡¯t like how you lied to provoke the others.¡±


    With that, Loretta would probably not joke like that again. When I nced at Loretta with that thought, Loretta was tearing up. No, she was crying!


    ¡°... Hic, hic, I¡¯m sowwy. Hic. I didn¡¯t you¡¯d hate it so much.¡±


    ¡°Loretta!?¡±


    ¡°I, I won¡¯t do it again, I won¡¯t joke again, so don¡¯t hate me, hic. I¡¯m sowwy, I¡¯m sowwy...!¡±


    ¡°No, no, I don¡¯t hate you at all. I don¡¯t hate you, so crying!¡±


    I had to stay for 30 minutes to console Loretta who started crying. How can a woman who¡¯s lived over 2000 years cry like a teenage girl!? It¡¯s too cute!

 Chapter 177. The Power of the Hero (1)

    Chapter 177. The Power of the Hero (1)


    Chapter 177. The Power of the Hero (1)


    Fighting the Twin-headed Ogre ten times a day was honestly just too easy. Now that I thought about it, fighting the Floor Master three times a day had been nothing at all. It didn¡¯t even take 20 minutes to kill the Twin-headed Ogre, so fighting it three times would only take an hour. As I was now, I would be fine even if I continuously fought for 10 hours.


    Plus, even though the Twin-headed Ogre was strong and fast, it was a normal ground-based monster that couldn¡¯t even use magic. After I fought it a couple of times, I had memorized its movement and attack patterns and became able to defeat it in 10 minutes.


    I had an incredibly high strength stat, which was even further amplified by Zeus¡¯ power and Ogre¡¯s tattoo. I also had Mad Typhoon, which showed greater strength than what was possible with my stats. Although it would be hard for me to block a Demon Army Commander¡¯s regenerative ability like Peruta did, it was still extremely easy for me to deal a blow that surpassed a mere ogre¡¯s regenerative ability. It was what greatly helped to shorten the time I spent fighting the Twin-headed Ogre.


    After I left the Floor Master room, I was drinking a Fatigue Recovery Juice worth 100 gold when Loretta spoke with a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°Shin-nim, you should know that there are explorers who go in as full 10-man parties and fight the Twin-headed Ogre for 3 hours. If someone saw you, they¡¯d think the dungeon was made to be climbed alone.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to care about them. I only have to care about people stronger than me. I don¡¯t have the time to turn back and feel proud seeing people weaker than me.¡±


    Loretta slightly sulked at my cut-throat response.


    ¡°If Shin-nim ever copses from working too hard, know that Shin-nim¡¯s precious things will be missing when Shin-nim wakes up.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t copse in front of Loretta so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    I retorted with a grin, and Loretta made a scared expression. She looked like she was about to cry.


    ¡°A-Are you still angry?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just that guys like to... Uh, no, nevermind.¡±


    ¡°What is it!? That sounds like some extremely valuable information! Please continue, now!¡±


    ¡°Never. Not even over my dead body.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    I had no ns to say anything. I finally got her to stop, because if I had said anything, she would¡¯ve gone on about the "marrying" thing. I stuck my tongue out at Loretta and headed toward the Floor Master room again. But from the happy expression I saw before I turned around, it seemed Loretta was making her own assumptions and being happy.


    Perhaps in her head, she had already nned out our wedding. However, my prediction was immediately proven to be wrong. Loretta¡¯s thoughts were leaking.


    ¡°Ehehe, then we¡¯ll name our seventh kid this... I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be just as cute as Shin-nim, uhuhuhu.¡±


    Amazed at Loretta¡¯s ability to surpass my expectations every time, I shook my head. Then, I opened the door to the Floor Master room.


    ¡°Fight me! Twin-headed Ogre!¡±


    Like I said before, it didn¡¯t take long for me to defeat the Twin-headed Ogre. I defeated it four times in one hour. In other words, after two and a half hours, I had nothing more to do for the day. Including the time for rest, four hours was more than enough.


    Since I had to grind the boss 80 to 100 times on average, I would be forced to a leisurely lifestyle for a while. Although I grew impatient thinking about the 2 year time period I had, since I knew being impatient wouldn¡¯t change anything, I thought about how to spend the time more efficiently.


    First, I decided to talk to Yua, who was still sulking.


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    However, I failed at every attempt to appease her. I spent the remaining time sparring with Father or teaching Sumire spearmanship.


    With the exception of Walker, who had to guard Yua for about a third of his day since school had just restarted, when they weren¡¯t climbing the dungeon, most Revival members were socializing in the guild house. This made it extremely convenient for me to see and teach Sumire.


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    With a shield on one hand and a spear on the other, Sumire charged toward me. Although she was attacking and defending rather sensibly, I still skillfully dodged her attack and lightly attacked her shin which her shield wasn¡¯t covering.


    ¡°Your lower body¡¯s guard iscking!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, guide me more, Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°Anytime!¡±


    The moment I responded, Sumire clenched her teeth and thrust her spear toward me. Her basic battle tactic was to defend with her shield and attack with her spear. It was appropriate if she wanted to act as a tank who drew the enemies¡¯ aggro while also acting as a damage dealer.


    ¡°The tip of your spear is shaking because you¡¯re too focused on your shield!¡±


    ¡°Kuk! I¡¯ll fix it!¡±


    I did my best to point out her mistakes and to help her hone her spear. When I attacked Sumire¡¯s opening, she would be hit, but by the time she got back up, the opening was gone. Seeing her grow, I couldn¡¯t help but be excited as a teacher. As a result, I ended up overdoing it slightly, but Sumire happily epted it. Perhaps this was how Father felt when he was teaching me. Regardless, I was happy that my guild was full of such talented people.


    After we sparred for two hours, Sumire bowed, drenched in sweat.


    ¡°Thank you for your lesson, Shin-nim! My Spear Technique reached mid-rank level 5!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re progressing well. You¡¯ll be able to use it in real battles soon.¡±


    ¡°Although I¡¯mcking, it¡¯s thanks to Shin-nim¡¯s enthusiastic teaching that I¡¯m improving so much! I¡¯m extremely happy to serve Shin-nim as my master!¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re doing well. You have talent and you¡¯re putting in an effort. I¡¯m happy to have Sumire as my first disciple too.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim...!¡±


    No, don¡¯t look at me with those sparkling eyes of respect! It¡¯s ticklish! I scratched my head.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go wash ourselves off and eat something.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim! I¡¯ll prepare the food!¡±


    When I went upstairs after a refreshing shower, I unexpectedly saw Daisy there. Although there wasn¡¯t anyone to prepare food, Daisy was sitting alone at the table with her head down. She was in her uniform, but her beret was on the side, while her chain whip was wrapped around her arm like an essory. I was surprised that the whip could be worn in so many ways.


    She must have felt my presence as she turned toward me. Her head was still drooped on the table. She shed her red eyes ominously and spoke.


    ¡°Blood sugar... low. Need food.¡±


    She said it in a cool way, but the content was anything but cool. It even made her outer appearance look worse.


    ¡°Where were you until now...? Well, that aside, just what did you eat for the past 73 years?¡±


    ¡°Preserved food... in inventory. Tasteless. I ate here, threw away all preserved food. My stomach wants tasty food.¡±


    ¡°Oh hey, thatst sentence was grammatically correct! ... You¡¯ll have to wait a bit for the food. Eat this for now.¡±


    I took out a chocte bar from my inventory and gave it to her. Daisy¡¯s eye¡¯s shed and she grabbed it. After peeling the wrapper, she took a big bite.


    [Yummy!]


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to use your Evil Eyes to tell everyone around you.¡±


    Wait, wasn¡¯t this the first time she shouted something!? She wasted such an important scene on a chocte bar!? I wanted her to shout in a more emotional event... I felt slightly betrayed. Then, seeing Daisy put her hands out like asking for another, I flicked her forehead.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have a proper meal soon. You know Sumire, right? She¡¯s a genius in various ways, but she¡¯s especially talented in housework. You can look forward to her food.¡±


    ¡°Mmm... For yummy food, I can... wait.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Daisy took her hands back and nibbled on the chocte bar she had left. Although it was good that she had calmed down, I still didn¡¯t know why she was here.


    If I remembered correctly, after eating the melting tuna, she disappeared and was nowhere to be seen. Four days had passed since then, so that meant she hade back after four days.


    Just when I was about to ask, Daisy opened her mouth as if she just remembered.


    ¡°Beyond... 12th floor. Broke through, thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    So she went straight into Beyond that day! It was a rather quick decision, contrary to the slow andx attitude she was showing now. I nodded my head with admiration.


    ¡°That was quick. Good job.¡±


    ¡°Your children, very strong. Pookie, Iana, Loro, especially strong.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up with those cute names... I don¡¯t know which monsters you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°me... Drake and, Iron... Boar, Evil Rhinoceros. Beetle Lord.¡±


    ¡°Good job shortening their names to such cute ones!¡±


    ¡°Fighting together, I¡¯m happy...¡±


    Seeing her ted expression, I lost the heart to say anything. I simply made a sour smile and patted her head. Then, remembering that I patted her without thinking, I pulled my hand back. However, Daisy didn¡¯t seem to mind. In fact, she looked at me curiously when I took my hand off.


    ¡°I don¡¯t, mind. Continue.¡±


    ¡°No, sorry. That was rude of me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re okay.¡±


    She was really friendly. Was it because I was another Beyond explorer? No, that¡¯s probably not it... Just when I was thinking about the reason, Daisy spoke out.


    ¡°You, surrounded by, pretty girls. Clearly showing feelings, but you¡¯re virgin. With you, I feel safe.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dissing me, right!? You¡¯re openly dissing me! Wait, so you were actually listening to us properly!?¡±


    I felt like I had my back stabbed thoroughly. I was so sad that I wanted to cry.


    ¡°Reliable. More than other girls, feel safer.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, I¡¯m a man too! Plus, other girls? What girls are threatening your chastity!?¡±


    ¡°World is... wide.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make that distant expression! You¡¯re scaring me!¡±


    I unwillingly came to find out that pretty girls were sought after by both men and women. I really did not need to know that at all...


    In any case, Sumire, Daisy, and I, a rather unusualbination, enjoyed a lunch together. Then, when I was about to start my training after getting some rest, I got a message that broke the peaceful atmosphere. It was from Walker, who was protecting Yua on her way back from school.


    [Come back to Earth now, Kang Shin! Your sister got done in by Luca Bruno¡¯s ability! I¡¯m running back with her in my arms, but... In any case,e now!]


    ¡°I¡¯ming immediately!¡±


    People that got on my nerves even by doing nothing seemed to have gotten tired of living, as they pulled on my hair and opened the gate to Hell.


    Author¡¯s note:


    You¡¯ve waited a long time! It¡¯s time to go take care of the people making you itchy just by existing! Walker, you were put on this duty for this very moment! Well... Good job Walker! You stopped the reader¡¯s rage!

 Chapter 178. The Power of the Hero (2)

    Chapter 178. The Power of the Hero (2)


    I immediately came back to Earth. I knew where Yua was. I rushed to her in my armor.


    ¡°Sharana!¡±


    [Yes, Master!]


    After infusing Sharana into my body, I even used Tria. Then, I used Divine Speed and was able to reach Walker in just 1 minute 13 seconds.


    In an area strangely silent and deserted, insect type monsters were flying toward Walker. It was undoubtedly Luca Bruno¡¯s doing. In Walker¡¯s arms, I could see Yua struggling to free herself.


    ¡°Let me go! Let me go now!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, calm down, Kang Yua! Your oppa is here!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Oppa! Oppa, say something to him! I have to go meet someone now!¡±


    First, I used Peika¡¯s ability to scorch the surrounding monsters, then calmly received Yua from Walker. I could see something condensed in her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed red and her eyes were out of focus. It was the typical charmed status.


    ¡°Let me go, Oppa! I would be troubled if I can¡¯t meet him!¡±


    ¡°Yua, calm down first.¡±


    ¡°I hate Oppa! You don¡¯t even know how I feel! ...Eh?¡±


    Yua¡¯s expression distorted as if she was agonizing over something.


    ¡°I, I... Oppa... but that person... uuu...¡±


    She was in conflict because of me even while she was charmed? Touched, I wanted to hug her and rub my cheek against hers but now wasn¡¯t the time. I took a deep breath and shouted.


    ¡°Yua, snap out of it!¡±


    [You used Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry! All party members are cleansed of negative status effects. All party members¡¯ attack power increases by 50 percent for the duration. All party members be super-armored, unfazed by enemy attacks.]


    In an instant, Yua¡¯s eyes became focused again.


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    She looked extremely confused. She touched her cheeks, knocked on her head a few times, then realizing that she was in my embrace, she blushed.


    ¡°Oppa, what¡¯s going on...?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Yua. I dragged you into my problem.¡±


    ¡°N-No, I¡¯m fine. Did I trouble Oppa? I-It¡¯s bad if I did...¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t, so don¡¯t worry. Are you okay, now?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes. It was really strange. I suddenly really liked someone I saw for the first time to the point I couldn¡¯t control myself... It was too strange. Then, Walker ajusshi grabbed me and... If it wasn¡¯t for him...¡±


    I put Yua down and dusted her off a couple times. Then, I bowed to Walker.


    ¡°Walker, thanks.¡±


    ¡°I just did what you told me to do. I¡¯m just doing my job.¡±


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s thanks to you that Yua is safe. Thank you, really. I won¡¯t forget this debt even if I die.¡±


    ¡°... Hmph, as long as you know.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but can you continue protecting Yua right now? I have something to do.¡±


    ¡°... Interesting. Of course, I¡¯ll protect your sister wholeheartedly. Go wild.¡±


    I patted Yua¡¯s head one more time, then opened my visor to reveal my eyes. Then, I stared at the insects that were still flying toward me. After meeting my eyes, the insects all turned to stone and fell to the ground. Countless thuds rang out as if there was a hail.


    ¡°You¡¯re no human...!¡±


    ¡°This is Oppa¡¯s...!¡±


    The insects turned to stone the moment they got in my range. Unless there was a healer who possessed mana that surpassed mine, it would be impossible to cancel my ability. Hundreds, then thousands of rock sculptures piled up around us. Then, I lightly waved my hand, creating a tornado with Mad Typhoon. With Sharana¡¯s power amplifying the tornado, I shredded the sculptures into tiny pieces.


    In just a moment, all the monsters disappeared. I made a light sigh and pulled my visor back down. I then turned around to Yua and Walker and spoke.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be off.¡±


    ¡°Oppa, can I go with you? I want to see Oppa teaching him a lesson! I can¡¯t forgive myself for being unable to choose between Oppa and that person!¡±


    It seemed Yua wanted a closure for herself as well. I looked at Walker. He shrugged and remarked.


    ¡°I was also vexed because I could only run away. I want to see how he¡¯ll react when he sees you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go together. Peika, materialize!¡±


    [I¡¯ve been waiting!]


    Peika materialized in mid-air as a dragon. When I put Yua and Walker on her back, Yua cheered.


    ¡°How beautiful... Oppa is amazing! Do all dungeon explorers have something like this?¡±


    ¡°Sorry to break your fantasy, but it¡¯s your Oppa that¡¯s special.¡±


    I put a Mana Potion in my mouth and ordered Peika to fly. Peika soared into the air, and civilians who saw her from the streets screamed.


    ¡°Kang Shin, your sister¡¯s face isn¡¯t hidden.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. They already found out anyways. We¡¯ll be more open from now on. I don¡¯t n on hiding anymore. There¡¯s no reason to either.¡±


    I doubt Luca Bruno came all the way to Korea, saw Yua for the first time, and charmed her because he was mesmerized by her. He undoubtedly approached her knowing that she was my sister. In that case, there was no longer a need to hide my identity. There was only one thing I needed to do.


    That was to show what would happen if they bothered me.


    ¡°Peika, full speed. Follow Luca Bruno¡¯s mana.¡±


    [Got it!]


    Peika shot forward like lightning. He wasn¡¯t far from here. He had even used some ability to prevent people from approaching her. He must have thought that Walker was stronger than him in a direct fight and nned on chasing him away before he acquired Yua.


    Acquire Yua and... acquire... Ha... Hahaha...


    ¡°Found you.¡±


    Peika shot down like an arrow. The people around us screamed and scattered. Meanwhile, I grabbed a man who was running away like the others by the nape of his neck. He looked at me with a flustered expression. As expected, he had disguised himself rather thoroughly. However, he couldn¡¯t hide his mana.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Luca Bruno.¡±


    ¡°What are you two doing!? I¡¯m not such a per...!¡±


    I threw him on the ground face down. Immediately, tiny monsters that were stuck on his body flooded toward me to counterattack then became petrified and fell. I grabbed his face and jumped down Peika¡¯s back. People gathered around us, murmuring.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°A dragon? Is that a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that Dragon Knight?¡±


    ¡°The dragon he¡¯s riding changed! It must be an Asian version!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just an American touring Kore... Kuk!¡±


    Grabbing his face, on one hand, I poured mana in my foot and kicked him in the face. The mana barrier he had instantly shattered and a few of his teeth flew into the air. The bystanders screamed.


    ¡°Dragon Knight is beating up an innocent man!¡±


    ¡°Call the police!¡±


    ¡°Call them for what?¡±


    A second, third, fourth... I wasn¡¯t satisfied with just his face. I threw him down on the ground, raised my foot and mmed it down on his back.


    ¡°Kahak!¡¯


    ¡°Luca Bruno, this will be my only question, so answer.¡±


    I asked.


    ¡°Who told you about my sister?¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this... to me... Kak!¡±


    Was he still trying to hide his identity? I smirked and brought my spear out. Then, I cut off both of his arms. Yua screamed, but I had no ns to go easy because she was watching. I scorched his severed arms using Peika¡¯s power and swung my spear again to fling the blood off. Next, I ced my spear on his back and said firmly.


    ¡°Next is your heart.¡±


    ¡°B-Brightman! It was Brightman! Not just you, but he has the information on everyone in Revival! An organization he is forming without Guardian knowing is... Kuhuk!¡±


    I smacked his back with my spear shaft. Then, I asked again.


    ¡°You sure it wasn¡¯t Guardian¡¯s doing?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes!¡±


    ¡°Organization name, members, tell me everything.¡±


    ¡°N-Now? C-Can you heal me first...? M-My arms...!¡±


    I raised my spear. Just when I was about to strike down with it, Luca Bruno shouted desperately.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it! I¡¯ll say it now!¡±


    ¡°Walker, sorry, but can you take out a note?¡±


    ¡°... Sure.¡±


    Walker gnawed on his lips and took out a notepad. While he took down each and every word Luca Bruno was spewing out, he asked.


    ¡°Xin who...?¡±


    ¡°Xin Shaomei!¡±


    It was China¡¯s SS ranker. It seemed I¡¯d need to see her face too. The question was whether she would still have her face afterward.


    After Luca Bruno finished saying everything, I took my spear back. When I looked around, I saw several police cars around us. An officer who seemed to have a high rank shouted on a megaphone.


    ¡°We¡¯re the police!¡±


    ¡°Go back.¡±


    I put mana into my words. The police blocking the road were pushed back by the mana¡¯s pressure. It was the same for the people around us. Although there might have been a better way to go about it, I didn¡¯t want to be bothered by anyone right now.


    At the same time, I opened the guildmunication channel.


    [All members of Revival on Earth, confirm your family¡¯s safety. If something seems off, notify me immediately. I will take care of it within 5 minutes.]


    [Don¡¯t worry, Shin. I have Guardian members and familiars protecting everyone¡¯s families. It¡¯s mainly you and I that¡¯s being targeted.]


    Hwaya immediately responded. I didn¡¯t think other members¡¯ information would have had their information exposed as well. Brightman, just how much money did you use!? I gritted my teeth.


    In any case, I felt grateful to Hwaya for taking care of something I had forgotten about.


    [Hwaya, thanks. I only thought about my own family... Damn, I didn¡¯t think other members would be targeted at all. It would have been obvious if I thought about it for a moment!]


    [It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s my job to take care of things you don¡¯t have the time to do... So? That got me many points, right? Did you fall for me yet?]


    [Yeah, I did... Is your mother okay?]


    [... U-Un, she¡¯s fine. Walker messaged everyone as he took Yua. I took care of it before it was toote.]


    In the middle of talking to Hwaya, I raised my spear and struck down on the ground once. Ability users that popped out amidst the police force and Luca Bruno who was trying to join them all froze.


    [Everyone, stay with your family. I¡¯m going to go take care of an organization called ¡®Heroes of Shadow.¡¯ I¡¯ll take you when everything¡¯s over.]


    [Shin, I want to go too.]


    [M-Me too!]


    [No, it¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have toe with me.]


    Sorry, but having you there won¡¯t help me. For now, you guys should focus on increasing your ability through the dungeon.


    I swung my spear and shot out a whirlpool, shredding the ability users limbs and Luca Bruno¡¯s leg.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anyone else you brought with you, tell them toe out now. I¡¯ll take care of all of you together.¡±


    [... Want help?]


    A sluggish voice rang out. It wasn¡¯t from the guildmunication channel but from the private messaging system.


    [Daisy?]


    [Insect extermination must be done... cleanly, leave none behind. Thoroughly. My ability, very useful.]


    Daisy¡¯s unexpected offer made me reconsider.


    [But Daisy, I don¡¯t want to use your power for something like this. Plus, this is Earth¡¯s¡ª]


    [I want to, help. You¡¯re benefactor, friend. Grateful person.]


    To be honest, I was thankful for her offer. Like she said, insect extermination had to be done thoroughly. Otherwise, they might reproduce again. I didn¡¯t want to involve her something like this since she had trouble with people, but she sent me another message, [I want to help.] as if to urge me again.


    [In that case, I¡¯d be happy to have you. Thanks, I¡¯lle get you in a bit.]


    [Un. I¡¯ll get ready.]


    After I finished talking to Daisy, I approached Luca Bruno. He gasped and crawled backward.


    ¡°I, I told you about Brightman, so please...!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s beside the fact.¡±


    I held my spear up and struck down at his ¡®ce.¡¯ A fountain of blood shot up into the air. Luca Bruno screamed.


    ¡°Guaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, just watching it hurts me...!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but it doesn¡¯t look cleanly cut.¡±


    I struck down once again, and again, and again. Just in case, I used Mad Typhoon to shred the area. Only then was I certain that I finished the job.


    ¡°Guuuuu...¡±


    ¡°Good, perfect. With this, it wouldn¡¯t matter even if you seduced women.¡±


    ¡°Ah, my oppa is too cool...¡±


    ¡°Cool!? Cool!? Hey, Kang Shin! Your sister is still weird! She¡¯s not normal!¡±


    It was then that a white ball of light appeared above Luca Bruno¡¯s forehead. I didn¡¯t feel any hostility from it, so it wasn¡¯t an attack. I tilted my head and reached out toward it. The moment my hand touched it, a message rang out in my head.


    [Would you like to use the Hero¡¯s authority to retrieve the ability given to Luca Bruno?]


    Author¡¯s note:


    Would a Hero be unable to do what Ciara can...? (faraway look)


    I¡¯m sure everyone knows Shin¡¯s personality by now, but once he sets his mind to something, he gets it done. He doesn¡¯t know when to stop. Though it may be a little cruel, now is the time to get used to it! (Eh?)


    PS ¨C Yua¡¯s fans, you waited for a long time! It is her turn!


    PS2 ¨C Hwaya¡¯s wife-power is nothing to scoff at as well...

 Chapter 179. The Power of the Hero (3)

    Chapter 179. The Power of the Hero (3)


    The moment I heard the message, I froze and found it hard to breathe. I couldn¡¯t believe my ears. What? Retrieve his ability? How was that possible? Why was this the first time I was hearing it? Or, did I need to meet certain conditions to make it happen?


    However, my questions weren¡¯t important. What was important was that I could take away Luca Bruno¡¯s ability. It didn¡¯t even take me a second toe to a decision. I nodded my head. Immediately, mana began to leave Luca Bruno¡¯s body. He let out a painful scream.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Did the paer?¡±


    ¡°Eh... That person, he¡¯s getting paler!¡±


    The mana that left Luca Bruno was absorbed by the white ball of light, which then flew into my hand. I stared at it as if I was enchanted. Another message then rang out.


    [A suitable candidate for the ability is nearby. Would you like to bestow the ability?]


    Without having to ask, I already knew who the candidate was. It was almost... instinctual. I stared at the ball of light, then faced Yua who was looking at me intently. She called me, as if she knew what I was about to say.


    ¡°Oppa...¡±


    ¡°Yua, do you still want to... be a dungeon explorer?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Yua immediately shouted aloud.


    ¡°I want to help Oppa by Oppa¡¯s side! I don¡¯t to sit back and wait anymore!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be difficult, think about it, Yua. I want to protect your peaceful daily life. To be honest, I don¡¯t want to ask you this, but...¡±


    ¡°Oppa, please... I want to be by Oppa¡¯s side. Please!¡±


    Looking at Yua¡¯s fervent eyes, I finished what I was saying.


    ¡°But... It wouldn¡¯t be bad for you to have the strength to protect yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    She jumped into my embrace. I had to try hard to make sure she wasn¡¯t hurt by my armor, and I managed to seed. Walker made a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re too soft on your sister.¡±


    ¡°Wrong, idiot. That¡¯s not it. She¡¯s my everything.¡±


    I lifted the ball of light into the air. Then, I warned Yua for thest time.


    ¡°Know this, Yua. It¡¯s going to be a lot harder than you thought. Once you get this ability, there¡¯s no turning back. You¡¯ll be standing in ce of another ability user, fighting terrifying monsters and climbing the dungeon. Your life will be at risk and you might receive grave injuries. Will you still do it?¡±


    ¡°But Oppa is already doing it, right?¡±


    ¡°.. Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then I want to do it too. I¡¯m tired of waiting for Oppa toe back, while I just sit and study.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it just in case, but you brother and sister aren¡¯t normal.¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Walker.¡±


    I pursed my lips and rebuked Walker. Then, I let the ball of light in my hand touch Yua¡¯s forehead. The ball of light smoothly went inside her, as if it belonged to her.


    The boundless mana Luca Bruno had changed its property and began topletely transform Yua¡¯s body. It seemed Yua couldn¡¯t bear the shock as she fainted. I held her in my arms carefully.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to take Yua back home before I leave for Britain... Walker, do you want toe with me?¡±


    Walker looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.


    ¡°Kang Shin... You¡¯re changing, bit by bit.¡±


    ¡°What.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I will. I want to see Brightman¡¯s end with my own eyes.¡±


    I retrieved the abilities of the other members of Heroes of Shadow (HoS). After doing it once, I got the knack for it, so it was easy to take them away. It seemed the condition was how much they opposed me, the Hero, and how faithful they were to the original mission of ability user¡¯s, monster extermination. As they easily crossed the former standard, it was extremely easy to retrieve their abilities.


    It was annoying to keep the small abilities, so I waved my hand and the balls of light flew away. They were most likely going back to Ciara.


    ¡°You can¡¯t absorb them?¡±


    ¡°One ability for one person. Didn¡¯t you learn when you were young, Walker? One pudding for one person.¡±


    ¡°You think abilities are like puddings...? Plus, Brightman always took my puddings, that son of a bitch.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡±


    Iughed and remarked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get your pudding back.¡±


    I left Yua in the house to sleep, and talked to the Revival members about making Yua be an explorer. They were shocked to hear that I could take away abilities from ability users, but no one disagreed with me wanting to make Yua into an explorer. The biggest reason was that I already gave her an ability. She had a powerful ability and was undoubtedly on our side. There was no reason not to let her be an explorer.


    Kuhum, I promised to talk to them about letting people be dungeon explorers, but we never said anything about giving abilities! Of course, since it was an impulsive action, I couldn¡¯t say anything even if they were mad.


    I left Father to guard Yua and Mother.


    ¡°When Yua wakes up, make her into a First Dungeon explorer, Father.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got it. I agreed to it, but... was it what Yua wanted?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Um... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No... If that¡¯s what Yua wanted, it¡¯s fine. I was worried about her being too attached to you, so I wanted to prevent her from being an explorer or an ability user... But if it¡¯s to the extent that she obtained an ability and wanted to be an explorer, it seems I won¡¯t be able to see her boyfriend for a while.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Father. Even if she can¡¯t date anyone, I¡¯ll live with her for the rest of my life!¡±


    ¡°Screw off, Son.¡±


    Mother patted the sleeping Yua and looked at me with a grumpy expression.


    ¡°So, anything for me?¡±


    ¡°Mom, to be honest...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not suitable with any ability.¡±


    Mother sulked and hit me, but it didn¡¯t hurt at all. Iughed and did my best to protect her hands as she hit me.


    I thanked Father again and left the house. First, I went back to the dungeon and joined Daisy. Then, I called Lotte.


    ¡°Lotte,e.¡±


    [Understood, Hero.]


    Lotte was in the resort area training, but considering she immediately responded to my call, it seemed she had finished her training. When I met up with her, I finally understood what she meant by training.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hero. This is the result of my training. No one will be able to stop me now. I can be with Hero no matter where Hero goes.¡±


    In front of Walker, Daisy, and me was not a wyvern, but a youngdy. She had long ck hair,rge ck eyes, and a tanned brown skin.


    Her eyes had a sense of wildness than reason, while her fingernails were dyed ck and curled outward. Lotte was in a human form. Not to mention, her explosive breasts and plentiful butt exuded a feminine charm.


    I shouted.


    ¡°Why are you naked!?¡±


    ¡°Is it not obvious? I never wore anything in front of Hero. It would be rude of me to hide myself in front of the person I served. Is Hero doubting my royalty?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, so wear some clothes! No, go back to your wyvern form! Sorry, but we¡¯re not going into any dungeons today. We have to fly!¡±


    ¡°Do I have to make other people ride on me again...?¡±


    Lotte frowned and asked in a low tone. She had a charming husky voice.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll make up for itter. If it¡¯s something within my power, anything.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, I¡¯ll remember it, Hero.¡±


    Lotte closed her eyes. By the time she opened her eyes back up, she had gone back to her wyvern form. I jumped on her back with the others, then called Plene.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Plene.¡±


    ¡°I can go too? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re going to need your power.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    Plene jumped on me excitedly. Lotte pped her wings as if it displeased her, while Walker¡¯s expression stiffened. It seemed he was slightly afraid of Lotte. On the other hand, Daisy was stroking Lotte¡¯s back slowly. Then, she murmured.


    ¡°Kill he... If she dies, I want corpse. I¡¯ll bring her back as cool child.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill her! She won¡¯t die either!¡±


    I initially nned on going to Britain, but after Walker told me Brightman was currently in America, I changed my destination.


    After realizing what happened, HoS seemed to have influenced other countries to talk as if I was a criminal, but it wasn¡¯t that effective. There was already a precedent of Guardian trying to groundlessly condemn Revival and we had turned it around beautifully.


    Although they were using mass media all over the world to scheme against us, they were either ignored or criticized. I felt like I knew why.


    ¡°Ciara.¡±


    ¡°Just be quiet and ept her help this time.¡±


    ¡°I know. She knows I can¡¯t refuse either. I won¡¯t say she owes me a debt, but she¡¯s mistaken if she thinks I¡¯ll forgive her with this.¡±


    [Hero, there are five fighter jetsing this way.]


    ¡°Shoot it down. I don¡¯t care if the pilots die.¡±


    [Understood.]


    Lotte¡¯s ck mes covered the air. To provoke Dark Wing, the Queen of the Sky, one had to at least be on the same level as the me Drake. Seeing the fighter jets crashing down helplessly, Daisy tilted her head.


    ¡°Fascinating monster.¡±


    ¡°Those aren¡¯t monsters. They¡¯re fighter jets, a vehicle made by human technology to fly.¡±


    ¡°Weapon?¡±


    ¡°Mm, something like that.¡±


    ¡°Shape. Hard to put mana into. With weapon like that, mana won¡¯t advance.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my world originally didn¡¯t have many ability users.¡±


    Lotte elerated. In less than 30 minutes, we arrived at Boston, where Brightman¡¯spany headquarters was located. I couldn¡¯t help but ask Walker.


    ¡°Why is a Britishpany¡¯s headquarters in America?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s just how it is. It¡¯s easier to do business across the world here.¡±


    ¡°Brightman¡¯s in there, right?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? There¡¯s anding zone on the roof and a helicopter waiting 24/7. It¡¯s a new model that can travel back to Britain in just 2 hours.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s staying in America for his business...? I¡¯m surprised he can even leave Britain now that Hwaya isn¡¯t there anymore.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it was initially, but Britain seems to think that it is now ¡®safe.¡¯¡±


    Not that it was my business, but they sure sent their minds away to a vacation on Andromeda Gxy!


    Lotte pped her wings and came to a stop. Now that we were right in front of it, I could see just how big the building was. I was toozy to even count how many floors it had. It was the tallest andrgest building in the area. Beyond the windows, I could see people in the middle of work staring at us with widened eyes. I smiled at them and waved by hand. Then, I asked Plene.


    ¡°Can you make everyone in that building leave? Also, make them and others in the area stay away from the building.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy! Lla~!¡±


    Plene¡¯s mana amplified her voice. The effect was immediate. People working mindlessly suddenly stopped as if they were possessed and began to leave. It was happening in every floor of the building.


    At the same time, a man on the highest floor stood up abruptly after seeing us. Silver hair pushed back using pomade and the appearance of someone in his 20¡¯s. It was none other than Brightman. I met his eyes and smirked. Walker, on the other hand, was distracted by something else.


    ¡°Oooh, a mass exodus.¡±


    When I looked down along with him, I saw a countless number of people leaving the building through the door. With the unexpected number of businessmen leaving thepany, the murmur of the city people even reached us in the air. However, regardless of what the people were talking about, the employee¡¯s¡¯ mass exodus continued. Brightman, who realized what was going on slightlyte, shouted at us. I can¡¯t hear you, you son of a bitch.


    ¡°Almost everyone¡¯s out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    ¡°Brightman¡¯s ring at us, Kang Shin. He looks like he¡¯s ready to charge at you at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I like courageous people. But... I hate people that scheme behind people¡¯s backs.¡±


    I summoned Peika and Sharana. I leisurely took out a highest-grade Mana Potion and popped open the cork. I put the potion in my mouth and materialized Peika.


    ¡°It¡¯s done! Only that annoying man is left in the building!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks, Plene.¡±


    ¡°Ehehehe.¡±


    I lightly patted Plene and drank the Mana Potion. Then, I ordered Peika and Sharana, who were yawning like they were bored.


    ¡°Sink this building.¡±


    In less than a minute, the building copsed.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Ah, how refreshing. I wanted to take care of these guys for so long, now I can finally do it.


    Yua joins the ranks of explorers! As many people guessed, although Yua had no talent for using her body, she was talented in charming! A cute and powerful SS ranker has joined the guild! Now, how would the girls treat their potential sister-inw!? How would Yua react to meeting her oppa¡¯s daughter!?


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    For those wondering, I changed how I tranted Daisy¡¯s speech so that it reflects her choppy-style.


    Also, Korea to Boston is about 11400 km. Speed of sound is about 1200km/hr. Lotte¡¯s 30 minute cut is Mach 20 speed... spooky.

 Chapter 180. The Power of the Hero (4)

    Chapter 180. The Power of the Hero (4)


    ¡°Kang Shin, you just turned a small city into rubble and dust.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it awesome? I should take this opportunity to live a grander life.¡±


    Along with the crumbling concrete, Peika and Sharana shreddedputers and other electronics. The giant building that had once stood tall was nowhere to be seen and only an empty plot ofnd remained. I might have a talent for the demolition business.


    ¡°Y-You, what...!¡±


    As expected of an SS ranker, Brightman waspletely fine. He reached toward Peika and Sharana, but there was no way the elementals would be caught by him. Soon, he realized that it wasn¡¯t the elementals he had to aim for. It was me.


    ¡°Thunder Knight! You think you can get away with this? Both you and Korea will pay for it dearly!¡±


    I jumped off Lotte. After recalling Peika and activating Thunder Beast, I pulled my fist back. Seeing me jump down, Brightman gritted his teeth and dodged. However, if I was going to let him escape, I wouldn¡¯t have jumped off in the first ce.


    ¡°Sharana!¡±


    [Yes, Master!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Brightman froze on the spot as if something was restraining him. I suspected that he wouldn¡¯t be able to move for at least 10 seconds. I circted Peruta Circuit to the limit, and a giant whirlpool of lightning enveloped my fist. I was just about to hit the ground. Seeing Brightman¡¯s face getting bigger, I struck my fist toward him.


    ¡°Kak!¡±


    Thanks to hitting his face with full force, I didn¡¯t receive much shock from the fall. Instead, Brightman mmed against the ground and caused fissures to break out.


    ¡°Kuk, Thun-Thunder Knight, you just...!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to hit you now, so don¡¯t open your mouth. You might bite your tongue.¡±


    ¡°You justmitted a crime¡ª kuhuk!¡±


    I gave him an uppercut. Immediately afterward, I felled him by kicking his chest and mounted him. His face was swollen.


    ¡°Thunder... Knight...!¡±


    ¡°That one was for the punch you gave me in Windermere.¡±


    I hammered his face with my fist. His nose, which stood as high as his pride, sunk. I continued with lightning wrapped around my fist.


    ¡°This one is for hitting on Hwaya when you¡¯re a middle-aged married man.¡±


    I punched his sr plexus three times. He coughed out blood. As expected of an SS ranker, the way he coughed out blood was different than normal people. I leisurely dodged it and hit him one more time. Then, I focused my mana in my fist and held it up.


    ¡°And this one... is for daring to touch my sister!¡±


    ¡°Ku, huk...!¡±


    For the next 10 minutes, I beat him so that he could only barely breathe. There wasn¡¯t a single bone in his body that wasn¡¯t broken. I made sure to break his jaws, so he could only eat porridge for the rest of his life. I made it so that he could never walk, never hold or touch objects, give birth, or have hair.


    At that time, Lottended. When Walker and Daisy got off, they widened their eyes after seeing Brightman. When I turned around, Walker surprisingly had his mask off and was revealing his face.


    ¡°Ed... ward...!¡±


    Hearing the words that left Brightman¡¯s mouth, I remembered that Walker¡¯s name was Edward. I was also amazed by Brightman¡¯s rate of recovery.


    ¡°Joshua, what a sorry state you¡¯re in.¡±


    When Walker was with me, he always called Brightman by hisst name. Now, however, he was calling him by his first name. They exchanged nces that I couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°So you really were... alive...!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it... until I saw you with my own eyes... But why...¡±


    ¡°I told you, Joshua, that the world won¡¯t continue to go the way you want it to.¡±


    ¡°Fool! Why did you join hands with this kid!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a kid too, Joshua. But unlike you, this kid isn¡¯t a selfish narcissist.¡±


    ¡°Kahak... I won¡¯t allow a yellow monkey to hold the supremacy over the world...! Edward, it¡¯s not... toote. Right now, get this monkey out of here!¡±


    I punched his face again. On the other hand, Walker burst intoughter.


    ¡°You hit a new low, Joshua. You tried to kidnap an innocent person just for that?¡±


    ¡°Kidnap? You destroyed Brightman Group¡¯s building for something like that!?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been like this, Joshua. You treat your belongings like treasures and others¡¯ belongings like pebbles on the side of the road. No, the ones you liked, you tried to obtain by all means. I always found your attitude disgusting. I see that it still hasn¡¯t changed, even in this situation.¡±


    ¡°Edward...! I gave you everything you had!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Joshua. You did give me everything.¡±


    Walker approached us. His fist was enveloped by a ck aura. When did he get so strong? His mana was certainly above an SS rankers. He stopped in front of me and raised his fist. While I stared with widened eyes...


    He struck down on Joshua¡¯s face.


    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±


    ¡°But there wasn¡¯t a single thing I really wanted.¡±


    With Walker¡¯s blow, Brightman lost consciousness. He picked his fist back up and shook off the blood. Then, he said with a grin.


    ¡°Punching him like that was on my bucket list.¡±


    ¡°You... You¡¯re pretty cool.¡±


    ¡°You just found out? You really have no eyes for people.¡±


    While a strange air flowed between Walker and me, Daisy shoved her face toward me.


    ¡°His mind, I read everything. Lacking information, I can make up.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Daisy. Then...¡±


    There was no reason to hesitate. I removed Brightman¡¯s ability down to thest minuscule piece. For someone with such a dirty personality, his ability was a brilliant ball of light with a golden luster. It seemed abilities don¡¯t always match their users¡¯ personalities.


    I held it toward Walker.


    ¡°Take it, Walker, it¡¯s yours.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that... There¡¯s someone I want to give it to. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Brightman¡¯s younger sister, Sophie?


    ¡°Ek!?¡±


    Walker looked at me in shock. I made a sly smile and poked his shoulder.


    ¡°Not a single thing you wanted, huh... I think I know what one of them is, eh?¡±


    ¡°K-Kang Shin, you¡ª khuk!¡±


    ¡°You just cursed, right? Hehehe, so I¡¯m right.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, that¡¯s not it...!¡±


    I rolled Brightman¡¯s unconscious body into a random crater in the ground. He would no longer be able to do anything on his own. If this Sophie was the type of person Walker described her to be, I was sure she¡¯d take care of Brightman.


    ¡°You prepare the Soul Contract. Whether she can ept an SS rank ability is another matter.¡±


    ¡°Can I just... make her into an explorer?¡±


    ¡°Walker, I didn¡¯t know you were such a pure-hearted guy...¡±


    ¡°I told you, I have no romantic feelings for her!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t give someone an SS rank ability just because Walker liked her. Although I wouldn¡¯t impose a harsh condition like the one on Walker, there had to be measures in ce to prevent her from doing anything out of ce. For example, using her newly acquired ability to create a strange organization like the one Brightman tried to make.


    We told everyone in Revival about the matter and voted on creating a new dungeon explorer. Unlike with Yua, most of the members didn¡¯t know about her. As she was also the younger sister of Brightman, they couldn¡¯t fully trust her either. In the end, most of them agreed under the condition that a Soul Contract would be used. Walker created the contract for Sophie as he trembled.


    Then, we headed to Britain. As we took our time destroying Brightman¡¯s organization on the way, it took about 4 hours.


    Sophie was staying in Brightman Group¡¯s luxury hotel in London. She was in charge of operating Brightman Group businesses in Britain and was 27 years old this year. Unlike her older brother, she was extremely talented in running a business. ording to Walker, that is.


    ¡°I get it, so can you stop bragging about your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend!¡±


    The moment she heard Walker¡¯s voice, she let us into her room. I was grateful. If possible, I didn¡¯t want to deal with Britain¡¯s police.


    Sophie was indeed the type of girl Walker would like. Unlike her older brother, she had a slender and tender figure. Though her grey eyes were a bit sharp, her radiant blonde hair mitigated her cold look. Just like her older brother, she had a sharp nose. With her charming full lips, she exuded the charm of a beautiful woman.


    ¡°Edward!¡±


    Surprisingly, she jumped into Walker¡¯s embrace the moment she saw him. She didn¡¯t look at us at all.


    ¡°You should have told me if you were alive, stupid!¡±


    ¡°Joshua would have found out if I did.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have done it secretly?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°I hate you!¡±


    It seemed British people had a custom of kissing people they hated. Wanting to get hated as well, I asked Walker.


    ¡°Not your girlfriend, you said...?¡±


    ¡°This is... family intimacy.¡±


    ¡°Edward, I was so worried...!¡±


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve been well.¡±


    ¡°Not without you!¡±


    Sophie buried her face in Walker¡¯s embrace and didn¡¯t look up. Walker sweated. He faced us and shook his head, but it was toote. Daisy said bluntly.


    ¡°Humans are... really weird... Move imagination to reality... explosive reproduction rate.¡±


    ¡°There would be all sorts of crime, so stop there.¡±


    ¡°No crime, if there¡¯s love.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that for Walker¡¯s honor.¡±


    Sophie refused to get off Walker for a while. After 20 minutes, she seemed to have calmed down, as she turned her head and faced us. Of course, she was still in Walker¡¯s embrace. She asked with a cold look.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the one who ended my oppa? You won¡¯t make excuses, right? It¡¯s all over on TV.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. You can call me Dragon Knight.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you appeared in front of his younger sister... Did you kill him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s alive. Though, he won¡¯t be able to satisfy any one of human¡¯s three desires.¡±


    ¡°Edward, why did you go under such an entric man...?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s better than your oppa.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for anyone to be worse than my oppa. You don¡¯t have to say something so obvious.¡±


    The ball of light I held began to shine even more radiantly the moment it neared Sophie. It meant she was extremely suited to the ability. There wasn¡¯t even a need to make her into an explorer. Ciara... why did she turn Brightman into an SS ranker instead of Sophie?


    I nced at Walker, indicating that it would be fine for her to ept the ability. He sighed and took out the Soul Contract. Then, he began to exin. Sophie¡¯s eyes widened as she listened to Walker. After about 10 minutes, she gave the reaction I was expecting.


    ¡°Edward... Are you telling me to be the head of Brightman Group!?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Can... Can I think of it as a proposal?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Edward, stop being to cheeky all the time! This is a proposal, right?¡±


    ¡°No, you and I are in different leagues. With this, you¡¯ll be able to stand in a position you¡¯re suited for.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah, I knew that expression. It was the expression Loretta made often. Hwaya also began to make that expression recently. Whenever I saw that expression, things got tiring. It seemed my intuition was frighteningly correct, as Sophie pushed Walker¡¯s chest and shouted.


    ¡°No! I won¡¯t be the head! I won¡¯t take that ability and be an explorer or whatever either!¡±


    ¡°Sophie, think of the bigger picture!¡±


    ¡°I am! Without you, I can¡¯t focus on any work! The profit this quarter wasn¡¯t that good either, and I wasn¡¯t satisfied with my report for grad school either! If this continues, I¡¯ll be single for the rest of my life and die a virgin! If you won¡¯t be my fianc¨¦, I won¡¯t agree to any condition!¡±


    ¡°Sophie, you...!¡±


    ¡°Since Oppa¡¯s out of hope, I¡¯ll have to continue the n, but I don¡¯t want to marry anyone besides you, Edward! I said what I wanted, soe back when you¡¯ve made up your mind!¡±


    This woman somewhat resembled Hwaya. Was it a British thing? Was everyone so cool and fiery like Hwaya?


    Sophie pushed Walker away. Of course, as she was not an ability user, it didn¡¯t do much. Walker sighed and turned toward me. I¡¯d never seen Walker make a face like that.


    ¡°Kang Shin, cooperate.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I will.¡±


    When I nodded, Walker¡¯s expression brightened, while Sophie¡¯s expression darkened.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not satisfied with ruining Oppa and want to ruin my marriage too? If you do, I¡¯ll use The Brightman Group¡¯s full force to annoy the hell out of you!¡±


    ¡°Listen to me, Miss Sophie. If it¡¯s what Miss Sophie wants, I can put a use in the contract that Walker has to be your fianc¨¦.¡±


    Walker and Sophie exchanged their expressions perfectly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get along, Dragon Knight! No, my best friend!¡±


    ¡°Kang Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!¡±


    With this, everyone can be happy! Except for Joshua Brightman, of course!


    Author¡¯s note:


    The result of the poprity contest wille out soon. It¡¯s taking a while to count.

 Chapter 181. The Power of the Hero (5)

    Chapter 181. The Power of the Hero (5)


    In exchange for acting as a wingman for Walker and Sophie¡¯s rtionship, Sophie forgot everything about what I did to Joshua Brightman and happily signed the Soul Contract. She then became a Third Dungeon explorer under Walker¡¯s appointment. Of course, she also received Joshua Brightman¡¯s ability and would act as Britain¡¯s protector in his ce. When needed, she would also join Revival as she was its member. In the end, everything turned out well.


    While we were on our way to China, Walker growled as if he wanted to bite my head off.


    ¡°Kang Shin, you...!¡±


    ¡°You should be more honest, Walker. That was the best for everyone.¡±


    ¡°She deserves better!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t so bad, Walker.¡±


    ¡°Really... you¡¯re annoying!¡±


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to go to China. There are many people we have to take care of there.¡±


    Unlike Britain and Italy where HoS was formed without their Guardians¡¯ knowledge, China¡¯s Heroes of Shadow organization was much more widespread and numerous. As such, it was likely that China¡¯s Guardian was involved. I was happy with it. It was more fulfilling if there were more things to destroy!


    The moment we entered China¡¯s airspace, several fighter jets surrounded us. I already knew China didn¡¯t see me in a good light. Seeing the Chinese fighter jets shooting missiles at us, I spoke regrettably.


    ¡°Lotte, shoot them down.¡±


    [Understood.]


    We swept through everything blocking our path. We visited each HoS facility in our list, which was made perfect through Daisy¡¯s ability, and retrieved the abilities of the ability users.


    China was flipped upside down and the media condemned me, but I didn¡¯t care in the slightest. Instead, after receiving the necessary information from me, Hwaya revealed everything about Heroes of Shadow and what they did. The world once again began to shake.


    After about three hours of going wild in China, we finally met China¡¯s SS ranker, Xin Shaomei. To our surprise, we found her sleeping in her vi with a pretty girl in her arms.


    Although we caused quite a ruckus taking care of all the ability users guarding the outside, Xin Shaomei and the doll-like girl in her arms were still sleeping soundly. Feeling ufortable by the fact that they were both naked, I turned to Walker and asked.


    ¡°Walker, why are they sleeping like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe they¡¯re family?¡±


    Our faces both reddened and we couldn¡¯t look at them directly. Daisy then interrupted.


    ¡°This woman, lusting after another wo¡ª uuup!¡±


    I quickly sped her mouth with my hands.


    ¡°I got it. You don¡¯t have to say it.¡±


    ¡°... Humans are, really weird.¡±


    Daisy seemed to have thought that she was kindly telling us about it, as she puffed her cheeks angrily.


    Since I had to do something about it, I summoned Peika.


    ¡°Peika, fry them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bold, Kang Shin!¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re our enemies, right?¡±


    Xin Shaomei was on Luca Bruno¡¯s list and Joshua Brightman¡¯s memories. Plus, most HoS members in China were affiliated with higher-ups of the government. It made sense to beat them up thoroughly.


    ¡°You really are...¡±


    [Both of them?]


    ¡°Ah, wait. Daisy, can you read check?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t read, they¡¯re sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Then Peika, first wake them up.¡±


    [Un!]


    Peika¡¯s lightning dyed the room in gold. Two screams immediately rang out.


    ¡°Kyaak!¡±


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°Both HoS members. Positive.¡±


    ¡°Peika, burn them both.¡±


    [Un!]


    Peika coiled around them and discharged a terrifying lightning. Xin Shaomei seemed to have quickly understood what was happening, but with Peika holding her down, there was nothing she could do.


    ¡°T-Thunder Knight!? How!?¡±


    ¡°Peika.¡±


    [Un!]


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaaaaa!¡±


    The girl in Xin Shaomei¡¯s arms had lost consciousness long ago, while Xin Shaomei desperately shot her mana toward me. I felt a strong debuff aura, but I wasn¡¯t surprised as I knew she was a curse magician. Although I did not expect that she would be able to use it so quickly, it still had to make contact with its target to activate. In other words, as long as I dodged it, it wouldn¡¯t do shit.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t she weakening Peika?¡±


    [Master, there¡¯s no way to weaken an elemental. Eit!]


    ¡°Krrrr...¡±


    Xin Shaomei was released only after she almost suffocated to death. However, as her crime was less than Luca Bruno¡¯s or Joshua Brightman¡¯s, I decided to stop here. Although she would need support for the rest of her life, she would at least be able to walk on her own legs.


    I instantly took out Xin Shaomei¡¯s ability. Then, before she fainted, I asked.


    ¡°Did you join Heroes of Shadow because of some ill-will against me?¡±


    ¡°A-As if...! I just wanted to obtain Hwaya Mastiford for myse¡ª Kyaaak!¡±


    I then made her just like Joshua. I suddenly craved for a cigarette when I had never even smoked before. Walker seemed to have thought the same way as he began to smoke. After letting out a puff of smoke, he remarked.


    ¡°It looks like there are many forms of desire, Kang Shin...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just found out today too...¡±


    I gave her ability to Walker. Although he was a close-range attacker, he surprisingly took her ability well. As his main method of attack was dealing a fatal blow aftering out of stealth, Xin Shaomei¡¯s debuff ability would help him greatly. In any case, with this incident, China lost an SS ranker.


    That day, Daisy, Walker, and I traveled around the world to catch HoS members by reading their memories. Because we were traveling so quickly, night became day and day became night from us changing our location. As a result, we didn¡¯t know exactly how much time passed.


    With ability users and their organizations disappearing all over the world, the entire world was focused on me. There was even a rumor that Revival was going against all ability users.


    After confirming that all of HoS¡¯ roots were pulled out, I returned to Korea without regrets. I threw Otus¡¯ Secret in my inventory. At least on Earth, I knew I would no longer need it.


    I made everyone who went against me pay for their actions. I thoroughly crushed them, retrieved their abilities, and made it so that they would have difficulty living a normal life as ordinary people. If there were people trying to go after me even after this incident, I wouldn¡¯t let them off so lightly.


    I officially announced my thoughts about this incident and revealed my name. I dered to all Guardian and Freedom Wing members, as well as rogue ability users.


    ¡°Even if all youe at me together, you won¡¯t be able to leave a scratch on my finger. Today, you saw the price for daring to touch me. I am the enemy of monsters, cleaner of dungeons, and friend of humanity. As long as you don¡¯t needlessly provoke me, as long as you remain an enemy of the monsters, as long as you desire to dispose of dungeons, I will remain your ally.¡±


    Being on TV with my real face was a strange feeling. In any case, it was no longer aughing matter. Whether it was television, inte, or radio, my name and face was being shown. I was the leader of the guild Revival, a monster who crippled three SS rankers overnight.


    Although Sophie reced Joshua Brightman in Britain, China and Italy lost their SS rankers on top of many other ability users. Though they probably wanted to kill me, they didn¡¯t have the ability. With this incident, the world came to know what would happen if they went against me.


    I became an untouchable existence. I was officially recognized as the strongest on Earth.


    ¡°Son, there¡¯s a surge of people wanting to enter our dojo.¡±


    ¡°Ignore them. We only receive one disciple as heir anyways. We call it a dojo, but it¡¯s really only for sparring.¡±


    ¡°Should I make a spear technique for mass distribution? If I organize everything I learned from fighting monsters, I can make a spear technique that¡¯s not for fighting people, but for fighting monsters.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve thought about something like that too... If we also make a mana cultivation method and spread it, we¡¯ll be able to make acquired ability users too.¡±


    ¡°... You want to try it?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a good n, Father.¡±


    We immediately bought all the mana cultivation methods in the Floor Shop and started to analyze them. No matter how much I increased Peruta Circuit¡¯s level, it was a unique technique that was hard to pass on to others. As for Father, he didn¡¯t even have a proper mana cultivation method. As a result, we had to go through several different mana cultivation methods and pick the one that would be the easiest to teach and pass on to others.


    For a week, whenever Father and I weren¡¯t in the dungeon, we worked hard to create a mana cultivation method, but in the end, we didn¡¯t seed. The only positive result was that we had a more in-depth knowledge of mana.


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll need more time.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do our own research and talk about itter. I have to go to Beyond now.¡±


    I left the dojo and headed to our house. I already got used to the pouring stares whenever I came out and could easily ignore the high school girls that flocked to ask for autographs. When I went inside my house, however, I witnessed a strange scene. Daisy was at the dinner table, eating.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, Son?¡±


    ¡°Nom, nom.¡±


    ¡°Swallow what¡¯s in your mouth before you talk.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here, Shin! Huhu.¡±


    I was used to Ludia greeting me whenever I came home. After all, she¡¯s been here for quite a while now. But Daisy? Wait... I¡¯ve been busy for the past week with analyzing mana cultivation methods and grinding the Floor Master. Was Daisy staying in my house the entire time...?


    ¡°Did you never go back to the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Nom, nom... I did. But the food here is, much better.¡±


    ¡°You came back just to eat!?¡±


    Explorers that lost their worlds and became independent could be brought to other worlds through the Return skill. Once they set their foot on this new world, they coulde back here after entering the dungeon. That was how Daisy was going back and forth between the dungeon and Earth. In any case, the way she satfortably on the table wasn¡¯t normal. She looked even more natural than Ludia!


    ¡°Who cares? It¡¯s not like having one more mouth to feed is any trouble for us. Plus, she¡¯s a cute girl!¡±


    ¡°Girl?¡±


    Mother, she¡¯s at least five times older than you! Feeling a killing intenting from Daisy, I stayed silent. It seemed Daisy wanted to believe she was 17 just like Loretta.


    ¡°Oppa, you didn¡¯t eat yet, right? I¡¯ll prepare food for Oppa.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thanks.¡±


    Yua smiled sweetly and took out a seat for me. Then, she went over to the kitchen while humming. After getting her ability, Yua stopped sulking and returned to being an archangel. No, she had jumped up seven realms and had be a seraph! She was so dazzling that I couldn¡¯t look straight at her.(E/N: siscon)


    Using her SS ranked mana, Yua managed to climb to the 20th floor in one week and officially became Revival¡¯s guild member.


    Her ability was charming. Although she could charm monsters and attack them while they were confused, her ability was best suited to control monsters. In other words, she was a natural Tamer. Because monsters in the dungeon couldn¡¯t be tamed, I told her I would get her a suitable monster to tame, but I had forgotten about it after being distracted by researching mana cultivation methods.


    But from what she said during the meal, it seemed she learned to use whips from Daisy and got through with just that.


    Even though her ability was charming, since she had the boundless mana of an SS ranker, it was understandable that she could break through the 20th floor with just her Whip Technique. ording to Daisy, Yua had a talent for using whips.


    A whip was indeed suitable for a tamer. But weren¡¯t whips tools for punishment? A whip-using sadistic Yua! That didn¡¯t sound so bad... Wait, no!


    ¡°Since we¡¯re talking about it, we should find a monster for Yua to tame. She can¡¯t rely on whips forever.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to ask Oppa about it too.¡±


    ¡°Ah, before that, Daisy. There was a corpse I forgot to give youst time.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    This was the second time Daisy used an exmation mark. Her red eyes shed. It must have really excited her if she couldn¡¯t wait and tried to read my mind. I made a wry smile and scooped a spoonful of rice.


    ¡°Once I finish eating, let¡¯s head over to the guild house. It¡¯s big, so I can¡¯t take it out here.¡±


    ¡°Big... Good. Event Raids, I need big undead.¡±


    While Daisy¡¯s eyes sparkled, Ludia murmured grumpily.


    ¡°You don¡¯t give me anything...¡±


    ¡°What would you do with a corpse?¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    ... I decided to prepare a gift for Ludia soon.


    When we arrived at the guild house and I took out the Evil Mantis Queen, the one made a big reaction wasn¡¯t Daisy, but Yua.


    ¡°O-Oppa, I...¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I... feel really good!¡±


    Yua excitedly approached the Evil Mantis Queen¡¯s corpse. Did she want to fry the Evil Mantis Queen and eat it? In that case, I¡¯d have to apologize to Daisy. Thinking about how to tell Daisy about this, I followed Yua. However, where Yua stopped was none other than the Evil Mantis Queen¡¯s read end, where her egg sac was attached.


    ¡°Huk! When did these get so big...? They¡¯re dead, right?¡±


    ¡°No, Oppa, these children are alive!¡±


    Well, I¡¯m d to hear that. NOT! They could survive in the inventory?


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s interesting.¡±


    With that, I began to activate Mad Typhoon, but Yua shouted and stopped me.


    ¡°No! I can raise them!¡±


    ¡°But Yua, if something goes wrong...!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. They haven¡¯t been born yet. They¡¯re still nk tes.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wrong. We shouldn¡¯t associate the unborn children with the sins of the parent. If Yua could control them well with her ability, they could indeed be our ally. Since we had a way of controlling them, there was no need to kill them thoughtlessly.


    ¡°Yua, if it looks like you cannot do it, you have to tell me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Oppa.¡±


    Yua smiled, telling me to rx, then imbued mana into the Evil Mantis Queen¡¯s egg sac. Immediately, the egg sac began to pulsate. It was ripped apart, and hundreds of white mantises popped out.


    ¡°Hiik.¡±


    ¡°Why are they white? Is it because of Yua¡¯s angelic heart?¡±


    ¡°Larvae, just born.¡±


    What, I can¡¯t even joke? Of course, even as I joked, I was fully prepared to send them flying with my spear. However, my worry was for nothing. The calf-sized mantises were lining up in front of Yua, almost as if they knew who helped to bring them to life.


    ¡°Wow, they¡¯re all so cute, Oppa!¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah...¡±


    Perhaps, after obtaining her ability, Yua had changed from the younger sister I knew. Even while I nodded with a pale face, more mantises jumped out of the egg sac and lined up in front of Yua. She seemed to be happy, as she swung her whip and shouted.


    ¡°Alright, follow Mommy! Let¡¯s go eat, everyone!¡±


    [Kiiiiii!]


    [Kiiiiii!]


    Over three hundred mantises cheered altogether. Just like that, my young sister came tomand the world¡¯s strongest army of mantises. It was the start of the legend of the Monster Queen.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Well, that¡¯s me... going over the word limit again...

 Chapter 182. Skill Synthesis (1)

    Chapter 182. Skill Synthesis (1)


    Chapter 182. Skill Synthesis (1)


    That day, I finished grinding the Twin-headed Ogre.


    [You consumed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo Invigoration Elixir to the limit. The Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo became invigorated to its peak. Your strength increases by 6%. Your constitution increases by 6.]


    [You equipped the Twin-headed Ogre Set. Your constitution increases by 27. When the Twin-headed Ogre Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Ogre Power¡¯ once per day.]


    [Ogre Power doubles your strength for 5 minutes.]


    Though extremely simple, seeing Ogre Power¡¯s description put a smile on my face. I immediately extracted Ogre Power from the set and inscribed it into the pocket watch¡¯s 11 o¡¯clock position. I clenched my fists. With this, I would be able to freely use Gigantic!


    There was also only one skill left to put into the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch. Without having to grind the 60th floor, I could simply extract Crimson Dragon Scale Armor¡¯s skill and put it in the watch. When Lin makes me a new armor, I would have to say goodbye to this armor. However, Crimson Roar was too strong of a skill to throw away. It was wise to put it in the pocket watch.


    ¡°Alright... let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Once I made up my mind, I acted quickly. I immediately extracted the skill from the armor and put it in the pocket watch. After a red gem was inscribed in the pocket watch¡¯s 12 o¡¯clock position, the watch shined.


    [Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch has beenpleted! The power hidden in the watch is released!]


    [You became a ¡®Skill Mixer¡¯. Your magic increases by 10.]


    [You obtained the skill, ¡®Skill Synthesis.¡¯ When used, you can choose one skill to act as a base and one or more skills to act as supplements. The base skill and the supplement skills will then be one. Skill Synthesis cannot fail, but the newly created skill may be weaker than the base skill. The pocket watch¡¯s skills may also be synthesized, but they cannot be synthesized with the other skills you have learned. Skill Synthesis has no skill level.]


    [You obtained the skill, ¡®Spirit of the Mixer.¡¯ Spirit of the Mixer increases the chance that Skill Synthesis produces a skill you desire. It has no skill level.]


    ¡°Eh...¡±


    The mixer in my kitchen shed in my head, which I quickly shook off my mind. Skill Mixer... It seemed it was the natural result since the pocket watch could only contain 12 skills. Still,bining skills together... As I had never even thought of the possibility, I looked at the skills in the pocket watch.


    [Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch:


    1 o¡¯clock: Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry


    2 o¡¯clock: Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail


    3 o¡¯clock: Dark Thunder Explosion


    4 o¡¯clock: Dragon Skin


    5 o¡¯clock: Diehard


    6 o¡¯clock: Undead Roar


    7 o¡¯clock: Outburst


    8 o¡¯clock: Shadow Blink


    9 o¡¯clock: Gigantic


    10 o¡¯clock: Ice Touch


    11 o¡¯clock: Ogre Power


    12 o¡¯clock: Crimson Roar]


    ¡°Hmm, now that I think about it...¡±


    There were many skills I normally didn¡¯t use. I rarely used Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail or Undead Roar, and now that I wasn¡¯tcking in attack power, I wasn¡¯t using Dark Thunder Explosion or Outburst. On the other hand, skills like Ogre Power and Gigantic were better used together.


    There were also perfect skills that I couldn¡¯t synthesize no matter what. The first was Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry, and the second was Dragon Skin. They were both amazing defensive skills that saved me numerous times before. Although I didn¡¯t use Diehard that much, it was thest lifeline I could rely on. As for Crimson Roar, it was slightly annoying that I could only use it when I was alone, but since I couldn¡¯t even begin to think about what skill to fuse it with, it was hard to touch it.


    ¡°This Skill Synthesis skill is quite a gamble...¡±


    I checked my luck stat. It was unprecedentedly high. Plus, if I continued without doing anything, I wouldn¡¯t have the space to put the new skill I¡¯d get on the 60th floor. Sometimes, one had to be bold.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Once I made up my mind, I immediately activated Skill Synthesis. Arge stone b appeared in the air. It was divided into two sides, one having arge cavity and the other having several smaller cavities. It was clear that therger cavity was for the base skill and that the smaller cavities were for the additional skills. Just like skill description said, it seemed I could use more than one skill as additional inputs.


    ¡°Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail and Undead Roar. Which one do I use as the supplement?¡±


    What was more useless...? Objectively speaking, it was Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail. Although I didn¡¯t use Undead Roar, it was quite useful since it decreased all living beings¡¯ speed by 95%. Although I was also affected by the skill, I could always use Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry to dispel the effect for me and my allies.


    It was just that I never met an opponent that forced me to use it. If I did, I was afraid that it would have a method to block the skill somehow. This skill... could it really be more useless than Vengeful Spirit¡¯s... Kuhum.


    ¡°On the other hand, Plene can more or less do the same thing Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail does.¡±


    They were both trash. Though I felt like I was being a bit too rude to the skills, I was toozy to change my mind.


    ¡°Actually, if I use both of them as supplements, what base skill would they go well with?¡±


    Of the other 10 skills in the pocket watch, I thought hard about which one needed the two skills effects. Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry? If it turned out as I hoped, Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry would also stupefy others.


    Interesting. I liked it.


    ¡°Kuk, but I¡¯m not confident...¡±


    At times like this, one needed to experiment. I decided to synthesize skills I didn¡¯t really need before I attempted to synthesize any skill with Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry.


    ¡°Outburst and Dark Thunder Explosion!¡±


    Like a certain robotic cat pulling magical gadgets out of his 4D pocket, I ced the two skills and ced them on the base and supplement spots respectively.


    [7 o¡¯clock skill, Outburst, is embedded in the Skill Synthesis¡¯ base skill position.]


    [3 o¡¯clock skill, Dark Thunder Explosion, is embedded in the Skill Synthesis¡¯ supplement skill position.]


    Outburst was more practical than Dark Thunder Explosion, and more importantly, it was less embarrassing to yell Outburst than Dark Thunder Explosion.


    ¡°Skill Synthesis!¡±


    The stone b began to spin in ce. Seeing the stone b glow as it elerated, I was worried that it would explode like in manhwa. Thankfully, no explosions happened. The stone b eventually began to decelerate until it came to a stop. The line that divided the b was no longer there. Instead, a symbol letting out a mystical light was engraved in the center.


    I put my hand on the symbol.


    [You obtained the skill, ¡®Gaia Buster.¡¯ When used, the power of ck lightning surges through your weapon and shatters the earth. Countless shards of rocks holding the power of ck lightning hurl towards your target, dealing massive physical damage, lightning damage, and curse damage. The more your target is hit by the shards, the more exponential the damage bes. The target hit by the attack will be paralyzed and stunned. These effects cannot be resisted. Gaia Buster can only be used once per day.]


    ¡°Why!? Why!?¡±


    Why did another embarrassing skill name appear!? Even though the skill itself is so good! I swallowed my rage and stored the skill in the 3 o¡¯clock position.


    In any case, I was certain about one thing. It was that the base skill¡¯s effects were properly maintained. In that case, now was the time. A man had to be bold when necessary.


    ¡°... But before that, let me try with Gigantic and Ogre Power.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t timid. I just liked safety!


    [You obtained the skill, ¡®Gigant Time.¡¯ For 5 minutes, you can erge your weapon or a part of your body. The erged target will be imbued with the divine power of a Giant and give off a terrifying destructive power. When a weapon is erged, you will not be affected by the weapon¡¯s weight. Gigant Time can only be used once per day.]


    ¡°Yes, this is it!¡±


    Perfect! The skill effect was exactly what I wanted, and more importantly, the name was normal! I smacked my lips. This was... fun!


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s get to the fun part, uhehehe.¡±


    Letting out a strangeughing noise, I activated Skill Synthesis again. I decisively put Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry in the base skill position and threw Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail and Undead Roar in the supplemental skill positions. Then, I suddenly thought that it might be too boring if I only included sound based skills.


    ¡°I should put in the pretty useless... I mean, although it¡¯s good, it¡¯s more fun... I mean interesting to see what would happen.¡±


    I was talking about Ice Touch. I had Sharana who could tie someone down and I had the ice elemental Ruyue, who was getting stronger by the day. To be honest, Ice Touch really wasn¡¯t all that usef... uh, it was slightly less effective!


    In any case, I threw the skill into the supplement skill position. Three supplement skills! Seeing the stone b shining radiantly, my heart began to bounce.


    ¡°Huhu, good... Skill Synthesis!¡±


    The stone b spun violently. As I watched full of expectation, the stone b elerated, then began to decelerate. In the end, a radiant white symbol appeared in front of me. I felt like it would blind me.


    [You obtained the unique skill, ¡®Frozen Roar.¡¯]


    Ice Touch, you put in too much effort! Why are you so self-assertive!


    [When used, all existence, other than you and those you acknowledged as your allies, will be frozen cold. Even if they resist the freezing effect, they will receive a critical status effect that threatens their ability to move. This skill targets all existence, whether they are living or dead. Immediately after the skill is used, you and your allies will be cleansed of all status effects and will regenerate all wounds. For 5 minutes, you and your allies be super-armored, while all abilities are increased by 50%. Furthermore, when facing those affected by Frozen Roar, your chance ofnding critical hits doubles. Frozen Roar can only be used once per day.]


    [You created a unique skill! Unique skills are skills that possess strength on par with God¡¯s powers without receiving the breath of a god! This grand achievement causes all gods to focus on you. Gods rted to winter be especially interested. You obtained 3 skill points. Current skill points: 23]


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    Somethingpletely unexpected happened...! Ice Touch perfectlybined the other three skills together. I meant to add a little more effect to the skill but ended up making some ultimate skill. Although I was the one who did it, I became touched. I put Frozen Roar in the 1 o¡¯clock position. The gem letting out a white silver glow seemed to be giving off a chill. It seemed not all gems were the same.


    However, with some gems missing, it didn¡¯t look that good. I organized the gems in the pocket watch. Although I only filled up the 12 o¡¯clock position today, 8 o¡¯clock through 12 o¡¯clock positions were empty again. However, I was more than happy seeing the aura the newly acquired gems were emitting.


    [Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch


    1 o¡¯clock: Frozen Roar (Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry + Vengeful Spirit¡¯s Wail + Undead Roar + Ice Touch)


    2 o¡¯clock: Gaia Buster (Outburst + Dark Thunder Explosion)


    3 o¡¯clock: Dragon Skin


    4 o¡¯clock: Diehard


    5 o¡¯clock: Shadow Blink


    6 o¡¯clock: Gigant Time (Gigantic + Ogre Power)


    7 o¡¯clock: Crimson Roar]


    ¡°Should I synthesize the other skills too...? No.¡±


    Perhaps, I might get better skillster. It wouldn¡¯t be toote to synthesize themter. Although I could also synthesize skills other than the ones in the pocket watch, I decided to think about thatter.


    Right now, I had to go to Beyond.


    ¡°Shin-nim, why did youe out sote! I was worried that vitality hit zero!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Loretta. I had to do something.¡±


    When I left the Floor Master room, Loretta pouted. However, when I exined what happened with the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch, she widened her eyes and nodded.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that there was a stage after. After all, that watch has never beenpleted before.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, do you think it¡¯smon to collect all the Floor Master sets?¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    I nodded in agreement. Then, I told Loretta.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you this when I just saw you again, but I have to go Beyond¡¯s 5th floor.¡±


    ¡°I hate Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. I doubt even Shin-nim will be able to beat him on the first try.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Him?¡±


    ¡°... Huh? You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    Loretta tilted her head and asked. To me, who was fully prepared to break through an ocean of Orc Lords and Wraith Queens, her following words were like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.


    ¡°Just like the other dungeons, Beyond also has Floor Masters every 5 floors...¡±


    ¡°Why is that the only part that¡¯s the same!¡±


    No matter how much I nitpicked, there wasn¡¯t anyone to give me answers. Just like that, I received a chance to test my newly acquired strength.


    ... This is unreasonable!


    Author¡¯s note:


    There was someone who predicted this when the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch first came out... I can¡¯t remember his username though...


    Skill Synthesis! It creates new skills out of usele... less effective skills! As I thought, it¡¯s more fun to lessen the number of skills and increase their power!


    PS ¨C The contest result wille out tomorrow.


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    In the RAW, ¡°Skill Mixer¡± was actually ¡°Skill Mix Actor¡± for some reason (like it was literally Romanized in that form). I changed it to Skill Mixer because 1) that sounds better 2) ¡®mix actor¡¯ sounds horrible.


    Also, I thought the author changed Gigantic to Gigant, but it looks like that was a typo by the author lol. It doesn¡¯t matter since the skill is gone now!

 Chapter 183. Skill Synthesis (2)

    Chapter 183. Skill Synthesis (2)


    I entered Beyond¡¯s 5th floor with Loretta¡¯s encouragement. Of course, no matter who my opponent was, I didn¡¯t n on dying to them. If my vitality hit zero in Beyond, I would have to wait a whole month before I could re-enter. If I wasted a month, it wouldn¡¯t matter how quickly I climbed the dungeon.


    Loretta seemed to be taking things slowly after dering a 2 year time period, but I was different. I couldn¡¯t just climb the dungeon for 2 years. I had to work as a Dimensional Mercenary and clear Event Dungeons when they appeared.


    Even so, the bastard in front of me was just... morally wrong.


    [Kuaaaaaaaaaa!]


    [Ghost Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry rang out! The Ghost Orc Lord is cleansed of all negative status effects! Its attack power increases by 50% temporarily and it bes super-armored!]


    [Soul Echo activates! Ghost Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry rings out repeatedly. The Ghost Orc Lord can be affected by Warcry¡¯s effect by up to 10 times.]


    A half-transparent Orc Lord floating in the air shouted. The dozens of skulls dangling on his ive also screamed at the same time. They were precisely what increased the effect of his warcry. I could see him getting stronger right in front of my very own eyes.


    ¡°How many times do you have to multiply your strength before you¡¯re satisfied, you cowardly bastards!¡±


    [Guooooooo!]


    When I entered Beyond¡¯s 5th floor, the first thing I saw was therge hall I was currently in and this Ghost Orc Lord. It was relieving to know that I wouldn¡¯t have to spend several days exploring Beyond, but the fact that I had to face this half-spiritual half-living being was quite stressful.


    [Guaaaaaang!]


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Like a ghost in a horror movie, the Ghost Orc Lord blinked forward repeatedly to approach me. Every time the skulls on his ive cut through the air, they let out ear-splitting screams, which served to stress me out even more.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    I quickly rolled backward and dodged the ive. After cutting a few strands of my hair, the ive struck the ground, making a terrifying sound ring out. At the same time, the entire room rumbled. Feeling strange, I was about to fly up, but before I could do so, I felt my stomach churning and coughed out a mouthful of blood. I took out a potion and grit my teeth.


    ¡°So it doesn¡¯t matter whether I dodge the attack...¡±


    Really, this boss fight couldn¡¯t be more annoying. The Ghost Orc Lord¡¯s attacks were so powerful that it was difficult to block them. Even if I dodged them, the entire room would shake and damage me. I couldn¡¯t help but praise my decision to not bring Lotte and Plene.


    One could argue that I would be able to fly with Lotte and dodge the vibration attack. However, even though the hall was spacious, it wasn¡¯trge enough for Lotte to fly around freely. Peika was out of the question for the same reason.


    [Guaaaaa!]


    ¡°Kuk, I was wondering when it wasing!¡±


    Along with his cry, hundreds of grey ectosm arrows shot out from his body. Without a hint of hesitation, I hurriedly summoned Tria and Sharana to fly up. Right, this bastard was thebination of dozens of Orc Lords and Wraith Queens! If they were thebination of the two, then I should have no reason to lose, I felt more at ease as I told myself this fact.


    [Guaaaaaa!]


    The reflective property of the walls was gone. Instead, no matter where the Ghost Orc Lord¡¯s attack hit, the room would rumble and deal damage proportional to the attack¡¯s force to whoever was touching the ground. Of course, now that I was flying, it had little meaning.


    I tried to think about how I could use this property to damage the Ghost Orc Lord, but as he was flying from the very beginning, there really was nothing I could do.


    The hundreds of ectosm arrows aimed for my life without mercy. Affected by ten stacks of warcries, even a single ectosm arrow dealt immense pain. I danced like a fairy to avoid the iing ectosm arrows, which then struck the room¡¯s walls and exploded. Immediately, the room shook with an explosive rumble.


    I ended up giving the Ghost Orc Lord an upper hand due to just how unexpected the fight had begun, but if I didn¡¯t find my rhythm fast, I would be in danger.


    ¡°Alright... Kuaaaaang!¡±


    [You activated Frozen Roar! All enemies in the battlefield freeze in ce. All allies temporarily be super-armored and have all abilities increased by 50%. Your chance ofnding critical hits double when fighting enemies affected by Frozen Roar.]


    A freezing energy descended in the hall. The ectosm arrows flying toward me slowed down, and frost appeared on the Ghost Orc Lord¡¯s half-transparent body. Using Sharana¡¯s power, I detonated the ectosm arrows one by one and thought about what Floor Master skills to use.


    Unfortunately, without enough space to even fly around on Peika, there was no way I could use Gigant Time. I also couldn¡¯t use Gaia Buster, as it would strike the entire room with too great a force.


    ¡°In that case... Kuk. Ruyue!¡±


    [Got it!]


    The Ghost Orc Lord had already broken out of the ice. I tried to tie him down again with Ruyue¡¯s power, but it was not enough. In the end, I stopped thinking and tightened my grip on my spear.


    ¡°As if I only fought with Floor Master skills! Prepare to die!¡±


    I charged toward the Ghost Orc Lord, as I poured more mana into Ruyue and told her to restrain the Ghost Orc Lord more. At the same time, I drank a Mana Potion and formed chaos mes on my spear. The Ghost Orc Lord let out a horrifying scream as if he wanted to kill me with his scream alone.


    [Guaaaaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to be wasting here, you ghost orc!¡±


    I dodged his slow-moving ive and thrust my spear toward his waist area. He may have a spiritual body, but he couldn¡¯t dodge my chaos mes. Although the ice restraining his movementspletely melted away, he was affected by inextinguishable ck mes in exchange.


    Maddened by the mes, the Ghost Orc Lord shot out more ectosm arrows andunched aura waves by swinging his ive. The room shook endlessly, damaging me while I was still flying. Although the vibrations came from the walls, the sheer force had even spread through the air. Things couldn¡¯t continue like this. The ectosm arrows seemed to be shot towards me almost infinitely, and I couldn¡¯t continue to let it happen.


    ¡°Kuuk... First, I¡¯ll get rid of this vibration. Ruyue, go back for now!¡±


    When Ruyue left, the Ghost Orc Lord went wild with joy. He charged toward me and swung his giant ive like a scythe.


    I shouted.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaang!¡±


    [You used Crimson Roar. Everything zes in mes.]


    In terms of visuals, nothing coulde close to this skill. The entire space zed and dealt critical fire damage to all targets other than me! The Ghost Orc Lord¡¯s painful scream was especially memorable. The chaos mes expanded their territory as if the zing space was their home.


    [Guaaaaaang!]


    At that moment, the Ghost Orc Lord threw his ive at me. It seemed even the zing space couldn¡¯t stop the super-armored state. I sent an aura imbued with chaos me flying toward him and dodged the ive. The ive then struck the ground. The entire room rumbled from the shock. That was the end. I sighed in relief.


    ¡°So it really was effective.¡±


    Even the words I just said disappeared after a weak vibration. It was impossible to turn the space into aplete vacuum, but it seemed what I nned worked.


    Mechanical waves could not travel without a medium. As Crimson Roar burnt up all the air when it activated, vibrations became unable to travel through the air. Of course, this put me in a tough spot as well. Even though I was a level 56 explorer, I couldn¡¯tst long in a space without air.


    [Peika, let¡¯s go all out!]


    [Got it, Master!]


    I raised my spear and held my breath. I concentrated my strength on one point and charged towards the Ghost Orc Lord with Peika.


    ¡°Take this and die! Heroic Strike!¡±


    The Ghost Orc Lord also let out a hearty scream and charged toward me. Well, since I couldn¡¯t hear him, I only assumed he did.


    Plus, his annoying horror movie-like blink skill was active again. If I didn¡¯t focus, I would lose a limb in an instant. I had tond dozens of attacks, but my opponent only had tond one to fatally wound me. Now, there was no air to breathe either. Really, nothing was going my way.


    There was nothing more terrifying than fighting a super-armored enemy, but I smiled. A warrior shined when he fought with his life on the line, and a warrior shined the most when he overcame everything and came out victorious!


    I shed my golden Evil Eyes and thrust out my spear, filled with chaos mes and Heroic Aura. The spear shot past the Ghost Orc Lord¡¯s ive and pierced his side.


    [Kuaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Cry louder, you pig ghost!¡±


    I shouted to encourage myself and thrust forward again. The chaos mes devoured his entire body.


    *


    [You cleared Beyond¡¯s 5th floor. You obtained the qualification to challenge the First Dungeon¡¯s 56th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats. Your maximum HP and MP increase by 2%.]


    [Experience has been added to skills you frequently used to progress through Beyond¡¯s 5th floor.]


    [You defeated Beyond¡¯s 1st Floor Master, Ghost Orc Lord, alone! You obtained the title, ¡®Ghost Orc Lord yer.¡¯ All stats increase by 1.]


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Echo Ring]


    If you¡¯re only going to disy one item on the list, don¡¯t tell me to choose! Even as Iined, I quickly picked the reward and ran out of Beyond. After all, even I couldn¡¯t stay without air for long.


    ¡°Puha!¡±


    The moment I arrived at the Floor Shop, I took in a deep breath and breathed out. Loretta looked at me with widened eyes.


    ¡°Shin-nim, you seeded!?¡±


    ¡°Huu, huu... Of course.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really rewriting history.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. I didn¡¯t get the first reward.¡±


    I responded as I looked at Echo Ring, a metallic ring with a transparent jewel. Loretta retorted.


    ¡°Shin-nim, Beyond¡¯s explorers are all people who defeated Floor Masters alone. Shin-nim is the newest Beyond explorer. Did you really think that the first reward for Beyond¡¯s 1st Floor Master would be untouched?¡±


    ¡°Kuhum...¡±


    ¡°Although there are only three left now, there were other Beyond explorers in the past. Of course, most of them are now...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Loretta.¡±


    A heavy silence flowed between us. Loretta made an awkward smile and turned away. This woman still couldn¡¯t fully believe in me. She was constantly trying to create a ¡®reason to run.¡¯ Though I knew she was doing it for me, it wasn¡¯t of any help to me now.


    Of course, since Loretta would probably get sad if I said anything, I decided to just look at Echo Ring¡¯s option.


    [Echo Ring (Unique)


    Durability ¨C 230/230


    Equipment Requirement ¨C None


    Option ¨C Doubles the effect of all roar type skills.]


    ¡°Oooh.¡±


    Although it didn¡¯t raise my stats, it was a perfect item that was practically made for me. As if it was waiting the entire time, it came out right after I obtained Frozen Roar! Of course, it also represented the property that Beyond¡¯s 1st through 5th floors had. I immediately took off my gauntlet and put the ring on my finger.


    Loretta slowly approached me as she studied my expression. She was indeed too cute.


    ¡°D-Did you get a good item, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a fantastic item, enough to reduce Loretta¡¯s worries.¡±


    ¡°Stupid, I¡¯d be worried even if you¡¯re armed with a holysword... hiing.¡±


    A bitter smile appeared on my face as I thought about the Luka continent¡¯s Hero. Right, I shouldn¡¯t get arrogant. People much stronger than me fell helplessly in front of their ¡®enemies.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t be happy with just clearing Beyond¡¯s 5th floor.


    As if to distance myself from Loretta, who was getting dangerously close, I escaped the Floor Shop.


    ¡°Alright, Loretta, I¡¯ll be going straight to the 56th floor then!¡±


    ¡°Eh!? No, stay with me a bit more!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any time to waste!¡±


    ¡°Shi, Shin-nim! B-Before that!¡±


    ¡°See you on the 56th Floor Shop!¡±


    Loretta shouted louder.


    ¡°Before that, buy a Magic Detector! It¡¯s 150,000 gold!¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll take one.¡±


    Apparently, the 56th floor had mimics and golems, which were only detectable by using the Magic Detector.


    ... If you¡¯re just going to sell me an item, don¡¯t make the atmosphere all weird!


    Author¡¯s note:


    I researched the part about waves and vibration, but as I¡¯m a liberal arts major, forgive me if I got something wrong.


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    Don¡¯t worry, Author. You just said ¡°waves¡±, which I changed to mechanical waves. Mechanical waves need a medium, electromaic waves don¡¯t! (please forgive me if I¡¯m wrong)

 Chapter 184. Skill Synthesis (3)

    Chapter 184. Skill Synthesis (3)


    From what I¡¯ve seen in the dungeon so far, the dungeon was designed for party y. The width of the passageway and the number of monsters that appeared together were the biggest examples. There was no consideration for explorers climbing the dungeon alone.


    However, the traps and rewards were also party-based, meaning that solo explorers had more to gain. Traps were more dangerous when arge number of people tried to cross them. There were traps that activated when a certain number of people stepped over an area. For example, there were traps that caused the ground to copse or traps that rained down arrows. For ordinary explorers in parties, it became even more difficult to dodge these traps as others would panic. Of course, for me, it was hard to say whether these traps could even deal 1 HP worth of damage.


    In any case, parties were weak to traps! It was quite clich¨¦ for trap experts to die because their party members got in their way!


    I had a lot to say about traps, but I had even more to say about rewards. The mostmon situation explorers would face while climbing ordinary dungeon floors was deciding who the reward from named monsters would go to.


    There were also conflicts as to who would rest, who would get the few high-grade herbs and materials, and who would get the extremely rare Epic-grade items dropped by bugged monsters.


    The 56th floor was filled with mimics. Just like their name suggested, they mimicked weapons, treasure chests, wardrobes and the like to trick explorers. They devoured unsuspecting explorers that touched them or simply just passed by. Because of their outstanding disguise, it was extremely difficult to tell them apart, and even if one did, they were quite strong so it was hard to face them.


    As such, the best way to deal with them was to identify them and quickly attack them while they were still thinking about how to eat you. Of course, this was easier said than done. Fortunately, as everything on the 56th floor were mimics, it was quite easy. If I was suspicious, I just had to stab my spear through it.


    If I was in a party, someone might have gotten caught off guard, but there was no problem for a solo explorer like me. I almost didn¡¯t even need a Magic Detector.


    ¡°Damn, but even I can¡¯t help it sometimes...¡±


    After I killed a named monster, I instinctively reached out to grab the fancy sword that reced it. The sword then opened its mouth and bit down on my gauntlet. It was only then that I realized the mistake I made and burnt it with my lightning.


    These mimics provoked people¡¯s instincts. People instinctively grabbed treasures, dodged traps, opened doors, opened boxes, climbed stairs, went into holes... Kuhum!


    ¡°What¡¯s making me grab things when the Magic Detector is ringing?¡±


    I despaired at my patience. Initially, I was going slow, being wary of any traps, but I decided to change my method. I left Sharana to destroy any traps and charged forward on Ruyue. With that, I escaped from my desires. I was going so fast that I couldn¡¯t see anything!


    Suddenly, a stone decoration popped out in our path. Thinking that it was a mimic, I swung my spear to cut it, but the stone decoration grabbed my spear and put a stop to our charge.


    [Guaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a golem!¡±


    Mimics had excellent disguising ability, but poor durability. Golems, on the other hand, were magical creatures made out of stone or steel, and were naturally tough. Of course, toughness was rather subjective. I clicked my tongue and burnt the golem with chaos mes.


    [Kuaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Sorry, but both mimics and golems are weak as hell...¡±


    ¡®What if the entire passageway was a mimic? Would it even hurt me if it devoured me?¡¯ The moment I thought that, the Magic Detector vibrated and the passageway began to narrow. So there really was a mimic like that!? Wait, I paid 150,000 gold for this thing, but it noticed eventer than me! Loretta cheated me!


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Do I burn it?]


    Peika immediately shot powerful bolts of lightning left, right, up, and below. When they crashed with the walls that were closing in, a loud boom rang out. The mimic was dead. Before its body scattered into particles, Ruyue elerated and got out of the passageway.


    Immediately afterwards, however, a mouth opened up on the floor to devour Ruyue and me. I raised my spear and struck down on the ground. As the Magic Detector continued to ring, I didn¡¯t know exactly where the mimics and golems were. To put it bluntly, it was useless.


    In the end, I acknowledged that it wasn¡¯t the best idea to charge forward on Ruyue. I drank a Mana Potion and decided to take a special measure. I dematerialized Ruyue and flew up by using Sharana¡¯s power. I didn¡¯t want to resort to this method because of itsrge mana consumption, but there was no other choice. Since I couldn¡¯t trust the floor or the ceiling, I could only trust the air!


    Even after that, I faced golems pretending to be walls, treasure chests that smacked their mouths, mimics that disguised themselves as the ceiling, which then got out of the way, revealing traps then rained down arrows. Of course, these arrows were also mimics in disguise. In the end, it took me 3 hours to break through the 56th floor. It was quite slowpared to my recent times.


    [You became level 57! You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond¡¯s 6th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    ¡°Oh, you broke through the 56th floor in just 3 hours! How amazing! ... But why are you so out of breath, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°First... Huk... Huk...¡±


    I red at Loretta and demanded.


    ¡°I want a refund.¡±


    Loretta didn¡¯t refund the 150,000 gold at all. She instead said she would give me a Queen Elf¡¯s Blessing and tried to kiss me. I of course blocked it with one hand and jumped into Beyond¡¯s 6th floor.


    Beyond¡¯s 1st through 5th floors had the First Dungeon¡¯s Orc Lord and Wraith Queen, the 5th and 10th Floor Master respectively. I suspected that Beyond¡¯s 6th floor would have the 15th Floor Master, Dark Ratmen, and my suspicion was spot on. The moment I entered the first hallway, I faced dozens of Dark Ratmen ring at me.


    To be honest, I was reluctant to fight the Dark Ratmen. I had been killed once by a Dark Ratman, and they also used the extremely cheaty Dark Thunder Explosion skill. I still vividly remembered being hit by Dark Thunder Explosion. Now, they appeared in groups!


    [Gigigigi!]


    [Human meat! Human meat is here!]


    [It¡¯s time for a lightning festival!]


    Seeing the Dark Ratmen flickering with ck lightning, I swallowed my saliva. If they got me, that would be it. With that, I prepared myself to use Divine Speed. If I used Dragon Skin, Diehard, and Divine Speed well, it was probably possible to break through the 6th floor within a few days.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s... go!¡±


    [Gigigigi! Dark Thunder Explosion!]


    They used Dark Thunder Explosion at the same time. I didn¡¯t even think to avoid their attacks. I first summoned Peika and gave her ample mana. I then formed chaos mes and prepared myself tobat any lightning that flew toward me. At the same time, I prepared myself to use Dragon Skin if I received too much damage. After I was done with all the preparation, I charged toward them.


    ... And in 5 hours, I safely broke through the 6th floor.


    ¡°Shin-nim!? You died, right? You must have died, right!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say ¡®die¡¯! Say that my vitality hit zero! Plus, if my vitality hit zero, I wouldn¡¯t have returned to the Floor Shop!¡±


    I was still dumbfounded, but... the Dark Ratmen in Beyond¡¯s 6th floor didn¡¯t hurt at all!


    Originally, Dark Ratmen¡¯s strong points were their speed, strength, and their powerful skill, Dark Thunder Explosion. Even though the Dark Ratmen on Beyond¡¯s 6th floor was stronger than the one I faced on the dungeon¡¯s 15th floor, they were still slower than me and had paper-like bodies. They died like flies every time I swung my spear d with chaos mes. Even when they used Dark Thunder Explosion, my absurd lightning resistance easily shook it off. In fact, Peika became ecstatic and absorbed the lightning. Rather than calling it Beyond¡¯s 6th floor, it was better to call it a power nt for Peika.


    I didn¡¯t have to worry about the Dark Ratmen¡¯s attacks at all, and Peika destroyed all the traps with all the lightning she absorbed. It was the first time I simply marched through a Beyond floor.


    ¡°Elemental-nim is strangely shiny... Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°Loretta¡¯s imagination shocks me from time to time, but she only filled her belly with lightning!¡±


    After that, I spent a few days clearing the First Dungeon¡¯s 57th floor, Beyond¡¯s 7th floor, First Dungeon¡¯s 58th floor, and Beyond¡¯s 8th floor. Beyond¡¯s 7th floor had Lizard Knights. As their main method of attack was striking the ground with their spears while they were Dragon Skinned, I simply flew up and charged past them. Unlike in Floor Master battles, I didn¡¯t have to kill all the monsters in Beyond.


    The Orc Lords were scary because Warcry affected other Orc Lords andsted indefinitely with their low cooldown. On the other hand, the Lizard Knights¡¯ Dragon Skin did not affect other Lizard Knights and had long cooldown time. If needed, I just had to wait out Dragon Skin¡¯s duration and kill them off one by one.


    Beyond¡¯s 8th floor was even easier. When Lizard Knights used their ground-based attacks, they damaged Dark Ratmen, and when Dark Ratmen attacked, I was fine but the Lizard Knights went epileptic. While they inadvertently fought each other like idiots, I leisurely took care of them one by one.


    Climbing the dungeon couldn¡¯t have been easier. If things continued like this, it was entirely possible to conquer the dungeon in 2 years! I became intoxicated in this feeling. I was getting stronger by the day and climbing the dungeon was extremely smooth. Even if I tried to stay humble, I couldn¡¯t help but feel that I could do anything.


    [Crown Prince... Please, help me.]


    Until one day, I got a message from a friend.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Toika¡¯s main skill is skipping through all the uninteresting parts! Dududududu!


    You waited long enough! Here¡¯s the result of ICDS¡¯s first poprity contest!


    1. Everyone¡¯s favorite character?


    1st ¨C Everyone¡¯s heroine, Loretta! This is the power of the Cult of Loretta! (122 votes)


    2nd ¨C I¡¯m the main character! Kang Shin! Don¡¯t look at the vote difference! (47 votes)


    3rd ¨C The main character¡¯s perfect (idiot) duo, self-proimed strongest on Earth, Kang Yungoong! (23 votes)


    4th ¨C The world¡¯s greatest younger sister! The number 2 heroine, only after Loretta! Made of 99% imagination and 1% love, Kang Yua! (17 votes)


    5th ¨C The veiled lightning elemental. For her master Kang Shin, she is infused in his weapon once again! Peika! (16 votes)


    6th ¨C The one the author likes! She barely kept her honor! Hwaya Mastiford! (14 votes)


    7th ¨C Wait, there are two heroines left, why are you...!? The tsundere cksmith, the draconian, Lin! (4 votes)


    Also, Orc Lord, Ye-Eun, Reaper, Ruyue, Ren, Loro, France¡¯s ranker (Laz Michel), Peruta, the motion-sickness elemental, Ciara, Sumire, subus, Pepper, mermaid, message noona, etc got less than 4 votes. I (the author) also got 1 vote, thank you! (Someone¡¯s missing, who could it be? I just cry... T.T)


    2. Everyone¡¯s favorite heroine?


    1st ¨C The person who caused the readers to create the new religion, ¡®Cult of Loretta¡¯! The forever-17 elf, Loretta! (200 votes)


    2nd ¨C I didn¡¯t think that there would be such a wide margin, but at least she has more hope than the others! Earth¡¯s strongest heroine, Hwaya! (34 votes)


    3rd ¨C Is this where she resolves her grudge of not being on the first vote!? The unfortunate heroine, Ludia! (20 votes)


    4th ¨C Sorry, Ye-Eun, it¡¯s my fault!! Su Ye-Eun! (18 votes)


    Also, people voted for Yua, and some even voted for Shin¡¯s father!!


    3. Harem vs pure-love, the winner is...!?


    Harem (137 votes) vs Pure-love (128 votes)


    Yep, it was super close, just 9 votes. Still, harem wins! This only makes the author¡¯s head hurt. No matter what I do, I¡¯ll get cursed... aaah! In that case, do I go for the virgin-route that got 7 votes!? No, but isn¡¯t the virgin-route too cruel!?


    That¡¯s it for ICDS¡¯s first poprity contest. I¡¯ll keep the result in mind for the future. All it did was tell me how great Loretta is... (distant look)

 Chapter 185. Skill Synthesis (4)

    Chapter 185. Skill Synthesis (4)


    [Please, Crown Prince. I can¡¯t protect them alone!]


    ¡°W-Why can¡¯t I be happy...!?¡±


    [C-Crown Prince?]


    ¡°N-No, nothing.¡±


    By now, I was used to something happening whenever I was climbing the dungeon smoothly. Event Dungeons, Event Raids, Luka continent, and now this! Just when I thought I could focus solely on the dungeon, Ren was calling me. I couldn¡¯t let my guard down at all. In fact, I felt like someone was doing this on purpose.


    I gritted my teeth and asked Ren.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Ren? Tell me.¡±


    [... No, Crown Prince, you must be having a hard time too. It was my mistake, forget what I said.]


    ¡°Cut the crap and tell me.¡±


    [Y-Yes!]


    Ren¡¯s world, the Panan continent, was a peacefulnd where humans and beastmen coexisted. Of course, both races had to face numerous difficulties until the peace was achieved, but they had reportedly done it. At least, that was how it was 200 years ago.


    Things began to change one day. Small conflicts between humans and beastmen increased in scale as time went on until one day, a war broke out between a human country and a beastman country.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really interested in Panan continent¡¯s history.¡±


    [What if it was the history of an outsider¡¯s invasion?]


    The war raged and blood flowed like the ocean. Another country then jumped into the war, and the entire continent became enveloped in the war. Before a dungeon explorer revealed the truth of the matter, everyone thought it was a self-created disaster by humans and beastmen.


    That wasn¡¯t it. It was the doing of Panan continent¡¯s invaders, the ¡®El Patiz.¡¯


    ¡°El Patiz?¡±


    [That¡¯s what they call themselves. We call them ¡®brain worms.¡¯ That¡¯s what they are. Bugs that crawl into our brains.]


    ording to Ren, these brain worms crawled into the brains of sleeping victims and ate the content. The victims would die and the brain worms would then pretend to be the victims they killed. The only way to detect whether someone was eaten by a brain worm was to use a special magic for detecting life signals.


    Brain worms could perfectly imitate the actions of their victims to the point that not even the victims¡¯ own family members could tell anything apart. However, the fact that they were still brain worms didn¡¯t change. When enough brain worms gathered, they would finally reveal themselves and drag others into their hell.


    [Luckily, people with high mana could detect brain worms in their initial form and avoid them. The explorers who found out about the brain worms¡¯ existence did their best to find their weaknesses, and they notified everyone that they were the ones who caused the war. However, the effect was minimal. Upper echelons of most countries¡¯ government had already turned into brain worms, and soon, stronger brain worms that Panan continent¡¯s warriors had trouble with began to cross over.]


    ¡°And?¡±


    [Unable to stop the war in time, the poption of Panan continent plummeted. The brain worms¡¯ forces only grew stronger as they consumed more people and strengthened themselves... In the end, 170 years after the onset of their invasion, an incident happened that made everyone lose their hopes against the brain worms.]


    I had a feeling I knew what wasing. Though I blocked my ears, I could still hear Ren¡¯s voice.


    [The Hero of that generation... the Lion Empire¡¯s Golden Lion Emperor was eaten by a brain worm.]


    ¡°Ren...!¡±


    [The worm that controlled the Hero was the one that ruled over all other worms. It was the so-called world¡¯s enemy. Regardless, after it gained the power of the Hero, the worms began to conquer the continent at an unprecedented rate. They were now able to reproduce in our world.]


    Ren said that the only way the Panan continent¡¯s people could survive until now was because they found the brain worms¡¯ weakness.


    [The ocean. They can¡¯t enter the ocean. Not even the worm that obtained the Hero¡¯s body could enter the ocean. We realized that the worms avoided invading ocean-based countries. Since they couldn¡¯t cross the ocean, they used another passageway to deploy their troops to the countries in the ocean.]


    ¡°You should have noticed that sooner!¡±


    [I already told you. They were extremely meticulous and skilled in hiding their weakness. An explorer than ran to the ocean to escape the brain worms noticed coincidentally, and it was thanks to this coincidence that the remaining explorers could breathe a sigh of relief. Of course, that didn¡¯tst long either.]


    ¡°Why?¡±


    At my question, Ren became silent for a while. Then, he confessed in a somber tone.


    [Crown Prince... Beastmen are unable to swim.]


    Beastmen couldn¡¯t enter the ocean. Most of Panan continent¡¯s survivors were beastmen. Thus, they could only resort to creating a base near the ocean and using ocean water to fight against the brain worms. Thankfully, they had someone who could wield the power of water, but after he was eaten by the brain worms, thest hope had disappeared.


    [This was around the time Sir Lebuik died. Most of the remaining explorers also died then.]


    ¡°Ren, right now, you¡¯re...¡±


    [I¡¯m protecting eight children. Five beastmen, three humans. When the base copsed, I barely managed to save these children and found a safe ce to hide. By climbing the dungeon, I found food to bring back for them. This was when I met Crown Prince.]


    This might sound harsh, but there really seemed to be no hope. Regardless, I urged Ren on since I had to hear what was happening now.


    ¡°Ren, tell me the current situation.¡±


    [They discovered our hiding ce. We¡¯re running.]


    It was rather simple.


    [We¡¯re currently resting after defeating the pursuers. But soon, a stronger squadron of brain worms will attack us. I ended up talking to Crown Prince out of desperation.]


    I understood how Ren was feeling. He most likely wanted to get whatever help he could. I sighed and asked.


    ¡°So, what are you nning to do?¡±


    [Before it¡¯s toote, we have to go back to the coast. We have to create a base that will protect us from them. We have to drive the ocean water and create a manmade ind of some sort.]


    ¡°Sounds like tough work even when you get to the coast.¡±


    [Ri... Right.]


    After thinking for a bit, I continued.


    ¡°Did you submit a request for Dimensional Mercenaries?¡±


    [Yes, but no one came.]


    ¡°How about using Dimensional Travel skill to move them elsewhere?¡±


    [That¡¯s impossible, Crown Prince. Dimensional Travel can only be used alone.]


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you put some skill points into it and... ah.¡±


    Right, that was my skill! The original Dimensional Travel skill didn¡¯t have skill levels, so it didn¡¯t matter how many skill points you had... Wait, but there¡¯s Return! If I could use Return with the eight children other than Ren...! My Return skill was currently level 4. I could take up to three people with me. As I had never distributed skill points into it, I used 15 skill points to raise it up to level 8.


    [Return became level 8! It can be used 6 times per day and you can choose 6 returning points. You can bring up to 5 people.]


    Damn, it¡¯s not enough...! Once I came back to Earth using Return, I couldn¡¯t go back to Panan with Return. I had to use Dimensional Travel to travel between worlds. Because of Dimensional Travel¡¯s cooldown, it wouldn¡¯t work out. I bit my lips.


    Meanwhile, Ren was still talking.


    [Crown Prince, forget about what I said. I¡¯m Panan¡¯s Ren. This much danger, I can get through by myself.]


    ¡°No bullshit allowed.¡±


    [I¡¯m not a bull, I¡¯m a lion!]


    In this situation, there really was only one thing I could do. It was to ignore Ren¡¯s request. Ren knew he was making an unreasonable request, and he took it back as well. A brain-eating worm... disgusting. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t feel any sympathy for Ren, but there was just no hope.


    Thus, I told him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die before I get there.¡±


    [Crown Prince, I told you, don¡¯te! I was just ranting!]


    ¡°If you die, I¡¯ll kill you, got it?¡±


    [Crown Prince!¡¯


    ¡°Shut it! If I think it¡¯s too dangerous, I¡¯ll escape by myself!¡±


    [Crown Prince...]


    I hung up on Ren. Then, I contacted the person on my friend list whom I never contacted before.


    ¡°Lebuik, are you doing well?¡±


    [P-Panan continent requested for Dimensional Mercenaries... What do I do, Rookie?]


    ¡°You should know who made the request.¡±


    [N-No one wants to go...! Rookie, tell Ren-nim to get out of there! Please!]


    ¡°Ren doesn¡¯t n on leaving. He¡¯s protecting eight children.¡±


    [Eight... That¡¯s two less...]


    ¡°Lebuik, what are you going to do?¡±


    [Me? What, are you telling me to go to Panan continent?]


    ¡°Tell me quickly. What are you going to do? Tell me what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    [... Rookie, you...]


    ¡°My Dimensional Travel skill is a bit special. I can bring someone else with me. So, Lebuik, what are you going to do?¡±


    As I spoke to her, I put skill points into Dimensional Travel. Lv 2, Lv 3, Lv 4... It was then that the number of people I could bring increased by one. The cooldown decreased by quite a lot to two months. I now had 1 skill point left. There was no going back.


    [W-What do you mean... I, I can¡¯t go. I¡¯ll die if I do. Definitely!]


    ¡°You might die, that¡¯s true. I didn¡¯t make my decision easily either.¡±


    [Then how can you say it like it¡¯s nothing? Are you looking down on death!? If a brain worm kills you, you can¡¯t even enjoy eternal rest! Your brain will get eaten and your body will be their toy!]


    ¡°But if I don¡¯t go, the same will happen to my friend. Lebuik, I¡¯ll give you 5 seconds, so make up your mind. If you can¡¯t, I¡¯m going to go alone.¡±


    [W-Wait! No, I won¡¯t... I won¡¯t go! I escaped by myself, so how can I, at this point...!]


    ¡°3, 2, 1...¡±


    [Uuuuut! Fine! I¡¯ll go!]


    I smiled. As expected of a woman in love!


    ¡°Good. I¡¯m sure Ren will be touched. Maybe, he¡¯ll be so touched that he¡¯ll hug you.¡±


    [H-He will hug me? Ren-nim will? Gulp... N-No, I¡¯m not going to fulfill my desires...! Even I wouldn¡¯t throw away my life to satisfy my lust! I just want to make up for the loyalty I failed to protect!]


    ¡°I got it, so meet me at the First Dungeon Residential Area¡¯s pub, ¡®Cocked.¡¯ Make sure you¡¯re fully prepared.¡±


    [Rookie... Okay.]


    I hung up on her as well. Then, I let out a long sigh and opened the guildmunication channel.


    [I¡¯m going to go do a Dimensional Mercenary request. It might take a while, but don¡¯t worry.]


    [Is it safe?]


    At my sudden announcement, the guildmunication channel became noisy. Hwaya then asked me with a worried voice. Though I was thankful that she was worrying about me... for some reason, I broke out intoughter.


    [What requests are safe? But well, it¡¯ll be fine.]


    I spoke honestly.


    [I can see the ending.]


    Author¡¯s note:


    Next chapter will showcase a hard-to-see partyposition!


    PS ¨C Do you see the ending Shin saw?


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    Tfw the pub¡¯s name is ¡®Cocked¡¯... Literally, he spelled it out in English :thinking:


    Also, thest bit was a The World God Only Knows reference.

 Chapter 186. Skill Synthesis (5)

    Chapter 186. Skill Synthesis (5)


    I could only bring one explorer with me using Dimensional Travel. However, contracted beings like elementals and tamed monsters coulde with me just like how I could bring them to the dungeon from Earth.


    I could always unsummon the elementals if things got dangerous, but tamed monsters were a bit more troublesome. Both Plene and Lotte made a fuss abouting with me, but Plene wasn¡¯t suited as an elite force. She couldn¡¯t defend herself well, and her ability wasn¡¯t suited for direct fights. Plus, I didn¡¯t know how much her ability worked against these brain-eating worms. Although I felt sorry for leaving her out, there was nothing I could do.


    On the other hand, Lotte didn¡¯t lose to many in terms of strength. Plus, now that she could transform into a human (I was curious just how she obtained that ability), her range of activity increased as well. She was all around a reliablepanion to have.


    For the record, I made sure that she wore proper clothing when she was in her human form. I gifted her some stic leather clothes. Although she refused to wear clothes at first, when I pouted and acted sad that she wouldn¡¯t ept my gift, she frowned and put the clothes on. Huhu, I was getting more skilled at handling my subordinates!


    Lotte looked smugly at Plene when I told Plene that she couldn¡¯te but Lotte could.


    ¡°Huhuhu, you see, Fish? This is the Hero¡¯s choice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fish! I¡¯m a siren!¡±


    ¡°No... It¡¯s just that your ability isn¡¯t suited for what I¡¯m doing, Plene. Wish us a safe return.¡±


    ¡°Hic... Okay.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re weak! Do you know why, Fish?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fish! And I¡¯m not weak! Shin said I was a good singer!¡±


    ¡°You are weak because you arecking. In training...!¡±


    ¡°Training?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, let¡¯s go, Lotte.¡±


    Ever since she transformed into a human, she was learning lots of weird things.


    Regardless, there were only 5 minutes left until I had to go see Lebuik at the pub. I hurriedly left the resort with Lotte and headed to the First Dungeon¡¯s Residential Area. The first thing I did was epting the Dimensional Mercenary request. Then, while I was making my way to the pub, the people¡¯s attentions became focused on me.


    ¡°It¡¯s Revival¡¯s master.¡±


    ¡°Earth¡¯s Hero?¡±


    ¡°Did you check the guild rank? It¡¯s already B.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t even think about messing with that guild. An administrative guild has its back.¡±


    We¡¯re different from Desert Scorpion! We have no intention of abusing an administrative guild¡¯s authority! Though I wanted to tell them off, I didn¡¯t. Lotte became angry instead.


    ¡°Are they cursing Hero? Not that I think highly of Hero, but it is true that Hero is strong enough to make me submit. How strong are they that they¡¯re cursing Hero in the middle of the street? I must test their strengths!¡±


    ¡°Lotte, please. Also, don¡¯t use words like ¡®submit.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Hero should be proud. Hero made me submit without using force. That shows how grand Hero is!¡±


    Our surroundings became noisy.


    ¡°Hey, did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering if it was a new woman. It¡¯s as I thought...¡±


    ¡°Without using force... That must mean...¡±


    ¡°Ugaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Hero?¡±


    I grabbed Lotte¡¯s hand and ran to the pub using Gale Track. There, I saw Lebuik with a solemn expression on her face. She wore a set of upgraded armor from thest time I saw her and she had arge ck ymore on her back.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re here. I thought about it for a long time, but if I could see Ren-nim¡¯s face onest time, I¡¯ll have no regr¡ª Kyak!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    If I stayed in the Residential Area any longer, my reputation is going to plummet to the point of no return! Lebuik seemed to be giving excuses as to why she was going to Panan, but I was toozy to listen to her. She should just say she wants to see Ren!


    ¡°Alright, Dimensional Travel!¡±


    ¡°W-Wait!¡±


    ¡°Toote!¡±


    The Residential Area melted down. As if to paint over the now nk canvas, a new world appeared. The sky was pitch ck with not even a single star in sight. Everything was quiet. We were in a small open area in the middle of a dense forest.


    ¡°I said wait a bit, Roo...¡±


    Lebuik was just about to say something to me when she suddenly stopped. She froze and seemed to be staring at behind me. Then, she fell as if her legs gave out.


    I turned around. There, I saw Ren, who was staring at me with widened eyes.


    ¡°Ren.¡±


    ¡°You really... You really came, Crown Prince...? Damn, I told you not toe, so why?¡±


    When Dimensional Travel was used for a Dimensional Mercenary request, the user was naturally summoned next to the person who made the request. Otherwise, the user would be summoned to the friend-listed person. Of course, I would have ended up next to Ren regardless.


    Ren¡¯s voice was quiet unlike usual. In fact, his voice seemed to be suppressed as it didn¡¯t travel well. I closed my eyes, then opened them back up after a brief moment. I had analyzed the mana in the surroundings.


    ¡°Is it an artifact?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I obtained an item that prevents sound from traveling far. The dungeon sure is a nice ce.¡±


    Ren took out a pentagonally shaped pendant and smiled. Then, he frowned again. He seemed to have remembered what he was talking about.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t change the subject, Crown Prince. It¡¯s not toote, you should¡ª¡±


    ¡°If I think it¡¯s too dangerous, I¡¯ll run away on my own, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°... Now that you say that, I¡¯m hurt.¡±


    Ren¡¯s perked up lion ears drooped. My fists cried at the cuteness unbefitting of Ren¡¯s face, but I swallowed down the urge.


    ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll prevent El Patiz from aiming for Crown Prince, even if costs me my life. I won¡¯t stop Crown Prince now, but if it gets dangerous please do go back when I give the signal.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I got it.¡±


    ¡°Then first, I¡¯ll introduce you to the children. They haven¡¯t been able to rest for a while, so they practically copsed when they got the chance. Huhu, you¡¯ll be surprised how cute they are.¡±


    Ren¡¯s ears danced and showed his affection for the children. At that moment, I fullyprehended Ren. I see, so the reason Ren¡¯s trying so hard is... I nodded my head seriously and lightly tapped Ren¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Ren... Huu, I understand Ren. It¡¯s understandable.¡±


    ¡°Un? Thank you for understanding... But understand what? Rather than that, who¡¯s the beautiful woman next to you? A Dimensional Mercenary?¡±


    Ren, who didn¡¯t have immunity against women, backed up after noticing Lotte. I introduced her.


    ¡°She¡¯s my pet.¡±


    ¡°My name is Lotte, the Hero named me. Don¡¯t trouble Hero, Lion.¡±


    ¡°Pet!?¡±


    ¡°Rookie, you¡¯re the worst!¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    And from that, Ren finally noticed the woman sitting on the ground. Lebuik quickly sped her mouth with her hands, but it was toote. Ren discovered Lebuik and widened his eyes.


    ¡°Sir... Lebuik...¡±


    ¡°Y-Your Highness...¡±


    Lebuik quickly dusted off the dirt on her armor and disyed her respect for Ren.


    ¡°So you really were alive, Sir Lebuik.¡±


    ¡°M-My apologies... Even if I have ten mouths, I have no excuses.¡±


    Lebuik¡¯s ears drooped and stuck to her hair. To be honest, just looking at their ears were interesting.


    However, Ren burst intoughter. His ears seemed to be jumping around in joy.


    ¡°I¡¯m d! I¡¯m extremely happy that you are alive, Sir Lebuik.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness...¡±


    ¡°I was worried that Sir would have missed the chance to go back to the dungeon. After all, Sir Lebuik¡¯s loyalty was the greatest in our world.¡±


    ¡°N-No, Your Highness. I¡¯m just a defeated cat that turned tail and ran in the face of our enemy.¡±


    So she was a cat... While I was musing about the novel image of a defeated cat, Ren smiled bitterly and lightly tapped her shoulder pauldrons.


    ¡°Raise your head, Sir Lebuik. The only reason I¡¯m alive now is all thanks to the swordsmanship Sir taught me. Plus, I¡¯m touched that Sir didn¡¯t forget about me and returned.¡±


    ¡°Ren-niiim....¡±


    Ah, her tail is shaking. The tail protruding out from a hole in her armor wagged gently and expressed ecstasy. To be able to show the appearance of a girl in love just by the movement of a tail, beastmen were amazing!


    Worried that Lebuik would jump on Ren, I quickly shoved my hand between them.


    ¡°Alright, While I¡¯m happy for your reunion, but let¡¯s leave it at that. Ren, when are we setting off?¡±


    ¡°Mm, I want to let the children sleep longer, but we¡¯ll probably have to leave before the sun rises. The assassins¡¯ tracking techniques are truly vexing. Well, the El Patiz that took over the assassins¡¯ brains, to be exact.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, I solemnly swear that I shall protect Your Highness no matter what!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather that Sir survives.¡±


    ¡°Your Highness, no, I will...!¡±


    ¡°Those beastmen are weird. Why are they so bent on dying?¡±


    ¡°I was just about to ask the same question, Lotte.¡±


    That¡¯s what I said, but I knew Lebuik was nning on paying the price for abandoning Ren.


    To be honest, when I told her about the situation, I only half-expected her toe. I couldn¡¯t really understand if it was love or re-emerged loyalty that was pushing her to do this. I just hoped that her actions would bring good results for both her and Ren.


    ¡°A fruit.¡±


    Lotte seemed to be perfectly familiar with her human form, as she jumped to the perfect height and grabbed a fruit hanging on a tree branch. She then wiped it off with her sleeve and took a bite. Her movements were rather wild. Even in her human form, there were traces of her true body. The biggest example was her sharp canine teeth. I took the fruit she held out after taking a bite and also bit down. Then, I asked Ren.


    ¡°Is flying a bad idea?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a way of flying. Even if we did, the sky is filled with enemies. In fact, we¡¯re in this forest so that we won¡¯t be noticed by the enemy¡¯s air squadrons.¡±


    ¡°Ren, can you draw the path from here to the coast?¡±


    ¡°I have a map. I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    ¡°Rookie, you look pretty used to all this...¡±


    ¡°What about you, Lebuik? For a knight, you don¡¯t look used to this at all.¡±


    ¡°You...!¡±


    ¡°Sir Lebuik has little experience on the battlefield. She was my guard knight and sword teacher. Please understand, Crown Prince. You have experiencemanding an empire¡¯s soldiers and fighting in wars. It¡¯s not right topare Sir Lebuik with Crown Prince.¡±


    For a moment, I seriously contemted what world¡¯s crown prince he was talking about. I mean, didn¡¯t I make it clear that I wasn¡¯t really a crown prince!? But when I looked at Lebuik, who was tearing up, I lost the will to say anything. I nodded my head generously and took another bite of the fruit. Then, Lotte eximed.


    ¡°Hero, there¡¯s a worm in that fruit.¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince!?¡±


    From then, I trembled for 30 seconds, but thankfully, it wasn¡¯t a brain worm. Thank god... but just when I was trying to show off! If there was a hole, I wanted to crawl into it!


    Author¡¯s note:


    Ren is a <del>lolicon</del> saint!

 Chapter 187. Skill Synthesis (6)

    Chapter 187. Skill Synthesis (6)


    I burnt the fruit crawling with worms as calmly as I could, then followed Ren to see the children. Now that I thought about it, there was no way I wouldn¡¯t notice the brain worms¡¯ mana. Of course, it was toote for regrets. The milk was already spilled.


    People had eyes in the front of their face so they could look onward. As such, I walked facing onward.(E/N: I think this is a saying?)


    ¡°Crown Prince... You have a pretty cute side.¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth, Ren.¡±


    ¡°Scream again, Rookie. One more time.¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth, Lebuik.¡±


    I was annoyed that I seemed to have dispelled thest remaining awkwardness between them. When my eyes got sharp, they finally became quiet as we headed to where the children were sleeping. Of course, they weren¡¯t too far off. They were in a mud hut that Ren seemed to have made. Lebuik lost the lighthearted smile she had and examined the sleeping children.


    ¡°Lina, Uruto, Demi... With just Your Highness¡¯ power, they...¡±


    ¡°I lost two children on our way. I still can¡¯t forget the way they looked at me.¡±


    Ren remarked calmly and patted the children¡¯s heads. There were three beastman girls and two beastman boys. Two of the humans were girls and the other was a boy.


    I expected them to be 15 or 16 on average, but all eight of them seemed to be somewhere between 10 and 12. Perhaps, they were even younger. Ren¡¯s situation was indeed grave... Thinking about how long they¡¯ll need before they could grow strong enough to enter the dungeon by themselves, I sighed.


    ¡°Ren oppa?¡±


    ¡°Sleep, Teeke.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    A human girl who woke up closed her eyes again after seeing Ren. Ren brushed the girl¡¯s hair and looked up. His eyes shed sharply.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you the map to the coast, Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°I want to hear Ren¡¯s n.¡±


    ¡°Do as you wish, Your Highness.¡±


    Lebuik and I retorted and nodded our heads. Ren also nodded in response, then suddenly looked back at Lebuik.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that, Sir Lebuik. There is no country anywhere in this continent.¡±


    ¡°But Your Highness¡ª¡±


    ¡°Call me Ren. That is the only name I have left. You don¡¯t need to address me with an honorific either.¡±


    ¡°H-H-H-How could I dare call Your Highness¡¯ name! T-T-T-That would be like if we were lovers...¡±


    ¡°... Lovers?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just calling each other by name. Stop overreacting....¡±


    It was clear as day that Lebuik was in love with Ren, but as expected of Ren who was single his entire life, he couldn¡¯t catch any one of Lebuik¡¯s signals. Come on, Ren! Why do you think Lebuik came back after she abandoned this world!? It¡¯s because she has a lingering attachment, you idiot! I felt like going crazy from wanting to shout this out loud.(E/N: Says you shin)


    ¡°Crown Prince, you look like you want to say something...?¡±


    ¡°No, I know I¡¯m not in the position to say something like that, so I decided not to...¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince is truly mysterious...¡±


    Your head is more mysterious!


    ¡°Kuhum, Your Hi... Ren-nim, I still cannot, not use an honorific. I hope Ren-nim understands...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk respectfully either. Talk to me as if I was Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°I-In that case... Okay. Is that... good?¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I¡¯m happy, I feel like I¡¯ve gotten closer to Sir.¡±


    ¡°Ren-nim...¡±


    Lebuik¡¯s breathing became unpleasantly rough. I wanted to leave so she could express her carnal desires, but it seemed she still had a hint of humanity left as she restrained herself.


    ¡°I, I¡¯m not a knight anymore, so please leave out ¡®sir¡¯. Just call me Lebuik.¡±


    It felt like she was just trying to advance their rtionship by changing the way Ren called her, but I stayed silent and just looked at the map Ren opened. Ren seemed to be hesitating, but with Lebuik¡¯s persistent persuasion, he conceded and decided to call her by her name. Lebuik immediately messaged me.


    [I can die happy! Re, Ren-nim is calling me by my name... Thank you for bringing me, Rookie!]


    You don¡¯t need to thank me, just go die.


    The distance between the forest we were in, Celbitz, and our destination coast, Mileet, was about 1,000 km. To hide our tracks as much as possible, we would travel through mountain ranges. However, there was about a 50 km long distance from the end of the mountain ranges to the coast where we would be in apletely open area. There, we had to be ready to face attacks from the enemy. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh thinking just how Ren would have made it without me.


    ¡°We¡¯ll move about 50 km per day. Thankfully, the children are well-trained for their age, so they can keep up. They were all members of the royalty or the nobility, so they can read, write, and even wield mana. The beastman children are especially outstanding. If needed, they can run while carrying the human children on their backs. Huhu, they¡¯re truly admirable.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you¡¯ve been traveling through the forest until now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    I bitterly smiled traveling a thousand kilometers just on foot... I could onlyugh in vain. I checked the map again and took out a piece of paper to draw on. Eight small circles and fiverge triangles. Written with mana, the markings didn¡¯t solidify but floated around like ice on water.


    ¡°Let¡¯s speed up. We should be able to since we¡¯re explorers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but what about the children?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll carry them.¡±


    I took the small circles and ced them on the triangles. Ren, who was looking at the paper, asked carefully.


    ¡°Crown Prince, there are other dangers in the forest other than the El Patiz. It¡¯s full of strong monsters and monsters that like to ambush. If we¡¯re carrying the children, how are we supposed to react? If it wasn¡¯t for that, I would have carried them in turns.¡±


    ¡°Hear me out. To protect the children from ambushes, we¡¯ll put Lotte in the back.¡±


    I took a ck triangle representing Lotte and dragged it behind the other shapes. In her human form, Lotte was a lot more mobile and still retained her strengths as an attacker. She would be able to deal with most situations by herself. Even if we met with someone on par with Luka continent¡¯s Demon Army Commander, I believed she would be able to hold on. Of course, to ensure her maneuverability, she wouldn¡¯t carry any children.


    ¡°That¡¯s not enough. We might be safe from enemies ambushing us from behind, but what about the front? I can tell that this woman is strong, so wouldn¡¯t it be better to put her in the front to charge forward without caring about our back?¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have a point of weakness. You can leave the front to me. To be honest, I¡¯m the strongest out of anyone here.¡±


    I dragged the golden triangle representing me and ced it in the front. Ren nodded in response, while Lebuik¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°What? You may not know, but I¡¯m a level 69 explorer! I acknowledge that you¡¯re strong enough to work as a Dimensional Mercenary, but in terms of strength, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lebuik, this... Crown Prince is the guild Revival¡¯s master.¡±


    ¡°What!? You mean, the savage who toys with an administrative guild master!?¡±


    ¡°Oi, you, meet me outside.¡±


    5 minutes passed before we got back on track. Ren let out a dry cough, trying to ignore the giant bump on Lebuik¡¯s head.


    ¡°Since Crown Prince will be in charge of the front, Lebuik and I will have to carry four children each.¡±


    ¡°No, the two of you have to guard the sides.¡±


    I ced two of the triangles on the left and right sides. There was now onerge triangle and eight small circles in the middle. Ren tilted his head.


    ¡°Crown Prince, sorry, but I¡¯m bad with puzzles.¡±


    ¡°Rookie, stop beating around the bush and get to the point.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. We¡¯ll let someone else carry them.¡±


    There were five triangles from the beginning. Realizing this now, Ren tilted his head. I grinned and summoned Ruyue. She immediately took my mana, materialized into her humanoid wolf form, and jumped on me.


    [Shin!]


    ¡°Hi, Ruyue. I¡¯m sorry, but can you materialize in your wolf form?¡±


    [But I like the beastman form more!]


    ¡°Please.¡±


    [Okay!]


    I liked that Ruyue listened to whatever I asked her to do. I was thankful that she met a master like me and not one with lecherous intentions.


    When Ruyue transformed into a giant wolf form, Ren and Lebuik nodded their heads, finally understanding what I meant.


    ¡°So she can transform into different forms. Amazing. She was a beautiful girl, and her wolf form is just as beautiful.¡±


    ¡°... Grrr.¡±


    Lebuik seemed to be burning herpetitive spirit at Ren¡¯s words, but because I was toozy to say anything, I just ignored her.


    ¡°Ruyue should be able to carry all the children on her back. She has the intelligence to protect them from falling off, and more importantly, she¡¯s quick and silent when she travels.¡±


    [Shin is praising me!?]


    ¡°Of course, Ruyue is amazing.¡±


    [Ehehehe.]


    I scratched Ruyue¡¯s chin. Ren looked jealous for a moment, then went back to a serious expression.


    ¡°So we¡¯ll leave the children to her and focus on guarding them.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Much better, right?¡±


    ¡°... Crown Prince really is amazing. I don¡¯t have the words to express my admiration for Crown Prince¡¯s abilities.¡±


    ¡°Ren is amazing too. No one will be able to win against Ren¡¯s desire to protect these children.¡±


    ¡°Kuuk, don¡¯t tter me.¡±


    Ren blushed and turned his head. His lion ears were twitching, unsure of what to do. Lebuik began to re at me this time. Wait, was she considering me apetitor!?


    Before the sun rose, Ren woke up the children one by one. They all got up silently without a word ofint, immediately stretching and dusting off their bodies. As if they promised beforehand, they became shocked after seeing me, cheered after seeing Lebuik, and eximed in surprise after seeing Ruyue.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this cool oppa?¡±


    ¡°What a cool armor! Between Hyung[1. Hyung = older brother (male to male)] and Ren, who wins?¡±


    ¡°Ren oppa is still cooler!¡±


    ¡°Unni, you were alive?¡±


    ¡°Knight noona, I wanted to see you!¡±


    ¡°Look, look! A cool wolf!¡±


    ¡°Wow! What a beautiful fur!¡±


    ¡°Could it be ancestor-nim from the myths?¡±


    ¡°So soft...!¡±


    ¡°Wolf-nim, did youe to protect us?¡±


    Thinking just how overwhelmingly popr Ruyue was, I looked at Lebuik. She was somberly looking at the morning sky.


    ¡°I, I¡¯m a deserter... but still, losing to a wolf...¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re kids, Lebuik.¡±


    ¡°Hu, I only have Ren-nim.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you confess already?¡±


    After breakfast, we put all the children on Ruyue¡¯s back. I could handle Ruyue¡¯s materialization with Peruta Circuit¡¯s natural mana recovery, so I didn¡¯t even need to drink Mana Potions. However, the children seemed hesitant to ride on Ruyue.


    ¡°Riding on this Wolf-nim¡¯s back...¡±


    ¡°No, Wolf-nim will get our bad luck!¡±


    ¡°What soft fur!¡±


    ¡°Guys, Ruyue doesn¡¯t mind you guys being on her back, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    [I hate everyone other than Shin, but I¡¯ll allow it since you guys are kids!]


    ¡°Wolf-nim talked!¡±


    ¡°Wolf-nim really was an unni!¡±


    I asked Ren why the children treated Ruyue so respectfully.


    ¡°The beastman empire¡¯s founding mythology starts with the meeting of a golden lion and a silver wolf. That¡¯s probably why the children like the girl so much.¡±


    ¡°Is that why Ren likes Ruyue too?¡±


    ¡°Uk, n-no! I didn¡¯t have any impure thoughts! I just thought she was beautiful!¡±


    ¡°Stop, Lebuik!¡±


    ¡°... Lebuik?¡±


    Ren tilted his head and turned around. Lebuik, who was holding her ymore, quickly hid her hands behind her back and smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Ren-nim!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince, did Lebuik do something?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. So Ren, what do you think about Lebuik?¡±


    ¡°Mm, Lebuik is extremely beautiful and strong. She became my guardian knight at a young age. Even during a war, many soldiers became lovesick because of her.¡±


    Lebuik threw her weapon down, put her hands on her cheeks, and squirmed. I sighed in relief and stopped Ren.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±


    Ren suddenly grinned and whispered in my ears.


    ¡°... Are you interested in Lebuik, Crown Prince? Now that I think about it, you did bring her here... Should I introduce you to her?¡±


    ¡°How did youe to that conclusion, you idiot!¡±


    We didn¡¯t have the time for such petty conversations. Once the children got on Ruyue, we quickly set off. Ren was the slowest, so we had to slow ourselves down for him, but we were traveling about 7 times as fast as when Ren was alone.


    Like Ren said, we had to deal with the forest¡¯s monsters. Most of them were quite grotesque, and usually popped out from the ground or jumped down from the trees. However, the reason I made a formation that thoroughly protected the children wasn¡¯t to protect them against monsters. Forest monsters no longer posed any threat to me.


    [Kiaaaa!]


    [What are you trying to achieve by entering this forest!?]


    An orangutan-like monster with a melted body that seemed to have bathed in hydrochloric acid jumped down from a tree, while another monster that looked like a spider magnified hundreds of times and wrapped in iron armor popped out of the ground. Ren and Lebuik both held up their ymores and prepared to face them. I, on the other hand, simply stared at them with my eyes.


    They became stone and clunked down.


    ¡°Ek!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this!?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? They¡¯re stone. What, you¡¯ve never seen Evil Eyes of Petrification before?¡±


    I replied with a hint of sassiness and broke the petrified monsters with my spear. Then, I urged them on.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry! Don¡¯t just stand there dumbfounded!¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of Evil Eyes of Petrification!¡±


    ¡°Say it earlier if you have such an ability!¡±


    I ran forward as I snickered at the party members who were touched by my ability. They gritted their teeth and followed suit. Whenever monsters appeared, I turned them to stone, and we marched forward as we broke them.


    In the end, we covered 700 km in just one day. There was only 300 km left until our destination.

 Chapter 188. Skill Synthesis (7)

    Chapter 188. Skill Synthesis (7)


    ¡°Shin oppa, here!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Elfa.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe.¡±


    A rabbit-eared beastman girl, Elfa, handed me a bowl of soup. I gave her head a pat and took a sip. It was a beef cream soup with an excellent taste. After all, I was the one who brought it! All hail instant food!


    ¡°How mysterious. Just putting some powder in water makes such vor... Neither the Floor Shop nor the Residential Area has such items.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s expensive, so be thankful.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, as I thought, Crown Prince is really generous. These tiny bits of meat must be expensive too. I wonder what kind of meat it is...¡±


    You might be curious what that meat is, but this hyung is worried for your future... I hesitated on whether to tell him the truth or not but seeing him so happy, I quietly took a spoonful of soup. Then, a light breeze blew next to me.


    [Master, I came back from scouting.]


    ¡°Good work, Sharana.¡±


    [The sky has really weird creatures. They look lifeless on the outside, but their brains have extremely active mana.]


    ¡°How many are there?¡±


    [Close your eyes.]


    When I did so, Sharana put her forehead against mine. With our extreme intimacy, she could transmit images to me with this.


    ¡°Crown Prince? What are you doing all of the sudden?¡±


    ¡°Shh.¡±


    I put my finger on my lips and silenced Ren. Then, I closed my eyes and looked at the evening sky appearing in my sight. A star simr to Earth¡¯s Sun was setting, dying the sky red, and a few clumps of clouds were scattered here and there. Filling up the sky was a countless number of winged creatures. Trying to count them was useless. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    ¡°Huu, there are so many...¡±


    ¡°You finally understand why we must travel through the mountains?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite overwhelming. Do you think there are other survivors?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure... but I sure hope so.¡±


    There was only one mountain range left until the in. As there would be a rocky mountain in the middle, we would have no choice but to bepletely exposed in this area.


    ¡°Once we get through the rocky mountain, The Forest of Tranquility will await us, a forest that was once a holynd. Here, the flow of mana bes calm, making it hard to fight. More importantly, it bes difficult to track someone using mana, so we won¡¯t have to worry about pursuers from the rocky mountains.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to set up a base camp at Forest of Tranquility then?¡±


    ¡°The Forest of Tranquility is a holynd, but at the same time, it is also called a graveyard. It is fine to stay there for a day, but if you stay any longer, a grim reaper wille reap your life. It does not matter whether you are a human, beastman, or El Patiz. Staying in the holynd for more than a day would only hasten your death.¡±


    There sure were strange ces... I grumbled and unsummoned Sharana. Then, I gulped down the soup. Then, I opened a canned coffee while I waited for the children to finish eating when Elfa and another beastman girl asked curiously.


    ¡°Oppa, what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Is it food?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a beverage. You guys can drink it when you¡¯re adults.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I want to drink it now!¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t grow taller if you do.¡±


    I quickly chugged down the coffee and crumpled the can before one of the children could reach it. Seeing me easily crumple the can with a mermaid drawn in a green circle, the children eximed in surprise. It seemed they were just curious. I told myself not to drink coffee in front of children.


    ¡°It¡¯s only been a day, but they really are attached to Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°Shin oppa is handsome!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s kind and strong!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s close to Wolf-nim.¡±


    ¡°But Ren oppa is still more handsome!¡±


    To be honest, I thought I was more handsome than Ren, but seeing Ren¡¯s happy expression, I stayed silent. If Ren came to Earth, I decided to call Officer Podori[1. The police mascot in Korea.].


    After dinner, we set off again. Even in the dark environment, my Evil Eyes continued to petrify all monsters that attacked us. As I ran, I thought about ways to be stronger to better ensure everyone¡¯s safety. Like in Luka continent, I couldn¡¯t be sure what to expect in a foreign world.


    I was, of course, talking about Skill Synthesis. Although the result was random, the result from the synthesized pocket watch skills was very satisfactory. It was definitely worth synthesizing skills that I didn¡¯t use or skills that ovepped with others in use. I already had some candidates in mind.


    ¡°Crown Prince, we should set up camp here for the night. Once we get through here, we¡¯ll be at the rocky mountain, where we won¡¯t be able to stop to rest.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, let¡¯s set up camp.¡±


    With that, I took something out of my inventory and ced it down on the ground. Ren tilted his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? A triangr, half-transparent giant crystal... Is it for some ritual?¡±


    ¡°Go in.¡±


    ¡°Go in? You can go in?¡±


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so big!¡±


    ¡°Cozy! It¡¯s sofortable!¡±


    The children fearlessly ran into the giant crystal. Right, this was none other than Crystal Lair[2. A reward Shin got in chapter 153.]! A high-tech camping tent that even worked underwater! It wasrge enough to fit 20 people and magically provided fresh water and bread infinitely! It was sitting in my inventory like a useless piece of junk, but I finally found the use for it!


    ¡°Ooooh! How revolutionary!¡±


    ¡°Wow, this would be perfect for staying overnight in the dungeon too.¡±


    Everyone went inside and began to restfortably. As Crystal Lair even had an automatic alert system, it would wake us up when hostile beings neared it. If only it had wheels, it would be perfect!


    ¡°Crown Prince, aren¡¯t youing in?¡±


    ¡°I have something to do.¡±


    I waved my hand and told them to rest. I walked a little ways away from the campsite. Lotte followed me to guard me.


    ¡°Skill Synthesis.¡±


    When the circr stone b suddenly appeared in the air, Lotte flinched and took a step backward. I smiled at her and touched Gale Track from my list of skills. Then, with a strange sensation, a small clump of light appeared in my hand. I ced it in the base skill slot and ced de Rush, a good single-target charge skill, into the supplement skill slot. I didn¡¯t want to juggle with two separate charge skills and hoped that a skill thatbined their good points would appear.


    Of course, justbining them like this would be boring, so I added the Dash skill, which granted bonuses to my running movements. Feeling that it wasn¡¯t enough, I even added Thunder Beast. The light shing from the stone b became brighter. My heart raced as I activated Skill Synthesis.


    [You obtained the unique skill, Wind King¡¯s Rage.]


    [With an unpredictable path and unfollowable speed, you charge forward, carrying a powerful lightning and wind power. When you collide with an enemy, a spear of lightning will appear and pierce through the enemy, after which a powerful wind will blow the enemy away. The enemy¡¯s mana will be absorbed, increasing the charge¡¯s destructive power by 10%. At any point, you can explode out with a powerful energy at a target. Currently, at level 1, the charge¡¯s destructive power can be increased up to 150%. As it is too powerful, after being fully charged, this skill cannot be used again for 3 hours. When uncharged, the skill can be used again after 10 minutes.]


    [You created a unique skill! Unique skills are skills that possess strength on par with a God¡¯s powers without receiving the breath of a god! This grand achievement causes all gods to focus on you. Gods rted to storm and lightning be especially interested. You obtained 3 skill points. Current skill points: 4]


    ¡°Good.¡±


    As I had already created a unique skill before, I wasn¡¯t particrly surprised. Gale Track, Thunder Beast, and de Rush weren¡¯t ordinary skills. Dash couldn¡¯t be ignored either.


    In any case, I was happy with the result. Just like I wanted, I would be able to use this skill regardless of whether I was facing one target or multiple targets.


    Surprisingly, this skill didn¡¯t have ranks like Thunder Beast, Dimensional Travel, and Peruta Circuit. In such cases, it was much harder to raise the skill level, but each level would show a sharp increase in power. It was a skill that had surpassed the notion of being ranked. It made me feel especially giddy.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough rejoicing... Skill Synthesis.¡±


    This time, I used White Lightning Consecutive Strike as the base skill and put Thunder Tempest into the supplement skill slot. I didn¡¯t put other skills in this time as it would be too wasteful to put any of my remaining skills in to supplement an attack skill.


    [You obtained the skill, ¡®Lightning Spear Storm.¡¯]


    [With a powerful whirlpool of lightning, you draw in nearby enemies, striking out consecutively with a white lightning-imbued spear. Each strike uses 0.1% of your mana, and the final strike uses 10% of your mana to deal a powerful explosive lightning damage to all enemies.]


    Although I didn¡¯t get another unique skill, it became what I designated a ¡®master skill.¡¯ The skill was more than what I expected. Peruta Circuit certainly had such an ability. Now, I was able to draw in nearby enemies near me! It seemed like a skill that would appear in games, but I decided to ignore it.


    ¡°Alright, next...¡±


    To realize a skill I had thought of beforeing to this world, I picked a few skills. This was also the reason I decided to wait until night to use Skill Synthesis.


    However, once I ced all the skills in the stone b¡¯s slots, I canceled Skill Synthesis.


    ¡°... It¡¯s not enough.¡±


    If I continued, I felt that I wouldn¡¯t get the skill I wanted. Perhaps it was the effect of Spirit of the Mixer, or perhaps, it was just a warrior¡¯s intuition. Regardless, I felt that it wasn¡¯t wise to synthesize the skill. Of course, before I regretted it, I would have to decide before I finished crossing the mountain range. I shrugged and went back to the tent with Lotte. It would take more energy to climb the rocky mountain. I had to get rest when I could.


    However, what we faced the next day wasn¡¯t the aerial unit of El Patiz, but apletely unexpected massive, terrifying enemy.


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    I thought the Skill Synthesis stone b was rectangr (as bs generally are), but apparently, it was circr! My imagery!!!


    I hope everyone understands the Wind King¡¯s Rage skill. The word ¡°charge¡± is used in two meaning there ¨C one as in ¡°to rush forward¡± and another as in ¡°to collect energy over time.¡±

 Chapter 189. Absolute Soul (1)

    Chapter 189. Absolute Soul (1)


    Before we left the forest, Ren reminded the children.


    ¡°Just close your eyes, and we¡¯ll take care of everything.¡±


    ¡°Ren oppa.¡±


    ¡°If Oppa gets hurt, I¡¯ll hate you!¡±


    ¡°Hyung, protect Ren!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not so weak that I need someone¡¯s protection.¡±


    ¡°Guys, get on Lotte first.¡±


    I made the children switch to Lotte. She was, of course, back in her wyvern form. Ren and Lebuik also got on her back. To protect them, I flew up using Sharana¡¯s power and Tria. Lotte pped her wings andined.


    [I hate having people other than Hero ride me...]


    ¡°Sorry for making you do this all the time, Lotte.¡±


    [Hero must pay the price for hurting this Dark Wing Lotte¡¯s pride. Be prepared, Hero.]


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll do anything you want if it¡¯s within my power.¡±


    [Kuhum... Then I¡¯ll let it slide this time.]


    I patted Lotte¡¯s head and appeased her. The children stayed still watching Lotte and I talk, but Ren and Lebuik strangely looked at Lotte¡¯s body jealously.


    ¡°I wish I had a wyvern like this too.¡±


    ¡°She really was a wyvern... I¡¯ve never seen such arge and powerful wyvern before. I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s the frail looking woman from before... Do Crown Prince¡¯s pets and elementals all have female human forms?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know.. Maybe, it¡¯s the will of the universe.¡±


    I replied with a shrug. Then, I transformed my choker into its spear form. We would soon leave the forest. Knowing that this was thest chance to catch us, the hungry forest monsters were closing in on us from all sides.


    ¡°Everyone, get ready! We¡¯re going to leave the forest with a final bang! Ruyue!¡±


    [Freezing Air!]


    The energy emitted by the materialized Ruyue froze everything in our vicinity. At the same time, I shot out the energy gathered at the tip of my spear. Monsters that tried to make us their food became frozen food themselves. Then, unable to withstand the aura I shot out, they shattered along with dozens of trees behind them. Morning sunlight shone down from above. We were now out of the forest.


    At the same time, countless number of monsters in the air caught sight of us. They were the monsters being controlled by the brain worms. It was hard to describe just how many there were. They probably could not even be counted by the thousands. The sky was practically filled with them.


    ¡°There are too many of them!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it!¡±


    I soared up and activated my Evil Eyes. With the sheer number of them, my eyes began to hurt and mana continuously drained. However, the result was more than I imagined. Almost 80 percent of the aerial army petrified and fell. It was almost as if there was a meteor shower going on. I finally began to understand why Evil Eye holders were so feared.


    The Evil Eyes of Petrification were specialized for fightingrge armies. It was a weapon of mass murder capable of decimating all who could not withstand its power! My Evil Eyes continued to shine, and the enemy forces continued to dwindle.


    ¡°Crown Prince...!¡±


    ¡°Wow, Shin oppa is so cool...¡±


    ¡°I want to marry Shin oppa!¡±


    ¡°I want to learn how to do that, Hyung! Teach me!¡±


    ¡°T-Teach me too!¡±


    I cleaned up some of the monsters that survived because they were blind and charged through the air. Lotte followed me with a speed that wouldn¡¯t lose out in the slightest and killed the approaching monsters with her ck mes.


    A short whileter, the monsters¡¯ movements became strange. Behind onerge flying monster, dozens of smaller monsters lined up like trainpartments. I somewhat understood their intentions. After realizing that looking at my eyes would petrify them, they hid themselves behind a scapegoat. It was something humans would think of, not monsters.


    [Kiaaaaaaaaak!]


    [Kugaaaaaaaaak!]


    They screamed joyfully thinking that they found the solution. I smirked and shot out a whirlpool from my spear. The monster in the front, which had already turned to stone, were covering the dozens of monsters behind it. However, the whirlpool easily tore through the petrified monster. The monsters hiding behind it immediately turned to stone and fell.


    Just like that, thousands of monsters died once again. If I were a character in a RPG game, my level would have risen explosively.


    ¡°This rocky mountain is too tall! When will we see the Forest of Tranquility?¡±


    ¡°Forest of Tranquility is located at the highest region of Panan continent! Naturally, this mountain range is also the highest!¡±


    Still, we couldn¡¯t see the peak after flying for 5 minutes. That was just too high! I heard that Earth¡¯s mountains were still growing. I was afraid they¡¯d be like Panan continent¡¯s mountains.


    [Kiaaaaa!]


    The higher we went, the more violently the monsters attacked. It was undoubtedly because they knew they would not be able to touch us once we reached the Forest of Tranquility. Hundreds of monsters were turning into stone every second, but more and more monsters flocked from god knows where. Perhaps, they wanted to kill us by drowning us in stone!


    I clicked my tongue and took out a Mana Potion. I put the potion in my mouth and called elementals to my spear.


    [Ah, a different world!]


    [Ek, bugs!]


    [We¡¯re scolding bugs today?]


    [There are so many!]


    [Prince-nim became even cooler!]


    [Spin spin~]


    ¡°Ah, that technique is...¡±


    ¡°So many elementals...¡±


    Mad Typhoon¡¯s powerful rotational force seemed to have excited the elementals, as they shone even brighter than usual. I heightened the rotational force and led the elementals. Petrifying the monstersing to stop it, I very slightly pulled back the spear enveloped by the elemental whirlpool.


    ¡°Elemental...¡±


    ¡°A-Amazing...¡±


    Tempest!¡±


    A gale of elementals stormed through the air. Meanwhile, I gulped down the Mana Potion in my mouth. Looking at the gaping hole in the sky, I smiled with satisfaction.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hurry! Hold on tightly, guys! Lotte, full speed!¡±


    [Understood, Hero!]


    After sweeping away arge number of enemies with Elemental Tempest, I cleaned up the rest with my Evil Eyes. We were then able to climb to the peak without much trouble. After about 5 minutes, we finally entered the Forest of Tranquility.


    The inside of the forest was extremely beautiful. Countless beautiful flowers and tall trees filled the lush forest. Even in this world, where everything was being controlled by the brain worms, this ce maintained its natural beauty. However, just like its name suggested, it was unnaturally quiet. There were no signs of animals. It was as if we were the only ones breathing in this ce.


    ¡°Cough, cough.¡±


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    The hignd¡¯s thin oxygen level made it hard for the children to breathe. Even the ones who had mana found breathing difficult.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to breathe. I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°Use the mana breathing method, Elfa. You learned it, right?¡±


    ¡°Un, Daddy taught me.¡±


    There were many different mana cultivation methods, but the mostmon were mana breathing methods, which took in mana by a special method of breathing. Ren used this method as well as the children that followed him. The children seemed to have remembered about the mana breathing method after I mentioned it, as they all started to use it. I patted their heads and looked around.


    ¡°How can there be such a lush forest so high?¡±


    ¡°That is something only God knows. But as Crown Prince can probably feel, mana is bountiful in this area. If the greenery here sprouted with the power of mana, it¡¯s understandable.¡±


    He was right. Usingmon sense from Earth to evaluate Panan continent was foolish. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be long until Earth¡¯smon sense would change.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry. You said we can¡¯t stay here for more than a day.¡±


    ¡°Yes, no one could stay here for over a day.¡±


    ¡°Guys, it might be tiring, but endure it.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay since Shin oppa is here.¡±


    ¡°Elfa... You seem to like Crown Prince more than me...¡±


    Don¡¯t make that face like you were just thrown away by your wife, Ren! I almost called the police! Be thankful there are no police here!


    However, not long afterwards, I tilted my head.


    ¡°Ren, you might feel wronged, but can you not re at me?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not looking at Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°Is it Lebuik then?¡±


    ¡°Why would I be looking at you? I¡¯m too busy inscribing Ren-nim¡¯s visage in my retina.¡±


    She sure talked well for someone who abandoned Ren... I guess, she proved her love for him bying back.


    Then who was it? I looked at the children sitting on top of Ruyue and tilted my head. A few of them also tilted their heads after seeing me. They really were too cute.


    Soon after, however, they began to writhe in pain.


    ¡°I can¡¯t... breathe.¡±


    ¡°Elfa?¡±


    ¡°Hyung, I can¡¯t either...¡±


    ¡°Demi!¡±


    Ren and I became flustered and checked on the children. They looked like they were suffocating. I expanded my mana outwards and scanned the children. Then, I realized that the children¡¯s mana... were leaving them.


    ¡°Crown Prince!¡±


    ¡°Damn... Ren, mana is leaving everyone¡¯s bodies!¡±


    I quickly circted Peruta Circuit at its limit. The mana leaving my body flowed backwards and back into me, but the others couldn¡¯t do the same thing with their mana breathing method. Damn, Ren, Lebuik, and I would be fine, but if the children¡¯s mana all left...!


    Then, the forest shook violently.


    [Arrogant human! You dare disturb my meal!]


    ¡°Ren, didn¡¯t you say it was fine to stay for a day!¡±


    ¡°Thest person who crossed this forest did it 130 years ago! The forest¡¯s grim reaper must have changed his mind!¡±


    ¡°Or, maybe he doesn¡¯t like it that Rookie took back his mana. He said Rookie disturbed his meal.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that so calmly!?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    Lebuik pointed at the tworge eyes staring at us from beyond the dense trees.


    ¡°I got feared, so actually, it¡¯s hard to even talk.¡±


    At that moment, a shocking message rang out to everyone.


    [An Event Raid has broken out! SSS+-rank 50-man, ¡®Mana Eater.¡¯ Because you were at the location of the raid boss, you will be forced to participate!]


    Author¡¯s note:


    Shin¡¯s first SSS rank Event Raid! Can he do it!?

 Chapter 190. Absolute Soul (2)

    Chapter 190. Absolute Soul (2)


    The creature¡¯s presence was powerful enough to make every hair on my body stand on end. It was perhaps about 20 meters tall. For a raid boss, it wasn¡¯t particrly big, but its amorphous mana armor andrge eyes shining ominously seemed to take away people¡¯s willingness to resist. Almost like malformed arms and legs, dozens of long and half-transparent tentacle-like things were squirming around its body.


    [Your mana... seems especially tasty...!]


    ¡°Where did this monstere from!? Ren, you should¡¯ve said something!¡±


    ¡°Kuk! I didn¡¯t know either... Rather than that, how can Crown Prince move perfectly fine...!?¡±


    ¡°Lebuik! You too!?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I got feared!¡±


    Damn, did I have to use it now? Seeing the tentacles closing in on us and the tworge eyes of the Mana Eater shining ominously, I gritted my teeth and shouted.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaang!¡±


    [You used Frozen Roar! All enemies in the battlefield freeze in ce. All allies temporarily be super-armored and all abilities are increased by 50%. Your chance ofnding critical hits doubles when fighting enemies affected by Frozen Roar.]


    In an instant, the Mana Eater¡¯s movements froze. Frozen Roar had affected both its body and its tentacles. However, the Mana Eater was not an SSS rank raid boss monster for nothing. It was already trying to shake off Frozen Roar¡¯s effect. I had to move now!


    ¡°Ren, protect the children!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Lotte!¡±


    [Ride, Hero!]


    Lotte transformed into her wyvern form and I quickly jumped onto her back. The dense forest made it extremely difficult for Lotte to fly. As such, I used Tempest and cleared the trees around us.


    [I won¡¯t let you disturb my meal!]


    ¡°Annoying!¡±


    Tentacles flew toward me from all sides. The thick and long tentacles oozed out disgusting ck mana.


    I enveloped my spear with chaos mes and ordered Lotte to charge toward one tentacle. I raised my spear up with vigor and struck down. Then, with an immense resistance, I felt my mana being sucked in.


    [Kuhaha, truly tasty... Kuk!]


    At the same time it happily remarked on the taste of my mana, it screamed. As I thought, chaos mes worked on an SSS rank raid boss too! I smiled in relief and shot my spear at another tentacle. I wanted to sever itpletely!


    ¡°Crown Prince, be careful! He doesn¡¯t just have one or two tentacles!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me! Focus on protecting the children!¡±


    The children had to use mana just to be in this ce. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could win against the Mana Eater in a direct one on one fight, much less with the added condition that I had to do it before the childrenpletely ran out of mana!


    I shot chaos me Tempests towards two tentacles flying toward me from behind. Afraid of the chaos mes, the tentacles instinctively backed off, and I used this chance to escape from the tentacles with Lotte.


    [T-This me... A mana I can¡¯tpletely absorb... Who are you!?]


    ¡°I¡¯m a Hero that will end your life, you damned octopus!¡±


    [Try it!]


    Dozens of tentacles instantly shot up into the air. The Mana Eater seemed to have shaken off the frost covering itpletely. Plus, it did so by absorbing the mana used in the attack. My instincts told me that using chaos mes was the best way to damage it.


    ¡°Lotte, can you do it?¡±


    [Of course.]


    Lotte¡¯s reliable retort cheered me up. Lotte pped her wings valiantly, shooting out waves of aura from the edges of her wings. The waves of aura then fell the nearby trees and created, even more, space for her to maneuver around.


    A few of the tentacles then grabbed some of the trees that fell and threw it at us. I received them with chaos me aura and shouted.


    ¡°Lotte, I¡¯m going to use Gaia Buster!¡±


    [Got it!]


    The moment she heard my words, Lotte pped her wings strongly. With each p of her wings, she flew higher at an incredible speed.


    [You can¡¯t escape!]


    Along with the Mana Eater¡¯s shout, its tentacles shot up into the air towards Lotte. It seemed it wanted to fight with just its tentacles.


    With how tall the trees were, even though I thought we had flown up high, I could still see trees all around us. Because we knocked down the trees around us, there was no problem with Lotte moving around, but the trees here were still too strange. Feeling somewhat uneasy, I bit my lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s on the tip of my tongue...¡±


    [Tongue?]


    ¡°Let¡¯s descend for now!¡±


    The moment she heard me, Lotte shot down like an arrow. A few tentacles attacked us. It was impossible to dodge them all!


    I expanded Mad Typhoon¡¯s range as much as I could and created a whirlpool surrounding Lotte and me. Then, I wrapped it with chaos mes. The tentacles hurling toward us didn¡¯t seem to mind and fell down after hitting us once. Even so, their attacks had carried an immense force. More importantly, they were stealing our mana every time they hit us!


    ¡°Lotte, are you okay?¡±


    [This is nothing! Rather than that, we¡¯re almost back down on the ground!]


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    I raised my spear. A single tentacle left a heavy injury on my cheek, then fell back from chaos mes. Furthermore, dozens of tentacles had joined together to form a hammer-like arm, as if to prevent us from doing what we wanted.


    [I¡¯ll suck your mana dry!]


    ¡°Lotte, dodge!¡±


    [No problem!]


    The tentacle hammer smashed down toward us without warning. As for its size, it was several times bigger than Lotte!


    ¡°Shin oppa!¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince, be careful!¡±


    [Kuaaaang!]


    Lotte roared and pped her wings weakly. The mana contained within that p was overlyplex for what a monster could have, but I already realized that we were now only a few meters away from the ground. Dear god, Lotte just used Blink!


    [Hero!]


    ¡°Gaia Buster!¡±


    After Lotte sessfully dodged the tentacle hammer with Blink, her shout snapped me out of my shock. I immediately struck my spear wrapped in ck lightning into the ground. At that moment, the tentacles, which had separated from the hammer form and were hurling toward us once again, were all thrown back. The ground exploded andrge boulders had shot out. Furthermore, the trees that had their roots in the ground were pulled out along with their roots.


    ¡°Protect the children!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    Boulders carrying ck lightning shed with tentacles. The Mana Eater screamed and squirmed its tentacles, but even an SSS rank boss monster couldn¡¯t help but be paralyzed after beingfrom repeatedly being hit by the boulders. However, even after sessfully dealing an attack, I couldn¡¯t rx. I could tell that the Mana Eater¡¯s boundless mana hadn¡¯t decreased in the slightest!


    [Kuhaaaa...!]


    The change urred the moment Gaia Buster ended. ck sSticky ck mana began to spread out in all directions, forming a thick fog that made it hard to see. Even with my eyes that had far surpassed the limits of human eyes, I could not see through the fog.


    [You are the first human to injure me... You must pay for this humiliation!]


    I could feel its tentacles getting farther away. On the other hand, its killing intent shot up to a peak. This only meant one thing.


    [I¡¯ll eat the others first! You will have to face me alone!]


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    [Hero, his presence is continuously changing location! If we rashly attack...!]


    ¡°I know... Ren, Lebuik!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t die when I¡¯vee so far!¡±


    ¡°Before you take Ren-nim¡¯s life, you¡¯ll... you¡¯ll have to take mine!¡±


    The tentacles had already begun their attack on the others. I didn¡¯t think that Ren and Lebuik would lose, but if even a single tentacle reached the children... I urgently materialized Sharana.


    ¡°Take away this fog!¡±


    [Ek, what an unpleasant fog. Master, I¡¯ll get right on it!]


    Once materialized, Sharana was truly powerful. As the elemental storm she wielded pushed back the Mana Eater¡¯s fog, I gulped down a highest-grade Mana Potion. The amount of mana I had used and had been absorbed by the Mana Eater was no joke.


    [Kuhaha! Beastmen, how impudent!]


    ¡°Lebuik, be careful!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt Ren-nim!¡±


    The fog dissipated, and I could see once again. With Lotte, I quickly charged toward Ren, Lebuik, Ruyue, and the children. At the same time, I summoned Peika and infused her into my spear.


    ¡°Die! Lightning Spear Storm!¡±


    A powerful whirlpool erupted from my spear and attracted the tentacles that were aiming for the children. In addition, the Mana Eater¡¯s body was slowly being pulled toward me. It seemed to have realized my skill¡¯s power as it joined its tentacles together to form a hammer once more.


    [Let¡¯s see if you can take this!]


    ¡°Try it!¡±


    The spear I shot out consecutively stabbed into the tentacles and discharged powerful electricity. Even so, the tentacle hammer didn¡¯t waver in the slightest and mmed down on me from above. Regardless, I had sessfully taken the tentacles away from the children.


    ¡°Ruyue, take the children and run! Ren, Lebuik, go on ahead! I¡¯ll go after I take care of this guy!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡±


    [No!]


    ¡°Protect the children! Ruyue, listen to me! Everyone here is just getting in my way!¡±


    ¡°Rookie, how can you win against that thing by yourself!?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, all of you are just burdens!¡±


    The moment the hammer mmed down on my head, Lotte used Blink and dodged it. Because of it, Lightning Spear Storm was interrupted, and the tentacles freed themselves from the whirlpool. Seeing the tentacles aim for the children once more, I gritted my teeth. They really didn¡¯t know when to stop!


    ¡°Peika, Sharana! I need a big one!¡±


    [Why with this wind woman... But since it¡¯s Master¡¯s request, it can¡¯t be helped.]


    [Worm-ssi, hurry up and attack! I¡¯ll strengthen it!]


    Peika left the spear for a moment and raised her hand. The entire forest was instantly brightened and all the trees burnt up. Sharana also raised her hand and strengthened Peika¡¯s attack, after which the dozens of tentacles hurling towards the children were obliterated.


    [Kuaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Well done! Ruyue, run! Lotte, let¡¯s run too!¡±


    [Understood!]


    The children were already in trouble! Ren and Lebuik gritted their teeth and smacked away a couple of tentacles near them. Along with Ruyue, they then began to run.


    [Kuhaha, foolish! You can¡¯t escape from here!]


    Just when I thought Ruyue had escaped the tentacles¡¯ range, two thick tentacles sprung up from the ground in front of her! Flustered, I urged Lotte to use Blink. At that moment...


    [I¡¯ve been waiting!]


    ¡°Kuk!?¡±


    With a blunt sound, my chest te shattered. Feeling vision shaking for a moment, I closed my eyes and opened them.


    Five tentacles had skewered through my chest.


    ¡°H-How...!¡±


    [You still don¡¯t understand!?]


    The Mana Eater shouted triumphantly. I could hear its voice from all sides. I raised my head and was amazed when I saw that the tentacles piercing through me had sprung up from the trees above. Right, the thought that had almost crossed my mind before was...


    [This entire forest is me! Foolish Human!]


    It was the start of a nightmare.

 Chapter 191. Absolute Soul (3)

    Chapter 191. Absolute Soul (3)


    ¡°Crown Prince!¡±


    ¡°Shin oppa, don¡¯t die!¡±


    ¡°Tsk...!¡±


    As I lost too much blood in a short period of time, dizziness swept over me. I felt like I would scream if I opened my mouth, so I clenched my teeth and grabbed the tentacles poking through my chest. I then burnt the tentacles with the strongest lightning power I could muster and activated my ring¡¯s regeneration ability. I had to regenerate my chest area.


    [Diehard activates! Your HP is recovered to 50%!]


    It seemed my HP had fallen to a dangerous level as Diehard activated and filled up my HP. That was dangerous. I almost died. Just by looking at Ren¡¯s expression, I could tell the grave situation I was in. I burnt the tentacles flying towards me with a spear attack and drank an HP Potion.


    [You!]


    Seeing that I had recovered from my injuries, the Mana Eater sounded shocked. I smirked and put my middle finger up, but in truth, I was still at a disadvantage. Regeneration could only be used once every 2 weeks, and Diehard could only be used once a day. In other words, if the same thing happened again, I would die. And what was that just now!? It pierced through my Epic-grade armor and put me on the brink of death! Although the Mana Eater must have carefully nned the attack, it was entirely possible that it still had more cards up its sleeve. I was doubtful that that was his trump card attack.


    An attack that increased its attack power by eating the opponent¡¯s mana and decreased the opponent¡¯s defense. That was why the Mana Eater was so feared


    [Y-You dare hurt my Hero...!]


    While I contemted on how to defeat the Mana Eater¡¯s attack, Lotte said something with rage and trembled. I could feel the mana in her body surging up.


    [You must pay the price!]


    Lotte breathed out fierce mes. The trees around us with the tentacles hanging from them were devoured by Lotte¡¯s ck mes. Her mes, which carried a powerful curse, quickly spread and set other trees on fire.


    [This isn¡¯t an ordinary me... I¡¯ll kill you first!]


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Chaos mes formed a whirlpool using Mad Typhoon. As the whirlpool undted around me, I came to a decision. I poured arge amount of mana into my spear and shouted.


    ¡°Everyone, get on Lotte!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Hold out in the air for a moment! I¡¯ll take care of him during that time!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Take care of him how!? And why should we¡ª¡±


    I jumped down from Lotte¡¯s back and shouted.


    ¡°This forest is dangerous! Much more than fighting the damned aerial army! So listen to me!¡±


    ¡°What about you!?¡±


    Naturally, I had my methods. I didn¡¯t have the time to leisurely exin everything. Pushing away the tentacles with chaos mes, I ordered Lotte and Ruyue.


    ¡°Protect the others. I¡¯ll finish it soon.¡±


    [Hero, I want to end him!]


    [Shin, this ce is dangerous!]


    ¡°But this is the best method.¡±


    In truth, using Deific Manifestation and getting Peruta¡¯s help was the best way of dealing with this situation. However, if I faced the worst-case possible scenario I envisioned, I wouldn¡¯t have a way out. As long as other methods were avable to me, I had to try them first.


    [I won¡¯t let them escape!]


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to!¡±


    I heightened my Mana Detection and used chaos me Tempests to hit away the tentacles attacking mypanions. At the same time, I red at the others who were still hesitant on getting on Lotte. I was signaling them to hurry.


    ¡°In that case, Crown Prince, I¡¯ll stay too!¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that. Unfortunately, you¡¯re a burden! Just protect the children! If you have Mana Potions that aren¡¯t from the Floor Shop, give them to the children to drink!¡±


    I turned down Ren bluntly. Lebuik was more sensible than Ren, as she was already moving the children to Lotte¡¯s back. Ren seemed to want to say something, but he soon followed Lebuik with a look of resignation.


    I formed more chaos mes as I anxiously waited for them to go. I didn¡¯t have much mana left. I was constantly using mana to maintain the materialized elementals and form chaos mes; not to mention, the Mana Eater kept stealing some away! My mana... Wait.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, Deathblood Ring¡¯s effect was...¡±


    On attack, 2% chance to absorb 10% of enemy¡¯s mana, and with 1% chance, using 5% of my HP to ce the enemy under blood contamination status effect. As I had almost only seen the effect on ordinary trash monsters, the effect had never really felt impactful. However, it was different now.


    ¡°Huu... let¡¯s try it.¡±


    I was certain that the Mana Eater had at least ten times the mana I had. In other words, absorbing 10% of its mana meant recovering my mana entirely. I raised my spear. I didn¡¯t need to target anything specific. This entire forest was the Mana Eater. I breathed in, then shouted the skill I needed desperately.


    ¡°Divine Speed!¡±


    [No matter what you do, it¡¯s usele¡ª¡±


    ¡°Haaaaaap!¡±


    I focused entirely on stabbing consecutively. Although I had to use 10% of my remaining mana, my speed became 1000% for 3 seconds! During that time, if I gave up on destructive force and focused solely on numbers, I could attack at least 100 times.


    I stabbed the ground like a madman. Not even using a jackhammer would make such a sound. Once the Mana Eater noticed my strange actions, it gave up chasing the others and aimed toward me with all of its tentacles. I ignored them. Unlikest time, I had an insurance!


    [Bulwark of Wind! Master, it won¡¯tst long!]


    ¡°I just need 3 seconds!¡±


    Because of how quickly I talked, she might not have understood. In any case, when was this mana absorption thing going to happen!? Don¡¯t tell me it won¡¯t work because Deathblood Ring¡¯s grade is too low!?


    I stabbed the ground repeatedly, resolving to steal the Mana Eater¡¯s mana. Arge hole was dug through and the trees around me fell. At the same time, the tentacles buried under the ground became shredded.


    [Deathblood activates, taking 10% of the enemy¡¯s mana.]


    [Kuuuak!]


    At that moment, somethingpletely unexpected happened. The tentacles flying toward me deted like a balloon out of air. Not only that, the trees in the area lost their vitality and looked as if they¡¯d been rotting for 100 years. Of course, the intended effect was still there. My mana had gone back up to full!


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, is mana this bastard¡¯s entire life force?¡±


    Well, it was a monster that freely stole mana, so in that sense, it wasn¡¯t all that surprising! Unexpectedly, stealing its mana with Deathblood had dealt more damage than all the attacks I had donebined!


    Feeling my body overflowing with mana, I immediately materialized Sharana. The Mana Eater¡¯s rage became focused on me.


    [Youuuu! M-My mana, you dare take my mana!]


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so stingy, you bastard. You drilled holes in my chest!¡±


    Ten times. If I stole its mana ten times, it would die. The moment I pulled my spear out of the ground, the ground exploded and dozens of tentacles shot toward me. With materialized Sharana¡¯s overwhelming power of wind, I blew them away. Even so, it would be hard to leisurely strike as I did previously.


    [Return my mana!]


    ¡°Thanks for the meal, you bastard! Sharana, stir up wind in the entire forest!¡±


    When I gave Sharana almost half the mana I took from the Mana Eater, her body gave off a dazzling light. The wind blowing around us became fiercer, and the Mana Eater¡¯s tentacles became like rice nts pained by a storm. Meanwhile, everyone riding on Ruyue had sessfully switched to Lotte.


    [Hero, if Hero bes unable to pay my reward, this Dark Wing Lotte will drag Hero out of his grave! Hurry up and end him!]


    [Shin, I¡¯ll go back for a bit!]


    After safelypleting her mission, Ruyue returned to Fairy Garden. At the same time, Lotte cheered me on and soared up into the sky. The Mana Eater didn¡¯t forget to send some tentacles their way even while he was focused on me, but Ren and Lebuik pushed away the tentacles with their aura attacks. The trees blocking their way out of the forest were also cut down.


    ¡°If Crown Prince doesn¡¯te quick, we¡¯lle back. So hurry!¡±


    ¡°Just focus on getting out!¡±


    ¡°Oppa, don¡¯t die!¡±


    Before they left the forest, Ren and the others shouted at the top of their lungs. Even so, they wouldn¡¯t be safe just by leaving the forest. Outside of the forest was the aerial army of the El Patiz. Though Lotte, Ren, and Lebuik were surely able to hold their ground, I still had to finish the Mana Eater as soon as possible.


    After confirming that the others left the forest, I let out a sigh of relief. Of course, the Mana Eater¡¯s tentacles were still shing across my face and leaving injuries.


    [I¡¯ll blow a hole in your chest again! Let¡¯s see if you can regenerate again!]


    ¡°Sharana, make my voice ring out in the entire forest!¡±


    [No problem!]


    It wouldn¡¯t make sense if a wind elemental like Sharana was unable to amplify my voice, especially when she was materialized. Along with her answer, my voice indeed rang out sonorously whenever I talked. With the Evil Eyes and Soul Guard, I had increased my soul¡¯s league. I had also constantly increased my strength in other areas. Now, just my voice carried a certain level of power, which seemed to be able to impact the Mana Eater, albeit only slightly.


    [Noisy brat! I won¡¯t let you fool around with wind!]


    ¡°Now, Sharana! Dematerialize and go back!¡±


    [Yes!]


    Sharana¡¯s immediately returned to the Spirit World the moment I gave the order. Her elemental magic was still in effect. I had to finish it before it ended.


    [Be my food, Human!]


    ¡°Buuuuuurn!¡±


    [You used Crimson Roar. Everything zes as mes.]


    In an instant, my entire view became filled with mes. Amplified by Sharana¡¯s wind, my voice, which reached every corner of the forest, turned into mes and burnt everything. Other than the crackling sound of the fire, only the Mana Eater¡¯s scream rang out.


    [Kuaaaaaaaa!]


    Its tentacles flew toward me, but they became scorched and crumbled. The entire world was dyed red. I used Divine Speed once again and struck the ground crazily. Before Crimson Roar¡¯s effect ran out, I trusted that I would be able to steal its mana again.


    [Y-You... T-This me!]


    ¡°Shut it!¡±


    [Deathblood activates, using 5% of your HP to inject contaminated blood into the enemy! The Mana Eater fell under the ¡®blood contamination¡¯ status effect! Its attack power and movement speed decreases, and it loses mana continuously! This effect cannot be dispelled unless the target dies!]


    Oh, a different effect? As it continuously drained the Mana Eater¡¯s mana, it was excellent against the Mana Eater. However, as I wanted to refill my mana, I couldn¡¯t help but be disappointed. The mes covering the forest were beginning to disappear.


    [The forest I grew for hundreds of years... I-It has been burnt... by a mere human!]


    What was once a dense forest was now entirely scorched to ashes. Protruding out of the ck ground, the Mana Eater¡¯s circr body and its dozens of tentacles caught my attention. Half of the tentacles were still burrowed.


    ¡°I can finally see.¡±


    I raised my head and looked up at the sky. At the same time, a few boulders fell down. They were the monsters that had been flying in the air. Even though we cleaned up a lot of them before, they had already increased in numbers during the time we stayed in the Forest of Tranquility. I could also see Ren and Lebuik fighting on top of Lotte. Thankfully, the children seemed to be doing well.


    [Kahak! I¡¯ll kill you!]


    Thanks to the blood contamination effect, the Mana Eater was slower than before. Even so, its tentacles were still fast and powerful. Seeing them shooting toward me, I summoned Sharana and infused her in my body. Now that I knew the Mana Eater could spring up tentacles from the ground, it wasn¡¯t wise to fight on ground.


    However, almost as if it seemed to be waiting for me to fly, the Mana Eater¡¯s tentacles changed direction. It was aiming at the sky.


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    Was it trying to attack the others again!? I raised my voice to warn them. However, it was in vain. The Mana Eater¡¯s target weren¡¯t mypanions.


    [Mana, give me your mana!]


    [Guaaaaaa!]


    [Kiaaaaa!]


    The tentacles danced and pierced through a countless number of monsters. Surprisingly, the moment the tentacles sucked up the monsters¡¯ mana, they absorbed the brain worms¡¯ mana and killed them effortlessly. I understood why the brain worms had left the Forest of Tranquility alone.


    ¡°Wait, now isn¡¯t the time to be surprised!¡±


    I quickly charged through the air. However, the Mana Eater was continuously recovering mana and regaining its vitality. The number of tentacles attacking me increased as well. As more tentacles sprung up, they pierced through more monsters in the air and created more tentacles. Evil Eyes were indeed good for fighting against arge army, but the Mana Eater was miles ahead of me! As long as there were monsters it could feed on, it would never run out of steam!


    At the same time, the increased number of tentacles attacking me made it hard for me to block them all. The distance between us wasn¡¯t something that could be covered by one or two Divine Speed. In the end, I gritted my teeth and used another skill.


    ¡°Gigant Time! Prepare to die!¡±


    [No one can threaten my lif¡ª kuk!]


    It wasn¡¯t my spear. The spear erged to dozens of meters by Gigant Time was only used to sh away dozens of tentacles attacking me. Then who was it? I burnt away the tentacles blocking my vision and looked forward. The Mana Eater¡¯s circr body, which was protruding out of the ground like a flower bud, had two horns piercing through it.


    Two horns, is that...?


    ¡°Good, notete. I came to help.¡±


    In the air, a 7 meter drake was pping its wings. A rtively small drake that possessed immense strength. As I could tell that it was undead, there was only one answer as to its identity. As if to wash away any doubt I might have, a beautiful woman carrying a chain whip stood up above the drake, shing her red eyes. Flowing ash-grey hair and a beret shining like a gemstone. There was no doubt.


    [Guooooo!]


    Arge undead rhinoceros beetle stabbed its horns deeper into the Mana Eater and roared. The Mana Eater screamed in pain and attacked the rhinoceros beetle with its tentacles. However, seemingly from a special buff, the rhinoceros beetle¡¯s carapace could not be prated.


    ¡°Loro, nice. Cool.¡±


    ¡°Really! Can¡¯t you give it a cooler name, Daisy!?¡±


    Right, Revival¡¯s newest member, Daisy, hade as reinforcement.

 Chapter 192. Absolute Soul (4)

    Chapter 192. Absolute Soul (4)


    [Kugyyyyyya!]


    ¡°Loro, finish him.¡±


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    The rhinoceros beetle waved its two horns and tormented the Mana Eater. At the same time, the Mana Eater¡¯s tentacles began to slowly melt the rhinoceros beetle¡¯s carapace. Daisy¡¯s expression changed.


    ¡°W-What is that? Loro¡¯s carapace, can¡¯t be melted by physical attacks.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get the raid message!? It¡¯s a Mana Eater! M.A.N.A.E.A.T.E.R.! It¡¯s eating the mana strengthening Loro¡¯s carapace!¡±


    ¡°Why fight against this crazy monster?¡±


    ¡°Because we can¡¯t run! Tell me if you know anything about it!¡±


    ¡°Extract all mana. Otherwise, won¡¯t die.¡±


    Her confidence from when she first appeared disappeared and she looked a bit nervous.


    ¡°No matter how the outside, looks hurt, if mana is left... it regenerates. It¡¯s, not an organism.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s constantly using mana to regenerate its body? That means, if we can¡¯t deplete its mana, there¡¯s no way to defeat it.¡±


    ¡°Smart. Good student... Looks like, I¡¯ll have to go all out.¡±


    With that, Daisy shed her Evil Eyes. Countless number of monsters began to appear in the air. They were all monsters I sold to her. Other than the drake that she was riding on and the rhinoceros beetle that was attacking the Mana Eater, the Cyclops Lord, Mantis Queen, and all sorts of monsters from the Insect World showed themselves as undead monsters.


    ¡°You can control all of them at the same time?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Hero sessor candidate. Very amazing.¡±


    Well, if she wasn¡¯t that strong, the empire behind the Desert Scorpion¡¯s guild master wouldn¡¯t have gone so far to obtain her... It was just that their method wasn¡¯t the best. Since I could ept Daisy into my guild thanks to that, perhaps I should be thanking them. If they were still alive in that ruined world when I visited, I needed to repay them. With Mad Typhoon.


    The monsters, which had appeared above what had now be a vacant lot, changed their positions whenever Daisy shed her Evil Eyes. It was then that I understood how Daisy was using her Evil Eyes¡¯ power. Her Evil Eyes allowed her to read others¡¯ thoughts and even transmit her own thoughts to them. Using this ability, shemanded her undead army quickly and efficiently, exactly as she wished.


    Undead monsters under necromancy followed the orders of their master word by word. In other words, no matter how outstanding they were, they would not be able to disy their full potential if the necromancer controlling them were inadequate. As I¡¯d never seen other necromancers, I couldn¡¯t say how skilled Daisy was as amander, but it was fairly obvious.


    All of Daisy¡¯s undead monsters were moving as if they were alive, severing, biting, and burning the Mana Eater¡¯s tentacles. They struck at the Mana Eater¡¯s body, prevented the tentacles from attacking Daisy and me, and even snatched the monsters in the air to prevent the Mana Eater from recovering mana! Daisy¡¯s army was doing all these with ease.


    ¡°Daisy, you really are amazing..!¡±


    ¡°Now, show me, Kang Shin¡¯s power. Looking forward to, guild master¡¯s strength.¡±


    She¡¯s trying to order me around now too, eh? Seeing Daisy swing her whip around on the drake, I snorted and raised my spear. Even if she didn¡¯t say anything, I would have done it anyways! I charged straight toward the Mana Eater as I called my elementals.


    ¡°Ruyue, Sharana!¡±


    [Un!]


    [I¡¯m ready!]


    ¡°Peika, materialize!¡±


    [Okay, Master!]


    The three elementals flew next to me energetically. Peika had materialized in her dragon form and was emitting her aura wildly.


    ¡°Prevent that guy from touching me! Ruyue, stop the tentacles with ice! Sharana, power up Ruyue! Peika, try to paralyze the Mana Eater as much as you can!¡±


    [Don¡¯t worry, my lightning is a lightning that can even burn mana!]


    Peika shouted a somewhat familiar line, after which thick bolts of lightning struck the Mana Eater¡¯s body. The damage taken by the Mana Eater was greater than the mana he absorbed from the lightning. As a result, its body became slightly scorched, and the tentacles¡¯ grip on Loro became loose.


    [Guaaaang!]


    [Get away from me with this rotting stench!]


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m going instead, you son of a bitch!¡¯


    The tentacles flying toward us became frozen by Ruyue¡¯s empowered freezing energy, then shattered. The same happened to the tentacles springing up from the ground. Having all three elementals attacking and having Peika materialized made my mana drop by 1% a second, but I already knew how to replenish my mana.


    [You think I¡¯ll let you!]


    ¡°I think so?¡±


    ¡°Obliterate!¡±


    [Kiaaaaaaaaa!]


    Daisy¡¯s shout caused her undead army to let out strange screams and attack the tentacles even more enthusiastically. Meanwhile, Peika took more of my mana and hurled spears of lightning at the Mana Eater¡¯s body. I then jumped on top of its body, and held up my erged spear, as if to hurl it toward him.


    ¡°Divine Speed!¡±


    ¡®100 consecutive strikes by a thick andrge spear! It¡¯ll different thanst time!¡¯ The moment I stabbed its body with my erged spear, the Mana Eater¡¯s body puffed up crazily and tried to swallow me. However, a wall of ice immediately rose up around me, freezing parts of the Mana Eater¡¯s body and shattering it. Ice created from Ruyue and Sharana¡¯s joint power truly had incredible destructive power and defensive power.


    ¡°Huaaaaaaaap!¡±


    [Kugyaaaaaaa!]


    Gigant Time¡¯s effect was truly amazing. Even though I was small, I was still able to wield the giant spear freely! In the 3 seconds that felt like 30 seconds, I consecutively struck my spear into its body. I wanted to blow up its entire body!


    [Deathblood activates, taking 10% of the enemy¡¯s mana.]


    [Deathblood activates, taking 10% of the enemy¡¯s mana.]


    Then, Deathblood activated twice and overflowed my body with mana!


    Just 10% of its mana was enough to replenish my mana to full. With twice the amount, an overwhelming pressure weighed down on me. When I circted Peruta Circuit, I felt like my body would explode. However, I had taken this into consideration! Without hesitation, I poured out mana, ring up a white aura above the chaos mes enveloping the giant spear.


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡¯


    If there was a fire wielded by the Devil of Hell, Balrog, would it be this? A terrifying me shot up to the sky as I pierced the Mana Eater¡¯s body with my ming spear.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kiaaaaaa!]


    The chaos mes surrounding the spear dealt great damage to the Mana Eater, but it was the white aura that was more effective against the Mana Eater. Though it was only a theory, I suspected that Heroic Aura couldn¡¯t be absorbed as a pure mana. Although I couldn¡¯t be sure, I had more than enough mana to test the theory!


    I followed up with a second, then third Heroic Strike. The mana overflowing inside me drained out, and in return, consecutive critical hits rang out. My theory seemed to be true!


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Got it!]


    Peika quickly flew toward me, infusing herself into my spear. Instead of the chaos mes, Heroic Aura and white lightning enveloped my spear. Its body was already covered with chaos mes. As such, it was more effective to borrow Peika¡¯s power than to attack with more chaos mes.


    [Y-You, a mere human!]


    With mana taken by me again, the Mana Eater had be visibly weaker. Furthermore, Daisy¡¯s undead army was cutting apart its tentacles everywhere and preventing it from recovering mana. With chaos mes and blood contamination constantly draining its mana, it would surely die if this continued.


    However, I couldn¡¯t be certain that Daisy and my elementals couldst until then. More importantly, I wanted to finish the job with my own strength. Now was the time, when Gigant Time was still active.


    As such, I held my spear transformed into a giant white lightning and struck the Mana Eater again.


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    [I¡¯ll kill you and regain my mana!]


    [I won¡¯t let that happen!]


    ¡°Tentacles, cut them all off!¡±


    Amidst shouts from all sides, our bodies and powerful mana shed. Then, no sound entered my ears. The tentacles wanting to prate my armor, the earth tremoring with the Mana Eater¡¯s struggling, Ruyue¡¯s ice scattering into all directions, and the Chaotic Spear infused with Peika, crackling with a blinding lightning.


    [Deathblood activates, taking 10% of the enemy¡¯s mana.]


    The moment I heard that message, I detonated the mana gathered in my spear and dealt a final blow to the Mana Eater.


    ¡°Die, my armor¡¯s archenemy!¡±


    Don¡¯t think I forgot about you breaking my Epic-grade armor!


    [Kak! M-My m-mana...!]


    Its dying words was quite memorable. In an instant, its body shrunk down. The once boundless mana contained in the earth had all drained out, and was gathering in a single point.


    Wait, was this...?


    ¡°Danger, Kang Shin!¡±


    It was the third shout from Daisy I heard. However, I wasn¡¯t the only one in danger. This mana explosion couldn¡¯t be targeting be alone. I gritted my teeth and threw my body toward that single point.


    ¡°Dragon Skin!¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t let me down, Dragon Skin! Don¡¯t let me down, Golden Scarab Tattoo!¡¯


    I covered the Mana Eater¡¯spressed body with my own. Immediately afterwards, a huge explosion followed.


    [Event Raid sess! Four participants sessfullypleted an Event Raid! This great achievement increases the rewards greatly! As your average rank is lower than the raid boss, the reward increases again!]


    [Forpleting an Event Raid, you obtained 5 stat points and 2 skill points. Current skill points: 6]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Mana Absorption Magic Book


    2. Million Tentacle (Epic)


    3. Elixir x3


    4. Mana Eater¡¯s Hood (Epic)]


    I felt like I had been hit with a blunt weapon and felt dizzy. Having almost died twice in a single day, I didn¡¯t feel like I was alive.


    But still, I didn¡¯t die. Of course, if I wasn¡¯t confident to a certain degree, I wouldn¡¯t have thrown my body as such.


    ¡°Kang Shin, Kang Shin! Tell me if you¡¯re dead!¡±


    ¡°How would I answer if I¡¯m dead!?¡±


    Feeling Daisy¡¯s presence nearing me, I shot up and shouted. After seeing me get up, Daisy¡¯s stiffened expression loosened. She seemed relieved. It was rare for her to shout, but I had heard her shout more than once today. SSS rank raid, how amazing!


    While I was in a daze thinking, another shout rang out from above.


    ¡°Crown Prince! I¡¯ming down!¡±


    ¡°Uaaaaaaaak! Help, I can¡¯t hold out any longer!¡±


    Ah... Right, that was there. Seeing Daisy tilt her head and look up into the sky, I shrugged and spoke.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take care of those.¡±


    From then, it only us two hours to clean the aerial army and descend from the mountain.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Panan continent part is close to being done. Now, what reward will Shin choose and how will Ren and Lebuik interact with Daisy!? Will Daisy and Shin be able to safely see them off to the coast? Will they be able to defeat the El Patiz? Look forward to it!

 Chapter 193. Absolute Soul (5)

    Chapter 193. Absolute Soul (5)


    When we defeated the aerial army and entered another forest to escape the reinforcements pursuit, Daisy let out a sigh.


    She was riding on Iana, the Iron Boar. She had somehow modified it to have a steel body, and it even crackled with lightning as he bulldozed through everything. Rather than an undead, it was a futuristic cyborg.


    She looked incredibly rxed for someone riding on a vigorously moving boar, as she asked me a question.


    ¡°Annoying. The whole world, those bugs?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Almost all monsters in this world became like that tens of years ago.... Crown Prince, who is this dazzling beauty!?¡±


    Mesmerized by Daisy¡¯s figure, Ren answered instead, then whispered in my ear with a flushed face. If you want to say something secretly, just message me! Are you doing this on purpose to get Daisy to notice you!?


    ¡°Why is Crown Prince so popr with beautiful women!?¡±


    It seemed that was what he really wanted to ask. But wasn¡¯t there a beautiful woman who loved you too!? She¡¯s right next to you! Think about where Tyltyl and Mytyl found their bluebird!


    Ah, now that I think about it, that means that my bluebird is in my house too. I couldn¡¯t help but be shocked at the fact that even the world-famous fairy tale was pointing to Yua being my bluebird of happiness. But that was beside the point. There was something I had to tell Ren.


    ¡°Ren, Daisy is my guild member. We aren¡¯t in a man-woman rtionship. We¡¯re just friends.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Crown Prince. What kind of idiot woulde to a ruined world because she was worried about a friend!? Don¡¯t make excuses!¡±


    ¡°Are you calling me an idiot? Didn¡¯t Ie to help you? Do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°Ah, y-you¡¯re right. I¡¯m not calling Crown Prince an idiot. I¡¯m not doubting our friendship either...¡±


    When I formed my aura around my gauntlet and red at Ren, he waved his hands in denial as he sweated. He was brave when he fought, but I didn¡¯t know why he became so pathetic whenever we talked about something like this.


    ¡°Crown Prince and I are both men, but a pure friendship between a man and a woman is harder to find.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too old-fashioned...¡±


    However, as I had once thought the rtionship I had with Hwaya and Ye-Eun were of pure friendship, I couldn¡¯t deny him directly. Though I believed that pure friendship between members of the opposite sex existed, I couldn¡¯t be bothered to argue with Ren at the moment. As such, I simply smiled bitterly.


    At that moment, Daisy¡¯s boar slowed down and Daisy spoke nonchntly.


    ¡°Kang Shin promised me. To save my world.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡±


    ¡°Meeting Kang Shin, I felt... strength and hope. I resolved... to rise, once again. Can¡¯t let him die here. So I came to save him.¡±


    She was talking about why she came to help! It was more or less what I was expecting. More importantly, look! What a pure and wholesome reason! It felt more genuine than saying we had some deep friendship, as we had not known each other for long. In a way, it made me happy. I stuck my tongue out at Ren, then answered Daisy.


    ¡°Thanks, Daisy. You saved us.¡±


    ¡°Beyond¡¯s 13th floor cleared, then came. That¡¯s why I waste.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t thatte. It was the perfect timing.¡±


    ¡°Un... I also obtained a good weapon.¡±


    Daisy held up a silver chain whip, which didn¡¯t look that different from what she had before, with a satisfied expression. If I remembered correctly, she said it was a unique enchanting method from her continent or perhaps from her race. No matter what weapons she had, she could fuse their functions into a single weapon. It was slightly different than how the Chaotic Spear worked, but it was still an infinitely growing weapon.


    Of course, the weapon she enchanted to her chain whip was the Million Tentacle. I didn¡¯t really want to see what Million Tentacle looked like, and it seemed Daisy had thought the same way, as she immediately used the weapon as material to strengthen the chain whip.


    ¡°What was the reward Crown Prince got? I got the Epic-grade hood.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡±


    As I had the highest contribution, the others couldn¡¯t tell what item I chose. However, as there were two Epic-grade items left after I made my choice, Ren seemed to be extremely curious about the reward I got. On the other hand, Lebuik, who got the Elixirs, didn¡¯t look all that curious.


    ¡°Could it be a Legend-grade item? Is it truly the Legend-grade I only heard about it stories?¡±


    ¡°Legend-grade can¡¯t be that easy.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ve never seen one before.¡±


    ¡°Legend... Very few owners. I only have one.¡±


    She was probably born with her Evil Eyes, so she was probably talking about something else. I couldn¡¯t help but be curious about her Legend-grade item, but I kept my silence. Then, I told the two of them.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Legend-grade. Maybe you guys will find outter.¡±


    Of course, the reward I got was the Mana Absorption Magic Book. The skill was registered the moment I obtained it. With this skill, my n became wless. I even thought that meeting the Mana Eater was a blessing. Now, if I just had time to use Skill Synthesis, everything would be perfect.


    ¡°How long do we have left, Ren?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll reach the ins in just 70 kilometers... If possible, I¡¯d like to rest once before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. The children must be tired too.¡±


    The children riding on Ruyue, regardless of whether they were beastman or human, were all dozing off. Beastmen only differed from humans in that they had animal ears and tails. Now that they were sleeping, they were folded down and made them look even cuter. If it wasn¡¯t for Ruyue¡¯s carefulness, they would have fallen off of her a long time ago.


    Daisy looked at the children and spoke apathetically.


    ¡°Cooperation is good. Acknowledging other race, also good.¡±


    ¡°Daisy...?¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s hurry. I want to go back quickly.¡±


    Daisy turned away. Iana kicked the ground and began to march forward quickly. I looked at her back nkly and forgot to run for a moment.


    ¡°She¡¯s powerful and truly beautiful... Crown Prince, I might have fallen in love with her. Miss Silver Wolf is also beautiful, but shecks the elegance thatdy has.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, Ren. Take my advice, if you don¡¯t people around you will only end up hurt.¡±


    Namely, you and Lebuik. Just look for your bluebird already!


    As Ren suggested, we stopped to take a rest before we reached the in. Perhaps knowing that they¡¯ll reach the in soon, the children seemed to be feeling anxious. It was understandable, as it wouldn¡¯t end with us just running across the in to the coast. I had already consulted the others about this matter.


    ¡°Guys, make sure you get some sleep for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oppa... I¡¯m scared.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Many people died.¡±


    ¡°Will we die too? What happens when you die?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like bugs...¡±


    Elfa and the other kids barraged me with questions. I wryly smiled and consoled them until they fell asleep. Ren and Lebuik helped me as well.


    After the children all fell asleep, I put down Elfa, who was leaning against me, and put a nket over her. Then, I stood up.


    ¡°Ren, I¡¯ll be off for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Um... Thank Miss Ectradion for today.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    As undead monsters never fell asleep, never felt tired, and carried out their master¡¯smands faithfully, they were practically born for night watch. Daisy¡¯s undead minions were guarding the area around the tent. This didn¡¯t mean that Daisy had to be awake. However, she seemed to have found it cumbersome to stay in the tent with others, as she said she¡¯d stay outside.


    Seeing me leave the tent, Lotte, who was only in a light sleep, woke up and rose.


    ¡°Hero, I¡¯ll go too.¡±


    ¡°No, Lotte. I¡¯ll be back in a bit, so sleep. You did well today.¡±


    ¡°Mm... If that¡¯s what Hero says...¡±


    I then met eyes with Daisy, who was resting on Iana¡¯s hard back.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To do some business.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    ¡°Ren says thank you.¡±


    ¡°Lion beastman?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like men. The feelings they have for me, even more ufortable. If they put them into action... Disgusting.¡±


    She thoroughly stomped on the seed that barely sprouted. I smiled bitterly as I spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s out of respect for your overwhelming power. In his mind, he might be a bit forward, so forgive him.¡±


    ¡°You respect me, too?¡±


    ¡°Not really? I do think you¡¯re a reliable ally that I can trust to protect my back.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Even though she was the one who asked, she nodded her head somewhat apathetically. Then, she looked at me and asked.


    ¡°Is it really okay, like this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°... Okay. About battles, you¡¯re genius. I trust you.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, protect the children.¡±


    ¡°Existences with potential, I like.¡±


    ¡°Just call them children, really.¡±


    Daisy shook her head resolutely and added.


    ¡°Children aren¡¯t, only ones with potential. Others have potential too, like you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for thepliment. For the record, you have it too. Potential.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. Now, I like me too.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah, that¡¯s good.¡±


    The corner of Daisy¡¯s lips curled up in a smile. Caught off guard by her mesmerizing smile, I fell in a daze for a brief moment. I then let out a dry cough and walked off after saying goodbye. Daisy sent me off by weakly waving her hand.


    Monsters were active even deep into the night. In this short period of time, I felt like I crushed at least 30 of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally alone... Skill Synthesis.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯ve been using it quite a lot in this world.¡¯ I thought as a circr stone b was summoned in front of me. I then opened my skill window and took out the skills I needed. In the supplement skill slots, I ced Heavy Armor Mastery, Death Counter, then Mana Absorption.


    In the base skill slot, I ced Soul Guard.


    ¡°Huu... That¡¯s it, right? Good. Skill Synthesis!¡±


    The materials were there, and the circr stone b began to spin as it shone with a golden radiance. I looked at the b in a daze, forgetting to even breathe. It didn¡¯t take long. A transparent, dazzling symbol appeared, then jumped into my face as if it couldn¡¯t wait any longer.


    [You obtained the unique skill, ¡®Absolute Soul¡¯!]


    When I read the skill description, my eyes widened. It was even more perfect than what I had imagined! Not only would it affect my future dungeon progress and monster subjugation, but it would also deliver me a sure victory in tomorrow¡¯s battle.


    I smiled. My final night in the Panan continent was passing by quickly.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Eh? You thought I¡¯d tell you!? It¡¯s a secret until the crucial moment! (Bang!)

 Chapter 194. Absolute Soul (6)

    Chapter 194. Absolute Soul (6)


    Though I was somewhat expecting it, the moment we left the forest, I became stifled for breath. The number of monsters present made me wonder if all the monsters in the world were gathered here. It wasn¡¯t that I thought our presence was unnoticed, but this was too much. It was almost as if... all the El Patiz in the world were deployed to hunt us.


    I had already seen a sky full of monsters, but the number of monsters filling up the in was as if all the floors in the dungeon broke down and had their monsters released. Even Daisy, whomanded an army of undead, seemed to flinch.


    If we tried to charge through them like we did previously, we would undoubtedly be swallowed up before we could advance even a 100 meters.


    ¡°Ren... What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince should already know. We can only break through.¡±


    Right, I wasn¡¯t a devil who would abandon the children aftering this far. Plus, even if we retreated to the forest, it wasn¡¯t a ce the children could survive in without Ren. The ocean, the ce the El Patiz couldn¡¯t go. We had to reach that ce.


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s fly.¡±


    There was no need to mind the monsters on the ground!


    I breathed in and jumped on Lotte¡¯s back with Ren, two beastmen children, and one human girl. The others were riding Daisy¡¯s me Drake, Pookie. The monsters on the ground charged at us like an army of ants and roared, but that was none of our business.


    ¡°We¡¯re going straight to the ocean!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Lotte pped her wings and shot up. Instead of the monsters on the ground, which became like dogs chasing after chickens, the flying monsters roared and flew toward us. A majority of them instantly turned into stone and fell. The monsters on the ground hit by the rocks screamed. This was truly killing two birds with one stone!


    ¡°Shin oppa is cool!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Elfa.¡±


    No matter how much they used each other as shields or came from different angles to avoid my sight, unless their resistance was above SS+ rank, they had no choice but to turn into stone the moment they neared me. To me, numbers didn¡¯t mean a thing anymore.


    ¡°Lotte, full speed ahead!¡±


    [I know, Hero!]


    Lotte elerated, and Pookie chased after us. Enemies in front of us all turned into stone, and enemies behind and to our sides were first pushed back with Mad Typhoon, then turned into stone. There was 50 km from the start of the in to the coast, and we had already passed about 10 km.


    [Hero, there are attacksing from below.]


    ¡°Raise the altitude a bit more! Guys, remember, if you¡¯re feeling tired, use the mana breathing method!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    After a while, the number of monsters that couldn¡¯t be petrified increased. I held onto a Mana Potion with my mouth and swung my spear at the giant flying monsters attacking us fiercely.


    ¡°Ren! Protect the children!¡±


    [I can handle that much!]


    ¡°Pookie, breath!¡±


    [Guaaaaang!]


    Daisy, who was following from behind, seemed to have been attacked by the monsters as well. As I attacked with my spear, I once again used the power of my Evil Eyes against the army of monsters.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can be so energetic when we get to the ocean!¡±


    [Kiaaaaaaak!]


    [Kyaaaaa! Eat this!]


    Lotte pped her wings fiercely and breathed out ck mes, burning the enemies in front of us to ashes. If a path was open for even a moment, I would go through it! With the Riding skill, Lotte and I were like a single entity as we disyed wless coordination, bing a single acute bullet that shot through the air. Because of our incredible speed, Ren, Sharana, and Ruyue all had to help prevent the children from falling.


    ¡°Oppa, look!¡±


    Then, Elfa screamed. I looked at the direction Elfa was pointing to, as I stabbed my spear through the neck of a wyvern. In the air was a giant tuna. Though we were far away, its fat body and tuna face was too clear. I doubted my eyes. It was just too big!


    ¡°What the hell is that tuna? Why is a tuna flying?¡±


    ¡°Dear god, it¡¯s the Guardian Aikan... The divine beast protector of the ocean kingdom Zenyt!¡±


    ¡°A tuna is...?¡±


    ¡°I thought they would be safe from the El Patiz, but to think even Aikan had been taken over...! Ku, did they aim for when it came out to protect the kingdom!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a tuna! You know, the fish!?¡±


    Ren spoke with grief without paying attention to my questions. Regardless of whether it was a tuna or a salmon, it was giving off a terrifying mana. We were over 1 km away, but the mana it was emitting made my body tremble slightly.


    [Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!]


    The giant tuna cried in the air and charged toward us like the devil. It was iparably bigger than the Power Basilisk, which gave me the Evil Eyes! It went without saying that the mana it possessed in its body was something I could not hope to affect with my Evil Eyes. If it simply crashed into us, we would undoubtedly be crushed to death! The other flying monsters seemed to be terrified by the tuna too, as they all scattered away.


    At that moment, Pookie stepped in front of Lotte. Daisy took out a chain whip with a flushed face.


    ¡°That figure, I like it.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s a tuna.¡±


    ¡°Extremely powerful. Smooth body. I want it.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s... a tuna!¡±


    What¡¯s wrong with these people!? Something was wrong! Daisy pulled on her whip, as if she was burning with passion, then swung her whip when the tuna neared us.


    ¡°Spines! Bloom!¡±


    In an instant, the end of the whip split, forming thousands of gross tentacles, which swept over the tuna. From the distance, it looked like a jellyfish sticking onto its prey. In any case, its repulsive appearance made me want to turn away.


    ¡°It looks like you tried to make it sound cool, but words can¡¯t change tentacles into spines!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, the skill... couldn¡¯t be changed...¡±


    Daisy¡¯s voice was full of grief, even making me feel sympathy for her. Of course, looks had little to do with strength. Each spine, possessing terrifying levels of mana, reached the tuna, crawling straight to its brain. Ren spoke as he shuddered.


    ¡°It feels like I¡¯m watching an El Patiz mutant...¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re only trying to destroy the brain. I won¡¯t argue that it¡¯s disgusting though.¡±


    Why did this continent have to filled with things like bugs and tentacles? Thankfully, I was the only one seeing such cruel sights. Even while I thought rather stupid things, the tuna didn¡¯t stop charging toward us. It shone with a brilliant light and burned away the tentacles sticking to its body. Although its overwhelming power was worthy of its name as a guardian, there were more tentacles being created then being burned. How amazing!


    ¡°Brain, open it. Let¡¯s be friends.¡±


    [Guaaaaaaaaang!]


    Daisy made the worst kind of proposal one could get as she added in another skill. Her ears seemed to perk up slightly, after which a ck mist spread out from the hand unupied by the whip. When the tuna touched the mist, the tuna¡¯s resistance began to dwindle slowly. I suspected that it was a skill necessary to create an undead.


    [Guaaaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Uut, resisting. Kang Shin, help.¡±


    The tuna¡¯s roar rang out sonorously in all directions. Then, countless number of flying monsters once again began to attack, like soldiers following themand of a general. However, they weren¡¯t attacking us, but rather the tentacles connecting Daisy and the tuna. ¡®Were you guys okay with being ordered around by a tuna!?¡¯Imented. Regardless, if we could make the tuna be part of our strengths, it couldn¡¯t be better. I materialized Peika.


    ¡°Peika, go wild! Burn up everything!¡±


    [That¡¯s exactly what I like to hear!]


    Daisy shot out countless number of tentacles; the tuna roared, bounded by the tentacles; and many monsters swooped in to free the tuna. Peika jumped into the fray daringly and shot out vast amount of lightning. The sky was almost being dyed gold.


    [Come! I¡¯ll fry all of you to crisp!]


    As powerful as Peika was, she expended a vast amount of mana. Although the fight between the tuna and Daisy was leaning towards Daisy¡¯s victory with Peika joining, I was paying for it with my mana. I impatiently waited for the Mana Potion¡¯s cooldown time to end. Meanwhile, I put a highest-grade Mana Potion in my mouth and circted Peruta Circuit even more strongly to collect mana from the surroundings.


    Perhaps because I was focused on Peruta Circuit, I was the first to notice.


    ¡°The tuna is doing something!¡±


    ¡°It opened mouth. Before it does something, destroy bugs.¡±


    Daisy calmly spoke and poured out flying undead monsters from her inventory with a wave of her hand. The undead monsters flew in a straight line and attacked the giant tuna¡¯s head. Although many tentacles were going inside the giant tuna¡¯s body from its mouth, the tuna paid them no mind as it opened its mouth wider. Daisy¡¯s expression turned slightly perplexed.


    ¡°That, must dodge. Simr power to, mana wave. Tentacles... Spines are, being destroyed.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯ll be hard to escape from its range, so let¡¯s destroy its brain before then!¡±


    ¡°Guild master¡¯s spirit, cool.¡±


    I grinned at Daisy¡¯sment, then charged towards the tuna on Lotte. The children screamed, but I couldn¡¯t hold onto them right now.


    ¡°Hold on, guys!¡±


    ¡°U-Un, oppa!¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    I raised my spear high, and called Peika and Sharana. I infused Sharana in my body and Peika in the Chaotic Spear! Then, Lotte and I shot towards the monsters blocking our path with the force to destroy a world.


    ¡°Wind King¡¯s Rage!¡±


    The power of lightning and wind that had begun to gather in my body drove me forward. Lotte adapted to the flow surprisingly naturally, flying faster than lightning and freer than wind. Every time a monster in front of us was sent flying, the hard-to-contain power intensified. Though only a little, mana was also filling up inside me!


    Using Mad Typhoon, I contained the wild and turbulent lightning and wind in the form of a whirlpool. I then changed directions and dug into another group of monsters. There was no need to dodge anything. No monsters existed that could be my spear¡¯s opponent!


    ¡°Huaaaaaaaaap! Now it¡¯s your turn!¡±


    The attack had long since charged up to 150%. I held up the spear buried in a giant whirlpool and pointed it at the tuna¡¯s head. By now, visible particles of mana had gathered at its mouth. If possible, I had to neutralize it now!


    ¡°Crooooooooown Princeeeeee! The children will diiiiiiie!¡±


    ¡°Hold on tight!¡±


    Even I couldn¡¯t control Lotte¡¯s speed! I focused solely on piercing the tuna with this whirlpool of lightning and wind in my hand. Now!


    [Kuaaaaaaang!!]


    I didn¡¯t have a chance to sh with whatever it was trying to do, as the spear bore through its head and caused a giant explosion.


    [Critical Hit!]


    I pulled out the spear from its head, which was dug in like a crater. I could feel it slowly closing its mouth. Of course. How could it shoot out a mana wave when its head exploded?


    Ah. I really poured out all the strength in my body. The skill description said I wouldn¡¯t be able to use the skill for 3 hours, but that wasn¡¯t it. I didn¡¯t know if I had the strength to use other skills. I waspletely exhausted.


    At that moment, hundreds of tentacles approached me and dug into the ce my spear had pierced through. They were truly disgusting.


    [Good, reached the brain.]


    ¡°Uek, disgusting.¡±


    Daisy seemed to be extremely ted as she even messaged me to report on her sess. Meanwhile, I could feel something inside its brain puffing up unnaturally. Soon, a giant bug popped out. There were strange bumps on its body, and its mouth looked like a drill. So this was an El Patiz. It wasn¡¯t even dead.


    ¡°I need to kill it.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince, you look tired.¡±


    ¡°This is not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince!¡±


    Before I could finish my sentence, I became startled by Ren¡¯s shout and turned around. However, I couldn¡¯t turn my body. It seemed like my body was fixed in ce.


    ¡°This is something special prepared just for you.¡±


    An unpleasant voice of a man rang out. It came from one of the children on Lotte¡¯s back, Uruto.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to capture another Hero. You see, we only have two of our kind that can contain a Hero... Losing Aikan is a bit regretful, but if we can obtain a Hero in exchange, it is more than worth it. Ah, don¡¯t think about using your elementals. As long as I¡¯m touching you, I can damage you as much as I want.¡±


    ¡°U-Uruto!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te close, Elfa! He isn¡¯t Uruto!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, Crown Prince, I can¡¯t get him off! I-If I use an attack skill, you¡¯ll...!¡±


    ¡°Ren, I¡¯m fine, so take the others and go to Daisy! I¡¯ll deal with this on my own!¡±


    ¡°Kuk... Understood!¡±


    ¡°Oppa, Shin op¡ª!¡±


    Elfa closed her mouth mid-shout. More exactly, Ren had grabbed her and the other human girl. Lotte seemed to have noticed what was happening on her back as she thrashed about wildly.


    [A mere human brat dares to attack the Hero!]


    However, Uruto was no longer in a human form. I didn¡¯t know how he was binding me, but there were something adhesive stuck to my chest and limbs.


    ¡°You can¡¯t escape. Your mana should be frozen as well as your body. You won¡¯t be able to open your inventory much less open the door to the dungeon. I was created for this purpose. Unless you¡¯re something like a Mana Eater, you won¡¯t be able to escape. Now, open your mouth. Be our ally.¡±


    It was a powerful binding just like the Demon Lord¡¯s curse cast on me by Shina in the Luka continent. Although I should be able to use skills, it was difficult to do so without being able to move my body.


    Plus, the El Patiz binding me was perfectly guarded against the one person who might be able to free me, Daisy. Knowing that she was a necromancer, it had provided a prey in the form of Aikan. It knew that Daisy would try to use necromancy on Aikan the moment it was defeated. Currently, Daisy waspletely focused on making Aikan into her own, so much so that she didn¡¯t even realize the danger I was in.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t detect any mana from your brain...!¡±


    ¡°I told you, I was created for this purpose. I hid myself to hunt thest explorer when I had the chance.¡±


    The voice no longer belonged to that of a human. The bug that had jumped out of Aikan¡¯s brain was approaching me slowly.


    ¡°Then you won¡¯t be discovered by anyone!?¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu, I can imitate anyone with my mana. Unless you can read my thoughts or read my soul, you won¡¯t be able to see through me.¡±


    ¡°... Right, it was indeed difficult to read your at first.¡±


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case now. Although it was a bit embarrassing to say, I had the Absolute Soul skill. I could be called an expert when it came to souls.


    ¡°...?¡±


    ¡°Sky God¡¯s y.¡±


    The next moment, I was floating in the air leisurely... as what people from Earth would call, a fly.


    ¡°What...!?¡±


    [Guaaaaaaaaa!]


    Uruto, who had turned into a slime-like creature, and the unpleasant-looking bug that looked like a floating vein both made disconcerted shouts. I yelled as a fly.


    ¡°Peika, scorch them!¡±


    [Got it!]


    ¡°Kuk, in that case, we¡¯ll take the other one...!¡±


    [Unless you¡¯re faster than lightning, it¡¯s over!]


    The moment the slime tried to stick onto Lotte¡¯s body, Peika¡¯s lightning shot down. The slime that had imitated Uruto then vaporized in mid-air. While the other bug didn¡¯t know what to do, I returned to my original form and grinned.


    ¡°Viins can¡¯t die without giving out all the information, can they? You said there¡¯s one more of you?¡±


    [Guaaaaaang!]


    10 minutes after that, we set off toward the coast once again. This time, with a new friend, Aikan, and at full speed.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Shin could have destroyed the slime El Patiz with his elementals¡¯ power or at least, he could¡¯ve dodged it easily. He purposely acted as if he waspletely exhausted after using Wind King¡¯s Rage to draw out the enemy.

 Chapter 195. Absolute Soul (7)

    Chapter 195. Absolute Soul (7)


    ¡°Strange...¡±


    The number of monsters in the air was increasing. They were desperately trying to stop us. Even though the giant tuna Aikan had be an undead monster with its power as a guardian intact, it could not continue to march forward freely with so many monsters blocking the way.


    ¡°Oppa, is Uruto gone?¡±


    ¡°Uruto is dead.¡±


    ¡°Uruto...¡±


    Plus, after finding out that a friend had died, the children¡¯s mood and morale had turned for the worst. They cried in Ren¡¯s, Lebuik¡¯s, and my embrace. Though theysted this far in such a hopeless situation, after finding out that a friend they had talked andughed with had been a bug the entire time, the shock caused them to lose all of their energy.


    As I had told Ren and Lebuik about the truth before, they weren¡¯t in shock, but they seemed worried about the enervated children.


    ¡®Should I have done it differently?¡¯


    I could have easily killed the fake Uruto when the children weren¡¯t looking. However, I didn¡¯t do so, because there was valuable information to obtain, like how they operated.


    ¡°It¡¯s more shocking when someone disappears suddenly. That was Book Walker¡¯s method. Once we woke up from sleep, our friends would be gone. One by one, it was terrifying.¡±


    ¡°Mm... It¡¯s a bit different in our case though.¡±


    Daisy discovered what I was thinking instantly and consoled me. Perhaps, my thoughts flowed into her while I wasn¡¯t paying attention. With a wry smile, I held up my spear and swept away dozens of monsters with a swing.


    ¡°We¡¯vee far. We should be able to bring the children to safety soon.¡±


    ¡°About that, there¡¯s something...¡±


    Daisy brought herself next to me and whispered something in my ear. It was rather simple.


    ¡°The skill point I have left, if I use them, I can bring two people. To Earth, total six people.¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not enough.¡±


    ¡°Just one, we have to give up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get mad, you know?¡±


    ¡°That might be, less sacrifice. We don¡¯t know, what wille... Kang Shin might live, but the children, all might die.¡±


    Seeing Daisy¡¯s serious expression, I flicked her forehead. She took a few steps back with a surprised face. With how big Aikan was, just taking a few steps back still put us on the same level.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let any of them die.¡±


    ¡°But you only have talent, for fighting.¡±


    ¡°I have elementals! Ren and Lebuik are trying hard too. So Daisy, please.¡±


    ¡°Then, fine. You¡¯re the guild master, I¡¯ll respect your wishes.¡±


    ¡°I know you came to help me. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°To save our worlds. We are in a contract.¡±


    ¡°Right, contract.¡±


    I grinned at her words. Perhaps because I refused her offer, her cheeks were puffed up. She looked incredibly cute.


    Of course, with the situation being what it is, I couldn¡¯t leisurely stare at Daisy. The sky was practically made of monsters that were attacking us from all directions.


    ¡°Aikan¡¯s secret skill, Beam!¡±


    ¡°Is that what it was trying to use before!?¡±


    While I asked in shock, Aikan opened its mouth and gathered mana. At its immense suction power, the monsters that were pulled inside all disintegrated from the high density of mana.


    [Guaaaaaaaaa!]


    Soon, a mana wave thick enough to envelop a whole building shot out from its mouth. The path taken by the mana wave shone like a white te.


    To our dismay, however, the area swept by the mana wave were filled up with monsters again in just 20 seconds. They kepting anding like homework. Daisy seemed to be thinking the same thing.


    ¡°... Moreing, I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you use those tentacles?¡±


    ¡°Spines. Once per day.¡±


    She was still insisting on it being spines. While Daisy sulked that nothing changed even with Aikan¡¯s mana wave, I thought about what I could do. I looked back at Ren and Lebuik. Ren was focused on taking care of the children, while Lebuik was focused on shooting down monsters with her crossbow. With that, a thought suddenly shed across my mind.


    ¡°Haa, I really didn¡¯t want to do this, but it looks like I have no choice...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit disgusting, so close your eyes. Gigant Time!¡±


    Thankfully, Sky God¡¯s y was still in effect for about 10 minutes. Before that, however, I used Gigant Time. Without this skill, what I was about to do would have no meaning.


    After I used Gigant Time, I closed my eyes and imagined the form I would take. As I had practiced many times before, I could soon feel that I transformed.


    ¡°Kyaaaa.¡±


    Daisy must have been extremely surprised, as she screamed without an exmation mark. But since she screamed, it meant that the transformation was a sess. I opened my eyes.


    Then, feeling dizzy from the 360 degrees vision, I almost vomited.


    ¡°What did you do!?¡±


    Lebuik, who turned around to see me after Daisy¡¯s scream, also asked in surprise. I replied bluntly.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t! That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking! W-What is that disgusting...¡±


    My original eyes were located further up than normal. With Sky God¡¯s y, I transformed my body into a 10-meter tall giant. Even Aikan probably found it hard to carry me. With this size, however, even though I would be able to move freely with my high stats, fighting would be more cumbersome than usual. Of course, I didn¡¯t be a giant just to fight the monsters like this.


    After all, what I gigantified with Gigant Time wasn¡¯t my weapon, arms, or legs, but my eyes. I was thankful that everything went as I imagined.


    ¡°Everyone look here! If I¡¯m what you want,e!¡±


    [You used high-rank Provoke! All enemies burn fiercely with hatred and hostility towards you!]


    It was worth holding in the dizziness and shouting. Though the El Patiz were controlling their bodies, in the end, they were still monsters, which were weak to provocation. They didn¡¯t hide behind bigger monsters to hide from my Evil Eyes. They simply charged toward me with piercing killing intent. Of course, with so many of them, I couldn¡¯t help but sweat at the sight of them.


    Just one second afterward, a countless number of rocks fell to the ground.


    ¡°Come! Come!¡±


    [You used high-rank Provoke! All enemies burn fiercely with hatred and hostility towards you!]


    Rocks rained down. There were even monsters that lost their lives after being hit by them.


    ¡°Come!¡±


    ¡°So that disgusting look was on purpose...!¡±


    I pretended not to hear Lebuik. Hundreds of eyes covering my body blinked repeatedly as they aimed at more targets.


    ¡°This is thebined power of the mythical Argos and Medusa!¡±


    Argos, the thousand-eyed giant ordered by Hera to watch over Io and in by Hermes. With eyes covering its body, it had no blind spots. It was the perfect appearance for my Evil Eyes!


    ¡°Come! Come attack me!¡±


    I shouted triumphantly and blinked once again. Monsters closing in on us all turned to stone, and only the monsters with an abnormally high resistance survived. Lebuik thenmented on my appearance.


    ¡°Eyes all over the body... gross.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t maintain it for very long anyway.¡±


    It was Zeus who ordered Hermes to y Argos. As the holder of Zeus¡¯ true name, it was a bit ironic that I took Argos¡¯ form.


    The monsters filling up the sky visibly decreased. By the time Gigant Time ended and it became hard for all of the eyes to have an equal effect, only a few powerful monsters were left.


    [Gaoooooo!]


    [Kuaaaaaaaa!]


    Feeling satisfied by the monsters roaring after losing their friends and subordinates, I returned to my original appearance. Although Sky God¡¯s y should havested a couple more minutes, it had ended prematurely. It was perhaps because taking Argos¡¯ form used more energy, or because I strengthened the power of my Evil Eyes with it.


    Regardless, as I had obtained the result I wanted, I was satisfied. There seemed to be some hope now. With a sigh of relief, I took out a Mana Potion from my inventory.


    ¡°Aikan, forward. Crush everything.¡±


    [Uoooooong!]


    There really were only a few left. Realizing this, Daisy ordered Aikan in a cool pose. Although it was undead, Aikan intelligently responded with a roar and charged forward. The few monsters that were left had no chance against Aikan.


    ¡°Just 5 km more, Crown Prince!¡±


    ¡°Ren-nim, calm down! Look forward!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, how can I calm down, Lebu...ik?¡±


    Aaah, though it was a difficult journey, once we arrived at the coast, everything would be over.... Eh?


    ¡°As expected... there¡¯s an army.¡±


    Of course, I¡¯d somewhat expected it as well. I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d try to stop us with just monsters. However, the army standing by the coast like beach lifeguards seemed to surprise Ren and Lebuik more than me or Daisy.


    ¡°How dare they...!?¡±


    ¡°Dear God...¡±


    Ren and Lebuik¡¯s eximed. Did they know someone? I surveyed the ground. Though there weren¡¯t as many as the monsters we faced in the sky, the refined spirit and keen killing intent of the soldiers radiated out. Of course, with most of them being men, there really wasn¡¯t a reason to keep staring at them. After all, I couldn¡¯t be certain how strong they were before I fought them.


    Other than the army, I focused my attention on... themander. Right, the strength of an army really was in the hands of itsmander. I looked at the man standing in the front. Golden hair like a lion¡¯s mane, deep wrinkles across the forehead, and brilliant golden pupils. The firm, strong muscr body, and a set of jet-ck armor. Finally, in his hands, arge ymore.


    He was too simr to someone I knew. In fact, they almost had the same face. No matter how dense I was, it wasn¡¯t hard to figure out who he was.


    ¡°Your... Highness...!¡±


    ¡°Kuuk, Father...!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Thest trial awaiting us at the coast. It was none other than the Panan continent¡¯s Hero, and the world¡¯s enemy.

 Chapter 196. Absolute Soul (8)

    Chapter 196. Absolute Soul (8)


    ¡°This is the worst situation I could have imagined.¡±


    ¡°Even I can¡¯t win against that. Before we can¡¯t, go back to the dungeon forever... decide.¡±


    Aikan stopped in the air hurriedly. Daisy stared at me fixedly and pressed me for a decision. What she wanted was undoubtedly to abandon one child so that the rest can escape.


    However, I didn¡¯t want that. The value of a life wasn¡¯t something I could calcte. Furthermore...


    I took my eyes off of Daisy and looked at Ren. His gaze were fixed on Panan continent¡¯s Hero. His hands were clenching his sword and shaking. As for Lebuik, she initially had a conflicted expression, but after seeing Ren, she took a battle stance with a resolute expression. She spoke with a stiff voice.


    ¡°Before my head rolls... Ren-nim must not die.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense, Lebuik. Everyone must survive.¡±


    ¡°Coming.¡±


    Daisy made a briefment immediately following Ren¡¯s heartfelt statement. Immediately afterwards, a light shed on the ground and a portion of Aikan¡¯s body disintegrated. It was an enormous amount of mana.


    ¡°Pure aura...!? What kind of brute strength is that!?¡±


    ¡°Kuk, Father¡¯s strength is beyond our imagination. Still, he fell to the scheme used against Crown Prince today. Damn...!¡±


    ¡°Daisy, Aikan is too big of a target! Move the children to Lotte¡¯s back!¡±


    ¡°That aura, fast! Living pet, more dangerous!¡±


    [I am the queen of the wyverns, Dark Wing Lotte! Do not look down on me, Elf!]


    Lotte quickly transformed into her wyvern form, grabbing children by her mouth and throwing them onto her back. I also helped move the children.


    ¡°Daisy, open the path with your undead. We need to go straight to the ocean! Ren, Lebuik, get on Lotte and protect the children!¡±


    ¡°What about Crown Prince!?¡±


    I held up my Chaotic Spear. It was already surrounded by a whirlpool of chaos mes and Heroic Aura.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop the Hero.¡±


    ¡°With Deific Manifestation?¡±


    Of course, I had not forgotten about Deific Manifestation. However, now wasn¡¯t the time. Though the situation developed in one of the worst ways it could have, it wasn¡¯t the end. Plus, the moment I manifested Peruta with Deific Manifestation, I...


    I grinned.


    ¡°They¡¯ll try to kill me too. It¡¯s obvious if you think about why they brought out their head.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince, are you saying you¡¯ll use yourself as bait!?¡±


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve gotten smarter, Ren.¡±


    Right, they were aiming for me. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have sent out the st remaining one.¡¯ The power of the Hero could only be vested into a living creature. There had to be an El Patiz controlling the Hero inside his body.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°If you have a better way of keeping the children safe, tell me.¡±


    Of course, there was no such way. I smiled wryly at Daisy, who was ring at me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t die until I save your world.¡±


    ¡°An outstanding warrior must have, a cool mind, a burning heart. You¡¯re too hot, for both. As a warrior, a second-rate.¡±


    ¡°I know my faults. Here, take this. It¡¯s the Crystal Lair. With this, the children should be able to stay underwater safely.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t ept.¡±


    At that moment, a burst of light surged up from the ground once again. This time, Aikan generated a barrier of light at the area concentrated by the attack, but it seemed it wouldn¡¯t be able tost long.


    ¡°Daisy, hurry!¡±


    ¡°.... Uuu, no matter win or lose, I¡¯ll hit you.¡±


    Unable to win against my stubbornness, Daisyined and took the Crystal Lair, then summoned her undead army from her inventory.


    ¡°Open the path! Head straight to the ocean!¡±


    [Kuaaaaaaaaa!]


    [Kuaaaaaaaaa!]


    At the same time, the warriors only the ground roared, marking the start of a war.


    ¡°Wee the other world¡¯s Hero!¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaaa!¡±


    I jumped off of Aikan¡¯s back without hesitation. I immediately summoned Tria and elerated, as my spear continually grinded away monsters in its path. At the same time, I used another one of Hermes¡¯ power, Caduceus!


    [You summoned Caduceus. All physical abilities have been energized. The two snakes have opened their eyes. You can only use one of the snakes power.]


    Last time, I used the destructive power of the ck snake. However, this snake would bring about devastating results if used when my opponent was higher leveled than me. Even so,I still chose the ck snake.


    While the ck snake slowly coiled around my arm, a voice rang out from behind.


    ¡°Uwuuuuuk!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, Ren-nim!¡±


    I turned around and doubted my eyes. Ren was falling along with me. Of course, with the frowning Lebuik.


    ¡°What are you two doing!?¡±


    ¡°Miss Ectradion is more than enough to protect the children! Did Crown Prince think I wouldn¡¯t notice Crown Prince trying to keep us out of harm¡¯s way!? This is my world! If Crown Prince shoulders all the heavy burden and ends up dying, I won¡¯t be able to live on as a warrior!¡±


    ¡°Ren-niiiiiim!¡±


    This... idiot! His absurd statement almost made me shout at him to stop acting like a kid. However, a golden aura flying toward me wiped the thought off my mind.


    ¡°Next time, it will be aimed at your friends.¡±


    That bastard, he knew I was trying to act as the bait! I grit my teeth and red at the El Patizfortably waving his ymore. Not only did it kill the Hero and steal the Hero¡¯s power, it enjoyed itself using the Hero¡¯s power as if it was its own! The enemy in front of me wasn¡¯t a warrior. It was quite literally an insect! Unfortunately, it was an insect with great power!


    ¡°A mere bug dares to dishonor a once mighty warrior! Uoooooooh!¡±


    Before he fell onto the ground, Ren roared and stuck his ymore on the ground. The ground fissured and rocks shot up, shooting towards monsters around us. That was Outburst! Even though Ren was wearing Duhan¡¯s armor, I had forgotten about it.


    Then, Ren took off his armor and threw it away. Underneath was the Twin-headed Ogre Set! Right, no matter how manyyers one put on, only one would be recognized as one¡¯s armor. As such, Ren put on the Twin-headed Ogre Set, which was made out of leather, and oveid it with the metallic Duhan Set. With that, Duhan Set would be in effect, but when he took it off, the Twin-headed Ogre Set would take effect! How clever!


    Having to take off one¡¯s armor was slightly annoying, but that was certainly the best thing an explorer without the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch could do. However, that was no way enough to defeat the El Patiz. I also hurriedly descended. Lebuik followed suit.


    ¡°Don¡¯t block... me!¡±


    In the air, Daisy¡¯s shout rang out. The undead monsters raised their voices and used their skills as they swept through the flying monsters. Though the El Patiz army on the ground looked ufortable, they were undoubtedly focused on us. Kuk, the damned golden aura was flying toward us again!


    [You are injured by an aura of a powerful league. It is difficult to heal the injury from natural healing or ordinary potions.]


    Although I dodged the attack, I was still damaged by it. I grit my teeth and circted Peruta Circuit as Inded on the ground. The enemy wasughing, not far away from me.


    ¡°Deific Manifestation!¡±[1. Remember, Deific Manifestation = Kang Shin (it¡¯s the same word)]


    ¡°Why are you calling me by my name now, Ren...?¡±


    As I was focused on the enemypletely, I didn¡¯t look at Ren who called me. However, he didn¡¯t respond. Then, the mana in the air began to burn. Wait, was this...!?


    ¡°Kuaaaaaang!¡±


    Ren roared violently. The roar filled with mana even made my ears ring and caused the enemies to stagger. Using this opportunity, I nced at the distance. The moment they met my eyes, countless number of enemy soldiers turned to stone.


    ¡°Ha, quite a cowardly move for someone who calls himself a hero!¡±


    ¡°Cut the bullshit and attack!¡±


    ¡°Kuhaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, Ren-nim!¡±


    Ren charged across the ground before me. A golden aura enveloped his body, as if a golden mane sprouted up. He had undoubtedly used Deific Manifestation. If he solo-cleared the 5th floor, he surely had that skill.


    ¡°Little kitten, I¡¯ll take care of you today too! The Panan continent belongs to us, El Patiz!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaang!¡±


    Ren seemed a bit strange. Though he was beastly, he never only roared. What did you summon, Ren!? Furthermore, the amount of aura in his ymore was powerful enough to contend with a Hero¡¯s.


    ¡°Hmph, a mere beast!¡±


    The ymore held up by the El Patiz shed with Ren¡¯s own. It seemed to have been caught off guard by Ren¡¯s powerful strength as it fell back slightly. Meanwhile, I charged forward. Lebuik also charged on with a stern expression I had never seen before.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let Ren-nim die!¡±


    ¡°Huaaaaaap!¡±


    [You used Frozen Roar! All enemies in the battlefield freezes in ce. All allies temporarily be super-armored and has all abilities increased by 50%. Your chance ofnding a critical hit doubles when fighting enemies affected by Frozen Roar.]


    The moment I used Frozen Roar to help Ren¡¯s attack, all enemies in the battlefield froze. With their resistance lowered during freezing, many fell to my Evil Eyes¡¯ power and turned to stone. However, the El Patiz in the Hero¡¯s body, the world¡¯s enemy, wasn¡¯t affected. He easily bounced away Frozen Roar¡¯s effect. Then, Ren roared like a beast, as if he was stimted by my roar.


    ¡°Kuaaaaang!¡±


    [Golden Lion¡¯s Roar activates! All enemies with resistances under SS rank faints temporarily! All those that wield the Golden Lion¡¯s aura have their attack power tripled for one attack! All those following the Golden Lion have their attack power doubled for one attack!]


    In an instant, Ren¡¯s ymore shone with a brilliant light. As if to cut apart the heavens, his ymore shed down. However, the world¡¯s enemy snorted and received the attack with his ymore. The earth tremored as if it would crumble, and Ren¡¯s body was pushed backwards. Shouldn¡¯t he be super-armored!?


    ¡°Lebuik!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡±


    Lebuik sped up and received Ren. Damn, he directly received an attack boosted by Frozen Roar and a unique skill. Just how much of a monster was he!? No, rather than that, if things continued, it was possible for Ren and Lebuik to lose their lives.


    ¡°Elemental Tempest!¡±


    However, that was that and this was this. While the enemy was busy receiving Ren¡¯s ymore, I readied my area of effect attack and shot it forward. With thebined effort of Frozen Roar, Evil Eyes, and Elemental Tempest, the army had dwindled down quite a bit. The enemy only realized what I did after it pushed away Ren.


    ¡°You dare attack my subordinates like a sneaky rat!¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m a rat, you¡¯re a flea! For someone who stole the Hero¡¯s body, you sure must have been afraid if you brought along your army!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaap!¡±


    It shot out another terrifying golden aura. This attack couldn¡¯t be dodged with ordinary movements. I used Divine Speed to move far away, then charged towards the El Patiz. I couldn¡¯t let it fight Ren! As such, there was only one thing I could do...


    At that moment, Daisy messaged me. It was the perfect timing.


    [Done! Children, underwater!]


    [That makes it sound like you drowned them!]


    In the distance, I could see Aikan¡¯srge body going underwater. The flying monsters that were fiercely attacking Aikan just a moment ago lost their target and started attacking the other undead monsters in the air.


    With that, I heaved a sigh of relief. Good! The request is a sess! The only thing left now is...!


    When I took a step forward with such thought, arge ymore pierced through my stomach. In front of my eyes was a beastman with a golden lion¡¯s mane. I could feel his powerful energy and see his underhanded eyes.


    ¡°Kuhuhu, I aimed for when your guard was down. Weren¡¯t you too rxed, Hero? After all, you are our target.¡±


    ¡°Kuk... Damn, again. How unpleasant...!¡±


    Seeing his sh with Ren, the only impression I got was that he was incredibly powerful, a critical error on my part. Although I was still under the effect of Divine Speed, he had caught up to me. I could see my HP falling rapidly. In the end, Diehard activated once again. This was the first time Diehard was used so often. It was the second time since I came to the world. Really, Dimensional Mercenary job sucked!


    ¡°Huhu, you can¡¯t turn into a fly this time, can you, Hero?¡±


    ¡°So you knew.¡±


    ¡°That was a special El Patiz, you see. It canmunicate with me. Know thy enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Isn¡¯t it the most basic rule?¡±


    ¡°So, what now?¡±


    ¡°Sleep. When you wake up, you will be filled with nothing but happiness.¡±


    The El Patiz twisted its sword. At the same time, countless number of bugs crawled out of the ymore and tried to enter my stomach. Damn, though I was somewhat expecting it, it wasn¡¯t trying to finish me here! Before the bugs could enter my body, I shouted urgently.


    ¡°Caduceus, activate!¡±


    [Your target¡¯s level is overwhelmingly higher! The physical injuries of the target will be overwritten. The target is currently corroded by an unknown existence! Prepare for corrosion!]


    Hearing the hopeless message, I smiled. Message noona really worried about me!


    ¡°With this, we, El Patiz, wille to possess two Heroes¡¯ po¡ª¡±


    It¡¯s happy deration was suddenly cut short. At the same time the Hero¡¯s body fell back without strength, something inside my head stung... and the presence of the world¡¯s enemypletely disappeared.


    [You defeated the world¡¯s enemy of The Panan continent! However, unless you subjugate all seeds, another enemy might appear!]


    The message that popped up proved that the world¡¯s enemy had disappeared. Plus, the ball of light floating in front me was undoubtedly the power of the Hero.


    In an instant, the battlefield became silent and countless number of eyes fell on me. I received them all and spoke.


    ¡°Just as nned.¡±


    Author¡¯s note:


    What happened!? Find out in the next chapter! (It will also be the end of the long Panan continent arc). Note that Panan continent¡¯s enemy was special in that they took over the residents¡¯ bodies. They¡¯re very different from the Demon Lord. If he was the opponent, n aside, they had to run for their lives!


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    Keikaku doori!

 Chapter 197. Absolute Soul (9)

    Chapter 197. Absolute Soul (9)


    [You defeated the world¡¯s enemy of Panan continent! A truly great achievement! You received 50 bonus stat points and 10 skill points! Current skill points: 18]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Savior Hero¡¯! The Lord begins to focus his support for you. You can now decrease the influence of those who ignore the dungeon¡¯s system! Whenever you fight world¡¯s enemies, your abilities increase by 10%!]


    [All gods feel great interest towards you. Gods rted to battles, strategies, and courage favors you greatly.]


    [You obtained the entrance ticket to the SSS rank Event Dungeon, ¡®Wondend.¡¯ You can go in with your guild members!]


    [All skill levels increase by 1!]


    [By destroying a powerful enemy, Absolute Soul became level 3! The league of your soul bes higher, further increasing your resistance to all physical, magical, and mental attacks! The amount of mana you absorb with physical attacks and defense increases!]


    [Youpleted the request sessfully. You obtained 10 bonus stats as the reward! It is highly rmended to return immediately. This ce is currently extremely dangerous!]


    After happily listening to the messages flowing in, I let out a long sigh. I was able to make the best case scenarioe true. Even as I readied Caduceus, I was worried that the El Patiz would avoid it somehow, but my worry was unfounded. Everything worked out perfectly.


    Of course, even if things didn¡¯t work out as I intended, I was at least confident that I wouldn¡¯t have my brain eaten by the El Patiz. It was because of Absolute Soul.


    When I came to the Panan continent, I thought about how to defend myself against the El Patiz. A bug that eats one¡¯s brain and takes over one¡¯s body. How cruel was that?


    I wanted a skill that would protect my brain from an unexpected sneak attack. Since even the Panan continent¡¯s Hero was taken over by the El Patiz, I knew that my identity as a Hero wouldn¡¯t protect me from them. Saving my friend was important, but my life was even more important. Absolute Soul. That was the skill I tried to create that day in the forest.


    But as I was synthesizing the skill, I felt something wascking. Heavy Armor Mastery, Soul Guard, and Death Counter. They were all excellent defensive skills, and I knew the resulting skill would protect my mind and body perfectly. However, I felt that I needed something else. After all, these damned bugs had even consumed a Hero. In the end, I synthesized the skill only after I obtained Mana Absorption.


    Mana Absorption¡¯s effect was simple. Whenever I attacked with a melee weapon, or whenever an enemy attacked me with a melee or magical attack, I would absorb the enemy¡¯s mana. That is, whenever I came in contact with mana, I would absorb a portion of it. As the skill level increased, the amount that I absorbed would increase. As I was alwayscking in mana, it was a truly wonderful skill to have.


    I focused on the fact that this skill could steal the enemy¡¯s mana. Humans generally did not have mana at birth, and even if they did, it would be an extremely low amount. Other races, however, were different. The more dissimr they were to humans, the more mana they would possess. It wasn¡¯t wrong to say that the El Patiz were giant lumps of mana. They were afraid of the Mana Eater for the same reason. The Mana Eater¡¯s existence itself ate away at the El Patiz¡¯s life.


    For that reason, I added Mana Absorption to the skill I wanted to create. The resulting skill was Absolute Soul. It raised the soul¡¯s league, allowing me to resist those of higher level. It perfectly protected my body and soul.


    [Your soul isplete and pure. Such a lofty soul affects you both internally and externally. Positive effects are added to all of your actions. Your attacks be stronger, and your defense against all types of physical, magical, and mental attacks increases greatly.]


    [Nothing can invade your body and mind. You be immune to all mental status effects, and you are unaffected by all corrosion, parasite, possession, control, and mutations. As curses cannot affect you, you cannot be reborn as an undead when you die.]


    [Your soul absorbs mana that nears you and prevents it from functioning properly. It is the same even when you approach the enemy. Physical attacks, and physical and magical defense absorb a fixed amount of mana.]


    [Whenever the skill level increases, the skill¡¯s effect increases.]


    When I first read the skill description, I almost fainted because of how good it was. Soon, I began to see the skill¡¯s potential, a potential to destroy the world¡¯s enemy of Panan continent.


    I immediately began to scheme. I first had to ensure my safety, then Ren, Lebuik, and the children¡¯s safety. I had toe up with a way to make the El Patiz with the Hero¡¯s power toe into my brain.


    At first, I wanted to make use of the bug acting as Uruto. I intentionally put him on Lotte¡¯s back and acted as if I was exhausted. Then, at the critical moment, I used Sky God¡¯s y and escaped. I was surprised that there were two bugs that could take the Hero¡¯s power, but it didn¡¯t matter since I was able to destroy one of them. Once there was only one bug that could do so, the bug inside Panan continent¡¯s Hero had to face me.


    My n¡¯s chance of sess had risen greatly.


    After that, I freely used Sky God¡¯s y and decimated the monsters. It was a simple psychological trick. From the beginning, I used a powerful skill to protect myself from the bug. By showing that I couldn¡¯t use that skill anymore, I let the El Patiz lower their guard. In other words, I hid the potential existence of a skill like Absolute Soul with Sky God¡¯s y.


    Even if I didn¡¯t use Sky God¡¯s y and used something like my physical ability to defense against the first bug, the El Patiz might have been more cautious. However, I left a strong impact with Sky God¡¯s y and showed that the ability was no longer usable. With that, they would think that I didn¡¯t have any other methods. Presumably, that was why they acted without hesitation.


    Although it was rather simple, in the heat of battle, it was hard to consider something like it. Feints easily tricked people, especially a doubleyered feint. As I acted proud when I used Sky God¡¯s y and acted like I was troubled when it ended, the enemy had fallen for it even more.


    Although the El Patiz didn¡¯t try to eat my brain on the spot, that was still within my expectation. It didn¡¯t matter if it did or didn¡¯t try to eat my brain. As long as it entered the range of Caduceus, that was enough.


    After I obtained Absolute Soul, I thought of using the bacsh from Caduceus to my benefit.


    Caduceus was the scepter representing Hermes. There were two snakes coiling around it ¨C one that represented death or gue, and one representing healing and regeneration. Although there were other theories, the Caduceus snakes I had at least represented those meanings.


    Caduceus had two abilities. First came from the ck snake. As one could see from how it was used in the Luka continent, its use was offensive. When someone with a lower level or league damaged me, I could return the damagepletely. If our levels were the same, the damage done would simply disappear as if it never happened. However, it had an equally great w. When used against an enemy stronger than me, the damage done to the enemy would be transferred to me.


    As enemies stronger than me generally had higher leagues, using the ck snake against them was not a good idea. On the other hand, there really wasn¡¯t a reason to use them against those weaker than me. After all, I had numerous ways of dealing with weak enemies. As such, it really only came into use that one time against Shina in the Luka continent.


    This time, however, I used Caduceus¡¯ w to my advantage. The damage received by the enemy included the mind¡¯s corrosion by the El Patiz. Although I wasn¡¯t 100% certain, message noona confirmed it when I asked her. Even though she didn¡¯t answer me most of the time, she was quick to do so whenever I was in a Dimensional Mercenary mission.


    In any case, Caduceus¡¯ power forcefully overwrote the damage done to Panan continent¡¯s Hero to myself. As I had bepletely immune to corrosions, I could destroy the El Patiz the moment it entered my brain. I was worried that it would escape, so I was perfectly prepared to use Sky God¡¯s Rage. However, everything turned out perfectly.


    ¡°Huu, kuk!¡±


    First, I pulled out the ymore in my stomach. Then, along with the Hero¡¯s corpse, I put it inside my inventory. Blood spurted out of my stomach, and I could feel the strength leaving my body. With no other choice, I took out the Elixir Ludia gave me and drank it. I immediately recoveredpletely, and the gaping wound on my stomach sealed up as if it never existed. Plus, the Elixir was extremely tasty. It was sweet and refreshing, but hard to describe more in detail. I had never had something like it.


    I then realized that the Elixir bottle had a very fancy design. When I was observing it with interest, someone finally spoke out.


    ¡°What... What happened!?¡±


    ¡°He died!¡±


    ¡°The Hero¡¯s power... The Hero¡¯s power was taken! I can tell! Our blessing was taken back!¡±


    ¡°Is there another that can hold the Hero¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯re all gone. We have to wait for another¡¯s birth!¡±


    ¡°First, kill him! Seize what belongs to us!¡±


    It seemed they had finallye to a conclusion. The monsters, humans, and beastmen being controlled by the El Patiz all red at me. However, I leisurely stuffed the Hero¡¯s power in the crystal bottle in my hand and sealed it. Then, I turned around and shouted.


    ¡°Ren, Lebuik! We¡¯re done here. Let¡¯s go back!¡±


    ¡°Ren-nim fainted!¡±


    ¡°p him awake! Return to the dungeon before theye!¡±


    ¡°What about you!?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    For destroying the world¡¯s enemy, all skill levels had increased by 1. Return was now level 9. While I put 16 skill points into it, I answered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to Earth with the children.¡±


    [You mastered Return! Up to ten times a day, you can teleport to set locations with nine other people. You can set up to ten teleport locations, but they cannot be in other dimensions.]


    Perfect. The skill effect practically doubled! I smiled and shot up to the sky. After seeing Lebuik wake Ren up and return to the dungeon, I flew to the ocean while cutting down the monsters in my path.


    ¡°Stop him! Retrieve the Hero¡¯s power!¡±


    ¡°Reim the prosperity of El Patiz!¡±


    ¡°Hail El Patiz!¡±


    How noisy. While many monsters fell to the ground as stones, many of them also only became slightly weakened as they continued to charge toward me. They really were desperate.


    ¡°You¡¯ve stolen our hope!¡±


    ¡°You evil Hero!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you say that considering what you did to this world.¡±


    ¡°Will you be able to say that after your world lost its power!?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Do I look like a fool? Eat Crimson Roar, you bugs!¡±


    At the very moment, I was undoubtedly at the center of the world! The world became dyed in crimson mes. In it, only I could breathe freely.


    [Kuaaaaaang!]


    [Capture him!]


    [Get him before he enters the dungeon!]


    [The ocean! He¡¯s going in the ocean!]


    Crimson Roar bought more time than I expected. By the time the El Patiz found a way to see through the mes, I had the ocean surface right in front of me. Now that I was here, there was no need to hesitate.


    [No!]


    [Nooooooo!]


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    I dove in. With Tria allowing me to maneuver myself freely, I went in deeper and deeper. When I looked back, the monsters, humans, and beastmen that had thrown their bodies to stop me were spurting out blood and disintegrating. Although I was somewhat skeptical, they really were ipatible with ocean water.


    I left the screams of despair behind and found the Crystal Lair deep inside the ocean. It wasn¡¯t hard to find with Aikan sitting on the ocean floor. The Crystal Lair was sitting on Aikan¡¯s back.


    Daisy caught sight of me, and realizing what was inside the crystal bottle on me, she messaged me with a dumbfounded face.


    [You really... did it.]


    [Sorry, but don¡¯t fall for me.]


    [Stupid.]


    Inded on Aikan¡¯s back and entered the Crystal Lair. The children all jumped in my embrace with frowns. The rabbit-eared girl Elfa was crying as if she washed up face with tears.


    ¡°Hiing, I thought oppa was going to die.¡±


    ¡°Oppa, where¡¯s Ren oppa?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the knight noona?¡±


    ¡°Did they die? Ren oppa died? Uwaaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, guys.¡±


    I held them and calmed them down.


    ¡°They¡¯re both alive and kicking. Though... Ren is probably a bit depressed.¡±


    Before Ren entered the dungeon, I saw his drooped lion ears. Deific Manifestation and Ogre Power was most likely his trump card, but it had been defeated easily. Although he was powerful, his enemy wasn¡¯t one that he could defeat with raw physical power.


    That said, I was still surprised by his strength and felt great potential in him.


    Although his overzealous personality would need some fixing, Ren had the talent and will to be much stronger. He also had a clear goal ¨C to protect the children and to defeat the El Patiz controlling the Panan continent.


    His will was deserving of respect, and I conveniently had an ownerless Hero¡¯s power, which I didn¡¯t mind giving to someone who would help me when needed. This power belonged to the Panan continent. What I was thinking of doing with it was undoubtedly the correct choice.


    ¡°And I¡¯ll get myself a new guild member, too!¡±


    ¡°Expression, wicked.¡±


    I responded to Daisy¡¯s murmur with a smile. The crying children looked at Daisy and me curiously. I waved my hand to tell them it was nothing.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to oppa¡¯s home. We can meet up with Ren and Lebuik there.¡±


    ¡°Oppa¡¯s home? We don¡¯t have to be underwater?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯ll be away from here for a while.¡±


    The day you return to this continent, I hope you will be excellent warriors.


    I whispered in an inaudible voice and used Return. The destination was my home on Earth. Panan continent¡¯s Dimensional Mercenary mission had ended.

 Chapter 198. Second Season (1)

    Chapter 198. Second Season (1)


    Rabbit ears, dog ears, wolf ears, cat ears, bears ears. With five beastman children and two cute girls in the house, mother screamed in joy.


    ¡°Where did so many childrene from!? Are they yours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only 21, Mom!¡±


    ¡°Animals ears, how cute! They feel so realistic!¡±


    ¡°Let me go!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re real, Mom. Don¡¯t try to pull them out!¡±


    After I returned, I first reported to the guild and Loretta. As I also brought Ren and Lebuik from the dungeon, the house was full. Mother happily went off to cook for the guests, while Yua went to help her.


    Ren, on the other hand, sat in my room depressed. I had to stay and talk to him without being able to eat.


    ¡°Sorry, Crown Prince... When I saw the enemy that took Father¡¯s body, I felt like my blood was flowing backwards. I should have trusted Crown Prince¡¯s n. I have no excuses.¡±


    ¡°Right, you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Rookie!¡±


    ¡°I told you before, right? A warrior has to be cool-headed. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d charge at the world¡¯s enemy with no n.¡±


    ¡°That, Kang Shin has, no right. Kang Shin is far from, being cool-headed. It¡¯s just, Kang Shin¡¯s ability is overwhelming, so no problem.¡±


    When I was admonishing Ren, Daisy appeared out of nowhere and refuted me. I wanted to say something, but seeing what was in Daisy¡¯s hands, I became lost for words.


    On one hand, she had a beer can, and on the other, she had a thick sausage. I remembered seeing the sausage before. After seeing that Ren and Lebuik were safe, the children sat around the living room table and ate with Mother, Yua, and Father. Before I came in my room, I remembered being surprised how adaptable they were. If I remembered correctly, the sausage was on the table. The sausage in Daisy¡¯s hand had undoubtedlye from there.


    ¡°Kang Shin¡¯s mother, gave me sausage. Kang Shin¡¯s father, gave me beer.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy you¡¯ve gotten close to my fa... Why are you here!?¡±


    I shouted in shock. Why was Daisy on Earth!? She then answered as if I was being dumb.


    ¡°Kang Shin used Return, with me too. Barely put Aikan, in my inventory.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry...¡±


    ¡°I like this ce. I stay still, and I get food.¡±


    ¡°I, I see... That¡¯s good...¡±


    She looked like a middle-school student, so it was somewhat strange seeing her drink beer. Though I wanted to say something to her, I held it in. I looked at Ren again and spoke.


    ¡°Ren, it¡¯s time. The second season of thrashing phase!¡±


    ¡°N-No!¡±


    ¡°Even if you say no, your body is shaking from excitement!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m shaking because I¡¯m terrified! Stop saying weird things!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s thrashing phase, Rookie?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a special training I make Ren do.¡±


    ¡°T-Training? No, if it¡¯s training, I¡¯ll do it! Ren-nim is my disciple!¡±


    ¡°Lebuik is too soft. Plus, I feel like Lebuik will end up doing some other training, so no.¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    With a face saying, ¡®how did you know?¡¯, Ren took a step back. I was just joking, but this woman... how scary. On the other hand, Ren tilted his head. With a virgin-like innocence, he asked.


    ¡°Some other training? What¡¯s that? Lebuik is an excellent warrior. If there¡¯s something I can learn from her, I¡¯d like to learn it. Please, teach this foolish one.¡±


    ¡°R-R-R-Ren-nim. If that¡¯s what you wish, this Lebuik will....¡±


    Seeing Lebuik drooling and fiddling with her clothes, I flicked her forehead and shot her down. Then, I took out the crystal bottle containing the world¡¯s power. All eyes became focused on the ball of light floating in the bottle.


    ¡°Crown Prince, could this be...?¡±


    ¡°Yep, it¡¯s your world¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°H-How?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Earth¡¯s Hero. I can do at least this much.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take it for yourself?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd. This power belongs to Panan continent.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince...!¡±


    Ren sounded touched. Annoyingly, he was tearing up. I knocked on the table catch his attention and continued.


    ¡°Let me exin. I trapped the world¡¯s power in an Elixir bottle. The bottle¡¯s special material is preventing it from leaking out, but it won¡¯t best forever. The moment it¡¯s taken out, it will probably start to assimte itself as Earth¡¯s power. Do you want the Panan continent¡¯s power to be absorbed by Earth?¡±


    ¡°No... of course not.¡±


    I grinned. I of course brought up the topic to prevent that from happening.


    ¡°As Earth¡¯s Hero, I can vest this ownerless power to someone. It¡¯s much easier and less time-consuming to transfer an ownerless power than transferring it from one human to another. But as more times passes, this power will start to weaken and it¡¯ll get harder for me transfer it to someone. Now, what should I do with it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to transfer it to an explorer as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Correct. And it just so happens that there¡¯s an excellent candidate in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Lebuik is here too.¡±


    I stared at Lebuik, who sleeping on the ground with a happy expression. It made me shake my head. That said, I had to acknowledge her courage of risking her life to help Ren, and charging in in the midst of battle to stop Ren who had lost his sanity.


    Although Ren still seemed oblivious, Lebuik¡¯s actions came from her love for Ren. At some point, loyalty seemed to have be love. Regardless, to Lebuik, Ren was more important than Panan continent. On the other hand, even when all hope seemed to be lost, Ren stayed in Panan continent.


    ¡°Between Ren and Lebuik, I¡¯m going to have to choose Ren.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m foolish. Because of me, both Lebuik and Crown Prince suffered. When I¡¯m watching Crown Prince, I can¡¯t help but think why I can¡¯t be like Crown Prince. Kuhuk!¡±


    I flicked his forehead strongly. His head was so hard that it made my finger hurt slightly. I held the pain in and told Ren.


    ¡°I already said what you did was foolish. But... it was understandable. Mm, well, he was your father... Kuhum. In any case, Ren is different than before, and I know Ren can get stronger. As for your rash personality, it can be fixed through another thrashing phase.¡±


    ¡°But I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I hold Ren in high regard because Ren managed to save eight children from that hell without losing hope. Ren¡¯s full of spirit and hungry for battle. That¡¯s exactly what I want. That¡¯s not something that can be taught. You have to be born with it.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t take no for an answer. I won¡¯t change my mind anyways.¡±


    ¡°... Can I really not avoid another thrashing phase?¡±


    ¡°Is that what you were worried about!?¡±


    I gave Ren the world¡¯s power. It was simple. I opened the bottle and shoved it in Ren¡¯s mouth. Then, using my power as the Hero, I just had to settle and energize it. Compared to the time and effort it took for a Hero to transfer his own power to someone else, it was extremely simple.


    After obtaining the Hero¡¯s power, Ren rubbed his belly and spoke.


    ¡°Uu, I feel dizzy. I can feel that this power hasn¡¯t settled in. It¡¯s nauseating almost.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be better once you get used to it. Congrattions on bing a Hero. Quite the pressure, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to fulfill my duties.¡±


    ¡°Well, the kids are here now. Don¡¯t go back for a while.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Everything Ren wanted to protect was on Earth. Although I couldn¡¯t say it was safe to be on Earth, I was at least sure that it was more safe than the Panan continent, which was dominated by the El Patiz.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing Ren can do alone anyways. If you die and have the world¡¯s power stolen again, that would be disastrous. They said so themselves. That they needed time before an El Patiz that can contain the Hero¡¯s power was born. In other words, one would eventuallye to being. I¡¯m not sure how they can reproduce without the world¡¯s power, but that¡¯s what they said. Maybe they¡¯ll fuse or evolve or something.¡±


    ¡°R-Right...¡±


    ¡°Going back alone is simply stupid. Or what, did you n on hiding in the ocean? Who knows if they can still reproduce?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... true.¡±


    ¡°So Ren, help me.¡±


    I said bluntly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the danger Earth is facing in 2 years. After that, I want to save other worlds. Ludia¡¯s Luka continent, Daisy¡¯s Sylon continent, and yours, the Panan continent. All of them.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying, Crown Prince?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You weren¡¯t thinking of hiding for the rest of your life, were you? Then there would be no meaning to having the Hero¡¯s power.¡±


    Ren¡¯s face was dyed red. He shot up and shouted.


    ¡°Impossible! Do you know how many worlds were ruined and how many worlds are being ruined!? If you did, you wouldn¡¯t say something like that!¡±


    ¡°If strong explorerse together, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s possible. People like you, Daisy, and me. So help me, Ren. Help protect Earth. I¡¯ll help you too.¡±


    I spoke calmly as I stared into his eyes. There was no room for joking. I wanted Ren to reply with seriousness.


    At that moment, Ren¡¯s expression became strange.


    ¡°Crown Prince. Your... Your guild...¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? Revival. It means rebirth.¡±


    ¡°Rebirth...¡±


    Ren fell. Seeing the hint of mes that began to burn in his eyes, I smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll... try. After all, I owe Crown Prince a debt.¡±


    ¡°Good. Wee to Revival, Ren.¡±


    Ren joined my guild. I was somewhat curious how Lebuik would react, but I decided not to pursue the thought. When Ren and I shook our hands, Daisy, who was watching from the side, mmed her emptied beer can down.


    ¡°Long, arduous journey. But, I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to save Sylon continent too. Then, you¡¯ll be its Hero. Get ready to feel the pressure.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I wee it anytime.¡±


    With that, she left the room. Perhaps she just wanted to hear Ren and my conversation. Or perhaps, she wanted to confirm my resolve. I got up. Ren also followed me up and asked.


    ¡°U-Um... Is the thrashing phase starting now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I said bluntly.


    ¡°Let me climb the dungeon first!¡±


    Author¡¯s note:


    The arc title isn¡¯t really that meaningful. I represents the beginning of a new story with business in other dimensions being over with for now, and it also represents Shin being able to climb the dungeon again... oh, and also Ren¡¯s thrashing phase being resumed. Oops, thest one ended up being emphasized!

 Chapter 199. Second Season (2)

    Chapter 199. Second Season (2)


    Of course, I didn¡¯t just march straight into the dungeon. I had to see the guild members, and more importantly, I had to hold a funeral for Ren¡¯s father, whose corpse was in my inventory. Daisy drooled after hearing that I had a Hero¡¯s corpse, but there was no way I could let her use a friend¡¯s father as an undead. However, I still promised her that I¡¯d get her a simr corpse one day.


    ¡°Previous Hero... Strong, warrior...¡±


    Even as we cremated Ren¡¯s father, Daisy murmured with regret. It was slightly scary.


    As Lebuik and the children had to be at the funeral, it couldn¡¯t be held at the dungeon¡¯s Residential Area or the resort area. In the end, we gathered others who wanted toe and held the funeral at a nearby mountain. As it would be hard to exin if an ordinary person saw us, I had Hwaya cast magic to prevent people from approaching the mountain. Naturally, Hwaya became the first to hear about what happened.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d defeat a world¡¯s enemy.¡±


    ¡°The conditions were favorable. That¡¯s it.¡±


    Hwaya lightly smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m extremely curious. Who knows, maybe it¡¯ll help us deal with the danger Earth is facing. Tell me about it in detail when we¡¯re aler. Along with a drink, of course.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything special... but sure.¡±


    Although only people unrted to Panan continent didn¡¯t have toe, all of Revival¡¯s members attended the funeral. It was partly to meet Ren, who was the newest member. When the female members saw the little children, they were all extremely ted.


    ¡°Look at those rabbit ears.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s shaking. I want to hug her...¡±


    ¡°So cute!¡±


    Of course, with their overwhelming affection, the children got scared and hid behind Ren, Lebuik, and me. Though there was a little ident where Ina who came running toward me almost froze Elfa identally, everything else went smoothly. Ren could send his father off, which I was sure would serve as a good way to affirm his resolve.


    Going back to Ina, as she was about the same age as the children from the Panan continent, she had a little conflict with them.


    ¡°Daddy, who are they? Daddy¡¯s Ina¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°Daddy isn¡¯t Ina¡¯s. Also, they¡¯re friends from the Panan continent.¡±


    ¡°Daddy? Shin oppa is a daddy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie!¡±


    ¡°It has to be a lie! They don¡¯t have the same hair color!¡±


    Hearing how Ina called me Daddy, Elfa perked up her rabbit ears and asked, while the other children stared at Ina and me surprised. Ina puffed her cheeks and put her arms around mu neck.


    ¡°Ina is Daddy¡¯s daughter!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah... Ina is my daughter.¡±


    It felt a bit weird saying it, but there was no other choice. I didn¡¯t want to provoke Ina¡¯s trauma. I patted Ina, who was stuck to me like a Ko, and announced to the others that I was her father. Seeing the surprised children jumping up and down while pping their ears, I wanted to die.


    After that, the funeral ended. I did catch Daisy trying to put her hands on the ashes, but we managed to clean everything up. After that, the problem was where Ren and the children would stay. As they couldn¡¯t all live in my house, we decided to simply buy a house near ours.


    When Lebuik realized that Ren and the eight children would live by themselves in a house, she came up to me with a look of determination.


    ¡°I want to enter your guild.¡±


    ¡°You want to live with Ren?¡±


    ¡°Huk!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s written all over your face!¡±


    Although her motives were impure, it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to have a woman in the house, especially with Ren being insensitive about certain things. Like they say, the more the merrier. Furthermore, she was a skilled First Dungeon explorer on the 69th floor. After a bit of talking, Lebuik left the Demonic Girls guild and joined mine.


    Only after that did I feel like everything was taken care of. I had to spoil Ludia and Ina as I hadn¡¯t seen them for a while, but that was it.


    ¡°So, you came to climb the dungeon right away?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After listening to my short reply, Loretta made a serious expression. Then, she said something that really didn¡¯t match her expression.


    ¡°First, congrattions on defeating the world¡¯s enemy of Panan continent. That is truly a great achievement. It¡¯s not something you can disclose carelessly, but at least the dungeon¡¯s administrators all know about it. Especially the ol... Lord.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. So... when will you let go of me?¡±


    At my question, Loretta strengthened her grip on my wrists and continued.


    ¡°But Shin-nim, you have to be careful. Not all world¡¯s enemies are the same. Don¡¯t think that Earth¡¯s problems can be solved as easily as the Panan continent¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ll stay with Loretta for an hour before I go. Happy?¡±


    It was aplete non-sequitur, but it seemed to have been the correct answer. Loretta immediately let go of my wrists and smiled brightly. She dragged me along to a table, sat down, and tapped on the seat next to her.


    ¡°Then sit here and tell everything that happened!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, hurry!¡±


    From then, I had to wait 3 hours before I could go up to the 59th floor. Since I ended up getting the Queen Elf¡¯s Blessing, I wasn¡¯t particrly unsatisfied. Of course, I didn¡¯t do any other strange things. Yup.


    After breaking through the 59th floor, which only had an increased number of golems, in 2 hours, I immediately entered Beyond¡¯s 9th floor. Each floor of Beyond was bigger than the previous. Without Mana Detection, it was practically impossible to advance onward. Of course, Mana Detection was something one naturally learned the first time one entered Beyond.


    ¡°Kugyaaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Human, see the power of Lizard Knight!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m happy to see you guys too.¡±


    After fighting annoying enemies like the Mana Eater and El Patiz, seeing Dark Ratmen and Lizard Knights gave me a sense offort. Feeling such things in Beyond, I felt depressed like I¡¯d taken the wrong road somewhere. Now, even if two hundred Orc Lords appeared at the same time, I felt like I could deal with them without a change in my facial expression.


    [You cleared Beyond¡¯s 1st floor. You obtained the qualification to challenge the dungeon¡¯s 60th floor.]


    [Your maximum HP and MP increase by 2%. You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [Experience has been added to skills you frequently used to progress through Beyond¡¯s 9th floor.]


    [High-rank Provoke became level 7! Your existence itself is a provocation. Perhaps, even lifeless objects might get angry and attack you.]


    [Wind King¡¯s Rage became level 3! Damage increase per monster increases to 15%, and the maximum amplification increases to 200%.]


    ¡°Hu...¡±


    After decimating hundreds of Dark Ratmen and Lizard Knight with Crimson Roar, I let out a satisfied sigh and checked the message window. It was now time for the 60th floor. After I defeat the Floor Master, Ren¡¯s thrashing phase would begin. Thinking about how much Ren will grow, a smile bloomed on my face.


    At that moment, someone sent me a message. Though I flinched, thinking Ren somehow found out what I was thinking and messaged me about it, it wasn¡¯t Ren. The message was from someone I couldn¡¯t remember when I had added him to my friend list.


    [Oi, the armor¡¯s finished.]


    [I¡¯lle right away!]


    The moment I saw Lin¡¯s message, I left Beyond through the gate and rushed to the Residential Area. I felt like someone was off while I was breaking through the 59th floor and Beyond¡¯s 9th floor. I didn¡¯t have my armor! I was wondering why it hurt so much when I got hit!


    When I arrived at Fairy Garden, instead of going to Loretta¡¯s cabin like I usually did, I asked around and headed to Lin¡¯s workshop. As expected of a vice-guild master¡¯s workshop, although it looked like it ruined Fairy Garden¡¯s natural beauty, no one paid any attention to it.


    In Fairy Garden, where everything looked natural, Lin¡¯s workshop was the lone modern building that ruined the environment. A chimney that spewed out ck smoke and extreme heat that could be felt all around the building, only after seeing Lin¡¯s workshop did I picture Lin as a cksmith.


    ¡°Oh, you came here quickly.¡±


    Lin greeted me with a loose well-ventting clothing and a cigarette in his mouth. Next to him was a new armor in a bracelet-form like the Crimson Dragon Scale Armor. Interestingly, this one was jet-ck.


    ¡°It¡¯s made out of the materials you brought me. Just because I¡¯m a descendant of a red dragon, it doesn¡¯t mean everything I make has to be red.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense... Well, thanks, Lin. You did all this for me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not for you. It¡¯s for noonim, tsk.¡±


    Lin flicked away the cigarette ashes and murmured curses. However, he seemed to be making a satisfactory smile.


    ¡°Do you like Loretta?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and take the armor. Thanks to my outstanding skills, it turned out better than what¡¯s possible from the materials.¡±


    Did I hit the mark? But he ys around with other women too freely for that to be true... Maybe, it¡¯s something like respect and admiration rather than passion. Though Fairy Garden¡¯s inner workings seemed to beplicated, since it wasn¡¯t any of my business, I just took the ck bracelet and examined it.


    [Pure ck Desire (Legend)


    Durability ¨C Indestructible


    Defense ¨C 7,500


    Equipment Requirement ¨C Kang Shin


    Option ¨C All stats +30. Decreases damage taken from all basic attacks by 50%. Decreases damage taken from all attack skills from 30%. Chance of receiving a critical hit increases by 50%, but chance of dealing a critical hit increases by 200%. When using a charge type attack, ¡®Desire Thorn¡¯ activates. When using any attack skills, ¡®Sacrifice¡¯ can be used. When HP falls below 10%, ¡®Devourer¡¯ activates once per day.


    Desire Thorn ¨C Can be activated once per day while using a charge type attack. Countless number of thorns shoots out from the armor, absorbing the HP from enemies hit by the thorns. The amount of HP absorbed is half the damage dealt. As such, the targets will end up receiving 50% more damage.


    Sacrifice ¨C Usable with any attack skill. Receives half of the skill¡¯s damage, but doubles the skill¡¯s effect. The damage received by Sacrifice cannot drop your HP under 10%.


    Devourer ¨C After choosing a target, all attacks done absorbs a portion of the target¡¯s HP to recover your own. However, overabsorbing the target¡¯s HP may cause mutations to your body. This change can be purified by highest-grade holy magic or Elixir.]


    ¡°Legend!?¡±


    ¡°What, I upgraded your cape to Legend too. Do you not want it?¡±


    ¡°I want it! Give it to me now!¡±


    Two Legend-grade equipment! I feel like I can conquer the dungeon¡¯s 100th floor right now!

 Chapter 200. Second Season (3)

    Chapter 200. Second Season (3)


    [Felixes Lava Cape (Legend)


    Durability ¨C 500/500 (Auto-repair)


    Defense ¨C 2,000


    Equipment Requirement ¨C Kang Shin


    Option ¨C Dexterity +40, Magic +40, Charm +40. Immune to sneak attacks. me Sucker is always active.


    me Sucker ¨C Absorbs all mes up to SSS rank and converts them to magic and constitution. mes above SSS rank can be nullified, but EX rank mes cannot.]


    Although I had many questions, I asked the most important one first.


    ¡°What¡¯s an EX rank me, Lin?¡±


    ¡°Imagine the me breath of a 10,000 year old high dragon that¡¯s prepared to burn its throat, That¡¯s EX rank. Or, imagine the Demon Lord from the Luka continent sacrificing his arm to make a me. That would be EX rank. It¡¯s hard for the dungeon to estimate anything above that. Just think of them all as EX rank.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s an ultimate me that can even injure the user. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Demon Lord will bear the risk to use something like that, so I guess I¡¯ll be in trouble if I think I can block all mes...¡±


    ¡°Good, now you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    Lin nodded with satisfaction. Then, he shoved his face toward me and continued.


    ¡°Kang Shin, be careful with that armor. I¡¯m the one who made it, but it¡¯s too overbearing. I managed to make use of its aggressive nature to greatly increase the chance ofnding critical hits, but its aggressive nature also increases the wearer¡¯s chance of receiving critical hits by a whole 50%. It¡¯s going to be quite troublesome. You have to be especially wary of Devourer¡¯s side effect.¡±


    ¡°The mutation, you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that. I¡¯ve seen many people who have made fun of it, but only ended up being done in by it. What I¡¯m trying to say is, don¡¯t use Devourer so freely. Got it? If you mutate due to the Demon Lord factor... Damn, noonim¡¯s going to end me.¡±


    Lin red at the ck bracelet on my wrist with a look that seemed to say, ¡®should I take it back?¡¯ I nodded seriously and retorted.


    ¡°I¡¯m immune to mutations so it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Right, since you¡¯re immune to mutations, you should try not to use... Immune to mutations!?¡±


    ¡°Right. Isn¡¯t being immune to mutations the basic requirement of all explorers? Are there explorers not immune to mutations? That can¡¯t be, right?¡±


    ¡°Ku, kuuu... I want to... hit you...!¡±


    I thanked Lin again and left Fairy Garden. For some reason, Lin¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t so happy when I thanked him!


    Mm, being able to tease Lin was very satisfying. Today was turning out to be great!


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: Elementalist (Sub ¨C Skill Mixer, Tamer) Title: Savior Hero Rank: Gold 7


    Level: 60


    HP ¨C 55,860/55,860 MP ¨C 60,960/60,960


    Strength ¨C 275(+124) Dexterity ¨C 250(+127) Constitution ¨C 250(+79)


    Intelligence ¨C 40(+82) Magic ¨C 320(+157) Charm ¨C 87(+147) Luck ¨C 39(+72)


    Normal Skills ¨C High-rank Martial Arts (Lv 7), Peruta ¨C Mad Typhoon (Lv 2), High-rank Crossbow Marksmanship (Lv 1), Wing King¡¯s Rage (Lv 3), High-rank Heroic Strike (Lv 3), High-rank Provoke (Lv 7), Divine Speed (Master), Return (Master), Peruta Circuit (Lv 9), Dimensional Travel (Lv 5), Overwhelm (Lv 3), Absolute Soul (Lv 3), Deific Manifestation, Riding


    ss Skills ¨C High-rank Spirit Mastery (Lv 4), High-rank Spirit Aura (Lv 3), High-rank Elemental Control (Lv 3), High-rank Elemental Contract (Lv 3), Lightning Spear Storm (Lv 2), Mid-rank Elemental de (Lv 9), Mid-rank Elemental Tempest (Lv 9)


    Subss Skill ¨C Endow Skill, Taming (Lv 4), Spirit of the Collector, Spirit of the Mixer, Spirit of the Tamer (Lv 4)]


    Before I challenged the dungeon¡¯s 60th floor, I checked my status to celebrate getting new equipment. At the same time, I used up all the bonus stats I hadn¡¯t had the time to use. I had be Gold Rank 7 before I noticed, and a few stats had grown unbelievably high. Strength, dexterity, and constitution stats didn¡¯t need much exining. As for intelligence, while the base stat was only 40, I was getting 82, almost double the base amount, as bonus. Even my luck stat had reached an absurd 111 points.


    As for magic, which was my highest stat, I didn¡¯t even know what to say. Unlike the other stats that were extremely difficult, if not impossible, to grow naturally, it was constantly improving along with Peruta Circuit¡¯s usage.


    In terms of stats, I was most likely one of the highest in the dungeon. Though the two additional Legend-grade equipment heavily increased my bonus stats, I¡¯ve gotten rather aloof about stat increases.


    Of course, I could still feel myself getting stronger every time my stats increased, but with so many explosive increases in a short period of time, my body hadn¡¯t adapted to the change and was pretty much always in the process of updating. With all the stats I¡¯ve gained from Event Dungeons, Event Raids, Beyond, and other sources, it was if I¡¯d broken through the dungeon¡¯s 100th floor. That was even including all the stats one could gain by grinding Floor Masters!


    However, to be so overconfident in my stats, there were too many things I learned from the Panan continent. Traps, special attack methods, power of one¡¯s levels, and even the level-ignoring difference in one¡¯s league of existence; knowing all these, it was impossible to be happy with an increase of 10 or 20 stat points. Rather, I realized that I needed to focus on honing my skills, which were in a unique and independent position.


    In that sense, having all skills increase by a level for defeating a world¡¯s enemy was an outstanding benefit. Though, there were skills that had to be ¡®updated¡¯, like stats.


    ¡°That means Beyond is just that important.¡±


    Not only did clearing a Beyond¡¯s floor raise my HP and MP, but it also added experience to the skills I used to clear that floor. Beyond would undoubtedly help me hone my abilities. To defeat the Demon Lord I met in the Luka continent, the current me was stillcking. Plus, I had to think about the other world¡¯s enemy that had yet to make its appearance. I couldn¡¯t be content with just this. I had to get much stronger.


    Though not even a month had passed since Loretta¡¯s announcement of a 2 year time limit, I felt anxious. Perhaps it was because so many things had happened in the past month. Regardless, I couldn¡¯t do much about this feeling of anxiety. Knowing you might die in 2 years and cause the entire world to fall to ruin, it was impossible to bepletely unaffected. The important thing was knowing what to do about it.


    To deal with this anxiousness, I decided to tackle the 60th floor. After all, when things seemedplicated or when I just wanted to sweat off the stress of everyday life, climbing the dungeon was the best thing to do!


    ... Though something felt off, I decided not to pay any attention to it.


    Just like before, I equipped the armor by imbuing mana into the bracelet. Unlike the Crimson Scale Armor, which had hints of ck on a red base, the Pure ck Desire was a pure ck full te armor just like its name suggested. That said, across the ck armor were strange engravings, which looked sophisticated and seemed to give off magic power.


    These engravings maintained a ck glow and grabbed my attention. It was a rather ominous glow that seemed to suck me into a trance when I looked at it. Overall, it was a cool armor that provoked the desires of puberty hidden within me!


    With the help of the new armor, I broke through the 60th floor in just 3 hours and found myself in front of the Floor Master room. Next to me was Lotte in her human-form. In the past, she couldn¡¯t fully spread her wings out in the dungeon¡¯s narrow passageways. Now that she could take the human form, she was an excellent damage dealer with both speed and power. As she was treated as my tamed beast, it still counted as a solo clear when I brought her along.


    ¡°Whew. Considering how the number of golems increased as I climbedst few floors, the Floor Master is probably a golem too...¡±


    ¡°Golems are annoying because my ws don¡¯t prate them well. Regardless, let¡¯s finish this quickly and go rest, Hero.¡±


    Lotte, you easily break them with aura-imbued attacks or me breath. Don¡¯t lie...


    However, since the dungeon liked to y tricks on explorers, it was entirely possible for the Floor Master to be a mimic. I tightened my grip on Chaotic Spear and kicked the door open.


    ¡°Fight me!¡±


    [Guoooooooooooo!]


    A loud, strange roar greeted us. The ceiling was unusually high, and an enormous steel giant was looking down at us. It had the exact appearance of a 12 meter tall human covered in steel. I trembled excitedly at the overwhelming sense of existence I hadn¡¯t met in a long time.


    ¡°Lotte, you can fly here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for those words, Hero!¡±


    Lotte immediately transformed to her wyvern form. I jumped onto her back and raised my spear. It was the perfect chance to test one of my new armor¡¯s abilities. Desire Thorn and Devourer were both straight-forward. However, Sacrifice seemed to have a somewhat ambiguous use.


    [Sacrifice ¨C Usable with any attack skill. Receive half the damage of the skill, but doubles the skill¡¯s effect. The damage received by Sacrifice cannot reduce your HP to under 10%.]


    Just like its name suggested, Sacrifice traded one¡¯s flesh for the enemy¡¯s bones. Although the skill wouldn¡¯t kill me, it could potentially put me on the verge of death. I had to be careful before I used it.


    The ambiguous part was receiving half of the skill¡¯s damage. Did it double the skill¡¯s effect after I received half the damage? Or did I receive half the damage from the doubled skill effect? In other words, given that the skill¡¯s damage was 100 and the amplified damage was 200, I didn¡¯t know whether I took 50 or 100 damage. That was what this fight was for. Once I tried it, I would get a feeling for it.


    I immediately readied Sacrifice and aimed my spear toward the enemy.


    [Kuaaaang!]


    The giant golem raised its fists and sent a jab toward me. This guy, he knew boxing! Though Lotte seemed surprised by its quick jab, she flew backwards swiftly and dodged it. Meanwhile, I slowly gathered energy in my spear. Sacrifice wasn¡¯t a skill that could be used only once per day. As such, there was no need to save the skill for anything. There was nothing wrong with being a bit bold and using it now.


    ¡°Elemental de!¡±


    In an instant, the spear de elongated by over 10 meters. Immediately after using Sacrifice, I made Lotte elerate and thrust my spear toward the giant golem¡¯s left shoulder joint.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuaaaaaang!]


    ¡°Kuhuk, that hurts!¡±


    That hurt enough to make me scream! Immediately after cutting off the golem¡¯s arm, I checked my HP after feeling the electrifying pain. Shockingly, my HP had decreased by 35%. I really couldn¡¯t use this skill freely! I grit my teeth and gulped down a potion. At that moment, Lotte called me.


    [Hero.]


    ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    [That guy seems to be a weakling.]


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I confusedly turned around. The golem that had lost its arm was roaring and charging toward me. Indeed, it did look quite pitiful. Wait, Elemental de was powerful, but still, it instantly cut off its arm?


    ¡°The 50% damage I took...¡±


    Did it hurt so much because I got a critical hit? But even critical hits only doubled the damage. That meant that the Elemental de with Sacrifice had dealt 4 times the normal damage. Mm, I couldn¡¯t quite understand how it worked. Maybe if it had bones and was affected by the Skull Breaker effect... Ah!


    [I¡¯ll kill you, Humaaaaaaaaaaan!]


    So that guy has bones!?

 Chapter 201. Second Season (4)

    Chapter 201. Second Season (4)


    What kind of a golem had bones!? If it¡¯s a bone golem, it should only be made of bones. Alternatively, if it¡¯s a flesh golem made of a mixture of bones and flesh, it should be covered with disgusting rotten flesh. But this guy was neither! I scrutinized it closely and realized something. It wasn¡¯t a golem!


    ¡°Are you...¡±


    [Kuha!]


    Its steel arm extended like a certain pirate king candidate¡¯s and shot toward me. As I thought, this wasn¡¯t a golem, but a living being! Golems couldn¡¯t freely transform their bodies like that. However, it could maintain its steel body and stretch its arm. What was its identity? Did it really have bones underneath all that steel...? No, now wasn¡¯t the time to leisurely think about it.


    ¡°Lotte, dodge!¡±


    [Leave it to me!]


    Lotte dodged the steel arm in an instant. At the same time, her wings produced a raging whirlpool of ck mes. It seemed she had gotten stronger from the trip to the Panan continent. Was it because she spent more time with me? Or was it because she participated in battles? Regardless, I may need to reconsider how I let Plene grow.


    [Hero, it¡¯s trying to do something!]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know what it is, so let¡¯s finish it now.¡±


    The 60th Floor Master wasn¡¯t worthy of blocking my way for over 9 seconds. It seemed its ability was freely manipting itsrge steel-like body. Though it probably had one or two hidden skills, I didn¡¯t care. Rather than waiting for it to use them, I decided to just kill it.


    However, just when I thought that, its steel body began to boil. As Lotte said, it seemed to be preparing for something.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    [An opening, Hero!]


    Right! Lotte flew forward at an incredible speed. Meanwhile, Ipressed the elongated spear de and enveloped it with my white aura and chaos mes. My skill of choice was Heroic Strike.


    It seemed to be trying to transform its body to something. However, before its boiling body couldplete the transformation, I reached it. Cutting off a transformation was one of the best feelings!


    ¡°Sacrifice!¡±


    A ck aura seemed to wrap itself over the spear de. Realizing that the spear de now contained an immense amount of power, I slightly hesitated to thrust forward. However, thinking that it was probably better to hurt myself than letting it do something suspicious, I thrust my spear forward.


    [Critical Hit!]


    My spear prated its body before the transformationpleted. At the same time, I felt a heart rupturing amount of pain. It was as if someone squeezed my heart and set it ame. The pain then spread through my body. Perhaps this was what being inva felt like. Alternatively, it could be like being pierced with a thousand needles.


    In an instant, everything within my sight turned white. This skill... I couldn¡¯t take it lightly. The damage I took was one thing, but more importantly, it even stopped me from moving for a moment. If it didn¡¯t finish the enemy, I would be vulnerable to the enemy¡¯s attack.


    That said, I was only taking 50% of the damage, while the enemy received 200% of the damage. Currently, with the enemy having bones and receiving a critical hit, the damage it took totaled to 600%. Whatever this golem-like thing was, it instantly exploded in the middle of its transformation. Blowing up a Floor Master... Sacrifice, I like you!


    [A Grand Achievement! You defeated the Floor Master, ¡®Superior Doppelganger¡¯, alone! Amazing!]


    [You became level 61. You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond¡¯s 10th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Superior Doppelganger yer¡¯. All stats permanently increase by 1. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You became Gold Rank 6. Congrattions.]


    [You defeated the Superior Doppelganger alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Superior Doppelganger¡¯s Hat.¡¯]


    [You obtained 400,000 gold.]


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Weapon Swap Magic Book.]


    After confirming its death, I fell on Lotte¡¯s back. Right, if it didn¡¯t die with how much damage I dealt to myself, I would be troubled. But doppelganger? I was right! After all, doppelgangers were closer to mimics than golems!


    [Are you okay, Hero? It looked like you received a huge blow just now.]


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. In fact, this much pain makes me happy slightly. It snaps me awake, you know? It¡¯s not like I like pain or anything, but it helps me not overestimate myself.¡±


    [Wise words as expected of a warrior.]


    I smiled at Lotte¡¯s words while circting Peruta Circuit and recovering. It seemed my HP never fell under 10%. After battling this Floor Master, I became certain about one thing.


    Sacrifice had a clear w, but if used correctly, it would be of great help to me. It was probably best to use it with weaker skills to minimize the damage I took, or conversely with extremely powerful skills when I knew it would surely kill the enemy. Or perhaps, using this skill with Devourer could mitigate Sacrifice¡¯s w.


    ¡°Anyways, it looks like I¡¯m not the first one to clear this floor solo on my first try... Well, I guess it isn¡¯t that surprising. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was the same for the future floors.¡±


    The world was infinite and full of outstanding explorers. There were undoubtedly other talented explorers who could defeat Floor Masters alone on their first try. In fact, Daisy probably could do it without much difficulty.


    For now, I decided to look at the reward. Though I wasn¡¯t expecting much, I quelled the thought and chose the reward. Immediately, a message rang out.


    [You learned ¡®Weapon Swap.¡¯ By using 1,000 MP, you can instantly store the weapon in your hand into your inventory and rece it with another weapon. When empty-handed, you can instantly equip your weapon. Conversely, you can instantly unequip your weapon, bing empty-handed. For 15 seconds after using Weapon Swap, your weapon¡¯s performance increases by 10%. The buff duration and performance increase are enhanced with skill levels.]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    That wasn¡¯t so bad! I was curious why something that sounded like a physical technique came in a magic book, but with an effect like this, it really was more like magic.


    For example, if an enemy ambushed me while I was empty-handed, I could use Weapon Swap and instantly equip my spear. Although my spear would take the form of a choker, it was still easier to directly summon it in my hands than having to reach for it.


    Plus, this skill would let me change between different battle methods. Weapon Swap¡¯s strong point was being able to use it without any dy. Although I had to use 1,000 MP, that much was an expenditure I could easily handle. Plus, with this skill, I would be able to use different weapons depending on the situation, which I had found difficult to do in the heat of battle.


    My Crossbow Marksmanship was high-ranked. Attacking enemies far away was significantly easier with a crossbow than a spear. If I felt like an enemy was nearing me, I would be able to swap to my spear instantly. I quite liked it.


    Not to mention, I could now do something entirely new... Huhu.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start the grinding!¡±


    Encouraged by the new skill that was better than my expectations, I jumped down from Lotte¡¯s back so she could transform back to her human form. After all, she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave through the door otherwise!


    [Hero, Hero¡¯s body is shaking.]


    ¡°I might be a bit anemic... Let¡¯s rest for a bit...¡±


    I almost forgot about the HP I lost from Sacrifice! Once I left the Floor Master room, I bought a Fatigue Recovery Juice and Special HP Recovery Meat Skewer from Loretta. It was only then that I continued with the Superior Doppelganger grinding.


    [Kuaaaaaaa! Human, I will¡ª]


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Right when the Superior Doppelganger was about to transform with a viin-like line, I killed it with my spear. As this was today¡¯s 10th fight or thest, I happily ended it with Sacrifice Heroic Strike. Now that I had felt the pain from Sacrifice a few times, I felt like I had gotten somewhat used to it. I trembled at my potential.


    ¡°Or maybe, I¡¯m just bing a pervert...¡±


    Damn, I¡¯d rather not have said it!


    I resented my instincts and chose the item I desired from the reward list. The 60th floor also had strengthening elixir. It was none other than the ¡®Mana Cirction Elixir.¡¯


    Somewhat like the other elixirs, the Mana Cirction Elixir raised my magic and charm by 1. Supposedly, it cleaned the internal pathway used for mana cirction and increased the quality of mana. Because of it, I felt like I was getting cleaner every time I ate one. It was undoubtedly a cebo effect.


    It took exactly one hour to defeat the Superior Doppelganger 10 times. I¡¯d kill one every 5 minutes and rested for a minute, so it was about right. These Superior Doppelgangers were rather easy to hunt. I just had to kill them before they transformed!


    Although they appeared as a giant golem, the moment they received damage, they started transforming. As I¡¯d never seen themplete their transformation, I still didn¡¯t know what they were transforming into. My guess was that they took the form of the explorer that damaged it.


    Since they started transforming after receiving damage, I easily killed them by taking their head with the first attack or by using two attacks before they finished their transformation. It was too obvious that their real attacks began after their transformation.


    Although killing them with first blow was ideal, for explorers that weren¡¯t confident in their attack power, it was probably better to kill them with their second attacks. After all, while they transformed, they were noticeably slower. Of course, if they couldn¡¯t kill them by the second blow, it was better to just give up.


    ... Why was I talking about this?


    When I left the Floor Master room with a tired expression, Loretta, who was waiting at the Floor Shop, smiled brightly and jumped on me.


    ¡°Shin-nim, that was the tenth, right? Then y with me. You can buy some items while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°I think the ¡®while I¡¯m at it¡¯ part is what you really want.¡±


    ¡°How rude! It¡¯s half-half!¡±


    I ignored Loretta¡¯s pleading eyes and bought more of the rtively low-priced Fatigue Recovery Juice and HP Recovery Meat Skewers. Even as she sold them, Loretta tilted her head.


    ¡°Shin-nim, why do you need them? Didn¡¯t you finish grinding for the day?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you see, Loretta... That¡¯s because the second season of thrashing phase is beginning now.¡±


    ¡°Thrashing phase...?¡±


    Loretta looked like she had heard the phrase before. Meanwhile, I snickered with an evil grin. That was what a thrashing phase was.


    Ever since I went through the thrashing phase with Father, I always thought that it was more to alleviate the teacher¡¯s stress than to help the student fix a habit. Now, I knew the answer. Fixing a student¡¯s habit and alleviating a teacher¡¯s stress. It was half-half!


    [Crown Prince, I¡¯m at the training room... Is it really happening?]


    [I¡¯ll be there in a moment, Ren!]


    [Take your time, please!]


    The thrashing phase full of Ren¡¯s pain and my happiness was waiting.

 Chapter 202. Second Season (5)

    Chapter 202. Second Season (5)


    With Loretta reluctant to let go of me, I had to buy highest-grade Health Potions, Mana Potions, and some bolts with high-grade magic imbued in them. After that, I headed to the guild house. Of course, getting Loretta off was quite a work.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be thedy of the house eventually anyway!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get tired? Even if youe, you¡¯ll only see two sweaty men fighting each other.¡±


    ¡°I want to go even more now!¡±


    ¡°Eit, go away!¡±


    When I finally arrived at Marianne¡¯s Garden, the garden, which had now be spacious with the old residents me Drake (aka Pookie) and Giant Iron Boar (aka Iana) moving out, had Hwaya sitting under a parasol and reading. It was a rather strange scene.


    ¡°Oh, Shin. Wee back.¡±


    ¡°Hwaya? Why are you out in the garden? You¡¯re not doing anything either.¡±


    ¡°Ina¡¯s going toe soon. She¡¯s hunting the 45th Floor Master right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Um... Sorry. I have to train with Ren for a while, so I¡¯ll have to shamelessly leave you to take care of Ina.¡±


    At my apology, Hwaya smiled lightly and answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m calcting each and everything anyways. I¡¯m thinking about the reward I¡¯ll get out of you with all the points I umted. A hug, kiss, dinner, date, and... Huhu.¡±


    ¡°Huhu? What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, I¡¯m kidding. Well, half-kidding. For the record, I have 2.7 Huhus saved up.¡±


    ¡°You have no ns to hide your indecent desires, do you!?¡±


    At my question, Hwaya narrowed her eyes and smiled. Then, she tapped the seat next to her and gestured me toe over.


    ¡°Stay for a while. Leave that lionhead alone. We can spend some quality family time with Ina. How about it, Ina¡¯s Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Really... That¡¯s an enticing offer, but I¡¯ll have to pass for today. It¡¯s an important time for Ren... I have to teach him how to wield the world¡¯s power too.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re feeling responsible for making him a Hero. Ah, I want to take your ce as Earth¡¯s Hero. That way, I might get stronger than you and you¡¯ll try your best to protect me too.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, this power is mine. I won¡¯t give it to anyone.¡±


    When I retorted curtly, Hwaya¡¯s smile got bigger.


    ¡°I was kidding, Guild Master. I¡¯ll be the one to protect you. Although it would be nice to be in the Hero¡¯s position, I don¡¯t really want to be a princess to be protected.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like just being protected either. Oh, that reminds me...¡±


    When the guild advanced to rank B, there was a function it gained. It was being able to appoint a vice-guild master given that the guild had more than 10 members. A vice-guild master could officiallyplete guild-rted business like epting new guild members or kicking out existing guild members. Vice-guild masters of the First Dungeon¡¯s powerful guilds all held great authorities. Though, I couldn¡¯t say whether Revival would also be like that.


    ¡°Hwaya, if it¡¯s okay with you... can you be our guild¡¯s vice-guild master? You¡¯ve done a lot until now, and you¡¯re really the only one I can think of who can fill that position. You have the ability and sense of responsibility, and you¡¯re even close with everyone in the guild. How about it?¡±


    ¡°Is that a proposal?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Good try though.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Hwaya pouted. Though she was older than me, she was really quite cute. When I patted her head, she spoke with a softened expression.


    ¡°... Okay. To be honest, I also think I¡¯m the only one who can be a vice-guild master.¡±


    ¡°Great. Although something like this should be done through votes, I¡¯m going to ignore all that and use my authority as the guild master to appoint you the vice-guild master.¡±


    ¡°Mm, charming.¡±


    [Hwaya Eleni Mastiford became guild Revival¡¯s vice-master!]


    After confirming that Hwaya became the vice-guild master through the message, I took my hand off her head and extended it toward her.


    ¡°Continue with your excellent work, Vice-guild Master.¡±


    ¡°At your service, Guild Master.¡±


    Just like that, Revival¡¯s vice-guild master was chosen.


    [Guild Revival: Guild Rank B]


    [Guild member: Kang Shin (Guild Master, First ¨C Gold), Hwaya Eleni Mastiford (Vice-guild Master, Second ¨C Gold), Daisy Ectradion (First ¨C tinum), Lebuik Vandeon Granaris, Kang Yungoong, Su Ye-Eun, Ren Verotude Goldlion, Palludia Gren Ehuir, Shuna Aren Lihita (First ¨C Gold), Illina Alexandrovna Mikhalova, Kang Yua (First ¨C Silver), Minami Violet Sumire (Second ¨C Gold), Edward Walker (Second ¨C Silver), Sophie Brightman (Third ¨C Gold). Total: 14]


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    After saying goodbye around the time Ina arrived, I went into the mansion and opened the guild status window. In truth, I was rather surprised. Ludia and Shuna had be Gold rank explorers before I noticed, and with Daisy breaking through Beyond¡¯s 13th floor and entering the First Dungeon¡¯s 81st floor, I naturally learned when Daisy first entered Beyond.


    Hwaya would reach tinum rank soon to advance to the First Dungeon, and considering the talent Sumire showed in our spars, she would probably follow suit. As for Walker, he¡¯d advanced to the Second Dungeon without telling me anything about it. It seemed Xin Shaomei¡¯s ability was helping him greatly. That said, after he reached the tinum rank in the Third Dungeon, he went down to the Second Dungeon¡¯s Silver rank instead of Gold rank. I pitied him slightly. It seemed he was eithercking in achievements or some other conditions.


    As for Ina, there wasn¡¯t much to say about her. Even before she became an explorer, she was almost as strong as Hwaya and me. The dungeon was merely a yground for her, as she could use her magic power as much as she wanted. She cleared the 45th floor today and would soon be Gold rank. Only then would her speed slow down slightly. Perhaps, she might even enter Beyond.


    The one I was really worried about was my sister, Yua, and the youngdy of nobility in charge of a conglomerate, Sophie. Although they were both elites who weren¡¯tcking in qualities deemed desirable in society, their constitutions were both far from physical activities.


    However, it seemed my worrying was for naught. The two SS rank abilities I took from Luca Bruno and Joshua Brightman found their respective owners, and they were shining more and more as the girls climbed the dungeon.


    Yua had tamed all 278 mantisrvae, and she was now learning the dungeon¡¯s system step-by-step as she learned and raised new skills. She probably wouldn¡¯t need more tamed beasts. After all, fully grown mantises could even fly. Although ordinary mantises couldn¡¯t fly for long, the ones she tamed came from the Evil Mantis Queen. Their genes were undoubtedly superior to the ordinary mantises¡¯. With Yua¡¯s ability supporting them... I stopped thinking about it as I started getting goosebumps on my arms.


    As for Sophie, who was the second most passionate woman after Hwaya, she was surprisingly in the guild house at the moment. With her brilliant blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and wearing a tank top and hot pants, she was sparring with Ye-Eun in the underground training room. As Ye-Eun was also wearing casual clothes, they looked quite nice together.


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    ¡°Kuk,ing from the back again!¡¯


    ¡°No, both sides!¡±


    Although Ye-Eun was right in front of Sophie¡¯s eyes, Ye-Eun¡¯s dagger flew toward Sophie from behind her. Sophie quickly spun around and blocked it with just two fingers, but surprisingly, it was a clone. Ye-Eun was still in front of Sophie, and in an instant, Ye-Eun¡¯s elbow struck Sophie down.


    ¡°A clone?¡±


    ¡°I just added mana into my shadow and gave it mass. Master said it was one of the most simple techniques!¡±


    ¡°No, your Master is strange. Realize it already.¡±


    While I pointed out Ye-Eun¡¯s faulty statement, Sophie got up as she groaned. The spar must have been quite intense as a Gold rank explorer such as herself was dripping with sweat.


    ¡°Huu, huu... So strong.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, of course. I¡¯ll be a Beyond explorer after all!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, when I be tinum ranked, I¡¯ll advance to the Second Dungeon¡¯s Gold rank, and when I be tinum there, I can be the First Dungeon¡¯s Gold rank explorer!¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, it was rather scary how fast she advanced. Since she was on the Third Dungeon¡¯s 75th floor while ravaging through all Floor Masters alone, she would undoubtedly advance to the Second Dungeon within the next month.


    ¡°You might even catch up to Walker at this rate.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m only trying so hard so I can be with Edward.¡±


    ¡°I, I see. Well, good luck, Miss Sophie.¡±


    ¡°Edward is advancing quickly too. By the time I advance to the Second Dungeon, he¡¯ll be Gold ranked. Don¡¯t underestimate his desire to improve!¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s just working hard so he doesn¡¯t have to be with... Er, nothing, nevermind.¡±


    Mm, her spirit was already stronger than Joshua Brightman¡¯s. Sophie getting his ability was definitely good for Earth!


    ¡°So why are you with Ye-Eun?¡±


    ¡°Her fighting style is the most simr to Walker¡¯s out of everyone in the guild. I¡¯m trying to learn how to work with Walker by sparring her. I have a lot to learn from her, really.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe.¡±


    Right, as Ye-Eun specialized in sure-kill attacks, Sophie probably had a lot to learn by sparring with her. For example, protecting vital areas, feeling killing intent and dodging and the like. Though, I couldn¡¯t really say out loud with Ye-Eun making such a happy-go-lucky face.


    ¡°Why is Shin here? To spar with Ren-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that reminds me. I wanted to ask when I first saw him. His ears... are they real?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s a beastman. Other continents have all sorts of different races. Ren, say hel... Huu.¡±


    Sophie¡¯s words reminded me to properly introduce them to each other. When I looked back, however, I saw Ren who was fidgeting in front of two girls he¡¯d never talked to before. He really waspletely stiff. I pped his back to bring his consciousness back.


    ¡°Ren, snap out of it.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, Crown Prince. They¡¯re both too beautiful, I can¡¯t look at them! Plus, t-their clothes are too revealing!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Ren. Unlike you, they don¡¯t really mind it that much. Try to man up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit hurtful, but regardless, it¡¯s too much for me!¡±


    Really, not even teenagers would be like him. I sighed. Then, a question suddenly popped into my head.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Lebuik just as beautiful as the two of them? Isn¡¯t Ren really casual around Lebuik? Why is that?¡±


    ¡°T-That¡¯s because I¡¯ve known Lebuik ever since I was little... She¡¯s not someone I can see as a woman.¡±


    Did he just drop the bomb...?


    ¡°Of course, Lebuik is also very beautiful. Her poprity among the knights was through the roof, and there were endless streams of proposals flowing in from every country in Panan. She had elegance and beauty, and she even had a kind personality. When I was young, I looked up to her too. However, that¡¯s it. Lebuik is my Master and someone akin to my mother. I don¡¯t see her as a woman.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    If Lebuik heard about this, it wasn¡¯t going to end pretty! Though I found it quite funny, when I imagined how dejected Lebuik would be when she found out, a sigh naturally came out. Sophie¡¯s and Ye-Eun¡¯s expressions also became rigid as they instantly realized the circumstance.


    ¡°L-Lebuik is the cat-eared unni, right?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t see her as a woman? Then he has to be...¡±


    ¡°Whoa, hold it there. You can¡¯t impose your beliefs on others. Let me deal with this.¡±


    When I cut them off, they widened their eyes and looked at me.


    ¡°Can¡¯t impose our beliefs?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to do, friend?¡±


    ¡°Mm, I can¡¯t impose anything on him, but I can help him change his mind. Usually, by beating him up.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing!?¡±


    I just had to make him miss Lebuik. I just had to beat him up until he wanted to cry in Lebuik¡¯s embrace! I looked back at Ren and smiled.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done with the introductions. Let¡¯s start, Ren.¡±


    ¡°C-Crown Prince, aren¡¯t you more spirited than before? Did I do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing at all. Ren isn¡¯t wrong. Once the thrashing phase is over, everyone will be happier.¡±


    ¡°Something did go wrong!¡±


    Ye-Eun and Sophie, who were done with their sparring for the day, sat down nearby. It seemed the phrase, ¡®thrashing phase,¡¯ had interested them. Realizing this, Ren¡¯s ears perked up and sweat began to appear on his face.


    ¡°Ha, hahaha. Really, Crown Prince. Are you trying to beat me like a dog in front of these beautifuldies?¡±


    ¡°Ren, how can you say that? I¡¯m not beating you like a dog. I¡¯m just thrashing you for your own sake.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the same thing!¡±


    ¡°Now now, let¡¯s begin.¡±


    ¡°Uwuuuuuuuk!¡±


    For the next 30 minutes, Ren and I both squeezed out our power as Heroes and shed. While Ren wore a full set of armor and equipped himself with a wooden sword, I only had a wooden spear without any armor. Though it looked like I wascking in terms of defense, as my armor was in its bracelet form and my spear in its choker form, although I wasn¡¯t affected by their attack and defense, I was still affected by their additional effects.


    My stats were already miles ahead of Ren. With the additional effects from my items added on top of my superior martial arts, there was no way for Ren to defeat me. Not even if he was Hero!


    ¡°Crown Prince is too strong! Too strong I tell you!¡±


    ¡°You only just found out? Don¡¯t think about running away,e at me! Come on, hurry!¡±


    ¡°Kuk... Kuaaaang!¡¯


    ¡°Having a wild nature isn¡¯t bad, but we¡¯re doing this because you can¡¯t control yourself!¡±


    ¡°Kuak!¡±


    I mercilessly smacked Ren¡¯s back with the wooden spear. Immediately afterward, I smacked him three more times.


    ¡°Ku...!¡±


    ¡°Are you going to sleep? Counterattack!¡±


    ¡°Even without Crown Prince saying that I was about to do it! Kuak!¡±


    Hearing Ren¡¯s pitiful cries, Sophie and Ye-Eun, who were still watching from the side, added.


    ¡°Wow, he really just beat him up for 30 minutes straight.¡±


    ¡°Shin is so cool!¡±


    ¡°Crown Priiiince!¡±


    ¡°You have more strength in your sword, but you¡¯re still wide open! Didn¡¯t you learn anything from Lebuik!?¡±


    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±


    30 minutes wasn¡¯t enough to expend Ren¡¯s stamina. We were both vastly different than when we met on the 20th floor. As such, I beat him up for 2 hours more. My goal was to help Ren hone his bestial instincts while maintaining his sanity. If he could respond rationally even while in his wild mode, Ren could be a powerful warrior.


    ¡°Kuaaaaang, kak!¡±


    ¡°Just because you open your mouth while you run, the enemy won¡¯t let you bite him!¡±


    Of course, he was still far from that point.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Ren, you can do it! Just endure the beating for now!

 Chapter 203. Second Season (6)

    Chapter 203. Second Season (6)


    Four days after the thrashing phase began, with Ren finally reaching the 60th floor, I decided to fight the 60th Floor Master with him. Since I had to grind the Floor Master anyway, if I brought Ren in, I could save Party Member Scarecrows and train Ren at the same time. It was killing two birds with one stone! Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to tell Ren about ¡®Ten Times a Day, You Monster...¡¯ and help him buy them.


    Though Ren was a bitcking in qualifications, it seemed that staying as thest explorer in his world while protecting children earned him some favors. More importantly, as he had be a Hero, he could buy ¡®Ten Times a Day, You Monster...¡¯ more easily.


    ¡°... Why didn¡¯t you change this thing¡¯s name yet!?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get bad luck if you change the name of a finalized product!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true! Though the product is still rtively new, so it might be okay... But Eleine said I can¡¯t change its name even if I died! She said something about it being a revolutionary name that was hard toe by... I wonder, is there a specialnguage spirit in it? But it¡¯s rare for there to be anguage spirit I don¡¯t know of...¡±


    Wait, did Loretta not realize the euphemism behind this name!? This small yet not so small difference between Eleine and Loretta... It almost made me cry. Seeing Loretta tilting her head, I lightly patted her head.


    ¡°Loretta, I¡¯m happy that Loretta is Loretta. Don¡¯t change... At least, don¡¯t change when I¡¯m not watching.¡±


    ¡°W-What!? Even if you say something so sweet, I won¡¯t give you anything! Ehehe... Here, here.¡±


    Though that was what she said, she pped her ears as if to fly away and picked up items like potions, entrance tickets, and Party Member Scarecrows and put them in my hands. I was worried she might be fired from her administrative guild master position at this rate. Or maybe, Loretta wanted that to happen.


    Then, when I was organizing the handful of items I got from Loretta with mixed feelings, Ren asked me.


    ¡°Crown Prince, there¡¯s something I want to ask.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Ren?¡±


    ¡°Can you help me understand what¡¯s so strange about this ¡®Ten Times a Day, You Monster...¡¯?¡±


    I paused with my hand still in my inventory and fell silent. Ren¡¯s ears perked up, seeming to say, ¡®I¡¯m listening, Teacher!¡¯ Looking at his innocent face, I spoke seriously.


    ¡°... That¡¯s not something to brag about, Ren. It¡¯s really not! I mean, it¡¯s not something people who understand can brag about either, but... Damn it!¡±


    ¡°C-Calm down, Crown Prince! Uwuuuuuk!¡¯


    With Ren with me, the already quick Floor Master battles ended even quicker. We each just had to hit it once or twice and it was over. After using Frozen Roar to increase our abilities for 5 minutes, we defeated the Floor Master twice. Although it would¡¯ve been nice if we could use Ren¡¯s Golden Lion¡¯s Roar, he said it was only usable when he was using Deific Manifestation. Considering how powerful the skill was, it was understandable.


    ¡°He is my ancestor, the Golden Lion. It really is an honor. Though, I never understood why he came to me instead of my Father who was the Hero.¡±


    ¡°Wait, ancestor?¡±


    ¡°ording to the legend, he was blessed by the gods and had the ability to transform into a Golden Lion in battle. With the body of a beast and rationality of a human, he ruled over the continent as the strongest warrior. My unsightly disy was because I couldn¡¯t ept his powerpletely. It¡¯s really quite embarrassing.¡±


    As I didn¡¯t know how to respond, I simply nodded and urged him.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s continue with our fun thrashing time so Ren can wield his power better.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince is... evil! But sorry, I have to go make food for the kids.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Right! Ren wasn¡¯t alone. Along with Lebuik, he had to take care of the livelihoods of seven children. I nodded feeling awkward.


    ¡°G-Go ahead. I¡¯ll see youter then, Ren.¡±


    ¡°Do you want toe also? I¡¯m going crazy because Elfa keeps crying, saying that she wants to see Crown Prince. She won¡¯t stop talking about Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°Mm,ter. I¡¯ll bring presents.¡±


    ¡°Hm, okay. I¡¯ll tell Elfa that Crown Prince wille by within 4 days.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Wait, Ren!¡±


    Ren left the dungeon before I could stop him. Damn, he got me. Now that things turned out like this, Elfa would hate me if I didn¡¯te visit within 4 days. After telling myself that I¡¯d reward Ren with thrashing full of love, I headed back to the guild house.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Ina.¡±


    The moment I entered the guild house, Ina ran into my embrace. Although she could fly if she wanted, she still liked to run as it was a habit from before she got her ability. Since she likely ran into her parents¡¯ arms when they were alive, it made sense.


    ¡°I heard you were working hard.¡±


    ¡°Un! I worked hard and became Gold rank!¡±


    In other words, she had broken through the 50th floor. I knew she was climbing fast, but I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be this fast. I also realized that the freezing energy she was giving off had gotten stronger. I softly stroked Ina¡¯s white hair and spoke.


    ¡°Looks like Ina¡¯s going to catch up to Daddy soon. Good job, it must have been hard.¡±


    ¡°Not at all. It was fun! I can handle ice better now!¡±


    Right. All of Ina¡¯s abilities received support from the dungeon¡¯s system. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that Ina received the most benefits from the dungeon¡¯s skill system. If she continued to work hard, she would be able toe in contact with ordinary people without fear of hurting them. Right, she just had to put in a bit more effort.


    Thinking about the day she would be independent, I hugged Ina tightly and rubbed my cheek against hers.


    ¡°Thank you for working hard, Ina.¡±


    ¡°Un. Thank you too, Daddy.¡±


    With us treating each other like real father and daughter, I felt like she had really be my daughter. Even though that wasn¡¯t possible, it was as if I was putting myself under a hypnosis.


    In truth, I was a bit surprised at first when Ina called me Daddy, but now, I didn¡¯t think it was so bad. Ina had gone through many hardships and had lost many things dear to her. If I had something she wanted, I was more than happy to give it to her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try harder. I¡¯ll get stronger and protect Daddy.¡±


    ¡°... Is that what Mommy said?¡±


    ¡°Un. Ina and Mommy will protect Daddy.¡±


    Hwaya, this girl, is she nning on making me a princess? I swore revenge and told Ina.


    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself. Daddy will be sad if Ina gets hurt. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Un. Mommy, Ina, and Daddy can then be happy together!¡±


    Though her words made me happy, Hwaya and I weren¡¯t real husband and wife, and I had to make Ina realize it one day. Thinking about how she¡¯d react, a sigh naturally came out. Of course, this was a matter for the far future. Since it was unclear whether our future was secure, it would be too overzealous on my part to be worrying about this at the moment. As such, I simply held Ina tighter without any words.


    Then, I handed Ina off to Hwaya and went back into the guild house with a final look. Ren would arrive soon. I had to prepare myself to beat... to train him.


    Just like that, a week had passed since the start of the thrashing phase.


    ¡°You¡¯re wide open!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, I knew you¡¯d attack there!¡±


    ¡°Purposefully showing an opening and drawing in your opponent is an excellent tactic, but don¡¯t forget, there are people who can easily see through something so basic!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t lose! Kuaaaang!¡±


    An important element in a fight between two people was seeing a few moves ahead of the opponent. If one could predict how the other person would move, it became much easier to achieve victory. Of course, even if one could read the other person, if he wascking in speed and power to deal a fatal blow, it was useless.


    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±


    My wooden spear hit Ren¡¯s vital point, causing him to fall. As he had gone through a thrashing phase before, he could control himself to a certain extent. However, once his beast-like instinct showed signs of appearing, it was easy to provoke him and cause it to explode. I sighed. Then, just as I reached my hand out to help Ren up, I realized that there were people watching us.


    ¡°What¡¯s everyone doing?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We¡¯re watching you fight.¡±


    ¡°Beating him... to death? If he dies, tell me. Golden Lion, good undead material.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die!¡±


    No matter how much Ren respected Daisy, it seemed he didn¡¯t want to work under her as a undead. Ren gritted his teeth and took up his stance again.


    ¡°Come, Crown Prince!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so worked up, it¡¯s going to end quicker than thest round.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you that¡¯s false!¡±


    Of course, after that, Ren ended up being knocked down in just 35 seconds. Other than little problems like this, the thrashing phase was progressing smoothly.


    However, not everything could work out so well and there were things that had to be taken care of no matter how painful it was. Around the time the 60th Floor Master grinding was ending, Hwaya gave the suggestion.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time to let everyone know.¡±


    ¡°About the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°And about us and the danger, Earth is facing. It¡¯s time. Our guild is in the right position.¡±


    At her words, I remembered something from what felt like a long time ago. When we first spoke, she said she wanted to create an organization of dungeon explorers to solve the danger Earth was facing. The organization she talked about then wasn¡¯t too different from Revival. If there was, it was who the guild master was. Interestingly enough, I did say that I¡¯d ept her offer if I became the organization¡¯s leader.


    ¡°Revival¡¯s members are all strong. As we are now, we won¡¯t lose to any external influence, be it Freedom Wing, Guardian, or countries. More importantly, we can¡¯t let people continue to do stupid things. The world could potentially end, and there are way too many people wasting military strength and fattening up monsters¡¯ bellies for short-term profits.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. We only have 23 months left too.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t new. I had considered the matter long before Hwaya mentioned it. However, there were too many obstacles to do so at the moment.


    ¡°Will they believe us? It seems a bit absurd.¡±


    ¡°What the world is going through is already absurd. What we¡¯re about to add isn¡¯t going to make it any more absurd.¡±


    ¡°You have a good point.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s power behind the words of the strong. Of course, there¡¯s responsibility behind it as well. And you, you are the world¡¯s strongest. The Untouchable.¡±


    ¡°Stop, that makes me cringe.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t something only Hwaya and I could talk about. We immediately gathered everyone at the guild house and carefully discussed the details. Once we revealed the existence of the dungeon, the biggest problem would be appointing the explorer. There would undoubtedly be millions of people wanting to be explorers. Among them would undoubtedly be powerful influential people.


    ¡°We have to set a requirement. It¡¯ll be near impossible to control every single explorer. What we need is arge number of powerful explorers.¡±


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s not make all new explorers join Revival. Revival is a select group of the most powerful elites. The requirement to be an explorer will first be one¡¯s brains, then one¡¯s strength and potential for growth.¡±


    ¡°Un. Our goal has to be increasing the number of explorers. At least for this part, we have to make sure to use Soul Contracts to control them. We can¡¯t let them waste explorer appointments on people that don¡¯t meet the requirements.¡±


    For now, we decided to ban non-ability users from bing explorers. Of course, it was still entirely possible that there might be ordinary people with extraordinary talent. I was like that initially. However, the chance of too small. It was overwhelmingly better to appoint someone with an ability. That way, they would surely be stronger and increase the number of explorers.


    ¡°The contract we¡¯re going to make people sign is also important.¡±


    ¡°We have to give up what we need to give up. We can¡¯t force them to throw away their lives when the world¡¯s enemyes, and we can¡¯t force them to climb the dungeon 12 hours a day.¡±


    ¡°We can just choose ability users that are already actively fighting monsters. People¡¯s personalities don¡¯t change that easily.¡±


    ¡°Someone like France¡¯s Laz Michel, huh.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll only require two things. First, purposefully not climbing the dungeon will be prohibited. Second, the explorers they appoint will have to be approved by us. Just this will increase the number of explorers on Earth and help us reach our goals.¡±


    ¡°Edward, if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯ll be better to put it details numbers for the first use. We need to make sure that people don¡¯t feel like we¡¯re controlling them while making sure that they don¡¯t neglect their duties as dungeon explorers.¡±


    While everyone was busy climbing the dungeon and training, they still made time to help with the contract and discuss how to tell the world about it. Yua was extremely happy that she was included in this talk.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t be an explorer, I would have never known about such an important talk. Ehehe, I¡¯m happy I can be of help, Oppa.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always helpful, Yua.¡±


    ¡°Oppa...!¡±


    ¡°Hold it!¡±


    Ludia quickly put her hands between Yua and me. How dare she misunderstand the love between an Oppa and his younger sister!


    Anyhow, the contract went through several revisions and discussions before it was finalized. Meanwhile, I finished grinding the 60th Floor Master with 15 point increase to both magic and charm; killed the Thunder Power Knight, Beyond¡¯s Floor Master that was thebination of the Dark Ratman and Lizard Knight; as if that wasn¡¯t enough, I broke through the First Dungeon¡¯s 61st floor, Beyond¡¯s 11th floor, 62nd, 12th, 63rd, and 13th. This all happened in just 2 weeks.


    By the time I began climbing the First Dungeon¡¯s 64th floor, the contract was finished. As Revival¡¯s master and explorer of the First Dungeon and Beyond, I stood in front of the whole world.


    ¡°We only have 2 years left. We have to protect Earth. We can¡¯t waste our time on useless things!¡±


    The days when people scrambled to stop the onught of sudden monsters was long over. It was now time for us to make our appearance.


    ¡°If you¡¯re confident in your strength as an ability user, knock on Revival¡¯s doors at any time. The dungeon will help you be an excellent warrior that can sweep through the monsters and dungeons invading our world!¡±


    Starting from now, humanity will strike back. All ability users will sweep away monsters invading Earth from a different perspective. The war between humanity and monsters, the second season had only just begun.

 Chapter 204. The Qualification of an Explorer (1)

    Chapter 204. The Qualification of an Explorer (1)


    Though I had somewhat expected it, with Revival¡¯s aplishments in the previous incident, my influence had reached an unimaginable realm. Just by saying that there was an important announcement, everything fell into ce without having to borrow Hwaya¡¯s power.


    ¡°Leon, it¡¯s me.¡±


    [Friend! What¡¯s up? Did a new Event Dungeon appear?]


    As we couldn¡¯t leave Leon out of such an important announcement, we called him as well. We then exined what our n was and what we wanted him to do after the announcement. In other words, he didn¡¯t have to hide that he was an explorer anymore and he could make other people into explorers as long as they met our two conditions and signed the contract.


    Unexpected, after thinking about it for a bit, Leon flew to Korea. The reason he gave was rather interesting.


    ¡°If I can make American ability users into explorers, that means they¡¯ll be part of America¡¯s strength. Since the government already knows I¡¯m in contact with you, it¡¯s only obvious that I join you in cutting the start line! I¡¯m already a dungeon explorer, it wouldn¡¯t be right to hide in the shadows!¡±


    ¡°Ha, you really are passionate, Leon. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You know me well, Dude!¡±


    The dungeon was a huge secret. Since we were hiding it all this time, people would undoubtedly criticize us for it. I, of course, had the confidence not to be bothered by it, but Leon seemed to think that it would have been cowardly to not include himself. Of course, we weed him with open arms. With Leon also being there, even more, people began to focus on this announcement.


    Ren and Lebuik were enough to provide proof that other worlds existed, but to better exin the danger facing Earth, we decided to include one of the beastman children we saved. After a small deathmatch among the children, Elfa was chosen.


    Wait, there¡¯s something wrong with the way the Elfa was chosen. They didn¡¯t need to be so passionate about this! Also, Elfa, I didn¡¯t know you were so strong! You might be able to start climbing the dungeon now!


    I only said one of them had toe with me, and Elfa folded her rabbit ears and quickly knocked everyone else down in just 2 seconds. Then, as she wiped the blood off of her legs, she asked with a cheerful smile.


    ¡°Do I go and sit on Oppa¡¯sp?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Ina, who was already in my arms, shouted.


    ¡°That¡¯s my ce!¡±


    ¡°Eeek, I hate you!¡±


    ¡°I hate you too!¡±


    Ina and Elfa growled at each other with their heads almost touching. Elfa would undoubtedly freeze if Ina made a mistake, so I was rather surprised at Ina¡¯s consideration. Mm, I was sure they would be great friends in the future. Yep. I just hoped Ina wouldn¡¯t freeze Elfa in an argument.


    The day after, everyone stood in front of the whole world together. Hundreds of reporters gathered at therge press conference I held, and the flurry of shes was even starting to annoy me.


    Although I was in the spotlight, as I wanted to divert the atten... or rather, as I wanted to emphasize the entire Revival and not just me, I had everyone present. Leon was also in one of the seats. As for Ina, Hwaya was holding onto her on herp. Elfa, on the other hand, was being held by Lebuik under the reasoning that the guild master would lose his dignity with little girls by his side.


    After seeing that everyone was present, I held the mic up to my mouth.


    ¡°Dozens of years before Two Moon, the dungeon was already there. No one knows who made the dungeon or how it is being maintained. One thing we know for sure is that it exists. My father and a few others worked as explorers. Though, we only started progressing after obtaining our abilities after Two Moon.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re trying to say that you can enter this... dungeon that¡¯s connected to other worlds? And that you can grow your abilities there?¡±


    ¡°We, of course, have ways to prove our ims. Three of the members here, Ren, Lebuik, and Elfa are residents of another world. Currently, their world has been taken over by a race called El Patiz, which are simr to the monsters that are invading Earth. I obtained the ability to travel to other worlds through the dungeon and saved Ren, Elfa, and other children who aren¡¯t currently here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by taken over?¡±


    As expected, they were interested in the Panan continent. When I was about to speak, Elfa shouted.


    ¡°They eat brains! Then they pretend to be that person! They ate Uruto too, and even the Hero!¡±


    ¡°... The same thing happened across their entire continent. Ordinary people were either killed or eaten by the El Patiz, and it was the same for monsters and animals that made up the ecosystem. Although dungeon explorers tried to stop them, it was toote. In the end, Ren and Lebuik here had to flee to our world.¡±


    The press conference hall became silent. It was probably hard to imagine monsters that ate people¡¯s brains. However, there was someone who broke the silence and asked a question.


    ¡°But where¡¯s the proof? No, there¡¯s another problem before that. These people with animals ears, aren¡¯t they monsters?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re residents of another world who just look different than us. They had intelligence equaling humans, and more importantly, they fight against monsters just like us. Do you n to treat everyone who looks different as enemies?¡±


    ¡°Shuna and I are also residents of another world. Shin save us from this world¡¯s enemy, the Demon Lord.¡±


    Ludia spoke out. Although she wasn¡¯t from Earth, because she looked like a Caucasian, there wasn¡¯t a way to prove that she was from another world. That was why we had brought Ren, Lebuik, and Elfa, who clearly had non-human features.


    ¡°The people from my world fought against the Demon Lord and his Demon Army for a long time. We were defeated only recently. Shin obtained a skill called Dimensional Travel and came to save me. I regret that you can¡¯t see the state of my world. If you could, I wonder if you¡¯ll be able to see Mana Stones as a mere source of energy.¡±


    ¡°Demon Lord? Demons?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t just one world¡¯s enemy. Both the Demon Lord and the El Patiz are among them. In other words, several worlds are being invaded at the same time by different or possibly the same forces. As for Earth, it hasn¡¯t been that long since the invasion began. But we can¡¯t rx because of that. After the Demon Lord conquered the Luka continent, he immediately began to invade another world, and our world was unlucky enough to be chosen. Our world is currently being attacked by two forces. Their joint invasion loosens and widens the path leading to our world, elerating the invasion process. That¡¯s why we have only 2 years left.¡±


    ¡°What you just talked about, is that rted to you? Could you have caused this disastrous result of being invaded by two forces by going to help that girl?¡±


    As I had wondered about this too, I couldn¡¯t me the reporter for asking. Even after I got an answer from Loretta, I still had doubts. However, if my doubts were true, that would mean one of two things. I had either made a fatal mistake by bing a Dimensional Mercenary as a Hero or the dungeon, which had helped me grow stronger all this time, was actually the mastermind behind everything. As either were absurd and annoying to think about, I could only believe that it was a mere coincidence that the Demon Lord¡¯s next target was us.


    ¡°If that is the question, you have to first question whether the dungeon is our ally or foe. Though even I cannot be sure, if that were true, then there really wouldn¡¯t be anything trustworthy. Of course, it¡¯s your choice whether to believe this or not. Regardless, there is bound to be someone who is in need of the dungeon¡¯s help. If you can believe us, hear us out.¡±


    I then told them the conditions of bing a dungeon explorer.


    ¡°If you can fulfill the three conditions I just mentioned, the rest of Revival and I are more than ready to ept you as a new explorer. I will make this clear. We have no intention of controlling you. You only have to fight against monsters where you arefortable. As for the world¡¯s enemies, I will defeat them.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you told anyone about such an important matter until now? If you told us about explorers earlier, it would have easier to develop them!¡±


    ¡°Was it so that you could monopolize power? If it¡¯s as you say, being a dungeon explorer is a privilege! Isn¡¯t obeying you the only way to be one!? This is an absolute supremacy in modern society!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t fazed by such strikes. When the hall began to get noisy, Ina became annoyed and attempted to emit freezing energy. Of course, Hwaya immediately stopped and dissuaded her. Right, we couldn¡¯t resort to violence.


    However, if their voices got louder, and they started talking about taking the right to appoint dungeon explorers, things would be extremely annoying. There wouldn¡¯t have been a meaning to releasing this information.


    I breathed in lightly. I closed my eyes, then opened them back up. Immediately, the atmosphere slightly changed. Soon, it changed a lot.


    What I did was simple. I released Subus¡¯ Pupils, Spirit of the Tamer, and other skills that increased charm, which I had been suppressing until now. At the same time, I increased Overwhelm¡¯s power to its peak. Finally, I put just enough strength in my Evil Eyes so that they wouldn¡¯t petrify ordinary people.


    Charm was rted to how one¡¯s appearance influenced others. When I released my charm and used Overwhelm together, the result was even better. While emanating both charm and fear, I slowly looked around.


    ¡°Uk.¡±


    ¡°My god.¡±


    ¡°Is that... a human being?¡±


    ¡°His eyes are glowing gold.¡±


    I slowly spoke.


    ¡°Developing dungeon explorers? Sure, that sounds good. Increasing the number of explorers and the power of humanity. That¡¯s excellent, it¡¯s exactly what I want.


    Unfortunately, such a thing wasn¡¯t so easy to aplish. If everyone knew right from wrong, would there be wars? Murders? Crimes? Historically, humans had always rushed to their demise.


    ¡°That would have been true if governments, groups, and individuals¡¯ greed wasn¡¯t involved. If Revival wasn¡¯t so strong, would you have listened to us so calmly? No, you would have tried to control us to your bidding. The world¡¯s crisis? I doubt you would have even listened. Monster remains, gates, Mana Stones! The benefits wouldn¡¯t have been limited to just these!¡±


    The hall becamepletely silent.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we needed power. To make everyone listen to us, we had to grow our strengths. Now, we¡¯re ready to talk and you¡¯re ready to listen. Can you ignore what we¡¯re saying now? If we didn¡¯t have the strength to back up our ims, would you have paid attention to us?¡±


    ¡°... How can you prove that you aren¡¯t like that?¡±


    The man sitting in the front asked with clear artiction. It was France¡¯s SS ranker, Laz Michel. Though it was rather unexpected, it was understandable at the same time. He had certainly said so. That he¡¯d wait for the day I tell him everything. Now that the time hade, he had flown to Korea to personally find out.


    ¡°Everything you said is right. There¡¯s no need to even speak of all the wrongsmitted by humans. However, what you¡¯re saying only holds weight if your group is different than the other powerful groups. I want to ask. Are you confident in not cing your personal benefits over others¡¯ benefits? Will you be able to grant the qualification to be a dungeon explorer fairly? Will you not control them for your goals?¡±


    They were all good questions. But if there was anyone that could answer his questions honorably, it would be me.


    ¡°I already have everything I want. Political authority? I¡¯m not interested. Plus, if I really wanted political authority, I could easily achieve it without having to deal with this dungeon explorer qualification. After all, I¡¯m already the strongest in the world, and I even have enough money to fill the entire ocean with gold. I have many great friends and loving parents, and the world¡¯s most beautiful sister and daughter.¡±


    ¡°D-Daughter?¡±


    While the audience stirred, Ina, puffed out her chest proudly, while Yua hid her face slightly embarrassed. Mm, they really were cute.


    ¡°Michel, there¡¯s no one on Earth that can provide me with something I can¡¯t achieve myself. So why would I prioritize someone over another? People who idolize me? I don¡¯t need them. I hate people like that the most. This is something you should all remember. If you want to be a dungeon explorer, show your real self. If you think we don¡¯t have methods of telling, I can only call you foolish.¡±


    My Evil Eyes shined with greater brilliance and dyed the entire hall in light. Seeing as how Daisy¡¯s eyes were sparkling, she seemed to have understood that I was talking about her. Or perhaps, she was just thinking about what we were going to eat for dinner.


    ¡°As I said, we only have three conditions. Having the ability to climb the dungeon steadily, not using the authority to appoint other dungeon explorers without approval, and not harming others by using your power recklessly. Although we have ways of ensuring that these conditions are met, it is strictly a precautionary method. We do not mean to control you in any way. We will, of course, tell you about these technical details before you can be a dungeon explorer. Simply put, you will be under a special contract.¡±


    ¡°So anyone can be a dungeon explorer?¡±


    ¡°Anyone who doesn¡¯t vite our conditions has the qualification to be a dungeon explorer. We are only trying to limit the appointment of new explorers because we cannot allow unvetted, weak, or evil-minded people. As I said before, we do not mean to control or manage you in any way. You can fight for your country, your family, or yourself in your own ce, in your own method.¡±


    ¡°Mmm...¡±


    ¡°This contract will bind both of our souls. If you still have doubts, I can even add a use preventing me from interfering in cases where the three conditions are still met. Anyone who vites this contract will have their soul taken.¡±


    Michel stared at me fixedly on his seat. It seemed he had said what he wanted to say and nned to watch me for now. Of course, other than Michel, no one could challenge the effect of my Overwhelm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. We only have 2 years left. We must put aside humanity¡¯s advancement for now and raise our spears and swords against the monsters. Otherwise, rather than advancing, humanity will end up deteriorating, even bing extinct.¡±


    ¡°Extinct, you say...¡±


    ¡°Revival and all ability users exist precisely to prevent such a thing from happening. If you want to fight against the monsters on the front lines, contact us. We will help you.¡±


    The press conference ended. The entire world saw and heard me. The truth behind monsters and the existence of the dungeon were revealed to the world. We were now ready to sprint forward without hesitation.

 Chapter 205. The Qualification of an Explorer (2)

    Chapter 205. The Qualification of an Explorer (2)


    The day we made our announcement, we received endless crude attacks from the press. Some denounced us, saying that what we said about other worlds, explorers, and world¡¯s enemies was all made up, while some criticized us for monopolizing what should have been shared among all of humanity. Some also imed that the dungeon was an enemy no different than the monsters, and that Revival was their vanguard. The sheer stupidity in that im made us speechless.


    When exposed to something they couldn¡¯t understand, people easily denied or dismissed it as false. They wouldn¡¯t be convinced unless the world¡¯s enemy showed themselves in front of them. Although we showed them how the inventory worked and even showed ourselves going in and out of the dungeon, in the end, it wasn¡¯t easy to ept the existence of the dungeon unless they personally saw it.


    However, there still were people ready to adapt and progress. These were the people who applied to be explorers. Not to mention, there were more than just a small number.


    Hwaya nced over theputer screen and spoke with a smile.


    ¡°Shin, we¡¯re being flooded with applications. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there are over a million.¡±


    On TV, there were reports denouncing our ims as make-believe and untrustworthy. It was trulyughable. I retorted with a chuckle.


    ¡°We already decided anyways. The applicants we ept have to be at least S rank. That¡¯s the best way for the explorer count will gain momentum.¡±


    ¡°I know. Out of all the applicants, only 5 people meet that requirement. Still, so many people applied!¡±


    With that, Hwaya pressed a button and wiped the list clean. Immediately afterwards, the printer started spewing out five applications. She came over to hand them to me, but realizing that my hands were full, she made a wry smile and spread her arms out.


    ¡°Ina,e to Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    Ina, who was in my embrace, made a small nod and went over to Hwaya. Although I couldn¡¯tpare her to my 9 year old self who was busy brandishing a wooden spear in the Amazon jungle, Ina liked to act spoiled too much. It was most likely because she lost her parents at a young age. Though I was happy to spoil her, as I couldn¡¯t let her be a spoiled teenager, I¡¯d have to fix her man... manners...


    ¡®No, but it¡¯s cute, so it¡¯s fine. Ina¡¯s smart, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll fix it on her own when she grows up! Once she gets a boyfriend, I¡¯ll kill... I mean, she¡¯ll distance herself from Mommy and Daddy.¡¯


    ¡°Hm? There are two SS rankers? I recognize Laz Michel, but... who¡¯s this woman?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a Turkish ability user that recently became a SS ranker. I think she had a healing ability.¡±


    ¡°Healing ability?¡±


    Became a SS ranker? Doesn¡¯t that mean her ability evolved? Feeling a bit surprised, I looked at her profile page. She was rather young and quite beautiful. Although I expected her to be brown, she looked Caucasian. Apparently, most Turkish people were like that. Mm, Turkish, how pretty.


    ¡°Shiiin?¡±


    ¡°N-Nothing. I was just wondering why all high-ranking ability users were so beautiful, like you and Ina.¡±


    ¡°And this woman?¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re more beautiful of course!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it for now, but I¡¯m confiscating this. Ina.¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    At Hwaya¡¯smand, Ina reached out and took the application from my hand. The two of them then began to give their impression of the healing ability user.


    ¡°What, she¡¯s not even that pretty. Her skin isn¡¯t that white, her eyes aren¡¯t that big, her nose isn¡¯t that high, and her breasts aren¡¯t that big!¡±


    ¡°Her clothes are worn. I don¡¯t like her earrings. Her hair is old-fashioned.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t like how she looks so na?ve! She¡¯s short, too! Ina, who¡¯s prettier? This woman or Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Mommy is a lot prettier!¡±


    ¡°Ina is beautiful too!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you¡¯re both beautiful...¡±


    I took my eyes off the two who were rubbing their cheeks against each other and examined the other four profiles. I first looked at Laz Michel¡¯s. His ability being reevaluated to SS+ rank was especially eye-catching.


    ¡°He wants to join Revival? Hwaya.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay with it. That oldie has manners and is sensible. Who knows, maybe he can give us advice when things aren¡¯t going well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay with it too, but we should talk to everyone about it first. Let¡¯s make him our first contractor. He¡¯s an SS ranker, and if he joins Revival, we¡¯ll gain credibility.¡±


    ¡°Her too.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Hwaya lightly eyed Ina, and she handed me the paper she had crumpled up. It was the Turkish healer¡¯s application.


    ¡°She wants to join Revival.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Turkey will let her go?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you have to abandon your country to join Revival. She can just join us for Event Dungeons or Event Raids as part of Revival without being tied to her country.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same thing if she can¡¯t prioritize her country. Of course, I¡¯ll prioritize helping the countries of Revival¡¯s members, but... Ah, I see.¡±


    She had a healing ability. In other words, even if she was an SS ranker, she had no ways to attack. Not everyone could be like Ludia who could both attack, buff, and heal bying to Earth and receiving the power of earth.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± I murmured and curled the corner of my mouth up.


    ¡°With her joining Revival, Turkey can borrow our strength for Event Dungeons or Event Raids they can¡¯t handle. That¡¯s quite smart.¡±


    Her name was yda Van. She was 26 this year, a university graduate, and an active ability user. Apparently, her ability was still growing. She was quite outstanding.


    Of course, Revival already had an excellent healer, Ludia. However, it didn¡¯t hurt to have another healer, especially a high-ranking one. Who knew? Maybe there were some things only she could do.


    ¡°If she¡¯s joining us for her country, she might not feel asmitted... but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll do her share of work. Alright, let¡¯s ept her.¡±


    ¡°Hm, Daddy¡¯s being smart for once. Right, Ina?¡±


    ¡°Daddy¡¯s always smart!¡±


    ¡°Ina¡¯s the only one that knows me. Come here.¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    I decided to look at the remaining applicationster, and received Ina from Hwaya¡¯s arms. Inaughed innocently as she yed with my cheeks. She really was cute. I became more certain that I didn¡¯t need to fix her manners.


    Ina was important, of course, but I didn¡¯t dy the explorers because of her. If we were going to ept the two SS rankers today, we wouldn¡¯t have time for others.


    As we decided to ept Laz Michel and yda Van as Revival¡¯s members, we had to see them in person. Without me having to do anything, Hwaya was already calling them. She truly was a reliable vice-guild master.


    At that moment, a woman¡¯s voice rang out from behind.


    ¡°Oh, this is the perfect family. I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t had your wedding yet.¡±


    ¡°Mom! Don¡¯te out of nowhere!¡±


    Hwaya, who was in the middle of calling someone, dropped her phone and screamed. The woman that appeared in the living room ignored Hwaya and put the te of fruits she was holding onto the table with a bright smile. She looked like how Hwaya would look in 10 years. Although her beauty and youth made it seem as if she was only in her early 30¡¯s, she was undoubtedly Hwaya¡¯s mother.


    ¡°So, Son, when¡¯s the wedding?¡±


    ¡°Um... Mother, you see...¡±


    Didn¡¯t I exin when I first met her!? The questions from Hwaya¡¯s mother, Lana, made me sweat. When Hwaya suggested that it was rude not saying hello when I left Ina with her all the time, I agreed and came to visit Hwaya¡¯s home. However, I didn¡¯t think Hwaya¡¯s mother would like asking so many tough questions.


    ¡°My, with how you appeared on TV, I thought you were full of experience, but you¡¯re quite innocent. I didn¡¯t know this was your type, Hwaya. Didn¡¯t you like guys that yed around when you went to school?¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡±


    ¡°My, look at you getting all mad. Ina¡¯s going to learn bad things, right, Ina?¡±


    ¡°Mommy is nice. She¡¯s just being shy.¡±


    ¡°Aw, siding with Mommy?¡±


    I smiled and patted Ina. Hwaya seemed to have given up on calling, as she sent text messages somewhere, then sat down next to me.


    ¡°You said you¡¯d make lunch for us, right? Hurry up. We have to go soon.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, what do you like about Son-inw? Between Allen and him, who would you choose?¡±


    ¡°Mom, stop!¡±


    ¡°But my daughter is dating the world¡¯s most famous man, I¡¯m jealous! How can I not!?¡±


    Devil, there¡¯s a devil here...! I hugged Ina and shuddered. Unlike her gentle appearance, Hwaya¡¯s mother loved joking. I told myself to remember it at all costs.


    After eating the excellent Korean food she cooked for us, I circted Peruta Circuit and warmed up my body. When I got up, Hwaya who was ying with Ina tilted her head and asked.


    ¡°Where are you going, Shin? We have to meet them in two hours.¡±


    ¡°Two hours is enough to climb the 64th floor. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    ¡°You only need two hours to climb a floor? ... Are you really human?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about that recently, but it looks like I¡¯m human. There are still people stronger than me in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re only level 64... Huu, nevermind. Also, I should be able to enter the First Dungeon in a few days too. I¡¯m at the end of the 79th floor now.¡±


    Although Hwaya spoke like it was nothing, it was a truly outstanding achievement. When she became a First Dungeon explorer... though she would be weaker for now, she would be able to be much stronger in the long-run. She would also get the opportunity to be a Beyond explorer.


    ¡°Congrats, Hwaya. Good job.¡±


    ¡°Once I defeat the First Dungeon¡¯s 50th Floor Master and obtain Dimensional Travel, I won¡¯t need to send you off to other worlds alone anymore.¡±


    ¡°Right... Were you thinking about that the whole time?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I have to watch out for Daisy too. Right now, she¡¯s the only one that can follow you to Dimensional Mercenary missions. It makes me jealous.¡±


    ¡°If Daisy¡¯s interested in me, it¡¯s probably just my corpse, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°That makes it sound like I¡¯m worried that someone will steal you from me! I might be jealous, but I never even considered you being stolen by someone! Got it?¡±


    I nodded with a wry smile at Hwaya¡¯s temperamental shout. Really, I had to at least praise her heaven-piercing confidence.


    Suddenly, Hwaya lowered her voice and spoke quietly.


    ¡°A-Also... what Mom said before... Allen is just a friend I used to know when I was a kid, so don¡¯t worry. T-There¡¯s really nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know she was just joking. I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    I thought I gave a 10 out of 10 reply, but Hwaya frowned and shouted as if I said something unpleasant.


    ¡°... You should mind it at least a little! How can you not care at all when another guy¡¯s name came up?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to mind it or not!?¡±


    Really, women were as annoying as they were lovable!

 Chapter 206. The Qualification of an Explorer (3)

    Chapter 206. The Qualification of an Explorer (3)


    From the 61st floor, bat type monsters started to appear. Although the dungeon never made sense in terms of what monsters showed up, bats were stillpletely outside of my expectation. I certainly couldn¡¯t be med for thinking that they¡¯d just be too weak.


    Of course, they weren¡¯t the small bats found on Earth. They were giant bats with de-like ws and razor-sharp wings that shot out auras. Their high agility and attack power made them more difficult than I imagined.


    From the 63rd floor, blood-sucking bats appeared. As they constantly tried to stab their fangs between my armor gaps, I grew more and more irritated. If I could meet their eyes, I was confident I could petrify them. Unfortunately, unless I used Divine Speed, they could move faster than I could turn my head.


    In most situations, I just used Sharana¡¯s power and cut the ones blocking my path as I rushed forward. That said, when they shot de-like auras or tried to bite my neck, I couldn¡¯t help but flinch slightly. Though I looked down on them, thinking that the dungeon had run out of its repertoire, that wasn¡¯t it at all. In fact, it was much harder than the 59th floor, which had both golems and mimics.


    Regardless, the First Dungeon was no longer a ce that could make me invest more than a few hours. By now, I realized that I had long surpassed the standard of the First Dungeon. Although it wasn¡¯t a walk in the park, it was still smooth-sailing. If I were troubled by this much, I would be too embarrassed to raise my head in front of my guild members.


    Unlike the bats, Giant Ghouls, which started appearing from Beyond¡¯s 11th floor, were powerful and tough, albeit extremely slow. As a result, I ended up fighting agile enemies in the First Dungeon, and slow and tough enemies in Beyond. With Giant Ghouls using Diehard when their HP got low, I learned to estimate my opponent¡¯s remaining HP and to deal an instant-kill final blow.


    However, when I reached Beyond¡¯s 13th floor after sailing through the First Dungeon and Beyond¡¯s previous floors, I finally ran into a troublesome situation. A countless number of Skeleton Knights had appeared on top of their skeleton mounts. On the 30th floor, they hadmanded their skeleton armies rather than showing off their own strength. In Beyond, however, they were obviously different. When there was only one knight, he would lead the army as itsmander, but when there was a swarm of knights, their destructive power would be their main force.


    [Kill the living human!]


    [Destroy his brain and burst his heart!]


    [Kuooooooo!]


    [Charge! Charge! Lead him to death!]


    The army of Skeleton Knights wiped all traces of smiles off my face. When they used Undead Roar, which decreased all living being¡¯s speed to 5%, I was helpless. I could only be thankful that Undead Roar didn¡¯t stack like Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry. I didn¡¯t even want to imagine what my speed is like decreased further.


    [Human, give me your head!]


    ¡°Like I will! Divine Speed!¡±


    When Undead Roar hit me, there were only three things I could do. First, I could use Divine Speed to recover my speed to half, then dodge their charges. Second, I could use Dragon Skin and endure their attacks for the duration. Third, I could use Frozen Roar to nullify Undead Roar.


    Once I got used to them, I learned to shoot bolts imbued with explosive magic to prevent them from screaming. Sharana, Ruyue, and Peika also helped to shut them up. Without Undead Roar, the Skeleton Knights weren¡¯t so terrible.


    What was more dreadful was the special field property of Beyond¡¯s 13th floor. When I dodged the Skeleton Knights¡¯ charge, they continued all the way until they hit the wall. The moment they collided, however, they split into two. In other words, when they charged toward me, I had to face them directly. Otherwise, they only grew in numbers. Just out of curiosity, I tried colliding into the wall too. As expected, I didn¡¯t split, and only my nose hurt.


    As I said before, I was able to break through Beyond¡¯s 13th floor within 4 days. Although I almost died a few times, as I had already gotten used to such situations, I didn¡¯t flinch at all.


    But when I thought about it more seriously, dying even once in Beyond meant that I would be throwing away a month¡¯s worth of time. With how close Earth was to ruin, I couldn¡¯t help but shudder at the thought.


    With the 13th floor being how it was, I was worried whatbination of Giant Ghouls and Skeleton Knights would greet me on the 14th floor. Of course, before that, breaking through the First Dungeon¡¯s 64th floor was first.


    Loretta repeatedly told me to be extra careful on the 64th floor, but I knew she was worrying about me too much recently. It seemed she hasn¡¯t fully understood my capabilities yet.


    As I had the confidence to instantly cut down bats that were twice as strong as the ones on the 63rd floor, I brushed aside her worries and climbed up to the 64th floor.


    That happenedst night. Today, I nned on fully breaking through the 64th floor along with Lotte.


    ¡°Whew, let¡¯s get these bat level over with and go greet the new members... Eh?¡±


    The 64th floor had apletely different atmosphere than the 63rd floor. More specifically, the pathway was narrower and even the color seemed different. It was the type of grim atmosphere that made one¡¯s heart thump.


    ¡°I can¡¯t calm down.¡±


    Lotte, who was in her human form, expressed her displeasure. With a bitter smile, I replied.


    ¡°It looks like this ce is causing some mental status effect. I guess it isn¡¯t too strange. It¡¯s the First Dungeon after all.¡±


    ¡°Hero, I can¡¯t stay here any longer.¡±


    Although I thought Lotte could easily endure feeling slightly ufortable, Lotte reacted strongly. Her cheeks were flushed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lotte? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Hero, don¡¯te close. Rather, take me to the Residential Area, no, the resort area now.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah, got it.¡±


    ¡°Hurry. If I stay here any longer, I¡¯ll end up pouncing on Hero.¡±


    ¡°What? Is it a magic that causes hostility between allies? Damn, it¡¯s a trap for parties! Let¡¯s hurry back!¡±


    I grabbed Lotte¡¯s arm to take her to the Residential Area. However, in the next moment, she took hold of my other arm. With a feeling of uneasiness sweeping over me, I looked up. Lotte¡¯s pupils were slightly loose.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hold on any longer, Hero. Forgive me.¡±


    ¡°Forgive you? For what...?¡±


    ¡°Female wyverns be three times stronger when they¡¯re mating... Be careful so that your bones don¡¯t break.¡±


    ¡°Mating!?¡±


    The moment I heard that word, I acted extremely swiftly. I immediately used Divine Speed, grabbed Lotte, and rushed to the resort area. Afterwards, in case the effect still lingered, I put her down and distanced myself. All these had only taken three seconds.


    ¡°Huh? H-Hero?¡±


    ¡°Lotte, are you okay?¡±


    Lotte looked around with a nk expression as if she¡¯d just woken up from sleep. As she looked okay, I started walking up to her. Once Lotte saw me, she nodded in relief and spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, so let¡¯s hurry back to the dungeon, Hero.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not fine at all!¡±


    I immediately halted and went back about a hundred steps. Lotte smacked her lips as if it was a shame.


    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t afraid of monsters that would attack us when we let our guard down, I would have done it there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a human, and you¡¯re a wyvern!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Hero? No matter what seed I ept, I can give birth to a wyvern, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°That makes me worry even more!¡±


    ¡°But I chose Hero and abandoned all wyverns. So Hero has to take responsibility and guarantee that I leave behind my offspring.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thister, okay!?¡±


    It seemed I needed to find a strong and cool male wyvern. I threw Lotte in the resort area and quickly returned to the dungeon. Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to run back to the 63rd Floor Shop and flick Loretta¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°You should have told me there was a trap like this!¡±


    Loretta rubbed her forehead and retorted as if she¡¯d been wronged.


    ¡°But it¡¯s normally forbidden for us to say anything about the next floor! It¡¯s the customers¡¯ responsibility to check if there are new items in the Floor Shop and to prepare for the next floor! Because I¡¯ve been favoring Shin-nim recently, other administrative guild masters are watching with their eyes open... It¡¯s not like I wanted to put Shin-nim¡¯s chastity at risk!¡±


    Loretta was tearing up. Now that she mentioned it, she was right. It was just that I had gotten too used to Loretta taking care of me on her own. I¡¯d forgotten to do what explorers were supposed to do.


    It was my fault. I lowered my head.


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯ve just been too used to Loretta taking care of me. I¡¯ll be sure to check things over at the Floor Shops from now. And if Loretta wants a reward for all the trouble I caused...¡±


    Loretta immediately rejoiced, as she silently shifted her hair and push her cheeks toward me. Her long ears were happily pping as if they were doing jumping ropes. Loretta sure was cute.


    After giving her a reward, I climbed back up to the 64th floor after obtaining all necessary information. It turned out that the 64th floor had subi. I immediately remembered the Blood Subus that had almost killed me.


    The moment I stepped into the 64th floor, there was an attempted charm magic. Immediately afterward, more subi arrived, using charm magic while disying their alluring bodies. It seemed Lotte and I escapedst time before they managed toe.


    ¡°Handsome human.¡±


    ¡°Come to me.¡±


    ¡°Such brilliant mana light. What a lovable human.¡±


    Of course, with Absolute Soul, neither the floor¡¯s charming property nor the subi¡¯s magic could affect me. If they did work, the extent would only be making them look slightly more attractive. In other words, I didn¡¯t need charm resistance items at all. I didn¡¯t need to bring Lotte here in the first ce.


    That said, the subi on the 64th floor weren¡¯t as weak as Blood Subus. When they realized their charm had no effect, they attacked me in various ways. They could use strong status effect magic and had a passive magic that absorbed their enemy¡¯s mana and health. They were skilled in elemental magic, and could even attack physically with their nails that elongated.


    ¡°Charm doesn¡¯t work!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take him by force!¡±


    ¡°As if I¡¯ll let you!¡±


    In the past, I would have had trouble with a group of highly intelligent enemies attacking me. No matter how good my armor was or how strong my attacks were, I couldn¡¯t beat dozens or hundreds of enemies without being hurt.


    However, that was in the past.


    ¡°Look at my eyes!¡±


    ¡°Kyaak, his eyes...!¡±


    ¡°The Evil Eyes...!¡±


    The subi all turned to stone. The Evil Eyes of Petrification were finally showing their strength! The 56th through 60th floor had monsters that didn¡¯t have eyes, so I couldn¡¯t use them well. In Beyond, they could only slow down the Giant Ghouls or Skeleton Knights. I was happy to finally see Evil Eyes doing so well.


    Though I had to pour mana into the Evil Eyes to break through the subi¡¯s high mana resistance, that wasn¡¯t a problem at all. Once the subi turned into stone, they easily crumbled with a single crossbow bolt.


    As I charged through the 64th floor like a tank, I petrified all subi and shattered them. Regardless of what they tried, they were all useless!


    ¡°Come here, girls!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Everyone run! That man is a rose bearing poison!¡±


    ¡°COME!¡±


    [You used Provoke! All enemies attack you reluctantly!]


    ¡°M-My body is acting on its own!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    As more and more subi screamed unable to resist me, I began to feel weird. It was almost as if I was the bad guy...


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m just imagining it.¡±


    Just like that, I broke through the 64th floor in 40 minutes. When I asked Fatherter, he said he continuously recited the army¡¯s Buddhist heart sutra and broke through in 4 days. As I hadn¡¯t gone to the army to learn the Buddhist heart sutra, I was d that I had the Evil Eyes.


    Author¡¯s note:


    The 60th Floor Master¡¯s skill will have a chance to appear soon ^^

 Chapter 207. The Qualification of an Explorer (4)

    Chapter 207. The Qualification of an Explorer (4)


    With Beyond¡¯s 14th floor in front of me, I left the dungeon and joined Hwaya to greet yda Van and Laz Michel. Though we gained much attention, neither Hwaya nor me cared much for it.


    ¡°I bought a building in Seoul to use as our guild house.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. We can¡¯t only meet at the Residential Area after all. By the way, where¡¯s Ina?¡±


    ¡°In the dungeon. Kids have to go out and y after eating.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    51st floor was where giant monsters appeared, and they were nowhere close enough to threatening Ina. I became a bit sad, thinking my daughter might surpass me, but that was my fate as a Beyond explorer. No, perhaps, Ina might enter Beyond too! With her skills, she could certainly get a god¡¯s true name and meet the requirements!


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°... Here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re overflowing with money anyways.¡±


    Unlike the houses we saw on our way here, in front of us was a huge and modern mansion. It was as if someone had bought the nearbynd, tore down the old buildings, and built a new one. Although we were in a quiet residential area, the center of traffic was only 10 minutes away. And like this must have cost an astronomical... No, let¡¯s stop there.


    The building seemed to be made from Poison Wax Bee¡¯s saliva and Blue Stone Golem¡¯s mana-rich body parts. With these materials, ordinary explosions and monster attacks wasn¡¯t able to shake the building in the slightest. It also had a garden. While it wasn¡¯t bigpared to the size of the building, it was still big enough for Ina to run around and y.


    When I was looking at the entrance to the mansion with a stupefied expression, Hwaya muttered with a hint of yfulness.


    ¡°It¡¯s part of my dowry.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, geez.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯tugh at your jokestely!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±


    There were already guests in the mansion. Leon, Sumire, Sophie, Ren, Lebuik, and other members of Revival were all present. It wasn¡¯t that strange since we had our press conference only yesterday and no one had a reason to leave Korea. After greeting them, I finally realized.


    ¡°Oh, I see. Are we having a weing party for the new members? That¡¯s why everyone¡¯s here, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep. I was about to tell you about it, but you just rushed into the dungeon.¡±


    We could have done it at our guild house in the dungeon, so why on Earth? Seeing my curious gaze, Hwaya responded with a grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s to show off a bit. We¡¯re currently in the world¡¯s center of attention, so we should emphasize us all being together in one ce. Marianne¡¯s Garden is nice, but people won¡¯t know what we¡¯re doing or where we are.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Today is a day to celebrate the guild¡¯s expansion, but showing off our appearance might be just as important.¡±


    It seemed they weren¡¯t the only ones here. As proof, Elfa flew into my embrace. Yua then popped out from behind her and quickly dragged her back. From how swiftly she moved, I could tell how much Yua grew. My sister was growing unbeknownst to me...!


    ¡°Laz Michel and yda Van are going to arrive soon. Stop making that stupid face and get ready to greet out guests.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    While other members were busy preparing for the weing party, Father and Walker were drinking without helping out. I could see Yua chastising him even from where I was standing. Oh, it seemed Leon had joined them too. Right, Leon liked drinking too... Really, Ren was the only proper man here.


    ¡°I know you want to join them, but stop fidgeting so much.¡±


    ¡°Sorry...¡±


    I wasn¡¯t a proper man either...


    When we finished setting everything up including the two Soul Contracts and finished checking over everything, we heard knocks on the door.


    ¡°Shin-nim, Unni, they¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Let them in.¡±


    Although we would order outsiders around for external affairs, we decided not to let outsiders handle any internal affairs. As such, Sumire was working as Hwaya¡¯s secretary. Although it was fine for now, as the number of explorers grew, we would have to deal with outside organizations. We needed to find a solution.


    In any case, Sumire opened the door, and two people came inside the reception room. The first one to enter was Turkey¡¯s healing ability user, yda Van. She looked like she was the same age as Hwaya. At the same time, she was shorter than Hwaya, had smaller breasts, and had smaller eyes. Regardless, she had good style and looked like an innocent beauty.


    The second to enter was Laz Michel, who I had gotten somewhat used to seeing by now. When he saw me, he raised his hand and greeted me.


    ¡°Nice to see you again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only been a day. Did you stay in Seoul?¡±


    ¡°Yep. The hotels here are quite nice.¡±


    Sumire then led them to their seats. This was our first time meeting yda Van. Although I thought about greeting her to create a more rxing atmosphere, I decided to leave that to Hwaya, who was sitting next to me with her eyes on fire.


    After greeting the two important guests, I handed them the contracts.


    ¡°I assume you already know about Revival¡¯s purpose. Joining Revival means that you will join us in our fight against the world¡¯s enemies. Is that fine with the both of you?¡±


    In truth, when I first created Revival, I only thought about fighting them on my own. The only reason Revival was created was to give Ludia and Shuna a ce to stay. But after the Event Dungeons we cleared together, I thought that it would be best for Earth¡¯s explorers toe together. That was when Revival was truly created.


    Now that we were together, we had but one goal. It was to fight the world¡¯s enemies. We knew the reason for the dungeon¡¯s existence and the reason for monsters appearing on Earth. We had to fight, not for anyone else, but for ourselves, our families, and our friends.


    As for Daisy, Ren, and Lebuik, they were cooperating with us to save their own worlds. It went without saying that they were just as desperate as the rest of Revival¡¯s members.


    Laz Michel nodded resolutely.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t havee otherwise. I decided to put my trust in you, so it¡¯s only obvious that I lend you my strength. The world¡¯s enemy... Two of them, you said. If we have to fight such terrifying foes soon, we¡¯ll have to hurry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me. The Turkish government also agrees with me. If my ability can help protect our world, I would be happy to contribute.¡±


    yda Van spoke with a clear voice as she stared straight into my eyes. Hwaya pushed her face next to mine and made a threatening hiss, but I pushed her face away slightly. Are you a snake?


    ¡°Great. Read over the contract and sign it. Once that¡¯s done, you¡¯ll be a member of Revival.¡±


    As Ina had be a Gold rank explorer recently, yda Van and Laz Michel became First Dungeon explorers using her appointments.


    For the record, I had used my appointments for Ye-Eun and Ina, so I didn¡¯t have any left. As for Hwaya, she was still in the Second Dungeon. It would be a waste to make SS rankers into Second Dungeon explorers only. Leon? Leon would surely climb the Second Dungeon as if his life was on the line.


    Once the contract was signed and Ina appointed them as explorers, I reached my hand out to Laz Michel.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to working with you, Michel. With this, you won¡¯t be able to run away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to working with you too, Shin. You won¡¯t regret taking me in.¡±


    Of course, Hwaya was in charge of yda Van. As they say, a monarch only walks on royal road. There was no need to take a single step in a ce that was clearly filled with mines!


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really feel real yet. I¡¯ll have to see this dungeon for myself.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way. You said we should climb together, right?¡±


    It was impossible to climb the dungeon with just a healing ability. As such, we told her to climb the dungeon with Michel. Of course, we didn¡¯t forget to tell Michel to fight Floor Masters on his own first before challenging them together. That way, he¡¯ll be able to get the solo kill titles.


    More importantly...


    ¡°Ah, wait. You guys must be dying to go, but wait a bit longer. We have a weing party nned for our new members, you see.¡±


    It was understandable that they¡¯d want to jump right into the dungeon, but the party we nned painstakingly would then be ruined. Though, this party would most likely end up devolving to a drinking party...


    ¡°I love parties!¡±


    ¡°Hm, you¡¯re right. I see some faces I haven¡¯t seen before, so I guess I should take some time to get to know them.¡±


    They seemed interested as well. I smiled and got up from my seat. Just when I was trying to act cool, Ina jumped on my back and ruined everything. yda Van asked with widened eyes.


    ¡°Did you two know each other from before?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Daughter!?¡±


    Seeing me answer without any hesitation, Hwaya gave me a thumbs up. I understood from her reaction. Once I said I had a daughter, I could stop other women from making advances on me!


    ¡°Ooh, melting tuna!¡±


    Right, today¡¯s main dish was the melting tuna. Yua had already taken everything I had left of the giant melting tuna this morning. Tuna sashimi, tuna steak, tuna sd... Father, Walker, and Leon were already digging in impatiently, but there was nothing to worry about as we had enough to fill the bellies of 30 more people.


    ¡°Great, I love sashimi!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know what you¡¯re talking about. How old are you by the way?¡±


    Father, who quickly grew close with whoever shared his love for food and alcohol, approached Laz Michel with a smile.


    ¡°Ajusshi!¡±


    Hwaya suddenly shouted and snatched the soju bottle away from Father¡¯s hand.


    ¡°How can you start drinking when everyone isn¡¯t here yet! Your son is the main host too!¡±


    ¡°Y-You almost ruptured my eardrums, Daughter.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to act with poise in official settings? You can¡¯t make the guild master look bad!¡±


    ¡°I know, but this could hardly be called an official...¡±


    ¡°Then were you nning on undermining Shin¡¯s authority in front of the new members? If you go too far, I¡¯ll tell Mrs. Kang!¡±


    ¡°Huk!¡±


    Father instantly flinched back. After subjugating Father, Hwaya gave Walker and Leon a terrifying re. Like a slug that had been peppered with salt, the two of them shrunk back. After that, Hwaya mmed the soju bottle down on the table and spoke.


    ¡°The party starts now! Everyone, give the new members a round of apuse!¡±


    ¡°Unni is really energetic..¡±


    ¡°W-What a cool woman...¡±


    Hwaya instantly gained control over the somewhat disordered atmosphere and whipped it to shape. Everyone began pping as to not provoke Hwaya¡¯s wrath. The ps then became more natural and everyone greeted Michel and Van. The two of them also greeted each of Revival¡¯s members.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the dungeon. Please take good care of me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to be of help to everyone. It¡¯s a pleasure to work with you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Shin, it¡¯s time for your opening address.¡±


    It seemed Hwaya was a bit worked up. I put down Ina who was hanging by my neck, took up the soju bottle like a mic and spoke.


    ¡°As I said before, today we received two new members ¨C Laz Michel, a body-reinforcement ability user, and the healer yda Van, who will protect everyone along with Ludia.¡±


    ¡°Healer...¡±


    Ludia looked at Van with a slightly surprised expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we have our own reasons for joining Revival. However, we have the same purpose. That is to protect the ce we belong.¡±


    I put the soju bottle down on the table lightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s only the beginning. With what happened yesterday, more changes wille and we will be in the center of it all. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get busy almost to the point of death, but we¡¯ll surely gain something from it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Crown Prince.¡±


    ¡°I like your honesty, Son.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy with being able to help Oppa.¡±


    ¡°... Trustworthy. Guild master, pass.¡±


    That was enough of seriousness. I grinned and took up the soju bottle again. Everyone¡¯s gazes fell on the bottle.


    ¡°Then for today, let¡¯s drink! Forget weing party, let¡¯s drink when we can! Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Whoooooo!¡±


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Shin! My preparations!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, can I drink too?¡±


    ¡°No, Ina!¡±


    That day, no one could enter the dungeon sober.

 Chapter 208. The Qualification of an Explorer (5)

    Chapter 208. The Qualification of an Explorer (5)


    The next day, Revival¡¯s members returned to where they belonged. Leon returned to America, Sophie returned to Britain, and Michel returned to France. However, Sumire and Van said they would remain in Korea.


    ¡°I want to stay and help Unni more. Also, I want to more seriously learn martial arts from Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°But Sumire...¡±


    ¡°Take good care of me!¡±


    Apparently, Sumire was living by herself as both her parents passed away. As such, there was no problem deciding where she would stay. As people from her country practically worshipped her, it seemed she was somewhat reluctant to go back.


    As for yda Van, I was genuinely surprised that she wanted to remain in Korea. After all, Turkey was certain to have problems where her power could be of help. At our reaction, she spoke as she nodded her head.


    ¡°When I left Turkey, I already told them that I would not being back. Since I¡¯ll have to focus on climbing the dungeon, I won¡¯t have time to deal with other affairs.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Please ept me. I¡¯ll serve you faithfully.¡¯


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t need to serve me at all...¡±


    It was then decided that she would be living in our guild house mansion. We would need someone to stay here after all. After we saw yda Van enter the dungeon after contacting Laz Michel, we each went back to our work. I, of course, had to continue what I left off yesterday ¨C choosing new explorers.


    Then, when I was looking at the documents Hwaya printed that included new applications since yesterday, someone sat down next to me. Thinking it was Elfa, I turned my head to the side. There, I saw Ludia.


    ¡°Ludia?¡±


    ¡°You know how you... picked a new healing ability user.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t I tell you about it?¡±


    ¡°I was in the dungeon, so I didn¡¯t hear you well. Um, you know Shin...¡±


    A hint of uneasiness lingered on Ludia¡¯s eyes. I looked at Hwaya. She shrugged, gesturing that she didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing my best. I¡¯ll be Gold rank soon too. B-Because you said not to stick to you so much, I¡¯m stopping myself from going in your room. Because you said not to fight, I¡¯m not doing anything even with more girls joining in. So don¡¯t throw me away, aak!¡±


    After flicking her forehead once, I did it three more times. Ludia looked at me with teary eyes.


    ¡°You hit me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hit you more if you keep saying stupid things. Throw you away? Do you think you¡¯re trash? It¡¯s better to have two healers than one. You at least know what 1 + 1 is right?¡±


    ¡°Then you won¡¯t throw me awa... Ow!¡±


    ¡°What am I going to do with this girl.¡±


    I thought she had gotten better since she had stopped being reliant on me physically, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case. As I sighed, Hwaya spoke instead of Ludia.


    ¡°Ludia¡¯s just worried that she¡¯s not being of help to you.¡±


    At Hwaya words, Ludia red at her with malice.


    ¡°What do you know?¡±


    ¡°We like the same guy. Isn¡¯t that enough to know each other?¡±


    ¡°I... I don¡¯t like him! I just can¡¯t live without Shin...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. If you want to say something, you can say it over a drinkter. If you stay here, it¡¯s going to hinder our work, so leave.¡±


    ¡°Eeek, Hwaya Mastiford!¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s telekic magic slowly pushed Ludia out of the room. Ludia tried to use her power, but she soon suppressed it, seemingly afraid that she¡¯d destroy the mansion. In the end, she was chased out as she screamed. Ye-Eun, Walker, Yua, Father, and others who were peeking in were also pushed out like bowling pins by Hwaya¡¯s magic power. I didn¡¯t know why they were watching us so curiously. To lighten up the awkward atmosphere, I purposelyughed aloud.


    ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s great that everyone¡¯s so merry!¡±


    ¡°Go back to work, Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    That day, we chose four new explorers. They were all S+ ranks, and as we thought that they had potential, we made them all First Dungeon explorers.


    Although we were slowly using up our appointments, with the four new explorers working hard, we would be able to recover them soon. It was also why we prioritized picking high ranked explorers.


    Once we met them and had them sign the contracts, I finally found the time to enter the dungeon again. Beyond¡¯s 14th floor. It was hell where Giant Ghouls and Skeleton Knights appeared together.


    [Human... Your delicious smell is tickling my nose!]


    [Cut him to shreds! Kill all living be¡ª Kuhuk!]


    The moment I ran into them, I crazily shot my crossbow bolts. Peika and Ruyue were floating around me. Sharana was currently infused into my body.


    ¡°Stop the Skeleton Knight! Prevent them from opening their mouths!¡±


    [That¡¯s easy!]


    [Leave it to me, Shin!]


    Ruyue¡¯s freezing energy filled the area, while Peika¡¯s lightning quickly ravaged our enemies. At the same time, I charged through all the enemies and shot my bolts crazily. The target was the Skeleton Knights¡¯ skulls and the skeleton mounts¡¯ legs! It would be my victory as long as I could stop their screams and charge.


    [Humaaaaaaan!]


    ¡°Elemental de!¡±


    [N-No! I got on aga... Uuuk!]


    [Whee~]


    Countless number of elementals flooded toward me, and I swung the spear de that had extended beyond 10 meters, instantly severing the legs of the skeleton mounts running toward me. Critical hits broke out, and with Skull Breaker¡¯s effect, the damage extended to their entire bodies. I didn¡¯t even need to describe what happened to the Skeleton Knights riding on them.


    [Guoooooooooo!]


    At that moment, a Giant Ghoul roared and swung its ws, as if to protect the Skeleton Knight squadron that had lost its formation. I boldly jumped into the fray and shouted.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Winter Curtain!]


    The Giant Ghoul¡¯s ws were slowed by the numerous ice crystals fluttering in the air. I smirked and jumped on top of its arm. Ipressed the Elemental de and instantly re-expended it to prate the Giant Ghoul¡¯s head. However, an undead monster wouldn¡¯t die from just having its head pierced.


    ¡°If you want to win against me, you¡¯ll need toe by the hundreds!¡±


    In the next moment, I jumped off the arm and shed down with my spear. After splitting its head into two, the Elemental de continued down to its body, causing an explosion. Before Diehard could even activate, I had crushed it.


    The Giant Ghoul¡¯s corpse disappeared, and I could once again see the Skeleton Knights that had readied themselves to charge forward once again. Giant Ghouls as defense, Skeleton Knights as offense. It made sense.


    ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s not enough! Wind King¡¯s Rage!¡±


    Before they could charge toward me, I charged toward them first. Though they raised their heads to use Undead Roar, Peika and Ruyue didn¡¯t let that happen. Both ice and lightning were specialized in stopping the enemies¡¯ movements. With the two of them working together, not even Skeleton Knights could anything about it.


    ¡°Haaaap!¡±


    The first Skeleton Knight I ran into made a silent scream as it was sent flying. This was only the beginning. As they had been preparing to charge together, they were all grouped. Since I couldn¡¯t use Wind King¡¯s Rage for three hours once it was fully charged, I had to kill as many of them as I could.


    ¡°Come! I¡¯ll crush you all!¡±


    [You used Provoke! All enemies attack you uncontrobly!]


    [Kuaaaaaaaa!]


    [Kill him! Kill him!]


    ¡°Divine Speed!¡±


    When they raised their weapons, I used Divine Speed. It went without saying that the faster I was, the more damage I dealt. One, two, three... Each time a Skeleton Knight was sent flying, the speed they flew and the distance they covered increased. All the skeleton mounts had already became dust.


    This continued until not a single one of them remained with their feet on the ground. As I had been pushing them to a single spot, they were all piled on top of each other.


    [Powerful... human...!]


    [How? It¡¯s only a single human...!]


    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t strong, would I be here?¡±


    There were over 40 Skeleton Knights clumped together. I could tell how many Skeleton Knights were filling up a single passageway. The power of wind and lightning gathered by Wind King¡¯s Rage was ready to go berserk. I charged into the mountain of bones made of Skeleton Knights and let it explode.


    ¡°Hasta vista!¡±


    [Critical Hit!]


    They were thoroughly annihted.


    ¡°Huu, huu...¡±


    They turned to particles of light and scattered into the air, brightening up the slightly dark passageway. I stabbed my spear into the ground to catch my breath. I had managed to finish them without being hit a single time.


    ¡°Huu... That was easier than I thought!¡±


    [I did well, right?]


    [Huhu, how was it, Master?]


    ¡°You guys are the best.¡±


    I smiled andplimented the two elementals that flew next to me. Without their help in stopping the Skeleton Knights from using Undead Roar, it would have been difficult for me to defeat them. However, I had an effective way of stopping them from using Undead Roar. With that, I had no problem getting through this area.


    The key was preventing them from using Undead Roar and crushing the skeleton mounts¡¯ legs. Just with these, their strength would practically be halved. Although the Giant Ghouls acting as their shields were annoying, Beyond¡¯s 14th floor was more or less a breeze. I was looking forward to who was waiting for me on the 15th floor.


    ¡°Ghoul plus skeleton. Isn¡¯t that just a ghoul with bones?¡±


    Iughed, imagining a monster that easily tripped on its own bones. Of course, when I thought about the Thunder Power Knight that appeared on the 10th floor, I knew that probably wouldn¡¯t be the case.


    ¡°Hopefully, another skill of that type drops. It feels a bitcking to use Skill Synthesis with just two skills...¡±


    I thought about the skills I received from Beyond¡¯s 10th floor boss and the First Dungeon¡¯s 60th Floor Master and smirked. I was a bit worried that I had gotten too addicted to Skill Synthesis, but I couldn¡¯t help looking forward to the oue. I raised the spear back up as I felt full of strength once more.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, guys! We¡¯re going to breeze through it!¡±


    I sessfully broke through Beyond 14th floor in just two days. Just by being full of fighting spirit, a person could do so much! When I left Beyond and returned to Earth, marveling at the infinite potential of humans, Hwaya gave me a report.


    ¡°Two explorers... died.¡±


    Humans really did have infinite potential.

 Chapter 209. The Qualification of an Explorer (6)

    Chapter 209. The Qualification of an Explorer (6)


    As I had just taken off my shirt to go take a shower, I looked back at Hwaya in an awkward state.


    ¡°What!? Why did they suddenly die?¡±


    ¡°They were contracted to me.¡±


    ¡°Contract? You mean...¡±


    I asked her, dumbfounded.


    ¡°You mean they died because they went against the contract?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I put my familiars on the rankers we took in. As you see...¡±


    ¡°You can put familiars on them without being discovered?¡±


    ¡°I got some help from dungeon items. It¡¯s not like the dungeon only has battle-rted items.¡±


    ¡®Sorry, I only got battle-rted items...¡¯ While I murmured inwardly, Hwaya¡¯s finger danced in the air, and took out a small ball from her inventory. It was then that I suddenly remembered something.


    ¡°Why are you in my room?¡±


    ¡°Your mom let me in. By the way, you¡¯re not really engaged to Ludia, right? She was cooking in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask that while you¡¯re making fireballs. The answer is no. Also, stop staring at me like it¡¯s normal.¡±


    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you build your body to show off to girls? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re losing anything by showing me some muscles.¡±


    ¡°I naturally became like this while training!¡±


    I hurriedly summoned Ruyue and cleaned myself of sweat and dust. While I was at it, I put on fresh clothes as well. Although I didn¡¯t like cleaning myself like this, as taking a shower was more refreshing, I couldn¡¯t stay topless with Hwaya staring at me.


    Hwaya smacked her lips seeing me put on my clothes. She then fiddled with the ball she took out, making it erge to the size of a ser ball. In it, we could see a video. It was like a magical crystal ball.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a device that links to familiars¡¯ eyes. I can just link my eyes to theirs, but I don¡¯t like it because it makes me dizzy.¡±


    ¡°And I won¡¯t be able to see it either.¡±


    In the crystal ball, one of the new explorers we chose appeared. He was talking with another person.


    ¡°That¡¯s another ranker from his country.¡±


    ¡°So the part of the contract he vited is...¡±


    Everything happened incredibly fast. When the explorer reached out to put his hand on the ranker, strength left his body and he copsed. The frightened ranker screamed. The view then changed to the other explorer. It was the same with him. They had both met the same death in the same way.


    ¡°Because of them, all I got were two items called Soul Crystals. It¡¯s gross, really.¡±


    ¡°I feel you...¡±


    I was dumbfounded. They didn¡¯t believe us even after all that? Did they think the contract was just a piece of paper? I thought we took the necessary care to prevent such a thing from happening so that we could steadily increase the number of explorers... It seemed I didn¡¯t put enough faith in people¡¯s ability to be stupid.


    ¡°Huu... If this happens a few more times, Earth¡¯s forces will... Maybe, we should just give up on the Soul Contract.¡±


    ¡°No, Shin.¡±


    Hwaya shook her head.


    ¡°We only asked one thing from them. To not make explorers without permission. What do you think they were trying to do by going against us? It¡¯s simple. They were trying to create their own group of dungeon explorers to decrease our power. If we give up on Soul Contracts now, it¡¯s going to be a total mess. Think of how troublesome it¡¯s going to be when hundreds or even thousands of dungeon explorers are going against us. Then, the problem won¡¯t just be saving Earth. Be firm. They simply paid the price.¡±


    Hwaya was right. If they couldn¡¯t keep such a simple condition, it meant they didn¡¯t care about dungeon explorers¡¯ duty in the first ce. Even though we exined to them so thoroughly, they were still more concerned with ying Monopoly. To be frank, I was disgusted.


    I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes for a moment before opening them back up. Then, I asked Hwaya who was staring at me fixedly.


    ¡°Where were they from?¡±


    ¡°Germany and... Britain.¡±


    ¡°From now on, we won¡¯t... Britain?¡±


    I paused for a moment and fell into silence. Hwaya then continued where I left off.


    ¡°We won¡¯t choose explorers from Germany or Britain from now on.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Hwaya!¡±


    ¡°I decided within my authority as the vice-guild master.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    When I burst out, Hwaya pushed her face into mine and said threateningly.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! As long as we take care of the world¡¯s enemies, there won¡¯t be any problem! Or what, are you not satisfied with just this? Are you going to attack Britain?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it, but Britain is still the country you were born in. I know you want to protect...¡±


    ¡°I already fulfilled my duty by including them in the first wave of appointments. It¡¯s them who betrayed me. Just do as I say.¡±


    She took the crystal ball again and stuffed it in her inventory. Then, she snorted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat now! When you¡¯re angry, you have to fill your belly!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    That day, we revealed the video to the world and announced that we wouldn¡¯t take explorers from Germany and Britain. That also meant that explorers we appointed couldn¡¯t appoint new explorers from those countries. With this, people of Germany and Britain couldn¡¯t be dungeon explorers unless they were chosen by the dungeon itself.


    Of course, we faced massive protest, as the mass media criticized Revival for ¡°killing¡± people. Although there were those that supported us, the amount of criticism we received from most countries was almost as if they had already prepared to do so. I was even beginning to suspect that they sacrificed the two explorers to push the narrative that we were criminals.


    Regardless, we knew we were in the right. I made an announcement. As it was annoying to hold a press conference every time, I just sent a recording to a broadcast agency.


    ¡°We emphasized twice or even thrice that those who vite the contract will die. Now that you see that they actually died, you think we killed them? So you¡¯re saying you nned on viting the contract from the beginning, right? From this point on, whoever talks bullshit and mes us will receive the same treatment as Germany and Britain. If you¡¯re okay with that, keep talking. You won¡¯t even see an explorer in your country. Also, Event Dungeons and Event Raids that you won¡¯t be able to handle, what do you think we¡¯ll do when the so-called giant monsters and gates appear in your countries? We don¡¯t have any intention of helping countries that treat us like murderers.¡±


    Once the announcement made its round, all talks to criticism thoroughly disappeared from the mass media. It was a refreshing feeling. Really, we should have threatened them from the beginning.


    That said, I couldn¡¯t feel good about how things went. Threatening them with Event Dungeons and Event Raids was the worst. I murmured with frustration.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°But they weren¡¯t listening to us when we were being nice. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure there are people who think like us. Right now, the people that support us and the people that doesn¡¯t like us should be fighting each other.¡±


    ¡°When the Demon Lord is in front of us, do you think they¡¯ll realize that what they¡¯re doing is useless?¡±


    ¡°The other two S+ rank explorers are doing well, so don¡¯t be too sad. It¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t expect this to happen.¡±


    ¡°Cheer up Daddy!¡±


    Ina jumped into my embrace and buried her head in my chest. Was she trying tofort me!? It¡¯s super-effective! I hugged Ina back.


    ¡°Thanks, Ina. I¡¯m fine, I was just feeling a bit annoyed.¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks to Ina.¡±


    ¡°... You might be feeling better, but I¡¯m feeling a bit strange.¡±


    Hwaya was looking and Ina and me doubtfully. I looked at Ina and tilted my head.


    ¡°No, nevermind... I can¡¯t be jealous. She¡¯s a kid. I¡¯m an easy-going woman...¡±


    ¡°Mommy is weird.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mommy is weird.¡±


    Seeing Hwaya murmuring to herself, Ina and Iughed.


    Thanks to Ina, I was able to cheer up. With this incident, I realized how foolish people could be. If I couldn¡¯t resolve things peacefully, I just had to use my strength. After all, I wouldn¡¯t have revealed my identity if I didn¡¯t have the power to suppress anyone who opposed me.


    In the end, we were the ones holding the right to appoint explorers, and it was other countries that needed it. At the same time, Revival had Earth¡¯s most powerful people in it. As long as this remained true, others couldn¡¯t meddle with our will. We would continually increase the number of explorers for the benefit of our world.


    Germany and Britain had also turned their tails, and other countries used this opportunity to push their own ability users to be dungeon explorers. Though I found it disgusting, if they would defeat monsters, we had no choice but to use them.


    We then appointed five more explorers. There was no real reason other than that they needed to grow and acquire dungeon explorer appointment rights as soon as possible. I emphasized the danger our world was facing and made sure they saw how the two explorers that went against the contract died.


    ¡°I hope that you won¡¯t do something so foolish and that you¡¯ll do your best for our future.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget it!¡±


    ¡°For Earth!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll only believe in you, Revival¡¯s Master.¡±


    After that, I returned to the dungeon. Although the 65th floor¡¯s subi attempted to seduce me, I easily turned them to stone and shattered them. There were no subi that could escape my gaze and with Elemental de¡¯s reach, my spear plowed through everything in my path.


    [Master! Master¡¯s going too fast!]


    [Shin is angry.]


    [You guys are noisy! You just have to follow Master!]


    I tore apart the subi without a shred of hesitation. In just 30 minutes, I began to see the door to the Floor Master room. At that moment, the door undted as if it was an illusion, and a strange fanfare rang out in my ear.


    [Amazing! You met the condition for opening the Floor Master Event Dungeon that no one has done since the creation of the dungeon!]


    [Floor Master Battle Room transforms into an Event Dungeon!]


    [SSS rank 1-man Event Dungeon, ¡®Subus¡¯ Castle¡¯, opened! You cannot refuse to enter, so please be careful! This Event Dungeon is in a dimension partly outside of the dungeon¡¯s system¡¯s jurisdiction. Death in this dimension means real death. If you feelcking in strength, it is rmended that you immediately use Return to escape!]


    Message noona, you¡¯re too kind! Wait, before that, what did you say?


    ¡°Even the Floor Master room had a next level!?¡±


    I only realized that on the 65th floor? What a waste!

 Chapter 210. The Third Taming (1)

    Chapter 210. The Third Taming (1)


    The surrounding scenery began to melt like when entering gates. Before I noticed, I found myself on a sunset hill. In front of me was a Gothic style castle that seemed to pierce the heavens.


    The castle¡¯s gate then creaked open even though no outside force had touched it. In an instant, the atmosphere changed as the castle seemed to have gotten closer to me. A sweet scent emanated from inside, which seemed capable of enchanting all men. I found that Absolute Soul was already fully activated.


    ¡°My mind... seems fine.¡±


    Peruta Circuit was also circting at its maximum speed. As I was closing in on mastering it, as long as I willed it, Peruta Circuit would activate. Mana raged through my body and solidified my mental defense. At the same time, it covered my body thoroughly, protecting me like a shell. Now, I could imitate Peruta to a certain extent.


    ¡°Subus¡¯ Castle... It looks like I need to go in with a firm resolve.¡±


    I prepared myself to use the power of god¡¯s true name. With Zeus¡¯ power, I could break through most obstacles. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t use Caduceus yet.


    ¡°Sharana,e inside my crossbow. Peika, youe inside me. Ruyue,e into my armor.¡±


    [Got it!]


    [Hu, huhuhu.]


    [Un!]


    Even though I was sucking in the surrounding mana with Peruta Circuit, having all three elementals active still slowly used my mana. However, there was no problem. I could just steal some from the enemies waiting for me inside the castle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After murmuring to myself, I lightly kicked off the ground and jumped into the castle. Arge, luxurious hall entered my sight. There were subi in formations everywhere I looked.


    They all had unique appearances, but were still absolute beauties that could topple kingdoms. Just by ncing at them once, most men would undoubtedly have been enchanted. They werepletely different than the subi I¡¯d seen in the dungeon. However, I couldn¡¯t quite tell what the exact difference was.


    The subi in front of me seemed to have been waiting for me. Their eyes were looking at me like women in love, and their hands were cusped on top of each other politely. Most importantly, they all seemed to be bowing.


    ... Strange. They weren¡¯t in a battle stance.


    ¡°We were waiting.¡±


    The doubt in my heart was crushed in an instant.


    ¡°Waiting? For who? Me?¡±


    I asked the girl... the subus. Unlike the other subi here that were dressed in rather revealing clothing, the one greeted me just now showed little skin. She was wearing a luxurious leather jacket and leather pants. Her bat wings also looked slightly different than the others¡¯.


    I instinctively knew that she at least had the strength to make me draw my weapon. When I raised my crossbow and asked, she realized the battle spirit I was emitting and once again lowered her head.


    ¡°Please retrieve your hostility. We have no intention or ability to fight you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought. This ce should be an SSS rank dungeon, but you guys are... too weak.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, so you really were the one she was waiting for. Please follow me. You will be able to enjoy a battle befitting your dignity.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the boss of this ce?¡±


    ¡°This way.¡±


    I followed the subus and left the hall. The other subi lined up against in parallel and... right, they were bowing to me. But why? What was up with these subi¡¯s ingrained politeness!?


    Everything I knew about subi seemed to escape my head. Did I already fall for their trap? Or was this entire castle an illusion...? No, that didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°Come inside. The queen is waiting.¡±


    When I snapped out of my thoughts, I was in front of arge door that resembled the Floor Master door. I couldn¡¯t help but ask the subus that led me here.


    ¡°You want me to start with the boss? Do I fight the rest of you after I take care of her?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you wish.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t understand what she was nning. With a hint of doubt, I kicked open the door. Boom! With an explosive sound, the door crumbled down and the scene beyond the door was revealed.


    As the castle and door were something out of a movie, I expected to see a red carpet that led to a throne, but that wasn¡¯t it. Inside was anotherrge hall and a young girl that was standing with her eyes closed.


    Though she had the frail appearance of a young girl, her flowing pink hair glowed, seemingly revealing that she wasn¡¯t human. She also had two horns that protruded out to the side and curved likemb horns. Furthermore, she was wearing a thin see-through dress. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t need to look away as she was also wearing silver armor that covered her like a swimsuit.


    In terms of appearance, she looked like she was Yua¡¯s age. However, as expected of the queen of subi, she had a pair of voluptuous breasts. It¡¯s okay! I believe Yua will grow one day! One day!


    She opened her eyes. Starlight gathered in her pink pupils. Seeing her eyes shing wildly, my mouth twisted into a smile and I resisted her gaze with my own eyes.


    This girl had Evil Eyes.


    ¡°Truly... a perfect warrior. Is the only thing you want from me a battle?¡±


    As expected, her voice was also young. However, her voice contained a firm authority and strength. As a show of respect for her strength, I answered honestly.


    ¡°No, my goal is the reward I¡¯ll get after I defeat you.¡±


    ¡°Then raise your weapon. We can talk afterwards.¡±


    The Subus Queen spread out her arms. Her silver fingernails elongated and glistened. The moment I saw her provocative smile, I shot dozens of bolts and charged at her with Divine Speed. Through Weapon Swap, the weapon in my hand had already be the Chaotic Spear. Sharana also switched to the spear and strengthened its power.


    ¡°Ut!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can continue to act cool!¡±


    While the Subus Queen created a magical shield to protect herself from the bolts, I ducked under and dug into her defense. I then shot my spear upwards, aiming for her chest area. She seemed to be specialized in magical abilities, as even while blocked the bolts, she summoned dozens of bats to block my path.


    As I had expected some form of resistance, I wasn¡¯t caught off guard. My armor shone brilliantly and all the bats dropped down, frozen to chunks of ice. My spear then shed with the Subus Queen¡¯s nails, which she hurriedly moved in front of her chest. Although my goal was to pierce through her body, I was surprisingly blocked by her physical resistance.


    This was the level of a Floor Master? She was much stronger than even the monsters in Beyond! Even while I couldn¡¯t hide my surprise, I reacted quickly. I instantly took back my spear and thrust forward.


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    ¡°Kuk! You barbaric man!¡±


    What shocked me even more was that the Subus Queen could follow my movements to a certain extent. This was when I was under the effect of Divine Speed! She created another magical barrier. When it was pierced through by my Heroic Strike, she spread out her wings and blocked the attack with a wave of silver aura.


    However, Heroic Strike could not be stopped with just that. My spear perfectly hit her stomach, and the force she couldn¡¯tpletely block sent her flying back.


    ¡°You¡¯re strong, but you have no manners... You must not be popr with women.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I am.¡±


    I grinned as I retorted. Then, I shot a whirlpool of chaos mes toward her. Frightened, the Subus Queen flew up. I used Tria and followed after her.


    ¡°You¡¯re a Hero!¡±


    ¡°Yep, I am.¡±


    ¡°The blessing on your body! And that recklessness! Truly the role model of Heroes!¡±


    With that, the Subus Queen drew a magic circle in the air. No, it was not a physical magic circle. It was a magic circle that maximized the power of her Evil Eyes of Charming. I also drew my Evil Eyes¡¯ power to the peak and pulled up the power of Absolute Soul and Overwhelm.


    Pzzt! The magic circle crackled with sparks, but soon disappeared. For the first time, the Subus Queen made a shocked expression.


    ¡°You resisted my charm!?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t fall for my petrification, so we¡¯re even!¡±


    I used Divine Speed once again. As I could steal mana when I hit her, I didn¡¯t need to conserve mana. I arrived in front of her in 0.2 seconds, shook off her broken magic circle¡¯s attempt to restrain me in 0.3 seconds, and deal another blow to her leg. By the 1 second mark, I was thrusting my spear consecutively with Lightning Spear Storm.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an impatient one, aren¡¯t you!?¡±


    The Subus Queen¡¯s body shone in multiple areas. Magic circles appeared in every spot my spear targeted and made great efforts to block the spear attacks. Even so, my mana was filling up slowly. It meant she was properly taking damage.


    ¡°I was waiting for a warrior of this caliber, but I cannot dishonor the name of Subus Queen!¡±


    In the next moment, she reached out and grabbed my spear. While the aura emanating from her fingernails and the lightning aura enveloping my spear shed and dyed the room in a brilliant light, her face pushed up against mine. When we were close enough that I could count the number of her eysh strands, she pushed her full lips against mine.


    Realizing what she was about to do, I used Divine Speed for the third time and headbutted her. I then raised my foot and quickly kicked her away.


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    The Subus Queen teared up. Rather than physical pain, she seemed to have received great psychological shock. She shouted at me.


    ¡°You refused my kiss! Are you really a man!? How can you kick a girl like that!?¡±


    ¡°Fight with your strength!¡±


    ¡°This is a Subus¡¯ strength!¡±


    ¡°Charms don¡¯t work on me!¡±


    I shouted back annoyed as I crashed down on the ground. I had activated Gaia Buster. I had even used Sacrifice as well. The hall crumbled, and the countless number of rock shards that shot up was enveloped with a ck aura. With an expression of utter shock, the Subus Queen created several barriers.


    ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Since you invited me, defeat me with your strength!¡±


    Instead of the crumbled ground, I kicked off the air with Tria¡¯s power and charged toward her. The brilliant power of Hero filled my spear and mixed with chaos mes, forming a whirlpool that was hard to describe. Facing me, the Subus Queen spread out her wings. Pink aura enveloped her hands.


    ¡°You¡¯re truly manly! But if you don¡¯t differentiate between your targets, you¡¯ll be hated!¡±


    ¡°I prefer being cursed by targets that¡¯ll soon die!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die!¡±


    My spear shed with the Subus Queen¡¯s aura, and an explosion broke out. Though we both received damage, I attacked her once again. Her raw strength was simr to mine! However, in terms of technique and skill...!


    Peruta Circuit vibrated fiercely, speeding up the rate the whirlpool of aura rotated. As I poured more mana into my attacks, the Subus Queen received more injuries and more mana flowed back into me. The Subus Queen widened her eyes in surprise.


    ¡°My mana...? We were the same kin?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but do I look like someone that can seduce women wherever I go? I simply obtained the Mana Eater¡¯s power!¡±


    I shouted and poured more strength into my spear. I used Heroic Strike once more and activated Sacrifice at the same time. If she didn¡¯t die with this, I would be in trouble. However, her intelligence was high and her magical barriers were extremely annoying. The solution was to push through when I saw an opening! Although this wasn¡¯t the strongest attack I could muster, I put enough strength to destroy Seoul in a single blow.


    Just when I was about to thrust forward, she smiled and spoke.


    ¡°You pass, Dear Husband. In every regard!¡±


    Two words I¡¯d never heard in my lifetime made me lose strength. I couldn¡¯t believe my mentality was so weak that I¡¯d be shaken by words. Thinking that I needed to train myself when I got back, I tried to thrust forward once again. This time, she spoke more clearly.


    ¡°Since we worked off good sweat, why don¡¯t we take some rest and talk, Dear Husband?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say something that would make other people misunderstand!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but interrupt her.


    Author¡¯s note:


    The title says everything! There¡¯s nothing to doubt! Yep!


    No, she¡¯s not a heroine! There are only four heroines, and it will stay that way! I also have four tamed beings nned just like four elementals, but I¡¯m still deciding whether thest one is going to be male or female...


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    I already like her.

 Chapter 211. The Third Taming (2)

    Chapter 211. The Third Taming (2)


    Although I was still positioned to stab my spear into her, the Subus Queen let her defense down. Then, she grabbed my spear and pushed it away.


    ¡°Can you take this crude thing away? I only want to be stabbed by Dear Husband¡¯s spear in bed... Kyak!?¡±


    I smacked her head. It should have hurt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make coarse jokes. If you want to talk, let¡¯s talk. I¡¯ll listen.¡±


    ¡°Huu, you¡¯d be perfect if you weren¡¯t so violent. Really, humans... Fine. Let¡¯s go have a nice talk.¡±


    She rubbed the ce I hit then snapped her fingers. The subus that led me here entered through the door with the other subi and began to tidy up the ce quickly. Soon, a table and two chairs had been set up with wine and two sses. I couldn¡¯t understand what they wanted from me.


    Regardless, it was clear that they didn¡¯t want to fight me. Other than Ruyue, I sent the elementals back. With Ruyue¡¯s power, I cleaned myself up and put her on standby in case anything happened. Seeing me clean myself in an instant, the Subus Queen looked at me with interest.


    ¡°Oh? Surprisingly, you¡¯re a man of culture! That magic, no... elemental?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I sat down across from her. She pushed a ss of wine toward me, but I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to drink alcohol in the middle of an enemy¡¯s territory. When I snorted, she spoke a bit depressed.


    ¡°At least say a toast.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡±


    ¡°Mm, good. So, what were we talking about...? Our wedding date?¡±


    ¡°Want to die?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a part of it... Fine, I¡¯ll start from the beginning. From the moment I lost against them.¡±


    My ears perked up. I didn¡¯t expect to hear anything important, but who lost to who?


    ¡°Have you heard of Elesia?¡±


    ¡°Is that someone¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the name of a world. The world we were trying to invade and the world we lost against.¡±


    ¡°Can you be more detailed? Who¡¯s we?¡±


    I pulled the chair I was sitting on closer in to the table. Her Evil Eyes shed with joy.


    ¡°Obviously, I¡¯m talking about the Mare Alliance. The demon continent Enesis¡¯ rulers, the Mares.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s Enesis?¡±


    ¡°A continent where the world¡¯s power disappeared. To be precise, it was stolen by Elesia.¡±


    ¡°What? Stolen by Elesia? Didn¡¯t you say you were trying to steal it from Elesia?¡±


    ¡°Eh? You didn¡¯t know about this? ...Do you not know why your world is being invaded?¡±


    I froze. In my head, I struggled to make sense of what she said. First, I organized what I knew about the enemies invading my world.


    There was one that became greedy for more world¡¯s powers even after obtaining one, but I set that one aside for now. Normally, worlds that lost their ¡®world¡¯s power¡¯, which allowed them to continue to exist, invaded other worlds to steal their worlds¡¯ powers. Worlds that were being invaded usually had races simr to humans, while the invading side were always demons or monsters.


    Until now, I hadn¡¯t really thought about how the invading forces had lost their worlds¡¯ powers. Perhaps, I was avoiding thinking about it as I had never even asked Loretta.


    However, what the Subus Queen just said threw a rock in a still pond. Why Earth was being invaded? The forces of Enesis should have tried to steal Elesia¡¯s power, but Elesia stole Enesis¡¯ power first?


    ¡°Your troubled face is so cute. I was wrong. You must be popr with women.¡±


    ¡°Please, exin.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡±


    With that, she emptied her ss. I poured more wine in her ss, then picked up my own and gulped it down. No matter what poison was inside it, I felt like I needed to drink it. Of course, the wine had a heavenly taste.


    ¡°Do you know how a world is born?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, I don¡¯t either. But I know this. There is a definite limit to the number of worlds that can exist. At a certain point in the past, the infinitely growing number of worlds reached that limit.¡±


    ¡°The number of worlds reached... a limit?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you an example. Let¡¯s say you have a bookshelf that can hold up to 300 books. At first, you bought all the books you could because you wanted to fill up the bookshelf, and before you noticed, it did. But, without realizing that was the case, you bought even more books. What would you do?¡±


    ¡°Buy a new bookshelf?¡±


    ¡°Only one bookshelf can fit in your room.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯d sell or throw away the books I don¡¯t read.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s what¡¯s happening to us.¡±


    She pped as if I¡¯d answered a difficult question.


    ¡°The number of worlds became too high, so it needed be lowered. There wasn¡¯t enough worlds¡¯ powers for all worlds to have one. I don¡¯t know who, but the Lofty One came up with a solution.¡±


    To pair up all worlds.


    With that, she filled up my ss. I immediately grabbed it, and as she wanted, I clinked sses with the Subus Queen.


    ¡°Gulp... Huu. Pair up worlds?¡±


    ¡°Yep. It was an excellent way to halve the number of worlds. Just like that, countless number of worlds became paired. Enesis and Elesia was one of them. Between these two worlds, the one with less mana, or in other worlds, the weaker world became the focus of the world¡¯s power. In a way, it was a way of bncing them out. Everyone knows that defense is easier than offense.¡±


    ¡°You mean... the current system of invaders and defenders was created by someone?¡±


    ¡°Right. Without the world¡¯s power, no world can continue to exist. As a result, one world was left with no choice but to invade and steal the other world¡¯s power. Regardless of whether the defender seeds or fails, two worlds would decrease to one. With this, the number of worlds would sessfully be halved.¡±


    ¡°The hell...¡±


    Didn¡¯t that mean neither side was at fault? After all, the invaders were forced into their positions.


    I was dumbfounded. What we were doing until now wasn¡¯t a heroic tale of defeating evil monsters nor an adventurous tale of exploring mysterious dungeons. Rather, it was a simplepetition for survival.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too shaken. It¡¯s not like what you have to do changed. You just have to protect what you need to protect. A thief may have needed to steal to survive, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that a thief is a thief.¡±


    ¡°T-Thanks.¡±


    Why was sheforting me? Though I was thankful, I was also a bit confused. Now that I thought about it, wasn¡¯t she the one in the invaders¡¯ position? Why was she telling me all this?


    She seemed to have realized what I was thinking, as she continued her exnation.


    ¡°Right, so Enesis invaded Elesia. But, we lost. Itsted hundreds of years. Lord led everyone and all Mares participated. But I fought half-heartedly so that I could protect my n members. That¡¯s why many of us are still alive.¡±


    ¡°If you lost, how are you still alive?¡±


    ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t know this either? Isn¡¯t it obvious? Look where we are, and you¡¯ll know your answer.¡±


    ¡°The dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Right, the dungeon.¡±


    A full smile bloomed on her face.


    ¡°In wars, it¡¯s rare that victorspletely wipe out the losing side. Of course, Lord and other powerful members had to die, but my n wasn¡¯t strong enough to catch their attention... That¡¯s when the dungeon stepped in. To give us life.¡±


    ¡°Life?¡±


    ¡°Where do you think all the monsters in the dungeon came from?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    I remembered the Lizard Knight and Duhan I first met. I remembered their voices of despair that I did my best to ignore. The Subus Queen grinned as she looked at me.


    ¡°They were feeling stifled... and crying in despair.¡±


    ¡°Yep. It¡¯s like what those losers said. Monsters, Mares, Demons, and other invaders that didn¡¯t have the courage to die with their worlds joined hands with the dungeon. Eternally dying, yet being unable to die. The cursed immortality.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t say anything, especially because I had somewhat expected it. The dungeon helped us, the defenders. In that case, it was clear how the invaders viewed the dungeon. They undoubtedly hated it to their bones, so much so that they¡¯d give their lives to get back at it. Even so, they joined the dungeon for a chance at life.


    ¡°When you seed in defending your world, the ones that failed will probably join the dungeon. Of course, with their leaders killed. They will then help grow other worlds¡¯ defenders. Easy, right?¡±


    ¡°... What about you?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, I¡¯m different. Do I look like the Mares that attacked you in the dungeon? Those Subi that fell to being mere Floor Masters?¡±


    ¡°No. I haven¡¯t seen the Floor Master yet anyways.¡±


    ¡°I refused. To be more precise, I set a condition. I didn¡¯t want to live a cruel life where my n members and I died repeatedly.¡±


    She spread out her arms. The entire castle seemed to be breathing like a living creature.


    ¡°I will cooperate. I will help the defenders grow. But, I will only give myself to the one who has the qualification.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Of course, I set a very strict condition. This person had to be a man who was extremely strong, extremely fast, extremely charming, and extremely elegant. Oh, and he had to have extreme resistance against charming. Simply put, it¡¯s you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m speechless.¡±


    Dumfounded, I gulped down the ss for the third time. The Subus Queen pouted.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡°speechless¡±? It makes sense! I was born as a Subus Queen, but I had to devote my life to battle without ever knowing men. Do you know how depressing that is? I didn¡¯t want to die without finding a husband, but I didn¡¯t want to be a battle machine for the dungeon. Since I was nning on epting a husband, isn¡¯t it better if he¡¯s fabulous? Most of all, I wanted someone who would love me as I was without falling for my charm! Of course, didn¡¯t really believe a man could resist my charm, but... huhu, I was so surprised when my charm didn¡¯t work even after I amplified it with magic! That¡¯s when I felt fate!¡±


    ¡°You call that fate?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the reward I got for waiting for countless years. One time, I got frightened, thinking I¡¯d die of age in this boring castle. But look, I met you!¡±


    ¡°Who said I¡¯d ept you?¡±


    ¡°Then are you going to kill me? A pitiful beautiful girl like me? You¡¯re going to kill someone connected to you by fate? Un? Are you going to massacre me and my n members who faced extinction just by being born in Enesis?¡±


    ¡°Eek...!¡±


    This girl, she revealed everything on purpose! Just in case I killed everyone! She cusped her hands on her chest, and with tear eyes, she pushed her face up against mine. Her charming face was youthful like a teen¡¯s, yet somewhat erotic... First, I flicked her forehead.


    ¡°Ow! You hit me again!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you in.¡±


    I said shortly. Her expression brightened.


    ¡°Really!? I love you!¡±


    ¡°The first thing we did was fight, love my ass! I just didn¡¯t want to kill someone who has no hostility against me, especially when I have a way for her survival.¡±


    ¡°Oh, looks like Dear Husband is rather inexperienced with love. Love isn¡¯t something anyone can exin andprehend. The moment someone tries to exin love, its value drops.¡±


    Then what, you know love!? I wanted to throw the question back to her, but upon thinking about it, she was the Subus Queen. As she¡¯d at least know love more than me, I stayed silent.


    She got up from her seat, pushed the table aside, then approached me and grabbed my hand. As it was unlikely that she¡¯d try to do something now, I let her be. She happily kissed the back of my hand and looked up to me. Her eyes shone with sparkling pink.


    ¡°Dear Husband, vest me a name that connects us together.¡±


    ¡°... Licorice.¡±


    At that moment...


    [You made an achievement of taming the SSS+ rank boss monster, ¡®Subus Queen.¡¯ You obtained 3 skill point. Current skill points: 5]


    [Taming became level 5. Even without taming, all neutral targets will see you favorably and easily listen to yourmands.]


    [Spirit of the Tamer became level 5. Your charm stat¡¯s degree of amplification increases, while your tamed monsters¡¯ loyalty and affection increases greatly. Current tamable targets: 3/3]


    [Event Dungeon cleared! You were acknowledged by the Subus Queen and made an achievement of sessfully clearing an Event Dungeon without killing. You obtained 10 bonus stats!]


    [You became level 66! You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond¡¯s 15th floor!]


    Wait, what? Did I hear wrong?


    ¡°Then, Dear Husband, please take good care of us. My n of 214 subi will forever serve you as our husband.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    I had instantly gotten 214 more mouths to feed.

 Chapter 212. The Third Taming (3)

    Chapter 212. The Third Taming (3)


    What the Subus Queen, Licorice, did next was truly shocking. When she slightly lifted up her dress, the 213 subi in the castle all transformed into bats and flew into her dress. Although the dress was see-through, I couldn¡¯t see the bats once they went in!


    In utter shock, I stared at her dress fixedly and asked.


    ¡°What happened!?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, you won¡¯t see them even if you stare so intently. Do you want to try lifting my dress up?¡±


    ¡°No thanks!¡±


    Licorice fiddled with the hem of her dress seductively, but I answered with a forehead flick. While she muttered in pain, the castle she and the other subi were living in began to crumble.


    Once the pain seemingly subsided, Licorice raised her head and looked at the crumbling castle with a touched expression. She then turned around to face me and spoke.


    ¡°Dear Husband, I have lost my home now, so you have to take responsibility. Food, clothing, shelter, and everything else!¡±


    ¡°Subi eat food?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we do have a preference, huhu.¡±


    Licorice stared intently at a certain part of my body as she licked her lips. I was already worrying how the guild members would react once they saw her.


    Wait, no, after the Floor Master battle, the first one I saw was always...


    ¡°Shin-nim? What hap... Kyak!?¡±


    As I expected, we were sent to the front of the Floor Shop. I didn¡¯t know what happened to the dungeon when I entered the Event Dungeon, but Loretta, who was approaching me with a worried expression, screamed in shock when she saw Licorice .


    ¡°What¡¯s that monster!? Shin-nim, n-next to you!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Loretta. This is Licorice.¡±


    ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Licorice, Dear Husband named me. Who are you? Dear Husband¡¯s concubine?¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband...?¡±


    Oh look, Loretta¡¯s double-edged battle axe... Wait, no, stop with that!


    For the next 5 minutes, I exined what had happened. Of course, I introduced Loretta to Licorice as well. Loretta clenched her fists, seemingly thinking about something extremely violent, as she pped her ears.


    ¡°I see... Hmm, 213 subi and a Subus Queen... Not to mention, they¡¯re a n highly apt in battle... Uuu, they¡¯ll be of great help to Shin-nim. Uu... I¡¯ll have to ept...¡±


    ¡°Hm? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re his concubine, so what rtion do you have with Dear Husband that gives you the right to ept me or not?¡±


    ¡°Licorice, shut up.¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband, this elf is ring at me. Scary.¡±


    Even Licorice seemed unable to withstand Loretta¡¯s killing intent as she hid behind my back and trembled. That seemed to make Loretta even more furious.


    ¡°Shin-nim, that¡¯s enough!¡±


    ¡°What? But this isn¡¯t my fault!?¡±


    ¡°You could have killed them all with an iron will and stone heart!¡±


    ¡°You want me to kill them when they never had any hostility against me!?¡±


    ¡°Kuk...¡±


    Hard-pressed for a correct response, Loretta drooped her ears and grumbled. At that moment, Licorice tapped on my arm and spoke.


    ¡°Dear Husband, I want to go to your home now.¡±


    ¡°Home? You mean the one in the Residential Area? Or the one on Earth?¡±


    Thinking about Licorice and the 213 subi that should be hiding in her dress, I felt like I was going nuts. As Licorice¡¯s master, I couldmand her servants perfectly. While each of them had a strength greater than a typical SS rank monster...


    ¡°Licorice, we¡¯re going to Earth, now. Loretta, I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim. I¡¯m trusting you, okay? You have toe back! Don¡¯t be seduced by a mere subus!¡±


    ¡°Mere subus!? A subus is a lot better than a mere elf!¡±


    ¡°Quiet both of you.¡±


    After giving Loretta and Licorice appropriate punishments, I returned to Earth with the fretting Licorice. As no one was home, I messaged Hwaya and headed to our guild house on Earth.


    Although I was sure I only contacted Hwaya, when I arrived at the guild house, Sumire, Yua, Ludia, and Ye-Eun were all there.


    ¡°Why are you all here?¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s answer was particrly noteworthy.


    ¡°Well, you said, ¡®I got a force we couldpletely trust!¡¯, so that obviously made me think, ¡®what woman is it this time?¡¯ So I gathered people I thought would be my allies.¡±


    ¡°Hey...¡±


    ¡°But it really was a woman... Hwaya Unni¡¯s intuition is scary!¡±


    ¡°So who is she? She doesn¡¯t look human.¡±


    While Ye-Eun¡¯s respect for Hwaya seemed to have rose, Ludia who specialized in holy magic seemed to have felt Licorice¡¯s aura as she put up her guard. Just like I did for Loretta, I exined what happened with Licorice to them.


    ¡°214...¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re all subi...¡±


    ¡°Wow, she looks much stronger than the Subus Queen I met before. Is she really a Subus Queen?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, isn¡¯t it obvious that I¡¯d be stronger than the ones who entrusted their existences to the dungeon? They¡¯re tied to the dungeon, but I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Subus... Huu.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why, but Ludia put her staff down seemingly relieved. At that moment, Licorice tilted her head and asked.


    ¡°I understand that they¡¯re all Dear Husband¡¯s women, but who¡¯s the legal wife? You see, Mares have a strict hierarchy. If you tell me, I¡¯ll behave ordingly.¡±


    Silence descended. When I was about to say something with a sigh, the atmosphere changed. Ludia put up her staff again, while the air heated up from Hwaya¡¯s fireballs.


    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°I thought about making it clear. Legal wife... For now, I¡¯ll ept that position.¡±


    ¡°That position belongs to me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confident in fighting too!¡±


    I used Divine Speed and calmed them down by flicking their foreheads. Then, I continued.


    ¡°In any case, with Licorice¡¯s servants, things will get a lot easier. They all have human intelligence and there¡¯s no need to worry about them betraying us.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, we do have a lot of work to do and it¡¯s not like we can keep seeking outside help... and I feel sorry making Sumire work all the time.¡±


    ¡°Right, if we think of them as 213 SS rankers, that¡¯s indeed frightening. They can probably conquer the world with just their strength.¡±


    ¡°My servants arepetent! If it¡¯s Dear Husband¡¯smand, they¡¯ll do anything!¡±


    Licorice raised her hand and spoke with a bright voice. After contemting for a brief moment, Hwaya nodded her head.


    ¡°... Alright. I¡¯m looking forward to working together. With your sincerity and ability, let¡¯s maintain a healthypetitive rtionship. That said, I can¡¯t ept all 213 others aspetitors. Let them find other men!¡±


    ¡°Ah, my n normally chooses one man to serve. You see, we share a strong link. With it, we can share experiences and grow stronger quicker. But there¡¯s also a clear disadvantage. We feel excruciating pain when we do it with other men. So it¡¯s always been that the queen chooses a man, while the others follow. Don¡¯t worry! Our Dear Husband can easily handle 200 or 300 of us and not even feel tired!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So that¡¯s why they were all together in that Event Dungeon... Just when I thought a good rtionship would be established between Hwaya and Licorice, it was shattered. That said, everyone epted the subus n¡¯s usefulness. First, the Subus Queen¡¯s direct subordinate, the Elder Subus ¡®Mirei¡¯, became Hwaya¡¯s secretary. Though Sumire nned to stay in Korea, she had be free from all the work we¡¯ve been putting on her.


    ¡°I like her. She¡¯s even dressed modestly. ¡±


    ¡°Please take good care of me, Hwaya-nim.¡±


    Leather jacket, leather pants, and grey hair that flowed down to one side of her shoulder. With serene grey eyes, she was the picture-perfect secretary. Not to mention, as Mirei had strength that was only second to Licorice, she could fight with Hwaya if something happened.


    Additionally, dozens of other subi were ced under Mirei to monitor and collect data on monsters, Event Dungeons, and Event Raids that appeared on Earth.


    Until now, Revival didn¡¯t have a proper information sector. As a result, information had to flow from an outside source to Hwaya then to me. With this new addition, everything would change.


    As all of them had the power of an SS ranker, the proactiveness and information collecting prowess were far greater than before. As Mirei could create mental links between herself and Licorice at any time, Hwaya and I received information practically as they came. The subi¡¯s ability couldn¡¯t be described as just great.


    ¡°How did you guys lose?¡±


    ¡°Maybe fate got in our way so I could meet Dear Husband.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    It was more difficult to deal with stealthy approaches like Hwaya¡¯s, but I liked that Licorice was so brazen. That way, I could strike her down without hesitation.


    ... Eh? Why did I sound like a horrible guy just now?


    However, other than Licorice, Mirei, and the thirty subi under hermand, there were still 182 subi. What were they supposed to do? They couldn¡¯t all climb the dungeon. Should we send them to other countries? While I was wracking my stupid brain, Licorice asked.


    ¡°Dear Husband, why are there so many neglected monsters in this world?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s because people can¡¯t easily enter territories that monsters imed. It¡¯s dangerous and we don¡¯t even know what monsters are there. Since everyone¡¯s busy dealing with the monsters appearing near human territories, they can¡¯t gather the numbers to tackle suchrge areas.¡±


    Then, Licorice pointed at the 182 bats filling the mansion.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they there?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right!¡±


    The real territorial war between humans and monsters began with a trivial thought. Just like everything in the world usually was.

 Chapter 213. The Third Taming (4)

    Chapter 213. The Third Taming (4)


    On Earth, some countries were ruined by monsters, and many uninhabited inds were crawling with monsters. I remembered seeing a news report saying that 30% of small inds had been taken over by monsters.


    The reason humans could continue to live normally was all thanks to Guardian and Freedom Wing, who always had at least 50% of their forces devoted to stopping the monsters¡¯ further encroachment into human territory. This was the reason Guardian and Freedom Wing could continue to exist even while they were being used by people of authority, being doubted of their capabilities, and receiving bad press.


    As agencies that protected humanity, this was the Guardian and Freedom Wing¡¯s founding goal.


    However, even they could not deploy troops to reimnds taken over by monsters. As I said before, they just didn¡¯t have enough manpower.


    Everyday, monsters of unpredictable strength appeared inpletely unexpected ces. From what I knew, only Ciara could predict their appearance. However, even Ciara could only cover an area about the size of an average city. In the end, it was Guardian and Freedom Wing that protected humanity from unforeseen deaths. As this task took most of their forces, they had no choice but to leave monsters¡¯ territories alone no matter how dangerous they were.


    In territories controlled by monsters, their rate of appearance sharply rose. It was the same as how monsters continually spawned in Field Dungeons. At first, I thought the monsters were reproducing, but this wasn¡¯t the case.


    Reproduction meant the birth of new lives. For the invading monsters who didn¡¯t have a world¡¯s power, this was impossible. Plus, not even monsters could give birth to already grown monsters. The fact that no baby monsters had been found strongly rejected the possibility that they were reproducing. In that case, there was only one possibility left ¨C the pathway.


    I conjectured that when the number of certain monsters in a set area increased, the pathway would widen and allow more of their kind to pass through. This made sense especially since I knew that being invaded by two worlds elerated the speed of invasion.


    In any case, it was true that territories seized by monsters spawned more monsters. Currently, the number of monsters in these territories was shocking. Philippines, Madagascar, Republic of South Africa, and Dominican Republic were already ruined. Germany, Britain, America, Korea, and other countries had also lost much of theirnd to monsters. Although everyone wanted to reim theirnd, no one could put it into action.


    Now that I thought about it, Joshua Brightman who tried to create a separate independent organization just to go against Revival was really shameless. He should have just kept doing his job properly. Of course, since he now had to live the rest of his life eating porridge and medicine, I couldn¡¯t say much more.


    In any case, this was where the subi army stepped in. As they weren¡¯t restrained to the dungeon, though they almost died of old age as virgins. they were able to keep their original strengths and even shared battle experience and skill proficiency with each other.


    212 subi had magic power on par with SS rankers, while Mirei¡¯s strength was somewhere between SS+ rank and SSS rank, and Licorice¡¯s strength was SSS+ rank. It wouldn¡¯t be an overstatement to say that they could easily stomp any force on Earth.


    To be frank, if the members of Revival fought against them without me, the result was clear. Unless about five other members received gods¡¯ true names, they would undoubtedly lose.


    Though the subi couldn¡¯t climb the dungeon, there was no need to let them sit around and do nothing. Plus, Licorice said that the mana and vitality subi needed to live could be stolen from monsters. Thus, this ¡®subjugation¡¯ would be vital for their survival.


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to worry, we won¡¯t do it with anyone other than Dear Husb¡ª kyak!¡±


    I smacked Licorice¡¯s head and shut her up.


    ¡°I know, you already said you had a special magic for it.¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband, your method of showing affection is too violent... sob.¡±


    I looked around at the subi in the mansion and spoke.


    ¡°We prepared robes for all of you. Honestly, the way you¡¯re currently dressed is too lewd.¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband prepared clothes for us!¡±


    ¡°Woooow!¡±


    All 182 subi cheered. As they were incredibly loud, I considered using Frozen Roar, but since they had already be my allies, I knew I couldn¡¯t freeze them. On the other hand, Licorice and other subi that weren¡¯t chosen to be part of the battle squad became depressed. You were lying when you said you shared emotions, weren¡¯t you?


    ¡°Licorice, don¡¯t look so sad. There¡¯s one for you too. It¡¯s our guild robe.¡±


    ¡°Guild robe?¡±


    Right, the clothes I had prepared for them were Revival¡¯s guild robes. Revival¡¯s guild emblem, suggested by vice-guild master Hwaya and agreed upon by majority of others, was embroidered on them. By giving almost all the monster materials I had to the best cksmith I knew, about 300 of them had been made. To be honest, when I firstmissioned for them to be made, I was worried whether they would all find owners...


    ¡®Thanks, Lin. I¡¯ll remember to buy you a drinkter.¡¯


    I gave everyone their robes as I lightly pushed aside Lin cursing under his breath in my head. The subi examined the robes and cheered.


    ¡°They all have magic imbued in them!¡±


    ¡°Wow, they¡¯re skin-tight! Just the way we like it!¡±


    ¡°Golden embroidery on ck, they¡¯re gorgeous.¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s this on the back? There¡¯s a streak of lightning enveloping a spear!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... the guild emblem.¡±


    As I felt that the guild emblem only represented me, I voted against it, but Hwaya pushed for it seriously. ording to her, I was the one currently representing Revival. After getting a confirmation that the guild emblem would changeter, I agreed to it. Truthfully, even if I didn¡¯t agree, as a majority of guild members agreed, it would have been pushed through.


    ¡°Mm, I don¡¯t like that it¡¯s not very revealing.¡±


    ¡°What age are you from? In this day and age, rather than showing skin, clothes that entuate bodily curves are the best!¡±


    The subi merrily chatted and put on their robes immediately. As they could just wear it on top of their leather clothes which could barely be considered clothes, it was quite simple. The result was 182 women wearing elegant ck robes.


    When they were wearing the leather clothes unique to subi, I didn¡¯t know where to ce my eyes. Now that they were all wearing the same robe, they looked like an elite force. Although the robes openly showed their bodily curves, as expected of clothes Lin made, they exuded the aura of nobility and elegance rather than vulgarity.


    Moreover, the somewhat embarrassing lightning spear emblem on their back was conspicuous. It would be impossible for anyone to not think of me when they saw it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s split you guys up. Each unit will have 30 subi, and with one more in Unit 1 and Unit 2, there will be 6 units.¡±


    Unit 1 and Unit 2 had 31 subi, while Unit 3 through Unit 6 had 30. Once the units were formed, the next part was simple. It was choosing where to deploy them. Of the ces seized by monsters, there were some where not even 30 SS rankers could guarantee their safety. As such, I limited their first mission to territories that weren¡¯t in any countries.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be striking inds, coastal areas, and uninhabited inds. Of these, uninhabited inds are practically monster haven, so remember that. After that, we¡¯ll move deeper intond.¡±


    ¡°¡°Yes, Dear Husband!¡±¡±


    With two hundred subi yelling out ¡®Dear Husband¡¯, even I couldn¡¯t help but shudder. However, as it was decided that I would give themand for their first mission, I held in my desire to run away and assigned the six units to different areas. There were hundreds of thousands of uninhabited inds on Earth. Although the number would halve when the isted ones were taken out, there were still a considerable amount of them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush it. Safetyes first. Got it?¡±


    ¡°¡°Yes, Dear Husband!¡±¡±


    Please, stop that...!


    The subi could all use magic. Of course, they were most proficient in charm magic and transformation magic. When used together, no matter how advanced modern technology became, it became nearly impossible to track them. In other words, they didn¡¯t need to hold back.


    They immediately set off to chase away the monsters iming Earth¡¯s territories and to obtain mana and vitality to eat. Once they left, the mansion became quiet, and the guild members all went back to their usual work.


    With over thirty subi residing in the mansion, yda and Sumire also no longer needed to stay in the mansion. When I first arrived with the subi, yda silently watched on with a surprised expression. It was only after they left that she finally spoke up.


    ¡°Guild Master is really amazing. So many of them, you...¡±


    It seemed she was misunderstood something. As she got more confused


    no matter how much I exined the circumstance, I gave up halfway through.


    With all the subi assigned to their duties, there was nothing more I needed to do other than wait for their periodic report.


    With Revival taking in the subus n, humans obtained the chance to chase away the monsters. Although I had done it without much thinking, I still considered the possibility that this resulted in something much greater.


    Of course, I would only find outter. As I had done what I could, I returned to the dungeon without regrets.


    ¡°Mm, I feel a bit ufortable hunting subi. Do you mind if I stay out, Dear Husband?¡±


    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s probably for the best. As long as she isn¡¯t stronger than you, I won¡¯t have any problem defeating her anyways.¡±


    When Licorice found out I was going to hunt the Subus Queen, she backed off with an awkward smile. I led her to the guild house in the Residential Area and challenged the Subus Queen alone.


    ¡°What a charming human. It¡¯s been awhile since I got to enjoy myself.¡±


    Although she was undoubtedly a Floor Master, the Subus Queen that appeared alone in front of me was noticeably weaker than Licorice. Though it was something I realized only after meeting Licorice and her n members, the dungeon¡¯s subi werecking in charm, strength, and vitalitypared to Licorice¡¯s n. The Subus Queen was no different.


    ¡°Come closer, y with me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s y!¡±


    I pretended to fall for the Subus Queen¡¯s charm as I ran toward her. The moment she spread out her arms and seemed to use some skill, I struck her with Heroic Strike. As the atmosphere and strength she was giving off werepletely different from Licorice, I had no hesitation in doing so.


    ¡°Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Kuk, Kuhuk...!¡±


    ¡°Lightning Spear Storm!¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s an extra! Wind King¡¯s Rage!¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re not a man!? Kyaaaak!¡±


    When I struck the Subus Queen with Wind King¡¯s Rage about four times, she helplessly scattered into particles of light. In just 2 minutes, the Floor Master battle had ended.


    ¡°Hu, good fight.¡±


    I wiped away the non-existing sweat and murmured, as I thought why Subus Queen¡¯s purposely revealed openings trying to use charms that didn¡¯t work. At that moment, messages rang out in my ear. It was truly a pleasant sound.


    [Amazing! You are the first in the First Dungeon¡¯s history to seed in soloing the Subus Queen on the first try! The dungeon will remember you as a great explorer. You obtained 2 skill points as reward. Current skill points: 7]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Subus Queen Master.¡¯ All stats increase by 2. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You defeated the Subus Queen alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Subus Queen¡¯s Leather Jacket.¡¯]


    [You obtained 450,000 gold.]


    [You received the only reward left hidden for the First Explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 1.]


    So I was the first for the 65th floor! After happily reading the messages again on the message log, I froze when I saw the reward. Giant Wolf, Golden Scarab, Twin-headed Ogre, and now, it was the fourth tattoo. But... But this...


    [Secret. Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo]


    Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo...? That just screams trouble!

 Chapter 214. The Third Taming (5)

    Chapter 214. The Third Taming (5)


    Even as I shivered with uneasiness, I reached out to pick the reward which was just too good to pass up. Immediately, the back of my right hand heated up. I had somewhat expected it. After my legs, arms, and the back of my left hand, it was only proper that the next tattoo took the back of the right hand. It couldn¡¯t have been my eyes or lips. I wasn¡¯t worried at all!


    Feeling relieved that it wasn¡¯t a ce that was hard to cover, I took off my gauntlet and checked my right hand. There, I saw a pair of spread bat wings entangled by two chains. While it was giving off a pink glow and a feeling of elegance, I was relieved that it was a much more wholesome symbol than I thought.


    However, I soon came to regret feeling so quickly relieved.


    [You obtained the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo. Your charm and magic increases by 50. Against members of the opposite sex, the effect doubles. Once per day, you can double your mana.]


    ¡°Mm, excellent.¡±


    As someone who was experiencing the effect of the charm stat every day, the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo was a great boon. Increasing both magic and charm by 50! Not to mention, the effect of charm doubled against members of the opposite sex. It was truly a monstrous effect.


    However, doubling my mana once per day... it was an amazing effect, but it was almost as if... No, it must be my imagination.[1. A Korean reader asked the author what this meant. The Author replied, ¡°Try substituting mana with some other unit...¡±]


    ¡°Let¡¯s head out then.¡±


    After putting my gauntlet back up, I left the Floor Master room. Loretta, who was sitting by the Floor Shop with her chin on her hand, expression changed when she saw me leaving the room.


    ¡°Shi, Shin-nim!?¡±


    ¡°What? Is something wrong?¡±


    Was there a tattoo on my body that I didn¡¯t notice? When I became flustered and asked, Loretta took out her double-edged axe and spoke with a flushed face.


    ¡°How did you suddenly be so much more charming!? What happened to you, Shin-nim!? If you tell me honestly, nothing bad will happen! I-I-It can¡¯t b-be, w-with that damned subus, you...!¡±


    The axe in her hand was bending with a creaking noise. T-That thing, I held it once and it was really heavy... Loretta could bend it with just her hands!? As I was scared for my life, I decided to exin everything thoroughly.


    ¡°Oh, I see. It was the tattoo¡¯s power.¡±


    Looking relieved, Loretta chucked the axe behind her. The dungeon floor caved in. Scary...


    ¡°I thought Shin-nim again... Huu, nevermind. That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°It looks like I¡¯m stillcking in practice. I thought I was controlling the charming aura I was emitting pretty well. Huu, it¡¯s going to take ages again.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim¡¯s current charm stat entered a dangerous level. It should be fine for members of the same sex, but for the opposite sex, it will be a disaster. Just imagine every woman that meets Shin-nim¡¯s eyes falling in love with Shin-nim. Once it happens, that¡¯s it. There¡¯s no way to escape it. It¡¯s not a status effect, just that Shin-nim¡¯s charm had conquered their heart.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cruel...¡±


    What I had to deal with now was tiring enough!


    ¡°Shin-nim¡¯s charm can even shake my heart now. You have to control it carefully.¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    Damn, so having higher stats wasn¡¯t always good! Of course, as magic had increased by 50 points in addition to charm, I needed time to train and digest the increase. I sighed. I then plopped down on the ground and began to circte Peruta Circuit. Loretta ced her elbow back on the Floor Shop counter and watched me with a warm smile.


    ¡°At least for this time, I get to have Shin-nim for myself, huhuhu.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say something so corny. I can¡¯t focus.¡±


    ¡°Yesss~. Huhu.¡±


    Afterwards, for 10 hours every day, I sat in front of the Floor Shop and trained in controlling my charm. Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to grind the Subus Queen 10 times a day for the magic and charm increasing invigoration elixir it dropped. Although it may seem like a vain effort, I couldn¡¯t sit idly either.


    As I had to avoid seeing those of the opposite sex as much as possible, the only person I saw from Revival daily was Ren, who I had to meet anyways for the thrashing phase.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Crown Prince hates me!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate you at all. There, you¡¯re open!¡±


    ¡°Is there even a single moment in Crown Prince¡¯s eyes where I don¡¯t have an opening!?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°I knew it, you hate me!¡±


    ¡°Ren is just too weak!¡±


    Because of the charm discharge problem I was having, the underground training room became a prohibited area for the time being. Although Ye-Eun and Sophie who used the room often seemed to be displeased, when I exined the circumstance, they reluctantly epted it.


    As a result, Ren and I got to upy the training room for ourselves, while Father and Walker sometimes dropped by to watch Ren getting beat up. I was thankful that Michel and Leon were devoting all their time to climbing the dungeon. If there were new spectators, Ren would undoubtedly cry.


    ¡°Oh, my son is truly talented in beating people up!¡±


    ¡°I know that first hand. Kang Shin¡¯s beaten me up before.¡±


    ¡°Please leave! Are you happy watching me getting beaten up?¡±


    ¡°Opening!¡±


    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±


    I was relieving the stress of being unable to see Ina and Yua by beating up Ren... Kuhum. Feeling d that I was helping Ren with his growth, I spent honest days in the dungeon.


    Ever since Ren began to stay on Earth, it seemed he had a change of heart as his quick temperament and habit of losing his sanity in battles was being mended smoothly. Although now might be too early, when I would be grinding the 70th Floor Master, if I held Ren for 10 days, his habit of going berserk might bepletely fixed.


    ¡°Crown Prince, do you believe you can protect Earth?¡±


    On the 10th day since my 65th Floor Master grinding began, when neither Father nor Walker was in the training room, Ren asked. It seemed he hadn¡¯t been just getting beaten up, as he was dodging my attacks skillfully. As I was about to call it a day so I could go grind the Floor Master, I took my spear back and retorted.


    ¡°Of course I do. Does Ren think I¡¯ll fail?¡±


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t kid. If there¡¯s anyone in this guild with an absolute trust in Crown Prince, it would be me.¡±


    Ren retorted with a bitter smile as he leaned against his ymore. As he had used up most of his stamina and mana, he was moving quite slowly.


    He slowly swept his hair up. As he dripped with sweat, his lion¡¯s mane-like hair became entangled.


    He spoke.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe in myself.¡±


    Oh right, Ren had be Panan continent¡¯s Hero. I was the one who made him one.


    Remembering that crucial fact, I replied with a shrug.


    ¡°You¡¯recking in training.¡±


    ¡°Right, I am. That¡¯s what I thought Crown Prince would say... But I¡¯m really shaking. The kids that are looking only at me... Ah, of course, Elfa is also looking at Crown Prince, but the point is, both Lebuik and the kids trust me wholeheartedly. They trust that I¡¯ll chase the El Patiz out and reim the Panan continent. I... I find that extremely pressuring.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it so much. There are still 2 years at least.¡±


    I replied as if it was something trivial and returned my spear to its choker form. Ren looked at me and asked.


    ¡°If you die, Earth will lose its future. Have you not thought about that?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°If you die, billions of people will lose their future. Even if they don¡¯t fall into the monsters¡¯ hands, they will slowly wither away. Have you never despaired thinking about that?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°When you die, those left on Earth will resent you and curse you with all their heart. Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night when they appear in your dreams?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    After replying that far, I red at Ren.


    ¡°Are you stupid? I¡¯m busily swinging my spear, climbing the dungeon, and gathering more members of Revival. I already had my mind full of all these, so how would I have the time to think about something that hasn¡¯t even happened and despair? Rather than worrying about all that, just swing your sword one more time.¡±


    ¡°How can you do that? What I¡¯m saying is, how can you shake away all this pressure?¡±


    It seemed an unforeseen side effect came over Ren¡¯s thrashing phase. He was feeling pressure as a Hero and he hade to doubt his abilities. For someone who looked so reliable, he couldn¡¯t be more delicate. Simply put, it was annoying.


    ¡°Ren, how many beastmen are alive in Panan continent?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it can¡¯t be many. There¡¯s the possibility that there are none left.¡±


    ¡°What would happen if Ren suddenly dies and loses the Hero¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°Humans and beastmen wouldn¡¯t be able to proliferate on Panan continent ever again... Though Lebuik and the kids will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Then even if Ren dies, it¡¯s not like a lot of people will lose their future, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but then the Panan continent will...!¡±


    I gathered mana at my fingertips and flicked it at him. It hit Ren¡¯s forehead and pushed him backward.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know how many people will die, so how can you be so scared? There¡¯s probably nothing more pathetic than that. Plus, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll be going back to Panan continent alone. I and other members of Revival will also go.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince...¡±


    ¡°Ren, you said you trusted me. Then there¡¯s nothing to worry about. I¡¯ll go back to Panan continent with Ren, and if Ren¡¯s strength isn¡¯t enough, I¡¯ll offer my power. So rather than worrying about the consequences of Ren dying, just focus on your training.¡±


    I then dealt the heavy blow.


    ¡°Let¡¯s double the thrashing phase¡¯s intensity. I was happy thinking that Ren was getting better, but it turns out Ren was just out of steam. I¡¯ll make sure Ren gets Ren¡¯s lost spirit back. Aren¡¯t you happy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not happy at all! Double!? Did you just say double!?¡±


    Ren¡¯s ears perked up and shook. However, I had no intention of taking back my words.


    However, as I had understood how he was feeling, I decided to be a bit more honest.


    ¡°I¡¯m also human, Ren. Of course, I thought about such things and got a bit depressed. But Ren, if I die, will Ren me me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! You¡¯re doing everything you can!¡±


    ¡°Would Yua, Hwaya, or Ina me me?¡±


    ¡°Rather than Earth facing an end, I think they¡¯d be sadder that Crown Prince died.¡±


    ¡°Right. So there¡¯s nothing I need to fear. I¡¯m already doing all that I can.¡±


    I put my hands on his shoulders.


    ¡°Ren, you do everything you can too. Then, you won¡¯t have anything to fear. Plus, I¡¯m the one that made Ren a Hero. I think of Ren as my disciple, so I¡¯ll help Ren too.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re doubling the thrashing phase...¡±


    Seeing Ren¡¯s sullen face, a sinister thought crossed my mind.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, Ren, if it gets too hard, ask Lebuik to sleep together with you.¡±


    ¡°H-H-H-H-How can I do that! To Lebuik!?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Lebuik was like a mother? When things get hard, falling asleep in mother¡¯s embrace is the best.¡±


    ¡°But this and that are totally different things!¡±


    ¡°Just believe me. Go to Lebuik¡¯s room at night and ask, ¡®Can I rely on you a bit?¡¯ Lebuik treasures Ren too. She¡¯ll surely let you in.¡±


    ¡°Lebuik will never do that!¡±


    ¡°Ren, do as I say. Lebuik won¡¯t refuse, I promise.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Really. You can kick me otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Mmm... Alright, if Crown Prince is willing to go that far, I¡¯ll give it a try... I didn¡¯t know Lebuik thought of me as a son...¡±


    ¡®Well, something like that. I¡¯m sure she thinks of making a son with you.¡¯ I replied to his murmuring in my heart and began to think about how Lebuik would repay this favor. Right, banquet noodles would be best.[2. Traditionally Korean noodles served at weddings.]

 Chapter 215. Whats a Hero Anyways? (1)

    Chapter 215. What¡¯s a Hero Anyways? (1)


    [You have consumed the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo Invigoration Elixir to the limit. The Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo became enhanced to its peak performance. Magic and charm increases by 14. The power of all skills and Authorities is multiplied by 1.5 times.]


    [You equipped the Subus Queen Set. Your magic and charm increases by 35. When the Subus Queen Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Sweet Nightmare¡¯ once per day.]


    [When Sweet Nightmare is used against a target with lower charm than you, you will steal half of the target¡¯s health and inflict ¡®critical charm¡¯ status effect to the target. When Sweet Nightmare is used against a target with higher charm than you, you will lose half of your health and mana, and fall into ¡®inescapable avolition¡¯ status effect.]


    The day I made Ren fall into that hellish trap, I sessfullypleted my Subus Queen grind. As magic and charm increased by 4 points every time they increased by invigoration elixirs, with the 14 points that went up at the end, my magic and charm had increased by 50 points total. In effect, the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo was increasing my magic and charm by a terrifying 100 points.


    Plus, the tattoo¡¯s effect didn¡¯t just increase my stats. In addition to doubling the effect of my charm against the opposite sex, I could double my mana once per day.


    Although the hidden meaning behind it was incredibly disturbing, I had no choice but to use it since it was undoubtedly helpful. Within my skill arsenal, there were quite a few skills that were affected by charm. Provoke, Overwhelm, Absolute Soul, half of the Elementalist skills, half of the Tamer skills, and so on. In fact, it might be easier to say that only my Spear Technique was unaffected by charm. I couldn¡¯t tell if charm was that important, or if my skills were just strange.


    ¡°50% increase to skills is one thing... but Authorities...?¡±


    The Evil Eyes of Petrification might be included.


    My Evil Eyes were arguably the ability that was most sensitive to my magic and charm stats. While the result of its effect was based on my magic stat, it was also amplified by the difference of league between me and my target, and the negative emotions the target had toward me.


    With how things were turning out, it was almost as if the Evil Eyes of Petrification was created to be mine.


    After all, just obtaining the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo had nearly increased my Evil Eyes¡¯ strength by half, but now that it was fully upgraded, it gave another 50% boost. I was itching to test it out.


    ¡°Will I be able to petrify monsters in Beyond now? No, that¡¯s probably wishful thinking... Well, let¡¯s go clean up monster territories on Earthter and test it out.¡±


    Although it had only been a few days, the subi battle units had swiftly taken care of a countless number of monsters. No matter how stealthy they were, with the discernible results they produced, it was difficult to remain hidden. After all, satellite observations revealed the number of monsters clearly dwindling.


    As if to satiate the hunger they¡¯d be holding in all this time, the subi sucked all monsters¡¯ seeds dry. As monsters absorbed by the subi¡¯s magic didn¡¯t leave behind their corpses or even Mana Stones, such an expression wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Just like that, Earth slowly began to contain fewer monsters. Although now wasn¡¯t a good time, Revival¡¯s members should soon be able to join the subi in sweeping the monsters away.


    Soon, countries that lost theirnds to monsters after Two Moon would be able to reim them. Soon. As soon as I thought that my heart began to pound. I, a single dungeon explorer, woulde tomand such arge-scale operation. The past me who just found out about the dungeon would never have imagined it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we can do it. In fact, we could even exterminate all monsters and demons before the worlds¡¯ enemies arrive.¡±


    I murmured with a smile. Thinking about what kind of an expression the Demon Lord would have upon our reunion, I began to look forward to the future.


    Thanks to toiling away for ten days, I could now somewhat naturally conceal my charm. As the charm stat was rted to the magic stat to a certain degree, I could block the release of charm by circting Peruta Circuit.


    Although the process was easily described in words, with how much charm I came to exude,pletely containing it took some effort. Regardless, there was no longer any problem.


    ¡°Shin-nim, seeing as how happy you are, you must have finished grinding.¡±*


    ¡°Yep. Floor Master skills really are amazing.¡±


    Ah,e to think of it, the 65th Floor Master¡¯s skill wasn¡¯t the type of skill I hoped for. I was hoping I could synthesize it with the skills I got from the 60th Floor Master and 10th Floor Beyond Master... Of course, Sweet Nightmare was still a powerful skill, just that it was nothing more than a suicide skill without high charm.


    All this time, I wondered why the Subus Queen nked out when I had yet to do anything. I thought it was a bug of some sort, but it turned out that they were dazed from their failed skill. As for me, since my charm was higher than even the Subus Queen¡¯s, it seemed I didn¡¯t need to worry about the skill¡¯s penalty too much.


    ¡°I¡¯m off then.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Beyond¡¯s 15th floor, of course.¡±


    ¡°Rest a bit. Rest! With me!¡±


    Loretta shouted, but I shook my head with a grin.


    ¡°We can y after I clear Beyond¡¯s 15th floor.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    Loretta shot up her arms in pure happiness. After smiling at her onest time, I headed to the gate leading to Beyond¡¯s 15th floor. At that moment, Loretta suddenly shouted.


    ¡°Wait! Beyond¡¯s 15th floor!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaak, that ce... not even Beyond explorers had seeded in breaking through on their first try! Wait, I¡¯ll threaten Old... Lord and give some advantage to Shin-nim...¡±


    ¡°Loretta, it¡¯s... already toote.¡±


    Half of my body was already through the gate. Loretta frowned.


    ¡°Geez! When you die,e to Fairy Garden! Then we can y together!¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re sentencing me to death!?¡±


    I shouted at Loretta who seemed to be certain that I would die. The next moment, the surrounding scenery changed. I had entered Beyond¡¯s 15th floor, where even the mighty Beyond explorers had failed to break through on their first try.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m here, it¡¯s not like I can run away...¡±


    With a hint of anxiousness, I murmured as I stared at the door in front of me. Not a single Beyond explorer seeded on their first try? Did that include Ren¡¯s father and ¡®that person¡¯ from Beyond¡¯s Residential Area?


    At that moment, I remembered that Revival had a reliable senior Beyond explorer. I immediately messaged her.


    ¡°Daisy.¡±


    [Un.]


    She replied extremely quickly. She also sounded energetic.


    [At the mansion. Sumire made me food. Delicious.]


    ¡°Um, that¡¯s good... There¡¯s something I need to ask.¡±


    [I¡¯m eating. Busy.]


    ¡°Have you cleared Beyond¡¯s 15th floor?¡±


    [... Still on the 82nd floor. Beat Beyond¡¯s 14th floor. Kang Shin, you¡¯re at 15th?]


    ¡°Yeah. I was going to ask you about it... but never mind.¡±


    [Wait for me. 15th floor, together.]


    ¡°That¡¯s possible?¡±


    [Un. Form a party, then enter. Same floor, possible.]


    ¡°I see... But I¡¯m already inside.¡±


    [... Master doubting guild member¡¯s potential, not good.]


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t think we could challenge Beyond as parties. We can challenge the 16th floor together then.¡±


    [I¡¯m back to eating.]


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡±


    I finished my conversation with Daisy, who seemed to be sulking. It would have been nice if she told me about it beforehand... Looks like she didn¡¯t think I would arrive at the 15th floor so quickly.


    Daisy seemed to have wanted to challenge the 15th floor with me. It made sense why. Although we were far apart in the First Dungeon, since our progress in Beyond was about even, it was undoubtedly better to challenge the Floor Master together, especially since there was a high chance of dying. No matter how important the solo-clear reward was, it wasn¡¯t worth wasting a month¡¯s worth of time.


    That said, even if we cleared the 15th floor together, Daisy¡¯s Dungeon clearing speed was differentpared to mine. After all, she was around the 80s level and I was around 60s. I could climb the First Dungeon in just a few hours. Although I didn¡¯t think this would continue forever, I would still be faster than Daisy for a while. If we tried to match our speed, we would end up wasting more time than necessary.


    Of course, it still would have been nice to clear the 15th floor together... Damn.


    ¡°Eeei, it¡¯s toote. Let¡¯s just go in.¡±


    I held my crossbow. The moment I saw the Floor Master¡¯s weapon, I nned on firing dozens of bolts and instantly using Weapon Swap. That way, my spear would get the bonus from Weapon Swap.


    I also summoned my elementals. As I wanted to ce more emphasis on power than speed, I infused Peika into my weapon. To bolster my defense and create chances to counterattack, I infused Ruyue in my armor. Finally, to further increase my already quick speed, to gain the ability to fly, and to increase my overall ability, I infused Sharana into my body.


    Furthermore, I released the charm I was suppressing. Most likely as a result of Spirit of the Tamer, a sweet scent began to spread out. Uuu, although it was my own ability, I found it unpleasant.


    ¡°This might be the perfect chance to use Sky God¡¯s Rage. In fact, I may have saved it for this very moment.¡±


    I kicked open the door. Then, as always, I shouted.


    ¡°Fight me! You... huk.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but gasp. Arge, truly humongous space was waiting for me.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    The 15th floor¡¯s Beyond Master should have the traits of the Skeleton Knight and the Giant Ghoul. That is to say, it should be made of bones, have rotting flesh, be an undead, have great regeneration ability, and have terrifying charging ability...


    [Guoooooooooooo!]


    It roared. Several spots where chunks of flesh were missing revealed its eerie ck bones, while its tail was only made of bones as it swayed in the air threateningly. Its skin was certainly rotting, though most of its body was made of bones. Although I couldn¡¯t be sure, I had the feeling it had an incredible regeneration ability and possessed an unavoidable charge skill. Of course, it was undoubtedly an undead.


    [Guaaaaaaa!]


    [Dragon Zombie used ¡®Roar of Resentment¡¯! All living beings fall under a powerful curse and have their bodies mutated by resentment of evil. High-ranking chaos and fear permeates the area.]


    [Your pure soul perfectly countered the curse! You nullify all mental status effects. Your immunity to mutations prevents your body from mutating!]


    The fact that I could counter this terrifying roar was certainly a good thing. However, there was something more important.


    ¡°Rather than looking down on explorers that failed on their first try, don¡¯t I need to look up to the explorers that defeated this damned guy!?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t anyone else. I, Kang Shin, had to fight this 200-meter long Dragon Zombie!


    Author¡¯s note:


    That¡¯s right, it¡¯s a dragon! And a zombie! Of course, actually dragons can¡¯t bepared to mere zombies, so don¡¯t think Dragon Zombie = dragon! Don¡¯t get all excited thinking ¡®dragon yer!¡¯ Of course, even if I say this, there are going to be readersmenting something about God¡¯s true name rted to dragon yers.

 Chapter 216. Whats a Hero Anyways? (2)

    Chapter 216. What¡¯s a Hero Anyways? (2)


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to begin.¡±


    With how huge the Dragon Zombie was, it didn¡¯t feel real. As a test, I aimed my crossbow at its eye... No, they had already rotted away into oblivion! That meant the effect of my Evil Eyes would be halved. Furthermore, since it was an undead, charm wouldn¡¯t work on it either. There was no chance to use all the weapons I honed through grinding the 65th floor.


    [Guooooooooo!]


    ¡°Kuk, it¡¯sing!¡±


    For a zombie so big, the Dragon Zombie charged towards me with an incredible speed. I hurriedly soared into the air and dodged its charge. However, when it smashed into the wall, a countless number of bone spears shot out of the walls toward me.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Shocked, I twisted my body in the air. However, with how many there were, it was impossible to dodge them all.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Un!]


    Thousands of ice crystals formed around my armor, blocking the bone spears. Even so, a few managed to break through the ice, damaging me. I could feel a considerable amount of mana flowing into me. it meant that although this Dragon Zombie was an undead, it possessed an enormous amount of mana.


    ¡°Eat this!¡±


    I consecutively fired dozens of bolts brimming with lightning. Thanks to its huge body, the bolts hit their mark without any resistance and crackled with lightning. Even so, they didn¡¯t seem to affect the Dragon Zombie too much.


    ¡°Kuk, there goes my bolt spamming n.¡±


    Without hesitation, I swapped my weapon. At that moment, the Dragon Zombie roared. ¡®Your roars won¡¯t work!¡¯ was what I wanted to shout, but contrary to my expectations, terrifying bone spears pierced through its rotted skin and shot out of its body simr to when it hit the wall before.


    [Guooooooooooo!]


    ¡°This bastard...!¡¯


    It was like a machine gun endlessly firing bullets. With how many bone spears it was shooting out, it was difficult to even get near it. However, the crossbow bolts had little to no effect, and it was impossible to tell how long it would take to kill it with just the power of my elementals. Just like always, I had to take part in this fight by closebat.


    I grabbed one of the thick bone spears that shot towards me. With Chaotic Spear in one hand and the bone spear in the other, I charged forward. Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to activate Divine Speed.


    [Guooooooo!]


    ¡°Uraaaaaaaaaaah!¡±


    All the bone spears seemed to be traveling slowly. Using the spears in my hands, I hit them away like a headless chicken. What was a mere 3 second period felt like 30 seconds as I closed the distance between me and the Dragon Zombie.


    ¡°Eat this. Heroic Strike!¡±


    By sending the aura-filled bone spear in my hand flying, I obliterated the clump of bone spears in my path. Then, holding onto the Chaotic Spear with both hands, I shot towards the Dragon Zombie¡¯s neck. Even though it didn¡¯t have any eyes, it managed to detect me, as it opened its mouth to swallow me whole. Hmph! I stabbed my spear into its nose bridge and let the gathered energy detonate.


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Come on, even a critical hit can¡¯t cut off a bit of its flesh!?¡±


    [Kuaaaaang!]


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    As I was expecting, it shot out arge bone spear from the attacked area. Honestly, it looked like a dragon, but it really was a damn cactus! I quickly pulled my spear out and drew forth Ruyue¡¯s power. When the bone spear was close to piercing my chest, the freezing energy made it flinch, and I safely escaped using this opportunity. A momentter, the giant bone spear passed by my head and shredded through the air.


    [Guoooooooooooooo!]


    Immediately afterwards, the Dragon Zombie charged! Though I knew what would happen when it hit a wall, I had no choice but to get out of its way. After all, I couldn¡¯t take a charge from its 200 meter long body!


    ¡°Ruyue, barrier! Sharana, strengthen it!¡¯


    [Got it!]


    [Yes, Master!]


    I distanced myself from the walls as much as possible and ordered my elementals to create a barrier around me. Then, I troubled over what to do. Should I continue?


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll die if I do.¡±


    The Heroic Strike just now had a good amount of my mana, and was even a critical hit. Ordinary Floor Masters would have lost half of their health with that attack. However, that bastard didn¡¯t even flinch! Damn! Plus, I would be in trouble the moment I was hit by even a single bone spear. Could this battle get any more unfair?


    ¡°Everyone would have taken out their god¡¯s true names here and still died.¡±


    However, I wouldn¡¯t die. I had two god¡¯s true names! Plus, I had...


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll show you my full strength, you goddamned lizard!¡±


    I frantically dodged the bone spears that broke through the ice barrier as I shot my body upward. Soon, this huge space¡¯s ceiling was in my view. Though I didn¡¯t know what material it was made of, there wasn¡¯t even a scratch even with all the bone spears that struck it.


    ¡°Found it.¡±


    The specialrge sized bone spear it shot out when I attacked it before! I flew up and grabbed it. Then, I moved Peika, who was inside the Chaotic Spear, to the bone spear. The Dragon Zombie was watching me with its hollow eyes. It then pped its rotting wings. It was trying to fly!


    ¡°Huu... Gigant Time!¡±


    The already big bone spear became a hundred meters long. The weight in my hand caused me to groan, but it was still eptable.


    ¡°Ruyue, materialize into human form! Hold that guy!¡¯


    [Un!]


    After leaving my armor and materializing into the form of a beast girl, Ruyue drew a silver trajectory as she shot toward the Dragon Zombie. Human-form materialization had granted her a terrifying upgrade in power, as she grabbed the bone spears the Dragon Zombie shot out one by one, froze them, and shot them back.


    Meanwhile, I activated the skill I received from the 60th Floor Master Superior Doppelganger.


    ¡°Powered Form!¡±


    In that instant, a thicker and sharper armor appeared over my armor. The Superior Doppelganger possessed the ability to copy the powerful genes of its enemies to strengthen itself. The skill I received somewhat reflected this characteristic.


    [You activated Powered Form. Your defense and attack power increases by 30% for 5 minutes.]


    ¡°Sacrifice!¡±


    A ck aura enshrouded my spear. With this, the spear had doubled in power. If I used Heroic Strike, it would undoubtedly hurt. However, I wasn¡¯t done yet.


    ¡°Sky God¡¯s Rage!¡±


    [Good, Master! I¡¯ll maximize its power!]


    Zeus¡¯ lightning descended on the 100 meter long spear. Any impurities left in the bone spear waspletely washed clean, as it overflowed with pure golden divine power. It was almost as if it was apletely different weapon. Seemingly understanding the power behind it, the Dragon Zombie desperately shot out bone spears.


    [Careful!]


    ¡°It¡¯s over!¡±


    Now that I¡¯d used Sacrifice, if it didn¡¯t die after this, I would likely die. However, a real man didn¡¯t hesitate! I threw the 100 meter long lightning. One could imagine howrge this space was with how long the spear flew. Right, such an enormous spear could fly for 2 seconds, even when it was so fast that I could barely discern it with my eyes!


    [I can¡¯t hold it back anymore!]


    ¡°Let go! Now!¡±


    The moment I gave the order, Ruyue let go and flew back to me. At the same time, the lightning spear flew by her side and pierced through Dragon Zombie¡¯s neck, skewering it perfectly.


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±


    I immediately coughed out a mouthful of blood. It also hurt like hell. My head felt nk. Because of how much life force I lost in an instant, I felt my body go limp. However, I grit my teeth and raised my head.


    ¡°Did it die?¡±


    [It didn¡¯t die!]


    Peika eximed as she left the bone spear and flew back.


    I barely steadied myself in the air and examined the Dragon Zombie. The bone spear was still skewering it and erupting out with Zeus¡¯ divine power. With how the spear was sticking out from its mouth, it really did look like a kabob skewer.


    [Guoooooooooo!]


    However, even with a giant spear prating it, the Giant Zombie Dragon only let out pained screams as it pped its wings to fly up. To think it was still alive... it really did have a zombie-like life force. Wait, it really was a zombie! Damn!


    ¡°Haa, haa... Kuk, this feeling.¡±


    [Devourer activates! Choose a target!]


    With my HP hitting 10%, Devourer activated. I was thankful Sacrifice left 10% of my HP. Otherwise, Diehard would have undoubtedly aviated.


    That said, I didn¡¯t think this Dragon Zombie could withstand the attack that crushed the Power Basilisk. Not to mention, it was even stronger than before. Though there were other explorers attacking the Power Basilisk, even taking that into ount, this bastard was stronger than the Power Basilisk! How is that fair!?


    [Guooooo!]


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s notpletely absurd, I guess.¡±


    Dozens of dark spheres rose up in the air. Seeing as how strength was leaving the Dragon Zombie¡¯s body, these dark spheres seemed to be the demonic energy forming its body. Even if it couldn¡¯t use magic, it looked like it could still utilize this energy.


    For getting rid of disgusting things, burning it was the best.


    ¡°Peika, it¡¯s your turn. Materialize.¡±


    [But Master, Master¡¯s mana is...!]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Now, it was time for my tattoo to shine. I immediately activated the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo. My mana, which had fallen to the bottom of my reserves with Ruyue¡¯s materialization and the Heroic Strikes, skyrocketed, only stopping when it reached double the usual amount. My body was still worn-out from Sacrifice, and with mana suddenly filling up, I felt short of breath. Peika seemed to have realized how I was feeling, as she hurriedly materialized.


    [I¡¯ll protect Master from that evil energy!]


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    My HP was at 10%. Although I gulped down a Health Potion, my HP only went up slowly. It seemed the recovery was being hindered by Devourer¡¯s effect. It was as if it was telling me not to y any tricks. I clicked my tongue and held up the Chaotic Spear. Then, gathering up the overflowing mana within me, I formed a whirlpool of chaos mes.


    ¡°Desire Thorn, Sacrifice.¡±


    I activated the other two skills my armor, Pure ck Desire, had. The former increased the power of charge type attacks by 50% and helped me regain HP, while thetter doubled a skill¡¯s power in exchanging for making me take 25% of the damage. Since Devourer was also active, Pure ck Desire¡¯s abilities were in full effect.


    [Guoooooo!]


    [Hmph!]


    The demonic energy balls flew toward me. Peika harrumphed and burned them up with her lightning. I also charged as I shouted.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaa!¡±


    [You activated Frozen Roar! All enemies in the battlefield freezes in ce. All allies temporarily be super-armored and all abilities are increased by 50%. Your chance ofnding a critical hit doubles when fighting enemies affected by Frozen Roar.]


    ¡°If you¡¯re alive after this, then I¡¯ll call you Hyung-nim!¡±


    The Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoos on my arms let out a bright red glow as if they were on fire. Once per day, increasing close-ranged attack skill¡¯s damage by 50%! It went without saying that charge type skills were close-ranged skills.


    ¡°Eat this! Wind King¡¯s Rage!¡±


    I shot down towards the Dragon Zombie. As there were no trash monsters between us, I charged in full throttle. Focusing the enormous wind and lightning energy at the tip of my spear, I thrust forward.


    ¡°Haaaaa... Kuk!¡±


    Immediately before my spear stabbed it, a bone spear struck my chest. Although it didn¡¯t prate my armor, the enormous shock devoured what little HP I had left. I couldn¡¯t believe it still had bones to shoot out!


    [Guoooo!]


    ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet, fucker!¡±


    Although I thought I would die for a second, Diehard activated soundly and raised my HP back up. With how low my HP was, there was no way I would¡¯ve charged head on without an insurance.


    Although Devourer tried to hinder Diehard¡¯s recovery, my HP was thankfully going up. Although my charge¡¯s momentum was cut short, I continued forward and stabbed my spear in the Dragon Zombie¡¯s head. At the same time, Desire Thorn and Devourer¡¯s effect activated. ck energy left the screaming Dragon Zombie¡¯s body to be absorbed by me, but dissipated due to Sacrifice¡¯s penalty.


    As I gasped for breath, I examined the Dragon Zombie, hoping it would scatter into particles of light.


    [Kuooo, kuooooooooo!]


    ¡°What, you¡¯re still not dead!?¡±


    It roared. Lumps of flesh sprung up from its body like boiling water. It was trying to spit something out. In panic, I shouted.


    ¡°Just die already! Crimson Roar!¡±


    In the next moment, everything within my sight turned red. The Dragon Zombie¡¯s roar and my shout both became mes. In this space, only mes existed.


    With that, it was over.


    [Congrattions! A first in Beyond¡¯s history! You defeated the Floor Master, Dragon Zombie, on your first try!]


    Author¡¯s note:


    Kang Shin didn¡¯t want to serve the Dragon Zombie as his hyung.

 Chapter 217. Whats a Hero Anyways? (3)

    Chapter 217. What¡¯s a Hero Anyways? (3)


    [Congrattions! For the first time in Beyond¡¯s history, you defeated the Floor Master, Dragon Zombie, on your first try! You received 3 skill points as a reward. Current skill points: 10]


    [Your achievements reached a threshold, allowing you to obtain a third god¡¯s true name! All gods eyeing you begin topete.]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Zombie Dragon Master.¡¯ All stats increase by 2. The title¡¯s effect will apply even when the title is not equipped.]


    [You obtained the entrance ticket to the SSS+ rank 2-man Event Dungeon, ¡®Deand¡¯!]


    [You cleared Beyond¡¯s 15th floor. You obtained the qualification to challenge the First Dungeon¡¯s 66th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats. Your maximum HP and MP increase by 2%.]


    [Experience has been added to the skills you frequently used to progress through Beyond¡¯s 15th floor.]


    [You received the only reward left hidden for the first explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 10.]


    [1. Thorn Throne (Epic)]


    Although messages were ringing in my ears, it was hard to hear them as I had just used Crimson Roar. I calmly waited for the mes to subside and read the message log. When I saw the line about the Event Dungeon, I coughed.


    ¡°It was Wondend before, now it¡¯s Deand...¡±


    Plus, this one was SSS+ rank though it was only for 2 people. Scary...


    ¡°Should I just sell it at the auction house...?¡±


    At that moment, someone¡¯s face shed across in my mind. It was the face of someone who was arguably the second strongest member of Revival and loved the undead.


    Unlike the Dungeon, monsters didn¡¯t scatter into particles of light in Event Dungeons. To Daisy, who loved the undead, this Deand was probably more of a wondend than the Wondend.


    ¡°And this is the secret reward.¡±


    [Secret. Thorn Throne (Epic)]


    Its simple name made it even more scarier. Since it was the reward for defeating that damned Zombie Dragon, it was certainly not simple. With a firm mind, I grabbed the reward which was clearlybeled ¡®Epic¡¯. Its name didn¡¯t give any hints as to what kind of an item it was. When it materialized in my hand, I saw that it was a ring. It looked like it was made of dragon bones and glowed in a hazy ck color. Its surface was spiky, as if it had thorns. If I wasn¡¯t careful, I felt that it would prick me.


    [Thorn Throne (Epic)


    Durability ¨C Unbreakable


    Equipment Requirement ¨C Kang Shin


    Option ¨C Strength +50, Dexterity +50. Constitution -20, Magic -20. When using attack skills, there is a 5% chance, dozens of dragon bones spears will shoot out. When attacked, there is a 10% chance, a bone spear will shoot out and attack the enemy.


    Skill ¨C Thorn Throne: Usable once per day. For 5 minutes, your body gets covered with an armor of bones. You reflect 20% of all iing damage. At this time, the enemy bes afflicted with the unavoidable debuff ¡®soul contamination.¡¯]


    ¡°!¡±


    This ring was deserving of its Epic grade. No, perhaps it was even worthy of the Legend grade! Though it decreased my constitution and magic stats, with its incredible strength and dexterity stat boost, it was still a 60 point gain! The decrease in constitution and magic could be easily made up by distributing bonus stat points into them.


    Furthermore, the chances of its option activating was high! It was iparable to the Deathblood Ring. Though, I did find it a bit perverted that the chance of the effect pring was higher when I was attacked than when I attacked.


    Regardless, the real kicker was the skill the ring contained.


    ¡°It¡¯s here! It¡¯s finally here!¡±


    The skill I was hoping for was a transformation skill, one that would let me disy even greater strength for a limited period of time, just like the Powered Form I received from the 60th floor. Thorn Throne was precisely the type of skill I was hoping for. Although its offensive nature somewhat worried me, I hoped it would be fine.


    I immediately extracted Thorn Throne from the ring and stored it in the pocket watch. Then, without hesitation, I activated Skill Synthesis. I then ced Thorn Throne in the base skill slot and ced Powered Form in the supplemental skill slot.


    Of course, there were more. I ced ¡®Electric Guardian Form¡¯ skill, extracted from the armor given by Beyond¡¯s 10th floor boss, Powered Lizard Knight. As for the reason I wasn¡¯t wearing it, as it was a Unique grade armor, it paled inparison to Pure ck Desire. The reason I wanted a transformation type skill in the first ce was because I had obtained Electric Guardian Form on top of Powered Form.


    [Electric Guardian Form: For 5 minutes, an armor of lightning covers your body. All iing magic damage decreases by 30%, and your speed and attack power increases by 20%.]


    Although it was a bitckingpared to the Powered Form or the Thorn Throne, it was still a transformation skill with excellent effects. It would only help, not hurt, as a supplemental skill.


    ¡°A man should be daring!¡±


    I still had two skills left. One was Dragon Skin, the other was Gigant Time. While Dragon Skin greatly boosted my defense, it decreased my speed significantly, making me reluctant to use it in most situations. Since I generally didn¡¯t need Dragon Skin more than once per day, I decided to include it in the Skill Synthesis to amplify its effect.


    It was the same for Gigant Time. Bybining multiple skills together, they could help to lessen each other¡¯s weaknesses. In truth, I had too many skills. It was best to lower the count whenever possible.


    ¡°Skill Synthesis!¡±


    Seeing the circr stone b rotating, I let out a small sigh. I had a good feeling about it, just like the time I created Absolute Soul. Considering all the skills that went into it, it was only obvious. If I didn¡¯t like the resulting skill, I nned on synthesizing it away immediately!


    Soon, just like when Absolute Soul was created, the stone b let out a brilliant light. I watched without breathing until the stone b stopped spinning. At that moment, something unexpected happened. The stone b, which was continuously shooting out brilliant light, suddenly crackled with lightning.


    ¡°W-What? I thought this skill couldn¡¯t fail!¡±


    The stone b continued to crackle with lightning. Every time the lightning shed, the golden brilliance the stone b was letting out became a bit darker. It also began to spin, fluctuating in speed as strange symbols shed above it.


    ¡°Oh, please, no! Dear God, Buddha, Ah, the dungeon¡¯s Lord, please let it seed!¡±


    This skill can¡¯t even fail! Stop making me all nervous!


    As if to answer my prayer, the stone b finally came to a stop. On top of the cracked stone b crackling with lightning was a strange symbol that did not shine with even a hint of its original brilliance, instead letting out an eerie ck light.


    [Scary. Master, are you learning that?]


    [Uuu, that¡¯s dangerous, Shin.]


    [Master, I think that mana both epts and rejects everything. It¡¯s... a very powerful and dangerous power.]


    Hey, why are you guys making me worry more!? I was already feeling uneasy, but now that the elementals gathered and trembled, I felt even more uneasy. However, I couldn¡¯t just reject the skill and return it to its previous form. I had spent my precious skills for this.


    I strengthened my heart and put my hand on the symbol. At that moment, electricity flowed through my body. A shock iparable to when I obtained Absolute Soul roared inside me.


    A skill that raised my league just by obtaining it! What the hell did I make!?


    [You obtained the Transcendent skill, Overlord.]


    [A supreme being whose existence suppresses all. Once per day, for 5 minutes, you equip an armor made of the ck amorphous mana ¡®Enigma¡¯. Your mana also bes unionized with Enigma, transforming you into a 5 meter tall giant. ¡®Enigma¡¯ is a mana that reigns over all mana. Being so rare that not even a proper name could be given, this ultimate mana is said to stand on the opposite side of divine power. Enigma affects even your weapons, granting you the ability to erge them up to 20 times by will and dying them with ck mana.]


    [As no being canpletely analyze this mana, your attacks be unpredictable and no attacks can disy their full potential against you. While this skill is active, your HP and MP triples, and your stats double. When attacking the enemy, you have a 10% chance to afflict a random highest rank status effect. When attacked by an enemy, you have 20% chance to afflict a random highest rank status effect.]


    [Learning Overlord increases all of your stats by 30 points. Overwhelm and Absolute Soul bes level 5. Even while Overlord is not active, you are affected by a part of its effect. Your HP and MP increases by 20%, and with a 1% chance when attacking an enemy and a 2% chance when being attacked by an enemy, you afflict a random highest rank status effect.]


    [This skill has transcended the control of the dungeon. It cannot be further synthesized. To create a skill above this skill, you must reach a realm higher than your current realm.]


    [You created a Transcendent skill! Transcendent skills are skills born under the dungeon¡¯s system, yet transcending the dungeon¡¯s system. Even existences capable of ignoring the dungeon¡¯s influence cannot look down on this skill. Just by possessing this skill, all worlds¡¯ enemies will be on guard against you. The Lord sends his highest praise at this amazing achievement. You obtained 10 skill points. Current skill points: 20]


    ¡°... Aaa.¡±


    I eximed dumbfounded. As I carefully went over the flurry of messages, I interpreted what this skill, Overlord, meant. The conclusion I reached was simple.


    I finally obtained it.


    ¡°A way to defeat the world¡¯s enemy!¡±


    I had finally done it! A way to fight against them! A power not weaker than a god¡¯s power, the greatest power I could wield! Perhaps it was the time limit, perhaps it was because I had incorporated all the skills I could, or perhaps it was my unnaturally high luck stat. I had no way of knowing. However, I knew one thing for sure.


    By obtaining Overlord, I had taken a step forward towards the future I had to protect!


    When I left Beyond¡¯s 15th floor, Loretta received me with a nk expression. Now that I learned Overlord, I could just barely begin to understand the tip of the power within Loretta¡¯s body. She was so powerful that I could only barely wound her after using Overlord.


    In other words, she was already a Transcendent that could wield Enigma as if it was her own. That was why I couldn¡¯t see through the power all this time. After all, there was no way for me to estimate the strength of someone who wielded a power on apletely different dimension.


    ¡°Shin-nim, recently, you¡¯ve been changing every time I see you. It¡¯s making me very flustered. Um, you... defeated it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    At Loretta¡¯s question that simplified what happened, I gave a quick reply as I struggled to estimate the total amount of Loretta¡¯s unfathomable power. After thinking for a bit, Loretta asked.


    ¡°The power inside you... Do you know what it is?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    At Loretta¡¯s question, which implied that she already saw through my new skill and power, I once again answered briefly. Loretta then sighed, seemingly from relief. Then, she asked as she stole a nce.


    ¡°... Should I congratte you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Seeing that Loretta¡¯s tone had gotten brighter, I gave up trying to estimate Loretta¡¯s power and answered. Immediately, she continued.


    ¡°Then, tonight, together in my cabin...¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even finish! Shin-nim, stupid! Stupid, stupid!¡±


    Loretta pped her ears endlessly as she shouted. I replied with a grin.


    ¡°Like I said, I can¡¯t until I defeat the world¡¯s enemy.¡±


    ¡°But! But! When you reject me so cold-heartedly, my heart tears up into a thousand pieces!¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ask when you know you¡¯re going to get rejected.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d go with the flow and go for it!¡±


    ¡°I hope you realize it¡¯s not working because you¡¯re too scheming.¡±


    ¡°Hiing...¡±


    Loretta drooped her ears as she made a tearful face. I grinned and patted her.


    ¡°But as promised, we can y for today. I¡¯m feeling a lot more rxed now.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Should we start with strip poker?¡±


    ¡°Bye, Loretta!¡±


    ¡°Aaaah! I¡¯m kidding! y with me!¡±


    Seeing Loretta hanging onto my legs, I announced my surrender. I then really ended up spending the whole day with her. Of course, we didn¡¯t y strip poker.


    ... Really!

 Chapter 218. Whats a Hero Anyways? (4)

    Chapter 218. What¡¯s a Hero Anyways? (4)


    When I came back to the guild house after finally freeing myself from Loretta, I met Hwaya who looked unusually happy.


    ¡°Hwaya?¡±


    ¡°Shin! Listen, I became a Dimensional Mercenary!¡±


    After hearing her, I checked and saw that she had be a First Dungeon Gold rank explorer. Before I climbed up to the 65th floor, I had heard that she was near the end of the 79th floor. Before I noticed, she had broken be a tinum rank in the Second Dungeon and had advanced to the First Dungeon.


    If she became a Dimensional Mercenary, it meant she had obtained the magic shecked, Dimensional Travel. In other words, she had defeated the 50th Floor Master Wendigo alone. Of course, it wasn¡¯t surprising as Hwaya should have been the ice-wielding Wendigo¡¯s natural enemy. In fact, it might have been killed the moment the fight began.


    In any case, after reporting to me, Hwaya shouted energetically.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take on a Dimensional Mercenary mission! With just us two~!¡±


    ¡°My Dimensional Travel still has over a month long cooldown.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do something about that with your skill points and will?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    She clicked her tongue openly. Then, she suddenly tilted her head as she stared at me.


    ¡°Shin, did you change somehow?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just obtained a new skill. A pretty good one.¡±


    ¡°Mm, for that to be true, you look more than a little stronger... Hmph, I¡¯ll surpass you when I obtain a god¡¯s true name. Got it?¡±


    Hwaya really was sensitive to mana. Seeing Hwaya clenching her fists, I replied with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, I hope you do.¡±


    ¡°Uuu, that way of talking... Whatever, join me for a drink. You won¡¯t refuse this too, right?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t have a cooldown time.¡±


    It seemed I wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the dungeon again today. As I followed Hwaya who led me forward excitedly, I made a bitter smile. Well, I could just rest today and work harder tomorrow!


    The next day, around noon, I messaged Lebuik.


    ¡°How was it?¡±


    [... H-H-How what?]


    ¡°Seeing from your reaction, it looks like Ren took my advice.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to think this, but perhaps Ren really was an idiot. No, perhaps he was Ren because he was an idiot!


    With a smirk, I interrogated Lebuik.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    [H-H-How can I tell anyone that! Not... Not that anything happened.]


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    Not believing my ears, I asked again.


    ¡°Nothing happened?¡±


    [Y-Yeah. We just slept in each other¡¯s arms.¡±


    ¡°... You want me to believe that?¡±


    [What else was I supposed to do!? I was already frozen from nervousness! In fact, I deserve praise for being able to be with Ren-nim for that long without fainting!]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Can a grown-up woman and man just sleep together in bed without doing anything? Well, I guess if they were tired... No, even so...


    ¡°Just when I gave you the perfect opportunity...¡±


    [Rather than that, I¡¯m more worried that Ren-nim slept so peacefully... He must not see me as a woman...]


    ¡°Geez, that doesn¡¯t matter. You should just...¡±


    [Can I tell the other girls what you just said?]


    ¡°No, please save me. I¡¯m trying to help Lebuik here! Also, I¡¯m different from Ren!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s what you get for speaking as if it¡¯s easy. But still, thanks...]


    ¡°Ehew, good luck.¡±


    Not knowing what to say, I hung up. Regardless of what happened, with this, she should have gotten closer to Ren. I predicted that Ren would start visiting Lebuik¡¯s bedroom more often. Then, one day...


    Although I would need to wait longer until the day I ate banquet noodles came, the current situation wasn¡¯t so bad. With that thought, I went back to the dungeon.


    The 66th floor surprisingly had bats once again. I could easily predict what monsters I would face. Though I couldn¡¯t confirm my suspicion as the 66th floor only had bats, I knew someone who could tell me the answer.


    ¡°Yep, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s the incubus.¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡±


    After reaching the 66th Floor Shop in just one hour and a half, I could get a confirmation from Loretta. Filling up 10 floors with just bats and Mares, isn¡¯t that being too cheap? Kuhum, I mean, it¡¯s true that just sending out subi is unfair.


    ¡°Resistance against charming is very important. It¡¯s something both male and female explorers need to possess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve been seeing the charm stat in a new light recently, but still... incubi...¡±


    ¡°Uhuhuhu, you want to know what happens to female explorers charmed by incubi?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    I blocked my ears, and Loretta made a cute smile and replied.


    ¡°They only get their life force and mana drained to death. For the record, it¡¯s the same for male explorers who get charmed by subi. Shin-nim just never got to experience it. The dungeon is a ce to help explorers grow, not a ce to toy with their hearts and body. Are you perhaps disappointed?¡±


    ¡°My friends are climbing the First Dungeon too. My sister and daugh... Ina included!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Hohoho, aren¡¯t you d I let you know before you started worrying profusely?¡±


    Loretta made an awkward smile and looked away. Though I gave her a re, it was true that I considered joining the girls if needed. Relieved, I left for Beyond.


    Beyond¡¯s 16th floor had the Duhans... Right, Duhans, plural.


    [Human, fight me one on one with honor!]


    [Are you a knight? Fight me!]


    With over a hundred so-called knights asking for ¡®fair¡¯ fights, I gave up on fighting fairly immediately. Since I knew I would face Duhans, I already had a n in mind. Resolved to stay on the 16th floor for a long time, I initiated my n ¨C setting things on fire.


    ¡°Haaaaaaaa!¡±


    After enveloping my Chaotic Spear with a whirlpool of chaos mes, I shot it forward. Of course, just once wasn¡¯t enough. With everything that happened, I had over 110,000 mana. I swept through the entire floor by pouring in mana to create chaos mes.


    [Kak!]


    [These mes!]


    [Outburst!]


    Hit by the chaos mes, the Duhans panicked. They didn¡¯t even think to charge through the wall of mes, as they tried to attack me with their skills.


    However, the rock shards created by Outburst became tiny fragments as they burned up when they passed through the chaos me wall. By the time they hit me, they were no different than ant bites.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that?¡±


    [Kuaaaaaa!]


    A strange scene entered my eyes, and I shook. The floor¡¯s special property! I¡¯d been looking down on the 16th floor¡¯s special property! On the 15th floor, monsters split when they hit the walls, and even the Dragon Zombie¡¯s bone spears multiplied and shot out. The 16th floor¡¯s, on the other hand, fused everything that hit it. For example, the rock shards that fell to the ground after hitting me returned to floor and restored the hollowed walls.


    The reason I used the term ¡®fuse¡¯ instead of ¡®absorb¡¯ was because even the chaos mes I shot out fused with the floor. The entire floor became hotter and was dyed in a more reddish-ck color. If every magic and techniques I used transformed the floor¡¯s environment, it was possible for me to be hurt by my own attacks.


    That said, I was thankful that I found out about this now rather than when I used a different attack. Although chaos mes burned indefinitely, they could never hurt the me, their creator.


    [Kuaaak! Painful!]


    [Extinguish this me! If you¡¯re a knight, fight me fair and square!]


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that when there¡¯s over a hundred of you!¡±


    Even though I didn¡¯t do anything, the floor affected by chaos mes caused the Duhans to writhe in pain until they died.


    It seemed that they realized that the chaos mes would disappear if I died, as they charged at me. However, I had no fear for the Duhans without Outburst. I simply fought them altogether with Lightning Spear Storm and used Heroic Strikes with chaos mes to finish them off.


    [He¡¯s strong! Attack with Outburst!]


    [But if we do, the walls will fuse again...!]


    [Knights don¡¯t fear death! Knights only fear cowardly defeats!]


    It seemed the walls¡¯ fusion property didn¡¯t activate randomly. In the first ce, everything was designed to give the monsters an advantage. The fusion took ce when the Duhans used Outburst. I understood that through their conversation, and seeing the thousands of rock shards caused by the Duhans that didn¡¯t fear death, I created speciallyrge chaos mes without hesitation.


    [Kuaaaak!]


    [Coward!]


    [I might die here, but I didn¡¯t lose!]


    To be honest, it was stupid.


    Regardless, because chaos mes spread across the whole floor, I broke through Beyond¡¯s 16th floor by simply running for 5 hours, all the while thinking that this might be a new record.


    After leaving Beyond, I drank the 10 gold worth Fatigue Recovery Juice as I always did and headed to the guild house. Surprisingly, Yua was there as well.


    ¡°Yua, shouldn¡¯t you be at school?¡±


    ¡°Oppa, it¡¯s 9 P.M.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I checked the clock, and it really was 9. With how much time I¡¯ve been spending in the dungeon, I seemed to have lost my sense of time. With a bitter smile, I patted Yua who approached me.


    ¡°My bad.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Oppa going into Beyond? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Mm, well, I got lucky, so I finished it quickly.¡±


    ¡°Oppa really is amazing...¡±


    Nice! I raised Yua¡¯s respect for me naturally!


    ¡°Oppa, I became Gold rank today.¡±


    ¡°Already!?¡±


    She defeated the Wendigo!? Of course, Yua must have grown stronger, but the Wendigo¡¯s freezing energy shouldn¡¯t have been so easy to deal with... In shock, I examined Yua from head to toe. Yua then spoke with a hint of embarrassment.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Oppa. I¡¯m not hurt.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°The Floor Shop owner treated me kindly and sold me equipment to deal with the freezing energy for a cheap price. Our guild is really amazing.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah.¡±


    Loretta must have done something in the background... Since I didn¡¯t want to ruin Yua¡¯s good mood, I chose to stay silent.


    However, I soon noticed Yua staring at me intently, almost as if she wanted to ask something of me, but was hesitating.


    ¡°Um... Oppa.¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything you want, tell me. For you, I can even pluck the moon.¡±


    I was truly confident in being able to do so. Although it would be difficult to pluck both moons, Earth¡¯s original moon should be possible if I use all my power...! However, Yuaughed and shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy with just looking at the moon. We don¡¯t have anywhere to put it anyways.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Instead... You see, I want to tame monsters other than mantises. I know I can get stronger than way... If Oppa is busy, it¡¯s fine, but when you have time... can you go with me to monster territories on Earth?¡±


    I replied without a shred of hesitation.


    ¡°Actually, Oppa¡¯s been nning on taking care of a few monster territories. How¡¯s a weekter?¡±


    ¡°Really? I love you, Oppa!¡±


    Just like that, the reiming of the Philippines began.


    Author¡¯s note:


    I know many people don¡¯t like Yua, but it¡¯s necessary for the story so please bear with it. This author has put in too much personal taste for this character, so I can only apologize. But still...


    Yua¡¯s cute!


    Yua¡¯s cute!!


    Yua¡¯s cute!!!

 Chapter 219. Whats a Hero Anyways? (5)

    Chapter 219. What¡¯s a Hero Anyways? (5)


    Even if Yua needed to tame new monsters, I couldn¡¯t dy my dungeon progress to make time for it. Of the 2 year time period, a month had already passed.


    However, there was a way to hunt monsters on Earth and not slow down the dungeon progress. That was the period of time where I needed to grind Floor Masters, during which I had free time once I finished my daily grind. Since the 65th Floor Master was a Subus Queen, the 70th Floor Master was likely the Incubus King. Even if he was three times stronger than the Subus Queen, I still had the confidence to defeat him in under 5 minutes. Even if I took an hour to rest between the fights, I only need 1 hour and 50 minutes to grind him 10 times. In other words, I would have about 22 hours of free time. It was more than enough time to take care of Earth¡¯s monsters or travel to Mars and back.


    Telling Yua to wait a week was the same as dering that I would reach the 70th floor in a week. This was possible for a simple reason. The First Dungeon posed no problem for me whatsoever, and Beyond floors¡¯ property was also helping me.


    To be fair, I was a bit worried about the Grim Reaper. He was one of the most difficult Floor Masters I fought. However, with the terrain property helping me, it seemed doable.


    [Guooooo!]


    [Hateful human, do you not know the word ¡®fair¡¯!]


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to ask you bastards.¡±


    After breaking through the First Dungeon¡¯s 67th floor in the blink of an eye, I immediately charged into Beyond¡¯s 17th floor. There, I thoroughly scorched the Duhans. While they possessed powerful skills and tough bodies, they seemed to have left their ability to learn and manners at home. It was the first time I was able to sweep Beyond¡¯s floor so easily. Against the Orc Lords, I really had to use my brain.


    [You cleared Beyond¡¯s 17h floor. You obtained the qualification to challenge the First Dungeon¡¯s 68th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats. Your maximum HP and MP increase by 2%.]


    [Experience has been added to skills you frequently used to progress through Beyond¡¯s 17th floor.]


    [You mastered high rank Martial Arts Technique! Your body and mana reaches a perfect harmony. Positive effects will be added to all actions done with your body. All physical attack damage and speed increases by 20%.]


    [Although you have the groundwork to create a higher martial path, you cannot create a new technique yet due to yourck understanding in Martial Arts.]


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    The only thing I did on the 17th floor that could be considered Martial Arts was kicking the heads that flew at me. I only did it out of annoyance as the Duhans literally used their heads when I said they didn¡¯t try to use their head. I didn¡¯t think it would lead to this!


    I especially liked Martial Arts Technique as it affected other abilities and skills. I didn¡¯t think I would master it so quickly, but I couldn¡¯tin, as the 20% increase to physical attack damage and speed applied to my Spear Technique.


    However, it suspected that it would be difficult or even impossible to create a higher Martial Arts Technique. I had only learned and honed what was passed down in the family and having had experience with creating Mad Typhoon, I couldn¡¯t even begin to understand how to create a new Martial Arts Technique.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting stronger. It really feels like the best way to move has been ingrained on my mind.¡±


    20% increase to attack power and speed. Although it looked simple in numbers, in truth, it only meant that I could more skillfully draw out the power hidden in my body. Mastering a skill by Beyond¡¯s skill experience enhancement was great, but I still needed time to thoroughly understand the change. Of course, as I didn¡¯t have much time, I would have to get used to it through brawling with monsters.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s bring Lotte and head to the 68th floor!¡±


    I gave a spirited shout and jumped into the gate. Being able to focus solely on the dungeon was a refreshing feeling!


    After finishing our joyride through the 68th floor, I sent Lotte back to the mansion and was about to jump into Beyond¡¯s 18th floor. At that moment, I received a message. As it was a man¡¯s voice, I thought it was Ren or Father, but when I heard the entire message, I froze in front of the gate to Beyond.


    [It¡¯s been a while, friend.]


    Right, I was thinking it was about time I was interrupted... Someone didn¡¯t want me to just freely climb the dungeon! After letting out an inaudible sigh, I opened my mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Ellos.¡±


    How many months had it been? From what I remember, thest time I talked to Ellos was when Ludia and Shuna went with Ellos¡¯ party to defeat the 40th Floor Master. Immediately after that, Ludia¡¯s Luka continent was...


    When I contacted Ellos after everything had been taken care of, he didn¡¯t pick up. After obtaining an ability aftering to Earth, Ludia could climb the dungeon with just Shuna so there was no problem, but we were both worried about being unable to contact Ellos. After all, he was the first friend I made in the dungeon.


    ¡°I was worried sick. I knew you weren¡¯t dead because you didn¡¯t disappear from my friend list, but...¡±


    [Haha, sorry. A lot... happened.]


    Just like always, he sounded calm and collected. If he was gone for a few months, he must have been so busy that he could barely sleep, but his voice did not show any such signs.


    ¡°Is everything taken care of?¡±


    [Yeah. We stopped the invader¡¯s major attack. The Hero survived too somehow.]


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    [Yeah... It¡¯s great that you and Palludia are alive too. I¡¯ll see youter. We can defeat a Floor Master together or something.]


    ¡°Haha, yeah, hurry up.¡±


    I knew it would be impossible to party with Ellos. Even so, I encouraged him fully. Ellos probably didn¡¯t think that I could have reached the 70th floor in just a few months.


    Although not a long time had passed, many things had changed. Thinking about everything that happened, I was about to say goodbye.


    Ellos, however, seemed to have something else to say.


    [I heard you became a Dimensional Mercenary.]


    ¡°Hm? Oh, yeah, you knew?¡±


    [I¡¯m really proud to be your friend. I respect you as a friend too... When you¡¯re free, can youe to my continent? We¡¯re currently preparing a final offensive to drive away the invaders.]


    ¡°When my Dimensional Travel cooldown time ends, I¡¯ll be more than happy to go.¡±


    [Haha, thanks. You couldn¡¯t be more reliable.]


    It seemed the war between the Edias continent and its invader wasing to an end. Unlike the Luka continent and the Panan continent, the Edias continent seemed to have the power to resist and was even winning by the sound of it. Perhaps, there were warriors as powerful as me fighting alongside the Hero.


    If Ellos¡¯ world could drive away the world¡¯s enemy, it was a cause for celebration. If I couldn¡¯t give them a hand, I would be even happier. I inwardly ced a Dimensional Mercenary mission on reserve and jumped into Beyond¡¯s 18th floor feeling refreshed.


    [Foolish human.]


    [Why must you give yourself to death?]


    As expected, I ran into Grim Reapers filling up a wide passageway.


    The Grim Reaper possessed several abilities. They were skilled in handling theirrge scythes, shot aura waves, shot dozens of small scythes, and even blinked behind me suddenly. The Death Roar they used doubled the undeads¡¯ attack and halved the livings¡¯ defense. They could even make scythes pop up from the ground. I really wanted to ask, couldn¡¯t they have conquered a world by themselves? Not to mention, they were even stronger in Beyond.


    [We shall guide you to death.]


    [Come with us.]


    ¡°Who¡¯d want to go with you floating hobos!?¡±


    I prepared myself for what was toe, leaving everything to continued use of Divine Speed and mana recovery through Absolute Soul. The Grim Reapers teleported like ghosts from horror movies and sent aura waves flying toward me. Using Ruyue¡¯s power to block them, I flew up.


    [Die!]


    In the next moment, a Grim Reaper appeared behind me and swung his scythe. However, the cape hanging on my back immediately fluttered and hit the scythe away. Although the Grim Reapers¡¯ sudden blink attack was the most annoying attack, it was a considered an ambush. As such, Felixes¡¯ Chaotic Cape nullified it with its anti-ambush effect.


    ¡°You¡¯re first! Heroic Strike!¡±


    [Kiaaaaa!]


    The spear I thrust out prated the reaper¡¯s body. Although small scythes shot out, they were easily blocked by my armor. They didn¡¯t work either! Even though the Grim Reapers had gotten stronger, my increase in strength had more than made up for it!


    With an evil grin, I twisted the spear which was still stuck inside him. The reaper instantly became particles of light and scattered into the air. Just a single Heroic Strike with a normal amount of mana could kill a reaper.


    [This human is resisting.]


    [Foolish!]


    After sending one reaper away, I turned to the others. In the air, dozens ofrge scythes were shing down towards me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get tired?¡±


    I quickly dodged and the scythes also struck the ground. The passageway immediately began to transform. The floor, which was made of stone-like material, became metallic and sharp spikes protruded out, making it impossible to step foot on the ground. Of course, I didn¡¯t believe that the spikes would stay on the ground forever.


    The Grim Reapers shouted together.


    [As you rejected afortable death, you shall face a cruel gruesome death!]


    [Kuaaaaaaa!]


    [Grim Reaper uses Death Roar! Absolute Soul, Overwhelm, and high charm nullifies Death Roar!]


    [What!?]


    [O-Our roar...!]


    I was also surprised. I didn¡¯t think I couldpletely nullify Death Roar. I thought only worlds¡¯ enemies could ignore the dungeon¡¯s skills. However, not only did I nullify the debuff from Death Roar, I even nullified the self-buffing part of Death Roar. Wait... then was it the same for Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry...?


    [His league... A truly lofty league...!]


    [Overwhelming Grim Reapers... Is this man human!?]


    The reapers also seemed shocked as they froze in the air. I didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and used Elemental Tempest and Sacrifice.


    [Kuaaaaak!]


    [You... You are the dungeon¡¯s...!]


    The reapers disappeared muttering things I couldn¡¯t understand. After absorbing elemental power, the passageway began to glow in a five-colored light and shot out its spikes. However, with no reapers attacking me, dodging them was piece of cake. I quickly weaved through the spikes and flew across the passageway, murmuring.


    ¡°If I¡¯m this much, the world¡¯s enemy... I need to get stronger.¡±


    I was no longer the kid that didn¡¯t know anything. Now that I could fathom the enemy¡¯s power, I could set a clearer goal for myself.


    Although the dungeon was powerful, it undoubtedly had a limit. Perhaps, what the dungeon wanted from me was to surpass the power it bestowed me. Overlord, gods¡¯ true names, and Absolute Soul. These were all ways to aplish that.


    Although I should be happy, I wasn¡¯t. With a stiff expression, I progressed through Beyond, believing that someone beyond the dungeon could answer my questions.


    Four dayster, I reached the First Dungeon¡¯s 70th floor. It was two days earlier than the promised day with Yua.

 Chapter 220. Whats a Hero Anyways? (6)

    Chapter 220. What¡¯s a Hero Anyways? (6)


    [Another man...]


    ¡°You¡¯re too honest!¡±


    The 70th Floor Master was, unsurprisingly, the Incubus King. With stylish clothes and handsome features, he indeed possessed looks that could capture any women.


    Although his high charm could affect both men and women, I was unaffected thanks to my high charm.


    [I do not enjoy fighting. I would rather whisper into the ears of beautiful women.]


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it. You¡¯re a creep. Come.¡±


    [I especially hate men who give off enticing scents like you! They steal my women!]


    ¡°Mind your own business!¡±


    The Incubus King charged at me with an ornate longsword. When he swung his sword, thousands of ice spears appeared in the air. If anything, I had to recognize his boundless mana.


    [My ice spear will prate you!]


    ¡°Can you stop making everything lewd!? Also, I¡¯ll be the one prating you with my ice spear!¡±


    I smirked and charged forward. At the same time, Ruyue flew up. In her beast girl appearance, Ruyue shouted.


    [Anyone who bullies Shin, I¡¯ll teach you a lesson!]


    Immediately, the thousands of ice spears flying toward me halted. Then, along with Ruyue¡¯s hand gestures, some became bigger and somebined with others. The Incubus King waved his sword around with a shocked expression, but it was toote. He hadpletely lost control of his ice spears.


    [A mere elemental dares to go against me!]


    ¡°If you look away, you¡¯ll die!¡±


    Not that he wouldn¡¯t die if he didn¡¯t look away. While he staring at the ice spears in the air, I used Divine Speed and shot a Heroic Strike wrapped in chaos mes. The attack drilled into his shoulder and created a huge hole.


    [Kuaaaaak! My noble body!]


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the other men that went through here do the same thing?¡±


    [Are you looking down on me for being restrained by the dungeon? You¡¯re no better, a mere human being yed by fate!]


    In his rage, the Incubus King charged towards me. I grinned and held up my spear.


    Chaos mes and white aura mixed together, burning in a hard to describe form. I then charged toward the Incubus King fuming with a navy demonic energy.


    ¡°Go to hell with your fate bullshit!¡±


    At the same time, hundreds of ice spears strengthened by Ruyue descended. The Incubus King swung his sword and created a barrier. He then used magic to break the iing ice spears, but his face was grim, as if he already knew he would lose.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong. He had already used quite a lot of his mana to create the ice spears. When it failed, his defeat was only a matter of time.


    [Human, human, humaaaaan! Despair! Surrender to fate! Be a loser and forever slumber in resentment!]


    ¡°Stop talking about yourself!¡±


    The ice spears then broke through his barrier and struck his body. His beautiful clothes became shredded as his limbs also became severed. Coincidentally, only his face remained unhurt.


    [Kuhuk... I won¡¯t forget you!]


    The Incubus King coughed out ck blood and red at me. I struck my spear into his face and replied.


    ¡°Bullshit to the end. Even when I see you Floor Masters 10 times a day, none of you remember me.¡±


    [A Grand Achievement! You defeated the Floor Master, ¡®Incubus King¡¯, alone! Amazing!]


    [You became level 71. You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond¡¯s 20th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Incubus King yer¡¯. All stats permanently increase by 1. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You became Gold Rank 2. Congrattions.]


    [You defeated the Incubus King alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Superior Incubus King¡¯s Top.¡¯]


    [You obtained 500,000 gold.]


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Captivation Magic Book.]


    Unlike the Subus Queen, it seemed somebody had already imed the first reward for the Incubus King. In other words, an explorer who had been bewitched and killed by the Subus Queen had in the Incubus King in cold blood. Incubus King, you poor guy...


    Regardless, the solo kill reward was the important thing. Captivation Magic Book. Another item beyond my expectations hade out. I couldn¡¯t refuse the reward either. Thinking I might need to learn to control my charm again, I sighed as I chose the reward.


    [You learned the passive skill Captivation. Captivation strengthens your charm. At level 1, it increases your charm by 10%. Against members of the opposite sex, your charm will have double the effect.]


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    If this effect multiplied the amplification I got from the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo, then my charm would have quadruple the effect to females. Even if the effect worked additively, it would still be triple. Since the skills I obtained from the dungeon all worked additively, my charm most likely tripled instead of quadrupling. The 60th through 70th floor really increased explorers¡¯ charms. Hwaya must love it.


    Regardless, since my charm reached a troublesome realm once again, I had to control my charm before I headed out to the Floor Shop.


    ¡°Wee back, Shin-nim... Uuu, your charm increased again!¡±


    ¡°If you want to resent someone, Loretta, resent the one who made the dungeon like this.¡±


    ¡°Why would I resent anyone? I¡¯m fine as long as Shin-nim doesn¡¯t go around seducing women. In fact, I have to thank the Lord for this!¡±


    ¡°At least you¡¯re honest...¡±


    At my wry smile, Loretta puffed out her chest proudly.


    ¡°Being honest is my good point! Then, Shin-nim, now...¡±


    ¡°See youter.¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that. I hate you!¡±


    Leaving Loretta behind, I went back into the Floor Master room to fight the Incubus King again. To implement my n in time, I had no choice but to work hard.


    Two hours afterward, at the guild house on Earth, I checked the guild members who wanted to participate in this expedition. I had already notified everyone on the day I talked to Yua, and after I cleared the 70th floor earlier than expected, I told whoevering along to finish their preparations by today.


    The result was that it would be faster to count the number of people not here. No, wait...


    ¡°... Everyone¡¯s here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to reim a country. Isn¡¯t it obvious that we¡¯de?¡±


    Hwaya spoke as everyone¡¯s representative. She was wearing formal attire and was holding a long silver stick in one hand. She stood next to a empty wall, ready to give a presentation.


    Michel and Leon also nodded.


    ¡°She¡¯s right. I joined Revival because I believed we would drive away the monsters from Earth. This is the first step. There¡¯s no way I can miss it.¡±


    ¡°Well said, old man! Besides, if I don¡¯t help, I¡¯ll feel weird receiving help to reim Texas or California.¡±


    ¡°Kuu, having California taken by them was indeed a great catastrophe...¡±


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! Although we can¡¯t bring the dead back to life, lostnds can always be reimed!¡±


    Over 10% of U.S. poption lived in California. When Two Moon urred, arge scale monster attack decimated half of California¡¯s poption. Even those who survived had lost their families, properties, and hopes of living.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to California soon, so don¡¯t worry, Leon.¡±


    ¡°I believe you, friend!¡±


    ¡°Shush.¡±


    Hwaya silenced us and projected a screen onto the wall.


    ¡°The ce we¡¯re going to today is the Philippines.¡±


    ¡°Philippines...¡±


    ¡°Because of monsters, 90,000,000 people lost their lives in the Philippines. That¡¯s 90% of their poption. It was one of humanity¡¯s greatest catastrophes. ¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a satellite image. It¡¯s full of vegetation like it has traveled back in time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that it¡¯s part of another world¡¯s natural environment. Even if you¡¯ve been to the Philippines before, don¡¯t think the Philippines we¡¯re about to go to is the same Philippines as the past.¡±


    Hwaya spoke with a stern tone and pointed to the Philippines on the screen¡¯s map. Then, a few pictures popped up on the screen. Tall trees and dense vegetation made it look like we were looking at a scene from the Jurassic Period. Inside the forests, we could see giant monsters roaming about.


    ¡°They¡¯re pictures taken during the Philippines during the catastrophe. At the time, three SS rankers including me fought against the monsters there. Back then, we had to retreat without even killing 10% of the monsters in the coast. Like the other upied countries, Philippines¡¯ monsters are rather high ranked. The weakest are A ranks with 60% being S rank, 10% being SS rank, and 1% being... above that.¡±


    ¡°Only that...? Ow!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on others just because you¡¯re strong.¡±


    Ludia hit my head. I reflected.


    ¡°They might have gotten even stronger by now. We can probably safely assume that most monsters had a half rank increase. The subi battle units recovered most of the inds other than the maind, and their reports prove that this is true.¡±


    ¡°Right. The monsters there were unusually strong. Dear Husband, this Philippines... I think there¡¯s something in its center region. I felt a powerful aura that made me tremble.¡±


    ¡°It could be amander level monster. In any case, this operation can¡¯t be done without Shin. As you know, Shin, your Evil Eyes will be important.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    I could petrify all monsters below SS rank without having to use mana. However, as monsters with rtively high ranks could naturally cancel the petrification over time, we had to go through the process of shattering their petrified bodies.


    Hwaya then showed us more pictures of the Philippines, exining the monsters endemic to the area. With the Philippines being an ind nation, even coastlines had powerful oceanic monsters. As for deeper ind, there were many powerful mammalian monsters, insect monsters, and harpy type monsters. There really were monsters of all sorts.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the matter that served as the how this operation started ¨C finding elite monsters for Yua. Daisy, you stop drooling.¡±


    ¡°Good monster are, dead monster.¡±


    ¡°Your definition of dead monsters is undead monsters.¡±


    ¡°Meki, strong because dead. Other mantis, weak because alive.¡±


    ¡°Is Meki the name you gave to the Evil Mantis Queen?¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, smart student...!¡±


    While I smacked Daisy¡¯s head, Hwaya¡¯s exnation was reaching its end.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already exined the situation to Guardian and Freedom Wing. The media will talk about us around dinner time. There are some volunteers from various agencies...¡±


    ¡°Reject everyone under SS rank.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s everyone then.¡±


    Hwaya burned away some of the papers in her hand. Now that I thought about it, the only SS rankers not part of Revival were the ones we made into First Dungeon explorers. They were undoubtedly still busy climbing the dungeon.


    Once the papers in her hand became cinders, Hwaya¡¯s expression became serious.


    ¡°Let me confirm onest time. We aren¡¯t forcing anyone to participate in this operation. If you¡¯re unsure of your abilities...¡±


    While Snorting, Ludia retorted.


    ¡°You might want to go with Shin alone, but I won¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, even if I wanted to, sister-inw ising anyways...¡±


    Hwaya turned away and grumbled. Yua tilted her head and asked Hwaya.


    ¡°Sister-inw? What does that mean? My understanding of this must be wrong... Can you tell me?¡±


    Scary. And cold! Thinking perhaps it was just me, I looked at Hwaya who was a SSS rank me ability user. Seeing how she was also trembling, it seemed the temperature around us had gone down.


    ¡°Yua, don¡¯t be so scary. I want to get close to you. Why do you not like me?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I don¡¯t like you, Unni. Haha... So, what¡¯s the other meaning of sister-inw?¡±


    Don¡¯t bully Hwaya, Yua! Her life points have already hit zero!


    ¡°Reiming a country with just us... It¡¯s almost like we¡¯re superheroes fromic books.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, Kang Yungoong. We¡¯re this world¡¯s heroes!¡±


    ¡°Shin, Yungoong[1. Shin means ¡°god¡± and Yungoong means ¡°hero¡± in Korean.]. What choices of names...¡±


    ¡°Who cares! Shin, Yungoon! What better describes them!?¡±


    ¡°Men, stop bbering like idiots. We¡¯re heading out now!¡±


    All 17 members of Revival immediately set off to the Philippines.


    From this moment on, we were the main characters of this heroic tale.

 Chapter 221. Overlord (1)

    Chapter 221. Overlord (1)


    The 17 members of Revival along with Plene, Lotte, and Licorice, totaling 20, got on Hwaya¡¯s private ne. As the subi battle units were already in the Philippines, only we needed to go. For the record, Walker was the pilot, being unexpectedly skilled in many areas.


    Among these members, not everyone was harmonious. In particr, although I hadn¡¯t been paying much attention, the monster members didn¡¯t get along.


    ¡°You vulgar bat, get off of Hero¡¯sp.¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid because you¡¯re bird-brained? This is where I belong, Dear Husband¡¯sp. Stop squawking noisily and go away, wyvern. Your scales are getting in the way.¡±


    ¡°I want to be next to Shin too...¡±


    As Plene was weaker in both magical and physical abilities, she had the least say, while Lotte and Licorice fought fierce psychological battles. Strictly speaking, Lotte was weaker than Licorice. However, Lotte was still above Licorice in physical abilities.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t too happy with this arrangement. The fact that they were fighting over me was even more troublesome. The other girls already gave me a headache, but now even the monsters were joining in!


    When I was just about to say something, a thinyer of ice spread over Licorice who was sitting on myps.


    ¡°Kyaaak! What¡¯s this!?¡±


    ¡°Daddy¡¯sp is mine.¡±


    Ina pushed off the slightly frozen Licorice and plumped down on myps. I widened my eyes and shouted.


    ¡°Ina! You can control your ice magic now!¡±


    ¡°A little bit. Did I do well, Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Yep, yep. Good job.¡±


    ¡°Kuk, Dear Husband abandoned me...¡±


    ¡°Serves you right, bat.¡±


    ¡°You go away. And you too, sparkly eyes.¡±


    My daughter... My daughter was establishing order! Touched by Ina¡¯s power to shoo the monsters away, I hugged Ina, who made cute noises.


    Ah, of course, Yua was sitting in the window seat next to me.


    ¡°I wonder if my kids will be safe in the Philippines...¡±


    Yua murmured in worry and looked out the window, though there were only clouds in sight.


    ¡°Are you talking about your mantises?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re still young... so I¡¯m a bit worried.¡±


    Although a few of them had died as they climbed the dungeon, most of the mantises survived and grew stronger with Yua. With the buffs Yua could cast as a Tamer, each mantis had power on par with an S rank monster. I couldn¡¯t help but shiver thinking about how strong they would be when they fully grew up. Even now, they certainly weren¡¯t weak.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. They look all grown up to me.¡±


    ¡°They only got bigger in size. They¡¯re still kids at heart.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Guys grow up by being apart from their mothers.¡±


    ¡°But there are more girls...¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know. Sorry, mantis girls.


    In any case, they were live monsters and couldn¡¯t enter the inventory like Daisy¡¯s undead monsters. For when we needed to travel, we temporarily put them in the guild¡¯s resort, Resting ce of the Angels. Yua would then go back to the dungeon and bring them out when she needed them. Looking back, obtaining Resting ce of the Angels was god¡¯s work.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there in thirty minutes. The subi units cleared space for us tond, but with so many monsters are popping up from the ocean, they¡¯re apparently having trouble holding on. Get ready. Yua, make sure you bring out your mantises when you see an opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Unni.¡±


    ¡°Shin, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    Seeing the effect of my Evil Eyes strengthened by charm, I was sure everyone would be stunned. With a grin, I initiated Peruta Circuit. The time to release the power I had been hiding was getting closer.


    Twenty minutes afterwards, while the ne was still soaring through the sky, Hwaya shouted sharply.


    ¡°Attack iing!¡±


    The outside suddenly got noisier. At the same time, Hwaya did something, making the ne¡¯s walls transparent as if we were floating in air. I mused, ¡®Technology sure advances fast...¡¯ However, now wasn¡¯t the time for that. There were already monsters all around the ne.


    Of the flying monsters in the Philippines, there were harpies, giant eagles and hawks, dinosaur-like monsters, flying insects, and even wyverns. I immediately thought of capturing a strong male to introduce him to Lotte, but I rejected the idea when I turned around and saw Lotte¡¯s cold and terrifying gaze. Damn, could my tamed beasts read my mind!?


    ¡°An ambush by flying monsters. Daisy, can you take care of it?¡±


    ¡°Kana, already on it.¡±


    Daisy answered confidently. Immediately afterwards, a ginormous tuna... like monster appeared in the air. I was wondering what monster Kana was. It was none other than Aikan, one of Daisy¡¯s strongest undead monsters!


    ¡°Kana, learned transparency. Grew up well.¡±


    Daisy strutted out chest and made a proud expression. I thought undead monsters couldn¡¯t grow...? Regardless, it was amazing that it learned a new skill. Unlike what I thought before, it seemed undead monsters could grow.


    [Ooooooong!]


    Aikan cried reliantly. Just from that, some of the weaker monsters exploded. What a monster... Daisy¡¯s obtaining it in the Panan continent couldn¡¯t have been better.


    ¡°Kana, send them flying. Beam!¡±


    The moment Daisy shouted, Aikan... no, Kana, opened its giant mouth and sucked in the surrounding air. Naturally, the nearby monsters couldn¡¯t ovee the suction force and was pulled into Kana¡¯s mouth. Most of the attacks towards Kana dissipated when they hit the light shooting out from Kana¡¯s body, and even the attacks that managed to get through the light couldn¡¯t prate Kana¡¯s skin. It seemed flying monsters could be just left to Kana.


    [Guoooooooooo!]


    Finally, Kana shot out a giant pir of light. Everything in its path was wiped clean, and as surrounding monsters moved to fill up the now empty space, it could clearly be seen that their numbers of thinning.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the description, but that thing is too overpowered!¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, almost won against Kana.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®almost¡¯? I did win!¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin fought, El Patiz. Can¡¯t win against Kana.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    While we quarreled, Kana leisurely took care of the rest of the monsters. With Kana guarding us, we safelynded on the coast.


    ¡°Dear Husband!¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband is here!¡±


    When we got off the ne, the subi fighting the monsters all turned to face me. I could feel the other girls poking me with narrowed eyes. I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s not my fault!


    ¡°Is everyone off? Walker?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡±


    After confirming that everyone had gotten off the ne, Hwaya stored the ne in her inventory. The monsters hurtling towards the ne changed their direction towards us, but were immediately shot down by the subi¡¯s magic.


    ¡°Dear Husband, we¡¯re extremely sorry to say this, but can you participate in the battle? Many kids arecking in mana, so they can¡¯t handle the monsters properly!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m going now!¡±


    I immediately summoned Sharana and infused her into my body. Although I also summoned Ruyue and Peika, I didn¡¯t infuse them in my weapons. Spirit Aura was only needed against monsters I needed to put in effort to defeat. Against arge number of enemies, I only needed Sharana, and the other elementals were better off in their materialized forms.


    I soared into the air and shouted.


    ¡°Fight me!¡±


    [You used Provoke! All enemies in the area charge in to kill you!]


    This feeling, I had felt it before. It was probably in the Panan continent. The feeling when all beings in the world were staring at me and attacking me. It was the moment when my heart tightened the most.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    In one go, I fully released all the charm I had been holding back. At that moment, even I felt an electrifying scent. While I was rather annoyed, my Evil Eyes, strengthened to the extreme by my charm, radiated a powerful golden light and shone down on everything in my sight. In this regard, I couldn¡¯t be happier with my high charm. Furthermore...


    Everything in the world became stone.


    ¡°My god...¡±


    Hwaya murmured in a stiff voice. Everyone else also only stared at me speechless. I waved my hand and spoke.


    ¡°Sorry, I fully released my charm, so you shouldn¡¯t look at me for too long.¡±


    ¡°Un, right... but well, it¡¯s toote to try to ignore your charm, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Kuhum...¡±


    Hwaya, striking at this moment... I blushed and looked away.


    ¡°Amazing! All monsters in this area was... Aaah, as expected of Dear Husband!¡±


    Other than me, Revival¡¯s members, tamed monsters and the subi battle units, all else had petrified with nothing spared.


    Rocks rained down on the ocean, making fountains spout up everywhere. Likewise on the earth, loud noises rang out as rocks hailed down.


    ¡°Peika, can you destroy all the rocks that just fell down?¡±


    [I don¡¯t want to go in the ocean... but okay, I got it.]


    ¡°Ruyue, you know what to do, right?¡±


    [Leave it to me! Ice Rain!]


    The two elementals each charged to their designated area and started to break the petrified monsters. Then, the others finally snapped out and started to work on breaking the monsters. They didn¡¯t forget toment on what just happened.


    ¡°At this rate, can¡¯t we be done with the Philippines in just a day?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be surprised if I get a Stone Breaker title. I¡¯ve never experienced such boring monster hunting.¡±


    ¡°Hey you! Make sure you get everything on camera! We have to record Dear Husband¡¯s magnificent glory!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Queen!¡±


    First, I stole the camera from the subus taking Licorice¡¯s orders. Then, feeling the presence of monsters in the distance, I calcted the amount of time we had until they came to a threatening range and confined my charm again. The scent that was emanating from me died down noticeably. Wait, didn¡¯t that mean this scent could even be seen visually...!?


    ¡°You¡¯re not even human anymore, Son. Did you eat an air freshener?¡±


    ¡°Shut it, Dad.¡±


    I retorted curtly at the snickering Father, as I held my spear back up. At that moment, Daisy murmured in regret.


    ¡°Petrified monsters... can¡¯t make undead.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    That wasn¡¯t it. Yua also made a vague smile and spoke.


    ¡°Oppa, I can¡¯t tame monsters when they¡¯re petrified...¡±


    ¡°Oh, mm... right...¡±


    I worked my brain helplessly. Then, I finally came up with an answer to solve this crisis.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a monster that¡¯s strong enough to withstand my petrification!¡±


    ¡°Will there be one...?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡±


    Almost as if I used my Evil Eyes again, a somewhat unwee silence descended once again. Wanting to shake it off, I shouted energetically.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s do this! I¡¯m sure there will be a monster willing to be Yua¡¯s friend!¡±


    ¡°How irresponsible.¡±


    ¡°Undead... my undead.¡±


    ¡°Friend... will I find one...?¡±


    What, you¡¯re unhappy with my performance!? You¡¯re not being honest!

 Chapter 222. Overlord (2)

    Chapter 222. Overlord (2)


    After taking care of the first wave of monsters gathered at the coast, only the dense forest stretching out to the horizon filled our eyes. The greenery truly extended to every corner of our eyes. No one would be surprised if a dinosaur¡¯s head suddenly popped up.


    We had nowhere near enough time to thoroughly search every corner of Philippines for monsters. We couldn¡¯t waste time. Of course, we hade with a solution prepared.


    ¡°So I just sing songs that attract?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Just focus on singing. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    The solution was none other than Plene. To kill monsters with my Evil Eyes, I needed them to be within my sight. Although it would be nice if I could draw them towards me with Provoke, Provoke¡¯s range wasn¡¯t that big.


    However, unlike my shouting, Plene¡¯s singing traveled far and wide like the sweet scent of flowers attracting honeybees. Plene had never apanied me to Event Dungeons or Dimensional Mercenary missions, but now was her time to shine. Ah,e to think of it, she did shine before when Event Dungeons appeared on Earth.


    ¡°L~ Lla~¡±


    ¡°What a beautiful voice.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get infatuated, Father. Snap out of it.¡±


    Father looked like he was ready to crack open a beer bottle. I restrained father and strongly circted Peruta Circuit. I could feel countless number of monstersing over, attracted by Plene¡¯s singing.


    ¡°Battle units, you guys can rest. You must be tired. If you want, you get even go back to Resting ce of the Angels.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Dear Husband, but we can regain our strength through battle!¡±


    ¡°Alright, then be on standby. You guys can help take care of the monsters unaffected by Evil Eyes.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    To be honest, the subi¡¯s mind sharing ability was rather convenient. I could just grab one randomly and the rest would understand what I told her. That said, I wanted to decline their favorable impression of me from going up at the same time!


    Everyone prepared their bodies and minds against the strong enemies we would face. As I circted Peruta Circuit and waited for the monsters in the distance to arrive, I thought about ways to effectively release my charm.


    The strength, dexterity, and constitution stats directly affected my body, the magic stat was my mana itself. Although I wasn¡¯t sure what the luck stat did exactly, I could more or less control the other stats. I could disy as much strength as I wanted and disy as much speed as I wanted. If that wasn¡¯t possible, it would be impossible for explorers to live their everyday lives.


    At first, I thought the charm stat was like the luck stat, something outside of my control. However, after experiencing many things, I came to realize that it was controble. Then, it must be possible to control how much of it I used just like other stats.


    Furthermore, if I could focus it to strengthen one part of my body, like the eyes for example, and stop releasing my charm through my whole body, I could get Hwaya and Ludia to stop looking at me with judgmental eyes. As such, learning to control my charm was one of my top priorities. After all, charm was a monster-like ability that could even demolish an ability user¡¯s self-control!


    ¡°L,l~! Laaa~!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯reing. I can feel it!¡±


    ¡°Would it be about 0.1% of the Philippines¡¯ monsters?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but there sure are a lot!¡±


    0.1%... So we only had to do this 999 more times? Although I tried to trick myself into thinking positively, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Dealing with monsters on a scale of a country was no joke.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sigh too much, Shin... I¡¯m happy, it¡¯s been a while since I did something with you since I can¡¯t be with you in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I get it, so go away, Ludia. Your eyes are really dangerous right now.¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband is so strange. It is only natural for a man and a woman to embrace each other, why does he refuse it so adamantly?¡±


    ¡°For the first time, I agree with you, Licorice. Why don¡¯t we exchange some ideas?¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s cooperate, witch.¡±


    I swear I¡¯ll learn to focus my charm to only my eyes! If this continues, I¡¯ll be conquered before I can conquer the Philippines!


    In just four days, we managed topletely wipe out monsters from 40% of the Philippines. Although there were monsters powerful enough to resist Plene¡¯s singing, they couldn¡¯t hide their presence from us. We just had to find them and kill them. These monsters could also resist my petrification. When I asked Daisy and Yua if they were interested, they shook their heads.


    ¡°Not this one either?¡±


    ¡°Not cute.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not cute.¡±


    ¡°Is there some standard I don¡¯t know about? Is it really because they¡¯re not cute?¡±


    We only had five hours to rest per day. I was the only one who thought it was too long. At first, everyone rolled their eyes and called me a tyrant.


    ¡°I know we¡¯re on standby most of the time, but Shin, you¡¯re always using your power. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Eh? You were worrying about me?¡±


    As I nned on taking two hours out of that five hours to hunt Floor Masters, I couldn¡¯t help but be flustered by Ye-Eun¡¯s question. Were these people still doubting the power of explorers¡¯ stats? I received the answer to my doubts the next morning.


    ¡°Strange. Why am I not tired?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, even after I became an ability user, I still felt sleepy from time to time... but now I¡¯m not sleepy at all.¡±


    ¡°So this is the power of stats...!¡±


    Wait, these people, were they in the dungeon for only eight hours a day like some office work? When I asked them, the others gave me stares that said, ¡®What¡¯s this monster?¡¯ It seemed I was the weird one. Hwaya advised me seriously.


    ¡°Shin, I know you feel pressed for time, but there¡¯s a certain level of stress you get just from battling. Without you even realizing, your mind is being hurt. You¡¯re already getting stronger quickly, so don¡¯t push yourself too much. Many of us here feel pain seeing you hurt.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah...¡±


    Since she was genuinely worrying about, I couldn¡¯t refute her even though I really didn¡¯t feel anything. Feeling awkward from Hwaya¡¯s stare, I nodded. In the end, I didn¡¯t tell anyone I spent two hours hunting Floor Masters. Though, I suspected that a few of them already knew about it.


    It was on the fourth day that something unexpected happened. During these four days, we went around the Philippines using Plene¡¯s singing and my Evil Eyes to wipe out monsters. Before we noticed, the number of monsters swarming us decreased. It wasn¡¯t that there were more monsters that could resist Plene¡¯s singing.


    ¡°There should be more monsters the closer ind we get. How strange.¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband, I¡¯ll get the kids to survey the area¡±


    ¡°Might die, dangerous. Undead, safe.¡±


    Daisy stopped Licorice and took out a skeleton of a hawk from her inventory. Then, she put a small crystal ball in its eye socket.


    ¡°Scout.¡±


    [Kiaaa!]


    The hawk cried and soared into the air. Its speed was incredibly fast. At the same time, Daisy took out another crystal ball that seemed like an erged version of the one she took out before.


    ¡°We can, see with this.¡±


    ¡°Wow, so we can use this to see what the hawk is seeing?¡±


    ¡°Floor Shop 770,000 gold. Revival privilege, 70,000 gold discount.¡±


    Without me realizing, my name was being used here and there. I told myself to apologize to Loretta next time I saw her, as I looked into the crystal ball. The hawk¡¯s incredible fast made it hard to see the surrounding scenery, but once I got used it, I could see the dense forested area around us.


    For about five minutes, nothing was out of the ordinary. As we already cleaned up this area, there weren¡¯t any monsters that came into view. Although it would have been nice if that continued, Hwaya soon shouted.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Monster migration.¡±


    Daisy answered with a shocked expression. She was right. A group, no a herd of monsters had finally entered the hawk¡¯s view. Strangely, they were all moving towards one direction. Land monsters were plowing through the forest, while flying monsters pped their wings and cut through the sky. It was almost as if they were racing towards the same finish line.


    ¡°This is...¡±


    ¡°There really is amander...¡±


    Hwaya gulped. I could feel her voice trembling slightly. I understood why as one of the monsters running in the crystal ball was...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the same type of monster as the one Yua hated?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the same monster as the one that didn¡¯t get petrified. From how much mana it had...¡±


    Sumire continued Hwaya¡¯s murmuring.


    ¡°It was an SSS rank.¡±


    ¡°Ho.¡±


    It was clear what that meant. There was no way an SSS rank monster would run like a dog ying catch for a monster weaker than itself. It meant that there was a monster that was overwhelmingly stronger than an SSS rank monster.


    ¡°A map, anyone?¡±


    ¡°Here you go, Hwaya-nim.¡±


    One of the subus handed Hwaya a 3D hologram map of the Philippines. Comparing the map with the scenery in the crystal ball, Hwaya estimated where the monsters were heading to.


    ¡°Luzon Ind... southernmost area.¡±


    Hwaya voice fell. Soon, she came up with an answer.


    ¡°Bulusan Volcano... They¡¯re going to a volcano!?¡±


    My instincts told me a monster my Evil Eyes couldn¡¯t do anything against was there.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s enough space there for all these monsters to gather, but this is more convenient for us. Let¡¯s head over there while we take care of the slow ones.¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t know what will be there, Shin. Let¡¯s split up our forces. I don¡¯t know what the monsters are up to, but they¡¯re certainly not trying to help you kill them all at once.¡±


    That was true.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s kill them before any more of them reaches the volcano.¡±


    ¡°We have six subi battle units. We¡¯ll split up and go with them. Shin, you go with Plene and kill as many of them as you can.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Subi, line up!¡±


    The battle units immediately began to line up. The other members of Revival also stood nervously at Hwaya¡¯s frosty vigor.


    ¡°There might be a monster stronger than any monster we¡¯ve faced so far. You can¡¯t just rely on Shin to take care of everything. Make sure you¡¯re resolved!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my daughter candidate sure is feisty.¡±


    ¡°Father, you just scared other daughter candidates with that.¡±


    ¡°Guys, is the Philippines the only country with a monster like this?¡±


    ¡°Probably not...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but recall the Demon Army Commander I met in the Luka continent. A monster far surpassing him was likely waiting for us. A monster that could control SSS rank monsters... how many monsters like this existed on Earth?


    ¡°So the real war is beginning... I¡¯m shaking a bit.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, we just have to kill them. What, you¡¯re scared?¡±


    At Michel¡¯s muttering, Walker snorted and replied. Michel grinned and retorted.


    ¡°Of course not. But since you¡¯re so full of spirit, I¡¯ll be expecting a lot from you.¡±


    ¡°Trying to act cool, old man?¡±


    After splitting up into a total of seven teams, we set off. Our final destination was Luzon Ind¡¯s southernmost area, Bulusan Volcano. The battle was not far off.

 Chapter 223. Overlord (3)

    Chapter 223. Overlord (3)


    ¡°L~ Lla~¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband, I think we¡¯re done with the monsters in this area.¡±


    ¡°There really aren¡¯t many... Plene, it¡¯s fine now.¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    Plene, who was entertaining our ears and leading the monsters to their deaths, immediately stopped singing at my request. I sent out my elementals to shatter the petrified monsters as I looked around the area. Far in the distance, I could see a volcano shooting up into sky. Bulusan Volcano. As expected, it had grown to the point its original appearance was unrecognizable.


    ¡°Dear Husband, can you feel it? The breath of the fierce beast that¡¯s hiding its presence.¡±


    ¡°Of course, now that we¡¯re this close, I can feel it clearly.¡±


    ¡°This might be...¡±


    Lotte, who was listening to our conversation, spoke out with a bit of hesitation. I turned to face her and asked.


    ¡°Do you recognize it, Lotte?¡±


    ¡°Have I not exined to Hero about them?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it short and simple. There no humans in the world I came from. Only existences that humans call monsters lived there. Of the five major countries, there was a country centered around a volcano with its kingmanding a powerful army.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s...¡±


    Lotte slowly nodded her head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice their special characteristic from any of the monsters we¡¯ve seen so I didn¡¯t say anything, but now that we¡¯vee this close, I can feel their auras. Even among us monsters, we wondered how the monsters in the army hemanded were so strong. Today, I have the feeling I¡¯ll find out why... It¡¯s making me rather anxious.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I heard about them too! Larva Immoral Leg, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Lava Immortal Legion, idiot.¡±


    ¡°I lived in an ind so I don¡¯t know these things!¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, Plene also came from the same world as Lotte. Seeing Plene yelling at Lotte, I patted her head and calmed her down.


    ¡°Plene¡¯s doing fine, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe...¡±


    ¡°This is why idiots are too easy to handle... Anyways, Hero, if the king is really here, even Hero¡¯s guild members might not be safe. It¡¯ll be best for only a selected few of them to fight him.¡±


    ¡°If we get rid of this king, we only have to deal with four others? That sounds like a deal to me.¡±


    ¡°It would be nice if that were the case...¡±


    Lotte still looked uneasy. With how confident she usually was and this being the first time she was showing this side of her, even I began to worry.


    ¡°Losing the world¡¯s power and being connected to Earth... It was certainly the five kings thatmanded us. But I always thought that there was someone above them. I don¡¯t know why and I can¡¯t remember who it was, but I know someone was there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not too surprising. When there is huge gap between the leagues of two beings, it¡¯s possible that the being of lower league can¡¯t recognize the being of higher league even if they were facing each other directly. Even if the being of lower league recognized the being of higher league, he¡¯ll forget once he turns around. These powerful existences can cause mental pressure just by being in someone¡¯s memories. That¡¯s why beings of lower league forget about them, to protect their minds.¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard that.¡±


    I replied to Licorice¡¯s exnation with a bitter smile and loosened my body by stretching. This unknown leader was most likely the world¡¯s enemy, but the one I had to worry about currently was the one waiting for us in the volcano.


    ¡°We already took care of the other areas. Once we clean up the Bulusan Volcano, we¡¯ll be done with the Philippines.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, Dear Husband. The dungeon¡¯s power might not work on this guy.¡±


    ¡°I have a n even if that¡¯s the case. Don¡¯t worry, we got this.¡±


    After giving an encouraging talk, I opened the guildmunication channel and reported.


    [We¡¯re done. How about you guys?]


    [We¡¯re almost done too!]


    [Just wait a bit, friend!]


    [Already? Your Evil Eyes are too overpowered. Hold on, we¡¯re finishing up too.]


    [Almost done. Meki, doing work.]


    [We encountered an SSS+ rank giant monster. Kang Yungoong is holding it back. If you¡¯re done,e help us, Kang Shin.]


    It seemed Walker was having trouble as he gave a serious report. I immediately gave Lotte a nce. Even as she grumbled, she returned to her wyvern form, and Plene, Licorice and I immediately jumped on her back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take care of the SSS+ rank first.¡±


    [I can feel its aura. I¡¯ll hurry!]


    Lotte pped her wings once, soaring up so quickly that the surrounding scenery seemed to warp. In just two minutes, we saw the giant monster Walker mentioned.


    It was indeed a giant monster, as a 20 meter tall giant was wreaking havoc with its giant sword. A peculiarity was that its entire body was made of fire. No, that¡¯s...va? The moment Lotte caught sight of the giant, she growled.


    [It¡¯s as I thought, Hero. It¡¯s him! The king is in the Philippines!]


    ¡°That¡¯s the Lava Immortal Legion?¡±


    [To be exact, it¡¯s the Lava Immortal Legion¡¯s Destroyer, a soldier in the forefront of their assaults.]


    ¡°Soldier? Not amander, but a solider?¡±


    As if to say yes, Lotte elerated. She really was ruthless. I immediately took out my Chaotic Spear. Although chaos me was the strongest attribute I could wield, even the powerful chaos me had a w. It was that it wasn¡¯t that effective against the fire attribute. So, for now...!


    ¡°Everyone hold on! Lotte, elerate!¡±


    [Leave it to me!]


    ¡°Oh, this isn¡¯t bad, Dear Husband!¡±


    ¡°Grab onto Lotte, not me!¡±


    The ones fighting the Destroyer realized I hade and looked up at me. Although the Destroyer also found out, the vibration from the spear attack Father shot out caused a chunk ofva to fall off its leg.


    [Grrrrrruaaaa!]


    ¡°Ruyue, Sharana!¡±


    [Un!]


    Above my spear, a whirlpool of ice raged. In just 0.5 seconds, it would reach the enemy. Carrying the ice energy strengthened by absorbing the wind Lotte raised, the Chaotic Spear shot through the air. The tip of the spear was shining in white.


    ¡°Eat this!¡±


    [Critical Hit!]


    The moment Lotte crossed its body, the spear I thrust directly struck its shoulder. Lava and ice collided, causing steam to rise, while its shoulder burning in orange mes froze, melted, then fell off its body. In other words, I had cut off its arm.


    [Guaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Tsk, I could have defeated it by myself!¡±


    ¡°Be honest and thank me, Kang Yungoong!¡±


    [They absorb mes and regenerate themselves. Make sure you don¡¯t use any mes! Quick, destroy the arm that fell off!]


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    Dozens of ice spears appeared in the air and rained down on the giant¡¯s arm on the ground. In an instant, the armpletely melted away, and the enraged giant roared and swung its giant sword towards me with its remaining arm. Its sword burning withva instantly elongated, breaking past Lotte¡¯s speed and attacking me. However...


    ¡°I said your opponent is me!¡±


    A sharp shockwave shot out from the tip of father¡¯s spear and struck the giant¡¯s body. Meanwhile, Lotte turned around to face the giant and charged towards it again. While the giant flinched from father¡¯s attack, I stabbed my spear inside its chest.


    [Grrruaaaa!]


    ¡°Now, everyone, use ice magic!¡±


    Licorice held Plene and shouted as she flew off from Lotte¡¯s back. The subi allunched ice spheres into the air, while Licorice created an overwhelmingly bigger chunk of ice.


    ¡°Dear Husband, go first!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    I¡¯ve been waiting! I raised Ruyue¡¯s power to the peak and a freezing energy that seemed to freeze even its creator began to emanate from the Chaotic Spear. The giant roared and held up its giantva sword, while father and Walker also charged towards the giant.


    ¡°Haaaaap!¡±


    With a spirited shout, I charged. The giant¡¯s giant sword instantly swept over me, but I ignored it and continued forward. Its terrifying heat immediately engulfed me.


    [Kugagagaga!]


    ¡°Son!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overreact, old man!¡±


    [Kugaga...ga?]


    The giant stopped its madughter and tilted its head. It was to be expected. After all, it should be able to feel its mes subsiding.


    Felixes¡¯ Chaotic Cape fluttered and let out a radiant light. The giant¡¯s mes were certainly above the realm of SSS rank, making it impossible to absorb them. However, it was still possible to nullify them!


    I soon popped out of the giant sword and stabbed my spear covered in ice aura in its face. It was a Heroic Strike!


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°When did this be Revival¡¯s official chant!? Can we not use such a threatening chant!?¡±


    After the giant made a thundering roar in pain, the subi¡¯s ice magic descended.


    ¡°The crime of trying to harm Dear Husband, pay for it with your life!¡±


    ¡°Attack! Freeze him!¡±


    [Kuoooooo!]


    The earth trembled and theva giant kneeled with its upper body frozen. Without hesitation, I shot an aura wave containing apressed snowstorm and exploded its head.


    Having lost the control center, theva forming the giant¡¯s body fell and scattered. The subi then shot out ice arrows and thoroughly destroyed theva. There was no longer any sign that theva giant had existed. After confirming that its presence disappeared, I took back the spear I was still aiming towards it.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    [As expected of Hero...]


    ¡°Wow! Amazing, Dear Husband!¡±


    I sighed and murmured, while Lotte murmured in amazement. I would have liked the subi to express themselves like Lotte, but it seemed they were deeply touched as they were all running towards me. I immediately looked for Licorice.


    ¡°Licorice, do something about them!¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband is so cool!¡±


    [She¡¯s their leader!]


    ¡°Right, they share their emotions!¡±


    Could there be anyone more able yet tiring!?


    After restraining the subi, I smacked Licorice¡¯s head and shared the information Lotte told me with father and Walker. After listening to Lotte¡¯s exnation, even father made a slightly tired expression.


    ¡°You mean there are a lot more of these guys?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The fact that they¡¯re here means that the king¡¯s army has moved. They will start their advance soon.¡±


    ¡°Advance? Invading the enemy¡¯s territory and gathering up an army. It¡¯s a rather human method.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on them because they¡¯re monsters.


    Lotte, who was back in her human form, retorted mockingly at Walker.


    ¡°They¡¯re a race that can use their heads like humans. If you look down on them, you¡¯ll regret it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I know that. I¡¯ve met intelligent monsters in the dungeon too.¡±


    I asked Lotte to return to her wyvern form. It was time to meet up with the others.


    ¡°We know their identity, so we don¡¯t need to hesitate. We¡¯re going to go defeat this king. All of us.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but I bet you¡¯re going to take thest hit again.¡±


    ¡°How else would I act like a guild master?¡±


    I rebutted Walker while he and father got on Lotte¡¯s back. The subi also turned into bats and flew up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re meeting up.¡±


    [Shin, a scary giant monster appeared! Hiing, my shadows aren¡¯t working well!]


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go help the others first.¡±


    Just when I was trying to act cool... Ye-Eun, you did this on purpose!

 Chapter 224. Overlord (4)

    Chapter 224. Overlord (4)


    After that, these so-called Destroyers appeared in many other ces. There was one where Ye-Eun was, and other teams also reported that they discovered the Destroyers. Although Hwaya and Ina¡¯s team instantly destroyed the one they found, the other teams had difficulty defeating them and had to request for help.


    Naturally, we began to move together as we met up, and by the time I killed the fourth Destroyer, everyone had gathered together.


    ¡°Are we done with the ones that came outside?¡±


    ¡°Hu, I can feel the heavy mana vibrating! Also, hasn¡¯t it been getting hotter, guys?¡±


    ¡°Hotter? Well, maybe with all the bullets you¡¯ve been shooting out... Eh?¡±


    Only after Leon¡¯sment did I realize that the temperature rose. Because of my elementals and Felixes¡¯ Chaotic Cape, I had not noticed the change in temperature until now. Meanwhile, the others were already dripping with sweat. Other than me, the only ones unaffected were Ina, Hwaya, and Daisy.


    ¡°Ruyue, can you cool the air around us so that the guild members arefortable?¡±


    [Un! But I can¡¯t when we¡¯re fighting. The heat energy here is too strong.]


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    [Got it!]


    Ruyue immediately released her freezing energy, and the others could finally catch their breaths.


    ¡°The heat hasn¡¯t affected me much since I became an ability user, but this is impressive.¡±


    [Hero, we need to hurry before it gets hotter. This is a sign that the king has started to move his forces. We have to take care of his subordinates before he get serious.]


    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s hurry, everyone.¡±


    Since we couldn¡¯t take out our ne here, everyone got on Lotte¡¯s back. She grit her teeth and grumbled, but she epted my request after I promised her a reward.


    [Since we¡¯re in a hurry... I¡¯ll allow it!]


    ¡°Sorry, Lotte...¡±


    yda and Plene also left, as the two of them wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand a hit from the king. Plene became depressed, saying that she couldn¡¯t be of help again, while yda also argued, saying that she wanted to stay. Since Plene¡¯s power helped us immensely in recovering the Philippines, it was rtively easy to console her, but convincing yda was harder.


    ¡°You need my ability.¡±


    ¡°But yda, it¡¯s too dangerous. It¡¯s possible that you might die from the aftershock of the king¡¯s attack. You have to level up a bit more. Once you be Gold ranked, you can apany us on jobs like this.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯tin even if I die.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be troubled if you die. We¡¯re going to need your ability in the future, so please, leave it to Ludia for today.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more than enough.¡±


    ¡°In that case... I¡¯ll acquiesce. I¡¯ll get stronger so that I can be of help to everyone!¡±


    When Ludia stepped up, yda seemed convinced and went back to the mansion with Plene who had be happier after I consoled her. Michel then spoke with a bitter smile.


    ¡°She has a type of obsession with these things. I found out after I got to know her better. She won¡¯t hesitate to risk her life to save others, a bit too phnthropic, you could say. Because of her immense love for others, it almost looks like she has no love for herself...¡±


    ¡°Michel can take care of her. It should be the guild master¡¯s job to take care of his guild members, but I¡¯m banned from talking to yda about personal things.¡±


    With that, I pointed behind me. Ludia and Hwaya were ring at Michel.


    ¡°Shin can¡¯t take care of each and every guild member personally, Michel Ajusshi.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to make me, Mitarus¡¯ priestess,mit murder...?¡±


    I simplyughed without saying anything. Michel ced his hand on my shoulder with a look of pity.


    ¡°If it¡¯s tough... you can talk to me. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing to say this, but I¡¯ve had my fair share of such experiences when I was younger... I know how you feel.¡±


    ¡°Michel...¡±


    I felt like I was tearing up. I nodded my head ever so slightly so that the girls wouldn¡¯t find out.


    As we got closer to the volcano, the ground fissured and shot fire into the air. Lotte also became more and more anxious.


    [Hero, I¡¯m speeding up!]


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    At that moment, Ruyue finally announced her surrender.


    [It¡¯s too hard with my power alone.]


    ¡°Damn!¡±


    Even Ruyue¡¯s strengthened ability couldn¡¯t block the temperature change!? When she returned to my weapon, the others immediately began to feel tormented.


    ¡°This is too much!¡±


    ¡°Ilina, can you do something?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m bad at using my power delicately... I can freeze you though!¡±


    ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too hot. Should I take off my armor?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be hotter if you do. Just endure it.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think it was possible for any environment to affect Revival¡¯s members so harshly. I shouted out a message as I grit my teeth.


    ¡°Heat can greatly hinder your movements. When we encounter this king, I¡¯ll handle him from the front .If the heat gets unbearable to the point you think you can¡¯t continue, tell me.¡±


    ¡°Son, my body isn¡¯t so weak that a heat of this level can hinder my movements.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just you, Father. Others aren¡¯t like you.¡±


    Perhaps, only Lebuik and Ren, who were beastmen, and Michel, who trained in the ways of the sword his entire life, could be like Father. Thankfully, Hwaya, who seemed most likely to be affected by environmental effects, was a me ability user.


    [I see one!]


    ¡°Heroic Strike!¡±


    The moment a Destroyer entered my sight, I threw my spear and intercepted him. Everyone else also poured long-ranged attacks and killed it. However, up ahead, over ten Destroyers were marching towards us.


    ¡°Damn! Lotte, how many of them do you think are there?¡±


    [From what we¡¯ve seen so far, over a thousand! There are also many that are stronger than the Destroyers.]


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    I almost lost hope. A thousand SSS+ rank monsters and more monsters above that level? There was the king to worry about too! A sigh naturally left my mouth.


    [Hero, we must lower their count now. The king¡¯s army increases in size over time. Now that we¡¯re here, we can¡¯t go back.]


    ¡°Right. We can¡¯t back off now.¡±


    [It¡¯s good that we killed so many monsters before... The Witch made a wise decision.]


    At Lotte¡¯s words, I got a hunch.


    ¡°Is that army made of monsters? Is that why they called all monsters living in the Philippines to the volcano?¡±


    [It¡¯s why the Lava King is terrifying. The more he fought, the stronger his army became.]


    ¡°A role model for necromancers. I must take notes.¡±


    Daisy said an unnecessaryment as she pped in admiration. I then smacked her head, while Hwaya grit her teeth.


    ¡°If I knew beforehand, I would have gathered an army and attacked much earlier!¡±


    ¡°Who knew this Lava King would be here? You did well Hwaya... There¡¯s no need to me yourself.¡±


    I tightened my grip on my spear. Seeing the Destroyers beginning to make their appearance on thend booming with fire, I shouted.


    ¡°Ruyue, materialize into your humanoid form! It¡¯s time to show your prowess!¡±


    [Got it!]


    Ruyue transformed into a wolf girl. Ren eximed in awe, forgetting the current circumstance.


    ¡°B-Beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Uuk!¡±


    ¡°Ren, Lebuik! Stop bbering and get ready to fight! We¡¯re descending now!¡±


    ¡°G-Got it, Crown Prince!¡±


    I red at Ren and Lebuik, and shouted.


    ¡°Every time you get hit today, I¡¯ll lengthen your thrashing phase by one day. Lebuik will also get a taste of a thrashing phase if you¡¯re not careful! Everyone else, get ready to fight! We¡¯re going to destroy this army before the kinges!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect Daddy!¡±


    Lotte shot down like an arrow. Ruyue cooled the path we would take, as she charged forward first and swept the Destroyers. Her ws became enveloped in ice as they shed at the Destroyers. A destroyer had been destroyed without having a chance to counterattack... Eh?


    ¡°Her weapon might be different, but her movements are a lot like Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why her movements looked familiar! It¡¯s our n¡¯s movements. The meticulousness and viciousness in charging forward without looking around while not being hit even once.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call it vicious!¡±


    [Elementals naturally take after their masters. We should go too, Master!]


    Instead of Ruyue, I infused Peika into my spear. I couldn¡¯t use chaos mes today, and if I couldn¡¯t use Ruyue, Peika was the second best option. Now that it hade to this, I became a bit sad that I had already used Sky God¡¯s Rage today. At that moment, as if she had read my mind, Peikamented.


    [Leave it to me, Master. I¡¯ll show you a lightning that can even cut through fire.]


    ¡°Thanks, Peika. I will.¡±


    [Un!]


    At that instant, I felt the connection between Peika and me getting deeper. With a smile, I made Lottend. Once everyone including the subi battle unitsnded, I got back on Lotte¡¯s back and shot up. Hwaya shouted.


    ¡°Shin, be careful!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Rather than that, don¡¯t die, everyone. As long as no one dies, we¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    I looked at Ludia, who had over twenty Elixirs. When arge number of Event Dungeons appeared on Earth, she had taken all the Elixirs.


    Knowing what I meant, Ludia sighed.


    ¡°I want to use them for Shin only... but I guess there¡¯s no choice.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, Ludia, if you want Shin to love you, you¡¯ll have to show a generous side of you to others.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Ludia, Hwaya Mastiford.¡±


    It looked like everything would be okay. I softly smiled and turned away. The volcano in the distance that seemed to be shooting out mana for a while finally erupted grandly. The heat even made me frown. Lotte shouted like she was screaming.


    [Presences of monsters in this area disappeared! A unique soldier has been born!]


    ¡°Damn, there are all these Destroyers too... Lotte, elerate!¡±


    [Got it!]


    ¡°Dear Husband, take this!¡±


    When we were about to charge at a nearby Destroyer, a crystal ball flew toward us. When I quickly grabbed it, I saw a dark-pink colored spherical object. Of course, it wasn¡¯t for decoration. Such a tiny ball contained an immense amount of mana.


    I tilted my head in confusion and saw Licorice smiling at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s made from a portion of all the mana collected by the battle units. It contains our love, so use it when you need it, Dear Husband.¡±


    ¡°But Licorice, this is the subi¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°If Dear Husband dies, it won¡¯t matter no matter how strong we get. I hope that will be of help.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Huhu.¡±


    I thought she¡¯d boast more, but she only made a small smile before flying back. Dozens of magic circles appeared around her, shooting our magic that targeted down the Destroyers. Each and every one of them was powerful enough to make me shake. Obtaining Licorice before the Philippines subjugation was truly a godlike move.


    ¡°I can¡¯t lose to Ruyue or Licorice!¡±


    I put the crystal ball away as I reaffirmed my resolve. Just from a quick estimate, the crystal ball contained three times my mana. As I currently had over 120,000 mana, this small crystal ball had over 360,000 mana in it. If something like this exploded, it would be able to easily blow up a country. Without a doubt, it would help me greatly.


    [Hero, I¡¯m going to strictly charge from now!]


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me to kill everything in one hit? Got it. I¡¯ll show you what Wind King¡¯s Rage is!¡±


    My body shed for a moment, and a massive wind and lightning energy fell into me. Sharana, who was infused into my body, and Peika, who was infused into my spear, both eximed.


    [Master, great!]


    [Huhu, Master is the best!]


    ¡°This is only the beginning! You guys control this energy!¡¯


    Lotte charged. Her destination was the new Destroyer that just popped out of the fissured ground and overflowingva!


    ¡°Die!¡±


    [Guoooooo!]


    I thrust my spear forward, each attack containing lethal power.


    [Critical Hit!]


    Wind and lightning stormed. Lotte¡¯s charge didn¡¯t stop. From the giant hole I just pierced through,va spurted out like blood. The Destroyer immediately copsed. It had died.


    ¡°All of you... fight me! Mere soldiers like you, I can take care of all of you by myself!¡±


    [You used Provoke! All enemies in the area will hold infinite hostility for you. Just bying out victorious against them, you will make another achievement!]


    The Destroyers marched forward. Just like Lotte said, about a thousand Destroyers popped up from every corner of the ground, as they all red at me and moved towards me. I gulped down my saliva along with a surging sense of tension and shouted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Wind King¡¯s Rage wouldn¡¯t stop until all of them were dead. With Absolute Soul¡¯s power, I would make that possible! Second, third, fourth...!


    [Gruaaaaaaaaa!]


    Leaving behind giant holes and burstingva, Lotte charged forward. The whirlpool of wind and lightning enveloping my body cut through the air as it left traces of destruction. It wasn¡¯t just me. Other members of Revival also charged alongside me. About two hundred subi shot magical attacks without rest, while the roar of the fighting Destroyers shook thend.


    The war between Revival and the Lava King¡¯s Army had now begun.

 Chapter 225. Overlord (5)

    Chapter 225. Overlord (5)


    [Sorry, Oppa. If I hadn¡¯t of made such an unreasonable request...]


    ¡°No, rather, it¡¯s good that you did. We can fight them before they¡¯re fully prepared to take us on.¡±


    Although Yua had arge army, to the SSS+ rank Destroyers, mantises were nothing more than easily mmable bugs. They felt short in rank and were disadvantaged in attributes. Although Yua wanted to stay, saying that this expedition was nned partly because of her, when Father stepped in and gave her a stern talk, she had no choice but to go back to the guild house.


    [I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t help more...]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Yua will get stronger, you can help me then. For now... just pray for Oppa¡¯s victory!¡±


    At the same time I replied to Yua, I shot my spear forward and blew up the Destroyer¡¯s head. Theva that its head wasposed of jumped up at me as if to melt my head, but with me Sucker¡¯s power, it dissipated without having achieved any damage.


    [Un...! Oppa, good luck!]


    ¡°For now, that¡¯s enough!¡±


    I could really feel myself brimming with energy! My younger sister was an angel who always thought about me and cared for me. For her, I had to go back safely! I looked for the next target and charged. I charged, and charged again.


    [Uooooooo!]


    The Destroyers¡¯ earthshaking roar rumbled in my ear. The heat from theva also made my sight hazy. Thundering sounds rang out from all sides, as the magic of the subi and the aura attacks of the other guild members cut through the air and faced the Destroyers.


    ¡°Eat this and die!¡±


    I drew on Peika¡¯s power to the limit, shooting down several Destroyers and absorbing as much mana as I could. Although I had to make contact with the enemies to do so, as long as I fought in close-range, Absolute Soul could absorb about the same amount of mana as I used in my attack.


    Considering the fact that I was also using Peruta Circuit, my mana didn¡¯t have a chance to go down. Of course, now that I had Ruyue materialized and fighting by herself, that wasn¡¯t the case.


    [Hero!]


    ¡°Speed up!¡±


    [Understood!]


    Few of those in the guild could fight ande out victorious against a Destroyer in a one on one fight. So, as to lessen the danger they would face, I had to defeat as many as I could. With Wind King¡¯s Rage, even if I didn¡¯t kill them in one blow, I could at least neutralize them! I used Provoke to draw the enemies toward me once again as I charged through the air with Lotte.


    [Crown Prince, if you push yourself too much and get hurt, it¡¯ll be the end! My father also...]


    [I¡¯m not pushing myself, don¡¯t worry!]


    All this time, I had worked hard to get stronger for this moment! Compared to climbing the dungeon day and night, challenging my limits in Beyond, and fighting the Floor Masters ten times a day, this much was nothing!


    ¡°Haaaaaap!¡±


    Lotte¡¯s wings wrapped around one of the scarlet mes flying toward us and returned it. Although it couldn¡¯t damage the Destroyers, it could at least help stop its movements. Immediately afterwards, we charged towards a Destroyer and hammered it with a spear wrapped in a whirlpool of lightning.


    [Guaaaaa!]


    ¡°Lotte, how many have we killed so far?¡±


    [178!]


    Lotte and I had already bathed in the Destroyer¡¯s mes. Although I wasn¡¯t hurt thanks to me Sucker, which nullified mes, Lotte¡¯s body was already fairly burned. However, Lotte didn¡¯t stop and continued to charge. Her injuries soon caught my attention.


    [Hero! Don¡¯t think about useless things and attack, burns like these only take me a day to recover from!]


    ¡°... Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Wind King¡¯s Rage did not end unless I stopped it. In other words, I could continuously deal wind, lightning, and charge damage. Thanks to the Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo, I could also deal an additional 50% in damage.


    One thing that was somewhat regretful was that 60% bonus damage to charge type skills disappeared when I upgraded my armor to the Pure ck Desire. Instead, I had gotten Desire Thorn, which could steal the life force of others. This, however, was limited to once per day. In any case, I didn¡¯t have the time to be listing out regretful things. Right now, I had to focus on using the abilities I had to kill the Destroyers in one blow.


    ¡°Huaaaaap!¡±


    Even if Wind King¡¯s Rage could be continued indefinitely, as it was a charge type skill, I had to keep charging for it to stay in effect. In other words, Lotte also had to charge without stopping.


    I opened my eyes widely and continuously thrust out with my spear. If I let my guard down even for a second, I would be charging into a Destroyer unprepared. I had to maintain my focus. If I had no experience fighting such battles, if I had not had those battles in the Luka continent and the Panan continent, maintaining a skill like this would have been unimaginable.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Guaaaaa!]


    ¡°Die!¡±


    [Master, I can feel the presence of a powerful existence!]


    Sharana, who was infused into my body, reported to me as we killed the 26th destroyer. Even as I continued to charge, I looked up and scanned the horizon. There, I saw a line of monsters marching, swinging whips made ofva.


    [They¡¯re here! The Sweepers!]


    ¡°Cleaners?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what they were trying to clean, but it was inevitable that I would have to fight them. I had to eliminate the Destroyers before that! I grit my teeth and shouted.


    ¡°Lotte, charge! We can¡¯t end this with just Wind King¡¯s Rage!¡±


    [Gryaaaaaa!]


    Lotte roared and pped her wings in response. The spear I shot out towards the Destroyers gathered wind and lightning and tore them to shreds.


    [Master, the wind energy is getting stronger! I can still control it, but I¡¯m not sure if Master will be fine in the center of it all!]


    [It¡¯s the same for me, Master. But since Master can even wield a God¡¯s lightning, I think it will be okay!]


    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll be fine! This much is nothing!¡±


    Indeed, with just a single misstep, the wind and lightning gathered at the tip of my spear could easily explode and cause me to let go of my spear. However, my n¡¯s unique technique, which Heroic Strike was derived from, already required learning how to control such chaotic destructive power. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to squeeze out every ounce of power in my body to focus it in one point. The more I thought about it, the more I came to understand that my ancestors trained in rather perverted methods. Of course, since I was benefiting from that, I wasn¡¯tining!


    ¡°Ice Age!¡±


    In the distance, someone shouted. In an instant, a bone-chilling freezing energy reached where Lotte and I were located. I nced toward the direction the freezing energy came from and saw Ina who was destroying dozens of Destroyers with lotus-like ice. Her truly incredible destructive power was fitting that of an SSS ranker.


    It seemed Ina had exerted a great amount effort to use that skill as she staggered. Although I wanted to go give her a hug, I couldn¡¯t do so at the moment. I grit my teeth and continued to charge. Once I had taken care of everything, I would hug her as much as I wanted!


    ¡°Uoooooo!¡±


    [They¡¯reing!]


    As the subi battle units and the other members were all doing fantastic, over half of the Destroyers had fallen. Before I noticed, the atmosphere of the battlefield had changed, and the Sweepers were charging closer.


    [Their whips are dangerous! They¡¯re hotter than the Destroyers¡¯ swords and have the ability to elongate!]


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like much!¡±


    I shouted spiritedly on purpose and drove Lotte towards them. If the Wind King¡¯s Rage at peak power could not prate them, nothing could!


    [A living human!]


    [We love humans. They¡¯re delicious!]


    [Human flesh is so tender, it just melts in your mouth!]


    When they noticed me, they sent their whips flying towards me as they bbered iprehensible things. I pushed the oing whips away with the wind energy around my spear and charged towards them.


    ¡°Taste this delicious human flesh!¡±


    [Kuhuk!]


    When I stabbed the Sweeper with my spear powered by Wind King¡¯s Rage, its powerful rotational power drilled a huge hole through the Sweeper¡¯s chest. The Sweepers that witnessed their kin¡¯s death widened their eyes and swung their whips, but I continued to charge forward without paying them any mind.


    Even if I were hit by the whips, with my cape¡¯s ability to nullify mes, I barely received any damage. Not to mention, unlike Daisy¡¯s whip, their whips¡¯ movements werepletely readable. There was no way I would be afraid of attacks I could read!


    [Kugyagyak!]


    [Human... Human, Human!!]


    ¡°You guys are pretty tender yourselves!¡±


    After fighting a few of them, I could instantly tell their special characteristics. They certainly possessed mes more powerful than the Destroyer¡¯s, but their constitution was weaker and hence had weaker defense! For me, they were much easier to deal with.


    ¡°Lotte, dodge!¡±


    [Understood!]


    Lotte¡¯s movements continued to get faster. Now that I thought about it, her abilities seemed to have doubled since the first time we met. She had also gotten bigger and more lustrous. This change could be easily seen by the fact that she was charging through SSS+ rank monsters when she was only an S+ rank monster at first.


    [Hero, there are moreing!]


    ¡°I know! Keep charging!¡±


    I gripped the spear in my hands tighter. With a bold smile, I concentrated my energy into my spear. One¡¯s martial path had to be honed through realbat. Charging forward with my life on the line, through infinite repetitions, I wasing to better understand the profoundness behind thrusting.


    The moment I mastered the high-rank Spear Technique, I thought I saw the end of manaless spearmanship. However, I was only 21. There was no way I could have mastered a lofty martial path in just 13 years. Now I understood that. At the same time, I understood that the skill system wasn¡¯t perfect, and that simply relying on skill levels was the same as drawing a line to my limit.


    Furthermore, normal spearmanship couldn¡¯t be the same as spearmanship while riding. The spear technique I disyed on Lotte¡¯s back was certainly not the same as when I was on my own. The more I became attuned to Lotte, the more I read her movements and modified my own, my spear attacks would disy greater prowess as it matched the limits of her speed!


    [Critical Hit!]


    After thrusting out again, the leftover force of the attack exploded the shoulder of a Sweeper standing next to the intended target. I immediately swung my spear to the side and struck his whip away. Lotte, who seemed to have read my mind, changed her trajectory and charged towards that Sweeper. Then, with a simple attack, I was able to take its life.


    As time went on, my attacks were bing more destructive, though it still contained the same amount of power as before. It meant that my spearmanship was advancing in a realm where mana didn¡¯t matter. I couldn¡¯t help but smile knowing what was happening.


    Bing stronger was this enjoyable! No matter how much at risk my life was, no matter how many enemies I had to face!


    ¡°Good... Good!¡±


    [Hero, were you hit by a status effect!?]


    ¡°I¡¯m immune you mental status effects! Lotte, speed up!¡±


    [Hero!?]


    Wind King¡¯s Rage didn¡¯t stop. Until all the wind and lightning in the world gathered to the tip of my spear, my charge would not stop!


    [Guoooooo!]


    Just when I was thinking that, something blocked our advance. Although we tried to charge right through, my spear couldn¡¯t prate it! I controlled the energy trying to run berserk, as I reluctantly took my stance for the final blow. I raised my head. I wanted to know just what my spear couldn¡¯t prate.


    A giant over dozens of meters tall was ring down at me. It wore a thick armor of fire and held a spear of fire that somewhat made me desire it.


    I asked Lotte.


    ¡°Is this the Lava King?¡±


    [Sorry Hero, but no.]


    After hearing that, I sighed in relief. Not using Overlord the moment I saw him was truly a heaven¡¯s fortune.


    It was the start of a middle boss battle.

 Chapter 226. Overlord (6)

    Chapter 226. Overlord (6)


    [Lava King¡¯s Army¡¯s Knight Commander, ¡®Lava Heart¡¯, has appeared! Before defeating him, it is impossible to defeat the Lava King. Note that there will be no tomorrow if you do not win. I pray for you victory!]


    ¡°Thank you, message noona.¡±


    I murmured in response to the message that rang in my ear. The giant knight I could not contain in my sight red down at me and shouted.


    [How foolish, Hero. You dare to challenge the king with such meager power?]


    ¡°Shut it, Giant.¡±


    His words caused the earth to rumble. I thought my eardrums would rupture. He was extremely hot, and the burning mes making up his body caused the earth to melt, sinking his feet into the ground. If I wasn¡¯t wearing the Felixes¡¯ Chaotic Cape, even I wouldn¡¯t be able to ovee this heat.


    [Since you awoke the king, you must be prepared to face the punishment!]


    ¡°Sorry for waking up a sleeping guy. I¡¯ll put him to sleep again as an apology. For eternity.¡±


    [You!]


    The spear he held descended towards my head like a bolt of lightning. Although it seemed to be a simple attack, a terrifying pressure of mana strangled me. Haha, even with this much power, he wasn¡¯t the king. I could only smile bitterly.


    ¡°Lotte, you can dodge it, right?¡±


    [I will!]


    Lotte replied confidently as she pped her wings. The ck mes that ignited along her wings set the mana restraining us ame. In the next moment, she escaped from the trajectory of the spear and charged towards his thighs. Feeling the wind and lightning energy from the final gblow gathered at the tip of my spear, I shouted.


    ¡°Peika, Sharana! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Leave it to me!]


    [Got it!]


    The two elementals shouted back in reply. They weren¡¯t just controlling the energy. They were harmonizing it with the Heroic Strike I was preparing. If the intimacy between us had not reached the peak, it wouldn¡¯t have been possible even in my dreams.


    [Is the thing you¡¯re holding a toothpick? How funny. You dare to attack me with just a frail weapon!?]


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll change your mind once your thigh bursts from being poked at by this toothpick!¡±


    The final blow of Wind King¡¯s Rage added with a Heroic Strike I was focusing all my mana to make! The wind and lightning energy danced as if to match my breathing. Peika and Sharana¡¯s power heightened. Everything was bing one with me.


    [Hero, I will erase you and raise the curtain to the end of this world!]


    ¡°Know your ce, grunt! Also, die!¡±


    As I opened my eyes widely, I focused on the one point I would thrust at. The giant¡¯s leg, covered by his armor ofva, grew closer. Although he was simply trying to kick me, a highly dense mana emitted a powerful pressure enough to crush me to death.


    However, I would not lose. I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Eat this! Sacrifice! Desire Thorn!¡±


    I directly used my trump card skills and thrust out. In that instant, everything that was pressuring me disappeared. The enormous energy gathered at my spear tip had sucked in the nearby mana and freed me. Feeling that power, I gulped down a mouthful of saliva. If this attack couldn¡¯t deliver a fatal blow...! Although Desire Thorn would restore my health, I wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid the pain!


    [Don¡¯t worry about the consequence and attack, Hero!]


    ¡°Haaaaap!¡±


    With Lotte¡¯s trustworthy words, I threw away my hesitation and thrust my spear towards his oing thigh. In that instant, a tremendous pain swept over me. From the pain well beyond what I had imagined, I staggered. Although the damage would never be enough to outright kill me, the inflicted pain was a different story. To hold on to my spear, I used all my strength to control myself. Thankfully, the pain seemed to have ravaged the giant as well.


    [Kuaaaaaak!]


    The moment my spear attack reached its destination, the giant¡¯s enormous scream rumbled the earth once more. His leg burstpletely, sendingva towards me. Although thorns extending out from the spear tip absorbed most of it and restored my health, a great amount ofva still shot towards me.


    Even as I wreathed in pain, I spread my cape out and wrapped it with mana. Even if I was fine, if Lotte was hit by that attack, she would undoubtedly melt! However, Lotte was not hit by even a single drop ofva. Even though her body should have felt heavy as a result of my skill, she had gotten away with an incredible eleration. Her extremely quick movements even made me falter.


    ¡°Lotte!¡±


    [Recover, Hero! I already said you should leave all the dodging to me!]


    Lotte was too cool!


    I followed her advice and hurriedly gulped down a potion. My health which even Desire Thorn couldn¡¯t fully restore seemed to be slowly going back up. When I looked back, the giant¡¯s detonated leg sat on the ground melting the entire earth.


    I wanted to believe that his mes weren¡¯t EX ranked, but the destructive power was one that I had never seen before. If it was Hwaya, could she surpass this power? I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    [Kuaaaaa! You little insect!]


    Soon, the giant, who was staggering after losing his leg, surprisingly shrunk, creating a new leg and standing tall. Although he had gotten shorter by about ten meters, he had returned to a perfect human form.


    I was confident that I had dealt a critical damage, but he didn¡¯t even seem to be on the verge of death. It seemed I would need to fight him for a long time. For the first time in a while, I recalled the Orc Lord, the one that I had fought when I was level 5.


    [Pay the price for harming this indestructible knight!]


    ¡°If you were indestructible, I wouldn¡¯t be able to harm you, you idiot!¡±


    [Die!]


    The giant screamed and swung his spear. With how big the spear was, I could only hear the sound of it cutting through the earth after I saw it flying with my eyes. Lotte dodged this attack with an almost godlike maneuver. Even I couldn¡¯t be confident of dodging the previous attack unless I used Divine Speed.


    [Hero, I¡¯m charging again!]


    ¡°Yeah, go ahead!¡±


    At that moment, someone was approaching me with a cold freezing energy. I thought it was Ina at first, but it turned out to be Ruyue.


    [Shin, let¡¯s go together!]


    ¡°Ruyue, you deal with the army. I¡¯ll deal with him alone.¡±


    [But Shin is in danger! That guy is too strong!]


    ¡°If we don¡¯t take care of the army now, we¡¯ll be in greater dangerter. Ruyue, please.¡±


    [... Un! Okay!]


    Ruyue fell back obediently. Immediately afterwards, another spear attack flew towards me. Although his spear had stayed the same size unlike his body, as he had gotten weaker, the pressure I was facing was lesser than before. Lotte could also dodge his attacks easier. I shot bolts of lightning from my spear as I shouted in the guildmunication channel.


    [Everyone, focus on eliminating theva army! I¡¯ll handle this giant! Again, focus on eliminating the Destroyers and Sweepers!]


    [We¡¯ll leave it to you, Son!]


    [If you die, I¡¯ll kill you!]


    [Good luck, Guild Master.]


    Go fight instead of cheering me on! Even as Iined in a muffled voice, I smiled and held up my spear. However, on the other hand, I thought that I couldn¡¯t win like this. I had used Wind King¡¯s Rage and had even used Desire Thorn and Sacrifice. Even so, the giant seemedpletely fine other than that he had gotten shorter.


    I was confident I would be able to crush him if I used Overlord, but I recalled what message noona said. I would have to face the Lava King after this giant. As I couldn¡¯t use Sky God¡¯s Rage, the only method I had left was...


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try it.¡±


    I activated the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo. Immediately, my mana rose to double its maximum amount. If this wasn¡¯t enough, I would have to absorb the crystal ball Licorice gave me, but if possible, I wanted to save it until I faced the Lava King. I wanted to end this fight with just the doubled mana!


    [I acknowledge that you have many mysterious power contained in that tiny body. Still, you are weak!]


    ¡°Well, you only know how to talk with that huge body!¡±


    Freshva began to flow along his spear. Lava dripped down in all directions as a thick aura shot towards me as if to pierce straight through. I cursed inwardly and dodged the attack by relying on Lotte. Then, I immediately threw the Chaotic Spear tempered with Heroic Strike.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    [Kuaaaak!]


    Having prated the giant¡¯s lower abdomen, the Chaotic Spear flew back into my hand withva scattering everywhere. Once the giant filled in the hold in his abdomen, he had shrunk by another meter. I was beginning to see a way to defeat him!


    ¡°You¡¯ll soon reach my height, haha!¡±


    [Yooooou! Lava Havoc!]


    Shit, I provoked him too much! He seemed to have gotten annoyed as he struck his spear in the ground along with a fierce cry. Lotte quickly soared up.


    [Tell everyone to run! Staying on the ground is dangerous!]


    [Damn, everyone! Dodge! Don¡¯t stay on the ground!]


    Soon after, the entire volcanic region flipped upside down. Scarletva erupted from everywhere. The power of thisva was so strong that even many of the SSS+ ranked Destroyers melted down.


    Screams rang out from several ces. No! Could there have been a casualty!? I wanted to look around, but the giant didn¡¯t give me the chance to do so.


    [His main target is us! Hero, prepare yourself!]


    [You puny arrogant human, you shall pay the price for your sins!]


    A cone ofva erupted from right below me. I gasped and shouted.


    ¡°Lotte, quickly, transform!¡±


    [Got it!]


    Lotte immediately transformed into her human form. I then instantly held her in my arms and shot up using Sharana¡¯s power. Although I had flew up hundreds of meters in an instant, the jet ofva was chasing after me. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, even the giant¡¯s spear flew towards me from the side. I used Divine Speed and flew up even more quickly. Only then did I barely escape theva.


    [You¡¯re fast like a rat!]


    The giant, Lava Heart, gritted his teeth and thrashed his spear about in the air to vent his anger. Meanwhile, I hurriedly confirmed the guild members¡¯ safety.


    [Is everyone safe!?]


    [Two members couldn¡¯t dodge in time, but they¡¯re alive. With Elixirs, they¡¯ll be fine! But some of the Subi...!]


    ¡°Kyaaaaaak!¡±


    While Hwaya gave a report on the situation, a wind-splitting scream rang out. Not far away, an immense mana was going berserk. Without a doubt, it belonged to Licorice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°Licorice!¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband, I must kill him!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stop her. I couldn¡¯t ask her to focus on killing the Destroyers in this situation. Not to mention, while the Lava Heart¡¯s attack had harmed us greatly, it had caused even greater harm to theva army. Even if Licorice joined me, it would be fine.


    ¡°Alright,e.¡±


    Even before the words had left my mouth, Licorice was consecutively drawing giant magic circles in the air. She red fiercely as a strange scent flowed out from her body. I knew instinctively. That was the scent of blood.


    ¡°O resentment of fragrant flowers, Branding of Rose! Be blind from beauty and forever wander in the prison of dreams, Sweet Nightmare!¡±


    Licorice¡¯s mana condensed to the point it was visible with bare eyes as it enshrouded the Lava Heart¡¯s giant body. At that instant, his body shrunk rapidly. He was now only 20 meters tall, half of what he was only a moment ago. It was an unbelievable change!


    [Kuaaaak! Subus Queen! A mere microbe dares to seduce me!? Kuaaaak!]


    Sweet Nightmare was the Floor Master skill I got from the First Dungeon¡¯s Subus Queen! When used against a target with lower charm than the user, it stole half of the target¡¯s health and afflicted him with the ¡®critical charm¡¯ status effect! That giant possessed an overwhelmingly giant body and league of existence. I suspected that its charm might be higher than mine and didn¡¯t gamble, but Licorice had used this skill without hesitation and had seeded!


    She was a Subus Queen whose charm doubled against those of opposite sex, but to think she woulde out victorious against such an opponent! Although I couldn¡¯t fully ept it, she soon resolved my doubt herself.


    [Kuhuk, a mere subus...!]


    ¡°My n¡¯s ¡®Blood Vengeance¡¯ only just started! Dear Husband, attack him now! The branding will restrain him!¡±


    ¡°Got it! Lotte, let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Understood!]


    Blood Vengeance. It seemed it was her n¡¯s special ability, one that increased her power when members of her n died! In that case, if I killed members of her n when I first met her...! Just thinking about it made my hair stand. Message noona¡¯s warning was surely justified!


    I gulped down a mouthful of saliva and charged towards the Lava Heart with Lotte who had returned to her wyvern form. Thanks to Licorice¡¯s secret skill, he was no longer as overbearing!


    [Kuaaaaak! A mere human and subus will never make me kneel! Lava Lance!]


    ¡°Dear Husband, continue charging!¡±


    Licorice shouted in a splitting voice and threw another magic circle. I could feel that she had expended her full strength, as the enormous magic circle drawn in the air shed and shot through the air, erasing everything in its path.


    However, the moment the magic circle passed through me, I felt my strength surging. The giant spear ofva flying towards me didn¡¯t seem so scary anymore.


    ¡°Good... I¡¯ll pour all the mana I have left!¡±


    [Hero, I will fly at full speed!]


    Lotte roared and pped her wings more fiercely. A spear made of boilingva descended towards us. However, before we were swallowed by theva, the magic circle Licorice shot out shed with it. Although it couldn¡¯t erase the spear, theva was blocked by the magic circle and became unable to advance. Although cracks were appearing on the magic circle with uneasy sounds, the time it was buying me was more than enough!


    ¡°Sacrifice! I will end this now!¡±


    [I am the indestructible knight, Lava Heart! The one who will offer the power of the Hero to the king shall be none other than¡ª]


    Before he could finish, the bullet like Chaotic Spear Iunched pierced into his chest. Peika and Sharan both shouted as they fully released their elemental power, and I also poured all my mana into the attack. At the same time, I pushed Absolute Soul¡¯s power to its limit!


    ¡°Just die, you bastard!¡±


    [Kuaaaaaa!]


    ¡°I will achieve our Blood Vengeance!¡±


    [Mere microbes dare... Kuaaaak!]


    Licorice squeezed out her mana to itsst drop, shooting an arrow into his mouth. The moment he flinched, I detonated the mana I doubled from the tip of my spear. Now was the time to finish him!


    [Kuuuuuuuk!]


    His scream caused the earth to fissure. Just the mana behind his scream caused great damage to everyone in the battlefield. It was truly made me shiver.


    However, that was only its death throe. I could feel it. Licorice¡¯s magic had weakened it by a level, and the spear attack I poured all my mana into had taken his life. At the same time his life came to an end, I could feel his lofty league crumbling down!


    [You... The king shall punish you! All of you! None will survive!]


    Even after losing his life, he cursed us. It was truly a colossal curse that had even taken form. Using his flickering me of life as sacrifice, he was casting a death curse.


    ¡°You coward! As if I¡¯d let you!¡±


    Don¡¯t look down on Absolute Soul¡¯s power! I jumped up from Lotte¡¯s back and charged towards the ball of mana he vomited out. Before his eyes closed from death, I could see him making a final smile. What he had just done was undoubtedly to force me to make this move!


    Immediately afterwards, at the same time the Lava Heartpletely died, his curse directly mmed into me. Then, a concise message rang out.


    [The power of Absolute Soulpletely cancels the curse.]


    ¡°Whew...¡±


    I had seeded by a hair¡¯s breadth. Although I was fine, anyone else hit by the curse would have faced a dreadful fate. This self-proimed knight had no honor!


    ¡°Dear Husband, no! You can¡¯t face that curse alone... Eh?¡±


    Licorice flew towards me in a hurry. After seeing that I waspletely fine, a look of confusion emerged on her face. When I smiled silently, she asked curiously.


    ¡°How are you fine after being hit by that thing? That was the essence of a curse containing that guy¡¯sst-remainingpressed life force...!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the power of Absolute Soul. What, aren¡¯t you happy?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy... Hic, I¡¯m d, Dear Husband.¡±


    Licorice broke out into tears. Now that Lava Heart died, she could finally express her sorrow from the dead subi. I smiled bitterly, embracing her andforting her.


    ¡°Sorry Licorice. Because of me...¡±


    ¡°No, Dear Husband. I never thought it was possible to protect Dear Husband¡¯s world without losing anyone... Hic.¡±


    The other girls would surely be okay with what I was doing. I silentlyforted the crying Licorice. Then, I felt a sudden sense of emptiness. Wait...


    ¡°L-Lotte!?¡±


    The Lava Heart¡¯s lifeless body ofva containing nothing but boundless mana was falling down on Lotte! I called her hurriedly, but she stayed still facing theva without thinking to dodge it.


    ¡°Lotte!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t lose her like this! When I was about to use Shadow Blink to go save her, a refreshing fanfare rang out in my ear.


    [Congrattions! After meeting extremely rare conditions, Dark Wing Lotte evolves into a higher species!]

 Chapter 227. Overlord (7)

    Chapter 227. Overlord (7)


    What? I couldn¡¯t help but doubt my ears. Evolve? Into what? What¡¯s a higher species of Dark Wings!? Licorice, who was in my arms, expressed her shock.


    ¡°Evolution... It¡¯s because she contracted Dear Husband. She received a portion of the dungeon¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°A portion of the dungeon¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way something like that is natural. Because she¡¯s gained worthy achievements, she received the dungeon¡¯s blessing through Dear Husband. Though, I never would have thought a mere wyvern could have gained enough achievements to cause an evolution... Just what was she?¡±


    ¡°She used to the boss of a region. Rather than that... let¡¯s go see Lotte.¡±


    With Licorice fretting about not wanting to let go, I gave up on getting her off me. When I was about to approach her, Lotte who had bathed in the fallingva suddenly shone and was encased in a red light. Even I could feel the intense heat emanating from her.


    ¡°Shin, what happened!? Did you defeat that... Hup.¡±


    Hwaya, who quickly flew towards me, saw Licorice in my embrace and narrowed her brows before closing her mouth. Hwaya was indeed quick to understand the situation. I was truly thankful. I expressed my thanks with my eyes and spoke.


    ¡°Lotte¡¯s evolving.¡±


    ¡°Evolving!?¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long before the shining light subsided. However, at the same time the light enveloping Lotte subsided, Lotte also seemed to be shrinking in size. Lotte, who had been gotten a lot bigger since our first meeting, was now doing the opposite.


    Eventually, Lotte shrunk to about 4 meters. The light then flowed into Lotte¡¯s body and she made her appearance. Although she was still ck, there were red lines trimming the edges of her wings. She seemed to have gotten swifter, and her eyes were a deep red color. Her evolution indeed seemed to be rted tova!


    [Dark Wings are a rare species of wyverns capable of controlling cursed mes. They are well acknowledged for their swift wing beats and powerful mes, but in truth, they are simply the fallen results of a powerful species of ancient dragon being cursed.]


    [Dark Wings that transcend their limits are said to be able to return to their original form, but not only are there very few Dark Wings, even their fallen forms are so powerful that it is hard for them to reach their limit. Dark Wing Lotte will be the first Dark Wing to regain her original form!]


    [Dark Wing Lotte evolves into ze Queen!]


    I didn¡¯t know how the dungeon helped her, but her evolution was closer to a return. Lotte, who easily shattered everyone¡¯s imagination, approached and spoke.


    [Hero, have you seen my transformation!?]


    ¡°Yeah, I did. Your energy seems to have doubled.¡±


    Just by getting close to Lotte, I could feel an intense heat. It seemed her energy becamepressed as she got smaller. Lotte pped her wings excitedly. Winds carrying mes blew and stirred the surroundings.


    [Huhu, so this is my true form. Reiming my true form in exchange for betraying other monsters and choosing the life as a human¡¯s servant, truly strange! Huhahaha!]


    ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    [Hero, it seems you truly are my blessing!]


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re happy.¡±


    Though it was a bit difficult as I was holding Licorice in one arm, I pat Lotte who approached me with the other hand and spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to hold a congrattory party, but you should know our current situation. Wait just a little bit more.¡±


    [I can wait however much you want, my Hero!]


    Lotte replied spiritedly and pushed her back towards me. Before I got on her, I pat Licorice who was still in my embrace.


    ¡°Licorice, you used up your mana, right?¡±


    ¡°Un. Sorry, Dear Husband. I knew we still have to face the king, but I couldn¡¯t control myself... It won¡¯t recover for a while.¡±


    ¡°No, it couldn¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s fine. You can go back to the mansion and rest. We¡¯ll deal with the Lava King.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I trust you.¡±


    Licorice replied silently and gave me a kiss on the cheek (Hwaya¡¯s brows twitched). Then, she returned to the dungeon before I got on Lotte¡¯s back.


    ¡°Alright, now it¡¯s time to... Mm.¡±


    When the Lava Heart died, I thought that everything he owned would turn intova and disappear, but surprisingly, his giant spear was still there stuck to the ground. Imbued with the Lava Heart¡¯s remaining mana, it had been maintaining its weapon form!


    ¡°Eit.¡±


    I lightly hurled the Chaotic Spear. The moment it hit the giant spear, it shone and was absorbed into the Chaotic Spear.


    [Crimson Chaotic Spear absorbed the Lava Giant Spear. Growth: 77%]


    ¡°Huk, so much!¡±


    Previously, the growth wasn¡¯t even at 70%. Even after eating all those Event Dungeon weapons and Floor Master weapons, it hadn¡¯t grown by even 23%, but this time it had grown by almost 10%. Although I didn¡¯t know how I was going to fill the remaining 23%, I believed it was possible to evolve it to the next level before the two year mark.


    ¡°S-Should I have checked its item description? No, it would have been eaten by the Chaotic Spear regardless...¡±


    The Chaotic Spear spun through the air and returned to my hand. I then faced Hwaya who had been standing with her mouth open and asked.


    ¡°How are the two that got hurt? Are they okay?¡±


    ¡°Thanks to Ludia¡¯s quick healing and the Elixirs... they¡¯re fine, though they lost some of their equipment... It was Walker and Sumire.¡±


    ¡°I can see how they got hit by theva.¡±


    Walker most likely got hurt trying to protect Sophie, and it was probably the same for Sumire except with other guild members. As I could imagine how painful it must have been for them, I grit. my teeth and turned to face where they were. It was best to take care of everything as quickly as possible!


    The number of Destroyers and Sweepers was only half of what it was when they first appeared. Beyond them, a new wave was beginning to appear. They were most likely thest wave of soldiers, as although there weren¡¯t many, each and every one of them seemed powerful.


    I aimed my spear towards them and quietly spoke to Hwaya.


    ¡°Hwaya, you protect the others.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, really.¡±


    ¡°Shin...¡±


    ¡°Hurry.¡±


    In all honesty, having used Sacrifice for thatst attack, my health was quite low. I gulped down a potion and threw the leftover bottle on the ground, breaking it. It was a signal of sort.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going ahead!¡±


    ¡°Shin, be careful!¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Having evolved into a ze Queen, Lotte¡¯s speed far surpassed my imaginations. Even when she was a Dark Wing, she disyed a shocking speed with thatrge body. Now, it almost seems like she was traveling at the speed of light.


    [Hero, ready your spear!]


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m ready!¡±


    I replied energetically and ushered Mad Typhoon¡¯s power up. The enemies I now faced were Lava Knights who were seemingly shrunken versions of the Lava Heart. Since I was able to defeat the Lava Heart, there was no reason for me to be afraid!


    ¡°Fight me, you goddamned bastards! Open the path towards your king!¡±


    My roar thundered throughout the volcanic region. Seemingly having understood my words, the Lava Knights held up their weapons and charged towards me. Almost as if she was waiting for this moment, Lotte raised her voice andughed.


    [I shall allow you to feel the dignity of this ze Queen!]


    Her body shone in a brilliant light like when I used Divine Speed. Without giving me a chance to do anything, she charged towards the Lava Knights, shattering their bodies upon contact. Although their bodies erupted intova the moment they died, Lotte seemed unhurt.


    [Hero, my body has gotten stronger against mes. Don¡¯t worry about me and fight them freely!]


    ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear!¡±


    It was a growth worthy of the word ¡®evolution.¡¯ I grinned and pointed my spear crackling with lightning towards the Lava Knights.


    ¡°Come at me! I¡¯ll destroy you all!¡±


    After some time had passed, when I looked back after hearing the death throes of a Lava Knight, only Revival¡¯s members were remaining on the battlefield. The numerous Destroyers, Sweepers, and Lava Knights were nowhere to be seen. The battlefield, which had been filled with noisy cries and eruptingva, was now dominated by an odd silence.


    ¡°Is it... over?¡±


    I murmured, unable to believe it myself. The other members also looked around them as they dripped with blood and sweat.


    [Indeed it is, Hero. There is only one remaining presence in this area.]


    Lotte retorted in a calm manner. It was clear who the one remaining presence she was referring to was. It could only be the Lava King.


    ¡°Volcano... Large energy.¡±


    Daisy approached me, seemingly looking extremely tired. Although she always maintained a neat appearance when wearing her uniform, her clothes now were messy and she was also full of sweat. It felt like this was the first time I saw Daisy sweat.


    ¡°My undead, many gone. Lava King, give me.¡±


    ¡°... Do you think you can control him?¡±


    ¡°Probably? Giving up control of all other undead, possible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good!¡±


    ¡°For times like today, ultimate weapon needed.¡±


    At her words, I hesitated. She was right. Although her undead monsters were strong, it was sometimes better to have one with absolute strength. That said, Daisy was truly amazing. Even though we had not won yet, she was already thinking about obtaining an undead.


    ¡°Alright, fine.¡±


    ¡°Huhu.¡±


    After listening to my answer, Daisy smiled. I then gathered the other members together. Their poor states couldn¡¯t be described with words. It seemed Walker and Sumire, who had lost their equipment, had even more difficulty as they fought with low tier equipment.


    Furthermore, the subi battle units also had additional casualties. I was d that this damnedva army was taken care of, but I could only sigh at the subi¡¯s death.


    ¡°Really... Thanks, everyone.¡±


    ¡°You did well too.¡±


    ¡°We won somehow. I thought we were going to die.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    While everyone threw in theirments, Ina jumped into my embrace silently. She was probably the one who did the most work today. She must have killed far more soldiers than me, and must have used far more mana as well. Feeling like I had made Ina suffer needlessly, I hugged her and pat her back.


    ¡°Thank you, Ina. You did well.¡±


    ¡°Uuung, I¡¯m not done. I¡¯ll fight with Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Myck of ability is making my Ina suffer... Sorry, I still need Ina¡¯s power. Can you help me?¡±


    ¡°Un. I¡¯ll protect Daddy.¡±


    Feeling even sorrier, I held Ina tighter. Leon then asked.


    ¡°Friend, is that guy noting out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He apparently doesn¡¯t fight unless he¡¯s in an environment where he has the most advantage.¡±


    ¡°What an annoying guy.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now... let¡¯s pick the members.¡±


    At my words, a few reacted immediately. The first to jump was none other than Sumire.


    ¡°I can still go on, Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°No, Sumire.¡±


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t even used my god¡¯s power yet! I only got hurt before because I wanted to save it for the boss fight...¡±


    ¡°Sumire.¡±


    I shook my head once again.


    ¡°I¡¯m only looking at one condition for the members I¡¯m selecting now. Will they die in one hit or not. Even though you have your god¡¯s power left, you¡¯re too exhausted. It¡¯ll be difficult to fight again.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim...¡±


    ¡°Son, I can go on.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t either, Father.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    I didn¡¯t back down even with Father¡¯s protest and continued.


    ¡°All the subi did amazingly today. Go back to the Resting ce of the Angels and rest. We can hold funerals for the fallenrades when the battle is over.¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband...¡±


    ¡°Now, I¡¯ll announce the onesing with me to fight the Lava King. It¡¯ll be me, Daisy, Hwaya, Ina, and Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°What? What about me, Shin!?¡±


    ¡°Not you, Ludia. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Shin!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll let Su Ye-Eun go!?¡±


    ¡°If anything, Ye-Eun¡¯s evasive ability is the best among us. Look at her.¡±


    I pointed at Ye-Eun. Not only did she have very few injuries, they were all light and her clothes were much cleaner than the others. I wasn¡¯t bringing Ye-Eun for no reason. Her evasive ability was number one in the guild. As for her strength...


    ¡°Ye-Eun has ¡®that¡¯ thing.¡±


    ¡°Uu.... Yeah, I¡¯ll use it... Uuu.¡±


    Ye-Eun seemed to have realized what I was referring to, as she frowned a bit and murmured.


    ¡°But Master is aiming for Shin...¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t do anything funny in the middle of battle.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ye-Eun. If she tries to do anything, this Unni will stop her. Even if I have to burn her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my body, Unni!¡±


    Then, Ren spoke in a dissatisfied tone.


    ¡°Crown Prince, I also have Deific Manifestation.¡±


    ¡°If Ren uses Deific Manifestation, you¡¯ll jump straight into the mouth of the volcano. You need to wait until the thrashing phase ends.¡±


    ¡°Whew.¡±


    Hearing that I wouldn¡¯t be taking Ren, Lebuik sighed openly. I spoke with a bitter smile.


    ¡°Anyone else will just get in our way. Just stay back and rest, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uuu...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to...¡±


    ¡°Ludia, I¡¯ll leave you to heal the others at the mansion. Please.¡±


    ¡°But Shin... Uuuu.¡±


    Ludia puffed up her cheeks, then turned away in the end.


    ¡°Do whatever you want. Go die if you want, stupid Orc!¡±


    ¡°Thanks for listening to me.¡±


    ¡°Eit!¡±


    Even after telling me to go die, she threw a few bottles of Elixirs towards my face. I easily caught them, after which Ludia turned away again with a humph before returning to the dungeon.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be off, Father. Don¡¯t secretly follow us.¡±


    ¡°Kuhum! You¡¯re looking down on your father too much!¡±


    ¡°When Father gets a god¡¯s true name, Father cane with us.¡±


    ¡°Kuuuuk! Fine, I swear I¡¯ll get that damn thing!¡±


    After having everyone return to the mansion, I looked at the remaining members and dered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go hunt the king!¡±


    Our destination was the mouth of the Bulusan Volcano. There, the Lava King was waiting for us!

 Chapter 228. Overlord (8)

    Chapter 228. Overlord (8)


    Chapter 228. Overlord (8)


    The temperature rose as we got closer to the volcano, and the earth melted from the unnaturally high temperature. As Ina, Hwaya, and I were fine as we had methods to deal with heat, Ye-Eun seemed to be holding on barely with just her monstrous willpower, and Daisy didn¡¯t seem to be doing any better.


    ¡°Hot... Clothes off...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, Daisy. You¡¯ll hurt my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, rude man. My body, pretty decent.¡±


    No, I meant that Hwaya would poke my eyes... But Hwaya would really poke my eyes out if I said that, so I stayed silent. Hwaya spoke out in my ce.


    ¡°Daisy, the reason I like you is that we don¡¯t growl at each other about Shin. Don¡¯t try to make an enemy out of me.¡±


    ¡°...? Not sure, what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Suddenly, the surrounding heat became more intense, and an ominous smoke was spewing out of the volcano.


    [Hero, it¡¯s him. The king is inside the volcanic crater.]


    ¡°Got it. Guys, it¡¯s time. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re easing your tension, but that¡¯s enough joking around.¡±


    ¡°Shin, I¡¯m not joking. This is more important than this so-called Lava King.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m sorry, but us surviving is much more important to me.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah... I got it.¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s face reddened and she turned away. I might have been a bit harsh, but I didn¡¯t regret it.


    We were getting closer to the crater. The atmospheric mana vibrated, the earth tremored, and an overwhelming pressure descended on us. I stuck out my tongue and licked my lips. Even though I knew my life was at risk, my heart trembled in excitement as it always does before fighting a powerful opponent. Exhration dominated over fear. Even I thought I was a bit perverted.


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    I took a slow breath and calmed myself. Although I asked Ye-Eun to call Duca to fight, I nned on fighting the Lava King without the help of Peruta.


    If I used Deific Manifestation and couldn¡¯t defeat the Lava King, I would be leaving myself open to attack. More importantly, Peruta couldn¡¯t use my ss-specific skills and skills within the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch. Unless Peruta came in his real body, he was far weaker than me when I used Overlord. That was how much I¡¯d grown.


    Though, that also meant that I was much weaker without ss-specific skills and the pocket watch¡¯s skills.


    ¡°Daddy, I can¡¯t use Deific Manifestation.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Did it fail?¡±


    ¡°Un. So I can¡¯t use it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, Ina¡¯s strong even without it.¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    The others also took out their weapons and raised their spirits as they checked their health and mana. The moment we arrived at the mouth of the volcano, Lotte suddenly shouted.


    [It¡¯s erupting!]


    Lotte immediately turned her body and flew away. At the same time, a colossal heatwave swept over us. I poured mana into my eyes to withstand the light and heat, and when I checked the surroundings, a giant tree ofva was sprouting up. Dear god...!


    ¡°This isn¡¯t ordinaryva. It¡¯s an overwhelming lump of mana...!¡±


    [Kuhahaha! Why have youe all this way? You have killed all of my subordinates. You are the first to have ever done so! Kuhahaha!]


    A heartyugh of a man rang out. Shockingly, theva that erupted as if to cover the skies didn¡¯t fall and were gathering in one point. Then, easily absorbing all of its mana, he appeared.


    Elegant red scales covered his giant body, and two crooked horns rose above his head. He had yellow reptilian eyes, a long and thick tail, and a pair of bat-like wings that stretched out towards the sky.


    Simply put, he was a dragon, a giant dragon that easily reached 150 meters in length.


    [The ¡®Lava King¡¯ Grand Raidmences! You met one of the enemies aiming for the world¡¯s power! The dungeon¡¯s power is not fully effective against a world¡¯s enemy. The Grand Raid system exists to give what little support it can to explorers who are fighting against the world¡¯s enemies. The Lord¡¯s blessing converges on your party. As a result, the enemy can only ignore up to 30% of your party members¡¯ skills and levels!]


    [Absolute Soul nullifies a part of the enemy¡¯s power. Your skills and levels will be 90% effective against the enemy!]


    [Remember that you will not be able to bring out your items¡¯ and skills¡¯ full power. We wish you luck! You will receive a huge reward if you defeat the Lava King!]


    [Why have youe to disturb my sleep? Until ¡®he¡¯ arrives, I nned to simply sleep, but you lot have ruined it. Now there are no more monsters to serve as materials for my army, so now I¡¯ll have to relocate too.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make it so that you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Even as I felt his overwhelming existence, I smiled with effort and retorted. Inside my head, I was busy flicking the abacus beads and calcting his league. He seemed to be level 90 at the very least, and he could even ignore everyone¡¯s skills and levels. Isn¡¯t that too much!? I was thankful that I had learned Absolute Soul.


    However, his scale armor and the endless pit of mana in his body could only make me sigh. He seemed to have reached the limit in both physical and magical defense. It was likely... that he possessed the so-called EX ranked power, or one that was only a step below it.


    [Mm, as expected of a Hero. You can carry such arge strength in that tiny human body. Tsk, really, killing you would be such a waste. If only you weren¡¯t a Hero, I would have taken you in as my subordinate.]


    ¡°Sorry, but I have no ns to bathe inva.¡±


    [Kuhaha! I like your character too! Truly a waste!]


    His giant eyes were solely focused on me as if the others weren¡¯t worthy of even talking to him. At that moment...


    ¡°Kana, might melt... I¡¯ll use Deific Manifestation.¡±


    ¡°Deific Manifestation!¡±


    Daisy and Ye-Eun both used Deific Manifestation. Ye-Eun¡¯s master, Duca, was the first to descend. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the giant dragon and screamed.


    ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s this!? It¡¯s so strong! Is this the world¡¯s enemy?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s the one right under him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Dear! We meet again. We must be fated!¡±


    Hwaya silently ignited a fireball above her palm. Someone else then smacked Duca¡¯s head. Surprisingly, it was Daisy!


    ¡°You! Duca! To think I have to see you even after death, I¡¯m appalled.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Hecate!? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°My disciple called me. Focus on that giant turd, would you!?¡±


    Daisy¡¯s master and Duca knew each other!? I wasn¡¯t the only one shocked. The Lava King also seemed shocked.


    [You two are... gods! I can smell the stench of gods!]


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you noticed us.¡±


    Daisy¡¯s master, Hecate, snorted as she talked back to the Lava King. Then, she approached me and whispered.


    ¡°Child, you have Zeus¡¯ power. Can you use it?¡±


    ¡°N-No, not yet... Do you know Zeus?¡±


    ¡°Oh, how unfortunate. Also, how could I not know Zeus? I¡¯m Hecate after all.¡±


    I had no clue what she meant . I told myself to look into itter.


    ¡°You must have heard from Daisy, but we have to defeat him! Please help us!¡±


    ¡°Of course. Duca, follow me.¡±


    ¡°I want to y with Dear a bit more... Chet.¡±


    With Hecate¡¯s power, undead monsters began to appear in the air. Although they were monsters Daisy normally controlled, they seemed to be blessed with a special power. Duca also seemed to have received Hecate¡¯s power as she floated in the air while grumbling.


    [Kuku, this is getting exciting! I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be hiding this much power! Kuhaha! Kuhahha... Die!]


    This sly bastard! The Lava King suddenly sent a fireball towards us in the middle ofughing. Because of its incredible speed, I was about to use Divine Speed, but Lotte quickly turned around with a sneer and dodged it. Meanwhile, Hwaya and Ina both flew up into the air.


    However, what Hwaya did as she flew up shocked me. The mes she shot out from her hands was gently enveloping the mes shot out by the Lava King. She could receive his mes head on! Hwaya spoke as she made a provocative smile.


    ¡°Your mes sure are tasty.¡±


    [Hm? A human? A human that can wield mes so freely... Who are you? Truly an interesting bunch! Kuhaha!]


    He shot out more mes. This time, the mes didn¡¯t juste from him. The volcano also erupted and spewed out ava that was filled with mana. It then broke into dozens and rained down on us.


    ¡°Shin, I can¡¯t block them all!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the onesing my way!¡±


    [Kuaaaaaaa!]


    The moment the words left my mouth, Lotte breathed out golden mes from mouth. Her mes shed with eight streams of mes flying towards us before swallowing them and disappearing.


    What the others did weren¡¯t so different. Ina¡¯s ice froze theva, and Duca easily evaded the attacksing her way. As for Hecate, she swung the whip in her hand, and a blue barrier appeared around her and the elite squadron of undead monster, protecting them.


    [Good, good! It would be boring if it was so easy! Kuhaha!]


    The Lava King onlyughed even though his attacks were blocked. It could only mean that he hadn¡¯t used his full strength. Immediately afterwards, the surrounding temperature shot up once more to the point that average ability users would be burned to death just by being in this space.


    [But to pick a fight with me with just this much strength, truly foolish!]


    Giant fireballs appeared in the air. Their pure and oppressive essence of fire zed as they danced. Ina frowned and held her arms out, creating numerous crystals of ice. However, even Ina couldn¡¯tpletely cancel out the fireballs.


    ¡°It¡¯s too hot. I hate sweating.¡±


    [Kuhaha! A little kid with such an overwhelming magic power! It seems I might havee knocking on death¡¯s door! Kuhahahaha, life should always be zing! In front of this king, set your lives aze!]


    [Foolish brute, you¡¯re destined to burn yourself to death!]


    Although the voice was undoubtedly Daisy¡¯s, Hecate¡¯s voice gave it a mystical silvery feeling. Hecate swung her whip, and the undead monsters charged towards the me dragon. They all dodged the oing fireballs as they each attacked the me dragon.


    [Kuhaha! Dead beings injuring this Lava King, truly interesting!]


    The Lava King exploded with an enormous amount of mana. Even with protective barriers surrounding them, half of the undead monsters were instantly annihted. Hecate made an annoyed growl and swung her whip, strengthened the undead monsters again. However, the Lava King seemed to have only just begun. He pped his wings once and the undead monsters were all pushed back. Then, he immediately charged towards us.


    [I¡¯ll annihte everything! You will pay the price for looking down on me! Kuhaha!]


    ¡°As if!¡±


    Duca shouted and instantly disappeared from my sight. Immediately afterwards, the Lava King stopped charging. Shockingly, a streak of blood shot out from his neck. Duca had sessfully injured him!


    ¡°Ku, this guy is too big! It feels like I only poured a bucket of water in a sandy beach!¡±


    [Kuhuhu, it¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve felt pain!]


    His howl shook the earth and raised the surrounding temperature once more. I was dumbfounded. With just his existence and his overwhelming mana, he was trying to steam us to death!


    [This is what is known as ¡®absolute¡¯! Absolute Fire!]


    The volcano erupted once again. Shockingly, he jumped into theva, and when he reemerged, the wound on his neck was gone.


    [Tiny human, how will you extinguish an inextinguishable me? As long as fire exists in this world, I will never die! That is why I, Lava King, reign as a king!]


    ¡°You¡¯re too noisy, you damned lizard!¡±


    Hwaya shouted and reached out with her hands. A part of theva being absorbed by the Lava King changed direction and flowed into Hwaya. She threw her Cyclops Lord¡¯s Golden Eye into the air and shouted.


    ¡°Eit, everyone get ready to attack! Golden Pupils, curse him!¡±


    Eh? Cyclops Lord¡¯s Golden Eye had another effect? While I stood shocked, the Golden Eye fiercely rotated, seeminglypressing its power. Then, in an instant, it shot out a beam of light toward the me dragon. The result could only be described as shocking. When the Lava King was hit by the goldenser, the Golden Eye that shattered!


    [Kuaaaa! That one hurt quite a lot! Impressive, impressive!]


    ¡°I lost an Epic grade item, so it better have! What are you all doing!? Attack him!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how big of an attack that was, but since it could deal that much pain to the Lava King who could ignore a portion of items¡¯ effects, it was understandable that the Golden Eye shattered. I turned my eyes away from Hwaya who seemed to be on the verge of tears and tightened the grip on my spear.


    ¡°Lotte, sorry, we¡¯ll have to fight separately.¡±


    [I can¡¯t injure him alone. Hero should do what Hero needs to do.]


    Lotte¡¯s fierce wingbeat smashed away the heatwave. I gave her a grin and jumped off her back. The Lava King then shouted.


    [Oh? You¡¯re fighting me yourself? Outstanding! Truly a ze!]


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m no ze!¡±


    [Then what are you!? Kuhaha!]


    ¡°I¡¯m an Overlord!!!!¡±


    In that instant, I became a giant covered in ck armor.


    [You used Overlord! While the skill is active, your HP and MP triples, and all stats double! When attacking the enemy, you have 10% chance to afflict a random highest rank status effect. When attacked by an enemy, you have 20% chance to afflict a random highest rank status effect.]


    Through my body, the power of an absolute destroyer had descended on Earth!


    Author¡¯s note:


    It wille up again, but gods from Earth¡¯s mythology can share the same origin as other worlds¡¯ gods. In other words, different named gods can refer to the same god! Because Daisy¡¯s master appeared on Earth, she assumed the name of Hecate. If she appeared in a different world... Huhu.

 Chapter 229. Overlord (9)

    Chapter 229. Overlord (9)


    Chapter 229. Overlord (9)


    After using Overlord, I examined my body, surprised by the effect. My 5 meter tall stature, the ck armor of mana covering my body, and the overwhelming power touching my skin made me tremble.


    Even the Lava King could notugh seeing my appearance.


    [That power...!?]


    ¡°I obtained it just to beat up bastards like you!¡±


    In truth, I didn¡¯t care about anything the Lava King was currently saying. Following the sense of omnipotence flowing through my body, I lengthened my spear to several tens of meters and shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll defeat you within the next 3 minutes!¡±


    [Try it if you can!]


    The Lava King opened his mouth and vomited out mes once again. However, I charged into his mouth directly. Before I could even try to block his fire breath, Lotte blocked it on her own.


    [You won¡¯t harm Hero!]


    [Eit, a mere wyvern acting so bothersome just by learning to wield mes!]


    I flew past Lotte and straight towards the Lava King. The Chaotic Spear, which had elongated to dozens of meters, was shing with a threatening ck lightning.


    ¡°Eat this!¡±


    [Kuhahaha, I like your courage, Hero!]


    A giant barrier of fire appeared in the air, and the spear I thrust out shed with the barrier, crackling with a terrifying amount of lightning. I twisted my waist, adding more strength to my spear and pushing it forward. In an instant, the barrier of fire became dyed in ck before it shattered easily.


    [Critical Hit!]


    My spear then stabbed his neck. His blood spurted out towards me, but I quickly pulled my spear out, swinging my spear lightly to make the blood dissipate.


    [Kuaaaaak!]


    ¡°Huhu, what a beautiful sight!¡±


    Hecate¡¯s voice rang out. She then soared into the sky and swung her whips here and there. All of the undead monsters then howled before beginning to attack the Lava King who was writhing in pain. Ina also took advantage of this chance, creating giant masses of ice in the air and firing them at the Lava King.


    ¡°It¡¯s hot! I hate you!¡±


    ¡°Kyahahaha! You¡¯re too cool, Dear!¡±


    ¡°Duca, control yourself!¡±


    Once exposed, the Lava King¡¯s body was only a good shooting target. I twisted my body in the air once more, stabbing the Lava King again and again. In the next moment, Duca¡¯s figure seemed to sh in the corner of my eyes and another stream of blood spurted out from the Lava King¡¯s neck. I didn¡¯t know why that woman liked attacking her enemy¡¯s neck so much.


    [Kukuk... Kuhaha! Humans, you are indeed interesting! But if you think this is enough... to make me troubled, you couldn¡¯t be more mistaken!]


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    Duca screamed and quickly jumped off his body. Centered around his body, a powerful heatwave pulsed out, sweeping over all of us. I quickly reached out with my hands and unfolded ¡®Enigma.¡¯ Enigma¡¯s domain then perfectly halted the heatwave¡¯s advance. Even I was surprised at my own power¡¯s strength.


    [So it¡¯s as I thought. Hero, you really are interesting!]


    ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t find you that interesting! Hwaya, the volcano¡¯s going to erupt!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    The reason he was talking was to give himself time to recover. I spread Enigma out like a and suppressed the Lava King¡¯s attackspletely. Then, I aimed my giant spear filled with an ample amount of Heroic Aura towards him. The Lava King pped his wings fiercely and shouted.


    [Hero who has reached the limit of a human being, see if you can ovee this king!]


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I n on doing!¡±


    I shot my spear forward. The Lava King faced it directly, breathing out mes. However, Lotte blocked his mesing towards me. Her body was already wrapped in a blinding brilliance.


    On the other hand, the volcanic crater under us was rumbling unnaturally. I could see Hwaya jumping in haphazardly!


    ¡°Child, you¡¯ll die!¡±


    ¡°If this is all it takes to kill me, I¡¯d rather die! Shin, I¡¯ll stop him from recovering! You kill him!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trusting you, Hwaya!¡±


    In truth, I was worried sick about Hwaya¡¯s safety, but I tried my best to not think about it. Even a bit of extraneous thoughts made one¡¯s spear shaky and halved its power. Right now, it was more important to focus on dealing a devastating blow to the Lava King!


    The giant spear version of Heroic Strike shed with the Lava King¡¯s scarlet mes, which even Lotte couldn¡¯t block, and scattered its energy to the side. I once again fiercely circted Peruta Circuit. The atmospheric mana became absorbed into my body, bing part of the whirlpool enveloping my spear.


    [Kuhahahaha! I was hesitating because it would be a waste to burn you into ashes, but I won¡¯t hesitate any longer!]


    ¡°Try it!¡±


    The moment my spear neared the Lava King¡¯s face, his eyes shed, and hundreds of fireballs ignited in the air, swooping towards me. If I hadn¡¯t used Overlord, I would have had no choice but to dodge them, but my current self didn¡¯t see the need to dodge them. I continued onward with a prating force and charged into the mes. Lotte exerted mes from her entire body and charged in with me.


    ¡°Lotte, I¡¯ll leave it to you!¡±


    [I can¡¯t block them all, Hero!]


    ¡°I can handle the rest of them!¡±


    Controlling the mana of Enigma covering my body was none other than Peruta Circuit¡¯s rotation! Peruta Circuit¡¯s rotation sucked in a portion of the amorphous mana making up my armor and became a pitch-ck whirlpool. The Lava King¡¯s ravaging mes were also sucked into the whirlpool. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t damage me at all. However, this much pain was more than bearable!


    ¡°Sacrifice!¡±


    [Kuhuk!]


    [Critical Hit!]


    Along with his scream, arge amount of the blood he vomited rained down. Although I was also injured from Sacrifice¡¯s side effect, while I was using Overlord, the pain was reduced. Seeing the king writhing in pain, I grinned.


    ¡°Does it hurt? It hurts for me, too.¡±


    [Now you¡¯ve made me mad! Kuaaaaa! Eternal me!]


    Along with the pulsing of his mana, the volcanic crater rumbled once again. Soon, it would erupt again! Even as he tossed blood in all directions, he cried maniacally.


    [I am eternal! As long as even a single wick of me exists, I will never die!]


    ¡°Like I said... I won¡¯t let that happen!¡±


    I threw my spear towards him. Carrying a ck whirlpool, the Chaotic Spear cut through the air and pierced the Lava King¡¯s wing. Then, I pulled it back by controlling the Enigma. I felt like the Lava King¡¯s monstrous weight would pull my arm out. I really had to exert all of my energy to pull him towards me. At that moment, Ina stepped in to help me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bully Daddy! I hate you even more!¡±


    [Ku... Kuhahahaha! You, your ice is truly surprising...!]


    Ina¡¯s attack at full force froze his body in an instant. Without missing this opportunity, I yanked him towards me. Hecate also made the best out of this opportunity, holding her hand in the air and shouting.


    ¡°Little One, the blood you shed will strangle your neck!¡±


    Hecate¡¯s magic shed. The blood flowing out of his neck and burning in the air squirmed together from Hecate¡¯s magic, bing a red chain that dug into his body! Strength then left the Lava King¡¯s body, and it became easier to pull him.


    Lotte also tackled him to make him lose his control over his center of mass. Although Lotte¡¯s figure was much smaller than the Lava King, her tackle was powerful enough to make him groan in pain. Every time Lotte struck his body, he was pulled closer to me more quickly.


    Even so, there wasn¡¯t enough time. Before I couldpletely pull him away from the range of the volcanic crater, the volcano erupted with a scaldingva!


    [Kuhahaha... ha?]


    His endless madughter suddenly came to halt. The eruption had suddenly stopped as if the throat of the volcano had been plugged. It was undoubtedly Hwaya¡¯s doing! Using this chance, I quickly yanked on the Lava King.


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    ¡°Duca!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you!¡±


    Duca¡¯s body instantly separated into dozens of copies. With each of them possessing a frightening amount of magical power, they all charged towards the Lava King and stabbed him with their daggers exuding a ck aura. Duca then shouted.


    ¡°Feel the weight of my de! Dance of the Fool!¡±


    [Kuhahak! You bitch!]


    Just the fact that the Lava King had stoppedughing showed the situation the Lava King was in. Moreover, he had realized he couldn¡¯t recover like before. He must haveughed, thinking that he could regenerate himself no matter how much damage he took, but now, each and every attack was bringing him closer to death.


    When Duca backed off after seeding in her attack, I reached out and retrieved my spear first before charging at the Lava King, who was still writhing in pain from Duca¡¯s unknown skill and power. It would have been nice if I could use Wind King¡¯s Rage at this moment, but as I had used it not long ago and had even fully charged it, it was regretfully unavable for use.


    ¡°Haaaaaaap! Die!¡±


    Even so, my charge was monstrously powerful. The Chaotic Spear dug straight into the middle of his chest and detonated the mana of Enigma, messing up the Lava King¡¯s insidespletely.


    [Kuhahahak!]


    I controlled Enigma with Peruta Circuit to the best of my ability to do as much damage as I could. There really was nothing better than Peruta Circuit for controlling arge power that even I was incapable of understanding.


    [Critical Hit!]


    Even after leaving my spear and thus my control, Enigma continued to spin endlessly as it ravaged the Lava King¡¯s body. It almost felt like it could kill the Lava King directly!


    [A mere human dares to injure my body!!!]


    The mes on his body exploded. Although his mana was decreasing, it was still overwhelming, as his giant mana became a torrent of mes of an indescribable temperature and swept toward us like a tidal wave. This was undoubtedly the highest ranked mes he could ignite! I knew instinctively that this was the EX rank! mes one must burn his soul to ignite!


    ¡°Everyone dodge!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to!¡±


    At the same time I shouted towards everyone to dodge, Hwaya also shouted. She was soaring up from the crater. Her eyes were shining with a strange red light, and there were no signs on her body that she had stopped the volcano¡¯s eruption. Instead, several tens of enormous masses of magma circled around her, as if to act as her guard.


    ¡°Hwaya, you...?¡±


    ¡°Do you get it now?¡±


    Hwaya smiled bashfully. Then, she made a peace sign with her fingers.


    ¡°I can go to Beyond now!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s important!?¡±


    Leaving my shouting behind, Hwaya shouted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if your mes can win against Agni!¡±


    The Lava King¡¯s mes fiercely shed with the masses of magma Hwaya shot out. Surprisingly, they were neck and neck. A god¡¯s true name could even resist EX ranked mes! In any case, I had to make use of this opportunity. I gripped my spear and charged towards the Lava King. The mana of Enigma gathered on the spear tip and caused a powerful rotation. It was almost as if I was using an electric drill.


    [Kuk, do you think a human can ovee this king just by obtaining a god¡¯s power!?]


    ¡°That¡¯s why there¡¯s the saying, there¡¯s no shame in a pack of hyena attacking a lion!¡±


    I replied for Hwaya as I charged towards him with my spear. His mes were upied with Hwaya¡¯s mes and could not affect me in the slightest. The Lava King seemed to have resorted to physical brawls, as he flew towards me with his giant body!


    [Why don¡¯t we fight!?]


    ¡°You sure can move quick for someone so heavy!¡±


    With every p of his wings, the distance between us shortened. His tail shook ominously as it gathered mes at the end of it. As a precaution, I called Lotte.


    ¡°Lotte!¡±


    [My all for Hero!]


    Although her battle cry was a bit worrying, I ignored it temporarily. She flew in front of me and hid herself within the light. The name ¡®ze Queen¡¯ suited her perfectly as she was a brilliant luminosity, not just mes!


    [Take this!]


    [Stop annoying me, Wyvern!]


    Lotte charged forward, and the Lava king swung his tail. Surprisingly, in the middle of flying, Lotte disappeared. The moment the Lava King¡¯s tail struck empty air, Lotte prated his abdomen and appeared behind him!


    A huge amount of blood became dispersed in the air. To think she could prate through his body directly!


    [Kak!]


    [Hero, now!]


    ¡°Right, now¡¯s the time!¡±


    Along with Lotte¡¯s shout, I affirmed my resolve and shot my spear into him as I activated a skill. The enormous mana swirling around my body directly...


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    In the next moment, I was thrown vulnerably in front of my giant enemy¡¯s eyes. No, that wasn¡¯t it.


    My body had shrunk.


    [I was waiting for this very moment!]


    The Lava King opened his mouth. What could be seen within was an endless void and an undting fire of hell. I grinned.


    Then, he swallowed me.

 Chapter 230. Overlord (10)

    Chapter 230. Overlord (10)


    It was extremely hot. That was all I could think of. The Lava King¡¯s EX ranked mes were burning my mana. I had heard that there was nothing it couldn¡¯t burn, but this was still too much.


    Before it was toote, I howled.


    ¡°Kuaaaaang!¡±


    [You used Frozen Roar! All enemies in the battlefield freezes in ce. All allies temporarily be super-armored and has all abilities increased by 50%. Your chance ofnding a critical hit doubles when fighting enemies affected by Frozen Roar.]


    [Frozen Roar¡¯s effect is suppressed! The enemy¡¯s power halves your skill¡¯s power. You could not freeze your targetpletely!]


    That didn¡¯t matter. What was important was that I could now breathe. Really, I had received more damage from this guy¡¯s heat than his direct attacks! What an absurd monster!


    Even as I gritted my teeth, I took in a deep breath and pointed my spear towards the roof of his mouth. With how big he was, even if I stabbed him with the strongest attack I could make, he would only feel it as a thorn pricking him. Even if I could expand my aura to dozens of meters, it would dissipate in the process of breaking through his defense.


    As such, I deactivated it. What, you ask?


    It was, of course, Sky God¡¯s y.


    [Kuaaaaaaaa!]


    His scream was music to my ears. I opened his mouth forcefully and standing on his tongue, I pierced his head with my spear which had returned to its dozens meter long length.


    ¡°That was a feint, you retard!¡±


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    ¡°What kind of an idiot believes what his enemy says?¡±


    [You tricked me, Hero!]


    Although I was certain that I pierced his brain, he surprisingly seemed fine. It seemed that a world¡¯s enemy was a world¡¯s enemy no matter how weak he was. His biological functions undoubtedly worked differently than other organisms. In that case, what did I need to do to kill him? Perhaps I would only find out by continuously beating him up.


    ¡°Everyone, attack!¡±


    ¡°Duca!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already on it, Hecate!¡±


    As I ordered my party members, I poured lightning elemental power into my spear in order to deal a fatal blow before the remaining two minute time passed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see exactly how many attacks you can withstand! Lightning Spear Storm!¡±


    [Master, this power is too overwhelming! I feel like I¡¯m being swallowed!]


    ¡°Hold on just a bit more, Peika! Uooooooo!¡±


    The Lava King¡¯s mouth seemed to want to devour me, but I held my spear up desperately and drilled a hole on the roof of his mouth. His blood fell like a waterfall, drenching me and igniting. I formed a barrier of Enigma around myself using Peruta Circuit, but that wasn¡¯t enough topletely block his attack.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaaa! Die!¡±


    [Pay the price for tricking this Lava King! Kuhaaaaaa!]


    A scorching heat rose up from his belly. Was he trying to breathe out mes in this situation!? However, as the saying went, once one rode a tiger, it was hard to get off. Quitting now would be the worst thing I could do. I decided to trust in Overlord¡¯s defensive power and activated Divine Speed, stabbing him desperately.


    At that moment, dozens of bone spikes covered in ck mana shot out from my body and attacked the roof of his mouth with me. Thorn Throne¡¯s option had activated!


    [Kuuk, this is a dragon¡¯s...!? Hmph, I¡¯ll melt them all!]


    A terrifying heat erased all traces of Frozen Roar and swept towards me. I shouted in a scream.


    ¡°Ruyueeeeee!¡¯


    [I¡¯ll try!]


    Ruyue, who was waiting all this time for this moment, exploded with her power! A thick barrier of ice was erected between the Lava King¡¯s throat and me. Sharana then joined Ruyue and strengthened her ice. Despite the two elementals¡¯ effort, the Lava King¡¯s mes destroyed the ice barrier. Thankfully, his mes were slightly weakened as a result as they swept over me. Shockingly, I still couldn¡¯t nullify these mes. As expected of the EX rank!


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Kuaaaaaak!¡±


    Even as the mes shed with Enigma surrounding my body, it dealt great me damage to me, and I struggled to prevent myself from screaming. Pure ck Desire increased my chances of dealing critical hits, but also receiving critical hits. Although it was great when I was the attacking, it was excruciatingly painful when I was the one being attacked!


    [Die! I¡¯ll devour you and use you as my fuel!]


    ¡°I want to say the same thing!¡±


    It seemed the others were attacking the Lava King from the outside as it was extremely noisy and his body was rocking harshly. However, the Lava King was entirely focused on me and I was simrly entirely focused on him.


    ¡°Huaaaaaaap!¡±


    I stabbed my spear into him frantically. Stabbing, pulling, stabbing, pulling. All the muscles in body acted to repeat just these two moves. I ignored the screams of my muscles and continuously used Divine Speed.


    Since my mana would fill up from Absolute Soul when I attacked him, I didn¡¯t hesitate to use Divine Speed as much as I wanted. As a result, I had dealt a countless number of attacks in a short moment, and the Lava King became afflicted with several status effects.


    [Overlord¡¯s special effect afflicts your enemy with forced sleep! Your enemy¡¯s powerful resistance transforms forced sleep into ¡®heavy chaos¡¯!]


    [Overlord¡¯s special effect afflicts your enemy with massive hemorrhage! Your enemy¡¯s powerful resistance transforms massive hemorrhage into ¡®hemorrhage¡¯!]


    [Overlord¡¯s special effect afflicts your enemy with frenzy! Your enemy¡¯s powerful resistance transforms frenzy into ¡®rage¡¯!]


    [You, that is the mana I can¡¯t control! The mana on the opposite side of divine power!]


    ¡°You noticed toote, lizard! Haaaap!¡±


    [Diehard activates.]


    Although Enigma was protecting my body, it seemed my health had fallen to a dangerous level. Because I was too focused on attacking him, I hadn¡¯t even realized it. If I didn¡¯t have Diehard, I would have already died.


    [Just whose protection are you under!? How can you wield those abilities!? He told me that you explorers couldn¡¯t block my path!]


    ¡°I want to hear more, but since you probably won¡¯t tell, I¡¯ll give up.¡±


    Lightning Spear Storm also didn¡¯t end unless I stopped it. The roof of his mouth was already ragged, and although his blood and flesh was dripping down on and igniting into powerful mes, I continued to attack him. Then, even Deathblood activated.


    [Deathblood activates, using 5% of your HP to inject contaminated blood into the enemy! The Lava King falls under the ¡®blood contamination¡¯ status effect! Its attack power and movement speed decreases, and it loses mana continuously! This effect cannot be dispelled unless the target dies! The enemy tries to resist the status effect, but fails!]


    [Kuaaaaak!]


    ¡°Oh, this one worked!¡±


    [Kuooooo! You used a curse! One that cannot be cleansed unless either one of us dies!]


    I took out an Elixir Ludia gave me from my inventory. As the terrifying heat immediately began to melt the Elixir¡¯s bottle, I hurriedly popped the cap and gulped it down. Then, I transferred all the power of Enigma in my body to the spear.


    Raging mes immediately surged in and damaged me, but the Elixir¡¯s power mitigated it slightly and prevented my health from going down. However, this would notst long.


    Most importantly, Overlord¡¯s remaining time was only several tens of seconds. When it ended, I would undoubtedly die. When the thought crossed my mind, my spear shook slightly, but I quickly wiped the thought from my head. If I lost myposure now, it would really be over.


    Next up was the crystal ball Licorice gave me. Without hesitation, I broke it. A boundless magic power flowed out and into the Chaotic Spear. As it continued to crackle with lightning, the Chaotic Spear released a bright red light which could be seen even in the midst of the Lava King¡¯s mes.


    At that moment, Devourer activated automatically. My health had gone below 10% even with the Elixir¡¯s power. However, when I realized that I was at death¡¯s door, I became even calmer.


    It was simple. If I could kill the enemy, I would live. If I couldn¡¯t, I would die. As such, there was only one thing I needed to do.


    ¡°This is my strongest attack! Sacrifice!¡±


    If my health was below 10%, it would be impossible to activate Sacrifice. However, even if I didn¡¯t attack, the dragon bone spikes that shot out from my body endlessly stabbed the Lava King, and with Devourer¡¯s power, my health was maintaining a level above 10%.


    Knowing my health wouldn¡¯t fall below 10%, I used Sacrifice without a shred of hesitation, scraping all my mana into my spear.


    [Kuhahaha! I¡¯ll admit it, you are the first to have troubled me to this extent! But did you think you, a human, could defeat this Lava King!? Today will be the end of Earth! Despair, and die! Even in death, you will suffer! Kuhahaha!]


    His belly heated up once again. Infinite mana, infinite mes. No matter how much mana I stole from him with Absolute Soul, no matter how much mana he lost from blood contamination, his mana was infinite. Unless his soul was annihted, he would be immortal!


    [An existence none can harm, that is me!]


    ¡°Heroic... Strike!¡±


    Even if I knew that, I thrust my spear. I had never been so focused in an attack. With only the thought of killing him in my mind and my entire body¡¯s strength in my spear, I stabbed my spear into him! A massive explosion broke out.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuhuk!]


    Without even a hint of exaggeration, his head exploded. The moment my spear pierced his giant dragon head, it had exploded from being unable to withstand the converged mana.


    Of course, along with his head exploding, I was released into the air. Although it was still scorching hot, it was much more bearablepared to when I was in his body. Now, I could even see how the others were doing.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    Ina immediately flew towards me with a wave of freezing energy. The mes that were still burning on my body fought Ina¡¯s freezing energy, but were soon extinguished. It was then that I realized that Overlord had ended. Although I had a few seconds left, I had even spent the power to maintain it in the previous attack.


    Devourer also seemed to have stopped, as I couldn¡¯t feel my health going up. I suspected that my health was at 10%, where Sacrifice would have put me in. I really felt like I was dying. If I closed my eyes, I felt like I would never open them again.


    Then...


    [If this is your limit... It is my victory!]


    I froze. Although I had confirmed that his head had exploded, the giant me flying towards me was undoubtedly real. Ina shot her freezing energy towards it in shock, but her mana seemed to have reached its limit too. I had also used every ounce of my strength.


    In that case, Return would be the only...!


    [You will not escape!]


    [Gaze activates! Your movement speed falls drastically. You cannot open your inventory. Your health and mana recovery speed decreases. When being gazed at by your enemy, you will not be able to use Return!]


    ¡°How is he alive when his head exploded!?¡±


    ¡°Duca, stab your dagger in him before it¡¯s toote! Moonlight Restraint!¡±


    Hecate seemed to have done something as the headless Lava King twitched. Immediately afterwards, Duca flew up to him and stabbed her dagger into the Lava King¡¯s ming body. A blue light spread out from the dagger, and the Lava King¡¯s movements stopped in the air. However, his mes were still just as vigorous as before. He shouted triumphantly.


    [Kuhahahaha, you think this is enough to stop me? The moment the Hero dies, your loss is guaranteed!]


    The Gaze skill made me unable to do anything. If I had mana left, I could have used Divine Speed, but I had just used all of my mana. To think he still had such a cheaty skill! He¡¯s just as crafty as me!


    [So this is the end. Foolish! I had expected more from you all!]


    ¡°Found it! Agni¡¯s offering, the Cosmic Fire of Agni!¡±


    At that moment, I could hear Hwaya¡¯s shout. Her eyes opened widely and between her sped hands was a white me exuding holiness. Immediately afterwards, the white me in her hand flew up and seemingly burned something invisible.


    Although it didn¡¯t look like much had happened, the effect was truly extreme. The Lava King suddenly made a heaven-piercing scream.


    [Bitch!]


    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude, you damned lizard!¡±


    Hwaya shouted sharply and held her sped hands up high. Her red hair fluttered in the air like silk, while her ruby-like eyes burned fiercely. When using her god¡¯s power, she looked like a goddess of holy fire.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    As a horrific scream rang throughout the entire volcanic region, the giant me expanded and flew towards me. However, before it could near me, Lotte who had escaped Gaze¡¯s effect snatched me. The me that missed its target then continued to expand until it exploded.


    Immediately afterwards, the most enjoyable fanfare I had ever heard rang out in my ears.


    [Grand Raid sess!]

 Chapter 231. Guardian (1)

    Chapter 231. Guardian (1)


    [Amazing! With just five people, you have defeated one of the enemies threatening the world! The Lava King¡¯s soul has beenpletely annihted by Agni¡¯s mes. As a result, all me type monsters invading Earth will have all abilities decreased by 10%! This is a monumental achievement!]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Guardian¡¯. The dungeon is extremely satisfied by this result, and has decided to increase the support for Earth¡¯s Guardians. When fighting on Earth, your abilities increase by 10%!, and you will receive even better rewards forpleting Event Raids and Grand Raids!]


    [You obtained 30 stat points and 10 skill points as rewards forpleting a Grand Raid.]


    [Rewards will be distributed in order of contribution.]


    [Kang Shin-nim¡¯s contribution is the highest. Choose your reward.]


    [1. Lava King¡¯s Egg (Legend)


    2. me Dragon Evil Eyes (Legend)


    3. Immortal Fire Dragon Whip (Legend)


    4. Fire Dragon Arl (Legend)[1. Trantion subject to change. Will note if it does.]


    5. Guard Ring (Legend).]


    The moment I heard the fanfare, my body went limp. I didn¡¯t want to move even a single finger, and in truth, I barely had the strength to do so. Then, as Lotte put me down on the ground, Hwaya flew towards me.


    ¡°Shin!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m okafdsah!?¡±


    [Uwak, Witch! What are you doing!?]


    Attacking me when I don¡¯t have any strength to resist! Even if I wanted to say something, I couldn¡¯t because her lips werepletely blocking mine. I only resisted meekly as I made barely audible moaning sounds. Because of the pain and damage from Sacrifice and the fatigue that swept over after knowing that the battle ended, I couldn¡¯t move even though Hwaya wasn¡¯t restraining me strongly.


    Hwaya only let go of me once 30 seconds had passed. After barely mustering enough strength to take a step back, I pointed at my lips an shouted. Because of the huge shock, my legs were shaking.


    ¡°%!#$*$ (What were you doing)!?¡±


    ¡°I was too happy... Sorry, but I¡¯m happy with that.¡±


    ¡°M-My tongue was twisted.¡±


    I staggered back with my face entirely reddened. I then bumped into someone. I turned around and saw Duca.


    ¡°Dear, how about you do it again with me?¡±


    ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡±


    I leaped backwards. Duca, who was smacking her lips and approaching me, was then punished by Hecate¡¯s whip. Both Daisy and her master were too reliable.


    ¡°Don¡¯t scheme on another girl¡¯s man!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I have some fun? Ow!¡±


    ¡°Mm, as I thought, I can be great friends with Daisy. Even the... god called by her Deific Manifestation is so helpful!¡±


    Hwaya who had acquired a spot next to me nodded her head as she watched in satisfaction. I hoped she¡¯d realize that she was just as scary as Duca.


    Then, without me having to say anything, Lotte quickly flew next to me and protected me. Lotte was the only one who understood me! Of course, I wanted to believe that she just wanted to protect her master and had no ulterior motives.


    ¡°By the way, how did you kill him? No, how was he even alive?¡±


    ¡°It seems like it was a special magic, one that separated his body and soul. If I wasn¡¯t using Agni¡¯s power, I would have been done in too.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so he took out his soul before his body was heavily damaged.¡±


    ¡°Yep, and once he restored his body withva, he could return his soul. Before he could do that, I incinerated his soul with Agni¡¯s power.¡±


    That damned guy, doing all that when he was on the verge of death... He was even worse than me! Wait, was I spitting on my own face?


    ¡°Thanks Hwaya, you saved us.¡±


    ¡°I got my reward so it¡¯s fine... If you think it¡¯s not enough, can I get it again? The remaining 4.8 points. This time, from you.¡±


    ¡°No... Sorry.¡±


    It went by 2.1 points! Uuu, straightforward women were too scary. If I let my guard down even for a second, I felt like I would just fall. The all-knowing expression of Hwaya¡¯s was even more worrisome.


    Seeing me flustered, her grin shone even brighter.


    ¡°Shin, do you...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s make an undead now.¡±


    It seemed like Hwaya was about to say something important, but Daisy, or rather Hecate, interrupted her. Hwaya red at Hecate.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to cooperate!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, child. That child isn¡¯t your man, and I can¡¯t let my poor Daisy be alone forever. You¡¯re still young, so you should give up and find another wonderful man.¡±


    ¡°You!¡±


    After ruining the mood, Hecate danced towards the volcanic crater as she whistled. It was then that Ina ran into my arms.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°My Ina, was it scary?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    Ina¡¯s eyes were teary. It seemed she thought I would die. When I looked away from Hwaya to console Ina, Hwaya drooped her shoulders and spoke weakly. She had undoubtedly gave up saying what she was about to say.


    ¡°Argh, I¡¯ll endure it...¡±


    ¡°Mommy, thanks for saving Daddy.¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t save my man, who would? You should stop crying too.¡±


    ¡°Un. Next time, I¡¯ll get stronger and protect Daddy and Mommy.¡±


    ¡°Daddy will get stronger to protect Ina too.¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    Hugging Ina, it felt like my heart that was racing because of Hwaya and Duca was returning to its normal pace. I could finally rx. I patted Ina¡¯s head and pondered.


    Although romantic feelings made my heart pound, they also made me distracted and unfocused. On the other hand, when I was with Yua or Ina, I felt rxed and was empowered by feelings of wanting to protect them. As I thought, for me right now, family was more important than romance.


    ... Though something felt off, I decided not to pay attention to it.


    ¡°Wow, even with his soul gone, he still has such a powerful regenerative ability.¡±


    Hecate gave an unreserved praise. When I approached the Lava King¡¯s corpse that had fallen into theva, his severed head had been mostly regenerated. Even without a soul, his body had a terrifying strength. Even though so much mana had been shaved off and stolen, the mana remaining in his body was absurdly great. It was even absorbing the mana inside theva pit.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t handle it soon, it will revive as an undead we can¡¯t possibly control. Huhu, it¡¯s great that Daisy called me.¡±


    ¡°Is it impossible with Daisy¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°No, child. It¡¯s just that there isn¡¯t enough time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the same thing. Hecate, hurry up. Then, we can go y somewhere! It¡¯s been such a long time!¡±


    ¡°What, you want to enjoy women since you can¡¯t get a guy? Behave yourself. Return your body to its owner and go back!¡±


    ¡°Chet.¡±


    Duca smacked her lips and gave up on tempting Hecate. I felt like I had caught a glimpse of the depth of the gods¡¯ world, but I tried to ignore it and watched Hecate turn the Lava King into an undead.


    ¡°Uung, this guy is really overwhelming. With him out, none of the other undeads can be used.¡±


    A brilliant light shone from Hecate¡¯s hands. Once all undead monsters went back into her inventory, she started the process of turning the Lava King into an undead.


    All of her mana was sucked into the Lava King and lifted the Lava King¡¯s body sleeping in the volcanic crater. His body slowly became ckish red, a sign that it was evolving into an undead.


    In case something happened, I prepared myself to call Peruta. However, once I became confident that she would finish her work without any mishap, I looked at the other target that was itching for attention. It was, of course, the reward list.


    ¡°Hwaya finished him off, but I¡¯m the 1st, huh.¡±


    ¡°Without you, we couldn¡¯t have won.¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have won if any one of us was missing. especially you, Hwaya...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you were the won who damaged it the most and drove it to the verge of death. All I did was finish him off. Now, hurry up and choose your reward.¡±


    ¡°Ehew.¡±


    In truth, there was only one thing for me to choose. The Lava King¡¯s Egg! As I wanted to give it to Yua, I was a bit worried that it would be tied to me, but thankfully, that wasn¡¯t the case. After putting the egg into my inventory, I made a sigh of relief.


    ¡°With this, my original goal ispleted too.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you tame it yourself? I know you care about Yua, but...¡±


    After seeing that I had chosen an egg, Hwaya raised an understandable question. I shook my head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tame a fourth monster yet. If I put skill points into it, I might regret itter. More importantly, I don¡¯t have any Taming-rted skills, so rather than raising a monster from an egg, it¡¯s more appropriate for me to tame an already strong adult monster. On the other hand, Yua¡¯s main ss is Tamer, so she can tame many more monsters and have skills that help her tamed monsters get stronger. If Yua raises a powerful monster from its infancy, it¡¯ll grow by leaps and bounds.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you say... Oh, this must be an orb!¡±


    As expected, Hwaya was the second to choose a reward. What she choice was the Lava King¡¯s Eyes, which even I was tempted to get. She leaped in joy, saying that she had found something to rece the orb she had lost. In the next instant, she screamed.


    ¡°Kyaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Hwaya! Are you okay!?¡±


    Hwaya suddenly knelt and covered her face. I hurriedly squatted down and asked to be sure.


    ¡°Was it not an orb, but Evil Eyes!?¡±


    ¡°Kuuk, yeah... My eyes... What if it looks like a reptile¡¯s now!?¡±


    ¡°Raise your head. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s going to look weird. What should I do...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Will you take responsibility?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, hurry up! If it¡¯s now, we might be able to turn in back!¡±


    ¡°You promised.¡±


    I took Hwaya¡¯s hands off her face and her face was revealed. Her eyes were shining in a deeper red than before. Almost like the Evil Eyes I possessed, countless particles of light were gathering in her eyes and forming a strange symbol.


    Beautiful enchanting pupils. They were like Loretta¡¯s with only a different color.


    While I nked out, Hwaya quickly stole my lips again and spoke with a grin.


    ¡°No takesies-backsies.¡±


    ¡°You... I¡¯m taking it back!¡±


    ¡°Really, I made it easy for you too. Still, you can¡¯t take it back.¡±


    ¡°You knew it, didn¡¯t you!? That nothing would happen!¡±


    ¡°Well... Your Evil Eyes came from the Basilisk.¡±


    ¡°Ah...!¡±


    ¡®You fool! The Basilisk is a reptile too!¡¯ I shook my head, realizing my own stupidity.


    ¡°We both have Evil Eyes now. Isn¡¯t it fateful? Not that I believe in fate or anything.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that word either... but anyways, congrattions.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, in that case, Child belongs to my Daisy. She already had Evil Eyes.¡±


    Hecate walked towards us. Behind her, the reborn Lava King was flying slowly. Although he didn¡¯t give off as much pressure as when he was alive, the pressure was still massive. Without Overlord, I wasn¡¯t confident in beating it one on one.


    ¡°Call it Laki.¡±


    ¡°... You didn¡¯t just shorten Lava King, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Daisy¡¯s naming sense...¡±


    Hecate dodged my gaze. I gave up on interrogating her further and looked at Laki who was pping her wings in the air. His awe-inspiring majesty reminded me of the time we fought.


    Perhaps because I nearly died several times, the whole fight felt like something that happened years ago. Although not even 10 minutes had passed, I was now looking eye to eye with Laki, who had be our ally.


    I grinned and looked away.


    The clear full moon poured a chilling blue light over us. With all the burns we were suffering, it couldn¡¯t feel more satisfying. Feeling like the moon was blessing us, I spread my arms out. It¡¯s so refreshing...!


    ¡°By the way, Dear, do you know your armor¡¯s full of holes? Are you seducing me? I¡¯ll fall for it dly!¡±


    ¡°Ah, shit...!¡±


    So that¡¯s why it felt chilly!

 Chapter 232. Guardian (2)

    Chapter 232. Guardian (2)


    After the fight was over and confirming that there wasn¡¯t even a single monster remaining in the Philippines, we returned home on the ne we put in Hwaya¡¯s inventory. Although everyone was exhausted, we were full of smiles knowing that we had achieved more than what we came to do. That said, a few were still unhappy.


    ¡°My own son is ignoring his father...¡±


    Hearing Father¡¯s mumbling as he leaned against his seat, I flinched. However, to my surprise, Walker who had his body buried deep into his seat stood up for me.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be ignored, get yourself a god¡¯s true name, Kang Yungoong.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s easy, why don¡¯t you do it, Walker?¡±


    Walker retorted to Father¡¯s rebuttal with a grin.


    ¡°I¡¯m good. People should know where they belong.¡±


    ¡°Edward says that, but he was vexed too. He doesn¡¯t like getting left out of things, you see.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, he dide to our raids when we didn¡¯t call him.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t spread false rumors, Sophie.¡±


    On the other hand, Yua¡¯s expression continued to be heavy. It was because of the Lava King¡¯s Egg I gave her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the right to take this, Oppa. Everyone got hurt because of me, and many subi even died...¡±


    ¡°Who knew the Philippines would have such a monster? It¡¯s not Yua¡¯s fault.¡±


    ¡°There was nothing I could do. I thought I could be of help to Oppa now...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all the more reason you should take it. Yua is the most suitable one for raising whatever monster thates out of the egg.¡±


    ¡°Oppa...¡±


    Seeing Yua¡¯s dejected look, I patted her head. Who would like hurting others because of something they said or did? Although Yua couldn¡¯t be med for what happened, she couldn¡¯t help but feel pained. However, nothing would change by staying dejected. If I put it a bit stronger, it was foolish.


    ¡°Because of Yua, we discovered the Lava King sooner and defeated him. The sacrifice we had to make in the process is regrettable, but it¡¯ll be fine as long as Yua doesn¡¯t forget about it. You can get stronger for the remaining subi.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, Oppa. I will.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Yua¡¯s expression became slightly brighter. Good, once she had a clear goal, she would undoubtedly march forward without losing sight of herself.


    At that moment, Ye-Eun who was standing up from her seat behind us spoke up.


    ¡°Howe you get strangely smarter and kinder whenever you talk to Yua?¡±


    ¡°Are you implying I¡¯m mean and stupid when I¡¯m talking to you and the others?¡±


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    Even while I punished Ye-Eun appropriately, the ne was soaring to its destination. For the record, Leon was piloting the ne for the way back instead of Walker. Why were all the men in our guild so able!?


    After we returned to Korea, we were showered with countless camera shes. Of course, I simply ignored them. The most important thing right now was to get some rest. We had reimed an entire country. It wasn¡¯t something that people would forget because we stayed quiet for a day or two. Furthermore, there were more important things we had to tend to.


    We decided to hold the funeral for the six dead subi at the resort area. The main reason was that it was the most environmentally beautiful ce we knew. As the dead subi didn¡¯t leave behind any corpses, we buried an empty coffin along with gifts we had for the parted.


    ¡°Dear Husband should already know this, but funerals aren¡¯t part of subi¡¯s tradition.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Un, because our existences are like morning dew, disappearing the moment we die... That¡¯s why this feels so unfamiliar.¡±


    Licorice continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy. That even though we won¡¯t leave anything behind, everyone here will remember us.¡±


    ¡°Licorice...¡±


    Although I had not known her for a long time, because she had always shown her yful side, the current her felt extremely unfamiliar. However, Licorice was the Subus Queen, naturally having lived for a much longer time than me. She had undoubtedly experienced much more and had grown much more. Perhaps because these thoughts were written on my face, Licorice made a small smile and spoke.


    ¡°Not long after I was born in Enesis, I became the Subus Queen. It was really only luck that I was born with this bloodline.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Un. But immediately after that, my world lost its power. At a young age, I had to lead my n to cross over to Elesia. For the sole purpose of obtaining a world¡¯s power, I imed countless lives without knowing good or evil.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Licorice stared at the tombstone we ced and continued.


    ¡°At the time, there was only one thing on my mind ¨C my n. We had to survive. We had to survive. That was the only thing I could think of. That¡¯s why when even a single member dies, I lose my reason and go wild... You saw it, right?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°When the war ended and I realized that we¡¯d lost... I negotiated with the Lord and found shelter in a ce isted from the dungeon. In truth, I just wanted to rest a little.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    ¡°Of course, I knew I couldn¡¯t stay like that forever. If I did, the entire n would simply wither away. I knew a day woulde when we would have to fight again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Whether I was on the side of the humans or the monsters, whether I was on the defending side or the attacking side, none of that mattered. What mattered was that my n survived, just that. Ah, no. I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t looking forward to meeting the man who would be my husband. You see, the one regret I had was never having even touched a man¡¯s hands after being born as a subus. Huhu, I was scared on one hand, but my heart also fluttered on the other... That¡¯s how I waited for Dear Husband.¡±


    For that part, Licorice spoke as she looked at me coquettishly. Unable to find the words to respond, I scratched my face awkwardly.


    The attacking side and the defending side, monsters and humans. Which side was at fault? That, I didn¡¯t know. I had always struggled to protect the ce I belonged, and the only thing that had changed was that there were more people I had to protect. Of course, Licorice and her n included. That¡¯s why the fact that those I had to protect died made me...


    ¡°So you don¡¯t need me yourself, Dear Husband. We had long since prepared ourselves for this fight and this sacrifice. We never even dreamed of surviving until the end without any casualty.¡±


    Did she also have the Evil Eyes Daisy had? I stared at Licorice with doubtful eyes, but she only gave me an enchanting smile in return. In the end, I sighed and retorted.


    ¡°... Will you continue to fight with us?¡±


    ¡°If Dear Husband dies, I¡¯ll die too. Plus, I have to avenge the dead n members! Don¡¯t ask such obvious questions, Stupid Husband.¡±


    ¡°The one who calls people stupid is the stupid one! ... In any case, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, I¡¯m happy to have met Dear Husband. I¡¯m d that my husband is you.¡±


    Her expression was too happy for me to nitpick about when I had be her husband. I told myself to address that problemter and shut my mouth. However... I also had a feeling that I might have to change my stubbornness in this regard.


    Once the funeral ended, I visited Fairy Garden for the first time in a while. Of course, I only had one goal. That was to give Pure ck Desire to Lin for repair. However, when I visited Lin¡¯s workshop, a shocking scene entered my eyes.


    ¡°Lin... Lin is working on his own ord!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m! A! cksmith! You! Damned! Bastard!¡±


    Lin retorted to the beat of his hammer with a stronger force behind each strike. Curious as to what he was making, I asked.


    ¡°What are you working on?¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t! Anyone! Taught! You! Not! To! Talk! To! Someone! Who¡¯s! In! The! Middle! Of! Working!?¡±


    ¡°But Lin¡¯s different than those novice cksmiths. Plus, why should anyone wait four to five hours to see a cksmith? It¡¯s not like they have anything to learn.¡±


    ¡°So you know.¡±


    Lin¡¯s shouting suddenly stopped. I thought he would put on an aloof act next, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. He put down his hammer and dipped a red-hot piece of metal in water to cool it down.


    ¡°So, what is it?¡±


    ¡°A ring.¡±


    ¡°For me!?¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, have you been hit by a hammer before? Are you trying to have a taste?¡±


    Even though I had gotten much stronger than the first time I had met Lin, I still had no confidence to win against him. He seemed weaker than Loretta, but he was still a Transcendent who had far surpassed my level. As such, I declined his offer politely and asked again.


    ¡°So who is it for?¡±


    ¡°Loka.¡±


    ¡°Lokanyan!?¡±


    When I looked at him with a shocked face, Lin responded awkwardly.


    ¡°Yeah, we got one. It¡¯s a bitte, but I thought I should make her a ring.¡±


    For a moment, I tried to process what he just said. Then, I spoke with a nk expression.


    ¡°Congrattions, Lin.¡±


    ¡°You understood with just that? Damn it.¡±


    ¡°To think that Lin would be a father... Pfft.¡±


    ¡°I see, you don¡¯t think a hammer is enough and want to try the anvil?¡±


    ¡°Forgive me.¡±


    Lin looked at thepleted ring. Then, he began the detailed refining process as he breathed out fire from his mouth. In this entire world, the only person... no, draconian who would make a ring like this would be Lin. I asked Lin again.


    ¡°So Lin, um... how?¡±


    ¡°I always nned on taking responsibility for Loka... It¡¯s just that we haven¡¯t gotten a baby until now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the most surprising thing I heard out of your mouth...¡±


    ¡°Not that I won¡¯t do it with other women.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the worst thing I heard out of your mouth...¡±


    Light shed. Lin was imbuing the ring with magic as he was refining it. It let me realize once again how skilled he was as a cksmith and as a magician.


    Even as he was performing such a difficult task, he yapped endlessly in response.


    ¡°Men with both ability and charm are few in number, and all women want such men. If they want me, I¡¯ll give myself to the women I like. I¡¯ll be able to enjoy myself, and the women will be happy too. It¡¯s killing two birds with one stone. You shouldn¡¯t think too hard either. I heard from Noonim that it¡¯s quite crazy. No one¡¯s doubting that you¡¯re a Hero, you don¡¯t have to bring so many women around...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°Then just do what you want. But know this. What will happen to the women who are only looking at you is up to you. It¡¯ll be nice if they¡¯ll leave for other men, but there are surprisingly many women who can¡¯t do that. Not everyone can be like Loretta Noonim.¡±


    ¡°I heard she has a... first love.¡±


    ¡°Are you hoping girls you throw away will remember you for hundreds and thousands of years? Then you¡¯re the worst.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Like I said, your Loretta¡¯s Noonim¡¯s new love found with great difficulty. You managed to make Noonim fall for you when she had given up on love, but if you make her sad again... I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    The killing intent that shot out for a moment made me flinch. I realized once again how much I had grown. If it was in the past, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed anything, even if I fell under a status effect. Lin seemed to have noticed that too as the corner of his mouth twisted up to a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying it. Well, if you have the ability, it¡¯s best to just ept everyone. It¡¯s not like Noonim will give up at this point just because there are one or two more women.¡±


    ¡°Lin¡¯s values and mine are too different.¡±


    ¡°Of course, we lived in a different world after all. In the world I came from, strength was all that mattered. Those with power would be forgiven no matter what they did, and those without power chose a master to protect their bodies and minds. The lucky ones were the ones who could make the choice for themselves. Most didn¡¯t have such luck... There were many men who took up women, and also many women who took up men. I was especially strong, so many wanted toe under me. Amongst them, women paid with their bodies.¡±


    This was the first time Lin had said anything about his world. I became a bit curious, and asked.


    ¡°So did you ept them all?¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy? I have eyes too. Plus, what am I going to do if I ept every girl thates to me? If I wasx about that kind of stuff, I would have never see the end of it. If you don¡¯t have feelings for them, you have to cut them off.¡±


    ¡°Uk.¡±


    ¡°It was kind of like your current guild. I only epted those with abilities. Of course, they weren¡¯t just women, but men too. There were also many that I simply protected, and I didn¡¯t always make them my women or servant. I had my fair share of troubles you see. Also, it¡¯s not like I could take them with me wherever I went.¡±


    ¡°Was Lokanyan also...?¡±


    ¡°You could say that she was my first ally.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    ¡°Are you done asking now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still curious about a lot of things.¡±


    ¡°Then bring a good bottle of wer. The rest won¡¯t be free.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Lin cooled down his ring and scrutinized it to check that everything was perfect. Then, as if satisfied, he sighed and put away the ring somewhere. Then, he took out of a cigarette from a ce different than the ce he had stored his ring. Finally, he tilted his head and asked.


    ¡°By the way, what are you here for?¡±


    ¡°Repair my Pure ck Desire, Lin.¡±


    ¡°Uaaaaaaak! More work!? Come on, just how did you poke holes in a Legend grade armor!?¡±


    ¡°You see, I fought a weak world¡¯s enemy...¡±


    ¡°What weak world¡¯s enemy? There is no such thing! Uuuu, I should have chased you out the moment I saw you!¡±


    I suddenly felt much better. When I met Lin, I really had to see his troubled face!

 Chapter 233. Guardian (3)

    Chapter 233. Guardian (3)


    The subi filmed the entire Philippines recapturing process without leaving anything out. The number of videos we had was too many to count, and we didn¡¯t attach any difficult conditions for the media to obtain them. We only stopped them from separately editing them. Rather than making the video easy to see for the viewers, we wanted to directly ry the situation from the battlefield to the viewers. Of course, it was also to prevent any malicious editing.


    To be honest, releasing the videos was a bit embarrassing, but my feeling of wanting others to understand the situation Earth was under was greater. No ability users could easily handle the monsters shown on the videos, and if Hwaya and the subi didn¡¯t protect the cameras with their magic, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to properly film anything anyways.


    Humanity had to understand this and fight against the monsters more seriously. The current trend of seeing monsters as a source of ie had to be changed.


    ¡°As we expected, the reaction is huge.¡±


    ¡°Negatively?¡±


    ¡°Also positively.¡±


    Hwaya grinned and scrolled through the screen in the air. I could clearly feel the passionate reactions from ordinary civilians and ability users of all countries. Even now, messages were pouring in endlessly.


    ¡°There¡¯s just too much evidence for everything to be a lie. Look, we¡¯re getting so many inquiries asking for how to apply to Revival. I already announced that the condition is being an SS rank, though.¡±


    ¡°How cold...¡±


    ¡°Philippines no longer has monsters. At least, not at the moment. Thend of the monsters became and full of resources, and the surviving Philippine citizens are hailing us as gods.¡±


    ¡°I mean...¡±


    We didn¡¯t ask the Philippines for money, and we clearly told other nations eyeing the now empty Philippines that they had no rights over them.


    What was important here was that we didn¡¯t benefit financially. The moment we requested something, we would be no different than those who saw monsters as money. What we had to gain from the Philippines was much more important than something like money.


    Of the Philippine poption, ny percent had died from the monsters¡¯ invasion. In other words, only ten percent had survived. Although that may not sound like a lot, that was over ten million people, and that would be enough to run a country. For the Philippine citizens who were left without homes andnd, the current Philippines would serve as the perfect foundation for recovery.


    There was an innumerous amount of new mines and natural resources, and they would be able to test new crops and minerals that crossed over from another world. It was truly and filled with treasures.


    Of course, giving some of the new resources away to other powerful nations would be inevitable. Building everything up from scratch would simply be too hard. However, if Revival stepped in to ensure the trades were fair, Philippines would undoubtedly be able to rise again as one nation.


    ¡°Like you said, there are criticisms too, especially from Koreans. As you know, Koreans don¡¯t think too highly of the Philippines. They¡¯re asking why you¡¯re helping a country that has alwaysmitted crimes against them.¡±


    ¡°Justugh it off. Although we won¡¯t be able to butt in on personal vendettas, the ones thatmitted the crimes are probably dead, and the current Philippines won¡¯t be able to do anything against Koreans. Of course, if they domit such an absurd act again...¡±


    Although I didn¡¯t think that would ever happen, if they made use of the fact that we were protecting them, they would have to pay the appropriate price.


    Well, if they realized even a portion of the power we had, they wouldn¡¯t dare do such a thing. In fact, they would undoubtedly do whatever they could to be gain our favor. Although we won¡¯t request anything from them, if they wanted to gift us, we wouldn¡¯t decline either. That was the best way to maintain our rtions.


    They¡¯d lost families, friends, homes, jobs, and everything they knew and loved when they escaped from the Philippines. The fear of monsters was undoubtedly buried deep in their bones. To protect themselves from monsters, they knew who they had to make their ally.


    However, it seemed that Korean citizens didn¡¯t want to even think about why we took the effort to film everything.


    ¡°There are so many. ¡®My blood is boiling¡¯, ¡®why does something a Korean person achieved have to be given to the Philippines¡¯, ¡®aren¡¯t they just idiots¡¯, ¡®Philippines should have been made to pay tributes to Korea¡¯, etc, etc...¡±


    ¡°They make it sound like they¡¯re the ones who shed blood in the Philippines.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it. It¡¯s not like you fought for financial benefits... You fought to find a new pet for your younger sister.¡±


    ¡°Kuhum!¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s sudden attack caught me off guard. I let out a dry cough and turned my gaze.


    ¡°You sure love your sister. I wonder how these people would react if they knew the real reason we went to the Philippines. What do you think, Guild Master?¡±


    Hwaya spoke as she put her arm around me and stared at me fixedly. I eventually gave in.


    ¡°Forgive me, Vice-Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Since it wasn¡¯t for a mary reason, fine. I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Why are you bullying me? You¡¯re so mean...¡±


    ¡°You see, I think you¡¯re the cutest when you¡¯re making that flustered face.¡±


    ¡°How selfish!¡±


    In this trip to the Philippines, we gained everything we could ask for. Although Yua still felt guilty about making the guild members suffer and having the subi die, thanks to her, we were able to attack the Lava King before he could fully prepare his army and ultimately defeat him.


    If we had fought himter, although we would have also been stronger, he might have overwhelmed us with a much stronger army. No one med Yua and even considered her casual request as a fortune.


    Daisy obtained an insurmountably powerful undead as a result, and Yua had obtained the Lava King¡¯s Egg, which had the potential to be stronger than the undead Daisy obtained. Hwaya obtained Evil Eyes, Daisy and Ye-Eun obtained powerful Legend grade weapons, and Ina obtained a ring that would fortify her weak defense.


    Although I didn¡¯t have any material gains, I obtained the Guardian title, which had a powerful effect and gave an ample amount of stats and skill points. Furthermore, Revival position as Earth¡¯s guardian was solidified. Having no one to needlessly interfere with our business was truly priceless.


    ¡°Dear Husband, we have more data.¡±


    ¡°Urk.¡±


    At that moment, the door opened and Licorice walked in. She carried a crystal ball in her hand, and I no longer needed Loretta to tell me how much information could be stored in that little crystal ball.


    ¡°There are three potential ces where the kings could be staying. Let¡¯s look at them together, Dear Husband.¡±


    ¡°Uh, you see, I have to finish grinding the 70th Floor Master...¡±


    Of course, defeating the world¡¯s enemies was important, but it would be troublesome if it interfered with my progress in the dungeon. How am I supposed to face them if I didn¡¯t get stronger!?


    However, the two girls didn¡¯t seem intent on listening to me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s work, Dear Husband! We have to crush those stupid kings¡¯ heads!¡±


    ¡°You only need an hour to do it anyways. For now, work. Is your Guardian title for show?¡±


    ¡°Damn it...¡±


    I have other things to do in the dungeon too! I have to get my repaired Pure ck Desire from Lin! However, my inner screams only rang silently.


    [You consumed the Fruit of Charming to the limit, making you glossier than before. You will receive love from all regardless of their sex. Your magic and charm increase by 13. Consuming more of this item will likely have no effect.]


    [You equipped the Incubus King Set. Your charm and magic increase by 30. When the Incubus King Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Bewilderment Bomb¡¯ once per day. When your target¡¯s charm is lower than yours, you will steal half of their magic power and afflict your target with the ¡®sweet fatigue¡¯ status effect. When the target¡¯s charm is higher than yours, you will lose half of your health and mana, and fall into the ¡®feeble¡¯ status effect.]


    ¡°I managed to finish it today...¡±


    I murmured proudly as I stared at the Incubus King¡¯s corpse scattering into particles of light. After finishing the tedious work and bing free, I could finally enter the dungeon. As I had nned beforehand, I finished the Incubus King grinding.


    Altogether, the ten Fruit of Charming increased my magic and charm by 40. Although it wasn¡¯t as much as the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo, it made sense as the Subus Queen¡¯s elixir was a tattoo invigoration elixir. What was important was that my magic had increased by 90 points by grinding the two Floor Masters. My charm also went up by 90 points, but that only gave me a headache.


    The Incubus King Set was a suit with a striking ck velvet jacket and pants. It was the type of shiny attire that rich people wore. Just by having it on, it felt like how cringe-worthy I was doubled. As such, I promptly extracted the skill and threw the suit into my inventory.


    The skill¡¯s effect was almost exactly like Sweet Nightmare¡¯s effect. Sweet Nightmare stole the target¡¯s health, while Bewilderment Bomb stole the target¡¯s magic power. There was no need to hesitate. I immediately synthesized the two skills together.


    [You obtained the Unique skill, ¡®Lilith¡¯s Temptation¡¯!]


    [Lilith¡¯s Temptation can be used once per day and only against a member of the opposite sex with a lower charm than you. Once activated, the skill can steal up to 50% of the target¡¯s health and magic power and afflicts the target with the ¡®absolute obedience¡¯ status effect with a 20% chance. Once afflicted with absolute obedience, the target will be your servant for eternity. However, if the target is not afflicted with absolute obedience, the target will be afflicted with the ¡®awakened one¡¯s rage¡¯ status effect with a 40% chance. Once afflicted with awakened one¡¯s rage, the target¡¯s abilities are doubled in exchange for having his health halved.]


    [You created a unique skill! This grand achievement causes all gods of love to focus on you. However, otherpeting gods force them to take a step back. You obtained 3 skill points. Current skill points: 33]


    ¡°Lilith¡¯s Temptation... Couldn¡¯t it have at least used a man¡¯s name...?¡±


    Not to mention, this skill seemed rather dangerous. Setting aside the fact that it could only be used against the opposite sex, a 20% chance to absolutely control an opponent was massive. On the other hand, the fearful ¡®awakened one¡¯s rage¡¯ status effect had a 40% of 80%, in other words, a 32% chance to activate. I had to be extra cautious in using this skill.


    The good side was that it clearly drew a line against targets with higher charm, making it so that the skill couldn¡¯t be used against them.


    ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s better than not having it at all.¡±


    I sighed and closed the skill window before leaving the Floor Master room. I had yet to get my Pure ck Desire back. The Incubus King wasn¡¯t strong enough to make me put up any defense, but that would not be the case with Beyond¡¯s 20th Floor Master. It was now time to get my armor back from Lin.


    However, when I left the Floor Master room, I didn¡¯t see Loretta at the Floor Shop. I thought it was strange, but I soon discovered even stranger things. The stairway to the 71st floor was gone, and so was the gate to Beyond¡¯s 20th floor. I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. How could there be nothing!?


    At that moment, a message I had never heard before rang out. It was message noona¡¯s flustered voice.


    [An alert to all First Dungeon explorers. As an administrative guild master has gone missing, all activities in the dungeon will halt. Until the guild masteres back, all of the dungeon¡¯s services except the Residential Area will be unable for use. Guild masters of guilds B ranked or above should immediately gather in the Residential Area¡¯s za.]


    I could only have one reaction in such a situation.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be Loretta!?¡±


    Author¡¯s note:


    By the way, one person can only have one pair of Evil Eyes!

 Chapter 234. Guardian (4)

    Chapter 234. Guardian (4)


    [I repeat, the dungeon will temporarily shut down due to one of the guild masters going missing. Only the Residential Area will be functioning until the guild master returns. Guild masters of guilds B ranked or above should immediately gather in the Residential Area¡¯s za.]


    Message noona didn¡¯t answer my question. I hastened to the Residential Area, while the guildmunication channel became noisy.


    [Son, the dungeon¡¯s monsters suddenly disappeared.]


    [Shin, have you heard?]


    [Shin-nim, where are you?]


    [Shin!]


    Agh, annoying! I told them I didn¡¯t know anything as I ran to the za. When I arrived, the za was bustling with people. Soon, a familiar voice maintained the order.


    ¡°If you are not a B rank or higher guild master, please step back! You do not have the qualifications!¡±


    The voice was telling the truth, yet was rather harsh. This person... no, elf was Loretta! I ran inside the za as I regained myposure. When Loretta saw me, she pped her wings in greeting.


    ¡°Shin-nim, you¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°Loretta! I was worried because you weren¡¯t at the Floor Shop!¡±


    ¡°Huhu, were you worried that I went missing? There¡¯s no way I would run away leaving my beloved Shin-nim behind!¡±


    Hearing Loretta¡¯s words, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Seeing Loretta¡¯s bright smile, I sighed in relief and looked around. Within the za, other than those rted to the administrative guilds, there weren¡¯t many outsiders. ording to Loretta, there were only eleven including me. It seemed there really weren¡¯t that many guilds above B rank.


    Loretta and three other administrative guild masters were present. I remembered what Loretta had once said. The First Dungeon has five administrative guilds with Fairy Garden being one of them. Since there were four administrative guild masters here, the remaining one should be the one that¡¯s gone missing...


    Other than Loretta, I knew two administrative guild masters, and I couldn¡¯t see one of them here. The woman helping Desert Scorpion from the back, Sipua.


    ¡°Loretta...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s as you think.¡±


    Loretta nodded with a slightly disheartened expression. She then looked at all the gathered guild masters and spoke in a louder voice.


    ¡°Since everyone¡¯s here, each administrative guild should take three guilds to exin the situation to. Then, start searching for Sipua. I will handle Phantom¡¯s and Revival¡¯s guild masters.¡±


    It seemed guilds that could grow to B rank was friendly with at least one administrative guild master. Seeing the guild masters walking towards administrative guild masters on their own, I also headed towards Loretta. At the same time, I caught sight of another guild master. A handsome man with a well-built body, clear features, long hair...


    ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Phantom¡¯s guild master, Philoen!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m... Kang Shin.¡±


    And small! No, tiny! He was practically palm-sized!


    ¡°Philoen is a pixie. Are you surprised?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a pixie explorer...¡±


    ¡°My continent had more pixies than humans! Though, it got captured by monsters over 300 years ago!¡±


    This was the first time I saw anyone talk about a continent¡¯s ruin so lightheartedly. I stared at him dumbfounded. Loretta exined with a wry smile.


    ¡°Pixies get power from emotions. Sad emotions lead to their death. That¡¯s why he¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. One day, I¡¯ll save my continent!¡±


    ¡°I believe you will.¡±


    300 years. If he¡¯s stayed in the dungeon for that long, he must have gotten much stronger. When I asked Loretta by giving her a nce, she nodded her head.


    ¡°Philoen is on the dungeon¡¯s 91st floor.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha, I heard that no one¡¯s gotten past the dungeon¡¯s 92nd floor in the past 200 years!¡±


    ¡°Anyways, follow me to Fairy Garden. I¡¯ll exin the situation there.¡±


    When I looked around, the other administrative guild masters were also leaving with their respective guild masters. Only ordinary explorers left nearby were speaking noisily. As there was no reason for us to stay, Philoen and I also headed to Fairy Garden through the gate Loretta opened.


    ¡°The dungeon¡¯s operations are on hold!¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the Second Dungeon? They stopped too? Damn it!¡±


    ¡°The Fourth Dungeon contacted us? There is no new dungeon! There won¡¯t be any Event Dungeons for a while too!¡±


    When I arrived at Fairy Garden, the usually rxed atmosphere was nowhere to be seen as everyone was busily running around. With the yful elementalsughing brightly and imitating the people around them, the scene looked even more hectic. Few of the faeries caught sight of Loretta and rejoiced.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°Sikatra and Lin are almost ready!¡±


    ¡°Are the two of them...?¡±


    ¡°Yep. You two, follow me.¡±


    The ce Loretta led us was the pavilion I had seen a few times. Although it was usually crowded with people, it was currently silent. When I sat down on a chair, Philoen sat on the table. Loretta then sat across from me and let out a sigh.


    ¡°I feel like dying. I didn¡¯t want to do anything not rted to Shin-nim, but something like this happened again.¡±


    ¡°Does this happen often?¡±


    ¡°This is the second time since the dungeon¡¯s founding! During this long, long period... Kuhum, it¡¯s not really that long, but still! This is the second!¡±


    Loretta emphasized another word to drive the attention away from the word ¡®long¡¯. Her ears were pping particrly quickly.


    ¡°Sipua that bitch finally did it. She tricked all members of her administrative guild and disappearedpletely!¡±


    ¡°Um... Can administrative guild masters leave their positions?¡±


    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t. That¡¯s why the dungeon¡¯s operations stopped.¡±


    Loretta paused for a moment, then continued in a slightly exhausted tone.


    ¡°For the dungeon to function properly, all administrative guild masters have to in their appropriate positions. Even with one of them missing, everything bes a mess. If two of them leaves the dungeon... then the dungeon will disappear, unable to maintain itself. The reason we called the two of you here is to help us find Sipua and bring her back.¡±


    Surprised by the weight of her words, I widened my eyes. Why did administrative guild masters disappearing affect the dungeon so much?


    ¡°Loretta... What kind of an existence are the administrative guild masters?¡±


    ¡°Heroes.¡±


    I short reply sounded out from behind me. When I turned around, I saw the elf Sikatra and Lin. Lin¡¯s current appearance surprised me greatly. Though he had always worn light loose-fitting clothing, he was now wearing tight-fitting leather clothes with a handgun by his waist... Wait, gun?


    ¡°Lin... Is that...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my weapon. What, got a problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Isn¡¯t that a handgun!?¡±


    ¡°What, did you think guns only existed in your world?¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t kill monsters with guns! Or is that ¡°gun¡± a magical tool that only looks like a gun?¡±


    ¡°My world was advanced civilization with science. Your world¡¯s and my world¡¯s guns probably aren¡¯t that different in structure. The people in my world couldn¡¯t kill monsters with guns too, but I¡¯m different. I can strengthen guns and bullets with mana.¡±


    Lin spoke as if it was nothing. Leon naturally surfaced in my mind. Right, in a multiverse, it was unlikely that Leon¡¯s ability was unique. It was undoubtedly an extremely rare ability, but to think that Lin also had it... A sword was more suitable for Lin than a gun. After all, he was a cksmith!


    Not to mention, a long ck gun hung on his back.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that... a sniper rifle?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for the worst case scenario.¡±


    Lin spoke as if it was nothing, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy. However, I refrained from voicing my concerns. There was something more important for me to ask.


    ¡°Lin, you just said that Loretta is... a Hero?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim... I was a Hero. A Hero that couldn¡¯t save her world, but had continued to hold the world¡¯s power.¡±


    Loretta spoke instead of Lin. A faint regret could be seen on her face.


    ¡°Shin-nim, do you remember what I told you before? About a time when the dungeon wasn¡¯t what it was today, when the dungeon wasn¡¯t even called the dungeon, a time when power was given to ability users differently.¡±


    ¡°I think you said that the power was given away too easily...¡±


    ¡°Too easily and also too much. In the end, it became so bad that the system would be destroyed if the power wasn¡¯t retrieved. Simply put, Oldie did a terrible job... Kuhum, to be honest, the world¡¯s enemy was so powerful that we couldn¡¯t fight him unless we did that.¡±


    Loretta was also a Hero like me? It wasn¡¯t that the thought had never crossed my mind, but it was strange hearing it from her mouth. Though I hade to know more about her, it felt like I had gotten more distant.


    ¡°But Loretta is...¡±


    ¡°Right. The First Dungeon¡¯s five administrative guild masters were all Heroes who had once received the dungeon¡¯s support. Some were defeated and some escaped, but in the end, all of us had lost to the world¡¯s enemy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Although I lost to him, I refused to die and give him the world¡¯s power. I felt vexed, and I wanted to get revenge. I wanted to tear apart all who invaded my peaceful world. Even if they had their reasons, even if they were reluctant and forced into their spot, none of that mattered to me. The others felt the same, Sipua included. We wanted to help Heroes. We wanted to help those who helped Heroes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why...¡±


    ¡°After losing everything, we decided to join the Lord¡¯s cause. We didn¡¯t want other Heroes, other Guardians to face the same end we faced. Shin-nim wondered why the dungeon existed for side of the defenders, right? This is the reason.¡±


    Loretta looked straight into my eyes.


    ¡°The dungeon was created by Guardians who had failed. To teach other Guardians, to test their potential, and to help them reach new heights. By giving blessings to raise their leagues, they woulde to better protect their worlds.¡±


    I finally realized.


    The dungeon wasn¡¯t a ce of absolute virtue, nor was it a ce of entrics with hidden secrets. It was a training school created by seniors who were powerlessly defeated in the same situation as us. All in order to help us not face the same defeat they had.


    ¡°The dungeon is a practically a world maintained by the Lord¡¯s and the administrative guild masters¡¯ power. That¡¯s why a single guild master running away can cause all this.¡±


    Lin mmed his fist down on the table as he spoke unhappily. Philoen¡¯s body shot up from the force. Although he red at Lin, Lin didn¡¯t react in the slightest.


    ¡°Kang Shin, there is a reason we summoned guild masters above B rank. Under the use that all guilds should help the administrative guild maintain the dungeon¡¯s function and existence, they are to help us in this time of crisis.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was a meaningless filler use, but it actually was useful.¡±


    I did remember such a use being there when I signed up to create a guild. I had always thought it was for show, as I never imagined something like this would happen.


    ¡°It would be nice if just us administrative guilds could resolve the problem without involving the explorers, but even there is a huge restriction on administrative guild members leaving for another world. Most importantly, they have to be apanied by dungeon explorers. It has to do with maintaining the dungeon¡¯s power. In truth, if the dungeon didn¡¯t stop its operations, none of the administrative guild masters or the administrative guild members for that matter would be able to take even a single foot outside the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I wanted to involve Shin-nim in this matter. Even if it was for the sake of the dungeon, putting a world¡¯s Hero in danger wasn¡¯t ideal. But there were just too few powerful explorers who we could call on for help. Other than Shin-nim, there are three other Heroes participating this time. I couldn¡¯t leave Shin-nim out even if I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s something I have to do as a guild master, I have no intention of being left out.¡±


    I spoke clearly. Then, I added.


    ¡°But, I will run away if it¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only obvious. I¡¯ll be with you, but if things look dangerous, just think about your life. Of course, not that it will happen.¡±


    ¡°Am I going with Lin?¡±


    ¡°What, you expect me to go with that midget instead?¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling a midget, you stinking draconian!?¡±


    Philoen finally exploded. While the elf Sikatra who seemed naturally close to pixies consoled him, Lin continued to ignore Philoen as he spoke to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m personally expecting a lot from you, so cooperate.¡±


    ¡°If I can be of help, of course I will. But there¡¯s something I haven¡¯t heard yet. Why did she escape and to where?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious!?¡±


    ¡®I know, I just wanted to check...¡¯ I red at Lin and conveyed my intentions. Lin didn¡¯t pick up on my sign at all and growled at me. Seeing the two of us, Loretta smiled and spoke.


    ¡°Sipua headed to the world conquered by the Book Walkers, the Sylon continent. She went to meet her love, Lodert Hydelcyon, a former guild master of the massive Desert Scorpion guild. Though, that¡¯s if he¡¯s alive.¡±


    Yep, that¡¯s what I thought.


    If I had to choose a dungeon explorer to help me in this mission, there really was only one choice.


    Thinking that I would have to once again ask Daisy for her help, a small sigh left my mouth.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Shin and Lin¡¯s joyful isekai travel starts now! Will Daisy go to? The answer is... No, no, no! If Daisy goes to the Sylon continent, she¡¯ll arrive in a dangerous ce far away from the ce Shin and Lin arrives... T.T

 Chapter 235. Guardian (5)

    Chapter 235. Guardian (5)


    [It¡¯s dangerous, don¡¯t go.]


    Daisy spoke in a straightforward manner.


    [Kang Shin will die.]


    ¡°I asked you to exin the situation to me, not curse me.¡±


    [Let mee. Else, I¡¯ll go alone.]


    ¡°Won¡¯t you arrive in a different ce if you go?¡±


    [So let¡¯s go together.]


    Daisy stubbornly insisted, but I had no ns of taking anyone with me. I believed that it was best to go with just Lin. Anyone else would just slow us down. Though, that might not necessarily be the case with Daisy...


    ¡°A very powerful member of the administrative guild ising with me, so you don¡¯t have to worry about my safety.¡±


    [Book Walker, strong. And many.]


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s what I wanted, to know the situation.¡±


    [... Book Walker, also called ughter Schrs.]


    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s so special about them?¡±


    [Take me too.]


    ¡°No.¡±


    Daisy was insistent. I sighed and looked back at Lin.


    ¡°Can we bring another person?¡±


    ¡°What? Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t gain anything by having more people. I¡¯ll be doing the fighting, so we don¡¯t need anyone else.¡±


    His confidence irked me slightly, but I also knew he wasn¡¯t just boasting. However, I had an idea.


    ¡°Her name is Daisy. She¡¯s from the Sylon continent, so wouldn¡¯t it be helpful to have her guide us?¡±


    ¡°Sylon continent? There¡¯s still an explorer other than Hydelcyon from that continent? ... What¡¯s her level?¡±


    I seemed to have caught Lin¡¯s attention. I quickly asked Daisy.


    ¡°Daisy, what level are you?¡±


    [83.]


    ¡°She¡¯s level 83. She¡¯s also a Beyond explorer.¡±


    ¡°Beyond...? There were more people like you in your guild? Fine, at least she won¡¯t hold us back.¡±


    Lin made it sound like there would be more people who would want toe with me. When I notified Daisy that she could join us with a bitter smile, Hwaya frighteningly spoke out.


    [Let mee too!]


    I then exined that we wouldn¡¯t gain anything by letting here. Of course, I took time to say this carefully so her feelings wouldn¡¯t be hurt. Although Hwaya refused to ept my exnation and appealed her strength, we really couldn¡¯t take Hwaya with us as well. There was also the fact that Hwaya¡¯s level had gone down after she moved from the Second Dungeon to the First Dungeon.


    ¡°Just wait. I¡¯lle back safely, I promise.¡±


    [I became a Dimensional Mercenary just so I could go with you in cases like this...]


    ¡°I¡¯m not going as a Dimensional Mercenary this time. My Dimensional Travel is on cooldown, so I can¡¯t even use it. Next time, we can take a Dimensional Mercenary mission together, okay?¡±


    [Huu, okay... I¡¯ll get mad if youe back hurt, got it?]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    While I pacified Hwaya, Daisy had arrived in Fairy Garden. She seemed to be full of spirit, as she seemed to give off more vigor than usual.


    ¡°Leaving Hwaya behind, very difficult.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good job.¡±


    ¡°She said, if I make a move on Kang Shin, she¡¯ll kill me. But, what does making a move mean?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know.¡±


    ¡°... Since she¡¯s here, let¡¯s go. We have to find Sipua as quickly as possible and put her back in her ce.¡±


    Lin seemed a bit surprised when he saw Daisy, but he soon calmed down and urged us.


    ¡°But Lin, since there are two teams from each of the four guilds, are there eight teams going?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Why?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m just making sure. There¡¯s no way to specify Sipua¡¯s location?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯ll be able to sense her if we get close enough, so we can only split up the continent into eight regions and search. That¡¯s the easiest way to do it.¡±


    ¡°In a world that¡¯s being ruled by a world¡¯s enemy, huh...¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    It was a seriously annoying and dangerous mission.


    ¡°If not decided, pick a location. Sion Empire, most likely.¡±


    ¡°You mean...¡±


    ¡°Lodert Hydelcyon, probably there... Most likely dead. Sion Empire is the most dangerous.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I love danger.¡±


    Lin retorted with a grin and started walking. It seemed he was going to choose the region we would search for as Daisy rmended. Daisy stared at Lin walking away, then faced me and asked.


    ¡°Kang Shin... As I thought, you like men?¡±


    ¡°No! What do you mean, ¡®as I thought¡¯!?¡±


    ¡°You two seem close.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t say that...¡±


    ¡°Am I, third wheeling?¡±


    ¡°No! Thank you foring!¡±


    The dungeon had stopped. From the First Dungeon, all the way to the Fourth, all operations other than the Residential Area ceased. Although we had to return everything to the way it was as quickly as possible, we couldn¡¯t rush into another world. As such, it took another thirty minutes for the eight teams to choose the region they were going to.


    ¡°Shin-nim, please be safe.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°The only thing I can do at times like this is giving Shin-nim a blessing... Hehe,e here. Hurry.¡±


    ¡°You have no ns to hide your real intentions, do you?¡±


    Since it seemed she wouldn¡¯t let me go if I didn¡¯t let her have her way, I obediently received Loretta¡¯s blessing. Even though I had already found out that she didn¡¯t need to kiss me to give me the blessing, she still did so while acting as if I had never found out.


    Furthermore, although I was the only one she kissed, the blessing was also applied to Lin and Daisy. I could hear Lin muttering Loretta being a scammer, but Loretta silenced him with a mana bullet.


    [You received Queen Elf¡¯s, High-Rank Blessing. For the next 4 days, you receive the following effects: You are protected against all low rank and mid-rank status effects. You can maintain your consciousness for 5 minutes after falling in a half-dead state. Your luck increases by 100. All members of the Faerie race will see you favorably. Your health and magic power recovery rate increase greatly, and you will not get exhausted easily. When attacking, your chance ofnding critical hits increases.]


    ¡°I¡¯ll see youter then. Lin, for each scratch on Shin-nim¡¯s body, it¡¯ll be one Last Bullet.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to kill me, Noonim?¡±


    The team consisting of Sikatra and Philoen left ahead of us, and we also used Dimensional Travel afterward. It wasn¡¯t my Dimensional Travel skill, but a Dimensional Travel simr to the portal that linked the dungeon to other worlds.


    ¡°I¡¯m off, Loka.¡±


    ¡°Be safe, nyan. The baby will be waiting for Daddy toe back!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only two months pregnant...¡±


    Noting the somewhat heartwarming interaction between Loka and Lin, I jumped into the portal along with Lin and Daisy.


    The scenery then changed into aplete wastnd.


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    No matter where I looked, there wasn¡¯t a single building or creature. Lin waved his hand through the air as though the sandstorm was annoying him and put a cigarette in his mouth. His casual movements shocked me greatly, but it seemed he didn¡¯t think it was unusual.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start after I finish this smoke.¡±


    Daisy heard Lin¡¯s mumbling and tilted her head.


    ¡°Book Walker,ing soon. They¡¯re sensitive to change.¡±


    ¡°Are any of them around here strong enough to threaten me?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Iana is enough.¡±


    Daisy opened her inventory and took out a boar d in steel. Although it was dozens of meters long when I first fought it, it had shrunk to only three meters. Now, it could only barely fit a person on its back.


    ¡°Iana, strong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    While I was nodding to Daisy¡¯s praising of her undead again, the so-called Book Walkers began to appear. I imagined literal walking books, but that wasn¡¯t how they looked. In fact, they looked no different than regr humans.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen them before.¡±


    ¡°There are still humans left.¡±


    ¡°We must add them to our database.¡±


    Lin chomped on the cigarette he was smoking and muttered.


    ¡°Hey, blow them away. Just their way of talking annoys me.¡±


    ¡°Book Walkers are researchers. They study their opponents, record them in their books, find their weaknesses, and attack. To win against them... You have to kill them swiftly with various methods without giving them information. The moment they record on their books, all Book Walkers gain resistance.¡±


    ¡°That means you...¡±


    ¡°Undead I used once won¡¯t work well next time. Abilities I used before won¡¯t work well either. But.¡±


    Iana abruptly charged towards the Book Walkers, and steel thorns enveloped in a ck aura shot out from his body to attack them. The Book Walkers seemed surprised and took something out, but Iana reached them in an instant and skewered them before they could do anything. Daisy nodded her head in satisfaction and spoke.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give them, time to research. Then, undead is reusable. Or, with overwhelming power, research is futile.¡±


    ¡°So it doesn¡¯t matter as long as we¡¯re powerful? They aren¡¯t that different than normal monsters then.¡±


    ¡°Information sharing, annoying. High caste, stronger.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we were told to avoid them...? Fine, whatever. What about those books?¡±


    At the spot which Lin pointed to were three fancy leather books which were what the Book Walkers had taken out.


    ¡°Burn them, as quickly as possible.¡±


    The moment Daisy¡¯s words left her mouth, Lin threw the cigarette his was smoking. When the cigarettended on the Book Walkers¡¯ corpses, they started to burn along with their books. I couldn¡¯t help but feel awed at Lin¡¯s terrifying mes. At that moment, Daisy approached me.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Daisy?¡±


    ¡°I have to say something, to Kang Shin.¡±


    Herrge red eyes were staring at me intently.


    ¡°If possible, Kang Shin shouldn¡¯t use your power.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I came.¡±


    Daisy¡¯s tone was extremely serious. Her eyes were fixed on me and refused to leave.


    ¡°If you use abilities, they¡¯ll get recorded. They will gain resistance, to them. This is the same, for the world¡¯s enemy.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin said one day, you¡¯lle back and save this ce. So for now, save your strength.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you wanted toe with us so much so that you can prevent them from learning about my abilities. You¡¯re nning on using your abilities instead...?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    Daisy nodded. Her trust for my potential had even surprised me. While I was thinking as such, Daisy made a small smile and added. This was the first time I saw her smile, at least towards me.


    ¡°Of course, I trust you.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was protecting myself from being read...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t read, with my Evil Eyes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin is, easy to read. Even without Evil Eyes.¡±


    Shame!! However, what she added afterward made me flinch.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I like you.¡±


    ¡°... Hm?¡±


    ¡°Oi, don¡¯t flirt with another woman in front of me. I¡¯ll shoot you.¡±


    Lin who had finished incinerating the corpses and books scowled as he walked back to us. Daisy tilted her head and asked.


    ¡°Flirt? With another woman? Who, with who...?¡±


    Yes, Daisy, please remain innocent!


    Author¡¯s note:


    The Sylon continent! Daisy was going to stay out of it at first, but while I was writing, I realized that she could just use the dungeon¡¯s power to go through its portal instead of using her Dimensional Travel! There are, of course, the other reasons mentioned in the chapters too.

 Chapter 236. Guardian (6)

    Chapter 236. Guardian (6)


    Sion Empire was Sylon continent¡¯s centermost nation worthy of being called an empire. With its great power, it ceaselessly received tributes from the surrounding nations, and possessed a powerful army of knights and magicians that could protect the empire from humans and monsters that threatened its safety. Of course, most citizens of the Sion Empire were human.


    ¡°Before the Book Walkers¡¯ invasion, they were Selone Empire¡¯s enemy.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Grey elves, beautiful appearances, mesmerizing figures.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you short and un¡ª Kuhuk!¡±


    ¡°Empire¡¯s people, adored grey elves... as sex ves.¡±


    Daisy smacked my head and continued normally. I gritted my teeth and red at her. Lin then spoke with a bitter smile.


    ¡°So the Book Walkers¡¯ invasion forced them to be allies.¡±


    ¡°Even so, they continued to fight. Those annoying bastards, got what they deserved.¡±


    Daisy expressed her irritation by kicking the air with her enamel boots. Pockets of exploding air showed just how much she disliked Hydelcyon.


    ¡°Lodert Hydelcyon, especially annoying. Creepy eyes. Thinking about him, even more annoying. Cancer, pervert.¡±


    ¡°Then why is this Sipua woman in love with him?¡±


    ¡°Humans aren¡¯t born evil, he must have changed. Plus, if couples only looked at each other¡¯s personality, wouldn¡¯t all married couples be sages?¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    I only said asked a simple question and I was showing off my inexperience with dating...! Between Daisy and Lin, isn¡¯t my position looking weak!?


    At the moment, we were in the galloping on Iana¡¯s back. Iana was as fast as Lotte who had evolved into a ze Queen. I was curious how such a small boar could be so fast, but it was actually quite simple. Daisy was focusing all of her magic power on Iana.


    As I said before, there wasn¡¯t much space on Iana¡¯s back. Thus, the three of us had to stick close together. Lin was in the front, I was in the middle, and Daisy was behind me holding onto my back.


    ¡°Kang Shin, don¡¯t stick so close to me. You¡¯re giving off a weird scent and it¡¯s annoying me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying this too, Lin!? I¡¯ve been trying to control this thing too!¡±


    ¡°Did you eat an air freshener or something?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make the same joke as my father!¡±


    While I was yelling at Lin, Daisy spoke in a murmuring voice.


    ¡°I want to, take out Laki.¡±


    ¡°Laki? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a world¡¯s enemy we turned into an undead.¡±


    Lin shouted, almost freaking out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! If you do, they¡¯ll notice us immediately!¡±


    ¡°Even though it¡¯s a weak one?¡±


    ¡°Weak one my ass! There is no such thing when ites to worlds¡¯ enemies! You, it looks like I need to give you another Hero training!¡±


    ¡°When did you ever teach me!?¡±


    Wait, now that I think of it, he may or may not have given me some good advice here and there... As I didn¡¯t want to admit it, I just chucked it to the back of my mind. At that moment, Daisy cut in.


    ¡°Book Walkers, appear in groups. My information, already known. Wille to capture me.¡±


    ¡°Capture you?¡±


    ¡°Book Walkers, few females. Mating with other races, able to reproduce.¡±


    ¡°Ugek.¡±


    ¡°They have my data. Will assume, easy capture.¡±


    Daisy¡¯s expression was extremely calm as she said that. She told me not to use my power. Was she relying on Lin¡¯s unconfirmed strength? I tilted my head, and Daisy continued.


    ¡°Data renewal, did not happen. Even with one level difference, it takes while, to adapt. From back then, I grew a lot.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I get it now.¡±


    ¡°Evil Eyes, god¡¯s true name, hard to calcte and adapt. True name holder, Evil Eye holder, I¡¯m only one in this continent.¡±


    ¡°So even if they know about god¡¯s true names and Evil Eyes, it¡¯s hard to record them in their books ande up with a countermeasure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why, I can hold out for a long time.¡±


    That seemed to be amon point between world¡¯s enemies. Although it wasparatively easy to counter the dungeon¡¯s system, powers that originated from the dungeon yet surpassed its control, god¡¯s true names, Evil Eyes, and Enigma were hard for them to counter... Although I had another question in mind, there was something else I wanted to ask.


    ¡°Daisy, can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°If I know the answer, sure... My breasts are big too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not curious about your chest size! And I already know its big!¡±


    ¡°... How did you know?¡±


    ¡°You better answer well, Kang Shin. Where my bullet will go in will depend on your answer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already decided that you¡¯ll shoot me!?¡±


    I dug my own grave...! I was just referring to the first time I saw Daisy! Damn, if Loretta found out about this, my eyes will be in danger again...! I desperately changed the topic.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what¡¯s important! My question is, are god¡¯s true names and Evil Eyes part of the dungeon¡¯s system?¡±


    Daisy tilted her head at my question and answered slowly.


    ¡°Evil Eyes and true names, simr principle. An outside support, borrowing the dungeon¡¯s system.¡±


    ¡°Can you be more detailed?¡±


    ¡°As expected of a Beyond explorer, she knows her stuff. I¡¯ll exin the rest though.¡±


    Lin spoke as he took out a handgun. I was worried that he¡¯d shoot it at me, but thankfully, he aimed it up and shot empty air.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing there, righ... Ah.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you can feel it now? Right, there was a sentry.¡±


    Iana elerated the moment Lin¡¯s words left his mouth. From far away, a menacing killing intent was surging towards us. I could even feel magic. Lin shot bullet after bullet, annihting each killing intent and spoke as if nothing was wrong.


    ¡°Gods from myths have once existed. We don¡¯t know the meaning of the divinity they obtained, but we know that they know many things, see many things, and exist at the same time in many eras. The only strange thing is that even though they can do all these things, they cannot appear with their real bodies.¡±


    ¡°Real existences, real bodies...¡±


    ¡°Even before the dungeon existed, there were those who obtained gods¡¯ true names. What the dungeon calls achievements, when one built them up until they reached a god¡¯s domain, the god bestowed that person with his name. When the dungeon was created... the Lord and the gods came to an agreement.¡±


    ¡°Did the gods agree to ept achievements from the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Precisely. The gods agreed to ept them, but they also set harsh requirements. After all, they couldn¡¯t give out their names to just anyone. People befitting their existences have to take their names for them to raise their divinity.¡±


    ¡°You mean they¡¯re lending out their names to people who deserve them so they can spread their names far and wide?¡±


    ¡°Looks like your intelligence stat isn¡¯t just for show. That¡¯s right.¡±


    Lin reloaded his gun in a smooth motion and continued to shoot. Daisy whispered in my ear.


    ¡°Can¡¯te up with, countermeasure. Can¡¯t see his attacks. If they die before writing on their books, it¡¯s meaningless.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Just like that, it became easy for dungeon explorers to obtain gods¡¯ true names. But, they aren¡¯t part of the dungeon¡¯s power. A god¡¯s true name is a god¡¯s true name. Nothing more, nothing less. The dungeon¡¯s titles are lower grade copies of gods¡¯ true names.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    I was shocked to hear that titles were lesser copies of gods¡¯ true names. However, Lin wasn¡¯t finished yet.


    ¡°Evil Eyes are by-products of myths. For example, let¡¯s see... Who does your world have known for its Evil Eyes of Petrification?¡±


    ¡°Um, the basilisk from European legends, the Medusa from the more famous Greek mythology... Ah.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also Irish mythology¡¯s Balor of the Evil Eye, Judaism¡¯s Sariel... Do you get it now? Why Evil Eyes are treated so specially. Obtaining an Evil Eye is the same as obtaining a god¡¯s true name. Although there are other rewards in the dungeon that originates from myths or legends, other than Evil Eyes, most are lesser copies like the dungeon¡¯s titles. Some even say Evil Eyes are even harder to obtain than gods¡¯ true names.¡±


    ¡°Then, Evil Eyes also...¡±


    ¡°They also carry bountiful divine power. They¡¯re different from the dungeon¡¯s objects. Even I don¡¯t have Evil Eyes.¡±


    There was no way I would miss this chance.


    ¡°I have them!¡±


    ¡°You bastard...!¡±


    Daisy also joined in.


    ¡°I have them too, huhu.¡±


    ¡°This girl!¡±


    Lin¡¯s gunshots stopped and Iana stopped running so quickly. Before I even noticed, we had arrived in front of crumbled castle walls.


    ¡°Ellian City. Resistance Army, if alive, all here.¡±


    ¡°There are still survivors in this world controlled by Book Walkers?¡±


    ¡°Underground base, sturdy. The greatest magic power left to humanity, all here... Lodert Hydelcyon, saw herest.¡±


    Her words were like a finishing blow. Lin grinned.


    ¡°Well done. Bringing you along was the right choice, Grey Elf.¡±


    ¡°Call me, Ectradion.¡±


    ¡°Right, Ectradion. Sipua is here, I can feel it. It looks like we¡¯ll get things over with today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    Rather than that, didn¡¯t that mean Lodert Hydelcyon is alive? He really was harder to kill than a cockroach. While I was feeling exhausted, Lin took out another handgun, held it in his right hand, and tensed up his shoulder. I couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Are there that many?¡±


    ¡°Like a nest of cockroaches. It¡¯s going to get annoying.¡±


    ¡°Let me participate too. Kang Shin, just watch.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know.¡±


    In case I decided to fight, Daisy made a frightening expression, shoving her face up to mine and insisting solemnly. I quickly took a step back and nodded. I was being treated like a burden! While I shook my head, Daisy opened her inventory and took out a giant mantis. It was Meki.


    ¡°Meki will handle the front. You can go wild.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Lin immediately jumped over the crumbled castle wall and charged into the city. From all sides, Book Walkers began to make their appearance.


    ¡°The human we¡¯ve been waiting for!¡±


    ¡°The human who killed many of our kin isughing!¡±


    ¡°It will take a long time to analyze his data!¡±


    ¡°The female who escapedst time came back!¡±


    ¡°Our data says that she¡¯s an excellent female. It looks like she grew even more!¡±


    Lin couldn¡¯t hold himself back and burst their heads open as he shouted.


    ¡°Aaaaaak! These guys¡¯ way of talking irritates me!¡±


    Lin¡¯s shots never missed their targets and had terrifying destructive power. No more than a single bullet was needed to kill a Book Walker. Since they were gathered here to find and kill the Resistance Army, they must have been elites amongst the Book Walkers, but Lin still only needed a single bullet to kill each one.


    ¡°We cannot allow attacks and take down the damage! We must watch from afar and record!¡±


    ¡°Data remembers that a kin has established a safe distance!¡±


    ¡°Dead! Already dead!¡±


    ¡°Sounds good! More kin areing out! We can analyze his data by writing down small pieces!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you! Meki!¡±


    [Guoooooooooo!]


    Meki, the Mantis Queen that had been reborn as an undead, roared furiously and spread her wings open. At the same time, the aura of wind Meki shot out sliced apart a few of the weaker Book Walkers. The Mantis Queen also had gotten stronger after bing an undead!


    ¡°Meki, kill the recorders!¡±


    [Guooooo!]


    Meki roared in confirmation and charged towards the Book Walkers. Every time Meki¡¯s giant scythe sliced through the air, the buildings left standing were cut down along with the heads of Book Walkers.


    ¡°That one¡¯s strong too! A form we had no record of!¡±


    ¡°A powerful cutting power! We require resistance to cutting power!¡±


    ¡°We require a special entity! Resistance won¡¯t cut it!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know when new kin will be born! We don¡¯t know if any kin knows when that is!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s two dayster! We must input new data!¡±


    ¡°Time, I won¡¯t give you!¡±


    After Daisy¡¯s shout, Meki got even faster. Meki swung her scythes almost as quickly as Lin fired his guns. No, perhaps, Meki was even quicker. While I watched the Book Walkers being torn apart, Daisy spoke.


    ¡°The moment they record, everyone obtains resistance. What¡¯s scarier is, newly born entities. Transcends resistance, an ability akin to total immunity.¡±


    ¡°So the ones bornter are stronger.¡¯


    ¡°Un. They learn, they evolve, in the blink of an eye.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no end to them, damn it!¡±


    ¡°Prevent them from taking records, defeat a suitable amount. Then, move to underground passageway.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Lin became faster. The Book Walkers, who were on the defensive trying to write down Lin¡¯s and Meki¡¯s movements, quickly had their heads cut off.


    ¡°Observation recording, not urate, but still forms resistance. If possible, eliminate all.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s break through first!¡±


    We cut down all the Book Walkers blocking our way and charged into the city. The Book Walkers¡¯ endless appearances made me reminisce the Panan continent¡¯s nightmare, but none of them could do anything against Lin¡¯s bullets and Meki¡¯s scythe. However, it was frightening that more and more of them were beginning to dodge Meki¡¯s attacks.


    ¡°Resistance, beginning to build up. Meki¡¯s movement pattern, must change.¡±


    ¡°Is this the observation recording you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Un. Abilities used even a little bit, Book Walkers will write down. Impossible to prevent.¡±


    Daisy spoke as she gritted her teeth.


    ¡°To prevent it, an ability transcending ordinaryprehension is needed.¡±


    ¡°Gods¡¯ true names and Evil Eyes...¡±


    ¡°And Kang Shin¡¯s power, Enigma. Or that Dragon Horn¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Dragon Horn!? Did you just call me Dragon Horn!?¡±


    At that moment, Meki, who had just shot out two aura des with her scythes andpletely decimated the Book Walkers in the front, unexpectedly charged towards us. While the Book Walkers assumed their observation recording stance, Daisy rolled on the ground. Meki had disappeared into her inventory...


    And we had unknowingly entered underground.

 Chapter 237. Guardian (7)

    Chapter 237. Guardian (7)


    Chapter 237. Guardian (7)


    Even as I was perplexed by the sudden change in scenery, I immediately spread my mana out to detect the surrounding terrain and potential enemies. By the time I understood what had happened, Daisy pulled my arm down and exined.


    ¡°Underground base, safe... close to safe.¡±


    ¡°What about the Book Walkers?¡±


    ¡°Magic underground, maintains darkness.¡±


    ¡°What does darkness have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Dragon Horn, ignite fire.¡±


    ¡°You bastard, don¡¯t call me Dragon Horn... Ho.¡±


    Lin barked at Daisy and opened his palm as if to ignite a fireball. Then, he eximed in surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯m impressed. Putting this much restriction on me...¡±


    ¡°Under the assumption we couldn¡¯t win, the base was created. Here, very hard to ignite fire.¡±


    ¡°So what does being unable to ignite fire have to do with Book Walkers?¡±


    ¡°If dark, can¡¯t read books.¡±


    I instantly remembered sneaking a spearmanship training manual into my bed to read it at night. When Mother discovered it, she smacked my back. Good times... Wait!


    ¡°Book Walkers aren¡¯t ordinary humans! How does darkness stop them from reading books!?¡±


    ¡°Can you, see me?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, but considering your level, I can clearly feel your presence and even the outline of your body... Eh?¡±


    This was strange. I was now level 71. Physical darkness should pose no hindrance to my sight. Wait, what did Daisy say at first?


    ¡°A magic that maintains darkness...¡±


    ¡°Here, Book Walkers can¡¯t read books. Book Walkers that can¡¯t read books, resistances disappear. Also, cannot be recorded.¡±


    Daisy nodded as if she had been waiting for me toe to this conclusion. I realized that the magic in this ce wasn¡¯t simple and voiced another question.


    ¡°That¡¯s why a perpetually dark base was created?¡±


    ¡°To leave behind, Resistance Army. If Hydelcyon didn¡¯t die, he must be here.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why those Book Walkers aren¡¯ting in here.¡±


    ¡°Creating fire through darkness magic, weakens Book Walkers extremely. Resistance Army wins easily. Their mission of first priority, annihting invaders.¡±


    With that, Daisy pointed to the side. It was at this point that I realized we were surrounded. It was partly because they were concealing themselves so thoroughly without exerting any signs of their presence, but also because Daisy had interrupted me before I could spread my mana out that far.


    Furthermore, a magic that dulled one¡¯s senses seemed to be included in the darkness magic.


    ¡°There are so many, much more than I thought. Surprising.¡±


    ¡°This voice... Daisy Ectradion!?¡±


    A deep voice of a man cut through the darkness. Daisy lightly nodded.


    ¡°Fourth Dungeon explorer, race of long lived fools, a grunt, Sinan Kingdom¡¯s knight.¡±


    It seemed the voice belonged to a Fourth Dungeon explorer who was the knight of a ruined kingdom and a member of a race with high life expectancy.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just say my name!? I am... I was Sinan Kingdom¡¯s knight, Beren Matiz. And you are?¡±


    ¡°My allies. Any more, secret. We require information.¡±


    ¡°What, both you and Hydelcyone to visit after a long time and that¡¯s all you guys can say? You¡¯re making me cry...¡±


    ¡°Right, Hydelcyon, information.¡±


    Daisy threw something to him. The knight received it and shouted in a shocked voice.


    ¡°This is... gold!?¡±


    ¡°Grunt, now, what floor?¡±


    ¡°21st. I can barely enter the Residential Area now. Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re still climbing the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°As I thought, still a beggar. In exchange for gold, Hydelcyon.¡±


    The grunt... Beren Matiz audibly gulped.


    ¡°You... Are you still on bad terms with him?¡±


    ¡°Information.¡±


    Daisy filled a leather pouch with gold coins and shook it mboyantly.


    ¡°Hydelcyon, a kite with string detached. Lost his explorer qualification. But me, promising future. Fat guild... Choose wisely.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re straightforward as always... Everyone, put your weapons down. They aren¡¯t our enemies.¡±


    In truth, I had already realized why I hadn¡¯t felt their presence before. There were the reasons I mentioned before, but it was also because they simply didn¡¯t have the skills to make me wary. Most of them were as good as that Beren Matiz, if not slightly weaker. Simply put, even a melting tuna could send them all to hell.


    ¡°Ectradion, I don¡¯t know what happened, but don¡¯t hate him too much. He didn¡¯t look good. He¡¯s even spending his days quietly here.¡±


    ¡°A woman, came to find him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She seemed extremely beautiful, but it was almost as if she was bewitched by something. I don¡¯t know why she¡¯s so obsessed to that Hydelcyon who lost everything...¡±


    ¡°... What are they, scheming?¡±


    ¡°Scheming? Please.¡±


    He replied with a smirk.


    ¡°Everyone here is barely living on buried in darkness. How can someone be scheming anything here?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s fine. Location.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    The underground base seemed to be bigger than I initially thought. After listening to the information Beren Matiz told for a long time, Daisy nodded and sent me a message.


    [They are, not lying.]


    [Couldn¡¯t you have just read everything with your Evil Eyes to begin with?]


    [Few people know, about my Evil Eyes. Only Hydelcyon and maybe couple others. Process of obtaining information, more natural to exist... Also, money, I wanted to give regardless.]


    Right, since Hydelcyon and Daisy have fought together in the front line, Hydelcyon undoubtedly knew about Daisy¡¯s Evil Eyes. However, grunts like Beren Matiz and the others likely didn¡¯t even know Daisy¡¯s abilities.


    Furthermore, as Daisy said, her intention was to give gold to any explorers who could enter the Residential Area. That way, he would be able to buy food for everyone else... I nodded silently and watched Daisy and Beren Matiz¡¯s exchange.


    ¡°With this much... Everyone at the base will be able to eat fully for a few years.¡±


    ¡°Explorers, how many are left?¡¯


    ¡°We have two in the Third Dungeon, three in the Fourth. We¡¯re all in the lower levels and barely make enough silver to feed everyone. Ectradion, you saved us. We were in a pinch because we can¡¯t even fight monsters in the dungeon right now.¡±


    ¡°We came, to solve that... Sorry we couldn¡¯te earlier. One day, we¡¯lle back. Everyone will be saved... by this person.¡±


    As Daisy calmly apologized calmly, she pointed towards me. Beren Matiz asked with a curious voice.


    ¡°Him? Why?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all you need, to know. We¡¯ll leave, now. Soon, you¡¯ll be able, to enter the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah. Since you said you¡¯ll take care of it, thanks. This ce might be dark and gloomy, but I hope you have a nice time... Please, don¡¯t fight here.¡±


    The underground base was huge, but quiet. There was no one walking around, and we could only hear faint moans asionally. Daisy spoke without even blushing slightly.


    ¡°Here, dark and quiet. No matter how many times you do it, you can¡¯t make babies. The only thing they can do, is that. For a long time, it¡¯s been like this.¡±


    ¡°I get it, you don¡¯t have toment on everything...¡±


    I despaired, wanting to shut my ears. At that moment, Daisy grabbed my arm and asked as she shook it meekly.


    ¡°Kang Shin, is that fun? Why do men and women, when alone, always do that? The goal, is it not to reproduce? The reason sex ves are expensive, is that. Why are men so crazy about that? Why do women love it so much?¡±


    ¡°I said you don¡¯t have toment on everything. Do you think I¡¯llment on everything instead!? Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know either! Unfortunately!¡±


    ¡°Oi, can you stop being such a virgin and shut up?¡±


    Kuuuuu! I knew it, I shouldn¡¯t havee with these two! I clenched my fists and followed them. The deste stillness and asional moans seemed to drive me insane. At that moment, thankfully, Lin, who was leading the way after hearing the approximate location from Daisy, came to a stop.


    ¡°So you really were here, Sipua...¡±


    ¡°Lin...?¡±


    Although we were still enshrouded in darkness, we had gotten close a person¡¯s presence. This powerful presence was telling me that she wasn¡¯t an ordinary person.


    ¡°Lin, did youe to take me back?¡±


    ¡°What, you thought we¡¯d just leave you be?¡±


    To be honest, as the aura she was giving off was simr to my level, it made me question whether she really was an administrative guild master. However, it was probably that Lin and other members of Fairy Garden were strange. After all, Loretta mentioned before that I would be able to defeat the administrative guild Lost Valley¡¯s guild master, Eleine, when I became level 80.


    Although I felt a bit sorry saying this, I somewhat understood why they couldn¡¯t beat their worlds¡¯ enemies even after receiving great powers from the dungeon. Although I thought all administrative guild masters were monsters like Loretta, now that I thought about it more carefully, rather than their personal strengths, the share of the dungeon¡¯s power they received when they became an administrative guild master seemed to be more important.


    ¡°Sipua, you should know what situation the dungeon is in right now.¡±


    ¡°Did the dungeon fall, Lin?¡±


    ¡°Everything stopped. A ce that must help train the Heroes and Guardians of countless worlds stopped just because of you.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s it? I was bound to the dungeon for over 2,500 years. Compared to that, the dungeon only had a day¡¯s worth of damages.¡±


    Sipua¡¯s cold tone pierced Lin. Then, she turned her sharp gaze towards me.


    ¡°You came too, Earth¡¯s Hero. I thought you woulde. Loretta, that wicked bitch! I apologize, but it had the opposite effect. I can¡¯t forgive everything that¡¯s happened because of you!¡±


    The reason Loretta sent me? She had done so simply because there weren¡¯t enough people, but it seemed Sipua was gravely mistaken. Not to mention, she sure was shameless. Only a short time had passed since the incident, but the positions of the victim and the assant waspletely flipped in her mind. To her, it seemed everything she had done for Hydelcyon was justified.


    Even if I exined, she would interpret it as she wanted, and it would only be counterproductive. As such, I stayed silent. However, Lin snorted and rebutted.


    ¡°They say if you save a stranger, he¡¯ll turn into your enemy. You sure are audacious, Sipua. He¡¯s a Hero, someone you should support... And that Lodert Hydelcyon is a brainless fool who tried to bully a Hero for his own benefits.¡±


    ¡°Lin...!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to spare, so I won¡¯t be giving you any time to say goodbye. We¡¯re leaving. Now.¡±


    ¡°Lin! Please!¡±


    Lin gritted his teeth. His handgun was firmly grasped in his hand.


    ¡°You should know my personality. You should have been satisfied that Lodert Hydelcyon got off by just being kicked out to his continent... Our patience ends here. Sipua, this is it.¡±


    A vtile tension filled the atmosphere. Lin¡¯s change in demeanor was so intimidating that I was even having trouble breathing. Daisy buried her face behind my back to avoid his killing intent.


    Sipua was also affected. Lin¡¯s killing intent caused her to freezepletely. When his killing intent diminished slightly from its peak, she barely managed to mutter some words.


    ¡°Please... Lin. Look at me. I love him...!¡±


    ¡°Is your determination to annihte all worlds¡¯ enemies so weak that it¡¯ll crumble because of a single fool?¡±


    ¡°In the first ce, I was pressured by the other four into forming an oath to the Lord! I¡¯ve already done so much. Lin, please...!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one day.¡±


    Lin gave a cut-throat answer as if to say it was hisst bit of kindness.


    ¡°Wrap everything up within a day. You can strengthen him with the power you have left too. As long as he¡¯s alive, a day wille when he¡¯s freed. Again, you have one day.¡±


    ¡°Lin...!¡±


    ¡°In 24 hours, you¡¯ll be going back with us. I won¡¯t agree to any other requests, and the moment you protest, I¡¯ll drag you back myself.¡±


    ¡°... Uk!¡±


    Sipua immediately ran back as if she didn¡¯t want to spend even a single more second with us. At first, I thought she was going back to spend what little time she had left with Lodert Hydelcyon. However, that wasn¡¯t it. Not long after Sipua disappeared, he appeared in her ce. His entrance was so smooth that I thought they were ying some tag battle!


    ¡°Daisy Ectradion...!¡±


    He shouldn¡¯t have been able to see her face, but it seemed he realized who she was from her presence as he muttered Daisy¡¯s name emotionally.


    ¡°Lodert, Hydelcyon.¡±


    Daisy spoke. As always, she was calm to the extreme.


    ¡°Your mind, it clear up?¡±


    ¡°You refused me so adamantly, and the one you chose is him? That Hero? You chose a reckless fool who can¡¯t makes heads nor tails of the situation?¡±


    ¡°Un. You¡¯re not, my type. Your face is, dirty. Your actions are, dirty. Your personality is, dirty. Your mind is, dirty. Though strangely, your mind is better now.¡±


    It seemed he didn¡¯t have much to say in response as he simply red in our direction. Although I couldn¡¯t read his expression in the darkness, I could tell from his voice that he was ring at me with killing intent.


    ¡°You, didn¡¯t I tell you not to involve yourself with Daisy Ectradion...!?¡±


    ¡°Ah, thanks to your advice, I got myself an excellent guild member. That¡¯s the only thing I¡¯m thankful to you for. Also, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t want to breathe the same air as you, so can you screw off, please?¡±


    ¡°Kuuk!¡±


    As I felt sorry just telling him off, I also kicked casually. Seeing him flying back through the darkness, I asked Daisy.


    ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°12, out of 10.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about my shot. Thanks though.¡±


    ¡°His mind, quite clear... Power of love?¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what love is?¡±


    ¡°Un. In darkness, what man and woman do.¡±


    ¡°Wrong!¡±


    I burned with a sense of duty to fix Daisy¡¯s distorted knowledge. Lin then stopped me with a head smack.


    ¡°We should go rest too. I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°Why did you give her a day, Lin?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sad not having a single day off in 2,500 years... Also, if we bring her back as she is now, she¡¯ll remain a lit ember ready to burst into mes. But if we give her more than a day, the dungeon and many of its explorers will receive critical blows. That was the best I could do for her.¡±


    Words that werepletely unexpected from the way he talked to her earlier wasing out of Lin¡¯s mouth. I was so surprised that I imagined Lin¡¯s current expression and murmured.


    ¡°... Lin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just my whim. Noonim will beat me to death if she found out... but I couldn¡¯t help it because I remembered Loka¡¯s face.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about what happened between Lin and Lokanyan. There¡¯s also something I want to talk about with Lin... Since we have time, why don¡¯t we go drink together? I secretly snagged a whiskey that Father had been saving.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the best offer you¡¯ve made since we met. Good.¡±


    Daisy shook my arms fiercely and asked.


    ¡°As I thought, Kang Shin likes men...¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    ¡°For the two of you, I will leave... I want to check, those that I knew, alive or dead.¡±


    ¡°Come back before it¡¯s toote.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    Daisy hopped away into the darkness and her presence eventually disappeared. Lin and I also began to wander in search of a nice ce to drink. In this dark space, where one couldn¡¯t tell day apart from night, only time was passing steadily.


    Author¡¯s note:


    What happened between Lin and Lokanyan? This author is curious too!


    Even if you (the readers) discovered something in this chapter, please be patient for the other readers!!


    Author¡¯s note:


    What happened between Lin and Lokanyan? This author is curious too!


    Even if you (the readers) discovered something in this chapter, please be patient for the other readers!!

 Chapter 238. Guardian (8)

    Chapter 238. Guardian (8)


    Chapter 238. Guardian (8)


    The bottle of whiskey I brought with me was emptied by the time I detected an unexpected change. While Lin and I were exchanging our final ss, I began to vaguely see Lin¡¯s face. At first, I thought I had gotten ustomed to being in the dark, but that wasn¡¯t it. Lin muttered as he stared at my face.


    ¡°Up close, you look like the incarnation of misfortune.¡±


    ¡°Lin also looks like a sissy.¡±


    The underground base got brighter ever so slightly. The darkness from magic that dulled one¡¯s senses was slowly transforming into natural darkness. There was only one reason this would be happening.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we finished the bottle.¡±


    ¡°Yep, one has to finish a bottle once he opens it.¡±


    We exchanged such words as if we had already discussed it, and stood up after throwing the bottle and sses on the ground. Lin was gritting his teeth.


    ¡°That crazy bastard...¡±


    ¡°It might not be toote. Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    Lin and I rushed in union. Meanwhile, Daisy messaged us.


    [Found Book Walkers. Ceiling, being broken through.]


    The moment we received her message, the ceiling fell with a thud along with several Book Walkers. Before I could say anything, Lin¡¯s two handguns shot ming bullets. By the time the magazine ran out, the Book Walkers had all be corpses, but Lin clicked his tongue as he reloaded.


    ¡°These guys got faster. It must be that damned resistance or whatever. How annoying.¡±


    ¡°I should also¡ª¡±


    ¡°You stay still. Don¡¯t reveal your abilities in front of them.¡±


    ¡°This really is annoying. I can¡¯t even fight them when they¡¯re right in front of me... Ah!¡±


    We left a passageway and entered a wider residential area. It was the ce where we had heard moaning sounds before. In the corner was a gruesomely shredded corpse of a man. That was it. Lin murmured calmly.


    ¡°The woman was taken.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I didn¡¯t open my mouth. If I did, I felt like I would have shouted at the top of my lungs to tear apart this silence. Afterwards, in just three minutes, we found over ten corpses. They were all of men.


    I asked Lin, gritting my teeth and clenching my fists.


    ¡°Administrative guild master¡¯s power... Is there a way to retrieve it?¡±


    ¡°There is one way.¡±


    Lin replied as he reloaded his guns again and shot down the spear of iceing towards him.


    ¡°Killing her.¡±


    The magic had disappearedpletely. There were huge gaping holes in the ceiling. The underground base was no longer safe from light. Beyond the passageway where light and darkness coexisted, the one who sent the ice spear flying appeared. It was Sipua.


    ¡°Lin, I didn¡¯t want to do this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten unsightly, Sipua.¡±


    Lin¡¯s words didn¡¯t carry any emotion. He aimed his gun at Sipua and asked.


    ¡°Tell me, why did you get rid of the magic?¡±


    ¡°I made a deal, Lin. It was the only thing I could do for our happiness.¡±


    ¡°... I take it to mean you made a deal with the world¡¯s enemy?¡±


    At Lin¡¯s words, Sipua nodded. Then, she spread her arms out. Countless crystals of ice radiating brilliant light filled the space around her. Just like the god¡¯s true name Lodert Hydelcyon had, it seemed she also had the ability to wield ice.


    ¡°I can¡¯t win against you with my strength, so I needed someone to defeat you.¡±


    ¡°And Hydelcyon?¡±


    ¡°The darkness magic was very formidable. He had to use his god¡¯s true name.¡±


    ¡°Scizarnath must bementing.¡±[1. Scizarnath is the god whose name Hydelcyon has. Mentioned in chapter 171.]


    Lin looked at Sipua in contempt and spoke with scorn. Then, he turned to face me.


    ¡°Find Ectradion and go back. The world¡¯s enemy will appear soon.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    I knew very well what position I was in. I also knew that the world¡¯s enemy of Panan continent was a special case. Against monsters that obtained resistance against me if I didn¡¯t kill it in one blow, I didn¡¯t dare be so adventurous. It wasn¡¯t my role to face them.


    Above all, finding Daisy was currently the most important thing.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you go. You have to suffer more.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, run away! Now!¡±


    Immediately, a brilliant light erupted from Sipua¡¯s body. The underground base enshrouded in darkness became as bright as day. I heard a message, one that I thought I wouldn¡¯t hear for a while.


    [You entered the EX rank Event Dungeon, ¡®Cemetery¡¯! Before the dungeon is cleared, no one can exit!]


    No, it wasn¡¯t the familiar message noona¡¯s voice. This voice was... Sipua¡¯s voice!


    ¡°You, just how much are you going to abuse your power!?¡±


    ¡°This is it. Once everyone who came to find me dies, I won¡¯t need it anymore!¡±


    Just to be sure, I opened the gate to the dungeon. I couldn¡¯t enter it. I couldn¡¯t use Return either. It seemed there was only one way for me to leave this ce. I quickly messaged Daisy.


    [Daisy, are you okay!?]


    [Too many, Book Walkers. Space is too small, can¡¯t take out all undead. I will use, god¡¯s power.]


    [Make sure you live! And...!]


    [... Hydelcyon, found him.]


    With that, Daisy¡¯s messages cut off. Damn it! I didn¡¯t think Daisy would lose to someone like Hydelcyon, but the resistance I felt when I kicked him earlier made me uneasy.


    I didn¡¯t know what Sipua did to strengthen him, but with his god¡¯s true name and the Book Walkers helping him, Daisy would undoubtedly have trouble dealing with the situation. Everything was extremely annoying!


    ¡°Sipua, what you did cannot be undone. From now on, I won¡¯t treat you like one of us.¡±


    ¡°Lin, you should have done so the moment you saw me. Now, it¡¯s toote! I¡¯ve already surpassed you!¡±


    ¡°What...!?¡±


    In the next moment, the entire space exploded. I quickly summoned Ruyue and surrounded myself in a wall of ice, and Lin also protected himself with a wall of fire. However, the explosion only served as a signal. Immediately after Sipua¡¯s attack, something shot towards Lin like lightning.


    ¡°Kuhahaha! Too easy! Too visible! Draconian, draconians are surprising!¡±


    ¡°You... Trash!¡±


    Despite the lighthearted tone, the voice carried an immense pressure. The owner of the voice was a titan, carrying a book on one hand and a sword on the other. The moment I saw him, I could clearly feel his aura.


    He was the world¡¯s enemy.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re moving like when you killed our kin! But you won¡¯t be able to defeat me!¡±


    Although Lin¡¯s movements were quick to the point I could barely see him, the titan easily caught up to Lin. Furthermore, the titan¡¯s attacks flew in from angles Lin couldn¡¯t easily dodge, and eventually tore Lin¡¯s leather armor and shed blood. Lin distanced himself from the titan with a strong kick as he gritted his teeth.


    ¡°Sipua...!¡±


    ¡°You and I have fought together many times. In my head, your movements and your twin handguns are recorded clearly!¡±


    ¡°Puhahaha! The dungeon sure is interesting! Its administrators are interesting too! Truly interesting!¡±


    ¡°Shut it!¡±


    Lin¡¯s twin guns continuously spat out bullets. Shockingly, the world¡¯s enemy received them directly without even trying to dodge them and wasn¡¯t injured in the slightest.


    ¡°With data, we have nothing to fear from your attacks! With my power, I can easily defeat you! Draconian, you¡¯ll have to die!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think guns are my only weapon, idiot!¡±


    Lin threw away his twin handguns and charged towards him. mes erupted around him as he attacked the world¡¯s enemy. I could easily tell that Lin¡¯s mes were of EX rank. The Demon Lord would have to give up one arm to ignite such mes? And he was using it as he pleased!?


    What was even more shocking was that the world¡¯s enemy wasn¡¯t fazed at all by the EX rank mes. His resistance had gone past the point of shocking and had reached the level of impossibility!


    ¡°Kuhahaha! Futile! Not only your guns, but your mes and martial arts have all been remembered! That bitch gave me all the data I needed!¡±


    ¡°If you think some record on a book is enough to defeat me, you¡¯re gravely mistaken!¡±


    After Lin shouted with a voice filled with rage, he disappeared. In the next instant, a sh of Lin¡¯s foot appeared, enveloped in scarlet mes. The titan¡¯s shoulder exploded.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak! That hurt!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you a power your trivial ability can¡¯t resist!¡±


    ¡°Annoying! Draconian is annoying!¡±


    The Book Walker opened his book. Even as he was being injured by Lin¡¯s attacks, he held up his sword and wrote something down on his book. For every phrase he jotted down, his injuries shockingly healed. He was even beginning to catch up to Lin¡¯s hastened speed.


    ¡°If this is all, this is the end! You can¡¯t win against me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet... You damned bastard!¡±


    At this rate, Lin would lose. Since we won¡¯t be able to leave unless we defeated the world¡¯s enemy, if I used Overlord and joined him...!


    ¡°You should y with me.¡±


    Sipua noticed my movements and created countless spears of ice in the air. I used Ruyue¡¯s power to stop them as I questioned her.


    ¡°Daisy couldn¡¯t read your thoughts or Hydelcyon¡¯s thoughts. Is that your work?¡±


    ¡°I sent Lodert to you on purpose. To trick you into believing us.¡±


    ¡°Defending against Evil Eyes...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m originally more skilled in defense than offense! So, Earth¡¯s Hero, you should give up on defeating me and helping Lin!¡±


    Her mana was indeed boundless. Solely to stop me from approaching Lin and the world¡¯s enemy, she filled the area with ice. Even if I pushed them away with Ruyue¡¯s ability and used Divine Speed to charge forward, with my current ability, I couldn¡¯t deal with the endlessly respawning wall of ice unless I used Overlord.


    ¡°I acknowledge that you¡¯re a talented explorer, but I¡¯ve lived for 2,500 years as an administrative guild master! You will never be able to obtain what you desire!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, S-Sipua.¡±


    When a man¡¯s voice suddenly eked out, she revealed an opening. I didn¡¯t miss this opportunity and materialized Ruyue.


    ¡°Break through!¡±


    [Un! Haaaaap!]


    Immediately after materializing in the air, Ruyue let out a spirited shout and spread her arms out. In the next instant, the wall of ice trapping us exploded entirely.


    Sipua and a heavily beaten Lodert Hydelcyon appeared in front of us. As the saying went, love made one stupid. Sipua hadpletely forgotten about me and was hugging Hydelcyon tightly.


    ¡°Lodert, how did this happen to you!?¡±


    ¡°When I wasing back after destroying the darkness magic, that damned bitch...!¡±


    ¡°... Daisy Ectradion, I¡¯ll be sure to kill that wench!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Bitch and Son of a Bitch. You think you fuckers can just kill my precious guild member!?¡±


    I finally exploded. Although it might be a bit too early to use these skills, I felt okay using them now.


    ¡°Caduceus, Overlord!¡±


    The moment I shouted the names of these skills, my body grew enough to pierce through the underground base¡¯s ceiling. Everyone present focused their attention on me. Sipua, especially, had a shocked expression.


    ¡°Y-You! How can you have that power...!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m different than trash like Hydelcyon!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s toote! You¡¯ve lost!¡±


    The world¡¯s enemy raised his voice andughed. He spoke as he threw what was in his hands towards me. The shape of the ¡°thing¡± he threw seemed all too familiar.


    ¡°I wonder what kind of power you have! I hope it¡¯s better than this dead lizard¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°Dead lizard... You¡¯re talking about Lin...?¡±


    My hands trembled. I shouted louder than I ever had.


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE TALKING ABOUT LIN!?¡±


    [You used Frozen Roar! All enemies in the battlefield freezes in ce. All allies temporarily be super-armored and have all abilities increased by 50%. Your chance ofnding a critical hit doubles when fighting enemies affected by Frozen Roar.]


    [Frozen Roar is suppressed by the world¡¯s enemy¡¯s overwhelming power! Although Overlord¡¯s power offset his power, Frozen Roar¡¯s effect has been halved!]


    In that instant, as ice descended around me, the surrounding became shrouded in darkness. Did my rage finally create a supernatural effect? Of course not.


    [Magic recovery,plete. Book Walkers, weakened.]


    ¡°Oh, Daisy. I love you!¡±


    [... Kang Shin, I don¡¯t know love, yet. So, I apologize.]


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. It was a... cheer!¡±


    [Humannguage, too difficult...]


    I gave a short reply to Daisy who rejected me seriously. Then, I infused Sharana into my spear. As both fire and lightning radiated light, I couldn¡¯t make satisfying destructive power in this ce. Furthermore, they couldn¡¯t do what I wanted to do.


    Thus, what I needed to wield now was the power of wind! Sharana¡¯s aura strengthened the power of Enigma to the limit and created a threatening whirlpool.


    ¡°Even with the darkness back, you won¡¯t be able to win! Compared to the lizard, your power is too weak!¡±


    ¡°But I can hold you back for a bit!¡±


    Along with my reply, a wind aura that converted into a whirlpool shot out from my spear and cut through the darkness. Even if the world¡¯s enemy was much stronger than me, this was the first time I used my power since I came to this world. Plus, the purpose of the wind aura I just shot out wasn¡¯t to tear him apart. Like I said, it was just to tie him in his ce for a moment.


    As I had even used Divine Speed, neither Sipua nor Hydelcyon could react to it. Though the world¡¯s enemy snorted and tried to strike it down with his palm, he body was halted in the process. Confused, he looked around his body and soon burst intoughter.


    ¡°So you aren¡¯tpletely talentless after all. But this is it! I doubt you¡¯ll be able to do anything by just holding me down! Kuhahaha... haaak!¡±


    Within the darkness, a single bang of a gunshot rang out. The titan, who wasughing just a moment ago, had his head shattered into pieces.


    Using this opportunity, I grabbed the world¡¯s power that popped out of the titan¡¯s body. The expressions of Hydelcyon and Sipua, who had watched everything nkly, turned pale.


    ¡°You killed... the world¡¯s enemy... Someone even the entire continent couldn¡¯t kill, so easily...!¡±


    ¡°T-This... is... Im-Impossible...¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    In the direction where the bullet came flying, Lin walked out with the sniper rifle he had been hiding now hanging on his back. Ignoring the reestablished darkness magic, Lin lit the cigarette in his mouth. Sipua shouted in utter shock.


    ¡°Lin, how are you alive? You certainly died! I saw it with my two eyes! Plus, how could you kill him so easily!?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Let me ask too, Sipua. How is it any of your business? Even if you knew, nothing would change.¡±


    Lin tilted his head, replying in a slightly murmuring voice. Then, with a single flick of his hands, the twin handguns he threw away before flew back into his hands. He then fired two shots from each handguns, the bullets piercing through Sipua and Hydelcyon¡¯s knee and forcing them to kneel.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to be punished, damned bastards.¡±


    Author¡¯s note:


    If Shin used Overlord and fought the world¡¯s enemy, he would lose in just 2 minutes... But Lin killed him with one bullet! That said, it wouldn¡¯t have been possible without Shin restraining him. A wonderful coordination for their first fight together!


    Of course, the unexined parts will all be exined next chapter! I thought about separating the fight into two chapters, but then Shinsting so long would only be possible if Shenlong was summoned using Dragon Balls and... Huh? I can¡¯t say this because of copyrights...? Er, um... goodbye! (escapes)

 Chapter 239. Guardian (9)

    Chapter 239. Guardian (9)


    Everything had gone terribly. The barely surviving Resistance Army had great losses, and Sipua had turned against the dungeon and tried to kill me, Lin, and the others from the dungeon who hade to take her back. Hydelcyon had destroyed the magic circle maintaining the underground base knowing that it would kill the people who he once tried to protect. He was trash beyond my imagination.


    I had not imagined that things would go this way. That Sipua would join the side of the world¡¯s enemy!


    Of course, it made sense. In exchange for her and Lodert Hydelcyon¡¯s safety, she must have promised the Book Walkers a Hero¡¯s power. She must have used me as a bargaining chip as well as others who woulde to this empire.


    Would the Book Walkers have declined? Would they have captured Sipua instead? Of course not! If they used her as bait, appetizing prey would walk in by themselves! They were undoubtedly satisfied with Sipua¡¯s offer. Although no one knew whether their alliance wouldst after the prey had all been eaten, their current rtionship would have been solid.


    However, leaving the dungeon to find her love was different from cooperating with a world¡¯s enemy to protect her love. Even if it made sense to do so, neither me, Daisy, nor Lin thought that Sipua, as an administrative guild master, would have joined hands with the world¡¯s enemy. Even if she resisted us, we thought it would be between us and her. The thought of involving a world¡¯s enemy had been just too absurd!


    We could only think that she might have prepared traps using the Resistance Army or the underground terrain. I felt especially suspicious when Daisy read Hydelcyon¡¯s thoughts.


    Daisy¡¯s report that waspletely contrary to his attitude,and the strange sensation when I kicked him made me even more cautious. When I asked Lin out for a drink, it was in order to talk to him about this.


    Of course, Lin may have had a hidden life line that I didn¡¯t know about. But in any case, Lin was someone who had received a share of the dungeon¡¯s power, an administrative guild member who had given himself for the benefit of explorers. For this reason, I thought to prepare myself for when he fell in danger. What I then exined to him was the power of Caduceus, the power of the white snake.


    The white snake¡¯s power was the opposite of the ck snake¡¯s. In other words, it had the power of healing. Its effect was simple, yet powerful. As expected, however, tricky conditions had to be met in order to use it.


    [When used within 10 seconds of an ally¡¯s death, you use half of your health topletely revive your ally and boost his ability by 50% for 1 minute.]


    The 10 second period was indescribably cruel. However, as long as I was close enough to witness an ally¡¯s moment of death, I was able to revive him. A power to undo death, it was truly worthy of being called a god¡¯s power. The fact that I earned Hermes¡¯ power was certainly a great fortune.


    One of the main reasons for my grief at the subi¡¯s deaths in the Philippines was that I couldn¡¯t activate Caduceus as I wasn¡¯t next to them. That said, even if I did, deciding on who to save would have been difficult as well. Not to mention, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to carry out today¡¯s n.


    The reason Lin never used his sniper rifle was also for the world¡¯s enemy. Though, he never would have thought the world¡¯s enemy would appear with Sipua.


    ording to him, the only ones who knew about his sniper rifle was Loretta, Loka, and a few others. In other words, it was the perfect secret weapon. Naturally,pared to his handguns, the sniper rifle had a greater concentration of his power and authority.


    A secret was more powerful the more hidden it was, especially in this continent. Lin concealed his secret weapon perfectly and revealed it in the perfect moment when no one was expecting it. While fighting the world¡¯s enemy, he made his opponent miscalcte his strength and led him to let his guard down.


    However, even if one knew he would be revived, would he be able to include his death in his battle n? Today was the first time I experienced Lin¡¯s true power. He wasn¡¯t only physically powerful. He was equally as powerful mentally.


    In any case, I revived him just as we nned and immediately activated Overlord to conceal his aura with mine. Lin snorted at my doubt over his stealth ability, but everything had to be perfect. When Daisy reactivated the darkness magic at that timing, the reason I cheered was that I had gotten certain that my n would seed.


    From then, I continued to grab the world¡¯s enemy¡¯s attention and restrained him to aid Lin¡¯s sniping. Although I acted as if I was fine, I was secretly trembling at his fierce resistance.


    Thankfully, Lin assassinated the world¡¯s enemy before it was toote. Now, only the two great sinners were left in front of us.


    ¡°You probably don¡¯t need us to exin what you did wrong, right?¡±


    ¡°Lin, please don¡¯t kill us!¡±


    ¡°Kuuuk...!¡±


    Despite Lin¡¯s cold tone, Sipua shamelessly beseeched him. Hydelcyon, on the other hand, was writhing in pain next to her, holding his pierced knee.


    ¡°Not kill you? That¡¯s all you want?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Think back to what I said yesterday. I gave you two the chance to go back to where you belonged. Did I say I¡¯d kill either of you? ... And look at what you did today. This trash sacrificed his allies, who saved him when he was kicked out of the dungeon, to kill Kang Shin and me, and you sold us to the world¡¯s enemy!¡±


    Lin fired his gun again. This time, he hit Hydelcyon¡¯s left arm.


    ¡°Kuuuaaak!¡±


    ¡°L-Lodert! Oh, Lodert, no! Lin, please, shoot me instead! Don¡¯t shoot Lodert!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll shoot you too.¡±


    Lin retorted without batting an eye and really shot Sipua¡¯s left arm. Sipua didn¡¯t even groan in response, only ring at Lin.


    ¡°I normally hate bullying others to vent my anger. My style is to kill those who deserve death without dragging it out. But this damned...¡±


    He couldn¡¯t hold his anger back, cutting himself off and aiming his gun at Hydelcyon again. After his gun shed twice, two holes appeared on Hydelcyon¡¯s right ear and right arm. His shriek filled the air.


    ¡°This damned bastard is already marked by someone else. Ah, you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°Un, just came.¡±


    In the darkness, Daisy appeared. I could clearly see Hydelcyon¡¯s trembling body. Was it because I was using Overlord? The darkness magic could no longer block my vision.


    ¡°Daisy Ectradion...¡±


    ¡°72 alive.¡±


    ¡°You, how did you get so strong!?¡±


    ¡°There were 389. Now, only 72 are alive.¡±


    As always, Daisy sounded calm. She was calmly boiling with rage.


    ¡°Last pride, as an explorer, you threw away, for your greed.¡±


    Daisy¡¯s inventory opened. Seeing hundreds of undeads crawling out of it, I felt stifled. They were undead... humans. This was the first time I had seen Daisy wield human undeads. That said, for someone who could turn monsters into the undead, being able to turn humans into undeads was obvious. Furthermore, those undeads...


    Daisy continued, widening her deep scarlet eyes fiercely.


    ¡°By the ones you¡¯ve killed, die.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t kill Lodert!¡±


    ¡°No, that trash will certainly die.¡±


    Lin rolled his foot lightly. In an instant, a wall of fire shot up around Sipua. The magic she was trying to cast was canceled. The zing heat made it hard even for me to breathe. Separated from Sipua, Hydelcyon shot back as he screamed crazily.


    ¡°Laughable! You think some zombies will be able to kill me!? Sipua, Sipua! Hey, Sipua! I¡¯m about to die! Sipua!¡±


    ¡°Lodert, oh Lodert! Lin, please! Please save him, I¡¯ll do anything you say!¡±


    ¡°You will? Sorry, I can¡¯t trust you anymore.¡±


    Lin bit down on his cigarette. Almost as if Lin was the one controlling the zombies, one of the zombies bit off Hydelcyon¡¯s right arm.


    ¡°And it¡¯s toote.¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaaak! It hurts, it hurts!!¡±


    Neither Lin nor I batted an eye as we watched on. As for Daisy, after she ordered her zombies to attack Hydelcyon, she was murmuring in an undecipherable tone.


    ¡°I believed you. You were an explorer, so I believed you.¡±


    ¡°Hiiik! No, ugaaak!¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have... I shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    As Hydelcyon¡¯s shrieks got louder, Sipua¡¯s screams also got louder.


    ¡°No! Lin, please! No!¡±


    ¡°What made you like this? What made you join hands with the world¡¯s enemy who you hated so much!? What made you force me to experience something so dirty!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    As more pieces of Hydelcyon¡¯s flesh were bitten off by the zombies, he was getting smaller. His eyes, holding onto a tiny sliver of life, were getting dimmer. Sipua¡¯s screamed in despair, but Lin wasn¡¯t moved in the slightest.


    ¡°For these countless years, I respected you and treated you as an ally and friend. And you made me a fool! We had gathered for the sole purpose of protecting countless worlds, and you spat on our will!¡±


    ¡°Save Lodert!¡±


    ¡°Caduceus¡¯ power has already been used.¡±


    I replied instead of Lin. At that moment, Sipua¡¯s screaming stopped. Hydelcyon had already gone silent a while ago.


    ¡°Lodert...?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Lodert... Lodert!¡±


    The wall of fire trapping Sipua disappeared. She shot up and looked around for Hydelcyon. All the zombies gathered in one spot ran back. However, there was nothing there. Not even a single fragment of his armor or a single strand of his hair was left.


    ¡°Lod...ert.¡±


    ¡°Dragon Horn, burn them. I want to, let them go.¡±


    ¡°I told you not to call me Dragon Horn... Tsk.¡±


    Fire ignited on the zombies, and in a brief moment, the hundreds of zombies all burned away, not even leaving behind ashes. Seeing that we were the only ones left, Sipua plopped down.


    ¡°No... It can¡¯t be...¡±


    ¡°I agree. No one will believe what happened here, especially what you have done.¡±


    The worst we had assumed was Sipuaying a trap, not a fight with the world¡¯s enemy. One of the five administrative guild masters of the First Dungeon had not only attracted the world¡¯s enemy, but had also trapped us by making an Event Dungeon. I still couldn¡¯t believe it. When I thought about how Loretta would react when she found out, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh.


    ¡°Lodert, Lodert...! You killed Lodert, you! There¡¯s... no longer any meaning to life... I don¡¯t want to live.¡±


    ¡°If the burden you carried was that heavy... If you hated it so much that you would have rather thrown it all away, I¡¯ll help you go to rest.¡±


    It seemed he had made his decision. Lin held up his gun and aimed it at Sipua.


    ¡°Die, Sipua. From this moment on, I will preserve the dungeon in your ce.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Lin.¡±


    ¡°Uh?¡±


    I looked at Lin. Then, I spoke.


    ¡°This punishment would be too light. Just today, hundreds of people lost their lives. Even Lin died once. Even with all this, are you trying to bind yourself to the dungeon for her?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m practically bound to the dungeon anyways. Or what, will you take her ce? What happened to your will of wanting to rid all worlds of their enemies?¡±


    I halted. At Lin¡¯s words, I felt a deep sense of regret. I of course didn¡¯t think that I was the first to have held this wish.


    Right... Lin must have also been threatened by his world¡¯s enemy, and he undoubtedly faced numerous challenges while fighting against them. Then, despite his deep hostility and hatred against them, he chose to be part of the dungeon, throwing away his wishes.


    As such, I replied resolutely.


    ¡°Let her carry the burden herself. She has to pay the price for her sins. The only way to do so would be to bind her to the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You... You¡¯re more cruel and vicious than I thought. But how?¡±


    ¡°The chance of seeding isn¡¯t high, but I thought I should try it.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much time before Overlord would end. I could hold on until now because I hadn¡¯t used much of my power, but only 10 or so seconds were left. If I wanted to utilize the stat doubling effect of Overlord, I had to hurry.


    It went without saying that charm was one of the stats being amplified. Currently, I was confident that I didn¡¯t lose to anyone in the dungeon in terms of charm. That applied to the Sipua in front of me as well.


    I approached her. Her eyes shot towards me with a deadly re.


    ¡°Hero, Hero! Damn you to hell! I will never go back to the dungeon! You will be torn to shreds by the world¡¯s enemy and your world will fall to ruin! Remember this. It. Will. Come. True!¡±


    ¡°Lilith¡¯s Temptation.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have the time to listen to her meaningless babble. There was only a 20% chance of it seeding. If I failed, Lin would have to be the new administrative guild master.


    However, my worry was for naught. Almost as if it was the most natural result, the power that left my body dominated her.


    [You used Lilith¡¯s Temptation! You stole 50% of the target¡¯s health and magic!¡±


    [The target falls under ¡®absolute obedience¡¯, forever bing your servant.]


    The moment the messages rang out, I saw a bone-chilling scene. Sipua, who had been cursing me out just a moment ago, changed her expressionpletely. Almost as if she had gained an incredible enlightenment, she looked around and examined her body. Then, she located me in the darkness and spoke as she kowtowed.


    ¡°Ah, aaaah... My master... P-Please forgive my impudence! Please don¡¯t look at me like that!¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin... You...!¡±


    ¡°Damn... This is why I didn¡¯t want to use it.¡±


    Someone who had thrown away everything, including herself, for her love had discarded her love as if it was an old pair of shoes. Could the person in front of me be considered Sipua? If someone asked me this question, I could only shake my head.


    In a different way than Lin had intended, I had killed her.


    ¡°This is... truly a punishment. Kang Shin, you scary bastard.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t use this skill ever again. Damn it...¡±


    My gamble seeded. From now on, she would continue to protect the dungeon as an administrative guild master along with losing the love of her life and obtaining a new love that would never be reciprocated. That was the greatest punishment I could give her.


    The moment I put her under mymand, a fanfare rang out. Ironically, the voice belonged to Sipua¡¯s.


    [Event Dungeon clear! You obtained 10 stat points and 3 skill points!]

 Chapter 240. Guardian (10)

    Chapter 240. Guardian (10)


    Even after I waited for a long time, no other voice rang out. Thest time I defeated a world¡¯s enemy, the response was much more chaotic. This time, however, made me doubtful that the one we defeated was a real world¡¯s enemy. However, the power in my hand was undoubtedly a world¡¯s power.


    I asked Lin.


    ¡°Lin, we defeated a world¡¯s enemy... Isn¡¯t there anything more?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. Where do rewardse from?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s obviously the dun... Ah!¡±


    The reason we were here was to allow the dungeon to operate normally. Of course there wouldn¡¯t be any rewards now! At that moment, Sipua¡¯s face shone as she shoved her face towards me.


    ¡°Master, if it¡¯s stat or skill points, I can give them to you!¡±


    ¡°You shut up, Sipua. Don¡¯t waste any more of you power!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me when I¡¯m talking to Master, Lin!¡±


    ¡°Sipua shut it.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    I was beginning to understand how the dungeon operated. Once Sipua became quiet, Lin looked at her dumbfoundedly and turned his attention towards me.


    ¡°Even if Sipua is weak, turning her into this... What are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering the same thing.¡±


    ¡°... Serves her right.¡±


    Daisy red at Sipua with disdain as she approached me.


    ¡°Thanks, Kang Shin. Promise, you already kept.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who killed the world¡¯s enemy. It was Lin. If you want to thank someone, thank him.¡±


    ¡°Dragon Horn, good job.¡±


    ¡°Why are you thanking him sincerely and treating me like a pet dog!?¡±


    I¡¯ve been thinking this for a while, but could Daisy really be thinking of Lin as an animal...? Maybe she just liked his horn. It seemed I needed to warn Lin to be wary of his horn being cut off while he¡¯s asleep.


    ¡°Found hope... Though, before those weaklings grow, it¡¯ll take some time.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. So many people died because of us...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Kang Shin¡¯s fault. No one expected it... It¡¯s my fault for, believing in a human too much.¡±


    With that, she seemed to ponder momentarily before she shook her head and spoke.


    ¡°But Kang Shin is different. I trust Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t have the brains, to trick people...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too harsh! At the very least, I¡¯m not stupid!¡±


    Daisy said she was just joking andughed lightly.


    ¡°Kang Shin likes me, so you don¡¯t try to trick me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean by ¡®like¡¯... You know that I didn¡¯t mean what I said before, right?¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin hiding his embarrassment, annoying but slightly cute.¡±


    ¡°So you really want to leave it as a misunderstanding, huh?¡±


    I told myself to lecture herter. For now, there was something else I needed to do. I held the white sphere of light on my palm towards her.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to keep my other promise. Daisy, I¡¯m going to make you a Hero. Are you prepared?¡±


    ¡°From the moment 90 years ago, when I was chosen as a Hero candidate, I was ready.¡±


    ¡°I already knew this, but you¡¯re old, Grandma Dai¡ª Kahak!¡±


    I almost absorbed the world¡¯s power identally. Daisy waved her foot near my shin as she red at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m a maiden in her prime. Apologize for your rude remark.¡±


    ¡°Sorry...¡±


    First, I made Daisy into a Hero on the spot. Watching this happen, Lin made a bitter smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty skilled at handling that power. Wielding a foreign world¡¯s power so easily and bestowing it to someone safely, it¡¯s almost like I¡¯m watching the Savior Hero...¡±


    ¡°Savior Hero?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back. We can¡¯t let the dungeon stay like it is any longer.¡±


    Savior Hero, that was one of my titles. Did Lin know something about it? Lin didn¡¯t seem to want to say anything as he turned back silently.


    In the dark and silent underground base, the only ones left were me, Lin, Daisy, Sipua, and the headless corpse of the world¡¯s... Hey!


    ¡°Good undead material... Good rival for Laki.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Very, very good material.¡±


    ¡°Even so, that was your world¡¯s enemy... Do you really want to make control someone like him?¡±


    When I asked dumbfoundedly, Daisy looked at me like I was crazy.


    ¡°Corpses... have no sins. All corpses are good corpses.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that like it¡¯s some profound truth!¡±


    With that, the search for Sipua ended and everyone deployed to the Sylon continent returned to the dungeon. Although short, the event remained an unforgettable memory.


    For helping to find Sipua, Revival became an A ranked guild, and Daisy and I both received a top-ss essory each to make up for the reward we missed out in defeating the world¡¯s enemy. The dungeon¡¯s power for defeating the world¡¯s enemy and the power for bringing Sipua back would both be included.


    ¡°Why do I have to make them when I worked my ass off too!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s obviously because you didn¡¯t bring Sipua back immediately after you found her! Because you showed mercy to Sipua, do you know how many worlds were ced in danger!? Two of them almost fell!¡±


    Furthermore, it was the first time I had seen Loretta this angry.


    ¡°The moment Sipua left the dungeon, she became our enemy! She was our ally for 2,500 years!? You pitied her!? She trampled on all these years we spent together! Lin, how can you do something so stupid!?¡±


    ¡°N-No, Noonim... You see...¡±


    ¡°And that even led you to fight a world¡¯s enemy!? It thankfully worked out well, but what if something happened to Shin-nim!? Tell me!¡±


    Loretta was so scary that I wanted to run away. However, I couldn¡¯t escape as Loretta was hugging me tightly. Kuk, at the same time her fragrance and touch led me to heaven, my breath... my breath...!


    ¡°If I could, Lin, with my own hands...!¡±


    ¡°S-Scary! Noonim, your expression is too scary!¡±


    This was the first time I had seen Lin so frightened! I was wondering what kind of expression Loretta was making... but I felt like I would regret it, so I quietly stayed trapped in her embrace.


    ¡°I was so worried... For you too, Lin! How can you be so immature? Didn¡¯t you say you almost died!? What if Loka gets left alone!?¡±


    ¡°No, she has a kid now, so she won¡¯t be alo... Sorry!¡±


    Lin kowtowed. However, Loretta didn¡¯t seem satisfied.


    ¡°You should know more than anyone else that you should never let your guard down against any world¡¯s enemy! Even I have to be extremely cautious. I told you multiple times to protect Shin-nim, but you fought the world¡¯s enemy together? You came back feeling proud of that? Hm? You want me to praise you?¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin was actually pretty usefu... Spare me, Noonim!¡±


    ¡°Loretta, I can¡¯t... breathe...¡±


    ¡°O-Oh. Sorry, Shin-nim. I got a little excited...¡±


    I didn¡¯t think anyone else would call it ¡®little¡¯, but I closed my mouth. Loretta who had let go of me slightly had embraced me once again from the front.


    ¡°I was so worried...! Thank god you¡¯re safe, thank god...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worry, Loretta.¡±


    ¡°You came back alive, so it¡¯s fine. If something happened to Shin-nim... I might have put myself in a position where I couldn¡¯t me Sipua anymore.¡±


    As she said that, Loretta¡¯s expression was strange. Almost as if she had discovered something new, her face was pale. Then, she let me go. While I was feeling dizzy, drunk on her fragrance, Loretta put her hand on her forehead and sighed as if to spit out something buried deep inside her heart.


    ¡°For... For a long time, we maintained the dungeon like this. For a long time... Right, for a very long time. Something like this was bound to happen.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t it have been prevented somehow?¡±


    ¡°Should all the administrative guild masters be put in a coffin? If we¡¯re sealed with the Lord¡¯s power, we won¡¯t have to worry about something like this happening.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Loretta. I didn¡¯t mean that.¡±


    Loretta shook her head.


    ¡°For us, the power of the dungeon within us can¡¯t be detached unless we die. To maintain the dungeon, we had to stay within it. Unable to bear the stress built up from countless years, two masters had even given up their seats to others...¡±


    ¡°Wait, doesn¡¯t that mean...¡±


    ¡°They killed themselves.¡±


    I stopped breathing. While I was frozen, Loretta continued.


    ¡°The weight of the passing time had strangled them. There was simply no stimnt. Things were looking too dangerous, and one by one, we began to receive the positions the Lord¡¯s power used to maintain. That was truly a saving grace. More and more people were beginning to require the dungeon¡¯s power, and no matter how amazing she was, she had her limit. We made contact with the dungeon¡¯s explorers and through them, we found a new life. However, that had its own problem.¡±


    ¡°A problem like what happened this time...¡±


    ¡°Yes. I told you something like this happened before, right? The person who first caused trouble was the administrative guild master of Lost Valley. He had fallen in love with an explorer. To save her and her world, he focused too much of the dungeon¡¯s power to her.¡±


    Lost Valley¡¯s guild master, I had already met that person. And she...


    ¡°She became very powerful and seeded in defeating her world¡¯s enemy. Because of the amount of power given to her, the dungeon had reached a point where it ceased to function. The Lost Valley¡¯s master then attempted to escape to her world to live with her.¡±


    ¡°Loretta, wait...¡±


    ¡°Eleine killed him.¡±


    Loretta continued without pause.


    ¡°She returned the dungeon¡¯s power to its normal state and became the new guild master of Lost Valley. A power that could protect her world, she believed that other worlds needed it as well.¡±


    ¡°For that, she killed her lover...¡±


    ¡°Their rtionship was more one sided than mutual. Plus, Eleine has a tough spirit, though she may not look like it.¡±


    ¡°She looked like a girl who just liked to y around.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not wrong either. Didn¡¯t I tell you? She¡¯spletely into Lin right now, so she¡¯s constantly chasing after him, but in the past, it was much worse. She¡¯s the type of girl who doesn¡¯t fall deep into love. To be honest, Eleine¡¯s personality is the most fit for an administrative guild master.¡±


    Loretta¡¯s main point was what followed.


    ¡°After that incident, all administrative guild members including the guild masters began to use puppets instead of their real bodies. Althoughmunicating with explorers was nice, everyone realized that they couldn¡¯t be affected by their encounters too much. Only few became exceptions to this rule. For example, del and Mdel.¡±


    ¡°Even so, nothing could stop Sipua from falling in love.¡±


    ¡°There just couldn¡¯t be a perfect solution... Just like how I, who had only contacted Shin-nim through a puppet, had fallen in love with Shin-nim.¡±


    Loretta sighed once again.


    ¡°Harboring feelings for or against explorers isn¡¯t encouraged. With this incident, you can see the ending. Even so, I...¡±


    ¡°Loretta...¡±


    ¡°Please, Shin-nim, always stay the way you are... Shining, as you always are...¡±


    She shook her head and mended her words.


    ¡°No, nevermind. Shin-nim should do what Shin-nim wants to do. I won¡¯t pressure Shin-nim anymore, I won¡¯t... That¡¯s the way it should be.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if there are other women. I won¡¯t be selfish, so... If you only look for me, I won¡¯t stray from my path. I won¡¯t be like Sipua. It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    I silently embraced Loretta. With that, Loretta, who was talking nonstop as if she was drunk, became quiet. Lin widened his eyes, Daisy covered her face with her hands, and Sipua shouted something before getting silenced by Daisy¡¯s kick.


    With a nk expression, Loretta spoke.


    ¡°Shin-nim...¡±


    ¡°One day...¡±


    ¡°One day...?¡±


    ¡°No, sorry. It¡¯s a secret for now.¡±


    ¡°Then until Shin-nim is ready to say it, I¡¯ll wait...¡±


    That day, I set a seemingly unpredictable impossible goal. That was the only solution. Now that I hade to know, I couldn¡¯t stop. I could only continue running infinitely.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, Loretta... There is something I need to say.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I like Loretta too... I love you.¡±


    That day, I was almost raped in front of Lin. It was scary.


    Author¡¯s note:


    I threw several plot points, but the readers will probably only focus on Shin¡¯s confession... right?


    That¡¯s right! Congrattions! (Official) Heroine has been decided! And our protagonist¡¯s thorny future has been decided! What will happen to the other heroines!? Will they be thrown away? Will they!? Will the poprity contest¡¯s result be ignored!? For now, no one knows the answer. Follow me to the end! You won¡¯t be disappointed!

 Chapter 241. What Happened Twice Will... (1)

    Chapter 241. What Happened Twice Will... (1)


    Lin immediately headed off to work on the rewards. Since the essories weren¡¯t something that he could make in a day or two, Daisy and I had to give up on seeing them for a while.


    For the record, although Sipua hadmitted grave sins of escaping the dungeon and cooperating with a world¡¯s enemy, considering the situation, she was simply given a punishment of 500 years in confinement. When she heard the punishment, she looked at me with longing eyes, but I just ignored them. It seemed it would be an effective punishment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, Daisy.¡±


    ¡°Un... Aren¡¯t you reproducing?¡±


    ¡°Am I a bacteria!?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, I¡¯ll see you in a bit!¡±


    ¡°You, don¡¯t evere...¡±


    We left Fairy Garden and returned to the guild house. The guild members, who had been waiting for us to return, felt relieved when the dungeon started operating again, and asked us what had happened. However, as it was too dark to tell them, I gave an evasive answer. Not knowing the truth wouldn¡¯t hurt them anyways.


    ¡°Whew, it¡¯s finally over... What¡¯s your n, Daisy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to, sleep.¡±


    Daisy yawned. Now that she mentioned it, I hadn¡¯t slept a wink. Just when I was thinking about going to sleep too, Daisy took off her beret in the middle of the hallway, then threw off her coat. Then, she suddenly tilted her head and asked.


    ¡°Sleep together?¡±


    ¡°No! And if you¡¯re going to undress any more, do it in your room!¡±


    ¡°You wanted to sleep...¡±


    ¡°But not with you!¡±


    ¡°... Are you going to sleep, with that elf queen?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that even if you¡¯re joking! Do you know how scared I was!? I¡¯m going to sleep alone, a.l.o.n.e.!¡±


    Although I was exhausted, this whole incident had only taken a day¡¯s worth of time. Other than the fact that Revival had be an A ranked guild, nothing had changed from the day before. Earth was still peaceful, and neither the four remaining kings nor the demon race had appeared.


    Since I didn¡¯t want to go back to the dungeon and fight, I decided to just sleep.


    I had used Overlord and Hermes¡¯ power... It seemed my body was waiting for a rest after a severe physicalbor. After I took a shower, I went to my room in the guild house and fell on my bed like someone who had just finished a marathon. Then, I fell asleep. It felt warm.


    When I woke up, Ina was sleeping next to me.


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    When I sat up, Ina mumbled softly. I patted her and kept her sleeping. But why was Ina in my room? I didn¡¯t need to think for long as I could clearly see the door I had left wide open.


    ¡°Thank god it¡¯s Ina...¡±


    I murmured instinctively and trembled. It seemed the trauma wouldn¡¯t go away for a while. I got down from the bed and got changed. I looked at the clock. It seemed I had been sleeping for 15 hours straight. Considering the fact that I usually only needed 3 hours of sleep, it was a surprising amount.


    ¡°Mm, I might as well go to the dungeon now.¡±


    That was the only way I knew how to spend my free time! Despairing at my battle-ridden lifestyle, I left the room. When I closed the door silently so that Ina could sleep peacefully, Daisy was standing in the hallway.


    ¡°Whoa!¡±


    Daisy stared at me fixedly.


    ¡°You said you would, sleep alone. But you slept, with another woman.¡±


    ¡°Ina¡¯s my daughter!¡±


    ¡°... Will the daughter, also think that?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Since Daisy was the one saying it, I couldn¡¯t help but worry slightly... No, she was just trying to tease me! As if to prove that this was the case, the corner of Daisy¡¯s mouth curled up.


    ¡°Kidding. I didn¡¯t read, her thoughts.¡±


    ¡°If possible, don¡¯t make jokes that are going to give me heart attacks...¡±


    ¡°There is something, I want to say.¡±


    I noticed that Daisy was wearing her formal battle attire which she took off when she went to bed. When she wasn¡¯t going out for battle, she usually wore loose clothes that made the guild¡¯s male members nce at her, so her current attire somewhat stood out.


    ¡°You kept your promise, very quickly. So from now on, I will work, for Kang Shin. I will pay back, this gratitude.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it...? You did your best ever since you entered the guild. Like you did in the Philippines, for example.¡±


    However, Daisy shook her head and spoke.


    ¡°What Kang Shin is doing, I want to do it too.¡±


    ¡°... Hm?¡±


    ¡°What Kang Shin ns on doing, I will do as well.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    I barely understood what she was trying to say. She had seen through my n.


    ¡°Your goal, I like it. So let¡¯s do it, together.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who came up with it... But it¡¯s going to take a long time.¡±


    ¡°Un. Let¡¯s do it, together.¡±


    ¡°As you know, the motive isn¡¯t pure either...¡±


    I scratched my head, and Daisy tilted her head in response.


    ¡°Motive doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s do it, together.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really understand you... but for now, let¡¯s focus on Earth. We have plenty of time to talk about this.¡±


    ¡°Un. I just wanted to, say it early. I wanted to be, your first ally.¡±


    With that, Daisy smiled lightly. Her waning eyes looked beautiful and her smile also brought a smile on my face. I felt like I had obtained an unexpected, but reliable friend.


    ¡°So, do we sleep together, now?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°You sleep with your daughter, but not your ally?¡±


    ¡°You just wanted to tease me, right!?¡±


    After that, I chased away Daisy who started taking her clothes off to go to bed, then returned to Earth. Now that I thought about it, I had to face Beyond¡¯s 20th Floor Master now. Since it hasn¡¯t been a day since I used Overlord, I was a bit hesitant to fight him. Just thinking about a monster that was a mix of Duhans and Grim Reapers made my stomach churn.


    In addition, I realized that I had not seen my family since I came back from the Sylon continent. Mother wasining recently about never being able to see her son¡¯s face, so I nned on using this opportunity to show my face more.


    ¡°Ah, Shin...¡±


    ¡°Ludia.¡±


    The first one I met aftering home was Ludia. The scene of her in her white priestess robe vacuuming the floor was a bit ironic. The fact that she looked so used to it was also a bit sad.


    ¡°I thought you were going toe back home immediately. Did you end up going to the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°No, I just crashed in the guild house.¡±


    ¡°After making me worry to death, really...¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    I didn¡¯t try to make any excuses. Ludia snorted at my honest apology and went back to vacuuming the floor. As she moved the vacuum cleaner forward and backward with as much skill as my mother, she murmured in a voice that barely went through the vacuum noise.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re safe...¡±


    ¡°Thanks for worrying about me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I can do for you, always.¡±


    Her voice carried a self-deprecating tone.


    ¡°Ever since I met you, there hasn¡¯t been a day I haven¡¯t thought about you. You¡¯re really annoying.¡±


    ¡°You were annoying too when we first...¡±


    I quickly dodged a vacuum cleaner swinging at my face. Ludia spoke as she red.


    ¡°How you hate losing an inch annoys me too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying what¡¯s right... No, sorry.¡±


    Ludia, who was preparing for a secondary attack, widened her eyes when I apologized. Then, sheughed and went back to vacuuming. She seemed to be finishing up, but it seemed she had more to say.


    ¡°I keep thinking about it recently... I¡¯ve gotten calmer now, and I¡¯ve got the ease of mind to look back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... good.¡±


    At first, she didn¡¯t want to even move if I wasn¡¯t around. Now, however, it was fine even if I wasn¡¯t around her for several days, and she didn¡¯t even look for me as she climbed the dungeon with Shuna all day. It was a true improvement. It¡¯s been a month since shest crawled onto my bed as well.


    ¡°Like when I first met you, when we reunited... or when you killed Shina.¡±


    ¡°... Ludia.¡±


    It was very rare for Ludia to talk about that incident. Before I noticed, the vacuum cleaner was turned off.


    ¡°It must have been because I was overwhelmed with so many emotions. I didn¡¯t know what the emotions I was feeling were. At that time, I thought I was working for revenge... but it seems that wasn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°... I imagined myself on the other side. What I would have done if it was you who died, not Shina. Then, the answer was simple.¡±


    Ludia returned the vacuum cleaner where it belonged. It seemed we were the only ones in the house as it waspletely silent.


    ¡°How I behaved back then... must have been a desperate evasion.¡±


    I felt like I understood. Seeing her sorrow expression, that was the only thing I could do.


    ¡°I was relieved that you didn¡¯t die. Even when my younger sister died... I was relieved that it was Shina who died, not you. If it was the other way around, I would have killed Shina with my own hands, regardless of whether she was the Demon Lord¡¯s spy or not.¡±


    ¡°Ludia, you can stop there.¡¯


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t forgive myself for how I felt back then. I didn¡¯t want to admit it. That¡¯s why. Even though the answer was so simple...¡±


    She sighed and continued.


    ¡°Shin, back then... No, maybe even before, I must have been in love with you. You must have been more important to me than anything else.¡±


    ¡°Uk...¡±


    As I had just experienced a potentially catastrophic incident that stemmed from love, Ludia¡¯s confession didn¡¯t feel so light. While I was hesitating to say anything, Ludia made a ligh smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a reply. I already know you don¡¯t love me back.¡±


    ¡°Ludia...¡±


    ¡°I said I don¡¯t need a reply. Do you need to reject me thoroughly to be satisfied?¡±


    Ah, her usual way of talking was back. Seeing her frown, I swallowed my words.


    ¡°So the promise is null. It was just me being stubborn anyways, you don¡¯t need to take responsibility for me forever.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°I said don¡¯t reply, you orc.¡±


    Ludia¡¯s hand pped my arm. Then, she gently held my arm. A smile had returned to her face.


    ¡°You can stay just the way you are. I¡¯ll love you on my own and chase you on my own.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be painful for you.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be, stupid. Being able to stay with someone you love is a blessing in itself... Even if that person is in love with someone else.¡±


    She let go of my arm, then put her hands on my shoulders. She fixed her sapphire-like blue eyes onto me and spoke as if to engrave her words on my mind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t n on ever letting go of this love. It might be burdensome and awkward, but just let me be. Being loved by a persistent girl like me is your misfortune, so... continue taking care of me from now.¡±


    I had the feeling things would be exactly like how she described it. That I would be with her forever. I had no way of distancing myself away from her. Could Loretta do it? No, I was certain Loretta couldn¡¯t, and neither could Hwaya, Ye-Eun, or anyone else.


    The day I came to know my love, I obtained a life-long ally and a lovable burden that would follow me eternally.

 Chapter 242. What Happened Twice Will... (2)

    Chapter 242. What Happened Twice Will... (2)


    ¡°Good morning, Oppa.¡±


    The next morning, after sleeping with a nice break from the dungeon, I came face to face with a strange scene. Yua was, of course, as angelic as always, but the problem was...


    ¡°What are you holding?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the egg, Oppa!¡±


    Arge ruby-like egg was sitting in Yua¡¯s embrace, glowing with a red light. I asked just to be sure, but it really was an egg. Yua stroked the egg gently as she spoke.


    ¡°If I hold it like this, the baby will hatch earlier, hehe.¡±


    ¡°Er, mmm, good luck...?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know whether Yua¡¯s nesting would work, but it probably didn¡¯t matter with how cute she looked. However, looking at her with an egg reminded me of the metallic egg Ruyue was caring for in the Fairy Garden. As I headed to the dungeon, I summoned Ruyue and asked.


    ¡°Did that egg hatch yet?¡±


    [No, it¡¯s still sleeping. I think it¡¯s waiting for Shin to get stronger!]


    ¡°Quite cheeky for an egg...¡±


    By getting stronger, she probably meant my elementalist rted skills. A connection of sort had already been established between me and the egg, and it undoubtedly knew I couldn¡¯tmand a fourth elemental. It was truly cheeky. I wondered how amazing it would be.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find out naturally when my skills level up. Ruyue, we¡¯re going to go fight a strong one today.¡±


    [Un!]


    To be honest, I wasn¡¯t really worried. There wouldn¡¯t be any Floor Masters for a while that I wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat with Overlord. Now, I had my sights higher and farther. Breaking through the highest floor in the dungeon, which no one is said to have done, and conquering all of Beyond. These goals weren¡¯t enough anymore. I needed to grow past what the dungeon could give me.


    [It¡¯s been a long time since anyone hase here. You¡¯re the third challenger since I¡¯ve been trapped in this prison.]


    ¡°Third? You¡¯re...¡±


    Both Duhans and Grim Reapers only knew how to charge at me like idiots, so I expected Beyond¡¯s 20th Floor Master to be the same. However, the voice was calm, and the scythe in his hand wasn¡¯t as big as the reapers¡¯ scythes. It seemed he had more characteristics of the reapers as his head wasn¡¯t detached like Duhans either.


    Only, unlike the reapers who were d with rags, he was wearing a thick armor, and was riding on a chariot tied to headless horses.


    [I won¡¯t reveal the names of the defeated, as they¡¯re only numbers to me. Hero, hold up your sword and spear. I am the one who tests, one who eternally dies, a collector of false deaths. All who faced me here have experienced more than one death. Will you be able to defeat me?]


    He raised his head. He had Long hair and a pale yet beautiful face. That face did not belong to a ¡®he¡¯! I was slightly shaken by the unexpected discovery, but I soon calmed down and asked.


    ¡°Are you a woman?¡±


    [Indeed. Although I¡¯ve fallen to a lowly status where I cannot die, I am certainly a woman. But if this causes Hero¡¯s spear edge to be dull, I will be severely disappointed.]


    ¡°Do I look like it would ?¡±


    [I am d that you don¡¯t.]


    She took a stance on her chariot. The headless horses neighed and began to prepare themselves to charge forward. I could instantly see the force that they would carry in their charge. I grinned and shouted as I fully released my charm.


    ¡°Lilith¡¯s Temptation!¡±


    It had only been a day since I dered that I would never use it, but I knew when to use my advantage!


    [You used Lilith¡¯s Temptation! You steal 50% of your target¡¯s health and magic power!]


    [The target falls under ¡®awakened one¡¯s rage¡¯ status effect. In exchange for 50% of her current health, she doubles all her abilities!]


    [Kuaaaaa! You dare insult me with this pitiful technique!]


    [The Elder Reaper¡¯s rage skyrockets, activating ¡®Curse of the Reaper¡¯! For 5 minutes, the chance of receiving a critical hit from the Elder Reaper is multiplied by 10 times! The Elder Reaper¡¯s attack power and speed will increase the more she attacks!]


    To think awakened one¡¯s rage would activate! The Elder Reaper halted from shock the moment she was struck by Lilith¡¯s Temptation, and soon howled in rage as she raised her scythe. My armor already made it easier for me to receive critical hits, but having it multiplied by ten times? Every hit would practically be a critical hit! Really, nothing was easy!


    [You¡¯ll pay for this! I will reap your life!]


    An enormous amount of mana became concentrated on the scythe, creating an ominous grey aura above the scythe. As expected of Beyond¡¯s 20th Floor Master, my body tensed up in response to the powerful aura.


    ¡°I only used my skill!¡±


    I used Divine Speed and shot up to the sky. At the same time, Sharana¡¯s power within me surged up and elerated me further. The dozens of aura des she shot out blew past me and exploded with a thunderous roar when they hit the ceiling.


    This was only the beginning. The headless horses were stomping on air and charging towards me! The chariot was flying!


    [If you¡¯re a Hero, fight me with your strength!]


    ¡°Strength? Sure!¡±


    Indeed, the Elder Reaper¡¯s speed and strength were both terrifying. With all her abilities doubled and her special skill used, the force of her spirit was overwhelming.


    However, she currently only had half of her mana and a fourth of her health! She was a ss cannon. In that case, things were simple. I just had to hit her before she hit me!


    ¡°Kuaaaaang!¡±


    [You used Frozen Roar! All enemies in the battlefield freezes in ce. All allies temporarily be super-armored and has all abilities increased by 50%. Your chance ofnding a critical hit doubles when fighting enemies affected by Frozen Roar.]


    [Kuuk!?]


    Although Frozen Roar didn¡¯t show its full effect against all the powerful enemies I¡¯ve fought recently, it was originally a terrifying skill that froze all enemies in ce! As it couldn¡¯t even freeze the Dragon Zombie on the 15th floor, there was no way it could freeze the Elder Reaper.


    However, it could still thoroughly freeze the chariot and the headless horses!


    [All you have are petty tricks!]


    ¡°Powerful abilities you mean!¡±


    The chariot fell effortlessly. The Elder Reaper jumped out of the chariot without hesitation, while I was already charging towards her after using Overlord. Enveloped by Enigma, I used Divine Speed. To her, I probably looked like a beam of ck light.


    The Elder Reaper realized my position only after I appeared in front her. She quickly raised her scythe, but I was already thrusting my spear towards her.


    [Kuk, coward! And that power!]


    ¡°If there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve learned from all the fights I¡¯ve experienced, it¡¯s that winning trumps all!¡±


    [Kuhuk!]


    The Chaotic Spear prated her breastte. Heroic Strike empowered by Enigma had easily ignored the armor¡¯s defensive power. As I said before, she was only left with a fourth of her health. Although she didn¡¯t instantly die, she was left on the brink of death, most likely with less than 5% of her health left.


    [Kuuk, so easily... Even if I¡¯m destined to forever be harassed, I will not make way for someone who humiliates women!]


    ¡°I never said you should. I¡¯ll find it and walk through it myself!¡±


    She told me to fight her without paying attention to her sex, but she was saying I humiliated her just because I used a skill. How absurd was that? I was even hurt by her words!


    I used Divine Speed once again and roughly pulled out the spear from her body. With Overlord active, I didn¡¯t need to worry about mana. Perhaps thanks to having her abilities doubled, she barely responded to my movements and shot a grey aura de towards me.


    [I will steal a month from you! I will see you afterwards!]


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m going to have to decline your offer for a date!¡±


    Powerful aura could damage the surroundings without ever making contact. With Divine Speed, I shot back and erged the Chaotic Spear¡¯s length and thickness to prate her body once more.


    [Kahaak! You bastard!]


    ¡°Let¡¯s end this!¡±


    [I¡¯ll end you, Hero!]


    In that instant, the Elder Reaper¡¯s aura exploded from all sides. Her aura contained in her scythe was shrinking rapidly and teleporting to random ces to explode!


    I didn¡¯t think such a refined aura technique could exist and gawked at the scene. Soon, I realized that it wasn¡¯t the time to admire her skill, as my HP was falling even as I was being protected by Enigma.


    [Kuuuuk! You think I will kneel!?]


    ¡°Elemental de!¡±


    Ayer made of elementals was added to the spear de. In an instant, the hole in the Elder Reaper¡¯s body became bigger. In the next moment, the Elder Reaper dropped her head with widened eyes.


    [I-Impossible...!]


    The spear I was holding suddenly lost its weight. The Elder Reaper¡¯s body was scattering into particles of light.


    [Amazing! You are the first in Beyond¡¯s history to seed in soloing the Elder Reaper on your first try! You obtained 3 skill point as reward. Remaining skill points: 39]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Elder Reaper Master.¡¯ All stats increase by 2. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You cleared Beyond¡¯s 20th floor. You obtained the qualification to challenge the dungeon¡¯s 71st floor.]


    [Your maximum HP and MP increase by 2%. You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [Experience has been added to skills you frequently used to progress through Beyond¡¯s 20th floor.]


    [You received the only reward left hidden for the First Explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 10.]


    [Secret. Shadow-Hidden de (Epic)]


    ¡°That was easy... too easy.¡±


    Although I defeated her easily, the Elder Reaper was undoubtedly powerful. The chariot driven by the headless horses were extremely quick ( though I got rid of them with Frozen Roar ), the Curse of the Reaper sent chills down my back ( though I was never hit by the Elder Reaper ), and her instant eleration and terrifying aura couldn¡¯t be described with words. If it wasn¡¯t for Lilith¡¯s Temptation, it might have been difficult to subdue her even with Overlord.


    However, in the end, she was a woman and I was a man, a weak man. My vow to never use Lilith¡¯s Temptation again had been broken so quickly...


    ¡°People say what happened twice will happen thrice... Damn, from now on, I¡¯ll only use it on enemies that I know I will kill!¡±


    With that meaningless vow, I deactivated Overlord. Immediately afterwards...


    [Congrattions! You obtained the god of destruction Shiva¡¯s true name!]


    What happened twice in the past had happened a third time.


    Author¡¯s note:


    As you can see, the dungeon will be easy for a while. Considering Shin¡¯s abilities, it would be weird otherwise. So what happens in the dungeon will be shown in quickly and the dangers Shin is facing in reality will be shown more. However, the dungeon will strike back one day. I already have all the characters prepared!

 Chapter 243. What Happened Twice Will... (3)

    Chapter 243. What Happened Twice Will... (3)


    [Your strength, constitution, and magic increases by 20%. All stats increase by 5. Your affinity to all elements increases, and your affinity to the light element increases greatly. Your resistance to poison increases greatly.]


    [Once per day, you can summon Shiva¡¯s trident, ¡®Trish¡¯, for 30 minutes. The summoned Trish will be infused into your weapon and will increase your spear technique¡¯s rank by one level. When attacking, you have a 10% chance of attacking the enemy thrice, dealing 3 times the normal damage.]


    [Once per month, you can summon Shiva¡¯s gana[1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gana], ¡®Nandi¡¯, for 5 minutes. Nandi is a giant bull, and will go berserk upon summoning without caring for its body. It possesses power befitting of a gana of the Destruction God, charging forward with the sole purpose of destroying your target.]


    [Once per year, you can use ¡®Eye of the Destruction God.¡¯ A third eye said to exist on Shiva¡¯s forehead opens, shooting a powerful beam of light forward. As it flies in the speed of light, it is said to be unavoidable and said to be able to destroy anything. Its attack power increases based on your stats.]


    [You obtained three gods¡¯ true names with the body of a human! This is a miraculous event never before seen in the history of the dungeon. Although there are countless other gods who wish to bestow their names to you, it is extremely difficult to carry four gods¡¯ true names with the body of a human. However, if you advance from your current realm, it might be possible to obtain a fourth god¡¯s true name!]


    Although I thought I had gotten stronger, the shock I received this time was enormous. When I obtained Hermes¡¯ true name, my speed had increased by 15%, and when I obtained Zeus¡¯ true name, my strength and charm had increased by 15%. This time, however, my strength, constitution, and magic had all increased by 20%! Without decreasing other stats!


    15% to 30%, 30% to 60%. Rather than the shock from the doubled percentages, the shock from the change in strength, constitution, and magic had greater impact on my body. It was so great that my body, which had conquered 20 Beyond Floors and was at level 71, felt like it was breaking.


    The pain couldn¡¯t even bepared to when I obtained Zeus¡¯ true name. A boundless divine power was surging through my entire body, amplifying my mana and strengthening my muscles and bones. My body was evolving to be more god-like. I gritted my teeth to not fall unconscious.


    ¡°Damn it... I don¡¯t even get a choice of gods¡¯ true names this time...!?¡±


    Even Zeus and Thor had offered their names together. It seemed the strongest deity in Hinduism didn¡¯t want to bepared with another god and put in a ce where he had to wait for my decision. His method of bestowing his true name was too violent.


    For 10 minutes, I writhed in pain as I endured the transformation my body was undergoing. When I got up after the pain subsided, I could feel the change. When I checked my status, my HP had gone past 100,000 and my MP had gone past 180,000. 180,000! The amount of mana flowing through my body had be this monstrous!


    ¡°Mmm...¡±


    However, the world¡¯s enemy I faced in the Sylon continent had even mightier mana. Not just mana, but his pure physical abilities had surpassed every bit of my imagination. Even if I had gotten stronger, there could be others who were stronger. There was no guarantee that the unknown world¡¯s enemy Earth was facing was weaker than the Book Walker¡¯s leader, and the Demon Lord was undoubtedly stronger. Even with a third god¡¯s true name, I wasn¡¯t confident in being able to take the Demon Lord¡¯s life.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that I was weak. It was just that the target ofparison was bad. If I utilized the power I obtained this time well, I could probably fight evenly with a world¡¯s enemy on the Lava King¡¯s level.


    Trish, which raised my spear technique rank and increased my attack power, was perfect for me, and although it could only be used once per month, Nandi was also a wide area weapon with immense destructive power.


    Finally, there was Shiva¡¯s third eye, which could destroy anything. Since it could only be used one per year, its destructive power was guaranteed. Even the Demon Lord wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore this attack. Thinking about all these, I felt full of spirit. With this, I had obtained another potent way of attacking!


    ¡°Good. I can still be much stronger!¡±


    I had only just cleared the 70th floor. Including Beyond and the First Dungeon, there were still 60 floors to go. I could definitely grow stronger by several times.


    ¡°The reward...¡±


    The message window kept bugging me to pick my reward. I only had one choice, so I didn¡¯t know why it wouldn¡¯t just give it to me! I picked the Shadow-Hidden de as I grumbled. I expected it to be a weapon, but it was unexpectedly an earring.


    [Shadow-Hidden de (Epic)


    Durability ¨C 850/850


    Equipment Requirement ¨C Elder Reaper¡¯s Master, Strength 300+, Magic 300+


    Option ¨C Strength +30, Magic +30. When you attack or are attacked, and the attacknds as a critical hit, arge reaper¡¯s scythe appears and attacks the enemy. The attack power of the reaper¡¯s scythe increases based on your strength and magic stats.]


    ¡°Ah, this is...!¡±


    The item description was short, but the effect was nothing to scoff at. The fact that it also activated when I was hit by a critical hit was a great advantage. Although I would need to use it once to make solid judgment, the word ¡®reaper¡¯s scythe¡¯ was strangely enticing.


    After thinking about my choices for a long time, I took off the Blood Subus¡¯ Earring and put on the Shadow-Hidden de. The dark red color of the Blood Subus¡¯s Earring looked good with the Golden Teardrop which had a beautiful golden gem, but the Shadow-Hidden de¡¯s ck metallic was more masculine and didn¡¯t go well with the Golden Teardrop.


    Looking at my face reflected on my spear de, I hesitated. Was this okay?


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s my stats that matter the most, let¡¯s ignore this. It feels like I¡¯m emitting less scent too.¡±


    Blood Subus¡¯ Earring had an effect of amplifying my charm and emitting a scent that made it easier for the opposite sex to like me. Although the Blood Subus¡¯ Earring¡¯s effect became unnoticeable with my overly high charm, I still felt like taking the earring off made the scent diminish. I was certain.


    As I stepped out to the Floor Shop, I decided to give the Blood Subus¡¯ Earring to Yua, who regrly utilized the charm stat. When Loretta saw me, she flinched.


    ¡°Ah! Did Shin-nim obtain another true name!?¡±


    ¡°Yep, it was Shiva¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Shiva... The Destruction God!? Shin-nim¡¯s body could contain Shiva¡¯s power? I was just thinking how Shin-nim¡¯s body seemed different... I¡¯ll have to examine it.¡±


    With a surprised face, Loretta was feeling my body here and there...


    ¡°I can clearly see your other thoughts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to check whether something¡¯s wrong with Shin-nim¡¯s body...¡±


    ¡°Eit.¡±


    When I forcefully dragged Loretta off, she pouted and grumbled. I ignored herints and asked.


    ¡°So, is anything off?¡±


    ¡°Yes? ... Ah.¡±


    ¡°... Youpletely forgot about it with your evil intentions...¡±


    ¡°Uhu.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think smiling cutely will change anything.¡±


    Next, Loretta thoroughly checked my body without any ulterior motives. She then told me that my body was tense with a third god¡¯s power shing with the first two gods¡¯ powers. I¡¯d been thinking the same thing.


    ¡°So make sure you rest!¡±


    ¡°Do I really need to? The 71st floor won¡¯t be hard.¡±


    ¡°epting three gods¡¯ powers in one body is already shocking. Before they can find their bnce, Shin-nim needs to rest. If possible, don¡¯t use their powers and rest thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°But I already got ample rest from yesterday. Do I have to rest more?¡±


    When I asked with a sigh, Loretta pped and shoved her face towards me. Her golden pupils were staring at me fixedly.


    ¡°In that case, y with me! I want to treat Shin-nim to something! Let¡¯s go to Fairy Garden together, hurry!¡±


    ¡°No, Loretta¡¯s eyes look too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I have no evil intentions, really! Not even a bit!¡±


    I would rather believe my mother¡¯s words that she¡¯d return the New Year¡¯s pocket money I entrusted her with than believe Loretta¡¯s words with her beast-like eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back, Loretta.¡±


    ¡°Ah, aaaaah! Shin-nim, Shin-niiiiim!¡±


    I waved my hand at Loretta who desperately cried out my name, and came out to Earth. I certainly felt a bit off from the shock of receiving Shiva¡¯s true name, and I could somewhat feel the uncontroble powers shing against each other within my body. However, ever since I learned mana, I had a cure-all way for when the state of my body was weird. It was Peruta Circuit.


    Yua had gone to school, Father and Ludia were in the dungeon, and Mother had gone to work. As a result, I found myself alone at home. In the serene stillness, I began to circte Peruta Circuit.


    I gathered the roiling mana in one ce and forcefully pulled the stubborn powers with Peruta Circuit¡¯s rotational power. Once incorporated into Peruta Circuit¡¯s flow, the cirction speed elerated. Pulling outside mana into my body while controlling the mana within me, I refined my mana with endless circtions.


    ¡°Gods¡¯ powers are really hard to control... No, focus, focus.¡±


    To be more used to a god¡¯s true name and to better draw forth its power, one needed to identify and wield divine power. I recognized Hermes¡¯ power, Zeus¡¯ power, and Shiva¡¯s power as separate entities, and worked to control them.


    To fight against worlds¡¯ enemies, I needed to be able to wield powers outside the dungeon¡¯s system. It was easy to overlook the fact that gods¡¯ true names were also being controlled through the dungeon¡¯s power. Although it was nice having a supporter that helped me wield a god¡¯s power, in the end, I needed to make the powers I had into my own without relying on the dungeon. Only then could I say that I had the qualification to be a holder of a god¡¯s true name.


    I heard that even in the past when the dungeon didn¡¯t exist, gods bestowed deserving people with their names. Just like how I wielded Peruta Circuit, spear technique, and elemental techniques without the system¡¯s help, in the past, gods¡¯ true names must have also been given to people as unique abilities.


    As such, I needed to be able to use gods¡¯ true names like they were my own, not just by shouting skill names. Once I could do that, I would be able to call myself god¡¯s true name holder. When that became possible, my league...!


    ¡°Mm? Didn¡¯t something just sh?¡±


    Just when I thought I hade to grasp something important, my heart thumped. However, no matter how much I tried to recall my thoughts, I couldn¡¯t do so. Since wrenching my head didn¡¯t result in a solution, I decided to go back to focusing on Peruta Circuit. No matter the case, it was certain that I was walking towards the right path!


    Peruta Circuit had the ability to make one focus. Almost as if I was half-asleep, I circted Peruta Circuit peacefully. Suddenly, I was ambushed by message noona.


    [Event Dungeons have been mass-created on Earth! There are too many dungeons beyond past dungeons¡¯ difficulty. Please clear them before it¡¯s toote!]


    Right.


    What happened twice happened thrice. The sudden attack of Event Dungeons also arrived at the most unexpected time!

 Chapter 244. What Happened Twice Will... (4)

    Chapter 244. What Happened Twice Will... (4)


    I shot up from my cross-legged position. When I woke, it was already five in the afternoon. I had been focusing on Peruta Circuit without moving an inch for the past five hours. That said, focusing on Peruta Circuit seemed to be effective as my body felt much more like my own.


    I¡¯ve gotten somewhat used to all the changes to my stats and the gods¡¯ powers have also somewhat calmed down. Even so, they were still roaming around my body unstably. I thought about cornering them somewhere in my body, but for now, they wouldn¡¯t budge an inch.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about thatter...¡±


    I kicked open the door and walked down to the living room. Yua in her school uniform was running into the house.


    ¡°Oppa, have you heard!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Did you go to school like that!?¡±


    I looked at the red egg in Yua¡¯s arms and shouted in shock. Yua smiled and replied.


    ¡°Students and teachers both know I¡¯m an ability user. The teachers allow this much.¡±


    ¡°Well... If Yua¡¯s okay with it, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, I can feel the child moving. It won¡¯t be long before it hatches!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±


    Is it just me or did my younger sister change somewhat after getting her ability...!?


    In any case, I headed to the guild house with Father and Ludia who left the dungeon as soon as they heard the message. Everyone besides the guild members outside the country were all gathered in the guild house. A few subi were stationed in front of the mansion and greeted me when they saw me.


    ¡°Dear Husband... Master has arrived!¡±


    ¡°Shin, you were outside? That was quick!¡±


    When I entered the conference room, Hwaya greeted me with widened eyes. Mm, I could tell what she thought of me with those words. With a bitter smile, I asked.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t determined the number yet, right?¡±


    ¡°Un. We have the subi units on it right now. We already reported the situation to each country¡¯s Freedom Wing and Guardian.¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband, the situation seems rough. Just the number we have now is...¡±


    Licorice put her hand on the crystal ball in the middle of the conference room. Immediately, the video projected on the wall changed. On a world map, numerous red dots were being drawn.


    ¡°This is what I think it is, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, these are all Event Dungeons.¡±


    The subi¡¯s dungeon search started from Korea. As we were getting live updates from them, the red dots looked like they were spreading from Korea to surrounding countries. In this short period, Korea, China, and Japan had already beenpletely explored. The number of red dots seemed to easily go past 100...


    ¡°How many Event Dungeons did we clearst time...?¡±


    ¡°About 300.¡±


    Hwaya answered. Her expression was also a bit stiff. Even as we were talking, more red dots were being drawn.


    ¡°We n on getting Freedom Wing and Guardian¡¯s help for this time¡¯s investigation and dungeon clear. With the Philippines videos, our approval rating grew to equal Freedom Wing¡¯s and Guardian¡¯s. They won¡¯t be able to decline our request for cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Right, with this many...¡±


    ¡°Un. We have Licorice¡¯s subi, but even with their strengths taken into ount, it might be difficult to clear all these Event Dungeons in time. It¡¯s not like we can split the units further either... We can¡¯t sacrifice more of them.¡±


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    I looked at the world map on the wall and pondered. In the past, Event Dungeons didn¡¯t spawn in the ocean, but this time, there were more red dots in the water than onnd. There might be a thousand or even more. Eliminating all these within two months with the power of humanity? It would be impossible without the subi¡¯s help.


    ¡°Thank god Licorice came to me...¡±


    ¡°Good, Dear Husband, I recorded that. We¡¯ll y it repeatedly as a background music for our wedding.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even casuallyment on something now!?¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that this time, so I was prepared!¡±


    Licorice quickly hid the recorder in her clothes, so I couldn¡¯t even steal it from her. Yua who was standing to my side growled at her threateningly, but she only looked cute.


    While I told Licorice off and soothed Yua, Hwaya who was staring at the world map murmured in a serious tone.


    ¡°Fast. This is too fast... The gap between the first wave of Event Dungeons and the second wave of Event Dungeons was over a year. This time, it only took four months. If this continues, all of Earth might get covered in Event Dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Earth¡¯s current situation, middle stage of invasion.¡±


    At that moment, Daisy opened her mouth. She was already in her battle uniform. She hade ready to fight.


    Her calm and quiet voice rang out in the conference room.


    ¡°People of Earth, defended well until now. But the real invasion starts now. It was the same, for my continent. Rather than humanity¡¯s preparation, the invasion was faster.¡±


    ¡°You were born before the start of Sylon continent¡¯s invasion?¡±


    ¡°Un... I was young. Kang Shin, very young.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it.¡±


    She was emphasizing the fact that she wasn¡¯t that old.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t take, long. The Book Walker¡¯s captain descended, 50 years after the first invasion. That was, 80 years after the dungeon, came to Sylon.¡±


    ¡°50 years since the first invasion?¡±


    ¡°At first there were, only a few Book Walkers. Few yearster, there were dozens. Ten yearster, there were hundreds. That was, when we first started, paying attention to them. Explorers didn¡¯t care much. They were overconfident, in the continent¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Because unlike on Earth, monsters already existed in Sylon continent and there were many ability users who could wield mana.¡±


    On Earth, ability users only appeared after the invasion began. The dungeon seemed to have existed long before then, but there were only a few explorers and no proper organizations either. Earth¡¯s situation was vastly different than Sylon¡¯s.


    However, even Sylon continent had several tens of years before the invasion really began. What did Sylon continent¡¯s ability users do during that time?


    ¡°Wars between empires and kingdoms. No one paid attention, to the Book Walkers. It was different from Earth. Book Walkers were, consideredmon mutations of monsters.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how they missed several tens of years of preparation.¡±


    ¡°Dungeon explorers... knew other worlds were in danger. But until they were directly faced with danger, they didn¡¯t prepare. What was important to them wasnd, soldiers, wars, women, and political power. Only a few small kingdoms, like Selone Kingdom, prepared.¡±


    Greed moved people. It was the same on Earth. Everyone thought of monsters as a resource to be exploited. No one considered them as a source of danger threatening humanity even after several countries and regions were lost because of them.


    ¡°Earth feels weird. There are very little ability users, it¡¯s easy for strong people to shine. Kang Shin holds the lead, and is very aggressive on monster extermination. This is, our advantage.¡±


    Unfortunately, the reality wasn¡¯t so simple.


    ¡°But the invasion is, too fast. Compared to my continent, it¡¯s faster by ten times, or even more.¡±


    ¡°You mean the invasion will only get quicker from now?¡±


    ¡°Invasion, elerates. Mass infestation... Maybe, next time is thest.¡±


    I knew what the st¡¯ signified. The Demon Lord Army and the monsters, one of the two forces would descendpletely... If that happened, it would really be the end. Humanity had started a difficult fight. However, before I felt hopeless, I shook my head.


    ¡°No, Loretta said we had two years. We should have 22 months before one of the forcespletely descends.¡±


    ¡°Even the dungeon¡¯s Lord, cannot guarantee the time, we have. It would be nice, if we had two years, even if it was two months, we couldn¡¯t say anything. The world is irrational.¡±


    Daisy spoke calmly.


    ¡°Kang Shin. Be ready, to lose a little.¡±


    I stopped breathing. It felt like she had seen through my heart.


    ¡°You are already, a miracle. Butplete defense of Earth is, too hard. It¡¯s nice to have high hopes, but when you fall, there will be, greater pain.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear that right now, Daisy. We¡¯ve defended well until now. Rather than talking about discouraging topics, isn¡¯t it better to talk about how to effectively get rid of those Event Dungeons?¡±


    Hwaya interrupted Daisy. Daisy shrugged and stepped back.


    ¡°I just thought, Kang Shin needed to be determined. With determination, it will hurt less. I was a bit worried, for Kang Shin... I experienced, the same thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about Shin too, but...¡±


    Hwaya and Daisy exchanged nces. A few secondster, Daisy squished her beret down and took a step back, while Hwaya took a step forward with a small sigh. After the inexplicable exchange of nces ended, Hwaya red at me and pointed at the wall with a stick.


    ¡°Let¡¯s change the topic to forming teams.¡±


    The number of red dots on the world map had gone past 200 now, and not even a fifth of Earth had been explored. Hwaya let out a dry cough and touched the crystal ball, making about ten figures next to the world map.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to wait until we finished investigating, but for now, we¡¯ll split into teams.¡±


    On the screen, she disyed the names of Revival¡¯s members and the 7 explorers we¡¯ve chosen so far.


    ¡°First, all the explorers broke through the 20th floor. They haven¡¯t appointed anyone yet either.¡±


    ¡°If we knew more Event Dungeons would break out, we would have selected more.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it now. This won¡¯t be thest time Event Dungeons appear either. We just have to increase the number of dungeon explorers before then. In any case, we have to focus on the growth of these seven explorers and other Revival members who didn¡¯t participate in thest Event Dungeon subjugation. We¡¯ll let them form teams and add in one or two Revival members. They¡¯ll focus on conquering low ranked Event Dungeons to farm as many stat points and skill points as possible.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to be prepared for Event Raids too.¡±


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯ll just add more ability users to the teams and have them clear Event Dungeons quickly. It¡¯ll get busy for a while, so be ready, everyone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready. I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment. I¡¯ll be of help to everyone.¡±


    yda Van was the first to answer. Mm, it was still hard to talk to her. Michel, haven¡¯t you conquered yda yet!?


    ¡°Me too. I won¡¯t be a burden!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy I can get even stronger.¡±


    As Yua clenched her fists, Lebuik also spoke with a wild beast-like smile. On the other hand, Ren stared at the red dots silently and finally spoke with a low tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to pay back my debts. Crown Prince, what you¡¯ve done for the Panan continent, I will do the same for Earth.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but don¡¯t get a hole in your stomach, Ren. That hurt a lot.¡±


    ¡°You got a hole in your stomach!? Show me, Oppa! Why didn¡¯t you tell me this before!?¡±


    Ah, oops...


    Soon afterwards, the seventeen members of Revival, the other seven explorers, and 176 subi from the battle units formed a total of 16 teams. Although there were teams made of just subi, there weren¡¯t any made of just explorers. It was because subi¡¯s special trait allowed them to share information faster and more urately than explorers¡¯ messaging system.


    As for my team, I was the only one in it.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough people. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to be with you, but honestly, you do everything yourself anyways!¡±


    At Hwaya¡¯s heartless selection, I cried. Thankfully, I would at least have Licorice, Plene, and Lotte with me.


    Just like that, our third Event Dungeon subjugation mission started.

 Chapter 245. What Happened Once Will... (5)

    Chapter 245. What Happened Once Will... (5)


    Although we finished forming our teams,pletely discerning the number of Event Dungeons and appropriately distributing the teams had only just begun. We couldn¡¯t ignore each country¡¯s Freedom Wing and Guardian either. It would be fine if we squashed their spirit like before, but now, they were willing to cooperate. We couldn¡¯t just force our way in while there was still room for negotiation.


    From clearing Event Dungeons, we could obtain rewards, stat points, and skill points. There was a limit to the rewards we could get from Event Dungeons under A+ rank, and there was currently more than enough of such dungeons to go around for the new Revival members.


    If possible, no, certainly, Freedom Wing and Guardian had to also take on Event Dungeons. All these things couldn¡¯t be done in a single day, so we had to wait knowing that we were being chased for time.


    Of course, we didn¡¯t just y around as we waited for the logistics to be taken care of. We immediately called the seven explorers to Korea, and they arrived extremely quickly. They had heard the message when the Event Dungeons spawned and had been waiting for our call. When all seven explorers arrived, I started exining the current situation.


    ¡°Everyone should know what Event Dungeons are, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I hope everyone realizes how much danger Earth is in. Of course, just like we did in the past, Revival ns on destroying all Event Dungeons.¡±


    ¡°I heard we discovered over 800 of them so far.¡±


    At one of the explorers¡¯ment, I shook my head.


    ¡°Not even close. There¡¯s easily over a thousand of them. The Event Dungeons really outdid themselves this time. The scale is beyond anyone¡¯s imagination. We have to hurry.¡±


    ¡°We can clear Event Dungeons, right? There wasn¡¯t anything in the contract about them.¡±


    One of the more sensible female explorer asked. I replied with a grin.


    ¡°Of course you can. As long as we can get rid of the Event Dungeons, it doesn¡¯t matter who does it. We had no ns to limit them in the first ce. Now, you must be wondering why we called you here if we didn¡¯t n on restricting you. Well, you should already know the reason. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t havee.¡±


    ¡°... We can receive Revival¡¯s help?¡±


    This time, it was a male explorer with a fairly deep voice. I nodded.


    ¡°Everyone will have to clear Event Dungeons based on their difficulties. You¡¯ll be able to receive help from your governments and institutions. But the time it takes for Event Dungeons to transform into Field Dungeons is... two months. How many dungeons do you think you¡¯ll clear if you work diligently?¡±


    ¡°Not more than thirty, I would think.¡±


    ¡°Fifteen for me... Spain doesn¡¯t have many high rankers.¡±


    ¡°My country is fully supporting me. I¡¯ll be able to do fifty.¡±


    ¡°You should know how many dungeons Revival clearedst time, right?¡±


    Everyone became quiet. Good, I didn¡¯t need to convince them anymore. In the first ce, the reason I called them was to give them the maximum benefits. Taking care of them this much... Shouldn¡¯t someone give me an award!?


    ¡°Sorry, but we formed teams without your consent. Of course, if you dislike it, we can exclude you and let you work freely. But if you want to be with us...¡±


    I paused for a moment, but seeing the seven explorers looking at me with sparkling eyes, I continued with a wry smile.


    ¡°We¡¯ll help you maximize the stats you can gain from Event Dungeons. That will help you in your future dungeon clears too.¡±


    In truth, it won¡¯t just help them, it will help them greatly to the point they can climb to the 50th floor easily. Once we were done, they should be twice as strong as they were now!


    As expected, none of them were idiots who would decline such an offer.


    Currently, the subi were busily pping their bat wings, flying around the whole world to identify the Event Dungeons¡¯ locations, scales, and ranks. At the same time, Hwaya, Sumire, and Sophie who were good at talking to government agencies were busily discussing with each country¡¯s Guardian and Freedom Wing.


    Meanwhile, I decided to clean up the region that wouldn¡¯t cause any troubled... South Korea.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take this chance and get rid of all the regions upied by monsters.¡±


    ¡°Jeo Province, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    From South Jeo Province to Imsil County in North Jeo Province was upied by monsters, an area covering about three fourths of Jeo Province. Although Korean ability users had tried twice to reim thisnd, they were forced to quit after incurring many causalities. Currently, there was a fence around the border of the region with over 40% of Korean Guardians being deployed to protect it.


    I didn¡¯t really need anyone to help me, but I threw the seven explorers and other Revival members who needed the stat points into my team. The exception being Sophie, who was in the middle of negotiating with Freedom Wing.


    There were 48 Event Dungeons in South Korea. There were too many considering its small size, and most of them were near the upied Jeo Province.


    In the past, we just cleared the Event Dungeons due tock of time, but this time, I nned on wiping out every single monster in Jeo Province. Since I was doing this, I decided to go through Jeo Province properly. Unexpectedly, the entire South Korea buzzed with our guild house being overwhelmed with reporters.


    ¡°Mr. Kang Shin, is there a big reason you decided to reim Jeo Province?¡±


    ¡°Many Korean citizens were asking why you left Jeo Province alone while you cleared the Philippines. Is there a particr reason?¡±


    ¡°Do you have anyments on your talk with the government?¡±


    ¡°Joined efforts of Korea¡¯s Guardian and Freedom Wing only faced difficulties in Jeo Province. Do you have any strategy in mind to chase the monsters out?¡±


    ¡°There are rumors of you and Amy, a Korean and Japan¡¯s hottest idol, being madly in love with each other. Can youment on that?¡±


    I looked back at Yua who was standing behind me modestly. Other than the red egg in her arms, she was holding herself in the perfect posture. I asked her a short question.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Amy, Yua?¡±


    ¡°Huhu, Oppa doesn¡¯t have to know. It¡¯s nothing important. She¡¯s just some ugly woman.¡±


    Ren, who was watching us from the side, murmured with a strange expression.


    ¡°So this was the reason I knew more about Earth¡¯s idols than Crown Prince... Amy... She¡¯s pretty...¡±


    ¡°Ren-nim, can you repeat that? You were looking at Earth¡¯s idols while you should be taking care of the children?¡±


    ¡°L-Lebuik? Your eyes are scary. Uuk, sorry, I¡¯m sorry! I won¡¯t do it again!¡±


    Seeing what happened between Ren and Lebuik with a simple question, I realized asking more questions would only get more annoying. I chased the reporters away and got on the ne with everyone else. To finish clearing Korea¡¯s dungeons, I needed a ne.


    In truth, there wasn¡¯t a particr reason that I left Jeo Province alone. When we were clearing the second wave of Event Dungeons, we didn¡¯t have time to care about reimingnds. Afterwards, there were much more important things to do than reiming Jeo Province. After reiming the Philippines, I thought about reiming Korea¡¯s lostnds, but too many things had happened one after the other.


    Plus, talk with the government? If I said I wanted to clean up Jeo Province, they should kowtow and thank me. They weren¡¯t in any position to demand anything from me. After all, there was nothing they could do for me.


    This was also the first time I heard about this Amy woman. In the first ce, I haven¡¯t watched TV in a long time, so I didn¡¯t know the names of any idols. Unlike other girls her age, Yua also didn¡¯t have any interest in idols. Us brother and sister were rather apathetic in this regard. Naturally, I was stunned by this rumor of me going out with an idol. It made me realize how famous I had gotten.


    Finally, in regards to the strategy for reiming Jeo Province, I indeed had one.


    ¡°Wow, how pretty. I¡¯m surprised she isn¡¯t human.¡±


    ¡°Only someone of Revival¡¯s master caliber can possess such a beautiful monster.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had a girlfriend, even if she¡¯s a monster.¡±


    While some of the explorers were whispering among themselves, Plene hopped out of the ne and stood next to me. She was tightly holding on to a short ck rod, which she held up next to her mouth. It was a magical tool devised by me and crafted by the First Dungeon¡¯s famous artifact crafter, Hobgoblin del.


    It was a microphone of sort that had the power to amplify the range and effect of magical power in sounds. Although the effect wasn¡¯t amplified by much, the range was more than doubled. The material to craft the microphone came from Beyond. As Beyond didn¡¯t drop crafting materials often, I only had enough to craft this one item, but it was the perfect magical tool for Plene!


    ... In truth, I was looking to make a magical tool that could amplify the effect of my Evil Eyes, but due to ack of material and technique, I had to settle with this. I tried not to think about it too much as it hurt me.


    In any case, the strategy I had was using Plene¡¯s singing and my Evil Eyes. It was the most effective and destructivebination for instantly cleaning up a wide area.


    The explorers, who didn¡¯t know my Evil Eyes¡¯ power, seemed worried when they heard Plene would be attracting monsters with her singing. However, yda, Leon, and Michel who knew about my power looked at Plene and me with excitement.


    Plene cleared her throat and gave me a bright smile.


    ¡°Ehem, I¡¯ll show you my improved singing skills. Shin will fall in love with it too!¡±


    ¡°Yep, I¡¯m leaving it to you. Thanks as always.¡±


    ¡°I gotplimented! Shinplimented me!¡±


    When Plene jumped happily, Lotte, who was prepared to fly up whenever I gave the signal, pped her wings in difort and scolded her.


    [Can you just start singing, stupid?]


    ¡°Shin said I wasn¡¯t stupid! The person who calls others stupid is stupid!¡±


    [I¡¯m not human. I¡¯m a wyvern, stupid.]


    ¡°Hic... Uwaaaah!¡±


    ¡°Lotte, don¡¯t make her cry!¡±


    From then, it took 3 minutes for Plene to calm down and start singing.


    ¡°Lla~¡±


    [... Hmph, you¡¯re stupid, but I¡¯ll admit you can sing.]


    ¡°It¡¯ll get busy soon, so let¡¯s listen to her sing for now.¡±


    Plene¡¯s beautiful ringing voice seemed to dig deep into our hearts as everyone stood enchanted by her singing. At the same time, her voice spread to the entire Imsil County. Plene could already send her singing voice far and wide, but with the magical tool¡¯s amplification, her voice reached even farther.


    Through the crumbled buildings, dense trees, and tall mountains and hills, her singing voice left the whole world listening and breathless.


    ¡°Lla~ Ll~¡±


    ¡°My god.¡±


    ¡°Is this a voice a human can have? Ah, she¡¯s a monster.¡±


    ¡°I think Amy sings better...¡±


    ¡°Shh! Didn¡¯t you hear? The guild master is going out with Amy. Be quiet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. I don¡¯t even know her face!¡±


    This damned Amy! If I ever see her, she¡¯s going to get an earful from me! As I growled at the other explorers, we could see the mob of monsters rushing towards us. Seeing the monsters filling up the sky and earth while stampeding through the already crumbled buildings, the explorers who were enjoying Plene¡¯s singing turned pale.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit dangerous!?¡±


    ¡°Just how many are there?¡±


    ¡°I was looking down on Korea¡¯s monsters, but Korea was actually this dangerous... Damn.¡±


    The explorers made understandable reactions and tensed up. I grinned and slowly flew up on Lotte¡¯s back. I closed my eyes and whispered to Lotte.


    ¡°Sorry, Lotte. Things are going to get busy from now.¡±


    [I already became one with Hero, so Hero doesn¡¯t need to apologize.]


    ¡°... Right, thanks.¡±


    [I could say the same.]


    After this short conversation, I opened my eyes. The thousands of monsters flying in the sky instantly turned to stone and fell.


    ¡°Monsters of earth, take this! Evil Eyes of Petrification, Stone Rain!¡±


    Of course, Stone Rain wasn¡¯t a real skill, but the effect was good enough to be considered a real skill, as giant rocks pummeling down from the sky could deal ample damage to even powerful monsters.


    Monsters stampeding towards us were promptly squashed by the raining stones. Those that survived looked up instinctively and were turned into stone by my Evil Eyes. As all monsters within my vision met this same fate, it only took three minutes for the tens of thousands of monsters to turn into stone.


    In the past, we would have moved to different locations to sing, but Plene¡¯s current range of singing was nothing like the past. She didn¡¯t need to stop singing and we didn¡¯t need to move elsewhere. We could end everything here!


    ¡°Come! Come!¡±


    ¡°The hell is this...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the stories, but seeing it in person is...¡±


    ¡°Shin. Maybe he really is a god.[1. Remember, Shin means god in Korean.]¡±


    That day, we sessfully wiped the sea of monsters in Jeo Province and cleared all Event Dungeons. The explorers who followed me there came out with dozens of bonus stats and luxurious equipment, and Chaotic Spear finally reached 80% in growth.


    The next day, the real Event Dungeon conquest began.

 Chapter 246. What Happened Once Will... (6)

    Chapter 246. What Happened Once Will... (6)


    ¡°Careful, Shin. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine with Licorice and Lotte around, but if someone on the Lava King¡¯s level appears, you have to wait for us. Got it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who put me in a team by myself...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s that, and this is this.¡±


    I flicked back Hwaya¡¯s forehead as she approached me. Seeing her rub her forehead and mumbling inint drew a smile on my face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry and leave it to me. I¡¯lle back safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    Unlike me, Hwaya had one explorer, Michel, and yda in her team. Other members of Revival were in simr teams. The reason I was in a team by myself was that there was just too many Event Dungeons. Someone had to decrease the number without caring for the stat points and rewards. More exactly, the number of Event Dungeons I was in charge of was 317. In other words, I would have to clear about five Event Dungeons per day. Among them were 60 S rank dungeons.


    ¡°Dear Husband, let¡¯s go. Uhuhu.¡±


    ¡°Licorice, you better not try anything funny, or else...¡±


    ¡°I know, Hwaya.¡±


    ¡°Kuu, I can¡¯t trust you...!¡±


    With Licorice and Plene, I hopped on Lotte¡¯s back. As some of the other teams had already set out, only a few came to see me off, though there were plenty of reporters with mics and cameras pointed towards me.


    [Hero, can I step on them before I fly up?]


    ¡°Sorry, Lotte. I don¡¯t want to make headlines like that.¡±


    Lotte snorted as if she wasn¡¯t content, then pped her wings and blew the crowd away. Next, pping her red striped wings once more, she kicked off the ground and into the air.


    [Where are we going, Hero!?]


    ¡°We¡¯re going to fly around the Pacific and clear the ocean based dungeons. Then, we¡¯ll clean up the rest of Oceania starting from Papua New Guinea.¡±


    ¡°So Dear Husband¡¯s scale of operation is the five seas and the six continents... Will we be able to go through an entire continent and an ocean in just two months?¡±


    ¡°Actually, we have another continent and another ocean too.¡±


    I spoke calmly.


    ¡°We¡¯re also in charge of Antarctica and the Antarctic Ocean. You guys brought your anti-cold equipment right?¡±


    ¡°... Kyaaak! What is Dear Husband and Hwaya thinking!? That¡¯s a third of Earth! Dear Husband is in charge of a third of Earth? Is the word ¡®impossible¡¯ in Dear Husband¡¯s dictionary?¡±


    The tight schedule caused Licorice to scream. I patted her head and consoled her.


    ¡°That just shows how much of an emergency we¡¯re in. With Plene¡¯s ability and my ability, we¡¯ll be able to take care of dungeons under SS rank quickly, so it won¡¯t be that difficult. I¡¯ll let everyone rest once a week too.¡±


    ¡°But Dear Husband is going to go the dungeon while we¡¯re resting.¡±


    ¡°Uk!¡±


    Licorice¡¯s razor sharpment almost cut me. Licorice looked at me disapprovingly and spoke.


    ¡°I already know how Dear Husband thinks. Dear Husband is nning on climbing the First Dungeon while we¡¯re sleeping and breaking through Beyond during the once a week break, right?¡±


    ¡°Uk.¡±


    It was all true. There was nothing for me to argue about. Seeing me speechless, Licorice made a wry smile.


    ¡°I can somewhat understand how Dear Husband has gotten so strong at such a young age. Dear Husband can¡¯t stop climbing the dungeon with the situation Earth is in, right?¡±


    ¡°Right, I can¡¯t stop even if I know I shouldn¡¯t rush myself.¡±


    I could easily climb the dungeon at the moment due to the vast difference between my strength and the dungeon¡¯s required standard. However, this wouldn¡¯t continue forever. I would eventually reach a wall. I had to climb the dungeon as much as I could if I had the time.


    ... Especially since I might arrive at that wall within these two months.


    The Pacific Ocean was Earth¡¯srgest and deepest ocean. Over 100 Event Dungeons had spawned in the Pacific Ocean. On average, their difficulty ratings were higher thannd based Event Dungeons, as it was hard to find dungeons ranked below B.


    ¡°There weren¡¯t that many underwater dungeonsst time.¡±


    Four days after we left Korea, I murmured after clearing the 27th underwater dungeon and popping out of the water. Plene who also peeked out of the water next to me squeezed her wet hair andughed happily.


    ¡°I love water!¡±


    ¡°I hate it. My wings and tail get wet.¡±


    ¡°I agree. I hate the ocean.¡±


    Licorice wrapped herself and Lotte in a bubble and was floating in the air. With a single wave of her hand, she summoned several tens of bats outside the bubble and spread them out. They were looking for the next nearest dungeon for us to visit.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a S+ rank dungeon nearby.¡±


    ¡°I can get stat points. Let¡¯s hurry. Don¡¯t make that face.¡±


    ¡°I really hate water. Hero is stupid...¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t Dear Husband go alone? No, nevermind. Let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t leave Dear Husband to just this idiot. Ehew.¡±


    Unlike Plene, who loved the ocean as expected of a siren, the two winged girls really hated the Pacific Ocean. Licorice seemed to hate oceans in general, while Lotte didn¡¯t go well with water due to her being a wyvern and a me wielder. If she couldn¡¯t transform into a human, she would have refused to go underwater.


    ¡°Lotte, is there a water king or an ocean king?¡±


    I asked Lotte out of curiosity. Now that we were focusing on the ocean, it was a natural question to ask.


    After the first monster outbreak, most sea routes in the Pacific became sealed off. Large sea monsters made nests in the Pacific, and ravaged any ships that crossed their territories. If they at least spoke humannguage, people might have tried to negotiate with them, but that was clearly not the case with the monsters.


    Countries that relied on ocean based trade were affected greatly, and some even faced economic crisis. Thankfully, the monster invasion also changed many countries¡¯ndscape, bringing along new crops, new minerals, and monster materials. Without these, the poption of Earth may be much less than it is now. It was a form of ¡®giving one diseases while giving him medicines.¡¯


    Of course, Korea was one of these heavily affected countries. In many ways, Korea was quite unlucky.


    Additionally, many sea routes in other oceans had been recovered, but only the Pacific Ocean was stillpletely blocked. The Antic Ocean and the Indian Ocean were fine, but only the Pacific Ocean was wrought with reapers that refused to leave. There were even suspicions that a super massive monster was living in the Pacific Ocean.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can just attach the word ¡®king¡¯ wherever you want, Hero.¡±


    ¡°Uk.¡±


    Lotte¡¯s rebuttal stung me slightly.


    ¡°The Lava King was a me dragon. He was known as an elemental king for his ability topletely reign over fire. Even in my world, there aren¡¯t many capable of doing that. There was one more, but I don¡¯t know much because I lived too far away from that being.¡±


    ¡°So what are the chances that he¡¯s a water king?¡±


    ¡°How persistent, Hero. There is no such thing as a water king.¡±


    To be honest, that was good news for me. I hade to the Pacific to clean up the Event Dungeons, but it was also to reopen thend like I did for the Philippines or the Jeo Province.


    This was something I had only talked to Hwaya about. No one else in Revival knew about it. After all, cleaning up the Event Dungeons in my area was different thanpletely cleaning up the area. But if I didn¡¯t take back thend and ocean stolen by monsters, humanity would eventually lose their dominance to monsters.


    I had no ns to volunteer myself for the good of humanity, but it would be sad if there were no humans to live on Earth after I defeated the world¡¯s enemy. ... I was feeling embarrassed for nothing.


    ¡°Eit, let¡¯s hurry! We¡¯re going to finish the Pacific within two weeks and go to Oceania!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only been two weeks since we reimed the Philippines, and even that took a whole week. Dear Husband wants to clean up this huge Pacific Ocean in just two weeks? Is Dear Husband insane?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m sane. We already made a lot of progress! Come on, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Once we entered an Event Dungeon, even if the dungeon was underwater, the dungeon rarely had anything to do with water. Most had solid ground for us to walk on, and we just had to wipe the monsters in the dungeon.


    As I said before, since I decided to purify the entire Pacific Ocean, I had to get used to underwaterbat. More exactly, I had to get used to massacring monsters with my ability while making use Plene¡¯s ability.


    If there was one thing we felt thankful for, it was that Plene¡¯s singing worked even better underwater than it did onnd.


    Plene sang more calmly underwater and her voice inexplicably reached even farther underwater than it did onnd.


    Once she started singing, monsters within a vast area flocked towards us, and I just needed to widen my eyes and turn them to stone. Since Peika was limited in using her power with allies underwater, Sharana and Ruyue materialized into human forms and went around breaking the stones. If one ignored all the monsters, the scene was rather mystical and beautiful.


    While a beautiful girl sang an enchanting song, two equally beautiful girls freely swam through the water with their hands shing colorfully!


    [I¡¯ve never seen such a beautiful massacre in my life, including anything I¡¯ve seen in my world!]


    [Hero, haven¡¯t you killed over a hundred million with your eyes now...?]


    If Licorice and Lotte didn¡¯t interrupt me, I could have stayed in this fairytale like trance forever. With nothing better to do, I red at the two girls.


    [Hundred million? Please.]


    Using my mana, I pulled on the bubbles rising up from my mouth every time I talked. As I yed around with them, I continued.


    [It should be well over a billion by now.]


    Eighteen days after I began my work in the Pacific, I was left standing in front of the final Event Dungeon. It was an SSS rank dungeon, located in Mariana Trench¡¯s Challenger Deep, the deepest known point of the world¡¯s oceans. Just based on its location, I should have started off here, but I wanted to leave it forst as it was the highest ranked dungeon.


    [This is thest one. Surprisingly, we cleaned up this huge ocean without problem.]


    [Do SSS+ ranked monsters not faze Hero in the slightest now...?]


    Well,rge monsters did appear the closer we got to the center of the Pacific Ocean. I could finally understand why the Pacific Ocean stayed blocked this whole time. However, as I had already fought against countless SSS+ ranked monsters like the Destroyers in the Philippines, these monsters were only slightly bigger and less scarier versions. They really weren¡¯t hard to deal with.


    I was very fortunate to have fought extra massive salmons. There were even some that were pregnant. I suspected that the reason they couldn¡¯t swim upstream was because they were too fat.


    [It¡¯s a good thing we have more snacks to go along with wine. Hwaya will be happy. Well... Should we go in?]


    [The dungeon is one thing, but there might be other monsters outside. Be careful, Hero.]


    [Right. I can feel something other than the dungeon. It¡¯s getting on my nerves.]


    [Mmm, should I sing?]


    While we chatted, we slowly descended into the ocean. I could feel the aura Licorice was talking about, but as it didn¡¯t seem too troubling, I simply continued on, ready to attack whenever.


    Suddenly, my body stopped as if it hit a wall. I muttered annoyed.


    [Damn it.]


    I looked at Lotte who was in Licorice¡¯s air bubble and asked.


    [Lotte, didn¡¯t you say there was no Water King...?]


    [Well, Hero... We should run!]


    It was toote. In an instant, arge lifeform in the bottom of the Mariana Trench roared!


    [Guooooooooo! You came, Hero!]


    [The ¡®Hermit King¡¯ Grand Raidmences! You met one of the enemies aiming for the world¡¯s power! The dungeon¡¯s power is not fully effective against worlds¡¯ enemies. The Grand Raid system exists to give what little support it can to explorers who are fighting against the worlds¡¯ enemies. The Lord¡¯s blessing converges on your party. As a result, the enemy can only ignore up to 30% of your party members¡¯ skills and levels!]


    [Absolute Soul nullifies a part of the enemy¡¯s power. Your skills and levels will be 90% effective against the enemy!]


    [Remember that you will not be able to bring out your items¡¯ and skills¡¯ full power. We wish you luck! You will receive a huge reward if you defeat the Hermit King!]

 Chapter 247. What Happened Twice Will... (7)

    Chapter 247. What Happened Twice Will... (7)


    I instantly recognized the being that appeared in front of us. It was incredibly difficult not to, given his humongous size. On the other hand, he was extremely thin! Long serrated tail that stretched out backwards and forward-facing eyes. He was...


    [A ray! You¡¯re a ray!]


    [I¡¯m the king of all who hides, the king of all who protect their lofty leagues by hiding! I am the Hermit King!]


    [Ah, an electric ray! Plene, it¡¯s dangerous. Go back to the mansion!]


    [You! Listen to me!]


    As I coincidentally knew the characteristics of an electric ray, I quickly summoned Peika and infused her into my body, and nced at Plene to motion for her to leave. However, Plene shook her head helplessly.


    [It won¡¯t open. I can¡¯t go back!]


    [No one can escape from me! I am the Hermit King, appearing only when my victory is assured, leaving no prey behind!]


    [Gaze activates! Your movement speed falls slightly. You cannot open your inventory. Your health and mana recovery speed decreases slightly. When being gazed at by your enemy, you will not be able to use Return!]


    [Damn!]


    Was the Gaze skill something all worlds¡¯ enemies could use!? Being stared down by his eyes, I couldn¡¯t get myself to calm down. There was no choice but to fight him. Before he attacked, I quickly called Sharana and Ruyue.


    [Protect everyone, Sharana, Ruyue!]


    [Leave it to us!]


    Almost immediately afterwards, the electric ray shot out pale blue lightning from his entire body.


    [Pay the price for your impudence to this king!]


    [Peika!]


    [I can handle this much!]


    As we were underwater, his lightning spread to all sides the moment it was released. We were instantly enveloped by his lightning, and I grit my teeth and endured it with Peika¡¯s power. At the same time, I felt something strange.


    [... Isn¡¯t this guy weak?]


    [I think so too!]


    His attack wasn¡¯t as bad as I¡¯d expected. Of course, it was partly because of Peika¡¯s power as a lightning elemental, but Peika was still just an elemental while our opponent was a world¡¯s enemy. It was strange that we could take on his attack so easily.


    When I turned around, Ruyue and Sharana seemed to have also held on by freezing and strengthening the air bubble Lotte, Plene, and Licorice were in. The fact that the lightning¡¯s power spread by being underwater instead of concentrating in one ce also seemed to have helped, but still...


    [Now that I think about it, Gaze skill¡¯s effect was weak too Its effect is probably proportional to the user¡¯s power. Not to mention...]


    Even if the Hermit King was a hermit and was an expert in hiding as he said, why would he have stayed hidden all this time on Earth?


    Now that I thought about it, the Mariana Trench was close to the Philippines. Right.


    Philippines. Until not long ago, there was a terrifying monster there.


    ¡°The Lava King was looking for you.¡±


    [You met the Lava King, Hero!? B-But there is no way he knows where I am!]


    He bit the bait.


    ¡°You were hiding from him!¡±


    [I was concealing myself! I was not hiding from the other kings because I was afraid!]


    As I thought, he was hiding from the Lava King. Afraid he would be discovered if he moved, he hid in the Mariana Trench, which was the deepest ce on Earth!


    I had considered it when I heard Lotte speak. Although the five kings shared the same goal, it seemed their rtionship wasn¡¯t particrly good. If a king had to hide in fear of another king, this couldn¡¯t be the only case.


    Now that the thought crossed my mind, I couldn¡¯t help butugh. I could understand why he appeared so grandly. We must have been the first humans he saw in a long time! Not to mention, since Earth¡¯s Hero, who was his main target, appeared in front of him on his own, he must have been extremely happy.


    The Hermit King seemed to have noticed what I was thinking, as he spoke in an ufortable tone.


    [Earth¡¯s Hero is so arrogant. If we knew you were so foolish, we wouldn¡¯t have all needed toe!]


    ¡°Stop talking shit ande!¡±


    I didn¡¯t even need to provoke him, as he immediately released another powerful lightning attack. Though I didn¡¯t know exactly where to attack, I charged towards his body and shouted.


    ¡°How are our reinforcements!?¡±


    [We¡¯ll have to give up, Dear Husband! Even the closest team needs 2 hours toe!]


    I took the Hermit King¡¯s lightning directly and pondered as I endured it. Rather than enduring his attacks for 2 hours, although it might be dangerous, it was better to go on the offensive and aim for his life. Since I couldn¡¯t open my inventory, I had to fight with just the few potions I had on hand. It was impossible to hold out for two hours with so few potions.


    [Show me the power of a Hero!]


    [Damn right I will!]


    After replying to the Hermit King, I used Weapon Swap to equip my crossbow and shot dozens of bolts towards him. He seemed surprised at the invisible attack, but just as I expected, the bolts had little effect.


    [Is this it!?]


    [I bet it stung more than your lightning!]


    I didn¡¯t expect much from my attack in the first ce. The crossbow was good for attacking the unexpecting enemy in their vitals, but even if I shot his eyes, the bolts couldn¡¯t even leave a scratch. Rather than doing damage, it only made him angrier.


    Even if the Hermit King seemed weak, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he was one of the five kings. It would be a different story if all members of Revival were here, but it was indeed difficult to take him on just by myself. If I used Overlord already, I would certainly lose.


    However, if I could force him to let his guard down, it was undoubtedly possible for me to defeat him alone. And to force him to let his guard down...


    [Dear Husband, I¡¯ll join you!]


    [I hate getting wet, but... I hate seeing Hero getting hurt even more.]


    [I, I¡¯ll sing too!]


    ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t get injured! Ruyue, protect Licorice and Plene! Sharana, protect Lotte!¡±


    [Un!]


    [Understood!]


    With the elementals¡¯ help, Licorice, Lotte, and Plene charged into battle. To block the lightning the Hermit King was releasing even now, Ruyue protected the air bubble Licorice and Plene were in, and Sharana enveloped Lotte¡¯s body with her wind to allow her to freely move underwater without getting wet. Though they couldn¡¯t nullify the Hermit King¡¯s lightning entirely, it was still better than receiving his attack directly.


    As Licorice could use powerful magic in all elements, she could perform better than I can against worlds¡¯ enemies. Simrly for Lotte, as long as she wasn¡¯t beaten by the Hermit King¡¯s lightning, she could deal great damage to the electric ray with her power of fire.


    On the other hand, it was hard for Plene to do anything against him. It was unknown how much her songs could affect the Hermit King. However, it seemed she had something in mind, as she started to sing with a resolute face.


    [Ll~]


    Her voice flowed out of the air bubble strengthened by Ruyue¡¯s power without any resistance. I had expected this much to happen, but what I didn¡¯t expect was what happened next. Her voice didn¡¯t travel far and stayed close to us. This strange scene made even the Hermit King stop attacking. The effect of Plene¡¯s singing was then notified through a message.


    [Siren¡¯s ¡®Song of Blessing¡¯ resounds. Your speed increases greatly and your resistance to the enemy¡¯s magical attacks increases. Your chance of receiving critical hits decreases, while your chance of dealing critical hits increases.]


    [This is... a buff!?]


    I was surprised even though I was experiencing it directly. To think that sirens could use buff type skills. I had always thought Plene specialized in drawing in mobs and using curses and debuffs, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t the case.


    When I looked behind me, Plene was making a proud expression as she continued singing. I would need topliment herter. Though, I¡¯d also need toin why she didn¡¯t tell us about it earlier.


    [What a beautiful song. What a beautiful woman!]


    ¡°He¡¯sing!¡±


    He was releasing lightning once again! I jumped in directly and used Weapon Swap to equip Chaotic Spear.


    ¡°Peika, focus on defense for now!¡±


    [Okay!]


    Lotte, who could now move as if she was flying thanks to Sharana¡¯s power, was charging towards the Hermit King from the opposite side. Seeing as how her face was heated red, it seemed she would breathe out fire the moment she reached the Hermit King.


    I also rushed forward, aiming for the Hermit King¡¯s eyes which had been bothering me for a while. Although his lightning became fiercer and took away my health, that much pain didn¡¯t faze me in the slightest.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how strong your eyes are!¡±


    [You think I¡¯ll let you!?]


    The Hermit King snorted and trembled. Immediately, I stopped my charge. He had disappearedpletely.


    ¡°I can¡¯t detect him.¡±


    I thought it was an invisibility skill, but that wasn¡¯t it. I couldn¡¯t feel his presence at all. Lotte, who was rushing forward from the opposite side, also stopped with a confused look. Hermit King, to think he had an ability like this!


    [Good, that¡¯s the expression I like to see! I¡¯ll first swallow your woman along with her singing!]


    His voice rang out from afar. He wasn¡¯t aiming for me, but rather Plene and Licorice!


    ¡°Damn, is it teleportation!?¡±


    The giant ray opened his mouth. Before it shut and swallowed Licorice and Plene, Licorice spread her arm out. Immediately, a pir of ice appeared from the bottom of his mouth to the ceiling.


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    The Hermit King howled and spat out lightning, but Licorice worked with Ruyue and had already escaped from his range.


    [Elemental, move!]


    [I was going to!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    He was charging towards Licorice and Plene again! I used Divine Speed and shot out the Chaotic Spear in my hand. The target point was his eye!


    ¡°Die!¡±


    [Howughable!]


    The water resistance caused the spear slowed down even more than I expected, but it thankfully struck the Hermit King before he could dodge it.


    However, even though the spear had prated deep into its eye, the Hermit King didn¡¯t seem too affected by it. It made sense. No matter how much I strengthened it with my Heroic Aura,pared to his giant eye, it was like a toothpick.


    [Kuhaha, what did you do!? I was expecting much more from you, but in the end, you¡¯re just a human!]


    ¡°You better fix that impatient personality of yours first!¡±


    I sneered at him and clenched my fist. Following Peruta Circuit¡¯s energy, connecting my fist and my spear, my mana ignited chaos mes and burned his eye¡¯s inside.


    Chaos mes were mes in the end. As they couldn¡¯t be easily ignited underwater, this was what I had thought of. As it relied on high ss techniques like Peruta Circuit and Mad Typhoon, its effect was indeed excellent.


    [Kuuuuk!]


    ¡°Good, chaos mes work!¡±


    In the past, I couldn¡¯t take out chaos mes as the opponent was the Lava King. This time, however, the opponent was a underwater monster. Fire was perfect for cooking fish! After being confident in the amount of chaos mes I ignited, I pulled back on my hand slightly and retrieved the spear. This strange me that didn¡¯t lose out to the Hermit King¡¯s resistance continued to burn wonderfully.


    [I see, this me won¡¯t go away until I kill you, Hero...!]


    He seemed to have realized what he was dealing with as he turned to directly face me. Blue lightning repeatedly crackled around him and diffusing into the surroundings. An overwhelming amount of mana that I had felt from the Lava King before was gathering within him.


    [This is the power of a king! Despair!]


    [I will not let Hero get hurt!]


    Before the Hermit King released his lightning, Lotte¡¯s kick struck his tail. Kick!? I doubted my eyes for a moment, but Lotte was indeed flying through the water at an incredible speed and continuously kicking his tail.


    Immediately afterwards, about half of his tail was severed. The ze Queen¡¯s focused attacks had been strong enough to annihte a part of a king¡¯s body. The problem was the Hermit King¡¯s response.


    [Fine, I¡¯ll kill this annoying bitch first!]


    The lightning building up in his body instantly shot out towards Lotte! Although Lotte shot back and Sharana cast a barrier of wind around her, the Hermit King¡¯s lightning couldn¡¯t be stopped.


    Damn, even with Divine Speed, I couldn¡¯t get close enough to her! Although I had gotten used to moving underwater, the Hermit King¡¯s lightning was still faster than I could reach my hand forward...!


    [This ray!]


    Almost as if she read my mind, Licorice reached her hand forward in my ce. Sucking in Licorice¡¯s boundless magic power, pirs of ice appeared everywhere and mmed down on the giant ray¡¯s body. However, these pirs couldn¡¯t stop his lightning, and blue lightning struck Lotte.


    [Kuuk!]


    ¡°Lotte!¡±


    [It¡¯s okay, it wasn¡¯t a direct hit!]


    My heart dropped, thinking I might lose her, but Sharana¡¯s confident shout calmed me down. However, Lotte was still incapacitated from the attack.


    This was my mistake. Although I had attacked with chaos mes, Lotte was hurt because I underestimated his lightning. In exchange for injuring the king, Lotte was taken out of fight. It was simple to see that we were at a disadvantage.


    Thankfully, the Hermit King¡¯s affinity with water didn¡¯t seem as high as the Lava King¡¯s affinity with fire, as he couldn¡¯t recover his injuries through contact with water.


    [I will show you why this Hermit King is so fearful!]


    However, with these words, the Hermit King¡¯s presence disappeared once again. In that instant, I realized his secret.


    I became certain.


    I could defeat him!

 Chapter 248. What Happened Twice Will... (8)

    Chapter 248. What Happened Twice Will... (8)


    Immediately afterwards, I used Divine Speed and shot towards a certain direction. As expected, he appeared in front of Lotte and opened his mouth.


    [This is for my tail!]


    ¡°You won¡¯t touch Lotte!¡±


    I barely made it in time to guard Lotte. It was thanks to knowing who he was attacking that i got there on time. I immediately shot my spear towards the ceiling of his opened mouth.


    [I won¡¯t fall for this twice!]


    ¡°I¡¯ll say the same thing!¡±


    Before my spear struck him, a radiant blue light shone from his belly, and he spat out an incredible amount of lightning. The Chaotic Spear lost its strength and was reflected back into my hands. I had expected this much to happen. With a firm mind, I drew forth the power of Absolute Soul and circted Peruta Circuit.


    ¡°Peika, we¡¯re going all out!¡±


    [Don¡¯t worry, Master! Believe in me that believes in Master!]


    Peruta Circuit¡¯s spinning surged fiercely and a whirlpool swirled around me. The Hermit King¡¯s powerful lightning was absorbed into the path of Peruta Circuit and flowed into me. If I moved, Lotte would be hit by the lightning once more. To make sure no one was hurt by his lightning, I nned to receive all of his lightning myself.


    [Do you seek death!?]


    ¡°You want to kill me with this? Keep dreaming!¡±


    The giant whirlpool I created hindered my vision, but it was the best for stopping the Hermit King¡¯s movements and his lightning. Even though Peruta Circuit¡¯s powerful spinning seemed like it wanted to break my body, I sped it up without hesitation. Following the whirlpool, the Hermit King¡¯s lightning was directed to only target me.


    ¡°Huuuu... Haaaap!¡±


    I withstood the pain. The conditions were all met. The lightning elemental Peika was infused in my body, and Peruta Circuit was the best tool for manipting mana. In addition, I had the power to transform hostile mana into mine, Absolute Soul!


    I opened my golden Evil Eyes and shouted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Foolish, you think your Evil Eyes can stop me!?]


    ¡°Huaaaaaap!¡±


    In an instant, a portion of the Hermit King¡¯s wild lightning began to follow my control. The blue lightning began to turn golden, as I felt both pain from the ferocious lightning and joy from turning it into a power I could control. The Hermit King shouted in shock.


    [Your Evil Eyes can control lightning!?]


    ¡°I wish!¡±


    Although his body emitted more and more lightning, I received them all without hesitation. My health fell, while my magic power rose. Using this magic power, I restored my damaged body. It was a conversion of mana and health. Peruta Circuit had the ability to heal injured internal organs.


    [Dear Husband, you¡¯ll die if you continue!]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me and look after Lotte! Attack the Hermit King when you can!¡±


    [Ll~!]


    While unintelligible screams rang in my ears, Plene¡¯s silvery singing voice rose. Her song calmed my mind and filled my body with strength.


    The lightning that had mostly be golden by now circted around my body following Peruta Circuit¡¯s flow and shed with the blue lightning that continued to assault me. I held my spear up once again. The Hermit King seemed to have given up on devouring Lotte, as he approached me with a ring look.


    [I don¡¯t know how you know the Lava King, but I¡¯ll engrave into your brain the fact that I am stronger!]


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Immediately, the Hermit King disappeared again. For somehow holding the lofty title of a king, he acted more like a lowly assassin.


    The golden lightning surged as I poured it into my spear and shot it forward. The lightning didn¡¯t disperse just because I was underwater. Like aser beam, the lightning struck the mouth of the Hermit King who appeared in the path of my attack. It seemed that although he was able to wield lightning didn¡¯t mean he had resistance to lightning, as the surface of his giant mouth was burnt ck. He shouted in shock.


    [How did you find out!?]


    ¡°Because of your awful smell!¡±


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    Pure lightning crackled as if to boil the surrounding ocean water. From what I could tell, these king-level bastards were all powerful, but could only use their abilities in the simplest ways! I was about to thrust forward with my spear, when I realized I had a new power I could freely use.


    ¡°Trish!¡±


    [Trish manifests in your spear for 30 minutes. Your spear technique¡¯s rank increases by one. When attacking, you have a 10% chance to deal three consecutive damage.]


    When I used one of Shiva¡¯s power¡¯s, Trish, a brilliant red aura descended on the Chaotic Spear. Setting aside Trish¡¯s actual effects, just being able to manifest a god¡¯s power in my weapon for 30 minutes a day was amazing. It meant I could kill a world¡¯s enemy without having to use Overlord!


    [The aura of an ominous god!]


    The Hermit King¡¯s presence disappeared once again. I indifferently swung Trish and shot out its red aura.


    ¡°Stop hiding and fight me directly!¡±


    [Kuaaaa!]


    A huge ball of blue lightning was flying towards me. The Hermit King had appeared above me and spat out lightning. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be an electric ray!?


    [The ability to wield lightning is not something a mere human can have!]


    ¡°But you¡¯re going to die to a mere human!¡±


    Believing in the power of Peruta Circuit that enveloped me, I charged towards the lightning ball. At that moment, Licorice used her magic. Because she was taking so long, I thought she was using a massive attack magic, but it turned out that my guess was wrong. Therge scarlet aura from her magic quickly flew towards me.


    [Don¡¯t die, Dear Husband!]


    ¡°What, you can buff too!?¡±


    The moment Licorice¡¯s magic hit me, I felt like everything in the world was rushing towards me.


    [Subus Queen¡¯s highest rank magic, ¡®Love¡¯, activates. Your affinity to everything in the world increases. The increase is proportional to the receiver¡¯s charm!]


    Dear god. I could see why she took so long to use this magic. Knowing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do much against the Hermit King, she had used her strongest magic to support me!


    Affinity was a terrifying factor in battle. Just by having one¡¯s affinity increased, one¡¯s ability to control the elements increased and one¡¯s resistance also increased. The Hermit King¡¯s giant ball of lightning wasn¡¯t so overbearing anymore! Plus, as my affinity to water had also increased, my movements also became more natural. Having my affinity increased was what allowed for this miracle to happen!


    In the next moment, I shed with the ball of lightning. I could hear someone¡¯s scream, but...


    [You won¡¯t even have the time to feel pain!]


    ¡°Of course... not!¡±


    The giant ball of lightning was slowly absorbed into my body. Peruta Circuit¡¯s spin was fiercer than ever before, and Mad Typhoon, strengthened by a rank with Trish¡¯s power, used this spin to rouse an aura stronger than ever before.


    [Peruta ¨C Mad Typhoon became level 5. You perfectly resonated the flow of Peruta Circuit with your spear. You obtained the basis to cut and pulverize any energy in the world.]


    ¡°Perfect timing!¡±


    The ball of blue lightning shrunk and began to change in color. What I just did was nothing special. With the power Licorice gave me, I could wield lightning however I wanted! Even if it belonged to the world¡¯s enemy!


    ¡°Lightning... is under my control!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaa!¡±


    [You used Frozen Roar! All enemies in the battlefield freezes in ce. All allies temporarily be super-armored and has all abilities increased by 50%. Your chance ofnding a critical hit doubles when fighting enemies affected by Frozen Roar.]


    [It did not have a great effect against your enemy!]


    [You think a roar of this level can suppress me!?]


    Despite Frozen Roar¡¯s power, his lightning became fiercer. It made sense that he was good at hiding since he was the Hermit King, but how was it fair that he was so skilled in wielding an element!? I widened my eyes while making the lightning mine. With Mad Typhoon, I forcefully drew in the lightning I couldn¡¯t suppress and infused it with my spear. Immediately afterwards, I only shot forth the energy stored in my spear.


    ¡°Eat this! Divine Speed, Heroic Strike!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t thrusting my spear, nor was I striking down with it. As long as I concentrated my entire body¡¯s energy into a single point and shot it out as an aura, I could call it a Heroic Strike!


    The new version of Heroic Strike, birthed from the pinnacle of spear technique and mana control, showed its effectiveness immediately. A tinum colored aura that I shot forward flew through the air like a beam of light and struck the Hermit King directly.


    It prated the Hermit King¡¯s mouth and left through the end of his tail. The difference between the attack just now and the aura I shot out before that burned the surface of his mouth was the difference between a BB gun pellet and a 85mm cannon ball.


    Although the previous attack used close to 100,000 mana from my maximum of 180,000, with the mana I received from his lightning attack, it wasn¡¯t a big problem!


    [Kuaaak!]


    ¡°Can you still say you control lightning!?¡±


    [Don¡¯t... Don¡¯t think you can be so arrogant after only a small pration wound!]


    With that, he disappeared once again. Hisrge body, which could easily swallow our guild house, was nowhere to be seen, as if it was erasedpletely from this world.


    [I¡¯ll admit it.]


    His voice rang out.


    [I am the weakest of the five kings.]


    I grinned. His lightning had finally submitted to me, flowing around me with a golden color through Peruta Circuit¡¯s rotation. Why didn¡¯t the water discharge it? That water was alsoyered on top of the golden lightning, flowing around me in a whirlpool. I could feel that I was mastering Peruta Circuit bit by bit.


    [Everyone wanted my death and wanted to take away my title of a king.]


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they did.¡±


    He ignored my sarcastic remark and continued.


    [But I survived for countless years and arrived on this Earth. If you want, I¡¯ll kindly tell you the reason.]


    In an instant, my left arm was pierced through. It had happened suddenly without a trace.


    [Dear Husband!]


    ¡°Don¡¯te close! Stay on the defensive!¡±


    The pierced area was so small that my armor wasn¡¯t even fragmented. Still, it was true that an attack had prated through my arm. I withstood the pain I felt from my arm and held up my spear. The feeling in my left arm was strange. I felt like it wouldn¡¯tst long. It couldn¡¯t be naturally healed either. I needed to use the Elixir in my inventory. To use it, I needed to kill the Hermit King.


    [Next is your heart.]


    ¡°Overlord!¡±


    I quickly used Overlord. I couldn¡¯t save it anymore. This fight would end in the next five, no, one minute!


    [You have a truly powerful aura. You are worthy of calling yourself a Hero. However, a powerful strength...!]


    My left foot was pierced through. I grit my teeth and roused the power of Overlord, dying the golden lightning around me ck. The Peruta Circuit that was engraved firmly into my body made screeching noises as it writhed in pain.


    [... bes weak when you lose focus. I wonder how long it will take until the energy staying in your heart disappears. Next, your thigh.]


    In the next instant, my thigh was pierced through. The energy of Enigma was boiling, but it still couldn¡¯t defend against the Hermit King¡¯s attack. I had no choice. Right now, I couldn¡¯t protect all of my body against his attacks.


    [Kuk, it¡¯s a truly powerful energy, one that can threaten our king... that bastard! Having to follow hismands is painful, so I will kill you here and consume the world¡¯s power!]


    This time, it was my stomach. Cough. I almost lost control of Overlord, but I clenched my teeth and elerated the cirction of mana. The Hermit King burst intoughter.


    [Kuhahaha! Where is your confidence now? Do you have any more tricks up your sleeve? Use those things you call skills! It is trulyughable, seeing you using the same energy but calling it different names! Kuhaha!]


    Right arm, then the shin! After being attacked two more times, I was losing control of Overlord. The power residing in my spear was powerful to say the least, but without a target, it couldn¡¯t do anything.


    [Are you prepared to die?]


    ¡°Kuk... You insect like bastard.¡±


    [Insect... How fitting. For someone struggling like you!]


    He¡¯sing! Aiming for my heart!


    In that instant, I widened my eyes and used Divine Speed. I activated Sacrifice, strengthened my close-range skill¡¯s attack with the Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo, and used Devourer after confirming that my health had fallen below 10%. At the same time, I neglected all defense and focused the entire rotation of Peruta Circuit into Mad Typhoon. There was only one thing left to do.


    I thrusted my spear forward. Without shaking in the slightest, the spear jolted forward through the water and stopped suddenly. However, the boundless energy stored in the spear waspletely used up. Seeing as how two more impacts resounded, it seemed Trish¡¯s effect was miraculously activated.


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Cough.]


    I coughed up a mouthful of blood. As the blood diffused through the water, I thought I needed to drink a potion if I didn¡¯t want to die.


    [How did you... know... kuk!]


    A giant reaper¡¯s scythe appeared in the air, slicing through the empty water before disappearing.


    That was it. Once might have been a different story, but after being hit by my all-or-nothing attack thrice and sliced by the reaper¡¯s scythe, even a Hermit Emperor much less a Hermit King could survive.


    [Grand Raid sess!]


    Hearing the message noona¡¯s cheer, I nodded and murmured.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I called you an insect.¡±


    Just like that, I defeated the world¡¯s enemy alone. If I tried it again, I might end up as a beehive, damn it.

 Chapter 249. What Happened Twice Will... (9)

    Chapter 249. What Happened Twice Will... (9)


    Chapter 249. What Happened Twice Will... (9)


    As soon as I realized that the Gaze skill was deactivated, I took out a bottle of Elixir. After drinking about half the bottle, I asked Sharana to bring Lotte to me to have her drink the rest. Even as we were getting emergency treatments, messages continued to flow in.


    [Amazing! Youpletely killed one of the enemies threatening the world alone! You reaped the Hermit King¡¯s soul with the reaper¡¯s scythe. With the king¡¯s soul in possession, all lightning type monsters that invade Earth will have their abilities reduced by 10%! This is a monumental achievement! In addition, you can retrieve the remaining magic power in the Hermit King¡¯s body and soul, and turn it into your own.]


    [If you receive the Hermit King¡¯s power, the Hermit King¡¯s corpse will disappear and you will not get any reward for the raidpletion. If you destroy the Hermit King¡¯s soul, you will obtain the Hermit King¡¯s corpse and receive appropriate rewards from the dungeon. What will you do?]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Ruler of Lightning¡¯! Your affinity to lightning increases greatly. The ability to govern the lightning element has been newly created. Even without mana, you can withdraw lightning from nature and wield it.]


    [You obtained 30 stat points and 10 skill points forpleting a Grand Raid.]


    I thought this would happen. From what I can tell, something like this happened when the reaper¡¯s scythe dealt the final blow. Retrieving the Hermit King¡¯s power? I pondered over the message.


    [Dear Husband! Are you okay?]


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine and so is Lotte! Plene, you can stop singing now!¡±


    [Un!]


    When I looked back at mypanions, a message window popped up as if to demand my answer.


    [What will you do? If you do not decide quickly, the king¡¯s soul will be extinguished.]


    In truth, I wasn¡¯t sure what to do. With its transformation undone, I could see the giant corpse of an electric ray suspended underwater. It was much smaller than when the Hermit King first appeared.


    Right, his secret wasn¡¯t anything grand. He just had the ability to be extremely big or extremely small. There was one more aspect to this ability.


    What made his ability so scary was that he could shrink his presence as if he didn¡¯t exist or erge it as if he was a terrifying enemy. Furthermore, regardless of what size he was, his true strength didn¡¯t change. When he condensed his enormous lightning power into the size of a flea and attacked with a terrifying speed, even Enigma couldn¡¯t defend against it. It was a power fitting of the name Hermit King.


    The question was how I noticed him. It was thanks to chaos mes. No matter how small he became, the chaos mes burning inside his eye didn¡¯t disappear. How could I not know where my ability was located? I had seen through everything.


    However, if he noticed that I had discovered his secret, I would have lost my chance to counterattack perfectly. To attack him in the perfect time, I pretended not to see him and ended up with holes in my body.


    Thanks to this, I could urately time when he would charge towards me, and I gave him the strongest attack I could make. If that wasn¡¯t enough, I nned to use Sky God¡¯s Rage for the finishing blow, but it was thankfully unnecessary. Trish¡¯s effect and the reaper¡¯s scythe had activated with a critical hit.


    [What will you do?]


    ¡°... Hu.¡±


    The decision was entirely up to me. If I took his corpse and the raid reward, hm... Daisy would receive another powerful undead and I would probably receive a Legend grade item. However, I was more interested in a power that would be mine entirely. Even if that power was an ability to transform or an ability to hide my presence, that would have its own use. Moreover, the fact that message noona was asking me in the first ce suggested that...


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the power.¡±


    When I gave my answer, the Hermit King¡¯s corpse began to shrunk. I watched with a nk expression until the corpse disappearedpletely. In the end, only a blue energy was left floating. It then slowly approached me and was absorbed into me.


    [Dear Husband!]


    Licorice and Plene, who was approaching me with a relieved look, sped up in shock when they saw what was happening. However, I was already in no situation to exin them the situation. The moment the blue energy was absorbed into me, it resonated with Peruta Circuit and was surging through my body at a terrifying speed.


    [You can choose between two titles. The first is ¡®Hermit King¡¯, and you will be granted the Hermit King¡¯s Unique ability, ¡®World Trickery.¡¯ With this skill, you will be able to freely change your body¡¯s size, form, and presence while maintaining your full strength.]


    [The second is offering your title, ¡®Rule of Lightning¡¯, to obtain a new title, ¡®Lightning God¡¯ With this title, your affinity and dominance over lightning will reach a pinnacle, allowing you to freely create and wield lightning at your desire. You will also not take any damage from lightning below the EX rank, and you can even wield your enemy¡¯s lightning as if it was your own.]


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s Lightning God! Are you kidding me!?¡±


    How are those two evenparable!? I shouted as if someone was listening. Immediately afterwards, the blue energy in my body transformed into a dazzling golden color. It immediately transformed into a powerful lightning and went berserk as if to burn me alive.


    [Master, there¡¯s so much energy! This is... Master¡¯s...!]


    ¡°Huaaaaaaaaa!¡±


    Unable to endure the shock, I screamed, echoing underwater. This was like when I obtained a god¡¯s power... No, my body was transforming even more than when I obtained a god¡¯s power!


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Lightning God¡¯. Your affinity and dominance over lightning has reached the pinnacle. You can wield all lightning under EX rank as if it was your own, and you will not be injured by them.]


    [Congrattions! You met one of the conditions to advance to the next realm!]


    How long did it take before that message rang out? I had no way of knowing. When I became conscious, Licorice, Lotte, and Plene were hugging me in apetition of some sort.


    [Dear Husband, Dear Husband!]


    [Hero, don¡¯t die!]


    [Snap out, Shin!]


    Ruyue and Sharana were also floating around me with worried looks. However, as Peika was in my body the whole time, she didn¡¯t seem too worried. I flicked the girls¡¯ foreheads and made them back off.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Stop trying to take off my armor and get back.¡±


    [But I have to check your body! You might be hurt!]


    Feeling doubtful at Licorice¡¯s choice of words, I notified them that I was at my absolute best condition. Then, I flicked Licorice¡¯s forehead one more time. I suddenly became curious if it was Licorice¡¯s buff that allowed me to obtain the title of Lightning God. After all, it was thanks to her buff that I obtained the Ruler of Lightning title.


    Thus, I changed my mind and pat her head. Although it didn¡¯t really work as we were underwater, she seemed to have understood my feelings as her face brightened. She suddenly asked.


    [Can I unclothe you?]


    ¡°Stop when you¡¯re ahead, please.¡±


    As a test, I ignited lightning with my left hand. It was done without using Peika¡¯s power. Despite us being underwater, golden lightning danced on my palm naturally. I felt an indescribable sense of pleasure.


    [Dear Husband... I see, if you obtained a power of this level, it makes sense that you fainted. How is it? Can you handle it?]


    ¡°Of course. I feel like...¡±


    I threw the lightning towards the bottom of the Mariana Trench. That single bolt of lightning didn¡¯t lose even the slightest strength as it descended endlessly. Soon, the light it was giving off disappeared and a powerful explosion was felt.


    ¡°I can even kill the remaining three kings alone.¡±


    Before we entered the SSS rank Event Dungeon underneath, I notified the rest of the guild members that I took care of the king and that we didn¡¯t need any backup. Some breathed sighs of relief, some cursed, and someughed as if it was only natural. Leon¡¯s trust in me was too big!


    [Nothing less from the guild master. My heart dropped for a second though.]


    [Was the king weak?]


    ¡°He said he was the weakest.¡±


    [How can he stop us from running away? That¡¯s cheating!]


    [If all kings are like that, we¡¯ll have to be extra careful. You said he hid his presence so he couldn¡¯t be discovered?]


    I nodded at Hwaya¡¯s question (though she couldn¡¯t see me), and answered.


    ¡°It was a strange technique that only the Hermit King could do. The other kings shouldn¡¯t be able to do it. I¡¯m certain so you don¡¯t need to worry. The other kings can¡¯t hide their presence. Their overwhelmingly powerful presence, that is.¡±


    [Yeah, the Lava King was like that, but...]


    [Corpse... What about... the beautiful, tough... corpse?]


    ¡°There is no such thing.¡±


    [Ah... Kang Shin, I hate you.]


    Daisy seemed angry I couldn¡¯t acquire the corpse, but I would have made the same choice even if I went back in time. I made a bitter smile and consoled her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Antarctica has powerful monsters too. I¡¯ll find a strong one for you.¡±


    [Pinky promise...]


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    At that moment, Yua made a surprising report.


    [Oppa, the egg hatched!]


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    I was sad I couldn¡¯t be there to witness it.


    [It¡¯s a really cute baby dinosaur!]


    ¡°What did you name it?¡±


    Feeling uneasy, I couldn¡¯t help but ask. Yua gave a hearty response.


    [The name is Doo¡ª][1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dooly_the_Little_Dinosaur]


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t name him yet, what about ¡®Ruth¡¯!?¡±


    I cut her off and shouted. Yua corrected me.


    [It¡¯s a she. Plus, I already named her.]


    ¡°You named a girl Doo¡ª No, nevermind. How about Luna?¡±


    [Oh, that¡¯s a pretty name, Oppa! Then I¡¯ll call her Luna from now!]


    Just like that, I made a better future for both Yua and Luna. I had yelled whatever name that came to my mind, but naming a me dragon¡¯s baby Luna... My naming sense...


    [I¡¯m happy Oppa named her, huhu.]


    ¡°I¡¯m happy that Yua¡¯s happy. Mostly in the sense of copyrightws.¡±


    [I agree with that, but you two brother and sister need to make some distance.]


    [I¡¯m already so far from him! You want me to get even farther! I hate Hwaya Unni!]


    [See! In the first ce, that¡¯s the wrong response! Yua, this Unni will introduce you to a nice boy. How about it?]


    [No! I¡¯m going to live with Oppa for the rest of my life! I hate Unni!]


    It seemed I had sparked another trouble. As I was scared of both Hwaya and Yua, I decided to ignore them both. Then, I charged straight into the SSS rank dungeon.


    Two weekster, on the 32nd day after leaving Korea, Ipletely cleaned up the Pacific Ocean and the Oceania and headed to the Antarctic Ocean. Including the stat points from defeating the Hermit King, I had gained 55 bonus stat points. While the Chaotic Spear was at 84% growth.

 Chapter 250. Above the Frozen Land (1)

    Chapter 250. Above the Frozen Land (1)


    Chapter 250. Above the Frozen Land (1)


    [Wow, Earth has a cool ce like this!?]


    ¡°This is your first time in Antarctica, Ruyue?¡±


    [Un!]


    It¡¯s the first for me too.


    Of course, thest time Event Dungeons spawned, there were some in Antarctica. However, I was stuck training in Beyond at that time, while Hwaya and the other Revival members had taken care of the Event Dungeons in Antarctica. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t have to go all the way to Antarcticast time. It seemed I was paying the price this time as I was even assigned the Antarctica Ocean.


    Licorice, Lotte, and Plene were all frowning, while even Peika, who wasn¡¯t affected by the environmental effects that much, was feeling ufortable. Only Sharana, who lived in a ce full of freezing energy, and Ruyue, who was an ice elemental, were happy.


    [There¡¯s cold wind here, Master!]


    [Let¡¯se y here often!]


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll consider it.¡±


    Being an elementalist, it seemed I would have to go on vacations to Antarctica...! Of course, Antarctica¡¯s temperature couldn¡¯t affect me in the slightest, but what was there to do in Antarctica!? Do I shave off an icy mountain to make shaved ice? I seriously considered making a special facility for Ruyue in Antarctica as I began to clean up the Antarctic Ocean¡¯s Event Dungeons.


    Most of the Antarctic Ocean¡¯s Event Dungeons were deep underwater. Even if I wasn¡¯t affected by the cold, being in a below ¡®zero-degree¡¯ freezing water wasn¡¯t a particrly pleasant feeling. One positive thing was that monsters seemed to prefer warmth to cold as they weren¡¯t often seen in the Antarctic Ocean. As such, we could mostly just focus on clearing Event Dungeons.


    [You cleared an SS rank Event Dungeon! You gained 2 bonus stats!]


    There was nothing that could stop us, as we breezed through the Antarctic Ocean¡¯s Event Dungeons. As there were less Event Dungeons in the ocean than on the continent, we could finish in just ten days. The reason I hoped to finish in ten days was because the eleventh day was the sixth rest day I designated.


    When the rest day came, we went to the Residential Area, took baths, and rested our bodies. Even after soaking in a warm bath for three hours, Licoriceined repeatedly.


    ¡°The cold in my body hasn¡¯t left even now. This is the worst.¡±


    ¡°I hate the cold ocean too. There¡¯s nowhere to swim and it¡¯s not a good ce to sing in.¡±


    Plene pouted like a duck. I asked Sharana to dry them off as I replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Once we go to Antarctica, you¡¯ll think the Antarctic Ocean was warm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a ze fitting for this ze Queen!¡±


    ¡°I followed Dear Husband all the way to this cold ce! I¡¯ll get mad if I don¡¯t get rewarded!¡±


    Lotte onlyined, but Licorice dug into my arms with only a towel around her. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to spoil her a bit, but I still pushed her away with a wry smile.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even do this much? Just a little bit, okay?¡±


    ¡°I have to go the dungeon.¡±


    Licorice who was acting cute frowned at my response and shouted.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to meet that woman!¡±


    ¡°If people heard, they¡¯d think that you¡¯re my wife and that I¡¯m going to go cheat on you with someone!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same thing!¡±


    ¡°How!? Plus, I¡¯m not going to meet Loretta, I¡¯m going to enter Beyond.¡±


    ¡°Rather than that, y with me! Dear Husbaaand, please?¡±


    I admired Licorice¡¯s persistence in wanting to spend the rest of the day with me, but I couldn¡¯t concede either.


    ¡°There¡¯s an important battle, so I can¡¯t just rx and fool around.¡±


    ¡°Then should we do something more intense, Dear Husband...? I¡¯d love to!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Right, as I had finished grinding the 75th Floor Master today, I had to fight Beyond¡¯s 25th Floor Master today.


    ¡°Hero is really different than other men. Strangely different. So different that it¡¯s annoying.¡±


    ¡°Shin is kind and nice!¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about, stupid.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to think this way, but could Dear Husband be impo...¡±


    ¡°Stop there.¡±


    I first grinded the 75th Floor Master in the rest day. I had somewhat expected it when the 71st floor had bats like the 61st floor, but what appeared from the 73rd from onward were vampires. They possessed magic power vastly stronger than subi or incubi, as they moved extremely quickly while transforming to multiple forms, and aimed for my neck from the most unexpected ces. However, the First Dungeon still couldn¡¯t catch up to my level yet, as I still passed with ease through them.


    As I had to make time every night while everyone else was asleep to climb the dungeon, it took a few days to climb each floor. Of course, as I needed to wait for the rest days that came once a week to enter Beyond, the fact that it took a few days to climb each First Dungeon floor wasn¡¯t that big of a problem. I broke through floors with Giant Wolfs, Wendigos, or both, then made time to beat up the 75th Floor Master, Vampire Lord, during the fifth week.


    First, I unfortunately couldn¡¯t get the Vampire Lord Master title. It seemed one of the past Beyond explorers, who were used to defeating Floor Masters solo, had taken the first achievement.


    As the solo clear reward was Mistification, I couldn¡¯t fathom what the first solo clear reward was. But since the Mistification skill was meaningless to me, I didn¡¯t think the higher ss version of Mistification would be any more useful. After all, there was no reason for me to turn to mist.


    If I was fighting against opponents that couldn¡¯t wield mana, transforming into a mist would prevent me from being hit and would even let me move easier than with a solid body, but none of the opponents I faced were unskilled in manipting mana and I had Divine Speed to speed up my movement, so I didn¡¯t need to lighten my body through Mistification. If I used it, I might only end up exposing more weaknesses by bing more vulnerable to attacks with mana.


    Most importantly, if I needed to transform into a mist, I could simply use Sky God¡¯s y. In a way, Sky God¡¯s y was a much higher version of Mistification, and it didn¡¯t lower my defense in any way. It was the transformation skill that reigned over all others. Because Sky God¡¯s y guaranteed that I would never be seen through, I didn¡¯t really need any other transformation skills.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t hurt to have more skills. The solo clear rewards were really confusing in some ways. Some skills from lower floors were even better than the skills from higher floors, which meant it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that higher floors would have skills any better than Mistification.


    On the other hand, the 75th Floor¡¯s elixir didn¡¯t disappoint me. It was called Vampire Lord¡¯s Blood Essence. I felt a bit weird consuming it, but it still raised my constitution and magic by 3 each time. After the tenth elixir, my constitution and magic rose by 30 points each, and my MP broke through 200,000. Even if I used a Heroic Strike that used 50% of my mana, it would have 100,000 points worth of mana condensed into it.


    Finally, the Floor Master set skill was called Blood Curse. It was simr to Deathblood Ring¡¯s ¡®blood contamination¡¯ in that it used my health to activate. I could hit a target with my blood and decrease all of his stats and make him fall into massive hemorrhage status effect. It was a good debuff skill to have.


    When I was about to leave for Beyond after looking through the gains from 75th Floor, Licorice clung to my back and pretended to sob.


    ¡°Sob, I¡¯m being neglected by my husband at such a young age and forced to sleep alone.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that in front of the other girls, okay?¡±


    Especially Yua. I didn¡¯t even want to imagine what would happen if she found out.


    ¡°Ei, go already. Hurry back and y with me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to sleep. I¡¯m too tired.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll also be in the resort area. I know Hero won¡¯t take long.¡±


    I lightly patted Licorice and the others and head to the dungeon. Loretta who was waiting for me on the 75th floor pped her ears and greeted me happily.


    ¡°You came to y with me, right!? Let¡¯s y, let¡¯s y!¡±


    ¡°Is this some new disease going around recently?¡±


    Just how busy was I that everyone started saying this? I swore to wrap up the remaining Event Dungeons as quickly as possible. I wanted to get some rest too.


    For now, however, I couldn¡¯t make time just for Loretta. With a bitter smile, I pointed at the gate next to the stairway to the 76th floor.


    ¡°Sorry, Loretta. I¡¯ll be backter.¡±


    ¡°Sob, I¡¯m being neglected by my husband at such a young age and forced to...¡±


    ¡°Did you n this with Licorice!? Now that I think about you, neither of you are that young...!¡±


    Loretta looked up at me with fake tears. She had an axe on one hand.


    ¡°Did you say something, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, Loretta-nim.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t die without even seeing the Floor Master¡¯s face. I kneeled while facing Loretta¡¯s violence then headed to Beyond¡¯s 25th floor with tears. Loretta saw me off with a smile, but if I didn¡¯te see her afterwards, I would have to face her wrath.


    It seemed I might have to give myself another rest day. Damn, curse my mouth...!


    The monster I would face had thebined strong points of Giant Wolves and Wendigos. To be honest, neither Giant Wolves nor Wendigos were difficult opponents to face.


    The Giant Wolves in Beyond¡¯s 21st floor were bigger than the First Dungeon¡¯s Giant Wolf Floor Master, but I had ample experience fighting massive monsters and was an expert in detecting presences. To me, they were nothing more than sandbags. The Wendigos, who just had more powerful freezing energy, were even easier to deal with than the Giant Wolves. They couldn¡¯t do anything in front of Ruyue¡¯s ability.


    Even when I was climbing the First Dungeon, I breezed through the first dungeon 41st to 50th floors. It was the same for Beyond¡¯s 21st to 24th floors. It was almost as if someone was being considerate of me since I was busy on Earth. Of course, with Beyond¡¯s floors being much bigger than the First Dungeon¡¯s floors, I still needed to invest a full day for each floor.


    Regardless, Beyond was also... easy!


    [Guoooooo!]


    Beyond¡¯s 25th floor was a giant snowy mountain simr to the Floor Master room where I fought the Wendigo. There, I met a Skeleton Wolf that wasparable in size to a mountain.


    ¡°Each battle rooms are getting bigger... Don¡¯t tell me there will be one in the size of a country soon...¡±


    As I leisurely murmured, I swung the spear in my hand and fixed my grip on it. A golden lightning crackled around the speartip, while Ruyue materialized into her beastgirl form and got ready to receive any attacks. Both offense and defense were perfect.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight. I¡¯ll end this in the blink of an eye.¡±


    [Guoooooooooooo!]

 Chapter 251. Above the Frozen Land (2)

    Chapter 251. Above the Frozen Land (2)


    The giant Skeleton Wolf certainly looked like the fusion of a Giant Wolf and a Wendigo. It emitted freezing energy, was huge, and carried immense power. However, no matter how powerful he was, as long as it was within my expectation, it wasn¡¯t of any threat to me.


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    It was also incredibly fast. Yet, I was faster. Its freezing energy was powerful, but weaker than Ruyue¡¯s. It could erge its head or front paw, but I didn¡¯t allow myself to get hit even once. Compared to the Hermit King who couldpletely erase his presence, the Skeleton Wolf¡¯s presence was just too big.


    When it erged a part of its body, the energy gathering in that area was toorge for me not to notice it. The only way I would be hit is if I purposely let myself be hit. I couldn¡¯t even understand why I couldn¡¯t notice it in the past.


    ¡°This older brother has other things to do today! I don¡¯t have time to y around with you! Overlord!¡±


    Since I didn¡¯t n on fighting after this, I used Overlord without hesitation. There was no way Beyond¡¯s 25th Floor Master could withstand a power that could kill worlds¡¯ enemies. When the Skeleton Wolf saw the energy inside me expanding, it howled.


    [Kuoooooo!]


    [Frost Skeleton Wolf¡¯s ¡®Copsing Roar¡¯ rings out. Everything with form begins to copse. Everything being copsed will freeze with the Frost Skeleton Wolf¡¯s mana and will attack you!]


    I see, so this was the reason the Floor Master room was a snowy mountain! After hearing message noona¡¯s report, I quickly summoned Sharana, infusing her into me and flying up. The ground below me was the first to copse, while the peak of the snowy mountain followed suit. Then, controlled by the Frost Skeleton Wolf¡¯s mana, they all began to fly towards me. After using Copsing Roar, the Frost Skeleton Wolf also froze parts of the air and charged towards me in the sky.


    Watching everything shooting towards me with intent to kill, I smirked. It was like watching a bigger version of Gaia Buster! With my current stats, even if I couldn¡¯t perform the same feat, I would probably be able to do half of what the Skeleton Wolf could do.


    Although there wasn¡¯t anywhere for me to use Gaia Buster at the moment, once I got back to Antarctica, there would be more than enoughnd.


    ¡°Ruyue, I¡¯ll leave the defense to you! Peika, let¡¯s go full power!¡±


    [Un!]


    [Show that doggy Master¡¯s power!]


    Ruyue flew up and reached forward towards the iing boulders of ice. After taking over 20% of my mana, she enclosed them all with her own ice and put them under her control.


    Noting that I was safe from attacks, I elerated in an instant and pointed my golden lightning covered spear towards the Frost Skeleton Wolf. Peika¡¯s lightning was heightened by Lightning God¡¯s power and mixed with Heroic Aura to transform into a tinum colored lightning. Even after being concentrated into a single point, streaks of lightning crackled outward. Though a bit embarrassing, it was a scene worthy of the name Lightning God.


    ¡°You¡¯re not strong enough! The height I¡¯m envisioning is higher and farther, the pinnacle of the dungeon!¡±


    [I¡¯ll return it to you! Take it!]


    At the same time I thrust forward with my spear, Ruyue¡¯s shout also rang out. The countless chunks of frozennd and boulders in the air all shot towards the Skeleton Wolf following hermand. The Skeleton Wolf could only howl and face them head on, but his howling was beginning to sound like screams.


    [You cleared Beyond¡¯s 25th floor. You obtained the qualification to challenge the First Dungeon¡¯s 76th floor.]


    [Your maximum HP and MP increase by 2%. You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [Experience has been added to skills you frequently used to progress through Beyond¡¯s 25th floor.]


    [You defeated Beyond¡¯s fifth Floor Master, Frost Skeleton Wolf! You obtained the title ¡®Frost Skeleton Wolf yer.¡¯ All stats increase by 1.]


    [Choose your reward.]


    [1. Copsing Ring.]


    [He was weak!]


    ¡°Even Beyond¡¯s Floor Master is nothing to Ruyue. Amazing.¡±


    [Ehehehe.]


    Although Skeleton Wolf was weaker than the Dragon Zombie, its ability to copse and controlnd was truly terrifying. If I didn¡¯t have my elementals, I might have had more trouble.


    Still, to seize the control of those huge boulders... Did the terrain boost Ruyue¡¯s ability? In any case, since I knew she had the highest contribution, I praised her wholeheartedly as I patted her. Then, I read the messages I just received.


    It somewhat made sense that I wasn¡¯t the first to defeat the Frost Skeleton Wolf solo, but I was still surprised. It meant there was someone else that climbed to Beyond¡¯s 25th floor.


    The seniors before me, just how far in Beyond did they go? What about in the First Dungeon? What about that man in Beyond¡¯s Residential Area? Although I was full of questions, I buried them inside. I knew it was only a matter of time until I found out.


    Next, the Copsing Ring¡¯s effect was beyond my expectations. Just like how the Echo Ring from Beyond¡¯s Floor Master amplified roar type skills, the Copsing Ring had a terrifying effect of doubling the range of all skills that crumblednd.


    I immediately thought of earthquake magic that magicians used, but what I had was Gaia Buster. I wanted to test it out immediately, but the snowy mountain ruined by the Frost Skeleton Wolf¡¯s Copsing Roar wasn¡¯t a ce I could stay leisurely. When I left, I saw apletely unexpected customer at the Floor Shop.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that Hero in Double Crisis.¡±


    ¡°Gek.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, what¡¯s up with that sound like a frog that just got stepped on with a high-heel?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Shin-nim. That was really fast.¡±


    The one talking to Loretta was none other than Eleine, Lost Valley¡¯s master. As thest talk I had about her wasn¡¯t particrly joyful, it felt awkward seeing her face. I silently looked at Loretta, asking her with my face why she was here.


    ¡°Ah, she said she had to talk about work. I didn¡¯t know when Shin-nim would return, so I couldn¡¯t leave the Floor Shop.¡±


    ¡°You should do things in moderation, Loretta. If you fall too deep, you won¡¯t know how to climb back up.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet before you fall too deep to climb back, Eleine.¡±


    Eleine pouted and went silent. With a wry smile, I waved goodbye and was about to leave when Loretta stopped me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be done soon, so stay and y with me, please?¡±


    ¡°If an administrative guild master came all the way to discuss something, it can¡¯t be simple. I¡¯lle backter, we can y then.¡±


    Eleine nodded seriously while still staying quiet. Loretta red at Eleine with killing intent, but in the end, she sighed and took out an axe from the... Wait, that wasn¡¯t a sigh of resignation!?


    Eleine, who didn¡¯t notice Loretta¡¯s axe, suddenly looked at me with sparkling eyes. When I was wondering what was up, she spoke rather unexpected words.


    ¡°Hero, I already heard you defeated two worlds¡¯ enemies! Then can you take care of our business too?¡±


    Before I could respond, Loretta fixed her grip on her axe and spoke.


    ¡°Eleine... Cut it out.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it natural to give quests to qualified explorers? That¡¯s the administrative guild members¡¯ job.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s already busy! If you keep bothering my Shin-nim, I¡¯ll make you regret it!¡±


    Even after hearing Loretta¡¯s threat, Eleine continued to look at me with great interest. I shook my head with a wry smile.


    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t right now. There are too many things I have to do on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Really? We still have some time so contact me when you¡¯re done with... Hiik!¡±


    Loretta¡¯s giant axe struck the dungeon floor, making a thunder roar that rang out with Eleine¡¯s shriek.


    ¡°L-Loretta, are you really doing this!?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, I¡¯m sorry but we¡¯ll have to yter. I have something else to take care of now.¡±


    ¡°Uh, mm... Okay. Try to avoid murder, Loretta.¡±


    At my advice, Loretta retorted lightly, as if she was about to catch an annoying mosquito flying around in the room.


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Hero! You¡¯re running away! I¡¯ll get my revenge!¡±


    ¡°Loretta, I won¡¯t mind even if Loretta bes a criminal. Just saying.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim! I understand!¡±


    ¡°Hero, you! That¡¯s assisting murder! A crime! Hey!¡±


    With that, I safely escaped from Loretta and Eleine.


    ¡°Strange. Really strange.¡±


    Licorice looked ufortable during the entire time we were exploring Antarctica.


    ¡°I had fun with Dear Husband, but why doesn¡¯t it feel like it? Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just your imagination. Maybe you¡¯ll change your mind once we clear a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°No, it must be because it wasn¡¯t enough. In that case, I have to spend more time with Dear Husband.¡±


    [Stop spouting nonsense and look in front of you, bat.]


    ¡°Eek, this birdbrain...!¡±


    Licorice red at Lotte and gritted her teeth. However, Lotte was right. Even though we could travel quickly on Lotte¡¯s back, it wasn¡¯t easy to find Event Dungeons in this huge continent. Licorice, who had the result of the subi¡¯s exploration in her head, needed to focus for us to finish exploring Antarctica quickly.


    ¡°Even Dear Husband... I feel like I¡¯m just a map.¡±


    ¡°Do your best for a little longer, Licorice. When we¡¯re done, I¡¯ll reward you.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what Dear Husband says...¡±


    Licoriceined a little and closed her eyes to focus on the database in her head. Then, she ordered Lotte to turn to the right and fly straight.


    When we arrived at a certain point, she faced a giant cier and tilted her head. Then, she closed her eyes again before opening them back up.


    ¡°Dear Husband.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    What she said next surprised me greatly.


    ¡°The dungeon that was here, I think it was cleared already.¡±

 Chapter 252. Above the Frozen Land (3)

    Chapter 252. Above the Frozen Land (3)


    Her words made me freeze up for a moment. After thinking to myself for a bit, I calmly replied.


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    Well... Maybe I wasn¡¯t so calm.


    ¡°I¡¯m the only one from Revival that came here, right?¡±


    ¡°Un. Our kids are with the others, so I should know if they did.¡±


    That could only mean that someone else hade here and cleared the dungeon. I asked Licorice.


    ¡°What was the dungeon¡¯s rank here?¡±


    ¡°Antarctica¡¯s Event Dungeons are generally high ranked. This one was SS.¡±


    If it was an SS rank Event Dungeon, no one else other than Revival¡¯s members and the explorers we appointed would have dared to attempt it. Something outside of my knowledge had happened.


    I felt stifled all of a sudden. Now that I was a leader of a group, knowing that something outside of my knowledge had happened made me ufortable. In the past, when the only thing I cared about was training my spearmanship, I didn¡¯t care about anything else. Of course, I also didn¡¯t know what was happening in the world either.


    Now, however, countless possibilities were emerging in my head, tormenting me. Now that I had more things to protect, I was worrying about things that didn¡¯t even happen to me directly. No matter what danger came up, as long as it was in front of me, I could just beat it up...!


    ¡°There isn¡¯t even a trace of mana left. Amazing.¡±


    Licorice flew around the cier and investigated. The result only made me more worried.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just be impressed. We don¡¯t know whether the perpetrator is an ally or an enemy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dear Husband. Our kids are with the others, so we should know if anything happens to them.¡±


    ¡°Right... Hopefully, we¡¯ll find out in Antarctica.¡±


    I clenched my fists. Golden lightning automatically appeared and crackled around them. If the perpetrator was an ally, if he was a new powerful ability user, that would be the best...


    ¡°But if the perpetrator is someone with ill intentions...¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband, that face is too cool! The perpetrator will fall for Dear Husband too!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m done with girls...¡±


    As Licorice said, Antarctica¡¯s Event Dungeons were fairly high in difficulty. Of course, being fairly high didn¡¯t mean a thing for someone like me, who had three gods¡¯ true names and the power of Lightning God. But it was still worrying that the number of Event Dungeons was lower than the number the subi units gave initially.


    Two weeks passed since we started exploring Antarctica. It was good that we cleared about thirty Event Dungeons, but about the same number of Event Dungeons had disappeared as if they never existed. It meant they had been cleared by someone else.


    What was even stranger was that the cleared dungeons were all over the ce. If the perpetrator wanted to just clear the dungeons, wouldn¡¯t he have wanted to clear all of them? However, even though there were dungeons closer to the ones he cleared, the perpetrator traveled far to clear other Event Dungeons. This meant the perpetrator had a standard of some sort in choosing the Event Dungeons to clear.


    Was it difficulty? After all, none of the A ranked dungeons were cleared. After thinking about it for a bit, I shook my head. Although that might be it, there were some SS ranked dungeons amongst the ones I cleared. There had to be something other than just difficulty.


    However, even dungeon explorers only knew Event Dungeons¡¯ difficulties and names before entering them. Did that mean the perpetrator knew more about the dungeons before entering them?


    [We¡¯re the only ones.]


    [Right. How about contacting Guardian or Freedom Wing? Oh, you already did.]


    [Shin, if you need help, just call us!]


    Thankfully, the other teams seemed to have had no problems. Feeling a bit relieved, I rushed to finish off the other Event Dungeons. Licorice and the others also followed me quietly, they must have been much colder than when we were in the Antarctic Ocean. I vowed to thank them somehow when everything was over. Of course, I didn¡¯t say anything aloud since I knew they would try to push for more.


    Ten days afterwards, a week earlier than the two month time I had set initially, wepletely cleaned up Antarctica. It was because we only had to clear half the number of dungeons we expected. The other teams were also finishing up, and the words ¡®Revival¡¯ and ¡®dungeon¡¯ could be seen everywhere on news.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally free from this cold ce! Huhu, I was half doubtful, but Dear Husband really closed all pathways. Dear Husband is really amazing!¡±


    [Ha, the ones who picked a fight in Hero¡¯s home are the foolish ones.]


    ¡°That¡¯s you, birdbrain.¡¯


    [I¡¯m with Hero now!]


    I thought Licorice and Lotte¡¯s rtionship would get better after staying together for so long, but they were still on bad terms. At least in the past, Licorice was a lot stronger than Lotte, but ever since Lotte evolved into a ze Queen, the power bnce between the two evened out and their fights became worse. They listened when I stopped them, but soon enough, they quickly broke out into another fight. I didn¡¯t understand why they couldn¡¯t just get along. I patted Plene, who was smiling happily without a care in the world.


    ¡°Plene is the best.¡±


    [I like getting patted. I like Shin! More than apple pies!]


    Uk. Now that she mentioned it, I haven¡¯t given her an apple pie in a long time. Maybe I should hire a baker soon... I smiled bitterly as I thought about that. Suddenly, Licorice, who was about to start brawling with Lotte, tilted her head.


    ¡°Dear Husband, Australia...¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we already finish there?¡±


    ¡°Australia got taken over by monsters...?¡±


    ¡°What...!?¡±


    Why do things never end nicely!? I gritted my teeth and opened themunication channel. As always, Hwaya was the first to report.


    [Shin, Oceania waspletely taken over by monsters!]


    [Not just Australia? That¡¯s impossible. I cleared all the Event Dungeons there!]


    [Maybe you missed one? This dungeon was also much bigger than we thought. When it became a Field Dungeon, it...]


    I interrupted Hwaya.


    [That can¡¯t be. Also, Event Dungeons should transform into Field Dungeons at the same time.]


    [Uuu, I don¡¯t understand. I can¡¯t contact most of the countries in Oceania. Not even their Guardians or Freedom Wings! It¡¯s almost like the entire area is isted! What do we do, Shin? What if the Demon Lord is here?]


    [He shouldn¡¯t be, don¡¯t worry. I know the Demon Lord¡¯s aura. It¡¯s not him. I should be the closest one to Oceania. Since I just finished in Antarctica, I¡¯ll head over there.]


    [... My team, done today. I¡¯ll join, Kang Shin.]


    [M-My team is finishing soon too! I¡¯ll go as soon as I can!]


    Daisy and Ye-Eun quickly added. As I was feeling pressured by the sudden monster takeover, I couldn¡¯t be more thankful to them.


    [But don¡¯t push yourselves too much. It¡¯s more important that we don¡¯t miss any Event Dungeons.]


    [Shin is the one pushing yourself too much! You already had the most work... Shin, don¡¯t go by yourself. My team should be done tomorrow, so wait for us, okay? Don¡¯t be impatient and just wait, got it?]


    I only told them not to push themselves and Hwaya was worrying about me. I had always thought this, but Hwaya had somewhat of a motherly side to her. When she has kids, I felt like they would have a hard time dealing with her nagging. Though, she would still be an excellent mother.


    I replied with a smile.


    [Yes, ma¡¯am. I won¡¯t do anything rash.]


    [Uuu, I¡¯m happy you¡¯re listening, but I don¡¯t like the way you replied...]


    [Damn it, how are you guys so fast? My team can only barely finish in time!]


    Walker wasining. Although he obtained a curse ability and reached Gold rank in the Second Dungeon, he was still a bitckingpared to the other powerful members. Although he had other team members, having one absolute power was extremely helpful in clearing high ranking dungeons. Hwaya retorted generously.


    [I¡¯ll send you the explorers from my team. They¡¯ve gotten more useful over the two months.]


    [Thanks, friend. I want to be more helpful, but the Americas are too big!]


    [You¡¯re doing well, Leon. I¡¯ll take care of Oceania so don¡¯t worry.]


    [Of course, I don¡¯t doubt it! Hahaha!]


    [I want to help Daddy too! I finished Russia. I¡¯ll go see Daddy!]


    [Yeah, Ina. Let¡¯s go with Mommy. Alright, Shin. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. Get some rest... You must have been constantly running around until now. Sorry.]


    [See you tomorrow. I¡¯m fine, so don¡¯t worry about it.]


    With that, I closed themunication channel. Feeling more calmed, I sighed and looked back at Licorice.


    ¡°Is there anything new?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s really as if the region is isted from the rest of Earth. We¡¯re getting some satellite images... Hold on.¡±


    Licorice took out a crystal ball and put her fingers on it. Soon, several pictures popped up. I became speechless as I stared into the crystal ball. The region... was freezing up.


    ¡°Licorice.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think so too.¡±


    There was no doubt about it. The person who cleared Antarctica¡¯s Event Dungeons, no, at this point, it was doubtful whether the perpetrator really cleared the Event Dungeons. That person and the Oceania had to be rted.


    Lotte called me.


    [Hero, look.]


    We were currently flying back after clearing Antarctica¡¯s Event Dungeons. In the first ce we arrived when we reached Antarctica from the Antarctic Ocean, a clear trace was left.


    ¡°Could it be...¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure, but probably.¡±


    Licorice looked at the trace left behind by the perpetrator. A bountiful trace of mana and a huge chunk ofnd torn away through brute force.


    ¡°Dear Husband, it¡¯s the demon race.¡±


    The time for war was near.

 Chapter 253. Above the Frozen Land (4)

    Chapter 253. Above the Frozen Land (4)


    I knew too well how much thend had changed. It was the ce we hadnded. The shape of the continent had most certainly changed. Seeing the coastline cut unnaturally, I felt a chill going down my spine.


    ¡°The perpetrator has enough power to change thendscape?¡±


    ¡°No, Dear Husband. The perpetrator only shaved off the topyer, like scooping ice cream from a bucket. We should be able to deal with this much!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying topete...¡±


    Licorice was right. There was a gradual slope down to the ocean, allowing seawater to flow in. It was certainly something I could do too, though I would need to use quite a bit of my aura.


    Even so, the fact that the perpetrator used so much energy to aplish this made me uneasy. He had to have a reason for doing that. I pondered for a moment, and suddenly thought of something.


    ¡°Could it be... Licorice.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    It seemed she was thinking the same thing. She projected the satellite pictures onto her crystal ball again and zoomed in. When we saw thend, the frozen parts were all connected to the coast. There had to be a starting point where the freezing began.


    The answer was quickly found. If someonepletely unknowledgeable saw it, he would only think of it as a giant cier. This giant cier was the thing shing with the coast, and that was where the invasion was beginning. That giant cier was undoubtedly the cut off part of Antarctica.


    ¡°Now we know for sure.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    A ship. The perpetrator had sliced off a part of Antarctica to use as a ship. Being able to slice off such a huge chunk ofnd showed just how powerful the perpetrator was. At the same time, it most likely meant that he wasn¡¯t alone. He most likely had an army with him.


    ¡°He crossed over to Earth recently. If he was alone, it could be that he crossed over long ago and was hiding this entire time, but since he has an army, it makes more sense that he crossed over recently with his army. But... How did he time his invasion with the Event Dungeons?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how Event Dungeons were created. From what I know about the worlds¡¯ enemies, I know that they use ¡®pathways¡¯ to periodically send their armies to Earth, and that the dungeon traps them in Event Dungeons so that humanity doesn¡¯t have to fight them at the same time, and encourages explorers to clear them for item and stat rewards.


    One thing to note was that during the second wave of Event Dungeons, I encountered a demon race in thest Event Dungeon I cleared. It meant both monsters and demons became trapped in Event Dungeons when they crossed over without exception. But what about this time? Did I encounter any demons in the Event Dungeons I cleared?


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    I shook my head. I couldn¡¯t believe I only noticed it now. In that case, the answer was even simpler. Disappearing Event Dungeons and the appearance of the Demon Lord¡¯s army. It could only mean one thing.


    ¡°The Event Dungeons didn¡¯t disappear... Someone had the power to take demons out of Event Dungeons. As if they had everything nned, they gathered in one ce and started conquering Oceania...¡±


    ¡°Then the reason all the disappeared Event Dungeons were in Antarctica was...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They could probably control that too.¡±


    I was dumbfounded. If our assumption was correct, the demons were practically ying around with the dungeon¡¯s system. Either the dungeon¡¯s restraint lost its meaning, or half of it was rendered useless. Was it because they already have a world¡¯s power? I couldn¡¯t be sure.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m going to go see Loretta for a bit. Go rest in the Residential Area.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    I hurriedly entered the dungeon. Loretta greeted me happily, but her expression turned grave when I told her my thoughts.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. That would be the same as challenging the Lord¡¯s power directly. That oldie might be annoying, but certainly powerful!¡±


    ¡°But this is what happened.¡±


    ¡°Uuu. But... Mm...¡±


    Loretta shot up and began to circle around me. Then, she began to murmur to herself. It was a bit scary, but I let her be.


    Soon, she nodded as if she came to a decision. She turned to face me.


    ¡°Shin-nim, try to resist this.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Resist it, okay? Though, I would be happy even if Shin-nim didn¡¯t... Kuhum! Anyways, try resisting it!¡±


    Loretta didn¡¯t wait for my answer and closed her eyes. When she opened them back up, the particles of light freely floating in her golden eyes suddenly began to let out a dazzling light.


    Loretta was too beautiful.


    For a moment, my heart thumped and obscene thoughts crossed my mind. I knew I liked Loretta, but this urge...!


    ¡°Lo... retta?¡±


    ¡°Good, just like that... No, that¡¯s not right!¡±


    I knew of Loretta¡¯s beauty all too well, but its current destructive ability was beyond my imagination. What happened? I thought I was old enough to be disciplined! Unable to control my desire, I slowly approached Loretta. Suddenly, I felt terrified. I felt like I was being sucked in by Loretta¡¯s charm, unable to maintain my own will. I felt scared that I was going to lose myself.


    In the end, before I attacked Loretta, I instinctively poured mana into my Evil Eyes and released the charm I had kept hidden. It wasmon sense that high charm countered another person¡¯s high charm. Slowly, my consciousness began to return. Loretta was still blindingly beautiful, but I was no longer feeling the same uncontroble urge.


    As if she didn¡¯t want to lose, Loretta bit her lips and strengthened the power in her eyes. However, I also roused my charm and resisted her. At the same time, I understood somewhat that this was the power of Loretta¡¯s Evil Eyes. Evil Eyes that can threaten my high charm, as I thought, Loretta¡¯s ability was beyond my imagination...


    ¡°Just how high are you going to go!?¡±


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    Realizing that Loretta¡¯s eyes were sparkling to a dangerous point, I smacked her head. Loretta then finally released her Evil Eyes and rubbed her head in pain.


    ¡°Hiing, Shin-nim just wouldn¡¯te over.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who told me to resist it.¡±


    ¡°I got angry because Shin-nim resisted it too well! If I were Shin-nim, I would have taken the opportunity to attack me!¡±


    ¡°Is that what you were hoping for?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    As always, Loretta didn¡¯t hide her intentions. Dumbfounded, I smacked her head again. Loretta pouted like a duck.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure Shin-nim could really resist it. Uuuu, why did the Lord have to put mares in the dungeon to have Shin-nim¡¯s resistance rise!?¡±


    ¡°Do you really need me to answer that...¡±


    When I retorted, still dumbfounded, Loretta moaned with a vexed expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s been three hundred years since my Evil Eyes of Charm got blocked. Well, it was also the first time it was activated in three hundred years...¡±


    ¡°So they really were charm type Evil Eyes.¡±


    The Evil Eyes I¡¯ve seen until now were all beautiful, but Loretta¡¯s were especially beautiful. It made sense if her Evil Eyes were Evil Eyes of Charm.


    ¡°Yes. Shin-nim has the qualification to meet the Lord, and I just proved Shin-nim won¡¯t be charmed when meeting the Lord, so there¡¯s no problem. Meet and ask the Lord directly. That will be the most definite way.¡±


    I see. It seemed she used her Evil Eyes on me in case I got charmed by the Lord. In that case, the Lord must also be a woman whose charm was on a simr level to Loretta¡¯s Evil Eyes of Charm.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t looking forward to it at all. It wasn¡¯t just because Loretta was taking her axes out.


    ¡°That makes sense, but...¡±


    ¡°I can go ask for you, but Shin-nim¡¯s free, right? This is a good chance to talk to her. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I had no reason to refuse. I was also curious about this Lord person. If I could meet her in person, I would love to do so.


    ¡°First, we¡¯ll go to Fairy Garden. Then, I¡¯ll open a road to where the Lord is.¡±


    At Fairy Garden, I met Lokanyan who was ying with the elementals. She was like a cat chasing after butterflies. As a cat would, Lokanyan detected our prescence and turned around to face us.


    ¡°Ah, Master nyan!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Lin?¡±


    ¡°Lin¡¯s been making something. He won¡¯t be with Loka nyan...¡±


    Loka half-folded her cat ears with a dejected look. I flinched. What Lin was making was undoubtedly the essories for Daisy and me. Lorettaughed and patted Lokanyan¡¯s head.


    ¡°Lin is atoning for his mistakes by doing work. Just wait a bit, Loka. He won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    ¡°Got it, nyan. Master is really kind, nyan!¡±


    I wonder if she¡¯d smile when she knew Loretta was the one who gave him that punishment. Since I didn¡¯t want to pour water on a good scene, I stayed silent. Loretta dusted off Lokanyan with mana and advised her.


    ¡°When your stomach gets big, you can¡¯t run around like now. It¡¯s not good for your child.¡±


    ¡°Got it, nyan! But how does Master know so much when Master¡¯s never been pregnant or even slept with a guy, nyan?¡±


    ¡°... Huhu, I have my ways.¡±


    ¡°Master is really amazing, nyan!¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu.¡±


    I felt like Lin¡¯s punishment increased by at least a month. I didn¡¯t even want to approach Loretta because her smile was so scary.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Loretta held my hand and walked away. When Lokanyan disappeared from our view, she red at me.


    ¡°Half of it is Shin-nim¡¯s fault.¡±


    ¡°No way, only one out of two thousand seven hundredth is my fault.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim...?¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s hurry!¡±


    The Fairy Garden wasn¡¯t just an administrative guild area, but a rather mystical ce. Just by walking while thinking about the person you want to me, you would be able to meet her. It was a ce far out of human realm¡¯sws, a ce ruled by mysticalws.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let go of my hand and if possible, don¡¯t think about anything.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Loretta warned me and grabbed my hand. Then, we began to walk step by step into the empty forest. With just that, the surrounding scenery began to change. From a forest to a meadow, from a meadow to a barren wilderness, from a wilderness to a hill, the sceneries changed as if we were teleporting from ce to ce. Soon, everything disappeared and we came to an area enshrouded in darkness.


    If there was even a single star, I might have thought we were under a night sky. If there wasn¡¯t a sense of vastness that made me certain the darkness expanded out endlessly, I might have thought we were in a dark room. Of course, neither was the case. At least, I knew we weren¡¯t in Fairy Garden. Using Loretta¡¯s existence as a key and using Fairy Garden as a door, we had arrived here. It was just like how I entered Fairy Garden through the pond in my mansion.


    This ce wasn¡¯t connected to any other ces and existed independently. It wasn¡¯t a ce one could enter just by wanting to enter or leave just by wanting to leave.


    ¡°Where are we...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the oldie¡¯s taste.¡±


    ¡°Oldie? How rude, Loretta.¡±


    The moment Loretta mentioned her, a calm mature voice of a woman rebutted her. I instinctively turned to the direction of the voice. It was undoubtedly the first time I had heard this voice, but for some reason, I felt a sense of familiarity. While I was enveloped in this strange sensation, the Lord greeted me with a smile.


    ¡°This is the first time we¡¯ve met. I¡¯m Sherifina, in charge of the dungeon¡¯s administrations. Everyone calls me Lord, but you always called me something else.¡±


    When I heard her voice again, I realized whom it belonged to.


    ¡°Message noona! ... Noona?¡±


    In the empty darkness, message noona, or rather Sherifina, who greeted us... was a small girl perhaps even smaller than Ina.

 Chapter 254. Above the Frozen Land (5)

    Chapter 254. Above the Frozen Land (5)


    While being Confused, I examined her more closely. She had long plum-colored hair that seemed to want to melt into the surrounding darkness, and also pale white skin. Her slightly out of focus eyes were plum-colored just like her hair and seemed to suck in all light. Not only was she small, her eyes, lips, and ears were also small. Anyone looking at her would only see a ten year old girl.


    Ah, she also wasn¡¯t wearing any clothes.


    ¡°Shin-nim, do you have anything to say before I poke your eyes out?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m innocent. I¡¯m being falsely used. If you wish to find fault, go talk to that exhibitionist kid.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, just being somewhere constitutes a crime. When you realized she was naked, you should have turned around!¡±


    ¡°I was expecting a grown woman because of her mature voice. I was surprised she was a kid and was examining her. I acknowledge my fault in this, but poking my eyes out would be too excessive of a punishment.¡±


    As I replied calmly and blocked Loretta¡¯s fingers desperately, Sherafina watched us silently. Go wear something, please!


    ¡°Lord, wear something!¡±


    ¡°So that was the problem. I apologize, I rarely talk to people.¡±


    She apologized to Loretta and snapped her fingers. In an instant, she was equipped with a ck dress. I pushed Loretta¡¯s fingers away and sighed a breath of relief. At the same time, I couldn¡¯t help but think, was she wearing underwear...? Kuhum!


    ¡°I put on some clothes now, Loretta. There¡¯s no reason to poke his eyes out.¡±


    ¡°Hu... You did this on purpose, right?¡±


    ¡°Loretta should know very well that I don¡¯t usually wear clothes.¡±


    ¡°Mm... I¡¯ll question youter. You know why we¡¯re here, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s about what happened on Earth, correct?¡±


    Sherafina slowly nodded and continued.


    ¡°Earth is perfectly defending against its invaders. If you continue to grow, it might be possible to stop Earth¡¯s enemies before humanity sheds blood.¡±


    ¡°I already know that, but...¡±


    ¡°However, they realized that you were powerful.¡±


    Sherafina looked at me. Seeing her mysteriously charming plum eyes, I could see why Loretta tested me beforehand. Loretta spoke up.


    ¡°If Lord seduces Shin-nim, I¡¯ll kill even Lord.¡±


    ¡°I have no such intentions. Plus, love isn¡¯t good for administrators. Loretta, I already told you multiple times, not that you ever listen to me.¡±


    ¡°If Lord talks about someone else, I¡¯ll kill even Lord.¡±


    ¡°Your love troubles both you and your love¡¯s receiver. Your expectations are too high.¡±


    Loretta took out her axe.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just kill her now.¡±


    ¡°Loretta, please!¡±


    ¡°But that woman just...! Shin-nim, are my expectations too high? Am I overbearing?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not at all, so put away that axe before I do feel that way! Where the heck is that axeing out of all the time!?¡±


    As I thought, I¡¯m the only normal one out of everyone rted to the dungeon! Even this woman didn¡¯t listen to people properly! After I barely stopped the biggest crisis since the dungeon¡¯s founding, Sherafina spoke with a sigh.


    ¡°elerating the speed of invasion isn¡¯t something they would prefer to do because of its high mana cost...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re continuing like nothing happened!?¡±


    ¡°Rather than seeding in their invasion, they¡¯re losing the territories they already gained. In response, they sacrificed some of their forces to widen the pathway.¡±


    I gave up and just listened to her.


    ¡°Originally, I distributed my power evenly amongst all worlds, administering the dungeon, administering its explorers, and interfering with the enemies¡¯ invasions.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    ¡°Because of the recent incident with Sipua ran away... Ah, thank you for that by the way. We were able to protect the dungeon thanks to you. Even If we lost just Lin, the dungeon would have been in deep trouble.¡±


    ¡°Just continue with the exnation, Lord.¡±


    Loretta spoke while annoyed. Sherafina nodded and continued.


    ¡°Because of the recent incident with Sipua running away, the dungeon had stopped. My sight also became limited. Sipua was returned to her position, but before my power came back, the enemy¡¯s third invasion began. We were struck at an untimely spot.¡±


    ¡°Then, is my theory correct, Lord?¡±


    ¡°yes. The dungeon¡¯s formation wasn¡¯t perfect. In addition, because I quickly reactivated my power, I didn¡¯t notice them gathering in the same spot. Since I didn¡¯t notice the Event Dungeons disappearing and the enemies gathering together in an army, you could say they tricked mepletely. At the very least, it means they have an ability that prevents me from finding out when Event Dungeons disappear.¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°Our enemy is diverse and possess fearful abilities. Loretta, what we consider impossible will alwayse back to bite us in reality.¡±


    The Lord spoke calmly.


    ¡°Remember this. There might be someone in their midst who can perfectly see through the nature of my power and canpletely ignore it.¡±


    ¡°Could it be the Demon Lord?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. When the final explorer left the Luka continent, he didn¡¯t possess such a power. It must be a new demon born after the Demon Lord obtained the world¡¯s power.¡±


    Although she had a serious tone, I couldn¡¯t focus on her words entirely because of her young appearance. I pped my cheeks to regain myposure and asked her.


    ¡°And there might be more than one such being.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I n on doing everything I can, but what the dungeon can do for you will be less and less.¡±


    ¡°Lord, you¡¯re too irresponsible!¡±


    ¡°I have high expectation of you.¡±


    She pretended to have not heard Loretta as she looked at me fixedly.


    ¡°You might not know, but you¡¯re the fastest climbing explorer to have ever existed. Soloing the dungeon, something that you consider normal and easy, is something not even 1% of the explorers can aplish. The feat of climbing two floors in a day is something not even 1% of that 1% can do. As for your Beyond climbing speed, I have no words. Your strength and bold mindset and the heavenly luck that supports you are something even I find hard to believe. The interest and goodwill towards you by the gods are most likely the first since the universe¡¯s beginning.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, you¡¯re making me blush.¡±


    ¡°Why are you feeling embarrassed, Loretta?¡±


    She tilted her head at Loretta¡¯s response, then turned to face me again.


    ¡°However, the more aplished you be, the more uneasy I feel. I hate the word ¡®fate¡¯ the most, but looking at your talent and luck, I can¡¯t help but think it¡¯s because a time when such a power is needed ising.¡±


    ¡°Lord?¡±


    Loretta looked at Sherafina with an extremely surprised face. Seeing the streak of worry on the girl¡¯s small face, she asked.


    ¡°Uneasy...? Why? Lord saw and experienced countless worlds¡¯ ruin, and you¡¯re feeling uneasy at Earth¡¯s danger?¡±


    ¡°Think about the situation Earth is in, Loretta.¡±


    I could somewhat understand the uneasiness Sherafina was feeling. Loretta seemed to know something too as she became quiet.


    ¡°The enemies¡¯ leaders have the power to ignore the dungeon¡¯s power. That¡¯s partly why they became leaders. It makes sense. The dungeon was made by the defenders, and the leaders of the attackers were born to defeat the defenders.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡¯


    ¡°But what¡¯s happening right now is too out of line. The Demon Lord who opened a pathway to another world after absorbing a world¡¯s power and the fact that this pathway led to Earth, both of these are something I can¡¯t just wave off. It¡¯s the same for the leader of the monsters, as I am clueless as to what kind of an existence he is. If you fail to protect Earth and they seed, will they stop there?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Loretta and I both became speechless. I didn¡¯t want to even imagine the end of Earth, but if Earth¡¯s invaders started to reach out to other worlds, just how many would be able to defend themselves? The Lord interrupted our silence and continued ruthlessly.


    ¡°The danger Earth is facing can be fatal. You must stop them. If you allow themnd, we won¡¯t know what they will do next. They must be chased out. Furthermore, you must get stronger.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re walking on the correct path. Grow stronger. Climb the dungeon, but don¡¯t be swayed by it. Just like what you¡¯re doing now, grow power that the dungeon can¡¯t give. Also...¡±


    I felt like I didn¡¯t want to hear the next part. Just when I was about to block my ears out of instinct, the Lord announced.


    ¡°You must embrace the human named Ciara Kenex.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather die...¡±


    She continued, as if she expected my response.


    ¡°Just like you, she is someone who received the world¡¯s power. If you are the Hero, she would be the Saintess. Both are indispensable existences for Earth. Seeing Earth¡¯s current situation, I now understand why she exists. You need someone to read the enemy¡¯s movements. You need her, who was born with an ability that the dungeon can¡¯t give.¡±


    ¡°Please... Uuu, so you¡¯re saying...¡±


    I was about to refuse her straight up, but I hesitated for a moment. I hated her. I hated her personality, and I hated that she admired me just because I was the Hero. I hated her appearance and hated her voice. I hated everything about her. I was sick of her attitude of treating people¡¯s lives as mere numbers.


    But what if I pushed her away just because I hated her personality and action, and ended up with casualties that I could have prevented with her power?


    If included in those casualties was Yua, Ina, Mother, Father, Ina, Hwaya, Ye-Eun, Yua, Ludia, Ina, Daisy, Ren, Yua, Leon, Ina, Walker, Yua, or Ina...


    ¡°She can be stronger in the dungeon. By raising her league, she can strengthen the power she was given. Now, you need her power.¡±


    ¡°... Uuu.¡±


    I had too many people I needed to protect. I always talked big about protecting everyone with my strength alone, but I knew all too well now that I couldn¡¯t solve everything on my own.


    To protect my loved ones...


    ¡°Huu... I¡¯ll contact her.¡±


    Will I be able to rein her in? Hwaya might be able to do it, but won¡¯t she get mad? I sighed thinking about having to see Ciara Kenex¡¯s face. Loretta was also giving the Lord a deathly re.


    ¡°I¡¯m already annoyed by the number of women Shin-nim has, so why are you giving him another one!?¡±


    ¡°Then will Loretta go to Earth to help him?¡±


    ¡°... Can I?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not. You should know this better than anyone else.¡±


    Loretta pouted at Sherafina¡¯s cutthroat answer. Sherafina continued without batting an eye.


    ¡°Is having one more woman more important than his safety?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! Shin-nim, let¡¯s go back. I shouldn¡¯t have brought you here, hmph!¡±


    ¡°Eh? We¡¯re going back?¡±


    ¡°We already got what we came for! Lord, do you have anything else to say?¡±


    ¡°I want to give more help, but unfortunately...¡±


    She shook her head. It was the kind of gesture fitting of the word ¡®oldie¡¯, but since I knew women were sensitive about talking about their age, I wasn¡¯t so stupid as to ask about her age.


    ¡°I hope you can pass this danger safely. I¡¯ll look forward to the day I meet you again.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t bring Shin-nim here ever again!¡±


    Loretta shouted at her and pulled me away. I bowed to Sherafina and followed her. Just like when I first came here, she spoke as she pulled me.


    ¡°Shin-nim will do fine. Don¡¯t worry too much. The dungeon is all the Lord has in her mind. She¡¯s ignoring Shin-nim¡¯s potential. I¡¯m angry.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think she did... Rather than that, what is she? She doesn¡¯t seem human.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. She hasn¡¯t changed at all since I first met her.¡±


    Loretta added with a bitter smile.


    ¡°She never says anything about herself. It¡¯s been several hund... a long time since I saw her too.¡±


    She cut off contact with people and lived two thousands years or even more in that darkness? I thought about the conversation I just had. Sherafina seemed to have had expressed emotions somewhat, but when I thought about it, she didn¡¯t say anything not rted to the dungeon. Just why did she spend such a long time... I knew I didn¡¯t have the time to worry about other things, but I couldn¡¯t help but think about her. When I sighed, Loretta looked at me with worrying eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re not interested in her, right? I thought you resisted her charm, but could it be...¡±


    ¡°Loretta¡¯s the only one for me.¡±


    ¡°Aaaaah! Wait! I¡¯m not ready to record that! Again, say it again one more time!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, so no.¡±


    ¡°Shin-niiiiim!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t in any position to worry about other people. I had to fight the demons who tricked the Dungeon Lord¡¯s eyes and conquered Oceania. I had to clear my head for battle.


    About contacting Ciara, I¡¯ll put it off until the fight ends. After all, just listening to her will ruin my mood!

 Chapter 255. Above the Frozen Land (6)

    Chapter 255. Above the Frozen Land (6)


    A day had passed since Oceania was taken over by the demon race and became isted from all outside contact. For some reason, the inte also didn¡¯t work. It was really as if Oceania was cut off from the rest of Earth and ced in the medieval age.


    No matter how powerful Revival¡¯s members were, we couldn¡¯t just say we would take care of everything by ourselves when the real invasion began. As such, we contacted several governments and divided the areas we would manage. We told them that we would go in once all of Revival¡¯s members were gathered, and we advised them to form elite troops formed of ability users of at least S rank. The rest would be up to them.


    As it wasn¡¯t efficient for everyone toe to the Antarctic Ocean, we decided to meet in the middle, the Pacific Ocean. No matter how grave the situation with Oceania was, we couldn¡¯t give up on clearing the other Event Dungeons.


    The ones ready today were Daisy, Father, Ye-Eun, Hwaya, Ina, Michel, and yda. The others still had several dungeons they needed to clear and couldn¡¯te.


    [Good luck, Oppa. I¡¯lle as soon as I finish up with my area!]


    [With your ability, you¡¯ll be done before me anyways. Don¡¯t force us to try harder and take care of it on your own... Good luck.]


    [You can do it, Shin-nim!]


    [I know I don¡¯t need to worry about Crown Prince, but still, please be on guard. Being careless is the easiest way to die.]


    [... It¡¯s good that there¡¯s a substitute priestess. You were right, Shin.]


    [I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m good enough to substitute for Palludia-nim, but I¡¯ll try my best!]


    What surprised me the most was Ludia acquiescing. The past Ludia would have told yda to take her ce so that she coulde with me. She really has gotten better. No, perhaps, she just evolved into her final form... Even so, I weed her transformation.


    [I¡¯ll clear the Event Dungeons as quickly as I can too. Just wait a few days, Shin.]


    [Your safety should alwayse first, Ludia. Be careful.]


    [Yeah, thanks.]


    I ended my conversation with Ludia somewhat awkwardly. Then, I cheered up the other members and closed themunication channel before rowing my boat to join the other attacking members.


    This ¡°boat¡± was a giant sheet of ice that Ruyue and Sharana made with their abilities. With a diameter of one kilometer and thickness of several meters, it was more of a tiny piece ofnd than a sheet of ice. It was also extremely firm. Since it was made with 200,000 mana, it would be weird otherwise.


    ¡°Dear Husband, are you still strengthening it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I wonder why I only thought of this now.¡±


    I gulped down a mana potion as I replied to Licorice. Anyone next to me would be able to hear the sound of Peruta Circuit spinning as I gathered mana fiercely and poured it to Ruyue and Sharana. Sharana, who was piloting this giant sheet of ice like a boat, strengthened the ice as she received more mana, and Ruyue made the sheet bigger and harder by freezing the water.


    ¡°Dear Husband... Why are you making it so big? It¡¯s going to be hard melting it downter.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to. We¡¯re going to m it into monsterster. We have to get revenge for what they did to Antarctica.¡±


    ¡°Mm... Is that possible?¡±


    ¡°It should be if Sharana and Ruyue both materialize and I use my skill.¡±


    I made a V sign with my fingers, making Licoriceugh.


    ¡°That will definitely be impactful. It might not be as impactful as seeing a part of Antarctica torn off, but it should make up for it to a degree.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°So you can do something like this with contracting three elementals... Should I help too, Dear Husband?¡±


    ¡°I was just about to ask.¡±


    We exchanged mischievous smiles. One more person was now drinking mana potions every ten minutes.


    As my inventory was full of highest grade mana potions that easily cost over 100 million won, all I needed was ten minutes to fill up my mana again.


    Each potion gave 50,000 mana, about a fourth of my maximum. If I were in battle, with only a fourth of my mana able to be filled up every ten minutes, I wouldn¡¯t be able to freely use it as I am now. However, the current situation was entirely different from a battle. As it was the first time I was preparing for something by pouring out my mana, I became engrossed in it.


    Now that I thought about it, since I could replenish my mana with Peruta Circuit whenever I wanted, was I wasting my time when I wasn¡¯t in battle by not doing anything with my full mana? This was what I thought as I made this ¡®strategic weapon.¡¯ But when I thought more about it, the only time I wasn¡¯t in battle was when I was eating or taking showers. My own lifestyle made me tear up a bit.


    Regardless, when I met up with the others, I had be a captain of an icynd three kilometers in diameter.


    ¡°What is this!?¡±


    Hwaya shouted the moment she saw what I made. Feeling the freezing energy oozing out, she shuddered with shock.


    ¡°Shin, did you cut off a part of Antarctica? Did you copy that demon?¡±


    ¡°Why would I cut a perfectly finend when there¡¯s water around? This is just ice.¡±


    ¡°You made this by freezing water? You... You¡¯re going beyond my expectation by the day.¡±


    Hwaya justughed as if she just heard the most absurd thing. After that, she praised my construction skill.


    The followingments were mostly positive. Father who liked things in big scale obviously liked what I had made, and Michel also smiled when he heard what I was nning on using it for. yda pped no matter what I did, and Ina enjoyed that everything was ice. Of course, she was made to strengthen thend with Licorice and me immediately afterwards.


    ¡°Cold! Shin, is this to help us adjust to the cold?¡±


    ¡°Adjust?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You know, Oceania¡¯s countries are all frozen right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention that.¡±


    When I turned around, Licorice made an ¡®oops¡¯ expression. I sighed and asked her.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Dear Husband. The satellite images only show the frozen whitend, and Guardian and Freedom Wing can¡¯t enter either. It¡¯s too cold, and there are too many enemies in thending zones.¡±


    ¡°I expected it when I heard that thend was frozen... Is it a demon that can control freezing energy?¡±


    ¡°Then won¡¯t thisnd be counter-effective?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. I can make it into a different attribute with my skill.¡±


    ¡°This 3 kmnd of ice?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the skill does.¡±


    I didn¡¯t make thend bigger after that. In fact, Ina, Licorice, and I slowlypressed it with our mana. Of course, it was still huge, and a satellite took a picture of us sailing through the ocean. It seemed the satellite really didn¡¯t have better things to do.


    While Guardian and Freedom Wing continued to sit around helplessly, we advanced towards New Zend. More than a few had their hope in us. On one hand, people hailed Revival, while on the other hand, peopleined that we were taking too long. Some even said we were dawdling during a time of humanity¡¯s existential crisis.


    ¡°It¡¯s great that so many people love and care about the future of humanity. Earth has a bright future.¡±


    ¡°Keyboard warriors never go away.¡±


    ¡°I thought people like them were only in Korea!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s misunderstanding, Ye-Eun. All humans are good at imposing their beliefs and a sense of duty on others.¡±


    The reason we were heading to New Zend was simply that it was the closest. We nned on going through all the inds starting from New Zend, then entering Australia.


    As we were getting close to New Zend, Hwaya suddenly eximed in surprise.


    ¡°I can¡¯t ess the inte!¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re starting...¡±


    I took out my crossbow and looked up towards the sky. When I put more strength into my eyes, I could see winged beings in the skies of New Zend. As if to copy me, Ina also widened her eyes in the same pose. I pat her head and asked Ina.


    ¡°Ina, do you want to y a shooting game with Daddy?¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    ¡°What are you teaching to a kid... Let Mommy join in too!¡±


    As Ina, Hwaya, and I stood side by side on the cier and took out our weapons, Daisy also stepped up. She opened her inventory and spoke proudly.


    ¡°Today is, quality over quantity. Laki, time to shine.¡±


    Right, the enemy demon was suspected of using ice. Laki, who wieldedva, would be their natural enemy. However, I asked Daisy with worry.


    ¡°Hisva was strong when he was alive, but can he wieldva when he¡¯s an undead?¡±


    ¡°Not like when, he was alive.¡±


    Daisy acknowledged her undead¡¯s w!? Of course, she wasn¡¯t done.


    ¡°But attribute shifted. Became more toxic. His body became harder. Now, there¡¯s nothing to fear.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re confident, but I¡¯m going to be worried sick for you.¡±


    ¡°I already said, it¡¯s too early. Kang Shin¡¯s love, I¡¯ll have to refuse it.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I really want to hit you.¡±


    Along with me, all the other long ranged attackers began to attack. I shot out bolts of lightning, while Hwaya and Ina also fiercely shot out fire and ice. With Licorice and the several tens of subi, countless attacks flew through the air.


    ¡°Usually, the ones in the air are the stronger ones.¡±


    ¡°I almost feel bad for them.¡±


    I felt like I could hear the demons¡¯ screams. However, Daisy didn¡¯t seem to enjoy hearing them.


    ¡°Laki, go.¡±


    [Grrrrrraaaah!]


    Laki made an unpleasant roar and shot out of Daisy¡¯s inventory. Its immense heat was trying to melt thend we spent so much time freezing.


    ¡°Hey, send him away quickly.¡±


    ¡°... Laki.¡±


    Daisy puffed out her cheeks at my scolding. Laki pped his wings a few times and soared into the sky in an instant. We then ignored the demons fighting Laki and continued to shoot out attacks.


    [He¡¯s strong! He might equal Lespina-nim!]


    [Nonsense! Just keep gathering power, he¡¯s just an undead!]


    We continued to lower the number of demons in the air. Although their initial target must have been us, but Laki charged towards them with his huge body, whipped them with his tail, pouredva all over them, sent them flying with shockwaves, and disyed an overall overwhelming strength.


    Laki was more than enough to deal with the demons¡¯ attacks. In fact, with him, things would be even quicker. If he continued as he was doing now, it would only be a matter of time before wended.


    ¡°Hwaya, can you detect him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I know their leader isn¡¯t in New Zend. I know for sure that he¡¯s in the inner area of Australia. There are some strong ones here too, but... they¡¯re manageable.¡±


    ¡°Good. When thendes into view, everyone get off the ice and be on standby! The ones that can do long ranged attacks should split in half and fight the demons onnd and air!¡±


    It only took a moment for this time toe. A frozennd soon appeared in the distance along with smirking bluish ck skinned demons that shot magical attacks at us.


    It seemed the broken piece of Antarctica first collided here. Though it seemed to be in Australia now, a part of New Zend¡¯s coast was a mess.


    ¡°Huhu... I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡±


    ¡°Mmm... Won¡¯t this bother New Zend¡¯s citizens more?¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t it look good? I¡¯m sure they¡¯re more worried about monsters and demons than theirnd.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true... Okay, you take care of the rest. Good luck!¡±


    Hwaya clenched her fists and flew up without knowing exactly what I nned to do. As I saw her go, I grinned. The coast was now near!


    ¡°Is everyone ready to jump off?¡±


    [Hero is the only one left!]


    Lotte shouted with the ones unable to fly on her back. The longed ranged attackers were still shooting out attacks, blocking off the demons¡¯ magic bullets and mes. Everything was perfect!


    ¡°Ruyue, Sharana!¡±


    [I¡¯m ready!]


    [How exciting!]


    The two elementals materialized, held each other¡¯s hands and stood in the center of the frozennd. I could feel their energy being focused on the frozennd entirely. Thend was breathing!


    ¡°Launch!¡±


    In that instant, the frozennd that had beenpressed to 1.5 km in diameter suddenly elerated. The humongous cier was suddenly racing through the ocean at a speed of several hundred kilometers per hour. It was certainly a sight to behold!


    ¡°Wow, even Dear Husband¡¯s scale of water skiing is different!¡±


    ¡°That looks fun... I want to be on it too!¡±


    ¡°Whooooooo!¡±


    I howled above the frozennd jetting through the ocean. The demons watching us gasped in shock and shot magic bullets towards us, but not only did most of them miss, I could smack away the few that got close with my spear.


    However, demons were indeed different from monsters. Once they realized their magic was ineffective, most of them scattered, while some remained in a safe area and gathered mana in mass. It seemed like the method humans employed when dealing with massive monsters.


    Of course, they were all useless!


    [Surf!]


    The moment Ruyue and Sharana shouted together, the rolling waves got fiercer and more violent. Eventually, the wave becamerge enough to carry the frozennd. Ruyue and Sharana was taking a huge amount of mana from me to control this natural phenomenon, but I could withstand this much!


    I wasn¡¯t done yet. I gulped down a mana potion I had prepared beforehand and shouted at the girls.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Jump!¡±


    [Jump!]


    The wave rose higher. The 1.5 km frozennd was perfectly bnced above the wave dozens of meters in height. Of course, it would have been impossible without Ruyue and Sharana¡¯s power. What happened next was even more shocking. As I said before, the wave became even more violent and eventually fiercely smacked the frozennd we were riding!


    ¡°Whoo! Let¡¯s fly straight to New Zend!¡±


    [Shin, if you were nning something so fun, you should have let me join in!]


    ¡°It¡¯s toote!¡±


    As the frozennd was already amply strengthened by my mana, it didn¡¯t break in the slightest as it quickly soared to the sky. At the same time, a refreshing smile appeared on my face. The frozennd I made was already well beyond the coastline, above the eyes of countless demons staring at us gobsmacked.


    There was only one thing left to do.


    ¡°Art is an explosion! Gaia Buster!¡±


    Author¡¯s note:


    The final frozennd has a diameter of 1.5 kilometers and a thickness (height) of 4~5 meters! It shows how strong Sharana, Ruyue, and Shin have gotten!


    Editor¡¯s note: My inner narutard is very pleased

 Chapter 256. Above the Frozen Land (7)

    Chapter 256. Above the Frozen Land (7)


    The moment I struck down with my Chaotic Spear, ck lightning shot out in a zigzag pattern from the center of the frozennd. It only took a moment before the pure whitend turned ck.


    [Wooow!]


    [What an amazing skill!]


    ¡°It¡¯s going to crumble soon!¡±


    I pushed Chaotic Spear deeper, and the ckened frozennd, with a crack running down the middle, began to crackle with fierce lightning. Although my original power might not have been enough to cause such a feat, with the Copsing Ring I obtained recently, I could pull off such a miraculous feat! Even the demons who might have been doubtful were now beginning to understand what I was doing.


    [Stop him! That¡¯s a skill!]


    [Such a powerful skill! If only Lespina-nim was here!]


    But this Lespina-nim isn¡¯t here, is she!?


    I shouted and pushed my spear deeper. In that instant, my skill activatedpletely. The huge sheet of ice separated into hundreds of thousands of giant pieces and rained down on the ground. The pieces were all strengthened to the limit with my mana and was imbued with the ck lightning attribute through Gaia Buster¡¯s effect. It was a magnificent sight one would want to capture with his camera.


    [Lightning filled with an evil curse! Dodge!]


    [There¡¯s too many of them, damn it!]


    Damn it? That¡¯s good to hear! I flew up using Tria and looked at the magnificent scene I created. The icy boulders crackling with ck lightning were all hurling towards the demons.


    The demons resisted with their magic or weapons, but there were just too many to deal with. Furthermore, my mana, imbued in each piece of the icy boulder, prevented them from destroying them easily. Once a demon couldn¡¯t defend against one, that was it, as several tens then several hundreds of icy boulders soon collected his life. Of course, Gaia Buster didn¡¯t end just because its target died. The power of the ck lightning lied in its final huge explosion!


    [Kuaaaak!]


    [It¡¯s a disaster!]


    [To think there¡¯s a human with such a terrifying skill!]


    [Im, Impossible... It¡¯s the Demon God-nim¡¯s fury, Demon God-nim¡¯s fury!]


    ¡°I¡¯m not a Demon God! I¡¯m Kang Shin! Uhahahaha!¡±[1. Demon God = Ma Shin (??), which clearly is simr to the MC¡¯s name.]


    The ck icy boulders raining down on the coastal area of New Zend didn¡¯t stop until the demons¡¯ screams were no longer heard. Whenever demons appeared that seemed to want to say something, the remaining boulders exploded with fierce mana and silenced them.


    With so much mana exploding at once, whirlpools of mana were created in several ces. I quickly flew down and pulled them towards me with Peruta Circuit.


    ¡°Whew, I¡¯m getting so much mana from these. Maybe it¡¯s because they were made from my mana! Sharana, Ruyue! Let¡¯s kill the survivors!¡±


    [Leave it to me!]


    [Me too, me too!]


    The two materialized elementals received the mana recovered by Peruta Circuit and shot out in different directions. With Tria, I quickly soared across the half-destroyed New Zend and looked for surviving demons.


    [You cruel bastard, do you know how many of our kin you just killed!?]


    One seemed to have a stealth type ability, as a blue-skinned demon suddenly shot up from the ground when I was flying close to the ground and tried to stab with a dagger. The demon moved quicker than I could detect him with my mana, but he had unfortunately underestimated my reaction speed!


    ¡°I might not know how many I killed, but...¡±


    With a swift thrust of my spear, I pierced the demon¡¯s neck. However, the speed of his dagger wasn¡¯t affected in the slightest. Even as he coughed up a mouthful of blood, he forced his eyes open and shouted with a heinousugh.


    [His Majesty, the great Demon Lord, shall draw your blood as otion!]


    In the Luka continent, I had my fair share of experience with demons. One thing all demons had inmon was their tenacious life force. Before his dagger could reach my neck, I ignited chaos mes and burnt up his entire body. Then, I finished my sentence.


    ¡°I know I can add another to the count.¡±


    [Ku...]


    As if to erase even his death throes, chaos mes surged violently and burnt his body to a crisp. I murmured with a snort.


    ¡°You massacred millions of humans and what, you¡¯re curious how many demons I killed? Are you trying to make me feel guilty?¡±


    There was no such thing as justice. Everyone fought to survive. What was important was knowing the weight of one¡¯s crimes and still taking steps forward. I long since had this resolve.


    Frozen by the demons, carpet-bombed by ck ice, and now burnt and crushed to the ground. Thends of New Zend now really looked like a scene from a catastrophe. The corpses of the New Zend¡¯s people from when the demons invaded had been buried in ice. Now, they were revealed under the cracked ice... No, most were destroyed. Seeing them, I couldn¡¯t help but think that my attack had damaged these corpses.


    ¡°This damned demons, they dare to guilt me with human corpses lying everywhere?¡±


    No matter how dirty I felt, I couldn¡¯t stop because of it. Even now, Guardian and Freedom Wing couldn¡¯t even near the perimeter of Oceania. However, if we went crazy and forced the demons toe to us, Guardian and Freedom Wing would naturally gain a chance to enter. That would mean a quicker remation ofnd.


    Though I was a bit ashamed of what I had done, I came here to protect Oceania. I came to prevent any more casualties from urring. Rather than corpses of already dead people, the living was more important to me.


    ¡°Huu... Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±


    I absorbed the mana released by the demon¡¯s body and created a ck whirlpool enveloping my spear. At the same time, I roused the power of this mana and shouted at the top of my lungs for all to hear.


    ¡°To all survivors,e! The Hero you want to kill so much is here!¡±


    [You used Provoke! All being in thisnd attacks you with intense hatred!]


    From what seemed like a destend, injured demons suddenly began to rise. I most likely worsened their injuries with my provocation. It must be painful and vexing. There might have been demons with the ability to resist my Provoke, but most of them probably didn¡¯t resist on purpose.


    [He¡¯s the Hero.]


    [If we kill him, the Demon Lord doesn¡¯t need toe!]


    [He¡¯s the one who massacred our kin.]


    [Glory to the Demon Lord, Blessing of the Demon God to Lespina-nim!]


    The demons began to gather towards me. Ruyue and Sharana busily flew around, creating pirs of ice and scythes of wind to bully the demons. However, their gazes were fixed on me. Looking at their hate-filled eyes, I grinned. At the same time, I roused the power of my Evil Eyes to the limit.


    [Kak!]


    [M-My body...!]


    [The Hero even has Evil Eyes!?]


    It was surprising. I expected the demons remaining in New Zend to be weaker than the ones in Australia, but only about 30% of them instantly turned to stone. Most of the others only had their movements affected. Although I could petrify more of them if I surged up my mana to the extreme, it was quicker for me to just kill them directly. After all, even if I didn¡¯t pour mana into my Evil Eyes, they were already restraining the demons¡¯ movements.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight!¡±


    [You cowaaaard!]


    The strongest looking demon, a female demon seemingly about SSS rank in strength, charged towards me. In an instant, I roused my charm and shot it towards her. She immediately stopped moving. Her face flushed, while she roused her magic power to desperately resist my charm. During this time, she was revealing too many openings that I didn¡¯t know where to begin.


    [You...!]


    There was no need to hesitate. A whirlwind of white mes, formed from chaos mes and Heroic Aura, sent her head flying. Although her headless body remained standing for a moment, it soon scattered into the air as particles of mana. Peruta Circuit¡¯s powerful rotation immediately pulled the mana towards my spear and strengthened the enveloping whirlpool.


    Although the demons had bountiful strength, their defenses were even worse than ordinary monsters. A single hit from them could be fatal, but they were equally likely to die from a single hit. I just had to kill them before they could kill me. How simpler could things get?


    [He¡¯s...]


    [Strong...!]


    For a moment, silence descended. It seemed this female demon was really the strongest of the bunch, as the demons looked incapable of epting the fact that she died so easily. With a smirk, I provoked them.


    ¡°What? Aren¡¯t you going to attack?¡±


    [... Kill him!]


    However, demons each had their special magic, and their ck magic was especially annoying to deal with. If they attacked simultaneously, things became even more annoying.


    [Burn!]


    [This lightning even more powerful than your own will burn you to a crisp!]


    The demons surrounding me all attacked me with malice. Without even a single dy, the wings of Tria pped. I instantly shot up into the sky, dodging their attacks. Then, I swung my spear once.


    ¡°O elementals, help me!¡±


    Like stars lighting up the milky way, countless elementals followed the trace of my spear. An unimaginable number of elementals were sticking to my spear.


    [Answer to the Prince¡¯s fury!]


    [Follow the will of this star, the will of the Prince!]


    [Be a part of the light that keeps away evil!]


    Eh? The elementals¡¯ments were different from the usual. Did they study philosophy in the meanwhile? Although I was a bit curious, there were already several magic spells flying towards me. Since the start of this battle, I was neverte to carry out my thoughts to action.


    Ruyue and Sharana flew in and blocked the magic attacks one by one, but I made them fall back. Then, I released the power of mana and elementals enveloping my spear.


    ¡°Elemental Tempest!¡±


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kuaaaak!]


    [Demon Lord Your Highness!]


    [Damn it!]


    The fury of the elementals covered thend, and, at the same time, dozens of scythes appeared in the air and sliced the demons apart. The death throes of the demons rang out, and a cool breeze soon blew. It was as if the power of the death god was following me.


    ¡°Huuu...¡±


    In the wake of Elemental Tempest was silence. I elerated Peruta Circuit once more to refill my halved mana and retrieved my spear. At that moment, someone flew into my embrace.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Ina. You¡¯re here, now?¡±


    ¡°Un! I came back after cleaning up the blue flies in the sky!¡±


    Sorry, Ina. Forgive your father who can only teach you these things...


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Let¡¯s work hard for a bit more. When we¡¯re done, Daddy will y with Ina for a whole day.¡±


    ¡°Really!? Okay! I¡¯ll try my best!¡±


    Ina cheerfully clenched her fists. Following her, other members of Revival arrived. We entered New Zend perfectly. The only thing left to do was to free this from the leaderless demons. I set my resolve and shouted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, everyone! We¡¯re going to finish New Zend by the end of the day!¡±


    [Ueeeeek... I can¡¯t spin spin anymore...!]


    Good. Thankfully, there was one that failed his philosophy ss...

 Chapter 257. Above the Frozen Land (8)

    Chapter 257. Above the Frozen Land (8)


    New Zend was a nation 2.5 times bigger than Korea, but Australia was easily over 25 times bigger than New Zend. Although I didn¡¯t think this huge country would be filled with demons in every corner, I still expected it to have more demons than New Zend. When I thought about facing them, I couldn¡¯t help but hasten myself.


    After leaving Daisy¡¯s Laki to all aerial battles, we quickly began to recover regions of New Zend. Unlike monsters that moved with their instincts, demons moved with a purpose and goal. It was to destroy human civilization and annihte humans. There were practically no surviving humans in New Zend with not a single building standing unfazed.


    ¡°Cruel... It¡¯s only been two days too...!¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should havee even if I was alone.¡±


    I began to feel rushed. I wondered if I made the wrong choice. If I knew New Zend was wiped out, I should have gone to Australia immediately. At least, New Zend and Australia¡¯s poption wasn¡¯t too big... No, I shouldn¡¯t be thinking this way.


    I put away my useless thoughts. The only thing I should focus on right now was getting to Australia as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Australia might be in a better situation. Most of the poption live in coastal areas. We won¡¯t need to go deep into the continent.¡±


    ¡°I cleared Event Dungeons there, so I know that. But having the poption close together means they¡¯re easier targets. Damn it. I hope Guardian and Freedom Wing are doing well.¡±


    Thinking about how unreliable those two groups were for things like this, I sighed. There were definitely troops deployed to New Zend, but we couldn¡¯t even catch a glimpse of them yet and we were almost finished. I didn¡¯t want to believe they were wiped out, but... perhaps the damages they received this time were too severe.


    As I boldly imed, clearing New Zend only took us a day. With most of the demons¡¯ army stationed in Australia, we mercilessly bombarded the demons, only mindful of any potential survivors. We tried to melt the frozennd with Laki¡¯s and Hwaya¡¯s power, but there seemed to be no end to it. In the end, we decided to look for another way after eliminating the cause of this situation.


    [You will all bow before Lespina-nim¡¯s power!]


    ¡°And you bowed before mine.¡±


    [The difference between me and Lespina-nim is like that of heaven and earth! Don¡¯t think you can reach her level by easily subjugating us!]


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, goodbye.¡±


    I severed the demon¡¯s head and sighed. With this, we were done in New Zend. However...


    No matter how hard we looked, we couldn¡¯t discover any specific details on this demon named Lespina. All we knew was that Lespina was female. When Hwaya found out, she wore a worried expression and looked at me.


    ¡°Shin, she¡¯s a demon! Someone who executed a massacre of this level! If anyone finds out, Revival¡¯s public image will plummet. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Hwaya, do you think I can seduce any and all women?¡±


    ¡°Eh...?¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s conscious-stricken face made me feel strange. I, who was once called an orc, was being treated this way by Hwaya Eleni Mastiford. Though, this was most certainly because of my charm stat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let a demon live no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah. Good.¡±


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    I swung my spear and dusted off the demon¡¯s blood before looking up at the sky. The aerial battle was alsoing to a close with Laki¡¯sva swallowing the demons. Everyst demon in New Zend was killed. It was the result of a tough day of work.


    But what did it matter? There were too many irreversible damages. Thend was still frozen, the buildings were crumbled, and the people were dead. No matter where I looked, ruin was the only word that popped up in my head. I asked in a murmuring voice.


    ¡°How many survivors are there?¡±


    ¡°There are still about 500,000 alive. New Zend wasn¡¯t their main goal.¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s hurry to Australia.¡±


    Thanks to us drawing attention here, by the time we cleaned up thest remaining demon, Guardian and Freedom Wing could enter New Zend. We made contact with them and left them to take care of the aftermath before immediately heading to Australia.


    Although there were many small inds, Oceania was mainlyprised of the Australia continent. This Lespina should also be there. The n was to kill her and prevent future harm. If the demons pointed their sword elsewhere, there wouldn¡¯t be disaster quite like it.


    [Guaaaaaaa!]


    Laki¡¯s roar rumbled far and wide. It was because of the countless number of demons waiting for us above the coastal seas of Australia.


    [He is this world¡¯s Hero.]


    [One who killed our kin.]


    [Make it so that Lespina-nim doesn¡¯t have toe herself!]


    ¡°Laki, clean.¡±


    [Guooooooooo!]


    Daisy calmlymanded as she swung her whip. Immediately after Laki¡¯s roar rang out, arge number of mes shot out from Laki¡¯s mouth and attacked the demons. We also sniped down the demons dodging Laki¡¯s mes and dwindled their number. Even so, more and more demons were popping up.


    [Finish it here!]


    [Let us decide the fate of Earth, Hero!]


    Although Laki¡¯s mes were endlessly scorching the demons, with their sheer number, we couldn¡¯t stop them from casting their magic. Among them were special demons who gathered to create a giant magic capable of threatening us. In the end, I jumped down from Laki¡¯s back and got on Lotte¡¯s.


    ¡°You guys charge forward!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take half too, Shin. You take care of the left side!¡±


    Hwaya and Ina seemed to be thinking the same thing, as they both shot up into the air. I trusted the two of them. I nodded and began to charge forward.


    ¡°Uoooooo! Try killing me!¡±


    [The Hero hase forth!]


    [Focus your magic on him!]


    I roused Absolute Soul¡¯s power to the extreme. Peruta Circuit¡¯s spin created a whirlpool of aura enveloping my body, weapon, and even Lotte. A countless number of elementals and a boundless amount of manayered the whirlpool as if to protect it.


    ¡°Wind King¡¯s Rage!¡±


    I added wind and lightning on top of it. The demons sent innumerable magic flying towards me. Some of them looked powerful enough to make me depart this world, but I simply grinned and charged into the storm of magic.


    ¡°Haaaaaap!¡±


    I shed with them. When these destructive masses of mana detonated, the mana I absorbed with Absolute Soul overwhelmed the life force I lost.


    ¡°Lotte, you can withstand it, right?¡±


    [I¡¯m fine! Let¡¯s kill them, Hero!]


    When the demons saw me charging continuously without a pause, they became flustered and lost their formation. Although there were demons that continued to shoot magic towards me, unless they used a mass chant magic, none could pierce through my fierce whirlpool of aura. In fact, the moment they touched it, the manaposing them were absorbed by the whirlpool, only strengthening it.


    [He¡¯s absorbing our magic!?]


    [Could he be our kin?]


    [He¡¯s too quick... Kuhuk!]


    ¡°I¡¯ll pierce right through you all!¡±


    I shouted vehemently, coursing through the air with Lotte. We were like a giant spear. Looking from the outside at the whirlpool of aura centered around us, we would probably look just like it.


    On the other hand, Hwaya and Ina¡¯s magic power raged and disrupted the demons¡¯ magic. This was also a good method, and a much better method if one didn¡¯t n on directly fighting with his body like me. However, for someone like me who was born stupid...!


    ¡°Come, you blue monkeys! Where did your spirit from earlier go!?¡±


    [That guy is crazy!]


    [The magic of the demon race isn¡¯t working!]


    It worked. It was just that I was using their magic power to regenerate myself! Peruta Circuit restored the parts of body destroyed from resisting their magic and energized all bodily functions. Just this wasn¡¯t enough to fill up my lost life force. Although I never learned it from anybody, I came to understand my body¡¯s state, and when I became more skilled in Peruta Circuit, I could do this as easily as breathing!


    ¡°Uoooooo!¡±


    My charge became more and more intense. The whirlpool of aura whirling around me became so big that it was getting harder to manage it. The wind and lightning created from Wind King¡¯s Rage also empowered the whirlpool. Now, average magic was ripped apart the moment they touched this whirlpool. The demons were no exception.


    [Stop his charge.]


    [He¡¯s truly the Hero! Contact Lespina-nim!]


    ¡°You¡¯ll all die before that!¡±


    The amplification of Wind King¡¯s Rage already reached its peak, but I had no intention of stopping it. I tightly grasped onto the spear enveloped by the extreme energy that I might miss in a moment of carelessness. I fluidly changed my direction in the air and charged towards another group of demons with Lotte. It was at this moment.


    [Stop!]


    My body halted. At the same time, it felt like the energy pivoting around me was shaking. Why? I knew the exact reason. Was it because I became so used to feeling and wielding mana?


    The corner of my mouth curled up into a smile. I urgently gathered the dissipating energy and scattered it in all directions. A thunderous sound rang out.


    [Kuaaaaak!]


    [Lespina-nim!]


    [Damn... Kuaaaa!]


    It was only then that I realized how immense the energy I was wielding was. It felt like a piece of the sky was being ripped apart.


    The seemingly infinite number of demons filling up the sky disintegrated without leaving a trace, and mypanions also fell back in shock.


    It didn¡¯t take long until the great explosion of mana subsided. It was because Peruta Circuit¡¯s intense rotation didn¡¯t leave the scattering mana alone and pulled it back in.


    The energy created from the explosion was also sucked in, gathering in a single point, the tip of the spear I held out. With that, I regained a clear vision of the surrounding.


    I was facing a demon. She was beautiful just like the power she held in her body.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d meet you so soon. I thought you would be waiting for me deep inside Australia.¡±


    [I can¡¯t let you freely decimate His Highness Demon Lord¡¯s army any further. I nned on taking care of you lot when you were still in that tiny ind country, but...]


    ¡°They were all too weak. I¡¯m not done yet though.¡±


    I grinned. Ipressed the mana gathered at my spear tip even smaller. The long-haired female demon gritted her teeth. She was also capable of wielding massive energy equaling me. I could tell just by looking at the longsword in her hand.


    Furthermore, I could tell from the ability she used before that it was fatal to me, who had gotten my power from the dungeon. Since I was hit with it once, I could tell what kind of an effect it had, but I couldn¡¯t quite understand the mechanism behind it. Could she use her ability without knowing the principles behind it just like how I used the skills I had?


    [Arrogant human... Someone who only relies on power that does not belong to you!]


    ¡°Come, Lespina. I¡¯ll let you know whether this power belongs to me or not.¡±


    It was the start of a boss fight.

 Chapter 258. Above the Frozen Land (9)

    Chapter 258. Above the Frozen Land (9)


    Lespina had violet hair, light-blue skin, and frightening white irises. Setting these aside, she could be called a beauty by human standard. However, her racial characteristics stood out too much and made her look like a monster than a woman.


    When I pointed my spear towards her, she suddenly started a conversation.


    [Hero, answer me. You¡¯ve been to the Luka continent, haven¡¯t you?]


    ¡°Haaaap!¡±


    I ignored her and charged forward. After quickly shooting the aura remaining at my spear tip, I gathered nearby elementals and lengthened my spear de.


    ¡°Elemental de!¡±


    [Hic, I hate myself for riding this again.]


    [Why are you crying? It¡¯s a fun joy ride!]


    [Roller coaster!]


    [I told you, your skills won¡¯t work against me!]


    It seemed she wasn¡¯t limited to using her power as she held up her sword against me. Although the de made from Elemental de got shorter, I continued to charge towards her. When I used it, I had already assumed she would cancel it. Finding out that her power couldn¡¯tpletely cancel my skills was an unexpected benefit.


    Lespina seemed to know that too, as she bit her lips and pointed her sword towards me. If this was all there was to her power, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to use a piece of Antarctica as a vehicle.


    [You won¡¯t even have time to feel pain!]


    A white aura erupted from her body. In an instant, I was surrounded by an incredible freezing energy. It was hard to resist it even with Ruyue¡¯s power.


    ¡°Ruyue.¡±


    [I¡¯ve been waiting.]


    Ruyue seemed to be feeling our opponent¡¯s power as she immediately infused herself into my armor at my call. I then infused Sharana into my spear.


    [What about me, Master?]


    ¡°Youe inside my body, Peika.¡±


    [Got it!]


    When I used the three elemental simultaneously as Spirit Auras, a huge amount of mana was consumed. With the mana I poured into Wind King¡¯s Rage earlier, I had to draw Peruta Circuit to its limit to keep up with the amount I spent.


    Of course, with my boundless mana numbering 200,000 MP, I didn¡¯t really worry no matter how much mana I used. As long as I had my mana potions, that is! While she looked at me with a shocked face, I took out about ten of the highest grade mana potions, putting one in my mouth and putting the rest between my belt. It was preparation in case she could seal my inventory like worlds¡¯ enemies.


    Well, I suspected she couldn¡¯t. To confirm my suspicion, I held up my spear again.


    [Elementals... As I thought, you are...]


    ¡°Huaaaap! Whirlpool of chaos!¡±


    I didn¡¯t use Peika¡¯s energy, but rather ignited chaos mes and strengthened it with Mad Typhoon. When Sharana¡¯s power was added and a whirlpool of white mes surged, she shouted once again. This time, with a hand gesture.


    [I already said it¡¯s useless!]


    Feeling the energy sweeping over me, I nodded. I could somewhat feel the extent of its power. Although it couldn¡¯t harm me directly, this power had the ability to drive away the power that wasn¡¯t mine.


    Rather than a curse, this power was more simr to a blessing. I deduced that it was the ability to turn all things into its pure state. In that case, I could see how she destroyed the Event Dungeons, as Event Dungeons were artificial prisons created by the Dungeon Lord, Sherafina, over the pathways broken through by demons.


    Likewise, the power possessed by explorers didn¡¯t belong to them. It was a power refined by the dungeon so that explorers could more easily wield it. Through the dungeon¡¯s power, it was forcefully made to fit explorers¡¯ bodies. It was still a genuine power, but it was still not a power purely honed by its user. I recently began to break out of this fence, so I realized what her power was doing.


    However, this me, the chaos me...!


    ¡°Even a fistful of this me will hurt a lot!¡±


    [If you can burn me with that puny me, try it!]


    The whirlpool of mes surrounding my spear was far smaller than it was initially. Lotte and I charged towards Lespina with no hesitation, and Lespina swung her sword filled with freezing energy.


    [Freeze!]


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    I snorted and received her sword with my spear. In an instant, a terrifying amount of steam rose up.


    [I can see why you¡¯re arrogant! But your me still won¡¯t work against me!]


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can!¡±


    When her sword blocked my spear, I pulled back immediately and attacked her shoulders. Retrieving my spear and quickly attacking again was something I¡¯ve been doing before I ever entered the dungeon. At my current level, my quick stab didn¡¯t allow her to defend.


    [As if that¡¯ll work!]


    However, just before my spear pierced her shoulder, ice shot up from her shoulder and blocked it. Wrapped in chaos mes, my spear shed with her ice, with only foggy steam being the result.


    [This is all you can do as a Hero!? That¡¯s why you ran when you faced His Highness Demon Lord! I¡¯ll freeze you and offer you to His Highness!]


    ¡°Frozen meat doesn¡¯t taste good!¡±


    Although I rebutted nonchntly, her freezing energy was truly terrifying! Its power was easy to see. After all, it was what froze an entire continent! The moment Ruyue left my armor, it might be able to freeze me in an instant.


    I vehemently thrusted my spear and stopped her sword in its tracks. Steam continually rose and surrounded us, but neither Lespina nor I were rookies who would have our visions hindered by mere steam. At some point, Lespina seemed to have noticed that she wasn¡¯t in her usual condition.


    [You, you have Evil Eyes!]


    ¡°Were you so slow that you just noticed?¡±


    [You think Evil Eyes of that caliber can slow me? Looks like you got your position as a Hero through a talking contest!]


    Lespina¡¯s movements suddenly became stronger. She injected arge amount of freezing energy into her sword and smacked away my spear. Then, she leaped up by kicking off the air. I encouraged Lotte to not give her any time to prepare her skill.


    ¡°Lotte, charge as quickly as you can!¡±


    [Understood, Hero!]


    I immediately activated Divine Speed and lowered my upper body. Lotte immediately radiated a dazzling golden light and elerated towards Lespina!


    As a ze Queen, Lotte had a close affinity to light and me. It wouldn¡¯t be an overstatement to say that she was the mixture of light and me given form. If me was the symbol of destruction, then the light was the symbol of incredible speed! Her instant eleration was just as quick as my Divine Speed skill. The day the Lava King became Laki, her technique that pierced through the Lava King was also the result of this aspect of hers. As such, the moment Lespina shot up, we were soon catching up with her.


    [Kuk!]


    ¡°Die!¡±


    With chaos mes and the mass eleration from Lotte¡¯s charge, the Chaotic Spear carried a terrifying power as it shot towards Lespina. It seemed she didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d chase after her so quickly. Unfortunately, her magic didn¡¯t seem to require a long cast time.


    [Shin!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    My spear stopped in its path. It was only a span of a hand away from Lespina. Could she have been quicker than me? No, that¡¯s impossible. It was just that Lotte and I had been frozen.


    I realized now that the crystals of ice left in Lespina¡¯s path had swarmed towards us and restrained us. Although they were carrying a terrifying energy, they had hidden it while I was charging forward and had suddenly released it when enough crystals gathered.


    [Huhu, that¡¯s right!]


    ¡°Ku...¡±


    [The air is strange! The air in this area must freeze whatever is in it!]


    Ruyue screamed and radiated arge amount of light. Lotte also released terrifying mes she normally kept stored in her body and melted the ice covering us. Although we seeded in defrosting ourselves before we were attacked... We had to ept that she pulled one over us. To think she¡¯d leave a hidden magic in the air knowing that we¡¯d chase after her!


    [You can die now!]


    ¡°As if I¡¯ll get hit by that a second time!¡±


    A white light shot out from her body. I immediately used Ruyue¡¯s power and created arge ice barrier around us.


    [Lotte, push through! The ice barrier will block her ice!]


    [Kuaaaaang!]


    Lotte seemed unhappy that she, a ze Queen, had been frozen even for a moment, as she let out a long howl and rushed forward. Before I noticed it, the ice barrier created by Ruyue¡¯s power was cut in half by Lespina¡¯s sword, and my spear barely stopped her sword in time.


    [Kuk, all you have is brute force!]


    ¡°Huaaaaap!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t let her fall back. I frantically pushed closer towards her. By continuously using Divine Speed, I attacked with my spear at a speed she couldn¡¯t keep up. However, just like before, ice armor appeared just when my spear was about to reach her, protecting her.


    To prevent my spear from losing speed due to ice, I endlessly poured mana into Chaotic Spear. However, none of my attacks had a great effect. Even though I had far surpassed her reaction speed, she just had too much mana in her body!


    ¡°How old are you? When were you born?¡±


    [I was strong from the moment I was born! I could be born because of His Highness¡¯ overwhelming power! My birth became the starting signal for His Highness Demon Lord¡¯s n to conquer all worlds, and his n will seed! Hero, killing you and taking your world¡¯s power will be the first step to that goal!]


    She didn¡¯t just stand around and get hit by my spear. Though slower, she also attacked with her sword. I blocked her attack with Ruyue¡¯s power covering my armor, but I couldn¡¯t stop damage from building up. Although I fiercely thrust my spear towards her chest and used Lightning Spear Storm, the skill wasn¡¯t activated properly, as expected. This ability of hers was truly irritating.


    She endlessly poured her unique energy towards me and spoke.


    [Huhu, it¡¯s getting harder and harder to use the dungeon¡¯s power, right? This power was given to me to destroy you, Hero, and all those rted to the dungeon!]


    ¡°You¡¯re going to die here, so dream on!¡±


    [I¡¯m going to die here? ... You¡¯ll be the one who will die, Hero!]


    At the same time that she shouted and shed down with her sword, the mana inside her exploded fiercely. A truly absolute freezing energy!


    ¡°Ruyue, Sharana!¡±


    [I¡¯m already ready!]


    [I¡¯ll empower Ruyue!]


    In an instant, a barrier was created around Lotte and me. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to block her attack. The barrier was slowly broken, and Lotte spoke out in anger.


    [A mere demon dares to attack Hero and me! Kuaaaaak!]


    Lotte breathed out mes that looked like light! Lespina¡¯s freezing energy, which had prated Ruyue and Sharana¡¯s barrier, shed with Lotte¡¯s dazzling breath. At that moment, someone approached me from behind.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Ina!¡±


    In this potentially dire situation, where extreme freezing energy was shing with extreme heat, I smiled at Ina. I sounded calm, even in this situation.


    [Your daughter is also that strong? Earth¡¯s power is strangely high...! Still, it¡¯s useless in front of my power!]


    ¡°You should only be able to nullify the dungeon¡¯s power!¡±


    I rebutted and ignited aura around my spear. At the same time, I spoke to Ina.


    ¡°Ina, Daddy will take care of that woman. Ina should go help other members of Revival.¡±


    ¡°Daddy will fight alone?¡±


    ¡°Of course, she¡¯s nothing. Plus... it might get a bit dangerous. Leave the aerial battle to Laki and go fight the demons onnd with Mommy. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Un! I¡¯ll tell Mommy!¡±


    Ina was too innocent and kind. She nodded without a shred of doubt and turned around. At that moment, a spear of ice shot next to me. Its speed was so terrifying that I almost missed it.


    [I¡¯ll kill your daughter first!]


    ¡°Good joke.¡±


    However, I wasn¡¯t worried. If I thought Ina¡¯s life was in danger, I would have made her fall back the moment she arrived. Though I told her to go back, it was only because she couldn¡¯t win against Lespina. Even so, Ina would never die to Lespina. Rather than believing that she could, it was more believable hearing that Walker died in a goblin¡¯s ambush.


    ¡°Dangerous. Mean. That was really mean.¡±


    Ina touched the ice spear with her finger and easily lifted it up. Even though it was under Lespina¡¯smand, the ice spear followed Ina¡¯smands like a docile sheep.


    [What...!?]


    That was a realm of dominance that couldn¡¯t be exined with mana. I didn¡¯t know how it was possible, but in the past, even without the dungeon¡¯s help, Ina was able to match evenly with Hwaya and me. Now that she¡¯d be a Gold ranked explorer, her control over ice was unmatched by anyone else.


    ¡°Actually, I want to be with Daddy. I¡¯ll punish evil people.¡±


    ¡°But, Ina, with your power...¡±


    ¡°Skadi.¡±


    In an instant, an immense freezing energy swirled around Ina. Though somewhat simr to Lespina¡¯s, the energy that swirled around Ina was holier. Ina looked up with her eyes dyed blue. The ice spear in her hand instantly split into thousands and hovered in air. The sky, which had been Lespina¡¯s territory, had now be Ina¡¯s.


    All freezing energy belonged to Ina, and her breath became freezing energy and gathered in midair.


    The air transformed. Until now, it felt like the world was hostile, but now, it felt like the world had be my ally.


    Ina raised her finger and pointed to Lespina. With just that, the freezing energy in her body scattered. It was so incredulous that I burst intoughter.


    ¡°If you bully Daddy, you¡¯re a meanie! If you bully me, you¡¯re a meanie! If you bully Daddy and me, you¡¯re an even bigger meanie! I¡¯ll punish you!¡±


    [Impossible... A little brat!?]


    She was a child given an even greater blessing and curse of ice than the ice elemental Ruyue.


    ... And the fifth member of Revival to have obtained a god¡¯s true name.


    Tell me about these things sooner, Ina!

 Chapter 259. Above the Frozen Land (10)

    Chapter 259. Above the Frozen Land (10)


    The spears created by Ina all had their tips pointed towards Lespina. Although she looked slightly worried, she soon smiled with a calm look.


    [Not a God¡¯s descendant, but a mere human wielding a god¡¯s power! You want to punish me? Try it!]


    ¡°Eit.¡±


    Ina waved her hand with a spirited shout. With that simple movement, the thousands of ice spears in the air all hurled towards Lespina.


    [A simple attack like this...!]


    Not wanting to lose to Ina, Lespina roused her freezing energy. Centered around Lespina, her raging freezing energy fought off the iing spears. Ina frowned and reached out with her hands, but this time, it wasn¡¯t so easy to steal Lespina¡¯s freezing energy. When Lespina¡¯s attack and Ina¡¯s attack collided, a huge explosion erupted.


    [You can¡¯t kill me with ice!]


    Lespina¡¯s roar rang out in the midst of the explosion. Immediately afterward, a countless number of ice needles shot towards us from the foggy mist. Ina snorted and reached out with her hands. The ice needles all halted and began to grow in size. Ina performed this feat with ease and spoke to me softly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t use this power for long. Daddy has to finish it.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Focus on defense, Ina. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    If Lespina¡¯s freezing energy could bepletely erased, I would have a great advantage in this fight. Because Ina used the power of the god¡¯s true name, the pace of the fight went up. I also couldn¡¯t wait any longer...!


    ¡°Trish.¡±


    At my small whisper, a red aura descended into my Chaotic Spear. Immediately afterward, I charged towards Lespina. The sword in her hand no longer carried freezing energy, but ck demonic energy.


    [The power of ice is only part of my power. If you thought you could beat me now, you¡¯ll be disappointed!]


    ¡°Lotte!¡±


    [Now!]


    I borrowed Lotte¡¯s power and charged towards her. I didn¡¯t need to say anything. Now that Ina had joined the fight, I just wanted to end this fight as quickly as possible.


    [Uk!?]


    ¡°Looks like you have to train your martial arts more.¡±


    I swung my spear and smacked away her sword filled with demonic energy. In the air, divine power shed with demonic energy and created an ear-splitting sound. Lespina¡¯s eyes widened.


    [Hero, you also have divine power... So you really were the kid that came to the Luka continent!]


    ¡°So annoying.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why she wanted to confirm this, but it seemed it was true that me going to the Luka continent wasn¡¯t the reason the Demon Lord came to Earth.


    Without giving her an answer, I increased the speed of my attacks. Trish had a 10% chance to deal triple damage to the enemy. The more I attacked, the more chance there was that Trish¡¯s effect would activate. Rather than a single powerful blow, it was more efficient to deal several smaller attacks.


    [Kuk!]


    I finally dealt an effective blow. Just like before, my spear had squeezed through a gap in her defense, and the freezing energy that appeared to automatically defend against it had been stolen away by Ina. As a result, my spear prated her armor and pierced through her shoulder. Her ck blood scattered into the air.


    [KUAAAAAA!]


    Lespina¡¯s pained scream rang out. It was so loud that the Revival members and the demons they were fighting against stopped and turned their heads towards us. Most of the demons then began to fly towards us but were shot down by Ina¡¯s ice magic.


    [Y-You... You dare to injure my noble body!]


    ¡°Noble my ass!¡±


    After seeding in injuring her once, I excitedly pushed her to a corner. Using Divine Speed once again, I poured a terrifying amount of attacks in three seconds. Trish¡¯s power activated, and a huge hole appeared on her armor. As her blood rained down from the sky, her scream became louder.


    [HUAAAAAAK! YOU, YOU DARE!]


    A martial artist was naturally used to pain, but it seemed Lespina had no depth to our martial arts. She simply used her innate power like a brute. Just like now!


    [KUAAAAAA!]


    An enormous amount of demonic energy emanated from her body and enveloped her. She had given up on controlling freezing energy and had chosen to convert all her power to pure demonic energy. The amount of demonic energy was simr to the Demon Army Commander Peruta had once fought in my body.


    [In the end, you are only using power gained in the dungeon... I won¡¯t lose! I will deliver victory to His Highness!]


    Lespina absorbed the surging demonic energy. She had ruined the bnce of power in herself and had changed herself into pure demonic energy. Her transformation could be easily seen through her outer appearance.


    Her violet hair became darker, her white irises also became ck, and her blue skin became brown. However, she looked much better than before. Though, her appearance didn¡¯t really matter.


    [I, Demon Army Commander Lespina El Tabac, can¡¯t tolerate your condescending look anymore!]


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±


    I retorted yfully and held the spear in my hand to the front. The chaos mes weakly zing on my spear disappeared naturally like a candle blown out by the blowing wind.


    Her overwhelming demonic energy swept over me, taking away the power given to me by the dungeon. Right, it was taking away my skills, but also my stats and levels. Plus, the power weakening my skills became stronger. I tried to use Divine Speed, but it didn¡¯t activate. I couldn¡¯t use my skills at all.


    Then what about the skills in my pocket watch? What about items or skills contained in tattoos? I needed to test them.


    ¡°Huaaaaaap!¡±


    [You used Frozen Roar! All enemies on the battlefield freeze in ce. All allies temporarily be super-armored, recovers from all injuries, and has all abilities increased by 50%. Your chance ofnding critical hits double when fighting enemies affected by Frozen Roar.]


    It worked. For a moment, Lespina froze and my ability increased by 50%, no even more. That meant my Echo Ring was working. In that case, her ability... Good, I could win. Thanks to the roar, my power had somewhat returned to its normal state. Ina was also widening her eyes.


    ¡°Meanie! If you steal what¡¯s mine, you¡¯re a meanie!¡±


    [Are petty tricks all you can do!?]


    By giving up freezing energy, she could obtain a huge amount of demonic energy. However, that also meant that she had given her up resistance to freezing energy. Now, Ina¡¯s attacks worked against her! Ina seemed to have felt this too, as she reached out with her hands and shot spheres of mana towards her. At the same time, I shouted Peika¡¯s name.


    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [I¡¯ve been waiting a long time!]


    Like the name, Chaotic Spear suggested Chaotic Spear all sorts of energies inside, with the power of lightning now being one of them. I drew Peika¡¯s power to the limit with the Lightning God¡¯s power, and the materialized lightning absorbed the divine power from Trish and radiated a dazzling light.


    It would have been stronger if my stats hadn¡¯t been suppressed, but there was nothing I could do about it. I grit my teeth and urged Lotte on. With a single powerful p, Lotte and I were in front of Lespina.


    [Kuaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Huaaaaap!¡±


    [You won¡¯t win against me!]


    An enormous demonic energy shot up from the sword she held out. After easily fending off Ina¡¯s attack, her energy reached me... Then, everything froze.


    [Kuk!?]


    ¡°Dieeeee!¡±


    In front of Ina, who wielded the power of the Goddess Skaei, giving up freezing energy was a foolish move! I sneered without saying a word as I shot my spear forward. Looking like a bolt of lightning, Chaotic Spear pierced through Lespina.


    [Critical Hit!]


    In that instant, a scythe appeared and sliced her neck. With this, I was certain that all items were working properly.


    A long and deep wound appeared on Lespina¡¯s neck, and she desperately drew more demonic energy. The seemingly endless amount of demonic energy was enough to make me fear it.


    [Kuooooo!]


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    Lotte breathed out once again, but the demonic energy covering Lespina blocked Lotte¡¯s attack and detonated. I hurriedly used Ruyue¡¯s power to create a barrier around us, but it was instantly broken, and the demonic energy swept over us.


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    [Kak!]


    That hurt! Each particle of demonic energy contained sharp killing intent. Plus, it seemed the increased chance of receiving a critical hit effect activated, as over a 30% of my health disappeared in an instant.


    At the same time, Lespina¡¯s scream rang out. It was the reaper¡¯s scythe that activated when I received a critical hit. I could charge forward like nothing happened thanks to being in a super-armored state, but even if I wasn¡¯t, the scythe attack would give me a chance to reposition myself.


    While she writhed in pain from the second scythe attack, I quickly took out a potion and gulped it down. Then, I checked for Lotte¡¯s safety.


    ¡°Lotte, are you okay!?¡±


    [Hero blocked most of it!]


    Contrary to her words, she had discernible wounds in several ces. With her recovery speed being one of the best among living creatures, her wounds were healing even at this moment, but she would still be in immense pain.


    Seeing her act like she was unhurt, I grinned and tightened my grip on my spear. In the next moment, I widened my eyes and shouted.


    ¡°Shadow Blink!¡±


    [Kugak!]


    Get your hands off my daughter! Lespina overcame reaper¡¯s scythe¡¯s shock and was reaching her arm out to Ina. Just with this movement, a giant ck hand appeared in the air and swooped down on Ina.


    Before even a scratch appeared on Ina, I blinked behind Lespina and swung my spear. Demonic energy automatically shot up and shed with my spear. Meanwhile, the ck hand lost its power. Ina shot a giant ice spear andpletely erased the giant clump of demonic energy in the air. However, I had to hurry. I could tell that Ina didn¡¯t have much time left.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to touch even a single hair on Ina unless I¡¯m dead!¡±


    [Then I¡¯ll kill you first! You must have been in a hurry if you left behind your little birdy!]


    ¡°...¡±


    I endured pain as I fought against her sword. Even though she was powerful enough to push me away, because I was withstanding it with super-armor, it felt like I was taking more damage than necessary. I could tell that I had gotten much weaker than before. It wasn¡¯t just because I wasn¡¯t riding Lotte. It was because I was losing more and more of my stats as time went by. I couldn¡¯t dy things any longer.


    ¡°Overlord! Sky God¡¯s Rage!¡±


    I shouted fearlessly, taking out my remaining trump cards.


    [You used Overlord! While the skill is active, your HP and MP triples and all stats double! When attacking the enemy, you have 10% chance to afflict a random highest rank status effect. When attacked by an enemy, you have 20% chance to afflict a random highest rank status effect.]


    [YOU...!?]


    I could feel my entire body erupting with strength. My health and mana shot up, and my embarrassingly weakened stats empowered my body once again. Peruta Circuit¡¯s spin absorbed Enigma, creating a ck whirlpool that enveloped my armor.


    There was more. My spear, which I didn¡¯t think could be strengthened any more, was imbued with Zeus¡¯ power and became longer. A dazzling golden energybined with Overlord¡¯s energy, an indescribable ck radiance spread out. It seemed the unique characteristic of Zeus¡¯ power couldn¡¯t be hidden even by Overlord, as Lespina noticed it and shouted.


    [So you really dide to the Luka continent!]


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m that Hero! So what? Stop pestering me about it!¡±


    Eat this and die!


    I hurled my spear towards her. At the same time, Ina also released a terrifying freezing energy. Demonic energy endlessly poured out of Lespina¡¯s body and fought against our attacks.


    [With just this... WITH JUST THIS!]


    Along with her howl, the demonic energy exploded. Her power, which only nullified the dungeon¡¯s power, was attempting to affect our attacks! Without hesitation, I charged into the explosion. The only thing in my mind was ending this as quickly as possible.


    [I¡¯ll kill you!]


    Amidst the cloud of heavy demonic energy, a sword popped out. I reached out with my gauntlet and grabbed it, but even with Overlord¡¯s protection, my power was slowly leaving me. Being able to resist this power, which didn¡¯t lose to worlds¡¯ enemies... Lespina¡¯s ability truly made one tremble in fear.


    [In the end... You are but a dog of the dungeon! There is no way that I, WE, will die to you!]


    Lespina¡¯s appearance was quite a spectacle. Even with half of her body frozen and a spear of lightning piercing through her stomach, her eyes burning with ck demonic energy showed that she still had life in her. My instincts told me that she managed to nullify the effects of stats and skills from our attacks!


    Feeling her sword slicing through my gauntlet and trying to reach my hand, I grit my teeth and shouted into themunication channel.


    [Everyone, no questions! Get back on the ground!]


    Perhaps because of my urgent tone, everyone immediately took action. In just a few seconds, Hwaya reported back.


    [Done!]


    [Ina too!]


    [I¡¯m done!]


    ¡°KUAAAAAA!¡±


    As soon as I heard their reports, I activated Crimson Roar. Lespina¡¯s eyes widened, as everything in the world became covered in ck mes.


    [Kuak, Kuaaaaak!]


    ¡°Huu...!¡±


    The current Crimson Roar had been transformed by Enigma. As I got stronger, Crimson Roar became weaker inparison to my other skills, but now transformed by Enigma into ck mes, Crimson Roar had a shocking effect. It felt like night had descended in an instant. However, mes were still mes, the kind that scorched everything.


    By the time these mes subsided, there wasn¡¯t anything left in the sky except Lotte, who wasn¡¯t affected by mes, and Lespina, who was in the middle of a flickering cloud of demonic energy.


    Feeling the suppression of my stats being lightened, I looked around. Lespina was in a sorry state.


    [Kuhak... You were hiding such a power...!]


    ¡°This is also the dungeon¡¯s power.¡±


    [The dungeon¡¯s power...!]


    The moment I said these words, parts of her burning body shockingly healed itself. Strength was returning to her voice. The suppression of my stats became stronger once again. It was a terrifying change. It was like winding back a videotape.


    [Ku, kukuk! You shouldn¡¯t have said that! Do you regret it!? As long as it¡¯s the dungeon¡¯s power, as long as it isn¡¯t purely your power, you won¡¯t be able to harm me!]


    With this, I understood. The skills in my pocket watch were different from normal skills and couldn¡¯t be detected by her. However, I was still affected by Frozen Roar. She had only detected Crimson Roar. Her ability was limited to her understanding, her detection. She could only suppress what she knew.


    If that was it, then this fight was over.


    [Ku... Kuaaaaaak!?]


    Lespina¡¯s voice shot up. It was understandable. She must be confused as to why mes she suppressed were burning again.


    [H-How!? Your mes should be...!]


    ¡°Sorry, but those mes are my power.¡±


    I smiled. The mes burning her weren¡¯t from Crimson Roar. They were ignited from the spear prating her stomach. Chaos mes.


    [T-These mes...!? How? Before, I...!]


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    I smiled mischievously.


    ¡°That was a lie.¡±


    [Kuaaaaak!]


    Chaos mes red up fiercely. Once ignited, nothing could extinguish them. Under the chaos mes, her power she squeezed out slowly subsided.


    It was my victory.

 Chapter 260. Above the Frozen Land (11)

    Chapter 260. Above the Frozen Land (11)


    In the first ce, I had many doubts about her ability. If she could erase the dungeon¡¯s powerpletely, my qualification as an explorer might have disappeared in the worst case. The fact that this didn¡¯t happen meant that there was a limit to her ability. Knowing the extent of this ability was the key to victory.


    Since she would never exin her ability to me, instead of using Overlord and driving her to a corner from the very beginning, I faced her directly with my body and tested her limits myself.


    The first thing I found out was that she could suppress an explorer¡¯s stats and the skills he gained from the dungeon. The Spear Technique skill and the Elementalist skills were also included, but when the dungeon created a skill out of a power I learned myself, only the dungeon¡¯s power was suppressed.


    As I initially said, her ability was something like a blessing that removes impurities. It did not allow her topletely erase the targeted power. Skills that the dungeon greatly influenced were weakened, while skills that were closer to my own ability were affected only slightly. That was the reason my Spear Technique and Peruta Circuit received very little suppression.


    The next thing I found out was her ability¡¯s influence on items which wasn¡¯t purely the dungeon¡¯s authority. It was simple. Her ability couldn¡¯t affect items at all. Of course, when she first released her power, my chaos mes subsided. However, that wasn¡¯t because of her ability. When I detected her power, I immediately weakened the chaos mes to make it seem like her ability was working. It was a trick to fool her.


    She assumed that chaos mes came from a skill, and I was the one who made her think this way. I had a hunch that whether she knew chaos mes could be suppressed or not would have a great impact on the battle¡¯s result.


    To confirm my suspicion, I checked whether the Echo Ring worked when I used Frozen Roar, and I became certain that her ability couldn¡¯t affect an item¡¯s inherent ability.


    In that case, rather than being the result of the dungeon or the Dungeon Lord¡¯s power, the miraculous powers within Unique, Epic, and higher grade items could be theorized to be the result of the items¡¯ materials and their creators¡¯ miraculous ability. However, I thought there was more to it.


    As items were objects that existed in real life, it could have just been that they weren¡¯t influenced as much by the dungeon, like my Spear Technique and Elementalist skills. It was also likely that Lespina¡¯s ability wasn¡¯t perfect. As I said before, if her ability was perfect, she would have taken away my qualification as an explorer.


    If that happened, I would have be like Desert Scorpion¡¯s guild master. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be as weak as him, but it was still terrible to lose the stats and league I gained through the dungeon. For now, at least.


    Thest thing I found out was that her power only activated within the range of her realization. I deduced that her ability wasn¡¯t activating continuously, but instead was an active skill that could only be used when she could clearly perceive her target. Ironically, it was as if her ability was a skill. To erase skills, she had to use her own skill.


    I becamepletely certain of this when she resisted Crimson Roar. I could have finished her off without revealing anything, but I needed to obtain more information in case another enemy like Lespina appeared.


    I hope the dungeon will reward me for this...


    However, Lespina was more tenacious than I thought. From the spear prating her stomach, lightning from Peika¡¯s power, Lightning God¡¯s power, and Zeus¡¯ power crackled and chaos mes zed, but she still held on without dying.


    [If I can kill you... Kuhak! Before my life ends...!]


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve considered everything.¡±


    If her ability was a skill-like power, there was something she had to do ¨C concentrating. Skills were rather tricky to use. If one wasn¡¯t concentrating, they couldn¡¯t be used so easily. How long did it take me to use skills without saying their names out loud? Of course, there was a period of time when I thought I had to shout their names to use them, but that was partly because it was that difficult to use skills silently.


    Throughout our battle, Lespina shouted or performed specific actions whenever she used her ability. It meant she had her own trigger for using this ability. However, Zeus¡¯ divine power and chaos mes were both effective in dealing great shock to their target.


    There was a reason I didn¡¯t use Sacrifice. It was to avoid sharing her pain. It would have been fine if I could kill her with Sacrifice, but if she didn¡¯t die, I would writhe in pain with her and die if she recovered first. Furthermore, if she recognized Sacrifice as a skill and defended against it, I might have taken a fatal blow while she avoided the bonus damage from Sacrifice entirely.


    Now, however, Lespina waspletely incapacitated, and I had regained my power, stats, and skills as an explorer. This only meant one thing.


    ¡°How is it? Can you move?¡±


    [You... Die!]


    I looked down at her from above. Overlord¡¯s authority had healed my wounds and Enigma¡¯s power raged, making me surge with power. My Evil Eyes shed, and Lespina became more and more restricted.


    [Do you think... I can¡¯t kill you!?]


    ¡°You can¡¯t. Look at my eyes. Am I using a skill?¡±


    [What nonsense are you spouting now...!?]


    When she looked into my eyes, I activated Lilith¡¯s Temptation. When Lespina felt that something was off, she shut her eyes and looked away. Wrong! You should have activated your ability and fought off Lilith¡¯s Temptation! Though I¡¯m the one who baited you, I see that you¡¯re an idiot until the end!


    [You used Lilith¡¯s Temptation! You stole 50% of the target¡¯s health and magic!¡±


    [The target falls under ¡®absolute obedience¡¯, forever bing your servant.]


    .....


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It worked! I didn¡¯t prepare myself for when it failed, but I didn¡¯t think absolute obedience would activate. After all, it only had a 20% chance of activating! Wasn¡¯t this the reason I went through all this to get the answer from her body!?


    To think the skill I used as a finishing blow would do this! I felt depressed, thinking my hard work was wasted. It would have been nice if I knew beforehand... Damn it. Well, that didn¡¯t mean I would keep her alive. Demons had to be killed. All of them.


    [I, I...? Uuu...?]


    ¡°Whatever.¡±


    I¡¯d just stolen half of her health, but she still had time before she died. I smiled and approached her.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s hear the remaining info. I like peaceful talks, too.¡±


    [Kuhuk... Yes, Master...!]


    With chaos mes still burning, there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll live though.


    [Lespina-nim has been captured! Rescue her!]


    [Even if we all die, we must save her!]


    Although the enormous exchange of mana prevented anyone from freely interfering in our fight, now that the situation was mostly cleared up, the demons thought I captured Lespina and charged at me crazily. Laki, who was still in the air, and the Revival members, who were on the ground, all moved to stop them, but it was difficult to suppress all of them.


    I red at Lespina and spoke in a whispering voice.


    ¡°Lotte, Ruyue, Peika, Sharana.¡±


    [Understood.]


    [Un!]


    [Huhu, we¡¯re free to do what we want?]


    [As Master wishes!]


    ¡°No, don¡¯t just go.¡±


    I activated Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo and doubled my mana. Although Overlord was ending soon, my mana shot up endlessly. I gave it to the elementals and rubbed Lotte with a highest grade potion. Lotte growled with a pleased voice.


    ¡°Are you all healed now?¡±


    [Kuhum... Not yet, I think.]


    ¡°Go already, jeez.¡±


    Having an idle chat with Lotte, who once submitted to survive, made me happy. After sending them off, I stopped worrying about them and looked back at Lespina. She was still burning up.


    ¡°How many minutes do you have until you die?¡±


    [5 minutes... If even that, Master.]


    ¡°Good, then during that time, tell me everything about the Demon Army¡¯s movements.¡±


    [Yes, sir.]


    At that moment, I felt a powerful magic flying towards us from a distance. Even though it carried a terrifying power, it was incredibly fast! In terms of modern weaponry, it was like a sniper bullet. I could understand how Lotte and the elementals missed it. However, I didn¡¯t lose to anyone in speed, especially when I was using Overlord.


    In an instant, I gathered Overlord¡¯s remaining power and created a shield. Before Overlord deactivated, the shield blocked the iing me magic. It must have been a magic that exploded upon contact, but not even the Demon Lord could have ounted for Enigma¡¯s power. Enigma enveloped the me magic and silently disappeared like a candlelight.


    Still... me, is it? I was curious why Lespina¡¯s attribute was fixed to ice, but now, I felt like I could understand.


    I faced the direction the me magic came from and sent a message.


    [Hwaya!]


    [I¡¯m already on it! Leave it to me and Ina.]


    [Thanks.]


    The me user was undoubtedly nted by the Demon Lord. It was to be expected from someone in a position of power. A way to prevent their information from leaking out. In novels, viins usually carried bombs or poison on them, but it seemed the Demon Lord prepared an assassin like in a more traditional fantasy novel. A me-attribute assassin, the opposite of Lespina, someone who could fire a single attack of extreme power.


    Right, a demon with powerful mana such as Lespina couldn¡¯t possibly have more magic vested in them. With her power being what it is, it was probably necessary to have an assassin prepared.


    ¡°Lespina, is the Demon Lord in the Luka continent?¡±


    [Yes. He is immersed in birthing new demons.]


    ¡°How many of them can erase the dungeon¡¯s power like you?¡±


    [It is only me for now. However, he expected to create at least two more.¡±


    ¡°When will the Demon Lorde?¡±


    [It is not certain yet. We predict that the pathway will berge enough for the Demon Lord to enter when the other force invading Earth and demons enter Earth two more times. He said it would take at most two years.]


    ¡°How about at least?¡±


    [One year.]


    I felt stifled for breath. However, I grit my teeth and asked again.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t the Demon Lord satisfied with obtaining one world¡¯s power? Why is he aiming for other worlds? Ah, before that, was it just a coincidence that Earth was chosen as his target? Or was it because I went to the Luka continent as a Dimensional Mercenary?¡±


    [The Demon Lord didn¡¯t know where he was invading or who would be there. We only found out that Master was on Earth during the invasion process. However...]


    ¡°However?¡±


    She spoke. I widened my eyes and asked again. She gave the same answer.


    The missing piece of the puzzle was finally found, and everything fell into ce. I could finally open the eyes I had closed since I was born.

 Chapter 261. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (1)

    Chapter 261. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (1)


    The demons remaining in Australia went crazy when Lespina was swallowed by inextinguishable mes. They all charged towards me as if they had lost their minds.


    [Kill him.]


    [Kill him.]


    [Kill him.]


    [Kill... him!]


    As I faced them, I felt that something was off. Intelligent beings didn¡¯t throw away their lives so easily. Although I didn¡¯t n on letting a single one survive, in their perspective, it made more sense to retreat ande backter after reorganizing.


    Since the enemy were demons rather than monsters, I thought this would be their natural course of action, but they all charged at me without caring for their lives. Their tenacity even sent a chill down my back.


    As they detonated their mana when they got near, even with Revival members doing their best to stop them, there were many instances where my life was threatened. Since I used Overlord, which was my greatest secret weapon, I only had my physical body left to fight with. However, some two hundred thousand demons left in Australia were already here or were running here.


    [If you¡¯re tired, be honest and go rest at the guild house! We¡¯re free to move back and forth from here now!]


    [If we leave, it¡¯ll get tougher for you, idiot! They¡¯re clearly all aiming for you. Do you think we won¡¯t notice you trying to solve everything by yourself!?]


    When I messaged the guild members with worry, Hwaya shouted back angrily. Her entire body was burning with zing mes.


    ¡°Everyone, do your best so Shin stops his nonsense! Don¡¯t die either, because if you do, I¡¯ll kill you myself! Agni¡¯s Seven Tongues!¡±


    When she reached out with her hands, seven giant streams of white mes rose up in the sky. I see, so there was more to Agni¡¯s power than what she showedst time! Just like how Zeus¡¯ power had two forms or how Shiva¡¯s power had three forms, Agni¡¯s power also had multiple forms.


    If the power Hwaya usedst time created divine mes, the power she used this time was even simpler. Pure destruction! Seven Tongues flickered from the sky to ground and destroyed all demons in their paths.


    What was more shocking was that these tongues even attacked allies. Worried about a guild member dying, I prepared myself to use Caduceus, when I widened my eyes in shock. Ye-Eun, who was struck by a tongue, had appeared unscathed in mes.


    ¡°Wow, my wounds disappeared!¡±


    ¡°Huhu, how¡¯s this Unni¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°Awesome, Unni! I want it too!¡±


    Right, Ye-Eun¡¯s wounds were healing. In other words, Agni¡¯s mes harmed enemies and healed allies. It was a truly worthy of being a god¡¯s power.


    ¡°Hang in there, everyone! No matter how many demons there are, our victory is certain! Guardian and Freedom Wing¡¯s allied troops wille here soon! Other Revival members areing too!¡±


    ¡°Uoooooooh!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll save everyone!¡±


    As Hwaya¡¯s voice filled with divine power rang out in the battlefield, other members cheered in return. Since they seemed so full of energy, I assumed they were fine. With a bitter smile, I fought off the demons in front of me. The Demon Lord must have done something to them. With a far more barbaric and brutal method... His goal must have been...


    ¡°I¡¯ll worry about thatter! Fight me, you bastards!¡±


    I fought against powerful enemies countless times as I climbed Beyond! Be it two hundred thousand or five hundred thousand, I¡¯ll fight you all! The whirlpool swirling around me became fiercer than ever as it gathered around my spear and ripped apart three demons in the next instant. Maintaining this momentum, I shouted as I cut down more demons.


    ¡°We are Revival! Damned demons or monsters, let¡¯s fight!¡±


    From then, it took four days to clear Australia and the rest of Oceania. Two members of Revival lost their limbs and had to be healed bybined efforts of yda, Ludia, and Elixirs.


    As I fought hundreds of demons at the same time, I carelessly had my right arm crushed, but the ¡®Flesh Golem¡¯s Second Finger¡¯, which I had obtained a long time ago, activated and regenerated my arm before anyone worried.


    As Pure ck Desire was indestructible, although my arm was crushed inside it, the armor looked unfazed. Because of it, no one else even noticed that I had lost my arm.


    ¡°Kang Shin... A part, died. Definitely, died.¡±


    However, it seemed Daisy¡¯s sixth sense figured something out. I desperately tried to hide my thoughts, but whether it seeded was another story. Daisy rubbed my right arm a few times and tilted her head before leaving. Daisy, she was truly a mysterious woman...!


    Although Revival suffered little, Guardian and Freedom Wing¡¯s casualties was disastrous. Both in numbers and strength, the demons had overwhelmed them.


    As Australia¡¯s citizens mostly lived in coastal regions, they couldn¡¯t escape from the Demon Army¡¯s sudden attack and died. There were even less survivors than in New Zend. In the end, it was a victory that no one could be happy about. Since Two Moon, it became one of the top five tragedies, and the worst tragedy since Guardian and Freedom Wing were founded.


    ¡°It¡¯s only been two years or so since monsters first appeared, and everyone¡¯s been too rxed. With this incident, such thoughts will...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I know what you¡¯re trying to say.¡±


    I embraced Hwaya and consoled her. It was good that humanity became more aware of the danger, but the cost we had to pay was too great. Furthermore, although they may not know it yet, we didn¡¯t have much time left. No matter how much they prepared for the eventual fight against demons and monsters, there was very little they could do given the short time.


    However.


    ¡°With our power, we can stop it. So just keep doing your best.¡±


    ¡°Can we, Shin? We couldn¡¯t stop even a portion of the Demon Army, and this is what happened. There are still iparably stronger demons and even monsters we have to worry about... I want to smack my past self. I got too overconfident when I first got my ability.¡±


    ¡°We can do it. Trust me.¡±


    Hwaya widened her eyes at my confidence, then smiled.


    ¡°Un. If Shin says so... I¡¯ll trust you.¡±


    With that, she got out of my arms and clenched her fists.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just act like a baby. I¡¯m going back to the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You should rest today.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not tired physically and... my mental exhaustion just disappeared. I¡¯m off.¡±


    With that, she made a cute smile. Then, her expression suddenly changed as if she stepped on feces. With a slightly sharp expression, she pinched my cheeks.


    ¡°Also, the way you think is very cruel.¡±


    ¡°W-What!?¡±


    ¡°See!? You know what I¡¯m talking about, so you¡¯re acting like you¡¯re oblivious. If the current situation wasn¡¯t what it was... Well, it is how it is, so I¡¯ll forgive you. Still, you¡¯re cruel. Making a girl say this first.¡±


    ¡°I... I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about...¡±


    I seated and turned away from her. This demoness!


    ¡°Ehew, I should have made you sign the papers. Because the man I fell in love with is so great, I have to go through all this trouble. Really, it¡¯s not like I can just stop now.¡±


    Hwaya keptining, but I figured it was on the lighter side. I stood silently, feeling awkward, when Hwaya said herst words.


    ¡°... I¡¯m on your side, so cheer up. I think I know what you¡¯re feeling.¡±


    ¡°Mm? You also have someone else you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not that, idiot! I¡¯m talking about the current situation between Earth and the dungeon! I¡¯m already upset, do you want to make me even more upset!?¡±


    In the end, she hit me. Damn... If only I stayed quiet!


    First, I returned to the dungeon. It was to fight the First Dungeon¡¯s 80th Floor Master. During the 4 weeks I spent cleaning up Antarctica, I diligently climbed the First Dungeon and Beyond, breaking through the First Dungeon¡¯s 79th floor and Beyond¡¯s 29th floor. After that, I got so busy that I didn¡¯t have the time to fight the Floor Master. I had no choice but to dy the dungeon until everything was taken care of.


    Five months had passed since the first time Loretta talked about the two year time period. Now, however, that time wasn¡¯t certain, and it was better to think I only had one year left. The invaders were breaking into Earth like they were being chased by someone, and the Demon Lord and the other enemies had way too many suspicious things about them.


    To protect Earth and to protect my loved ones, what I needed was absolute power. A power that no one could take away from me, a power that purely belonged to me. I vowed to obtain a power like that.


    ¡°Eh? You¡¯re giving up on grinding elixirs?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m at a point where a few dozen stat points can¡¯t solve the problem I have. They helped when I was climbing the lower floors, but now, they¡¯re just numbers. What I need more is a more certain league.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim... You¡¯re right. I wanted Shin-nim to have more time to think about things, but considering Earth¡¯s current situation, that sounds right. Yes, raise your league. I will support Shin-nim to the best of my abilities.¡±


    Loretta epted my idea and nodded. I turned away with a grin. In front of my eyes were the stairs leading up to the 80th floor. The next time I see Loretta will be after I defeat the 80th Floor Master.


    ¡°Shin-nim, don¡¯t you need to hear about the 80th Floor Master?¡±


    ¡°I have a guess. I¡¯m pretty certain I won¡¯t be wrong.¡±


    Starting from the 76th floor, undead monsters reappeared. They were iparably stronger than the undead I faced in the lower floors. There were giant zombies, ghouls, and even apparition type undead that randomly popped out of nowhere and scared me. Moreover, the chances of elite monsters appearing increased and stopped me from underestimating the First Dungeon.


    An undead monster that would be the boss of them all... I would have to face 80th floor¡¯s monsters first, but I had a guess in mind.


    Suddenly, Loretta grabbed me and asked cautiously. Her face was a bit red.


    ¡°Shin-nim, do you need a blessing?¡±


    ¡°No, but just give me a kiss. Rather than a blessing, I want Loretta¡¯s pure encouragement.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, you changed. You can say something so sly now.¡±


    ¡°If you hate it, you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate it! I love it, I love it!¡±


    In the end, Loretta even gave me a blessing. I didn¡¯t know whether it was the power of Loretta¡¯s kiss or the power of her blessing, but I could easily break through the 80th floor filled with duhans and skeleton knights. Then, I came to face an unusually big door to the Floor Master battle room.


    ¡°Floor Master... Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    What reason did I have to wait? I kicked open the door without hesitation, and shouted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight!¡±


    On an incredible dark and coldnd, a voice rang out from the depths.


    [Good. Let¡¯s fight.]


    He appeared covered in a ck aura, carrying a great sword in one hand, and wearing a ck armor. The glow of this crimson eyes shining through the gap in his helmet showed that he was threatening, that he wasn¡¯t just for show.


    The most perfect highest ranked undead monster, the Death Knight, had appeared.

 Chapter 262. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (2)

    Chapter 262. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (2)


    [I¡¯ve faced countless challengers, and only a handful are allowed to pass through. Most tried to defeat me in groups, and less than 10% were brave enough to challenge me alone. Among them, those who eventually defeated me with their powers alone could be counted on my fingers. Of course, none managed to break my sword in our first fight.]


    He pointed towards me with his ck greatsword and spoke with a deep voice.


    [I wonder which type you are.]


    ¡°You¡¯re quite cooperative to the dungeon, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I held my spear up and asked. The Death Knight thenughed in a dreary voice.


    [Cooperative? Young warrior, let¡¯s say I rebel against the dungeon. Is there anything I can do?]


    ¡°There isn¡¯t?¡±


    [No. There is no future for those who have be undead. There is no path to walk, no stairs to climb, what am I to do against someone I can¡¯t reach with my sword!? The only thing I can do is enjoy battle and sink dreaming warriors into despair! Come before I lose interest. You will be one of the countless fools who despair in the face of my sword!]


    All Floor Masters were powerful. No matter how high one¡¯s stats were or how many skills one had, it was hard to ignore a Floor Master¡¯s move. The Death Knight was in a different league than even them.


    [If you are not careful, you will die in an instant.]


    ck aura rose ominously from the greatsword the Death Knight held up. Just like chaos mes, it seemed to be a different power and not pure aura. To face it, I also ignited my chaos mes.


    ¡°I¡¯ming.¡±


    [Ha!]


    Shooting forth like lightning, I thrust my spear to pierce straight through the Death Knight¡¯s helmet. However, the Death Knight¡¯s greatsword received my spear just before. My stats had unknowingly even surpassed Floor Masters¡¯ stats, but this wasn¡¯t the case against the Death Knight. My spear was being pushed back little by little. However, the Death Knight seemed to be the one who was more surprised.


    [You¡¯re strong. Abnormally strong.]


    ¡°Are you... making fun of me!?¡±


    I pulled my spear back, used Divine Speed, and stabbed his great sword consecutively. It seemed even he couldn¡¯t follow Divine Speed, as he faltered back. Continuing with this momentum, I continued to attack him.


    ¡°Huaaaap!¡±


    [Hmph!]


    The Death Knight, who was continually pushed back, suddenly changed his stance and struck down with his greatsword. He was aiming precisely for the tip of my spear. In other words, he had read my spear¡¯s movements. However, I didn¡¯t stop and continued. When his great sword and my spear shed, he opened his mouth.


    [Breath of Death!]


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Freeze!]


    The ck misting out of his mouth froze in the air. At the same time, I kicked him away.


    ¡°That¡¯s dirty, you son of a bitch!¡±


    [Kuk!]


    The Death Knight soon regained his posture and swung his greatsword, shooting out an aura wave. I stopped charging towards him and jumped back, borrowing Ruyue¡¯s power once more. The Death Knight¡¯s aura struck the ice barrier Ruyue created and dyed the ice ck. As the ice barrier melted, the ck water let out a horrid stench. Seeing it, I nodded.


    ¡°How simple.¡±


    Anything touched by that aura rotted. Seeing how Ruyue hid behind my back frightened, it seemed it could even damage spiritual bodies. It was truly a deadly breath.


    [You shouldn¡¯t have time to dawdle!]


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    He was quick and powerful. His techniques were in the realm of experts, so fighting him was harder than fighting enemies who only hadrge bodies. Perhaps, those with a shallow understanding of martial arts might think that the Death Knight is an easier opponent than the Dragon Zombie. After all, people who couldn¡¯t understand the depth of the Death Knight¡¯s techniques would be more fearful of an opponent possessingrger and tougher bodies and bountiful mana! Only someone like me, who had the ability to exchange attacks with the Death Knight, would understand the Death Knight¡¯s real capabilities.


    Just like he did before, I swung my spear in a wide arc and shot a horizontal wave of chaos mes. Just like how I was wary of his aura, he was also wary of mine. He immediately jumped up and easily dodged my attack. Then, with the addition of his falling weight, he flew towards me swinging his great sword.


    [Is this it!?]


    ¡°Of course not!¡±


    Just like what he did before, I also stabbed my spear precisely where his sword de was. As the Death Knight¡¯s eyes slightly widened, chaos mes danced and scorched his aura, climbing up to his arm. The Death Knight immediately noticed what was happening. His eyes glowed ominously, and a chilling aura shot out from his body.


    [Arrogant!]


    ¡°Show me everything you¡¯ve got! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve got nothing left!¡±


    Even if I didn¡¯t n on grinding elixirs, I still needed to obtain his equipment. Floor Master skills were still valuable. Overlord, which was one of my most important powers, was a result of synthesizing skills. Who said another skill like it couldn¡¯te out?


    In that case, I needed to defeat him ten times a day for just one day, or two days at most. If I discovered all of his attack patterns in our first fight, I would have an easier time afterward. I didn¡¯t know what the Death Knight felt from my words, but he released thick aura from his entire body and spoke in a displeased tone.


    [You underestimate me...!]


    The aura emanating from his body shot up as if it exploded. Sticky ck aura rose up from his great sword and zed like chaos mes. Without me saying anything, Ruyue shrieked and shot out ice spears, and the Death Knight blocked them without even moving. The aura staying in his sword rose and split automatically and devoured all ice spearsing his way. In an instant, all ice spears melted and became absorbed into his aura.


    [I¡¯ll show you the power of curse I gained in exchange for bing an undead!]


    ¡°Curse, you say.¡±


    I circted Peruta Circuit strongly. A tinum aura swirled above Pure ck Desire, and a whirlpool containing chaos mes separately swirled above my spear. In response, the few streaks of aura dancing on the Death Knight¡¯s greatsword halted momentarily.


    My Peruta Circuit was still level 9. How would it be when I mastered it? Hundreds and thousands of times a day, I was tempted to put in my skill points to master it. However, I instinctively knew that the result wouldn¡¯t be pretty if I didn¡¯t master it with my own power, so I barely held on. Peruta had also given me a simr advice.


    Next, I infused Sharana into my body and strengthened the whirlpools as I charged towards him.


    ¡°Give me that power!¡±


    [You... A Hero, you¡¯re a Hero!]


    When he saw the tinum aura around my body, the Death Knight¡¯s glowing eyes became a level fiercer.


    [Death Cross!]


    ¡°Divine Speed!¡±


    A cross-shaped aura brimming with curse swept towards me. I immediately concluded that Ruyue¡¯s barrier wasn¡¯t enough to block it, and using Divine Speed, I jumped into the air. However, his aura was also flying towards me there.


    [Is that it!?]


    Without answering him, I utilized the duration of Divine Speed to dodge his attack. Then, I shot the aura in my spear towards him like a bullet. It seemed he didn¡¯t expect me to dodge his aura, as he let his guard down and was struck by my aura. The Death Knight¡¯s helmet partially broke, and his rotting head appeared through the cracks.


    [You moved in the air!? Are you a magician!?]


    ¡°I¡¯m an Elementalist, you idiot!¡±


    [Kuk, I¡¯ll dye your elementals in curses, too!]


    ¡°Try it if you can!¡±


    With chaos mes burning his helmet, he looked even more ominous. Even so, since he wasn¡¯t a duhan, he shouldn¡¯t be able to move if I send his head flying!


    I swung my spear with the sole purpose of swallowing his head with chaos mes. As expected, his great sword met my spear, creating a resounding metallic ringing. With ordinary spearmanship, I couldn¡¯t find an opening in his defense. His swordsmanship was the greatest of all monsters I¡¯ve met so far! After exchanging sword for spear once more, I made some distance and murmured.


    ¡°But with just that...¡±


    [Kuooooo! Dark Needle Arrow!¡±


    At that moment, a countless number of ck needles shot up from the ground underneath me. Ruyue, who noticed it earlier, created a bed of ice under me, but some needles managed to break through the ice and even my tinum whirlpool, stabbing into my armor. Even though I wasn¡¯t hurt, I felt heavier. It seemed his curse also worked on items.


    [Will you be able to defeat me with that heavy body, Hero?]


    ¡°You talk too much.¡±


    Without moving from that ce, I pulled my spear back and took my stance. I mostly finished analyzing him. His swordsmanship was certainly excellent, but his fighting style put more emphasis on utilizing his aura and curse. He most likely had at least one more hidden card. However...


    ¡°I¡¯ll end this before you have the chance to use it.¡±


    [Despair, and despair again! This is the greatest revenge I can exact in the dungeon!]


    ¡°You¡¯re a Death Knight... Why do you have to be so petty!?¡±


    The whirlpool swirling around my spear lessened. It didn¡¯t get weaker, just that it becamepressed to a single point. The tinum aura enveloping my armor had also moved to Chaotic Spear.


    ¡°Take this!¡±


    Although it couldn¡¯t be called a proper Heroic Strike, ifplete, it should be able to easily blow away a single the Death Knight! A partially iplete spear attack hurled towards the Death Knight. He quickly rolled his body, dodging it, but I simply grinned in response.


    [Don¡¯t think you can run away!]


    Peika, who was on standby, shot up into the air and spread her arms out. A chain of golden lightning crackled out, binding together his four limbs.


    [Kuk!?]


    [Master!]


    ¡°I know!¡±


    Without a single moment of hesitation, I thrust my spear and shouted.


    ¡°Sacrifice!¡±


    His helmet burst into pieces. The rotting skin and bones of a corpse appeared underneath. As dead blood shot up into the air, he let out a strange howl.


    [Kiaaaaaaaak!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    So he really did have something left! In an instant, ck mist surrounded his body. From it,rge double-edged axes, razor-sharp scimitars, and other curse-ridden weapons shot out. Each of them was enough to threaten my life! Because of the effect of Sacrifice, I could only dodge them by the skin of my teeth.


    [These are the grudge-filled weapons of all the warriors I defeated thus far! Your spear will soon be a part of it!]


    ¡°Funny. Too bad your weapon collecting hobby will end today!¡±


    Even as I dodged the weapons with death just inches away, I had something else in mind. Is this... not copyright infringement?(E/N: Open! Gates of Babyl- sorry)


    ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s just kill him first!¡±


    [You sure can talk for someone who¡¯s about to die!]


    Peruta Circuit became fiercer. As it healed my internal organs, which were damaged from Sacrifice, I leaped up. Weapons continued to shoot out, signifying the sheer number of warriors he killed. Dodging them skillfully, I shouted.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to die too! Stop resisting!¡±


    [You will die first!]


    I broke out intoughter. Because I had to defeat him multiple times today, I didn¡¯t use my pocket watch¡¯s skills or any other once-a-day skills. It seemed he was gravely underestimating me because of it. At this point, exhausting my power was a waste. Now that I understood his capabilities, all I had left to do was finishing him swiftly and cleanly.


    At first, I wanted to hold out for a little longer to see how long this skill of his wouldst, but I decided to do that next time.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ming... Try to dodge this!¡±


    [Come!]


    I twisted my body in the air and shot towards him. Dodging all the weapons hurling towards me with Divine Speed, I focused my eyes on his ugly face. With my sole goal being to destroy it, I thrust my spear!


    ¡°Dieeeeeee!¡±


    I gave up trying to fix my habit of shouting. Since it inadvertently became the guild¡¯s official rallying cry, I might as well keep pushing it!

 Chapter 263. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (3)

    Chapter 263. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (3)


    [You became level 81. You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond¡¯s 30th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You became tinum Rank 9. You obtained the qualification to appoint one new explorer.]


    [Amazing! You are the first in the First Dungeon¡¯s history to seed in soloing the Death Knight on your first try! The dungeon will remember you as a great explorer. You obtained 2 skill point as reward. Current skill points: 51]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Death Knight Master.¡¯ All stats increase by 2. The title¡¯s effect will apply even if it¡¯s not equipped.]


    [You defeated the Death Knight alone. You obtained the special reward, ¡®Death Knight¡¯s Helmet.¡¯]


    [You obtained 700,000 gold.]


    [You received the only reward left hidden for the First explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 1.]


    [Secret. Breath of Death]


    After I defeated the Death Knight, Sherafina¡¯s message came along with the usual fanfare.


    I finally became a tinum rank explorer. The First Dungeon¡¯s tinum rank! What once felt so far away was now in my grasp. Because of how quickly I climbed the dungeon, I still wasn¡¯t sure if it was amazing.


    ¡°Is this it? I thought I¡¯d get more for bing a tinum ranked explorer.¡±


    Sherafina¡¯s unchanged tone annoyed me needlessly. That was definitely a recorded message! As I mused nkly, I flinched when I saw the first reward.


    Breath of Death. This skill...


    ¡°Eh? Wait, mm, huh...?¡±


    It took me a moment to remember what it was. This skill was the first skill Death Knight used, which easily got stopped by me! This weak skill was the secret reward!? Isn¡¯t that toome for the First reward?


    ¡°I¡¯ll still learn it, but still...¡±


    I grumbled as I learned the skill. The following message confirmed that I had received the skill Death Knight tried to use.


    [You learned the skill, Breath of Death (Passive). During battle, you absorb and store death energy. You can then release the stored death energy at a target. You need to collect 10 or more death energy to use this effect. The more you collect, the more powerful the effect will be. Not using collected death energy can lead to ill consequences, and you can use this energy just like any other energies. You do not need to breathe it out.]


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Wait, this is different than what I thought it was! I thought it was a skill that let me breathe out deadly breath, but it seemed I was gravely mistaken. The inhaling process was also included.


    During that process, I could collect death energy from those I killed and use it in other ways?


    ¡°This... Um...¡±


    I practically just became a new Death Knight! What kind of a skill is this!? How amazing!


    Breath of Death wasn¡¯t just an unusual skill. It let me control death energy, an energy I had not known about until now. Getting used to this skill and eventually making it surpass the realm of skills to be my own power was up to my effort.


    The best way to learn a new skill was to taken lessons from a proficient senior. Right, I already had a good senior.


    ¡°Let me see your death aura more closely! Death aura, show me your death aura!¡±


    [What¡¯s wrong with the challengers nowadays? Did they go mad from too much stress...?]


    The Death Knight facing me tilted his head worriedly as he lifted up his great sword breaming with death aura. Facing it, I nodded happily. ¡®Before I collected all of his equipment, I swear I¡¯ll learn how to control death energy from him!¡¯ I vowed to myself as I pointed my spear towards him.


    ¡°Wee.¡±


    [You equipped the Death Knight Set. Your strength and constitution increase by 50. When the Death Knight Set is equipped, you can use ¡®Death Collection¡¯ once per day.]


    [When used, Death Collection summons weapons of enemies you defeated to attack your target. The more you killed, the more powerful their weapons were, the more powerful the skill will be. Although it is possible to add your own energy to the summoned weapons, note that holy energy is not suitable for these weapons filled with resentment.]


    I was lucky. I could collect all of Death Knight¡¯s equipment in one day as I didn¡¯t get any duplicates. Just like I expected, the set skill was the powerful skill Death Knight used at the end of our first fight. Enemies I defeated until now... There were too many for me to remember. However, most used their bodies as weapons rather than actual weapons! I doubted that an entire monster would pop out of that ck mist.


    ¡°Ah, no, I massacred those demonsst time.¡±


    When I thought about that, I felt hopefully. I remembered that almost no demons fought with bare hands, and suddenly had expectations for this skill. In any case, since I said I wouldn¡¯t grind Death Knights, I nned to stay true to my words. I already had an idea how to use death energy.


    [Are you resting now?]


    ¡°Yep. You should rest too, Ruyue.¡±


    Of course, I still had a mountain load of work to do. The next thing on the list... Just thinking about it made my stomach churn.


    At that moment, Ruyue suddenly approached me and spoke.


    [Shin should incubate the egg now.]


    ¡°... Mm?¡±


    Did I hear that right? I asked Ruyue to repeat what she said, but she seemed to have not heard what I said as she took out a metallic egg in the air. It was the egg born when Syrmia Bamirtuno died in the Luka continent.


    Since thest time I saw it, the egg had gotten bigger and shinier. Setting aside the fact that that wasn¡¯t how eggs generally worked, I focused on the great mana it carried. It was understandable. All the needless equipment I gained until now had been eaten by that egg.


    ¡°Why me...?¡±


    [It¡¯s going to hatch soon.]


    ¡°Really?¡±


    [Un.]


    Ruyue nodded. I looked down at the metallic egg in my hands worriedly.


    My elementalist skills were currently high-rank level 8. I had the feeling that I would be able to contract a new elemental when I mastered high-rank Elemental Contract. However, there weren¡¯t situations where Peika, Ruyue, and Sharana weren¡¯t enough, and I knew I didn¡¯t have enough mana to maintain four elementals. That was why I didn¡¯t use my skill points until now.


    Even with my mana near 250,000 points, I still thought the same way. But could the egg havee to me, realizing my growth as an elementalist? Just who was in this egg?


    ¡°Well, just thinking about it won¡¯t give me any answers. I¡¯ll just worry about it when the timees... Alright, Ruyue, I¡¯ll hold onto the egg now.¡±


    [Un!]


    Even though the egg had gotten bigger, it wasn¡¯t to the point that I couldn¡¯t carry it around. I put the egg into my embrace, sent the elementals back, and left the dungeon. If I met Loretta, I felt like I might be too rxed to continue with my next n.


    Right.


    I was going to meet Ciara Kenex.


    [Hero-nim, you¡¯ve gotten more imposing since thest time we talked!]


    ¡°You said the same thingst time too. You¡¯re the one who grew a lot.¡±


    I met her when I went to clear an Event Dungeon in America, and in just half a year, Ciara had gotten a lot taller. She still looked fairly frail, though.


    I immediately came to regret what I said. Ciara acted like she was on cloud nine.


    [You noticed my growth! Aaah, I¡¯m so happy! Hero-nim likes me too!]


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. I hate you, and it pains me to be talking to you right now.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t say it enough. I hated her. First, I hated the fact that she liked me so much. The uneptable reason was that I was the Hero and she was the Saintess. She projected her ideal image of a Hero onto me and wanted me to fulfill that image. Most importantly, her image of a Hero was an utter piece of trash. This Hero was the type of person who would sacrifice others for his benefits.


    [I¡¯ve heard all about Hero-nim¡¯s achievements! Hero-nim is doing great, but that¡¯s not good. As it is, Hero-nim will take on everything into Hero-nim¡¯s own hands. Hero-nim must get rewarded for...]


    ¡°Ciara.¡±


    [Yes, Hero-nim!]


    Ciara stopped and turned towards me. Her telepathy irritated me, but it was a bit funny that she acted like a puppy. The fact that it only took her three hours to arrive at the guild house from the time I contacted her proved it.


    ¡°You should know about it too. About the dungeon.¡±


    [Yes! I finally understood that what Hero-nim asked about back then wasn¡¯t the dungeons appearing on Earth, but another world in Hero-nim¡¯s possession! But that isn¡¯t a very important ce, right? It¡¯s just a ce for Hero-nim to grow. No, I guess it¡¯s easier to gather people from there... Mmm...]


    Ciara acted unconcerned, but she couldn¡¯t be. The dungeon was a mystical ce with a moreplex structure than the monsters or demons invading Earth. As a ce where explorers could obtain great powers, it was currently at the center of Earth¡¯s attention. I couldn¡¯t understand how Ciara could be so nonchnt about it.


    That said, since I didn¡¯t really want to understand how Ciara¡¯s mind worked, I quickly continued with what I wanted to say.


    ¡°You can get stronger by entering the dungeon. Although you¡¯ll have to prove your ability to go forward, you¡¯ll be given the chance to grow at the very least.¡±


    [Isn¡¯t that power fake? No matter how much I think, I can¡¯t help but think that it¡¯s someone else¡¯s power!]


    I guess she¡¯s not a Saintess for nothing. She was right on the mark. However, I smirked and retorted.


    ¡°If you forcibly put on clothes, your body can grow to fit them. Not everyone can do this, but I can. This is what¡¯s important. Once the path opens up once, following it isn¡¯t hard.¡±


    [So Hero-nim is using the dungeon! Do you have ns to seize the dungeon? I will support Hero-nim with all my power!]


    She must have been a great general in her past life. For someone who looked so well-behaved, she was beyond aggressive.


    ¡°As I said, it¡¯s not something everyone can do. The enemies we¡¯re facing... Right, we.¡±


    [Hero-nim, I¡¯m so happy! You finally understand me! Yes, we!]


    I held myself back from running out.


    ... Can I just kill her? No, Shin, hold yourself in, be patient. It¡¯s for the greater good. Yup.


    ¡°The enemies we¡¯re facing can nullify the dungeon¡¯s power. At first, I thought I could deal with it myself, but things have changed. Things are getting unpredictable, so I need a way to predict what¡¯sing... I need you.¡±


    [Yes, of course! I¡¯ve been waiting for the day to join Hero-nim!]


    Ciara threw herself at me, as if to give her entire self along with her ability. I smacked her head and continued.


    ¡°From now on, obey me absolutely. Don¡¯t do things on your own.¡±


    I didn¡¯t like to control people. It¡¯s what Ciara wanted me to do, too. But I hated controlling people against their will, so I had no qualms saying this to Ciara. What she did made me grit my teeth even now.


    [But Hero-nim.]


    ¡°First, cut your ties with your family.¡±


    [That¡¯s impossible. My n has always used me, and even now...]


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll cut it off for you. Also, I don¡¯t need the organization you¡¯re forming. Get rid of it.¡±


    [Hero-nim...!]


    Ciara couldn¡¯t say anything. Perhaps this was the first time I made her speechless without resorting to force. I felt a strange sense of victory and continued.


    ¡°You¡¯re too weak right now. You have to get stronger.¡±


    [But Hero-nim, I hate the dungeon.]


    ¡°Eh? What does that mean?¡±


    What she said was so absurd that I tilted my head.


    ¡°I never told you to enter the dungeon.¡±

 Chapter 264. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (4)

    Chapter 264. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (4)


    Chapter 264. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (4)


    Ciara blinked with a confused expression. I could call it cute, but because of my aversion towards her, she only looked hateful no matter what she did. However, now was the time to set aside my feelings. I let out a dry cough and continued.


    ¡°I already told you. What was the reason I needed your help?¡±


    [Because enemies that could nullify the dungeon¡¯s power appeared... right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    [And that¡¯s why Hero-nim called me. To read their movements and prepare beforehand.]


    ¡°Right.¡±


    [Then for me to get stronger, shouldn¡¯t I...]


    ¡°No, no.¡±


    I shook my head. Of course, Sherafina told me I needed to make Ciara a dungeon explorer. However, that¡¯s because Sherafina didn¡¯t know about Lespina.


    The Dungeon Lord wasn¡¯t a god. She wasn¡¯t omnipotent, nor was she omniscient. Her suggestion was reasonable, but not in this case. Against enemies that could ignore the dungeon¡¯s power, how could we fight them with the dungeon¡¯s power? That was partly why I gave up on grinding stats! Easily raised levels from the dungeon? They were different. Rather than the sweet fruit given as a reward forpleting the dungeon¡¯s tests, I wanted the tests themselves.


    For this reason, climbing the dungeon was beneficial forbat type ability users. There was a huge difference between those who experiencedbat and those who didn¡¯t. Those who won against powerful enemies gained experience different from the levels the dungeon gave. I considered this another aspect of one¡¯s league. I believed that this was also the reason so many gods had their eyes out for me.


    However, Ciara was different. She was frail. Most likely, the limit of her physical strength was picking up a knife and a fork. Her underdeveloped body could be easily seen from the outside. Although she carried a special and boundless mana, she could only use it when she used her ability. Most of the time, it was just leaking out of her body. Her mana wasn¡¯t being used. Setting aside her talent for magic, she had never even wielded her mana.


    Even she entered the dungeon, what could she do? Of course, if I paired her with another ability user, it would be possible to make her stronger. During that process, Sherafina would most likely read Ciara¡¯s ability and help her develop it. However, as I said before, such an ability was useless in front of enemies like Lespina. It might not even activate properly.


    ¡°How much did your ability grow?¡±


    [The range increased by another 20km radius.]


    ¡°So it¡¯s still growing?¡±


    [Yes, Hero-nim. My ability gets stronger the more I use it. I don¡¯t know the origin of it, though.]


    ¡°Good, then I have an idea.¡±


    When I felt confident I could develop her ability, I took out a piece of paper. It was a Soul Contract.


    [I can feel an amazing power from it... and an ominous aura.]


    ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t trust you so easily, so it¡¯s a failsafe method...¡±


    At that moment, I hesitated. Then, I fell in thought. Ciara couldn¡¯t see with her eyes, but she realized what I was doing and turned to face me. I could call her action admirable, but because of my aversion towards her... The rest didn¡¯t need to be said.


    I asked.


    ¡°Why do you like me?¡±


    [Because it¡¯s my fate!]


    I hate... No, endure it.


    ¡°What I said before, can you do it?¡±


    [I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very efficient. If Hero-nim allows it, I¡¯ll look for another method. There¡¯s a lot to be prepared for the world Hero-nim will rule!]


    ¡°Can you still do that after cutting ties with your family?¡±


    [It¡¯ll be slightly more difficult, but I can do it! As long as I have the authority to grant abilities, I can coerce ability users to... Ehem. In any case, it¡¯s possible!]


    ¡°Rejected.¡±


    [Uuu... Okay.]


    ¡°I¡¯m going to put an observer on you. Is that fine?¡±


    She did not give an immediate answer. She then tilted her head and asked.


    [The object Hero-nim took out can restrain my actions, correct?]


    ¡°Right. It can even restrain the way you think. It¡¯s a scary object.¡±


    [Then why would Hero-nim not use it and put an observer on me instead?]


    It was a fair question. Did I feel bad about using the Soul Contract on Ciara? Not in the slightest. I had already used Soul Contracts on many people. As long as the contract¡¯s terms were kept, a Soul Contract was nothing more than a piece of paper, something that didn¡¯t pose much danger. If the target was Ciara, I didn¡¯t really need to hesitate.


    Even so, this was the decision I came to.


    ¡°No, I thought I shouldn¡¯t continue using Soul Contracts on my allies.¡±


    [I¡¯m touched, Hero-nim! I finally became Hero-nim¡¯s woman! Aaah, I¡¯m so happy!]


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic.¡±


    Ciara was trembling from tion. Although seeing her gave me the chills, I knew I could restrain her even without using a Soul Contract.


    The reason was simple. She... Kuhum, she liked me way too much. In the end, her every action was for my benefit. She epted any sacrifice and justified any action if it was in my favor. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to be involved with her. I was afraid she would do something I couldn¡¯t control.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the case now. I had more than enough power to control her actions. There was a reason to be afraid. Moreover, rather than avoiding what I feared and ignoring it, I knew it was better to keep it next to me and watch over it. This was the decision I came to after analyzing the data collected by the subi¡¯s investigation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, get rid of the organization you¡¯ve been forming.¡±


    [An enormous amount of money and manpower have already been used. I¡¯m sure it will be of great help to Hero-nim¡¯s future!]


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it. Get rid of it. Or, you can just give it to your family and tell them to do what they want with it.¡±


    As I said that, I thought for a moment. The Kenex family would undoubtedly oppose me taking Ciara away. A tiny sh might happen in the process... and I can use this chance to get rid of this organization. Yep, that sounded like a good n.


    In any case, Ciara¡¯s answer was interesting.


    [Yes! Then I¡¯ll make it so that we can regain control over them at any time!]


    ¡°That won¡¯t be needed. I already obtained everything I wanted. Including you.¡±


    [... Yes.]


    For some reason, Ciara twisted her body and blushed. I pondered which part of my statement caused her to act so annoyingly, but since I wasn¡¯t really interested in her, I just ignored it.


    I put away the Soul Contract and thought how this was a good opportunity.


    Some of Revival¡¯s members were still cored. yda Van and Laz Michel... They were trustworthy people, but I wanted to watch over them for a little bit longer. However, Leon, Walker, and Sophie were already on Revival¡¯s boat and couldn¡¯t get off. Even setting that aside, I already knew what kind of people they were. Soul Contracts weren¡¯t needed. Putting cors on their necks was nothing less than an insult. I decided to get rid of them.


    Walker might curse me and attack the moment he was freed from his Soul Contract, but getting hit once wouldn¡¯t be so bad. I could always return it a hundredfold too.


    [Hero-nim, what are you thinking about? I want to hear it too!]


    ¡°No. In any case, from this moment on, you¡¯re a member of Revival. Though, you won¡¯t enter the dungeon.¡±


    [A secret agent? Just for Hero-nim!?]


    ¡°... Well, let¡¯s call it a secret agent for Earth.¡±


    I made a bitter smile and nodded. Then, I continued.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the one training you. Hwaya will also help. The two of us are skilled with handling mana, and it¡¯ll help you develop your ability.¡±


    [Hero-nim¡¯s training... Can I go outside and calm myself from this excitement?]


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t be excited. Don¡¯t calm yourself down. Hwaya will be there too. Got it? Hwaya will be there! Don¡¯t forget that!¡±


    [I wish only Hero-nim was there...]


    Just what did this girl eat to be so extreme at just thirteen-years-old!? I needed to hear the Kenex family¡¯s education policy. Then, I¡¯ll make everyone kneel and apologize.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s open your eyes and mouth. It¡¯s not my style to work people without properly reimbursing them.¡±


    Except for Walker.


    [Mm... This might be rude, Hero-nim, but can I say something?]


    Ciara made a sorrowful expression that I¡¯d never seen before as she shook her head.


    [It¡¯s not that I want to doubt Hero-nim¡¯s words, but I¡¯ve never been able to fix this disability I was born with.]


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ve only met bad doctors.¡±


    [It was impossible with modern medicine. Even though mana stones and monster remains brought huge advancement in medicine and science, it wasn¡¯t enough to fix my eyes. It was the same for my mouth. They said that something unapproachable by science was blocking me. Something like a curse.]


    ¡°So?¡±


    [The Kenex family and I tried mobilizing all healing ability users. The Kenex family isrger than what Hero-nim thinks. All healing ability users on Earth tried to cure me. One of them was Miss yda Van, who is currently in Revival. No one could recover my sight, nor my voice. Although Miss Palludia wasn¡¯t one of them, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll be different.]


    ¡°Mm, yeah, Ludia¡¯s power might not be enough.¡±


    I shrugged.


    ¡°But I¡¯m different.¡±


    [Of course, I have the greatest faith in Hero-nim¡¯s power! But Hero-nim, I don¡¯t want to be disappointed at Hero-nim. I don¡¯t want to be disappointed in myself, who is disappointed in Hero-nim. I¡¯m happy as I am now. It¡¯s fine.]


    Ciara¡¯s attitude was clearly unnatural. She was shaking her head like she was afraid of something. I had some doubts, then I remembered something obvious.


    She was only thirteen.


    She was smart and headstrong for her age, so I never considered her to be a thirteen-year-old. Right. She was young. The time she had might have been too short for her to naturally ept her disability.


    From the day she was born, she couldn¡¯t see, hear, nor talk. It seemed she epted her disability as a payment for bing an ability user. She acted proudly, and she never doubted her actions. Since she paid such a great price when she was born, she had no qualms about using the power she had. A saintess chosen by God... It made sense that that¡¯s how she viewed herself.


    Even so, it was hard to say she overcame her disability. In fact, her actions showed how much of aplex she had towards her disability. Her current reaction proved this theorypletely.


    I became disappointed in myself. I knew that at the basis of her blind actions was her disability, but I had been carrying hostility towards her all this time.


    I was rather proud of my ability to see through people for my age, but it seemed it was just a rookie¡¯s folly. I still had much more to learn in this regard. Who was I to judge people and hate them? I was only twenty two! It was good that I realized it now. Even if I didn¡¯t want to, my position required me to think and act this way.


    Some of her actions were certainly unforgivable. Shemitted a crime that couldn¡¯t be justified in any way. I felt that her way of thinking wouldn¡¯t change, and so epted my decision to restrain her actions. No matter how much good she did, since she would never repent for her sins, she would forever remain a sinner, and I would forever hate her. That¡¯s what I had thought.


    Now, however, I felt like I saw a tiny potential. A way to open her heart, which, in some way, could never ben opened or changed. Making her realize her faults and making her act on her own volition rather than for me.


    Since I nned to do it anyways, there was no need to hesitate. I took out an Elixir from my inventory.


    [This is...?]


    ¡°Ah, this won¡¯t be enough. It¡¯s a miraculous medicine, but it¡¯s still a bitcking to resolve your curse. It would be a waste to use two, so I¡¯m only going to use one.¡±


    I gave her a short reply and took a breath. After looking around, I nodded and muttered.


    ¡°Overlord.¡±


    In an instant, the power of Enigma enveloped me. It automatically split itself for offense and defense, then followed the path of Peruta Circuit to circte around my body. I grabbed this mana of Enigma mid-path.


    [Hero-nim, what... what an amazing power. I can¡¯t see you. Are you really there?]


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you see with your own eyes soon.¡±


    I grinned and focused entirely on the Elixir in my hand. I had considered it for a long time. Strengthening items with Enigma¡¯s power.


    It wasn¡¯t impossible. At this moment, Enigma was mine. If I couldn¡¯t use it as I wanted, how could I call myself its master? As if to prove this, Enigma¡¯s mana followed my control, thoroughly entering the bottle of Elixir. Ciara, who couldn¡¯t see, only trembled at the energy she felt.


    ¡°Done.¡±


    [What... What do I need to do, Hero-nim?]


    Ciara¡¯s voice was shaking. I smirked and grabbed her tightly clenched fist. After opening it slowly, I put the bottle of Elixir on her hand. Then, she grabbed it carefully, afraid it would break.


    ¡°Just drink it.¡±


    Finally, I controlled Enigma to open the bottle. With trembling hands, Ciara put the Elixir on her mouth. Then, she drank it all in one go. She didn¡¯t doubt in the slightest. Her affection again gave me the chills. When she opened her eyes and saw me, would she see how I was different from her image, be disillusioned and lose her affection for me? Oh, please! Let that be the case! For a moment, I had a wishful dream.


    Then, as if how she couldn¡¯t open her eyes was a lie, she opened her eyes too naturally.


    ¡°Ah, aaah...¡±


    ¡°Ciara, you...¡±


    The moment I saw her eyes, I realized why such a great curse was ced on her.


    ¡°Hero... nim...¡±


    Large ck irises that were as clear as the starry sky and a white cross clearly inscribed in each eye.


    She was the only innate Evil Eyes holder birthed by Earth.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Shin and Hwaya obtained their Evil Eyes by raising their leagues and proving their qualifications. Other than Ciara, Loretta and Daisy are the only ones in the story born with innate Evil Eyes.


    You understand why Ciara couldn¡¯t open her eyes or speak, right? And what ability that Evil Eyes has! After all, the ability of Evil Eyes can¡¯t be hidden just by closing one¡¯s eyes! Huhu.


    Next chapter will have detailed exnations!

 Chapter 265. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (5)

    Chapter 265. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (5)


    At first, I was too shocked to say anything, but when I thought about it, her possessing Evil Eyes was natural. Right, she was possessed by a powerful curse that no advancement in science or medicine, or the highest rank healing ability could cure. It wouldn¡¯t make sense if it wasn¡¯t caused by something like Evil Eyes.


    ¡°Is it really you, Hero-nim?¡±


    ¡°I told you multiple times. My name is Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°You really are Hero-nim...!¡±


    ¡°I see not listening to other people¡¯s words hasn¡¯t changed.¡±


    Even though this was the first time she spoke since she was born, the way she naturally moved her lips and tongue was a bit scary. She was really like a princess freed from a curse, the kind told in fairy tales.


    She undoubtedly possessed Evil Eyes since the day she was born. Evil Eyes was a terrifying authority that ced an immense burden on one¡¯s body. Back then, she should have had little to no mana in her body. Her body must have known that only death awaited her if she opened her eyes.


    That¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t open her eyes. Because her sight wasn¡¯t enough, her hearing and voice had also been taken away. It wasn¡¯t a curse, but her desperate attempt to lessen the burden on her body. Of course, she never realized it.


    I thought about exining it, but I decided against it. I felt it would only encourage her self-aggrandizing way of thinking.


    For some reason, however, Ciara was quiet. She could now see and speak. No matter how quiet she was before, it wouldn¡¯t be an overreaction for her to bber on excitedly. Plus, if it was Ciara who always put an exmation mark at the end of her sentence...


    ¡°Ciara?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes!¡±


    No, I was wrong. She had never seen the world with her own eyes. It made sense that she was spacing out.


    Suddenly, Ciara, who was looking at me, began to cry. I had expected her to be emotional, but it was still a surprise as tears weren¡¯t something I ever associated her with.


    ¡°Why are you crying? I told you I could fix it.¡±


    ¡°N-No. It¡¯s nothing, Hero-nim...! It, it¡¯s just...!¡±


    Ciara didn¡¯t wipe her tears and only looked up at me. She then murmured quietly.


    ¡°Even... Even more, far more beautiful than I thought...¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    There was no way that the world she drew in her heart was the same as the world she saw with her own eyes. Now, she could see and judge everything herself. Even if it wasn¡¯t to my extent... I hoped that she woulde to recognize the value of others.


    Feeling sympathy for Ciara for the first time, I reached out and stroked her hair. She didn¡¯t overreact and simply smiled. If only she could continue being this way... I felt a headache knowing that this wouldn¡¯t be the case.


    Ciara regained her light and voice. In addition, her eyes were Evil Eyes from birth. Her power of foresight was simply the result of her inborn power awakening.


    Her eyes could see the future. It was a simple ability, yet the consequences were immense. Just by opening her eyes, her ability came to surpass what it was before by far. If she put in an effort and controlled her eyes, there really might be nowhere that could escape her sight. Although she carried dangerous thoughts, as long as I was next to her, she would follow me. Revival had just gotten an irreceable ally.


    However, Ciara¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t only good. As I said before, the reason she couldn¡¯t speak and had her eyes closed was that her body couldn¡¯t withstand her Evil Eyes. That was still the case now, even as an ability user.


    Empowered by Enigma, the Elixir amplified the mana in her body and forced her body to its normal state. When the Elixir¡¯s effect ran out, her body would be burdened once again, perhaps even more than before. It was my mistake, as I had never considered the possibility of her possessing Evil Eyes. But since she opened her eyes, it was necessary to train her body, mind, and mana. Immediately.


    Hwaya answered my request with a dying expression.


    ¡°Hateful...¡±


    ¡°Please, Hwaya. I¡¯ll do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°You know full well I can¡¯t refuse you... Huu, it¡¯s for Revival too, so fine. I¡¯ll endure it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    Ciara bowed to Hwaya. She had clearly gotten calmer after opening her eyes. Hwaya snorted as she retorted.


    ¡°First, let¡¯s work on controlling the mana inside you. Right now, it¡¯s all tangled up inside.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because she can¡¯t control it consciously. Her potential shouldn¡¯t be bad... She¡¯s the distributor of all abilities after all.¡±


    ¡°I hope so, Shin. I¡¯m going to be a little rough, so give us some space. Four days.¡±


    ¡°Four days!?¡±


    What is she nning on doing to this child!? Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s going to vent her anger? Hwaya snickered seeing my worrying eyes.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m the first person on Earth to systematically train in mana. Since I epted her as a disciple, I can¡¯t be soft even if she¡¯s a kid. I need four days, so leave.¡±


    With that, Hwaya sent me a message.


    [I can roughly solve what you¡¯re worried about in that timeframe.]


    ¡°... You¡¯re really an amazing woman.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    Hwaya nodded as if it was the most obvious truth. Then, she waved her hands without even looking at me. I smiled and left as she wanted.


    ¡°Good luck, Ciara. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hero-nim. I¡¯ll do my best! For Hero-nim!¡±


    ¡°No, do it for yourself, not me.¡±


    Just like that, the witch epted the saintess as a disciple at the request of the hero. What a mess.


    After leaving Ciara to Hwaya, I went to find Walker. As I¡¯d already talked to Hwaya and a few others, I didn¡¯t need to hesitate to do what I nned.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Kang Shin? Your face is more unpleasant than usual.¡±


    ¡°Should I not?¡±


    I messaged Walker beforehand, but it seemed he wasn¡¯t in the dungeon anyway. With what happenedst time with the Event Dungeons and the demons¡¯ invasion, he was climbing the dungeon with determination, so it seemed my timing was good. When I visited him, Walker wasn¡¯t in his house but was smoking outside.


    It was noon. He would have been guarding Yua if it was the past. Although not much time had passed, I felt like many things had changed. I made a bitter smile. Walker flicked his cigarette and spoke curtly.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to visit me, tell me beforehand.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Three or four hours before.¡±


    ¡°... Do you have another guest?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    Walker dodged my gaze. For a moment, he eyes looked at the second-floor window. The curtains were tightly shut as if to hide what was inside. Well, it didn¡¯t matter. I told him what I came for.


    ¡°You don¡¯t really need the Soul Contract anymore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten bold, Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°I just think I should trust who I can trust.¡±


    ¡°You? Me? I woke up toote to see it, but the sun must have risen from the west.¡±


    ¡°Walker, I need your agreement to destroy it. The Soul Contract, let¡¯s destroy it.¡±


    Ignoring Walker¡¯s drivel, I took out our Soul Contract and spoke with a clear voice. Walker widened his eyes and puffed a smoke. As he exhaled, he threw the cigarette away and nodded.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s destroy it.¡±


    Without me doing anything, the Soul Contract ripped to shreds. I could feel that the contractual bond between Walker and me disappearedpletely. At that moment, Walker appeared behind me. His fist was enveloped in a ck aura.


    ¡°Just let me hit you once...!¡±


    ¡°Rejected.¡±


    No matter how much Walker grew, he wasn¡¯t my opponent. Because of how predictable he was, I couldn¡¯t let him hit me even if I wanted. I lightly brushed his neck with my elbow. Walker fell backward and cursed.


    ¡°Damn you, you¡¯re too uptight.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for thepliment.¡±


    ¡°Screw off. I¡¯m going to go and let out all the curses I held back until now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re free to go.¡±


    I smirked. As I was about to turn away, I realized I had something left to say.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who formed a Soul Contract with Sophie, right? Since the restriction is gone, you get rid of her contract too.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°I want to see her and say it myself, but since you¡¯re outside, it must be troubling for her to meet someone at her current state.¡±


    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±


    Walker coughed roughly. I smirked and dealt another blow.


    ¡°So, when can I eat my noodles? I love noodles, you know.¡±


    ¡°You son of a bitch...¡±


    Walker gritted his teeth, while I walked out feeling better than ever before. I hummed happily.


    It would be nice to take this happiness straight to Beyond¡¯s 30th floor, but there was something I needed to do beforehand. It was the sparring with Peruta that came about once a month. Since sparring with him periodically let me realize how much I improved, I had no ns to take it easy.


    I immediately went to the Residential Area and headed to the basement training room. Sumire was the only one there, thrusting her spear into the air by herself. I was slightly surprised.


    ¡°Sumire?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Shin-nim!¡±


    She weed me with a smile. I already knew this with how close she was with Hwaya, but between a dog and a cat, she was more like a dog. If she had a tail, I suspected it would be shaking 100 times per second.


    ¡°Did youe to train?¡±


    ¡°Yep, with Peruta.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave, so feel free! Afterwards, can you spar with me...?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re so hard-working, Sumire.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just doing what I can. Even in thest incident, many people got hurt because I couldn¡¯t protect them. I don¡¯t want that to happen again.¡±


    She was so blindingly bright that I couldn¡¯t look at her. Shouldn¡¯t Sumire be the Saintess instead of Ciara?


    ¡°Plus, Athena has a spear-rted ability too. I just can¡¯t use it because I¡¯m not skilled enough. I have to obtain it before the next time Event Dungeons appear.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry for making you work so hard.¡±


    ¡°I know Shin-nim has it the hardest. I¡¯m happy to just be of help!¡±


    An angel!


    ¡°Ah, I took too much time. I¡¯m off then. Call me when you¡¯re done sparring!¡±


    ¡°No, Sumire. You can just watch from the side.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You might learn something. Mmm, remember this though.¡±


    I added with a wry smile.


    ¡°It¡¯ll look like I¡¯m dancing by myself.¡±


    I stood in the center of the training hall with my eyes closed and called Peruta. He seemingly knew what I wanted, as he immediately created an Imagine World and faced me. A pleased smile was on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re heading to the next realm.¡±


    ¡°I want to arrive as quickly as possible. I have a lot to pay them back for.¡±


    I held up my spear and took a stance. Peruta waved his hand as he retorted.


    ¡°My, impatience is a warrior¡¯s taboo. Impatience leads to mistakes, and mistakes lead to losses. When a person bes incapable of taking back what he lost, that¡¯s when he bes a Kahar.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take note. Though, I don¡¯t know what a Kahar is.¡±


    ¡°Whoop, my bad. Kahar means disaster in my continent¡¯snguage. The kind of disaster that stays hidden, appearing suddenly and devouring everything. When a person bes a Kahar, there will be nothing left, including himself. In the end, he¡¯ll destroy even the things he wanted to protect.¡±


    To be honest, it sounded cool.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡±


    ¡°Then remember this too. In anothernguage, a Kahar is called the God of Vengeance.¡±


    Peruta held up his spear, pointing it towards me and shouting sharply.


    ¡°Now,e! Throw away your impatience and thirst for revenge! For now, only think about reaching the peak of spearmanship!¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Ten hours afterward.


    My Mad Typhoon reached level 7.

 Chapter 266. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (6)

    Chapter 266. You Cannot Escape from the Saintess (6)


    Peruta made a satisfied expression as I sent him off after our training. Next, I sparred with Sumire, who seemed to have learned a lot from watching me. Of course, she could never be my opponent. Even though I pretty much stopped thinking and sparred with the mindset of leading her spear forward, her spear couldn¡¯t reach me at all.


    However, only half a year had passed since Sumire really began to train in spearmanship. Although she had the basics down from the family training she had when she was young, it was still only the basics. I remembered this clearly, as she sparred with me when she started training and watched her Spear Technique be mid-rank.


    From sparring with me today, Sumire learned high-rank Spear Technique. Her improvement was easy to see, and I quickly ascertained that her spearmanship advanced to high-rank Spear Technique. I didn¡¯t know how Sherafina split mid-rank from high rank, but I could feel her advancement from her spear¡¯s movements. I knew she wanted to get stronger quickly, but her speed really surprised me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Thank you! Shin-nim is the best!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I did much.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Shin-nim, I would have never learned high-rank Spear Technique! Shin-nim is really amazing...!¡±


    Sumire entered her worship mode. Though I was happy, I asked her with a bitter expression.


    ¡°Sumire, did you put in any skill points into Spear Technique...?¡±


    ¡°No. Didn¡¯t Shin-nim say so? To not put in skill points into mana training skills or martial art skills.¡±


    ¡°Right. So you reached high-rank Spear Technique in half a year with just your own ability?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more thanks to Shin-nim rather than my ability.¡±


    Sumire spoke as she tilted her head. She believed it wholeheartedly. Just where did this worship-like faithe from? I don¡¯t remember doing anything... Well, I guess I did. But she also participated, and so did the others...


    Perhaps, this faith was what allowed Sumire to advance so quickly. I didn¡¯t want to break her wings by carelessly saying something, so I gave up on continuing this topic. Instead, I made an offer.


    ¡°Sumire, focus for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Are you teaching me something!?¡±


    Sumire approached me with sparkling eyes. If only Ren was half as trusting when he came to learn from me... Unfortunately, Ren¡¯s idea of learning from me was equal to being beaten up, so this was impossible. I told myself to beat him up again in theing days and focused my attention on Sumire.


    ¡°Rather than teaching... I¡¯m offering a method.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Failed. I wanted to leave it to her choice, but she was going to do whatever I asked. It was the first time I felt the weight of absolute faith.


    ¡®I guess it¡¯ll be okay as long as what I tell her is correct.¡¯ I felt my responsibility increasing as I told her the method.


    ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t think you would get so strong in such a short time. Without even a tiny bit of exaggeration, you¡¯re a genius. You were already a genius in martial arts, but it seems you¡¯re an even greater genius in spearmanship.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nothingpared to Shin-nim. I¡¯m stillcking!¡±


    ¡°No, trust me. Hubris is poisonous, but underestimating yourself isn¡¯t good either. You have to look at yourself objectively if you want to improve quicker.¡±


    Sumire¡¯s face reddened from embarrassment. I smiled and held up my sword.


    ¡°Well, saying anything more will only tickle your ears. I¡¯ll be frank. Sumire, your defense is outstanding. With Athena¡¯s power, it could even be called absolute. You can probably even defend against one full power attack from me.¡±


    By full power, I meant using Overlord, Sacrifice, and Sky God¡¯s Rage. Mm, I guess she can¡¯t block Shiva¡¯s Eye, but since I can only use this power once a year, I shouldn¡¯t think about it. In any case, the fact that she could defend against this meant that she could perfectly defend against an attack from a world¡¯s enemy.


    Although she wasn¡¯t at this level in the past, Sumire was always with us as we climbed the dungeon andpleted Event Raids. Her outstanding talent, effort, and ample experience made this possible.


    ¡°But your attack is truthfully weak. Very weak. Although it¡¯s improved a lot, even if you train for another year, you probably can¡¯t deal an effective blow against a world¡¯s enemy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯mcking...¡±


    ¡°No, the only thing you¡¯recking is time. Time is one thing no one can change. Sorry, I didn¡¯t think we would be in such a rush either. If you had just two more years, you would have be more powerful than anyone else.¡±


    Her talent, effort, and God¡¯s true name proved this. Athena was Olympus¡¯ greatest warrior. Not even Zeus could take away this title.


    ¡°Then am I supposed to just stand back no matter what happens?¡±


    Sumire, who was excited just a moment ago, now wore a sad expression. Seeing her face, I didn¡¯t feel like continuing either.


    Nowadays, such sense of helplessness wasmon against Revival¡¯s members. ¡®There isn¡¯t much we can do in crucial moments.¡¯ ¡®Guild master and a few others shoulder all the burden.¡¯ Such thoughts were the cause of this helplessness.


    Of course, without them, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to clear all the Event Dungeons during thest crisis, but it was also true that only the guild members other than me, Hwaya, Ina, and Daisy were left out of fighting powerful enemies. This was because other than the four of us, it was hard for the others to deal effective blows, much less fatal blows.


    As a result, many of Revival¡¯s members were feeling depressed about not being able to do anything. I should have made it clearer how thankful I was for them. It wasn¡¯t toote. Since they had supreme talents in their own fields, there had to be something only they could do.


    Sumire would be the beginning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make that face. Do you remember what I said? I said I¡¯m offering a method.¡±


    ¡°Ah, r-right, you did.¡±


    Sumire¡¯s expression became slightly brighter. How much my words affected her showed how innocent she was.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying it¡¯s impossible if you continue with your current training method. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll use a slightly unconventional method.¡±


    ¡°Unconventional... method?¡±


    ¡°Yep. It¡¯s honing your de for a single thrust.¡±


    ¡°A single... thrust...¡±


    Seeing Sumire murmur after me, I held my spear and took a stance. Obviously, it was the stance I took when I used Heroic Strike. Sumire also noticed it.


    ¡°Shin-nim, that¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Sumire had the greatest defense, Athena¡¯s shield, Aegis.


    Once activated, Aegis automatically blocked the enemy¡¯s attack without having to be held and even petrified the enemy. Sumire usually held the spear in one hand, but during this time, she could use both hands to hold the spear. The enemy will also be blocked by Aegis, and she¡¯ll be thoroughly protected. Perfectly blocking the enemy¡¯s attacks while attacking with her spear. It was any spearman¡¯s dream.


    Even so, just learning one technique didn¡¯t advance one¡¯s spearmanship. It only advanced his technique. Plus, even if he strengthened his technique, without proper spearmanship as the basis, it could never reach its maximum potential. That was why I never taught Sumire techniques.


    Now, it was different. Sumire advanced extremely quickly. She not only had the talent to learn Heroic Strike, her level of spearmanship was more than enough to draw out its power. If she added Athena¡¯s power on top of it? I was already looking forward to it.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit embarrassed, but it¡¯s the greatest technique I can use with pure spearmanship.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor!¡±


    Sumire cheered uppletely when I told her I would impart Heroic Strike onto her. Well, since she couldn¡¯t use Heroic Aura, it wouldn¡¯t be Heroic Strike, but...


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s call it the Goddess¡¯ Strike.¡±


    ¡°I, I haven¡¯t even learned it yet! And such an embarrassing name...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s better than Heroic Strike.¡±


    My eyes werepletely serious. I still didn¡¯t understand why I gave this skill such a name. I regretted it immensely. I regretted it every time I used it. Still, I shouted its name loudly every time. I could still hear mother¡¯sints from when I kick my bedsheet because of it.


    ¡°First, I¡¯ll show you a Heroic Strike using only my energies.¡±


    I summoned Ruyue and asked her to create an extremely hard ice boulder in the center of the training room. In an instant, freezing energy filled our surroundings, and a giant ice boulder reaching the training room¡¯s ceiling appeared.


    [Even Shin won¡¯t be able to break it easily!]


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I then summoned Peika and had her enter my spear. I then quickly took my stance. I pulled back with my right hand, and my left hand supported the spear from underneath. I leaned my entire body back slightly and bent my knees adequately. I was used to focusing my energy in one ce, so I didn¡¯t really need to do all this, but since Sumire was learning it from scratch, it was good to learn the proper stance.


    ¡°You have to feel the energy in your body. See how I concentrate it and shoot it out.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    First, I roused Heroic Aura. It was an energy at the summit of all auras that empowered allies and erased evil. It could also strengthen all auras I possessed. It was truly a power befitting a Hero.


    Next, I gave Peika my mana and also took out the Lightning God¡¯s power. Though it was granted by the dungeon, this power proved that I was chosen by lightning and thunder and that I had the qualification to rule over them. It wasn¡¯t much different from a god¡¯s true name. What this meant was that I would still maintain this power even if I lost my qualification as an explorer.


    I could feel all of these powers concentrating on a single point on Chaotic Spear. My body¡¯s muscles, mana, aura, and elemental power. Everything came together. Peruta Circuit spun fiercely, while Mad Typhoon mixed the energies ordingly and create a tiny whirlpool at my spear tip.


    Sumire, who was watching me from a distance away, waspletely focused. She didn¡¯t even breathe. Suddenly, I felt a bit uneasy.


    ¡°Ruyue, materialize and strengthen that a bit more.¡±


    [Un!]


    Concentrating Heroic Strike¡¯s destructive power onto one target was also one of the conditions of learning it. Not uselessly dispersing its destructive power and focusing it entirely on the target! My ancestor was undoubtedly a pervert.


    I could also add Trish, Sacrifice, Frozen Roar, Sky God¡¯s Rage, Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo¡¯s close-range attack amplification, Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo¡¯s 2x mana... but I held myself back. It was already powerful enough.


    ¡°Huu... Haap!¡±


    When I felt that I squeezed out every ounce of power, I attacked. Although I stabbed slowly so Sumire could clearly see it, my spear still traveled extremely quickly. As if it was being sucked in by the ice, it drove into the center of the ice. At that moment...


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    ¡°I knew this would happen!¡±


    The moment the spear tip struck the ice, its boundless energy devoured the ice, breaking it into thousands of pieces and scattering it. Sumire screamed and held up her shield, but the ice shards disappeared without hurting anyone. The ice was under Ruyue¡¯s control.


    Realizing that she was unhurt, Sumire stayed stiffened for a while with her shield held up, then lowered it with slightly trembling hands. Her voice also shook her hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s too powerful. But Shin-nim, this isn¡¯t your full power, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm, it gets stronger if I add gods¡¯ true names, item effects, and skill effects. But...¡±


    Other than gods¡¯ true names, an ability like Lespina¡¯s nullified them, so there wasn¡¯t that big of a difference realistically. Sumire murmured with a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°Too, too powerful. So this is Shin-nim¡¯s power... As expected of Takemikazuchi...¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    It seemed what I just showed Sumire went beyond what she could ept. I let out a dry cough and brought her back to reality.


    ¡°This is my technique. The technique you¡¯ll make is different. There will be no lightning, no elemental power, and no Heroic Aura. Still, Sumire will have Sumire¡¯s mana and Athena¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Even if I learn it, will I be able to disy the same destructive power?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡®With your crazy talent, it might be possible.¡¯


    ¡°What I¡¯m about to show you now... is what Heroic Strike was based on.¡±


    I asked Ruyue to create another ice boulder. She used the same amount of mana, and its hardness was the same.


    ¡°This technique was something my ancestors created when they didn¡¯t know mana. It was created purely to disy power surpassing the limits of one¡¯s physical body...¡±


    As I exined, something caught my attention. Why did I just think about my sparring with Peruta? It felt like something was about to pop out of my head. I thought back to what I said to see if anything popped up, but nothing happened.


    ¡°Shin-nim? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah... I¡¯m fine.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t understand. Still, I felt sure I would understand it one day. Soon, that is. Believing this, I set aside my idle thoughts and took up the same stance as before.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I mastered this technique my ancestors created, but I rate it highly since even without mana, it¡¯s on par with an attack using mana. Sumire, you¡¯ll have to use this skill as the basis to perfect your own technique.¡±


    ¡°Uuu, I have to learn something even Shin-nim didn¡¯t master?¡±


    ¡°You can do it. Trust me. Unlike Heroic Strike, you¡¯ll get a feeling for it when you see me use it.¡±


    I held up my Chaotic Spear again. I let go of all my mana. I didn¡¯t draw Lightning God¡¯s power either. Using the pure power of my muscles, blood, and bones, I frantically drew everything under my control and outside of my control onto a single point. After concentrating and concentrating and concentrating... I eventually couldn¡¯t see what was in front of me.


    I could see one thing. The tip of my spear and the single point it needed to pierce through. I wanted to tell Sumire to concentrate, but I couldn¡¯t say a thing because I was controlling my body. In terms of difficulty, thest technique, in which I drew out all my power, was greater. Now, however, the process of controlling everything about my body and concentrating its power on a single point felt extremely difficult.


    Then, I realized. Mana¡¯s support. Mana, which followed my will, helped me control my body much easier. I was used to receiving mana¡¯s support in using this technique. Now that I was relying purely on my power as a human being, controlling this power felt this difficult.


    My heart thumped. If I realized this anyter, my spearmanship might have even regressed. Although mana was powerful, I couldn¡¯t allow it to take over what a human¡¯s power could do. Mana had its own role. There was a domain that mana should never invade.


    That was the concentration and flow of power. It was good that I realized it now before it was toote to turn back. It was good that I could still improve in my own area, rather than Peruta¡¯s. Just mastering high-rank Spear Technique wasn¡¯t the end. Just learning Mad Typhoon didn¡¯t mean that it was the only path I could walk.


    ¡°Shin-nim, you said you wouldn¡¯t use mana...¡±


    I could feel a weak whirlpool rising. I didn¡¯t stop it. Because I waspletely immersed in concentrating my body¡¯s power onto my spear tip, Peruta Circuit, which had be one with my body, was naturally reacting.


    I was ready. With that thought, I reached forward. The spear smoothly drove into the ice. At that moment, I muttered to myself. I¡¯d done it.


    The giant ice boulder, which took up arge area, disappeared like it never existed. Although I didn¡¯t use any mana, what I aplished was even more absurd than what I aplished before. After pouring out my body¡¯s entire energy, I staggered slightly. As if it was waiting, Peruta Circuit swirled and consoled my exhausted body. Sumire finally exhaled the breath she was holding in.


    ¡°Amazing...!¡±


    ¡°Did you see that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did! I did, Shin-nim! Everything! I¡¯ll definitely learn it, definitely! With this, I should be able to fulfill my role!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been saying that.¡±


    Although there was a side-effect of Sumire¡¯s worshiping me even more, Sumire had regained her enthusiasm. I could practically see the fire burning in her eyes. Not even I thought it would work so well.


    On the other hand, there was something else in my mind. The power I just showed. If I couldbine it with mana and my other abilities...!


    At that moment, when us master and disciple were burning with zealousness, a voice tickled my ears.


    [Did you finish what you needed to do on Earth, Revival¡¯s master?]


    I tried to remember who the voice belonged to and finally remembered. She was the administrative guild master Lost Valley¡¯s master, Eleine. She continued without hesitation.


    [You should have time for us now, right? There¡¯s a request.]


    [Request?]


    [Yes, request.]


    I felt like I could see her grinning.


    [A Dimensional Mercenary request in the Edias continent, happening under the supervision of the dungeon.]

 Chapter 267. Kahar (1)

    Chapter 267. Kahar (1)


    I couldn¡¯t reject the request. Since I gave up on grinding stats, Dimensional Mercenary requests didn¡¯t really matter, but to me, Dimensional Mercenary requests were more than a way of obtaining stats and skill points. It was a way of getting one step closer to my final goal.


    In Revival, there were two other Dimensional Mercenaries, Hwaya and Daisy. It hasn¡¯t been six months since Daisyst used her Dimensional Travel, so it was still on cooldown. Hwaya was currently dealing with Ciara who was practically a bomb on a short fuse. Hwaya had to stay with Ciara for at least the next few days.


    But my Dimensional Travel skill let me bring other people, so I could easily bring Daisy along. If I wanted, I could bring other volunteers from the guild too.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to hear them out first.¡±


    Ellos had asked me toe to Edias continent when I had time. He said he was preparing for the final battle. Although his world faced numerous hardships, it seemed it was heading for salvation.


    However, the fact that this request came from an administrative guild rather than Ellos made me feel uneasy. I messaged back, trying to hide this feeling.


    [Where should I go?]


    [Come to Fairy Garden. You¡¯re more familiar with that ce, right? I¡¯ll go first and deal with Loretta. It doesn¡¯t really matter whether I¡¯m hit now orter.]


    [Thank you.]


    Last time, when Eleine requested me to go on a Dimensional Mercenary mission, Loretta hit her. Because I always met or fought a world¡¯s enemy in my Dimensional Mercenary missions, Loretta was extremely worried about me going. It was understandable. I would have felt the same way. No matter how dangerous Dimensional Mercenary missions were, they shouldn¡¯t be to that degree.


    ¡°Shin-nim, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I got a message about something. Sorry, Sumire. Can you train by yourself for a bit? I have to go do something.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do my best! Good luck, Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡±


    I smiled sweetly and felt better after seeing Sumire clench her fists. Right, I shouldn¡¯t be so scared before I heard their words. After leaving Sumire, I immediately went to Fairy Garden. When I neared the pavilion, I saw Eleine getting mercilessly beaten up by Loretta while other Fairy Garden members watched from the side.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to die! I¡¯m really going to die!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll bring you back to life just to beat you up again!¡±


    ¡°Ow! Don¡¯t just watch, save... Aak!¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    When I made a impressed interjection, some of the members noticed me and greeted me. I also waved my hand. I came to Fairy Garden so often that I was being treated like its member.


    ¡°How long has she been getting hit?¡±


    ¡°Since the moment she came to Fairy Garden.¡±


    Was he working inside the guild today? The hobgoblin Mdel replied with a cup of green tea in his hands.


    ¡°I think she got hit about 1.2 million times.¡±


    ¡°I should praise Loretta for hitting her over a million times in just a short time.¡±


    Loretta was so focused on hitting Eleine that she didn¡¯t realize I¡¯de. Even I couldn¡¯t follow her arms and legs easily. Still, I improved a lot. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see anything in the past.


    ¡°I. Told. You. Not. To. Involve. Shin. Nim. Didn¡¯t. I?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough, ow! People, ow! S-Stop hitting me! You¡¯re going to ruin my skin! Ow!¡±


    ¡°There. Are. Other. Explorers!¡±


    How were Loretta¡¯s slender arms and legs so powerful? I was extremely curious. Next to me, the elf Sikatra murmured as she nodded.


    ¡°As expected of the Queen. Using her power of blessing, she¡¯s making her muscles sustain no fatigue. Being able to use the power of magic for such a violent physical attack shows how much of a genius she is.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very scary genius.¡±


    If I saw this side of her earlier, I might not have fallen in love with her.


    ¡°Ow! It hurts!¡±


    ¡°I can make it so it doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°J-Just hit me!¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to see a corpse, so I stepped in.


    ¡°Loretta, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim!?¡±


    ¡°Kahuk!¡±


    Loretta stood tall the moment she heard my voice and kicked Eleine. With a short memorable cry, Eleine flew far, far away like a character from a manhwa. After Eleine left everyone¡¯s view, Loretta finally turned around. It seemed she was giving her best in beating Eleine up, as she had tiny droplets of sweat on her forehead.


    ¡°Y-You came, Shin-nim? What business do you have? Did youe to y with me? Uhu, Uhuhu.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching for a while, so don¡¯t pretend nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    Loretta despaired. Meanwhile, the Fairy Garden¡¯s members at the pavilion were betting on whether I¡¯d lose interest in Loretta with what happened. These cruel people...


    ¡°Call Eleine here. I have to hear what she has to say.¡±


    ¡°No, Shin-nim. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I have a friend in Edias continent. Plus...¡±


    I swallowed my words. It wasn¡¯t something I could say to someone else. Loretta tilted her head, but I just asked her to call Eleine back or bring her back to life. The dejected Loretta then pped twice. Eleine appeared with her butt pointed up.


    ¡°Loretta, you bitch...!¡±


    ¡°Get up before I hit you again.¡±


    ¡°Your big chested violent elf! Hardcore stalker! Muscle fetishist... Kak!¡±


    ¡°Get up before you die.¡±


    After that, Eleine needed some time before she could talk to me.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll keep it simple.¡±


    With both her eyes bruised, Eleine began.


    ¡°I was in charge of Edias continent¡¯s Hero, just like how Loretta is in charge of Earth¡¯s Hero now.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    That was why she was so interested in Edias continent¡¯s affairs. When I nodded, Eleine also nodded and opened her scabbed lips.


    ¡°To be frank, you and I are pretty much on the same level. Just what did you eat to get so strong at such a young age?¡±


    ¡°I trained a lot, but I was also lucky, very lucky. Anyways, you sure got a beating, Eleine.¡±


    ¡°Shut it!¡±


    She used healing magic on herself again and gave Loretta a deathly re. When Loretta smiled back at her, Eleine trembled and looked away. It seemed that an instinctive fear was instilled into her. Even so, I didn¡¯t feel particrly sorry for her.


    ¡°Edias continent¡¯s allied force went head to head with the continent¡¯s invaders. The Hero was wise and courageous, and he acted as the allied force¡¯s vanguard. After fighting rough battles over and over again, the time for him to fight the world¡¯s enemy wasing close.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been talking in past tense.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Eleine became quieter ever so slightly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t contact him right now. He¡¯s not dead... but I just can¡¯t contact him. I think he¡¯s gone missing.¡±


    ¡°I told you, ask other explorers to take care of it.¡±


    Loretta spoke up coldly.


    ¡°You want to involve another Hero after a Hero¡¯s gone missing? Are you insane? What are you going to do if s-something b-bad happens to Shin-nim!?¡±


    ¡°He can run if it¡¯s dangerous!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t run from the world¡¯s enemy!¡±


    Eleine then bit her lips. Loretta continued.


    ¡°It seems you already involved several other explorers. I know you¡¯ve been taking care of him since the beginning and that you favor him a lot. Even so, risking the safety of another world is foolish. I¡¯m sorry, but Shin-nim¡¯s Earth is more important to me than the Edias continent, just like how Edias continent is more important to you than Earth.¡±


    ¡°But this guy¡¯s missionpletion rate is 100%!¡±


    Eleine suddenly shouted.


    ¡°He already defeated two worlds¡¯ enemies too! Can¡¯t I be hopeful? He might find the missing Hero, and together, they might even...¡±


    ¡°You... Do you really want to die?¡±


    ¡°Loretta, stop. You¡¯re being scary.¡±


    I stopped Loretta. While Loretta soothed her momentary killing intent, I answered Eleine.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ept this request.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°I have a friend in Edias continent. There¡¯s something I¡¯m looking for too. I want to go.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, you know what it means for a Hero to go missing, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I breathed in a long breath, and exhaled.


    ¡°It means there¡¯s someone stronger than a Hero.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still going to go?¡±


    ¡°Loretta, what I¡¯m looking for is there.¡±


    ¡°Something Shin-nim is looking for...?¡±


    Loretta widened her eyes. For a moment, her cuteness made me speechless. I stroked Loretta¡¯s head and held myself in.


    ¡°What I said before... Someone stronger than a Hero.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim...!¡±


    Loretta jumped. However, I continued with a sinister smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I need right now. The dungeon is nice, but I need to fight a powerful enemy with my life on the line. I feel like that¡¯s the only way I can achieve what I¡¯m looking for. Something that can¡¯t be expressed with levels.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, there¡¯s no need to dive into danger!¡±


    ¡°I never dove into danger, Loretta.¡±


    I rebutted.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t need to. Danger came to me instead. Even now, Earth is facing a catastrophic danger. Next time Event Dungeons appear in mass, there will be more of them in higher danger. Loretta, does Earth¡¯s current situation look like any other world¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°I-It might be a bit different.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a bit. Their speed of invasion and the powerful enemy above them, they¡¯re both far greater than what any other world has to deal with. There¡¯s no way I can be like any other Hero.¡±


    I had to advance my league.


    For the current me, fighting a world¡¯s enemy might be dangerous, but it was also a chance. Through Dimensional Mercenary missions, I had improved both physically and mentally. I didn¡¯t think it would be any different this time. Perhaps, this could be a chance for me toplete the technique I felt. That technique that wasn¡¯t Heroic Strike nor the family¡¯s secret technique...


    It would be dangerous, extremely dangerous... but I still needed to go to Edias continent. That¡¯s what my instincts were telling me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just keep climbing the dungeon. I need to do everything I can. You canugh if you think it¡¯s foolish, but still encourage me. I want Loretta to cheer me on.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, you...¡±


    Loretta stopped breathing.


    ¡°Shin-nim, did you already...¡±


    ¡°Thanks! You¡¯re really a good guy!¡±


    Eleine interrupted Loretta and grabbed my hands.


    ¡°Lin was the only one for me, but if it¡¯s you, I wouldn¡¯t mind a one night stan¡ª ugyagyagya!¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what Shin-nim decided, I won¡¯t stop you... But I¡¯m still worried about sending you off like this. Go find Lin. He should be mostly finished.¡±


    Loretta stepped on Eleine, who twitched like a worm. After stomping on her twice, she stood on her and looked at me with serious eyes. What a mess. But since her advice was appropriate, I nodded and went to find Lin.


    It seemed Loretta notified Lin already, as he was waiting for me. There were two bracelets on his hand. One was thin and small, while the other was thick and fairly big. The former seemed to be for women, while thetter seemed to be for men.


    ¡°Good timing, I just finished them today. I¡¯ve been working for two whole months, damn it.¡±


    Lin cursed the moment he saw me. Then, he threw the thick bracelet at me. Because of its dull silver color, I felt suspicious of its effects. I looked at Lin, asking if it was properly made. Lin smirked and spoke.


    ¡°Check it out yourself.¡±


    ¡°Okay... Let¡¯s see.¡±


    I opened the item information window. Then, I immediately widened my eyes.


    [???(???)


    ?? - ???


    ?? - ???


    ?? ???]


    Bugged! This is bugged!

 Chapter 268. Kahar (2)

    Chapter 268. Kahar (2)


    Chapter 268. Kahar (2)


    ¡°Lin?¡±


    ¡°I know what you want to say, but that¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡±


    Lin threw the remaining bracelet at me and took out a cigarette. Even though he didn¡¯t do anything, his cigarette lit up. Without being surprised, I received Daisy¡¯s bracelet and also appraised it. Just like mine, it was full of question marks.


    ¡°Those are masterpieces I created with all my strength. There won¡¯t be anything like them ever again.¡±


    Lin puffed a smoke as he stared at me. I shrugged.


    ¡°I know. After all, Lin¡¯s been working on them for two months. But why can¡¯t I see their information?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? It¡¯s because the Lord can¡¯t see through them.¡±


    It felt like someone smacked me on the head. Lin was smirking.


    ¡°The Dungeon Lord isn¡¯t omnipotent or omniscient. She can measure rewards she gives out, but these are equipment I made with my own power. If the Lord could read them so easily, my pride would be hurt.¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t give your all for the equipment you made for me so far?¡±


    ¡°Come on... I just didn¡¯t have enough time. I could only do it this time because I was stuck here for my punishment. Also...¡±


    He continued after a bit of hesitation.


    ¡°Items don¡¯t be unknown just by having good effects. Those bracelets might surpass the Legend grade, but if you ask whether they¡¯re on the level of Divine grade... Then I can only shake my head.¡±


    ¡°So like Enigma, yet not absolute.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    I grinned. It seemed these items were simr to Enigma, the mana I could wield when I used Overlord. Objects that surpassed the dungeon¡¯s influence. They were objects created to resist the worlds¡¯ enemies.


    ¡°So? What do they do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly.¡±


    ¡°This Draconian...¡±


    ¡°Hey, quantifying and qualifying an object¡¯s ability isn¡¯t easy! How am I supposed to see through something that even the Lord can¡¯t? Huu...¡±


    Lin dodged my gaze and puffed another smoke. I would have pulled his hair out if I could. Did Lin feel my bloodlust? Or did he feel sorry to not say anything? Regardless, he let out a dry cough and gave an exnation.


    ¡°At the very least, they aren¡¯t cursed. Yours even has dragon¡¯s blessing. The experience I gained from fighting the Book Walkers was used to make it. If you fight them again, as long as that bracelet is protecting you, they won¡¯t be able to write about you. Not even a world¡¯s enemy can nullify that bracelet, so it¡¯ll work against anyone.¡±


    ¡°Anyone?¡±


    ¡°Anyone.¡±


    I decided to trust Lin¡¯s words. After all, Lin, the great cksmith, took two months to work on them.


    I put the bracelet on my left wrist as Pure ck Desire was already on my right wrist. Immediately after I put it on, I felt my senses change.


    How do I exin this? It was almost like my senses got sharper. Right, it was as my sensory organs doubled. Eyes, nose, mouth, ears. The four organs perceiving outside information all became heightened. To be honest, I experienced this feeling whenever my levels and stats rose, but it was just too extreme this time. For a moment, I felt so dizzy that I had to stop to catch my breath.


    ¡°Oh, looks like it¡¯s working. I haven¡¯t tried them because you can¡¯t take them off once you wear them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... like you said.¡±


    I raised my left arm. The bracelet shrunk to fit my wrist and gripped my arm like it was a part of it. Although it shouldn¡¯t be stuck, it really didn¡¯t budge. After a while, I finally got used to the change, but a new twisting pain struck my insides.


    ¡°Lin...!?¡±


    ¡°I imitated the way Lord raised your league. Don¡¯t re at me like that. I didn¡¯t know how to do it, so I had to use a little bit of draconic power. A lot, actually... I scraped a dragon¡¯s body clean, too.¡±


    Lin flicked his cigarette and fell in thought. Then, he snapped his fingers.


    ¡°It¡¯s elevating your body to be simr to a dragon¡¯s. If your achievements and league aren¡¯t enough, you¡¯ll die from having your body twisted, but you have more than enough qualification.¡±


    ¡°So this isn¡¯t giving me another ability, but rather...¡±


    ¡°Right! Excluding everything you got from the dungeon, purely based on the achievements you¡¯ve made, it¡¯s using draconic power to adjust your ability to fit the true league you should have. That¡¯s why it¡¯sckingpared to levels or stats. Mm, now that I think about it, it¡¯spletely different from the method Lord uses. After all, Lord directly bestowed you with league. She¡¯s really something else.¡±


    ¡°This...! Did you know about this, Lin?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did. That¡¯s why I made you an equipment like this.¡±


    At that moment, I finally overcame the extreme pain and stood up. Just like how my external organs were improved, I could feel that my internal organs improved. The flow of blood sped up, my bones got tougher, and my heart and other organs became reinforced.


    When I clenched my fists, Lin added a small remark.


    ¡°No one will be able to take that away from you. It won¡¯t be as useful as the boundless stats you possess, but it¡¯ll still be useful. After all, it¡¯s purely your power now.¡±


    ¡°Lin!¡±


    I shouted.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way you can make something like this with just a dragon¡¯s body. You threw away your own power, didn¡¯t you!?¡±


    ¡°Not too much. The one for that girl only has a fraction of what I put in yours.¡±


    ¡°But why would you go so far?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen someone with the talent to ept a dragon¡¯s power. I was curious.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke.¡±


    ¡°Because I wanted to give them a good punch.¡±


    Lin spoke quietly. I shut my mouth and stared at him. Now that my body was reforged with draconic power, I could finally see that he had gotten weaker than before. If I used Overlord, I was certain my attacks would reach him. Not too much? How was this ¡®not too much¡¯?


    Lin raised his slender arms that looked incapable of even lifting up his guns. Feeling like his arms were chained up, my breathing stopped for a moment. I didn¡¯t know if Lin knew how I felt, but he spoke with a rigid voice.


    ¡°You do it in my ce. Give them a good punch.¡±


    ¡°Lin...¡±


    ¡°I felt something from the Sipua incident. Countless bastards are countlessly screwing with countless worlds, and I¡¯ll continue to get tangled with them. How would you feel if you were me?¡±


    ¡°Like a piece of shit, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Who wants to live a piece of shit life? Unfortunately, I can¡¯t leave this ce. The only choice I have is to leave everything to someone I can trust.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how to respond. Should I thank him for trusting in me? Lin grinned at my speechless self and added.


    ¡°You got it now? Before you kill them, shout, ¡®This is for Lin!¡¯ I¡¯ll ask that grey haired girl if you did or not.¡±


    ¡°Hu, got it. Leave it to me.¡±


    Since I already received it, there was no way to give it back. I answered with a smile and put away Daisy¡¯s bracelet into safety. I wanted to ask her toe with me, so I could give it to her then.


    ¡°Now leave.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Lin, one of my friends is an ability user that uses guns.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Like me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lin took out another cigarette and bit down on it. As he asked with a uncertain voice, I immediately nodded. Then, he smirked.


    ¡°Interesting. Bring him to meter. I¡¯ll check him out myself. Be thankful.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that. It won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    For someone who alwaysined, he never let me down. Tsundere, how cute! I waved my hand in thanks and turned around. Leon, you better thank me!


    ¡°Daisy, where are you?¡±


    [Beyond¡¯s 16th floor. Just came in, today.]


    I cursed inwardly. Although Daisy was an excellent warrior, she still couldn¡¯t conquer a Beyond floor in a day or two. I couldn¡¯t receive her help this time.


    When I didn¡¯t say anything, Daisy asked.


    [Do you need my help?]


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    [I¡¯ll, die now. So, wait.]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, really! Don¡¯t die on purpose, please.¡±


    [... Tsundere?]


    For a moment, she made me lost for words, but I quickly regained myposure and retorted.


    ¡°No. Who even taught you that word?¡±


    [But Kang Shin needs, my help.]


    ¡°I don¡¯t... Well, I do, but I¡¯ll be fine by myself.¡±


    [I knew it. Tsundere.]


    ¡°I¡¯m really not.¡±


    [Wait 10 minutes.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Not being able to enter the dungeon for a month is too damaging right now.¡±


    [... Tsk.]


    Daisy seemed to understand. Even as she clicked her tongue unhappily, she stopped saying she¡¯d purposely die.


    ¡°I¡¯m going on a Dimensional Mercenary mission. Lin gave me the reward he made for you, so I¡¯ll give it to you when I get back.¡±


    [Un.]


    She answered quietly, then asked a question.


    [Where are you going?]


    ¡°You won¡¯t follow me, right?¡±


    [I¡¯ll rush Beyond and go.]


    ¡°I¡¯ll just ept your thoughts.¡±


    [Tsk.]


    After talking with her, I opened the guildmunication channel and told them I¡¯de back after a Dimensional Mercenary mission. Hwaya was upset, but she knew she had to stay by Ciara¡¯s side right now.


    Since I was done with all the business I had to take care of, it was now time to go find Eleine again. Before that, however, I contacted Ellos. Since the Hero of his world went missing, I wanted to check up on his safety. Thankfully, he replied as soon as he received my message.


    [Shin!]


    ¡°Hey, Ellos, it¡¯s great that you picked up.¡±


    [If you contacted me, does that mean...?]


    ¡°Earth is pretty calm right now.¡±


    Ellos breathed a sigh of relief. His voice was extremely heavy.


    [Huu... I¡¯ve been waiting for you. Something troublesome happened to my continent, so I¡¯ve been wanting to get your help.]


    ¡°Yeah, I heard from others too. I¡¯ll be there soon, so wait for me.¡±


    With that, I headed back to the pavilion. Loretta was choke-holding Eleine.


    ¡°Ugyagyagyagyak!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still at it!?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been at it since you left. Do you want some popcorn?¡±


    Lotang, the Dwarf, shoved a bowl full of popcorn towards me. I grabbed a handful and shoved it in my mouth. Then, I plopped down next to him. The rest of Fairy Garden¡¯s members were munching on popcorn and enjoying the scene. These guys were all evil.


    After Eleine¡¯s face mysterious turned white, then red, then white, then red, Loretta seemed to have gotten tired of strangling her as she changed to a crossface hold. Eleine¡¯s tone was about to break the Guinness world record. She was tapping on the ground furiously, but unfortunately, there didn¡¯t seem to be a tap-out rule in Fairy Garden¡¯s rulebook.


    ¡°Kkkuk, if, you¡¯re, here, stop, her!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Shin-nim!¡±


    Perhaps because she was seenst time, Loretta got up leisurely. Eleine fainted with bubbles foaming from her mouth, but no one paid her any attention.


    ¡°We were just discussing our friendship between women. I put in good words for Shin-nim, so she won¡¯t try to flirt with you again!¡±


    ¡°Good words...?¡±


    If what I saw were ¡®good words¡¯, Loretta¡¯s ¡®lecturing¡¯ just might kill. With that in my mind, I asked Loretta.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk too much from now, Loretta.¡±


    ¡°O, Oh. Then... U, Uhehe.¡±


    Loretta interpreted my words as she liked and fell into her own imaginary world. I guess that¡¯s another talent of hers...


    I waited for Eleine to recover. When she did, I received a piece of paper from her. Loretta was still in her imaginary world, smiling creepily.


    ¡°This is the request form? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen one in paper.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll work as a road sign. A part of the Hero¡¯s item is engraved in it, so it¡¯ll tell you where the Hero is.¡±


    ¡°Aha.¡±


    ¡°This time, there¡¯s a total of twenty five people including you. They should all be gathered where you¡¯re heading. There¡¯s just one goal, saving the Hero.¡±


    Eleine spoke with dignity as she fixed her ruined dress. Of course, there was no dignity to be felt.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be extremely dangerous. You might even encounter a world¡¯s enemy. I¡¯ll ask one more time. Will you really go?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    She spread her arms out to hug me, then lowered them with a noticeably flinch.


    ¡°Good luck! I¡¯ll pray for your victory!¡±


    Just like that, I headed to the Edias continent with Licorice and Lotte. Ah, with Loretta¡¯s blessing too, of course.

 Chapter 269. Kahar (3)

    Chapter 269. Kahar (3)


    Just like how it was when I went to Luka continent, I expected to find myself inside a pce when I used Dimensional Travel. I was right. After using Dimensional Travel, Lotte, Licorice, and I found ourselves in the middle of a vast hall filled with knights and magicians. When I looked around, I didn¡¯t see any other Dimensional Mercenaries. Just when I was thinking that they had already left, one of the knights murmuring amongst themselves approached me.


    ¡°You¡¯re a Dimensional Mercenary, right? Do you know how many more areing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thest one.¡±


    ¡°Are you Kang Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    What¡¯s this? They know who I am? As if to prove my suspicion, the knight then bowed respectfully.


    ¡°Crown Prince is waiting for you. Follow me.¡±


    ¡°Crown Prince...?¡±


    I widened my eyes. The Crown Prince is waiting for me, a Dimensional Mercenary? Could it be...? I shut my mouth and followed the knight. I didn¡¯t need to think too much about it. After all, I would soon see it with my own eyes.


    ¡°Dear Husband, the people here are pretty strong.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re doing well against their invaders, so it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Their gazes are annoying. Hero, can I pull their eyes out?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you two are pretty. Just ignore them.¡±


    In this ce full of men, Lotte and Licorice stood out too much. As we followed the knight, I could feel everyone¡¯s gazes locking onto us. In most cases, stares fixed on women shifted to the man they were traveling with. It was truly annoying. Even on a Dimensional Mercenary mission, I was receiving gazes full of envy. Just focus on your war, damn it!


    ¡°Please don¡¯t mind them. They¡¯re just mentally exhausted from repeated battles. When they see Kang Shin-nim traveling with two beautiful women, it¡¯s natural that they...¡±


    ¡°Lotte and Licorice are fighters too... Well, whatever.¡±


    We arrived in front of the audience chamber. The knight stopped and announced our arrival. A voice of a young man then told us to enter. When the door opened, we walked in in a straight line. In the fairlyrge audience chamber, there was one man sitting at the head of a long table.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re really here. It¡¯s been a long time!¡±


    ¡°Yeah... Paul!?¡±


    I almost fell over from the surprise. The man wearing a fancy armor and sitting at the head of the table was undoubtedly Ellos¡¯ party member, Paul. Seeing me speechless, Paul seemed a bit down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so openly shocked. Did you expect Ellos to be here?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah.¡±


    Paul smiled bitterly at my honest reply.


    ¡°To be honest, I also think that he¡¯s more fitting for this position. But even if he¡¯s the party leader in the dungeon, in the Edias continent¡¯s Cravis Empire, he is my royal guard as Count Kasina¡¯s eldest son.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re a crown prince? Ah, I remember now, yourst name was Cravis.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. First,e on in. Ellos will be here soon.¡±


    Like he said, Ellos did arrive soon. He was fully armored and wore a stiff expression. When he saw me, his expression lightened slightly.


    ¡°Friend, you really came!¡±


    ¡°Sorry that I came sote, Ellos. It looks like the other mercenaries already left.¡±


    ¡°Right. They already separated into their own teams. But to be honest, a part of them are dummies. Because the invaders are also looking for the Hero, we have to move secretly and cautiously.¡±


    Looking at Ellos¡¯ serious expression and Paul¡¯sx expression, I couldn¡¯t help butpare the two. I wanted to ask if they were pulling a prank on me by pretending to y the other¡¯s role, but I also remembered Ren being a crown prince. If Ren was a crown prince, I had to acknowledge Paul as one too.


    ¡°By the way, who are they?¡±


    ¡°Ah, this is Licorice and this is Lotte. Licorice is a Subus Queen and Lotte is a ze Queen, a stronger variety of wyverns. They¡¯re... my allies.¡±


    ¡°Hi, I heard you¡¯re Dear Husband¡¯s friend. Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    As expected of a subus, Licorice greeted them with a charming smile. Lotte, on the other hand, looked ufortable. While I was looking at them and making a wry smile, Paul and Ellos whispered to each other with stiff expressions.


    ¡°Subus Queen? Wyvern? They¡¯re both look like beautiful women... Amazing.¡±


    ¡°The far-reaching rumors of Revival¡¯s guild master doesn¡¯t evene close to the truth...¡±


    I wondered what rumors about me were spreading, but now wasn¡¯t the time to ask. After whispering with Ellos, Paul looked at me with a more spirited face.


    ¡°Let me exin to you the details.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Then... Ellos.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    Ellos is exining!?


    ¡°I exined how we had a huge battle, right? Our continent¡¯s Hero is a great warrior who¡¯s broken through to the First Dungeon¡¯s 92nd floor. In that great battle, he cut down countless invaders and brought victory to our continent¡¯s allied force. The leader of the invaders is a man called ¡®Kain¡¯. At the time of the battle, his strength was simr to the Hero¡¯s. On top of the countless corpses of invaders and of our continent¡¯s inhabitants, they fought fiercely. In the end, neither side came out victorious, and the invader¡¯s retreated. Paul, do you have a map?¡±


    ¡°On the wall, here.¡±


    Ellos congealed mana on his finger and touched a point on the map. A small mark was left by a burn.


    ¡°From here to here is the invaders¡¯ territory. Here¡¯s our empire. Here and here are independent nations that are allied with us. They ally with us whenever a huge battle is imminent. Although several countries have already fallen, most of the survivors came together and formed an army. Now, they¡¯re a part of us. We¡¯ve been even in size of forces. For the final battle, we nned on using a Dimensional Mercenary request to bring many Dimensional Mercenaries. Until that happened.¡±


    ¡°The Hero going missing?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Ellos nodded and bit his lips. His eyes seemed to be burning.


    ¡°Ellos became the Hero¡¯s disciple a little while ago.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    I remembered Ellos telling me about catching the Hero¡¯s attention. Still, I didn¡¯t think that he¡¯d be his disciple. I checked out Ellos once more. Indeed, I couldn¡¯t tell what league he was in, but he had a formidable spirit. Plus, it was hard to feel his presence. If that¡¯s what I felt, Ellos must have grown immensely.


    The dungeon wasn¡¯t the only ce to grow stronger. It was like that for me, too.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t rescue the Hero, there¡¯s no future for Edias. I want to believe he hasn¡¯t been captured by the invaders, but...¡±


    ¡°If he was captured, he would have been killed on the spot. Don¡¯t worry, Ellos, he should be fine.¡±


    Ellos made a strange smile at my encouraging words. It was the type of smile that tried to mask sadness. Ellos then nodded and drew mana on his hand once more.


    ¡°We have a few ces in mind.¡±


    He drew points on the map one by one. They were all in the invaders¡¯ territory.


    ¡°After the great battle, when we were retreating, we learned that the Hero had gone missing.¡±


    ¡°In the middle, huh.¡±


    ¡°One thing we know for sure is that the Hero fought them. Our enemies operate with groups of skilled assassins. I don¡¯t know how they lured the Hero from the barracks, but it¡¯s likely that...¡±


    ¡°A hostage?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡±


    Paul¡¯s expression waspletely stiff. It didn¡¯t fit his character at all.


    ¡°The Hero used to be a wandering knight. He came to our empire when he became a Hero, so we don¡¯t really know his history. He always said he was an orphan, but that might have been false. Maybe, the invaders took his rtive hostage and lured him out.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of how, after luring him out, they must have ambushed him, and although they failed, they most likely injured the Hero greatly.¡±


    ¡°To the point, he couldn¡¯t return to the barracks?¡±


    Ellos nodded silently. Paul then continued.


    ¡°Many people spected where the Hero could be hiding. The easiest ce to hide is...¡±


    ¡°The Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°But in their territory, you can¡¯t enter the dungeon nor use its messaging system.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    My eyes shot open. Their territory? In this area covering half the map, you couldn¡¯t enter the dungeon or message anyone? For a moment, I thought of Lespina. However, there was a clear difference in their range.


    Why were these things happening so often nowadays? I doubt all worlds¡¯ enemies use this method.


    As a confirmation, I asked.


    ¡°Are the explorers¡¯ power suppressed in their territory?¡±


    ¡°How did you know? It¡¯s not by a lot, but everyone has their power suppressed by about 10%.¡±


    10%. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t arge amount. Still, the range of their suppression was shocking. When I closed my mouth, Ellos continued his exnation.


    ¡°They¡¯re proficient in the science of magic. They must have analyzed something about explorers through countless battles. Or maybe, they captured explorers to experiment on them. In thest battle, we found out about their ability. It¡¯ll be dangerous if we let them be. If they reduce explorers¡¯ power by another 10%, their chance of victory will skyrocket.¡±


    ¡°That aside, the reason the Hero can¡¯t go to the dungeon is that he¡¯s stuck in their territory?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So he must have found a ce to hide. After careful consideration...¡±


    He pointed a few spots on the map. Although the circles he drew were smallpared to the map, since the map was of the entire continent, the region epassed by the circles must be fairly big.


    ¡°A mountain range and a forest, both withplex topographies. They¡¯re the easiest ces to hide. There are also wastnds and rocky mountains, but they¡¯re unlikely. When we realized the Hero went missing, we immediately sent our troops out to search for him. As you can guess, we couldn¡¯t find him. We couldn¡¯t stay in the enemy¡¯s territory for long, so the search didn¡¯tst long. If we stayed too long, we might have been annihted before we could find the Hero. In the end, we split off a part of the army to search for the Hero, and the rest retreated.¡±


    ¡°And you still couldn¡¯t find him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Paul added.


    ¡°And the ones that remained were all killed. The invaders also sent out troops to find the Hero before us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just one thing after another, huh.¡±


    ¡°If they capture the Hero, it¡¯s all over.¡±


    Ellos spoke with a stiff voice.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we had to rely on Dimensional Mercenaries. With each of them being so powerful, they¡¯re highly mobile, and they have the strength to resist the invaders if they encountered them.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    As Dimensional Mercenaries, they were most likely used to missions like this. It was the same for me. As long as I didn¡¯t meet the world¡¯s enemy, I had the confidence toe out unscathed no matter how many enemies I faced.


    ¡°We managed to contact an administrative guild, and we even received a magical tool to help locate the Hero. That¡¯s the paper you have, Shin.¡±


    ¡°I heard. This paper apparently tells me where the Hero is?¡±


    ¡°The problem is that the Hero¡¯s signal ising from multiple ces.¡±


    ... I thought of a certain ninja¡¯s Shadow Clone Technique, but I stayed quiet. If I said anything, it would end with me being hit.


    ¡°We think it has to do with the explorers¡¯ power being suppressed in their territory. After all, the administrative guild is part of the dungeon. Still, we couldn¡¯t just disregard it. The only choice we had was searching all the areas pointed out by the magical tool.¡±


    I asked.


    ¡°And what area am I in charge of?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Shin. It¡¯ll be slightly dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it wouldn¡¯t be. Just tell me, where is it?¡±


    Fighting the world¡¯s enemy was also in my consideration. The words ¡®slightly dangerous¡¯ didn¡¯t bother me at all. Did Ellos know about this? He nodded and pointed at the map. It was arge mountain big enough to appear on the continental map.


    ¡°Peruta Mountain Range. It¡¯s the most dangerous mountain range in the continent and a ce with the highest density of mana in the continent. That¡¯s where we¡¯re going.¡±

 Chapter 270. Kahar (4)

    Chapter 270. Kahar (4)


    Chapter 270. Kahar (4)


    It seemed Cravis Empire¡¯s Crown Prince, Paul, couldn¡¯t go with us on our search.


    ¡°I want to go too. The Hero is the empire¡¯s hope... but I can¡¯t leave. My father copsed recently, so I¡¯ve been in his shoes.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that at all.¡±


    ¡°Kuku, I know. To be honest, I want to go to the dungeon and go wild like always.¡±


    Paul going wild? I only remembered monsters going wild on him... Of course, I didn¡¯t say anything. After all, this was Paul¡¯s home ground.


    The Paul I knew from the dungeon was slightly different than the Paul I met in the audience chamber and the grand hall. Perhaps because I was more familiar with his dungeon self, it felt like a carefree, clumpy kid was forced to wear the clothes of a crown prince. He seemed too unfit for the position, but perhaps that¡¯s exactly what made him so passionate and foolish in the dungeon. He could be using the dungeon as a way of relieving his stress.


    Of course, that was just my opinion. It could just be that he had no sense for battle.


    I stared fixedly at the Peruta Mountain Range on the map.


    ¡°Peruta, huh.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, didn¡¯t you say you summoned Peruta? I remember you telling me that a few years ago.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I met him a while ago too. I¡¯m learning spearmanship from him once a month.¡±


    Paul and Ellos both expressed surprise at my words.


    ¡°Really? You¡¯re learning spearmanship from that Peruta? That¡¯s amazing!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s probably not the same Peruta as the one from our continent¡¯s myth. Peruta is the top-ranking god from the empire¡¯s creation myth. As a principle deity, he¡¯s on apletely different league than the other gods.¡±


    ¡®If they knew I had true names of other principle deities, they might flip out. Well, Deific Manifestation is different from gods¡¯ true names.¡¯


    In truth, using Deific Manifestation no longer gave me any advantage in battle. Although Peruta¡¯s spearmanship and Peruta Circuit were more powerful than mine, I had other techniques that he couldn¡¯t use ¨C Overlord.


    Peruta was unable to bring out the true depth of his martial arts with my body, while I could strengthen my entire self with Overlord. Simply put, I was superior. Even so, Peruta was a good master and an adviser.


    While I was regretting never having asked Peruta about Edias continent, Ellos wasing to his own conclusions.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be the same Peruta. Spear-using heroes from our continent all called themselves Peruta, so the one Kang Shin summoned must be one of them.¡±


    ¡°Um, yeah.¡±


    I didn¡¯t argue with Ellos. Still, I knew that the Peruta I knew was the one from the myth. It seemed this myth carried great weight in this continent. The mythical existence they worshipped so much was teaching me, who wasn¡¯t even from their continent? I could understand what they felt. That¡¯s why I stayed silent.


    ¡°Anyways, why is this ce called Peruta Mountain Range?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. In the myths, that¡¯s where Peruta vanished.¡±


    It really was simple as Ellos said. I felt my heart thump. Something was there. Something that would let me take a step forward. I was certain. If I knew that Edias continent had a vestige of Peruta, I would hade earlier!


    No, I wasn¡¯tte. Ellos said it was the most dangerous ce on the continent. If I came before, I might have had to turn back without gaining anything. Now was the best time.


    ¡°Shin, we have to talk about who¡¯sing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. I guess it can¡¯t just be me and you. Since Paul can¡¯t go, besides you and me, I guess your fian...¡±


    I looked at Ellos¡¯ left ring finger. Ellos quickly hid his hand, but I had already seen it.


    ¡°...¡±


    He had two silver rings on his ring finger. One was big and thick, while the other was small. It felt like he squeezed his finger through.


    I stopped breathing. I couldn¡¯t continue what I was saying, but I also knew I couldn¡¯t stay silent. Still, I couldn¡¯t think of any words to say. In the end, I only said one word.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Ellos responded promptly as if he knew what I was going to say. I didn¡¯t have the confidence to look at his face. I remembered him saying that he was always prepared for the death of hisrade. But if it was his fianc¨¦e?


    Impossible.


    ¡°Shin, I¡¯m okay. As a tribute to her, help me find the Hero.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I promise. I¡¯ll save the Hero.¡±


    ¡°Yeah... Thanks.¡±


    He smiled bitterly. I felt like I finally understood why he sounded so down when Ist talked to him.


    In the end, the party members were narrowed down to just me and Ellos. Rather than rescuing the Hero, fighting to protect the empire¡¯s citizens was the priority of the empire¡¯s knights. The ones that could participate in the rescue mission had already left with the other Dimensional Mercenaries.


    ¡°You might feel uneasy, but trust me. I¡¯m level 60 now, so I won¡¯t pull you down.¡±


    ¡°I trust you.¡±


    Ellos most likely spent more time in the battlefield than he did in the dungeon. Considering this, his progress was outstanding. Even with the Hero¡¯s personal training, it wouldn¡¯t have been possible without his tenacity. I was genuinely surprised.


    Of course, it was wrong to think I was the only one with talent. I was happy with his potential. The reason the Hero chose him as his disciple was likely also because he saw Ellos¡¯ potential.


    ¡°Come back safe and sound. Other knights will ready the things you need.¡±


    Paul wished us luck. I still couldn¡¯t get used to him being a crown prince. There was something bothering me, but I forced myself to smile and left the audience chamber with Ellos. In the hallway, refreshing wind blew through the opened windows.


    ¡°Be thankful it¡¯s autumn, Shin. Fire elementals like to y around too much during summer, and fires randomly erupt from thin air.¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯vee during summer to scold those guys.¡±


    It didn¡¯t really matter how the weather was as my body was no longer affected by it.


    ¡°Of course, monsters are threatening no matter what season it is. Before we enter the mountain range, we¡¯ll also encounter more invaders than you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    We were entering the enemy¡¯s territory, and they were also madly searching for the Hero. Objectively speaking, this mission was ridiculously dangerous. We knew out destination, but that didn¡¯t mean we could just march there.


    For that reason, we left through the first floor¡¯s entrance. Soldiers and maids were busily running about. The entirety of the pce, the empire, or even the continent could be running around like this, preparing for the decisive battle. Their determination and tension showed the gravity of the situation.


    That is, until they saw me.


    ¡°... There¡¯s a woman like that in this world?¡±


    ¡°Whose woman is she?¡±


    ¡°Damn, her brilliance is making me blind!¡±


    ¡°If she gives me a nce, I can die without regrets while fighting the invaders.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Shin, wait a moment. Hey, you,e over here.¡±


    Ellos called a few of them here and gave them an order I couldn¡¯t hear. Seeing the male knights and soldiers scurrying away, I could tell he threatened them with punishment if they kept ogling Lotte and Licorice. As a man, I empathized. Even if the world was about to fall, guys couldn¡¯t help but look at pretty women in front of them.


    Once the curious gazes disappeared, Ellos opened the map he was carrying. He then exined the route we¡¯d take in detail.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous no matter which path we take, but this is the safest. We¡¯ll only have to go around a bit.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we in their territory anyways?¡±


    ¡°With this path, we¡¯ll avoid two of their castles. You know what that means, right?¡±


    I did. Unless the invaders were like monsters who liked to live in the wild, most would be living in castles. Ellos most likely nned a route that would have the least amount of fights. I again realized how absurd this mission was.


    I reviewed my options. The straight path was shorter, but contained two castles on the way. Ellos¡¯ path was longer, but allowed us to avoid the castles. Since we didn¡¯t know what we would lose if we fought at the two castles, Ellos¡¯ path wasn¡¯t a bad choice at all.


    ¡°Ellos.¡±


    Still, I disagreed. It didn¡¯t matter whether I fought two battles or two thousand battles as long as the world¡¯s enemy wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Ellos tilted his head. I looked back at Lotte. She shook her head with teary eyes.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to. Please, Hero is the only one allowed! Why can¡¯t you understand how I feel?¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry.¡±


    She must have had a lot of stress built up without me knowing... I felt guilty all of a sudden. No, it wasn¡¯t just a feeling. I was guilty. Did she get smaller when she became a ze Queen just to prevent other people from riding her? In any case, it was hard for me to ask her to sacrifice herself. If I didn¡¯t have any other choice, I would have to ask her again, but for now...


    I faced Ellos, who looked just as surprised as Lotte.


    ¡°Do you know any wyverns live nearby? It doesn¡¯t to have wyverns. I¡¯m looking for ridable monsters that can fly quickly.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re okay with wild untamed wyverns, there are some in a canyon about six hours from here on horseback. But Shin, are you suggesting we tame wyverns to fly? First, taming wyverns is impossible. Second, we would be imposing ourselvespletely by flying so openly in the sky. Plus, we don¡¯t have any time to waste to go tame wyverns. That canyon is in the opposite direction of where we¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°Ellos, here¡¯s my thought.¡±


    I spoke resolutely.


    ¡°We¡¯ll fight less if we just kill the enemies that can follow our speed in the air. Our pace will shoot up, too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too bold. We¡¯ll just be shot down!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a small riskpared to the benefits. Didn¡¯t you say Peruta Mountain Range was dangerous? We¡¯ll have to fight monsters there, so we can¡¯t waste time walking there when we can fly.¡±


    ¡°Flying will be quicker, but the risk is... Shin, just what level are you?¡±


    ¡°Levels aren¡¯t important to me anymore, friend.¡±


    With that, I grinned. The two bracelets on my wrist, Pure ck Desire and Lin¡¯s bracelet, each glowed with a hazy, bright light. Since I¡¯d yet to name Lin¡¯s bracelet, I decided to call it Radiance from now.


    Ellos looked at me with a dumbfounded look and surrendered.


    ¡°Fine. Since I¡¯m risking my life already, I might as well jump into the dragon¡¯s mouth. I just hope we can kill it before it breaths fire and kills us.¡±


    ¡°Good, it¡¯s decided. So, where¡¯s the canyon?¡±


    ¡°Northwest. It¡¯s...¡±


    Ellos raised his finger and pointed to a direction. Immediately, Lotte transformed into her ze Queen form and pped her wings. Surprised, Ellos jumped back.


    ¡°She really is a wyvern!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s different from normal wyverns.¡±


    [I¡¯ll go alone. Forcing wyverns to submit is nothing for a ze Queen like myself.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take?¡±


    Six hours on trained horses. Disregarding the time it takes to subdue wild wyverns, it was 12 hours. Lotte smiled confidently.


    [Twenty minutes is enough.]


    Lotte then shot up in an instant and disappeared at the speed of light. Ellos speechlessly followed the trace of light Lotte left behind.


    ¡°Just who is that wyvern...?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, she¡¯s not a normal wyvern. Alright then, Ellos, while we wait...¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    I put the map away and red at him lightly. It was time to request what I¡¯ve been waiting for.


    ¡°Treat me to some food, you bastard. It might be normal in your world to send people off without feeding your guests, but that¡¯s unheard of in mine.¡±


    You¡¯re sending me off to a ce where I can¡¯t even open my inventory, and you¡¯re not even treat me to a meal! Paul, you bastard, I won¡¯t forget this!

 Chapter 271. Kahar (5)

    Chapter 271. Kahar (5)


    In under 20 minutes, Lotte really brought a giant wyvern. Ellos got frightened out of his mind when he saw the wyvern and refused to ride it, but as he said before, he was jumping into a dragon¡¯s mouth. How could he give up now?


    Suppressedpletely by Lotte¡¯s league, the wyvern obeyed her words absolutely. Even when Ellos got on, it was looking at Lotte. For the record, it seemed Lotte was okay with other women riding her as she let Licorice get on.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    ¡°Friend, I¡¯m beginning to regret this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everyone says that at first.¡±


    Onerge and one small, two wyverns flew up into the sky, drawing attention from many in the pce. I ignored their gazes and souted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Grrrrruaaaa!]


    Lotte pped her wings with a spirited roar. Ellos seemed to have given up, as he also entrusted his body to his wyvern. In an instant, we left the pce and was soaring through the sky. There was nothing that could block our path.


    ¡°At this speed, we¡¯ll enter their territory in ten minutes!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband, here.¡±


    Entering the invaders¡¯ territory meant that the dungeon¡¯s inventory and messaging system would be unusable. I already told the guild members that I wouldn¡¯t be able to contact them, so all I had to do was take out the items I needed from the inventory.


    Licorice, who was taking this opportunity to hug me tightly, peeked her head over my shoulder and gave me a silk pouch.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the inventory substitute Dear Husband talked about. I¡¯m good at space magic, you know.¡±


    ¡°So this is...?¡±


    ¡°Yep. It should be able to hold about a thousand potions.¡±


    ¡°Great. Thanks, Licorice.¡±


    A pouch this size was also easy to carry around. I happily took the pouch and began to move items from the inventory. At that moment, Licorice, who was watching me fixedly, asked.


    ¡°Dear Husband, will we be fine on our own?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°... Okay, I trust Dear Husband.¡±


    Licorice then went back to hugging my back. I was fairly used to it by now, but it was impossible to resist Licorice¡¯s natural fragrance. My heart was beating faster.


    ¡°This is nice. I wish I can stay like this without having to do anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to, one day.¡±


    I moved the remaining two Elixirs from my inventory and murmured.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be long.¡±


    Soon, I could feel that we had entered the invaders¡¯ territory. My strength fell slightly, and I couldn¡¯t open my inventory when I tried. Thanks to Lin¡¯s bracelet, I didn¡¯t feel too weak. It was really a supreme treasure. No, it was part of my body now.


    ¡°Shin, are you okay!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±


    Ellos shouted with his voice still shaking, and I replied nonchntly. If Ellos was fine, everyone else would be fine too.


    ¡°We¡¯ll pass over their castle soon!¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to prepare a gift.¡±


    Along with my words, Licorice immediately began to chant. I also summoned two elementals and put them on standby. I looked down on thend from Lotte¡¯s back. ording to Ellos, the invaders were humans who called themselves invaders.


    Because of their appearances which were identical to Edias continent¡¯s inhabitants¡¯, no one believed they were invaders when they first revealed themselves. Apparently, everyone thought they were from foreignnds. But when more and more invaders revealed themselves in battles against Edias continent¡¯s people, and invaders who had infiltrated the continent made great achievements politically, people finally caught on. When Edias continent¡¯s people found out, several countries had already had their societal values flipped by the invaders. Their methods were truly worthy of the name ¡®invader¡¯.


    The invaders were specialized in magic, and many apparently wielded powerful magical tools. This was also the reason we didn¡¯t fly too high. Each castle apparently had huge magical tools that shot down flying entities above a certain altitude. They were more or less identical to antiaircraft missiles.


    ¡°They¡¯reing!¡±


    The first thing I sensed was cannons installed on the castle¡¯s walls. Even though no one was operating them, over two hundred cannons all turned towards us and shot magic bullets. They were weaker than antiaircraft missiles, but they were more than enough to turn a city into a beehive.


    [Eit!]


    Before anyone else did anything, Ruyue made a cute shout and spread her arms out. A giant transparent ice barrier appeared under us and easily blocked all the magic bullets. The ice barrier then shattered and fell. No, Ruyue had done it on purpose.


    [Crush them!]


    Ruyue¡¯s voice strengthened the falling ice shards, and they ravaged the castle walls like a storm. The ice storm continued until about half of the cannons were broken or buried. At the same time, a loud siren rang out. Just when I was wondering whether they were having a defense training, thousands of people suddenly shot up from the castle.


    ¡°Enemies!¡±


    ¡°What squad are they from?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Leave one alive and kill the rest of them!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re only two of them...?¡±


    They really didn¡¯t look that different than Paul, Ellos, or the soldiers and knights I¡¯ve seen. I hesitated for a split second, but soon realized that they were all wearing something.


    It looked like blown-up muscles, and artificial mana circuits ran around them. If I didn¡¯t recognize them, I would bring shame to the Power Basilisk that gave me my Evil Eyes. Right, what they were wearing were powered suits. Plus, I could feel a strong scent of mana from their bodies. There were this many powerful people in a single castle... I wondered how people of Edias continent survived until now.


    ¡°Ruyue, just kill them all.¡±


    Of course, since they were aiming for our lives, I couldn¡¯t be merciful.


    [I can kill them?]


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    [It¡¯ll be hard in this form, so I¡¯ll materialize!]


    Ruyue spun in a circle and materialized into a mature beastgirl form. The enemies looked surprised, but they soon shot magic attacks towards us.


    ¡°Shin, their mana is different than ours! They can absorb our mana and analyze them, and grow resistant to our attacks!¡±


    ¡°What, are those guys Book Walkers¡¯ descendants?¡±


    All the invaders I met in foreign worlds had strange abilities. Dealing with Earth¡¯s two worlds¡¯ enemies was annoying, but it seemed other worlds didn¡¯t have it much better.


    ¡°Ellos, they can¡¯t share the mana they collected with each other, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no, nothing like that.¡±


    ¡°Ruyue, you heard that, right?¡±


    [Un!]


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first!¡±


    Before the enemies¡¯ attacks reached Ruyue, Licorice shot the magic she had prepared. Huge mes erupted and ravaged the invaders¡¯ front lines.


    ¡°Kuaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°They have a powerful magician!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, such arge mana in just an instant!¡±


    ¡°Counterattack!¡±


    In truth, she just had it prepared.


    Following Licorice, Ruyue reached out with her hand and blocked all the magic attacks.


    [I don¡¯t like their magic power. It¡¯s not pure.]


    ¡°It must be their racial trait. Wipe them!¡±


    As if she was waiting for these words, Ruyue kicked off the air. From her hands, whiterge ice ws rose up and glistened against the sunlight threateningly. The enemies seemed to have expected Ruyue to close range fight, as they fluidly changed their formation. Ones wearing full-body powered suits then came up front.


    ¡°They¡¯re advance guards of the continent¡¯s allied force! Don¡¯t let them enter the castle! Kill them here!¡±


    ¡°Come at me, little gi...!¡±


    Ruyue¡¯s ws quickly decapitated them.


    ¡°Strong!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, call for reinforcements!¡±


    If reinforcements came, it would be more annoying. I held up my crossbow and sniped the ones who left formation to call for reinforcements. With the power of Lightning God, each crossbow bolt pierced the enemies as miniature lightning bolts. My crossbow, Perfecter Hunter, could consecutively shoot hundreds of bolts. After killing the one who left to call reinforcements, I began to snipe the supporting troops in the back. Because of how much they resembled humans, I couldn¡¯t help the ill-feeling I got whenever I killed one.


    I murmured shortly.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m getting used to it.¡±


    ¡°You can use crossbows too?¡±


    ¡°Just as a spare.¡±


    ¡°A spare? With this destructive power...?¡±


    Ellos murmured with a dumbfounded face. All the while, the number of invaders was decreasing. The bodies of the deceased fell from the sky and into the castle. These men probably had families and friends to protect too.


    However, co-existence was impossible. We had to kill them, and they had to kill us. The only thing we needed from them was knowing theirbat capabilities and weaknesses.


    Even so, it felt like I was the one invading them. With how easy this fight was, I wasn¡¯t gaining anything from it either. I was only wasting time and feeling ufortable. I shouldn¡¯t have listened to Ellos and gotten scared of these antiaircraft missiles.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just raise our altitude. We don¡¯t have time to waste like this.¡±


    ¡°But their magical tool is frightening. No matter how high we fly, it¡¯ll reach us.¡±


    ¡°We can just outspeed it. Even if we can¡¯t, there are other ways to block it. Licorice, help us clean this ce up.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    The magic Licorice prepared wasn¡¯t just the me magic. When she reached out with her hands, strangely white clouds rose up from her arms and swept over the enemies. Soon, they trapped everyone in the area, including Ruyue. Ruyue then released freezing energy at full power.


    [Die!]


    In an instant, the clouds froze with cracking sounds. Ruyue then dematerialized and left the clouds. The giant ice lost its ability to float and began to fall. Licorice smiled proudly.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s an excellent attack. How is it, Dear Husband?¡±


    ¡°Amazing.¡±


    I made a wry smile and patted Licorice. Ellos asked a question with a nk expression.


    ¡°You.. Just what have you been doing until now?¡±


    ¡°Not much, just fighting monsters and evil viins... I also visited other worlds a few times.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t tell him I defeated worlds¡¯ enemies three times. It was Lin who killed one of them, and the other two barely counted as worlds¡¯ enemies. In truth, they were more like the world¡¯s enemy¡¯s underlings. What I told Ellos was more than enough. I could see his eyes shaking severely.


    ¡°Really... You...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ellos. From now, we¡¯re going higher and speeding up. Let¡¯s reach Peruta Mountain Range in a day!¡±


    I cut him off and shouted.


    If I let him finish, I felt like it would make me unhappy.

 Chapter 272. Kahar (6)

    Chapter 272. Kahar (6)


    After we decimated all the forces that shot up from the castle, we raised our altitude and shot up above the clouds. The enemies didn¡¯t try to chase us, but I could feel an enormous amount of energy gathering in one ce on the ground. Was this the magical tool Ellos was talking about? The heck? Did the continent¡¯s allied force operate a squadron of dragons or something? Why did they focus so much on aerial battle?


    ¡°There was a kingdom that raised griffins and operated a group of knights called the Order of the Griffin Knights. The kingdom was located on the edge of the continent, and they were the first to fight the invaders. With their speed and power, they drove the invaders into a corner, but in the end, they fell before Cravis Kingdom could be an empire.¡±


    ¡°Because of that weapon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. At first though, the invaders tried to use flying magical tools rather than the huge energy-consuming magical tool they¡¯re using now.¡±


    Ellos shrugged. It probably meant their flying magical tools couldn¡¯t be used for some reason. To investigate, I spread my mana out into the atmosphere. There were huge clusters of dense mana in several ces. Natural mana was overflowing in these ces.


    ¡°There¡¯s so much mana in the atmosphere. So much that it might hinder others from releasing mana.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that in your world?¡±


    ¡°Earth isn¡¯t like that at all. We haven¡¯t had mana until a few years ago, and it¡¯s still tinypared to here.¡±


    With all the Event Dungeons and monster corpses, Earth¡¯s atmosphere was beginning to hold a fair bit of mana. Still,pared to dungeons or other worlds, it was a miniscule amount.


    However, even taking this into ount, Edias continent¡¯s mana was strange. The mana onnd could just be thought of as bountiful, but the density of mana was too high in the skies. It wasn¡¯t just bountiful, but even prevented other mana froming out. If someone tried to release mana in this ce, he would have a hard time because of the atmospheric mana suppressing all foreign mana. That was why the invaders couldn¡¯t use their flying magical tools.


    I could understand why the energy they were gathering on the ground was sorge. That giant energy would most likely be weaker as it shot through the atmosphere. They were overflowing it with energy so that it could shoot down anything they wanted even if the attack was weakened by the atmosphere.


    What was really strange was that I only realized it when I attempted to detect the mana around me. With such a high density of mana, I usually wouldn¡¯t have had to do such a thing.


    After thinking about it for a bit, I finally came to a conclusion. I had gotten too familiar with this high mana density. Only after hearing that the invaders had trouble using their magical tools and detecting the surrounding mana did I realize that the atmospheric mana could disturb others. But why? Why was I so familiar with this mana? Why was it disturbing others, but not disturbing me?


    ¡°Dear Husband!¡±


    When I was lost in thought, Licorice violently shook my shoulders. I was so focused on thinking about this issue that I didn¡¯t realize that the energy on the ground was ready to explode.


    With the amount of energy we were facing, going higher would most likely be useless. This wasn¡¯t a problem we could solve by just flying up.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite impressive. Lotte, can you dodge it?¡±


    [I can, but not that one.]


    Ah, this is where that wyvern holds us down. In that case, we can throw away that wyvern and move Ellos to... No, I promised Lotte I wouldn¡¯t let other men ride her. I couldn¡¯t just go back on my promise.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just deal with it directly. Licorice, can you help me?¡±


    If I were on ground, I wouldn¡¯t have the confidence to face that much mana. However, it was different up here. I was confident that the atmospheric mana wouldn¡¯t hinder me, and that energy missile would undoubtedly lose half its power before it reached me.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to. It¡¯s a bit hard to use magic here, but if I¡¯m careful, it¡¯ll be more powerful than it normally is. Trust me, Dear Husband!¡±


    Licorice replied confidently and gave me a wink. Immediately afterwards, she reached out with her arms and began to murmur iprehensible words. I also stood up and pulled out my Chaotic Spear. Pointing at the spot where the energy was gathering, I began to gather my own energy. Because I was holding my spear like I was holding a gun, Ellos looked at me with curious eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re attacking and not defending?¡±


    ¡°Defending is for after you fail your attack.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    I smiled at Ellos¡¯ half-impressed, half-dejectedment and fixed my posture.


    The other day, I managed to shoot Heroic Strike like a cannonball. I still remembered that feeling.


    It was a technique made possible bybining my family spear technique and mana, one that required Peruta Circuit in order to work. This was because Peruta Circuit captured the energy released by the technique and trapped it within its powerful spin. When the energy struck its target, its energy shot up in one point and detonated.


    For a simple reason, it was better to hold my spear like I was holding a gun. It was because I didn¡¯t need to use mana to protect my body. It was the same when I shot my spear out with the energy, but that required me to use more energy and prevented me from concentrating all energy into one point.


    ¡°Peika, I¡¯m going to shoot just the energy.¡±


    [Huhu, I like that.]


    After Peika entered my spear, I pushed in more lightning energy with Lightning God¡¯s power. Strengthened by Peika¡¯s power, golden lightning traveled across the spear shaft like a sweet sap and gathered at the spear tip. Peruta Circuit took the gathered lightning and created a small bead-like whirlpool. The materialized ball of energy made me smile. Without kidding, we would all die if it exploded here.


    I would love to add the power I used when I didn¡¯t use mana, but that was out of my capability at the moment. I didn¡¯t know how long it would take until I got to that point. All I knew was that I needed time to obtain it for my own.


    ¡°For now, I¡¯ll do what I can.¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband, now!¡±


    Licorice shouted sharply. The invaders had also fired their concentrated energy at this moment.


    Immediately after Licorice¡¯s shout, a giant ring of mana appeared, piercing the clouds and connecting us to the ground. I instantly recognized what it was.


    ¡°This is... trajectory assistance?¡±


    ¡°Hurry!¡±


    I didn¡¯t have time to hesitate. I shot my Heroic Strike straight through the center of the concentric trajectory. The ball of whirlpool quickly left my spear tip and elerated as if it was boosted by a rocket. I didn¡¯t know what Licorice did, but she was taking the atmospheric mana and strengthening my attack.


    ¡°She made the mana hers...! Isn¡¯t she a subus!?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a special subus.¡±


    Didn¡¯t I tell you she was a Subus Queen? I made a wry smile at Ellos¡¯ surprised expression and followed the trajectory of the energy I released. Herioc Strike flew like a cannonball as it continued to elerate. On the other hand, the giant energy flying up from the ground was losing its destructive power and speed as it traveled through the ring Licorice created.


    I wondered how that was possible, then I realized that what Ellos said was the answer. Licorice had turned the strange atmospheric mana into hers. With that, she was strengthening my attack while weakening the enemy¡¯s. By arge amount too!


    Its unexpected effect even caused Licorice who casted the magic to widen her eyes.


    ¡°Dear Husband¡¯s energy amplification factor is too high! What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Is it because the whirlpool form is good at absorbing energy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Because of its speed, it¡¯ll sh much closer to the ground than we antici... Look!¡±


    Immediately afterwards, the two energies shed and caused an enormous explosion. As Licorice said, the explosion urred fairly close to the ground. Without stopping at just the explosion, the energies¡¯ sh rocked surrounding mana and even caused the mana in the air to detonate. Like throwing a match in a powder keg, the explosion spread like wild fire. Just what was this mana!?


    As expected, the chain explosion reached the invaders¡¯ castle. Although I couldn¡¯t see it well, I could still hear the explosions and screams of the invaders. The castle walls were bound to fall, and the invaders and buildings within were likely to be annihted. The only problem was...


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that explosion still continuing?¡±


    ¡°... It might reach us too.¡±


    While Ellos and I exchanged a look, Licorice shouted in horror.


    ¡°Birdbrain, fly! Quickly!¡±


    [This is your fault, bat! You, over there! You better follow me like your life¡¯s on the line! Otherwise, you¡¯ll die!]


    [Kurraaaaak!]


    The wyvern made a pitiful cry at Lotte¡¯smand. Lotte and the wyvern both pped their wings urgently and escaped from the chain explosion. It was thanks to being so far from where the explosion took ce.


    Once things settled down and everyone sighed a breath of relief, Licorice shoved her face towards mine with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°Dear Husband, this seems like a great idea! Let¡¯s do this for every castle we see!¡±


    [Do you want to die, bat?]


    ¡°But that was pretty fun... Kuhum, I mean, this is a good way to weaken the enemy¡¯s forces! They¡¯ll even have to bring back the troops they sent out to search for the Hero!¡±


    I lightly smacked Licorice¡¯s head.


    ¡°I heard you calling it fun, you bomb maniac.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, they¡¯re the ones who used a bomb. We just made use of it!¡±


    ¡°I like it too.¡±


    [Hero!?]


    I thought it was fun too.


    ¡°Ellos, how do theymunicate?¡±


    ¡°They have a magical tool formunication, but its range isn¡¯t big.¡±


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s see...¡±


    I smiled and opened the continental map. I pointed at the half destroyed, or perhaps fully destroyed castle on the map and looked at Ellos.


    ¡°Do you know how far it reaches specifically?¡±


    ¡°Give it to me.¡±


    Ellos approached me on his wyvern, and I threw the map at him. When Ellos began to point at castles out of range from the destroyed castle¡¯smunication magical tool, Lotte screamed.


    [W-What¡¯s wrong with you all!? Didn¡¯t you just experience that terrifying explosion!?]


    ¡°Lote, if you work hard, we can weaken their forces and secure our safety. As a ze Queen, you should be able to do it, right?¡±


    With the honor of her ze Queen title challenged, Lotte shouted with teary eyes.


    [S-S-Shameless, Hero...! B-But I can do it! Nothing¡¯s impossible for this ze Queen!]


    ¡°Yeah, Lotte, you can do it. If you seed, I¡¯ll plume your scales and wash you.¡±


    [Ku... P-Prepare yourself, Hero. Let¡¯s test if you can withstand my speed!]


    Lotte was practically wailing. With a mischievous smile, I began to calcte how many castles we could destroy. At the same time, another wyvern was pitifully crying.


    [Ku... Kurraaaaak!]


    Three hours after that.


    After destroying twenty seven castles, we safely entered Peruta Mountain Range.

 Chapter 273. Kahar (7)

    Chapter 273. Kahar (7)


    [Hu, Huhu... It¡¯s been awhile since I felt like I broke through my limit.]


    After realizing that she no longer needed to fly at a breakneck speed, Lotte spoke in relief. But seeing as how her tail was still standing straight, she still seemed tense. I stroked her head.


    ¡°Thanks. Are you tired?¡±


    [Hmph, this much is a piece of cake for a ze Queen! In fact, I¡¯d like to thank Hero for letting me realize my own abilities!]


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Thanks.¡±


    [Like I said, Hero doesn¡¯t need to thank me!]


    On the other hand, the wyvern Lotte dragged along was half dead. I thought about letting the pitiful creature go, but when I imagined Lotte carrying Ellos and Edias¡¯ Hero with her ws, I stopped in my tracks.


    ¡°Anyways, this is where Peruta Mountain Range begins? It¡¯s already pretty rough.¡±


    The atmospheric mana I felt before was even thicker in this mountain range. Here, even the ground was affected by the high mana density. This meant that the cause of Edias continent¡¯s strange atmospheric mana was here. It was truly absurd. The size of Seoul was nothingpared to Edias continent, but there was something in this mountain range that could affect the entire continent?


    I became certain. It was Peruta. It had to Peruta. Why else would this mountain range have his name? This also exined why this mana felt so familiar to me. After all, my mana was trained using Peruta Circuit.


    Besides me, however, everyone else was struggling with Peruta Mountain Range¡¯s high mana density.


    ¡°Kuk, it¡¯s really not easy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like something¡¯s choking me whenever I breathe. Uuu, to think it could affect me so much, how amazing.¡±


    ¡°... Hup.¡±


    [I really don¡¯t like this ce.]


    ¡®I see, so the environmental penalty raises the mountain range¡¯s difficulty.¡¯ I could understand why it was called the continent¡¯s most dangerous ce.


    Of course, that wasn¡¯t it. I didn¡¯t know whether it was because it really was Peruta¡¯s mana or some other reason, but there was something only I could feel as I was unaffected.


    ¡°The dungeon¡¯s power is being suppressed even more.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Ellos looked back at me with a shocked face.


    ¡°Ellos, something¡¯s here, something harmful to explorers.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way... No one canst long in this mountain range.¡±


    ¡°That means it¡¯s the best ce to set up a scheme.¡±


    Invaders were apt in magical tools. What was suppressing the dungeon¡¯s power was more likely to be a magical tool than an individual¡¯s ability. Everything made sense in that case. Otherwise, the suppressive force wouldn¡¯t be so strong in this mountain range.


    At the same time that I was confident the answer lies here, I became uneasy.


    ¡°You said you could feel it, right? The Hero¡¯s energy.¡±


    ¡°Your paper magical tool is proving that, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    I crumpled the paper. The air felt bitter. I hoped that this wasn¡¯t the case, but it seemed things wouldn¡¯t go as I wanted.


    ¡°The Hero might really be here...¡±


    In that case, there was a high chance that I...


    ¡°Shin, if what you¡¯re saying is true...¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go back now. Let¡¯s go, Ellos.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ellos nodded. Lotte and the wyvern flew up after resting for a bit, and undead suddenly ambushed us in the air.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Griffins! They¡¯re undead griffins!¡±


    Ellos shouted. I didn¡¯t recognize them because they were all bones! I looked down below. Undead monsters made of bones were also flocking towards us. This entire mountain range was full of undead creatures, each carrying a great density of mana!


    ¡°They¡¯re naturally created, Dear Husband. Giant mana brought them together.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to waste time killing them. Just break through!¡±


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    For monsters only made of bones, the undead creatures screamed and chased after us. I smacked my lips. This was a great opportunity for me to disy my Skull Breaker title, but the title¡¯s effect was also halved by the damned suppressive force.


    The Hero was somewhere in this mountain range, somewhere where the magical tool was pointing to. No matter what was waiting for me there, I couldn¡¯t stop. I couldn¡¯t help but think how fortunate I was to have received Radiance from Lin before I came.


    [This half-dead trash!]


    ¡°Rather than half-dead, aren¡¯t they half-alive?¡±


    [Shut it, bat! Just get rid of them!]


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Lotte¡¯s mes and Licorice me and light magic scorched the undead. Although they were also affected by the mountain range, with their leagues, they had no problem dealing with the undead. It was the same for me.


    Although my power as an explorer was being suppressed, Peruta¡¯s mana and Radiance both supported me. As such, I could attack them without hesitation. I threw lightning bolts full of Lightning God¡¯s power at the undead far away and stabbed the ones that managed to close in with my spear.


    Ellos also fought the undead, but it was clear how much he was struggling with his power suppressed. Even so, his eyes were burning passionately.


    ¡°Like I¡¯d lose... to these guys!¡±


    ¡°Good, Ellos.¡±


    I replied calmly and stabbed the air with my spear. A shockwave shot out, exploding dozens of undead. At that moment, Lotte roared and breathed out a fire, opening a path in front of us.


    [I¡¯m breaking through!]


    ¡°Go, Lotte!¡±


    [Screw off, all of you!]


    Lotte roared and charged forward. When I looked around after breaking through the encirclement, I could sense the mountain range¡¯s entire undead creatures running towards us. However, they were no longer in my sight.


    The ground rumbled, and a volcanic crater far off in the distance began to smoke. I held up the paper I crumpled. Shining particles of light floated up and made an arrow. It was clear where it was pointing to. He was waiting for us there.


    [Hero, you¡¯re all fired up!]


    ¡°I know. I realized I can¡¯t fight with my previous mindset.¡±


    I closed my eyes and checked my condition. Everything was perfect.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Our goal is that volcano!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t remember how many undead were blocking our path, but I knew that we crushed countless undead on our way. When we arrived in front of a cave on the side of the volcano, I was practically covered in crushed bones. I had to ask Ruyue to clean me.


    The undead creatures stopped charging. For some strange reason, they didn¡¯t dare to approach the volcano. In truth, I felt like I knew why. A meek wind was covering the volcano. It was a gentle, yet powerful wind of mana.


    ¡°Let¡¯s enter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ellos nodded solemnly. Together, we entered the cave. Lotte had transformed into her human and stood next to me, while the pitiful wyvern was tied in front of the cave where enemies didn¡¯t approach. At the very least, it would be safe.


    ¡°The Hero likely didn¡¯t hide here by his own will.¡±


    I spoke as we walked through the cave. Ellos flinched, then nodded.


    ¡°If there really is a device in here that obstructs the dungeon¡¯s power, the invaders might have something to do with it.¡±


    ¡°That means there¡¯s something even more important to them than killing the Hero.¡±


    ¡°Shin, do you have something in mind?¡±


    I didn¡¯t say anything. I didn¡¯t know whether I should. In the end, I just stared at the paper in my hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing much...¡±


    I gave the paper to Licorice and asked a question.


    ¡°Licorice, does this thing point to the Hero¡¯s energy? Or is it pointing to his unique mana?¡±


    ¡°Thetter, Dear Husband. If it was pointing to the Hero¡¯s energy, it would have responded to Dear Husband too.¡±


    Licorice answered without hesitation. As that was what I was expecting, I nodded and took a step forward. Ellos looked at me, curious as to what my question meant.


    ¡°Shin...?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just curious.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We walked onward. Seemingly because we were getting closer to the center of the volcano, the heat was getting stronger. Although the heat couldn¡¯t affect me, that wasn¡¯t the case for mypanions. Licorice wiped off the sweat from her forehead andined.


    ¡°A mere volcano¡¯s heat is making me sweat...¡±


    ¡°Probably because it¡¯s beingpressed by high-density mana. Come here.¡±


    I borrowed Ruyue¡¯s power to cool my hand and wiped off Licorice¡¯s sweat. Licorice blushed and didn¡¯t know what to do. Though she was a Subus Queen, she had never experienced the real thing. Because of this, she was weak when I was the one being intimate.


    ¡°W-W-What, Dear Husband!? What¡¯s up with the excellent service!?¡±


    ¡°I brought you all the way here, so I¡¯m sorry. Ruyue, make the others feel cool too.¡±


    [Un!]


    Ruyue¡¯s mana immediately covered the rest of the crew. I straightened Licorice¡¯s tangled hair and whispered in her ear.


    ¡°... Got it?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    She blushed once again and nodded. I smiled and marched onward.


    As the heat became more intense, the density of surrounding mana also increased. It was the same for the power suppressing the dungeon¡¯s power. We were close. Something had to appear soon. I was proven to be correct, as we soon encountered people.


    ¡°Humans really came all the way here.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, look, Hero... Kak!?¡±


    I immediately charged towards them and swung my spear. My ridiculously fast spear, containing the concentrated power of my body, easily shed through my target¡¯s powered suit and decapitated him. My speed was no different than when I used Divine Speed. However, Divine Speed belonged to the dungeon. In this ce where half of my power as an explorer was suppressed, using it was meaningless.


    How was I still so fast? It was simple. During the countless days spent climbing the dungeon and countless battles against my enemies, I learned how Divine Speed used my mana and nature¡¯s mana. Knowing how mana moved meant that I could imitate it. I didn¡¯t need to activate it as a skill.


    Of course, this was the first time I used it in a real battle. Still, my intuition told me to try it rather than using Divine Speed, and my intuition was correct. In fact, I learned quite a lot from the feeling of my body elerating and the flow of mana. It still couldn¡¯t bepared to Divine Speed at full strength, but once I got used to it and improved upon it, I had the feeling it could surpass Divine Speed, which was already mastered and had no room to evolve.


    ¡°You bas¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, I decapitated him too. My lightning-fast attack ripped apart his powered suit and instantly ended his life. With the two sentries taken care of, I dusted off the blood from my spear.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. They should be waiting for us inside.¡±


    ¡°Shin, you...¡±


    ¡°Ellos, let¡¯s go.¡±


    I continued on without hesitation. As expected, many invaders were waiting for us there. They were all strong. By the dungeon¡¯s standard, they would have all passed the 75th floor.


    ¡°Howe he¡¯s unaffected?¡±


    ¡°Who cares? Just crush him and question himter!¡±


    Currently, I was weaker than them. If it wasn¡¯t for Radiance, I might have been gravely injured already. However, I¡¯ve experienced fighting against stronger enemies countless times before. Each time, my limit of my techniques reached new realms.


    So what did I need to fear?


    ¡°Kuk, this Hero is quick!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t even neutralize a weakened Hero!?¡±


    ¡°You, why don¡¯t you help... Kuhuk!¡±


    I roused Mad Typhoon¡¯s power. Whether it was magical attacks or physical attacks, their attacks only worked if they touched me. Mad Typhoon¡¯s fierce whirlpool twisted their attacks¡¯ trajectories, and even if they hit me, they only zed me. Meanwhile, I continued to thrust my spear using the principle of Divine Speed. With my spearmanship, my attacks already came from angles that were hard to dodge. With its lightning-like speed, there was no way for them to dodge my spear.


    ¡°You won¡¯t touch my Hero!¡±


    ¡°Argh, you guys are annoying! You¡¯re wearing ugly clothes, too!¡±


    On the other hand, Lotte and Licorice were practically unaffected besides having their mana oppressed. Since the enemies were also affected by the mountain range¡¯s characteristic, they could easily fend them off. In an instant, dozens of invaders died, and they finally faltered back.


    ¡°A-Anymore would be wasting our strength.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not strong enough.¡±


    ¡°They have toe inside anyway.¡±


    They were right. No matter how many enemies were waiting for me, I nned to go in. I knew who was waiting for me there.


    ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Shin, how!? No, why!?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know the answer without asking me?¡±


    Ellos fell silent.


    Even if we turned back now, we wouldn¡¯t gain anything. What I wanted, what the enemy waiting for me inside wanted, and what Ellos wanted, we had to decide it now. I walked onward. The pathway soon came to an end, and a giant space opened up. Considering the heat, we were likely close to the crater. No, this ce was the crater. I could see the sky from the gigantic hole in the ceiling.


    Furthermore...


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you, Earth¡¯s Hero.¡±


    There was a man standing in the center. It was a middle-aged man wearing a thin ck powered suit clearly different than rest of the invaders. The terrifying energy he was releasing made me doubt my chances of victory even if I got back all of the dungeon¡¯s power.


    ¡°Oh, young and handsome. You even have two beautiful gals with you. My, my. My eyes are quite happy.¡±


    He looked at mypanions and smiled in satisfaction. Behind him, I could see a giant crystal. A crystal releasing a mystical, yet ominous light. Near it was the Hero we were looking for.


    With only his head.


    ¡°Sir Kasina, well done. You really seeded.¡±


    ¡°It was bound to seed.¡±


    Ellos replied calmly. I shouted.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±

 Chapter 274. Kahar (8)

    Chapter 274. Kahar (8)


    A presence behind me disappeared. Obviously, it was Ellos¡¯ presence. The world¡¯s enemy in front of me widened his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to kill him?¡±


    ¡°I froze him for now. I don¡¯t want to get stabbed from behind, you see.¡±


    I replied calmly. The world¡¯s enemy seemed to hesitate for a moment, then he asked.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t feel a thing. How did you a do it so quickly?¡±


    ¡°If I tell you, will you tell me too? How you enticed Ellos. I doubt it was your face that did it.¡±


    As I said that, I held up my Chaotic Spear. The reason I could freeze Ellos so quickly was simple. Ellos had already been within Ruyue¡¯s domain from that time I asked her to cool everyone off.


    ¡°... You¡¯re not bad, even better than Sir Kasina.¡±


    I aimed my spear at him, signaling that I wanted to fight quickly. However, he didn¡¯t even think to take out his weapon andughed yfully. As I thought, he was different. He was different than all the other worlds¡¯ enemies. If I had to find someone like him, it would only be Luka continent¡¯s Demon Lord.


    ¡°The boldness to march in here, fully knowing that it¡¯s a trap. The decisiveness in killing your friend the moment you learned of his betrayal. Most importantly, that mysterious power overflowing within you even with the dungeon¡¯s power gone.¡±


    He held up his hand covered in his powered suit and rubbed his chin. At the same time, my interest in him grew. From his movements, I could feel a depth of martial arts on apletely different level than any of the enemies I¡¯ve faced so far. He seemed to have thought the same thing. I could tell by the way he was smiling.


    ¡°This is quite troubling. Hm...¡±


    In the next moment, he snapped his fingers as if he came to a conclusion.


    ¡°Earth¡¯s Hero, why don¡¯t you ally with us?¡±


    ¡°Ally?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ally. Be my friend.¡±


    I was wondering what he was going to say, but to think it would be this dull. I snorted and retorted.


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. That woman you guys call Lord, her influence won¡¯t reach us here.¡±


    I flinched. He was a world¡¯s enemy. It made sense that he knew this much. But what made me flinch wasn¡¯t the fact that he knew about the Dungeon Lord, but the way he said it. He was full of leisure as if he knew something much greater.


    ¡°You... What is your n?¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth, I nned on joining hands with the Edias continent to propel my n, but it only makes sense that I change ship now that a stronger partner appeared.¡±


    ¡°Partner, eh? You think that¡¯s an appropriate word between an attacker and a defender?¡±


    Although that¡¯s what I said, I was still somewhat interested. If he nned on telling me more, there was no reason to refuse. After all, part of the reason I was working as a Dimensional Mercenary was to gain more information about the attackers. I was somewhat hoping that this would happen.


    He spoke.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s appropriate. We¡¯re all being toyed by them, so we¡¯re fellow victims.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let me exin something. First of all, I don¡¯t have the world¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not surprised?¡±


    ¡°I knew.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t a Hero, nor did he carry the world¡¯s power in his body. Because of it, I was wracking my brain at the moment, trying to find out who Edias continent¡¯s Hero was. The man in front of me seemed to be surprised that I could recognize the owner of a world¡¯s power. He probably thought it was the attacking side¡¯s privilege.


    Soon, however, heposed himself. What he then said made me flustered.


    ¡°But you see, I once had a world¡¯s power. To be exact, I retrieved it after killing Keteuce continent¡¯s Hero.¡±


    I felt like I was smacked in the head.


    ¡°What...?¡±


    What did he mean?


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Edias continent isn¡¯t our first target. Before we came here, we fought the people of Keteuce continent and came out victorious in glory. Sadly, that glory didn¡¯tst long.¡±


    ¡°You, what are you saying...?¡±


    ¡°Curious? ... Should I tell you?¡±


    ¡°You liar...!¡±


    Despite what I said, I was shrinking back. Curious? Of course, I was. But I never expected his story to be so far beyond my knowledge. If what he said was right, the invaders had lost the world¡¯s power even after destroying one world. For a moment, I thought of the Demon Lord. Was he also in the same position...?


    ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you something you don¡¯t know. Listen carefully. Once you do, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll join my side. Just like how Sir Kasina did not too long ago.¡±


    Nearby, an invader gritted his teeth. His hostility wasn¡¯t aimed at me. It was aimed at something far bigger and far far away. I felt dizzy. Only when Licorice grabbed me from the back did I realize, I had been staggering.


    ¡°It¡¯s a simple story. The reason we¡¯re facing each other as enemies. I¡¯m going to tell you about that.¡±


    ¡°Go on. My ears are open.¡±


    ¡°Good. At first, we were just like you and the inhabitants of the Edias continent, normal humans living normal lives. Ah, to be exact, we¡¯re a bit different than you humans. We¡¯re a bit smarter but weaker physically. But, in a broader sense, we¡¯re still humans.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°One day, babies stopped being born.¡±


    He voice was calm, but hidden within it was a clear and sharp fury.


    ¡°Babies were born dead. No magical tool or prayer could save them. There were no new lives, and old lives couldn¡¯tugh even as they died.¡±


    He continued.


    ¡°Crops withered and fell in the middle of growing. Livestock copsed in the middle of giving birth and died in the middle of giving birth. Even monsters, who were humanity¡¯s enemy, couldn¡¯t escape this fate. The flow of mana became stiff. It became hard to recover from injuries. It was hell. It was as if the world had died. All remaining lives were slowly dying.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what happens to a world with its world¡¯s power taken.¡±


    ¡°Right. You must have had a clear enemy to direct your hostility. But we weren¡¯t even given that. From when we woke up in the morning to when we barely fell asleep at night, everyone cried tears of pain. They hated the earth, hated the heaven, and hated God. Even so, nothing changed. Except for one thing.¡±


    I felt like I knew what the one thing was.


    ¡°We had to grab onto it. We had to throw ourselves at it. We knew. Beyond the pathway that appeared on our continent, we had to kill them, decapitate them, and steal their power of life. We knew that was our only hope. What would you have done in that case, Hero?¡±


    ¡°I would have marched into them.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t lie. ¡®I can¡¯t hurt innocent people living peacefully, so I¡¯ll obediently die with my world.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t bring myself to say that.


    ¡°Honest, how honest. As I thought, I really like you.¡±


    ¡°Just continue with your story. Didn¡¯t you say you conquered the Keteuce continent?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I did, not someone else, but me. With my own hands, I grabbed the neck of their so-called Hero and snapped it off. Then, I obtained his power. Instead of our withered world, we settled in Keteuce continent. We spared those who surrendered and mercilessly killed those who didn¡¯t. It took a long, long time, but eventually, every human in Keteuce continent had the blood of our people flowing in them. Just like that, we reimed peace. We didn¡¯t need to do anything anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you invade Edias continent?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a silly question, Earth¡¯s Hero. Didn¡¯t I tell you the answer before?¡±


    ¡°My name is Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Kang Shin, my name is Hazen.¡±


    Hazen stared at me fixedly, as if he was waiting for my reaction.


    ¡°It was because Keteuce continent¡¯s power disappeared. It wasn¡¯t anyone¡¯s fault. It disappeared as if it never existed in the first ce.¡±


    I fell silent.


    It wasn¡¯t that I had never imagined it. In fact, I had considered it once before. But I never believed that it could actually happen. I didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t forget that day. When I found out that all babies born that day died, when I found out that the overflowing power of the Hero and the power of the world disappeared from within me, I realized... The nightmare wasn¡¯t over. No...¡±


    His voice stuck in my ears like tar.


    ¡°I realized, the nightmare won¡¯t end. It simply continues. Infinitely.¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°Why? Why did the world¡¯s power disappear again? Overflowing worlds andck of power to support them. Wasn¡¯t that why worlds were paired up?¡±


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s what I thought too at first. Were there more worlds that needed to be erased? But that was impossible. World¡¯s power that once supported all worlds couldn¡¯t have had just diminished. Someone, an existence that we can¡¯t evene to perceive, was toying with us. Maintaining worlds? That was all bullshit! A pretext and an excuse! They might even be looking at us fighting each other and leisurely betting on which side would win. Almost like watching warriors fight to their deaths in a Colosseum.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that¡¯s the reason they erased a world¡¯s power and paired up worlds?¡±


    ¡°Right. So you understand.¡±


    I looked back at Licorice and Lotte. They both shook their heads.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anything like it, Hero. That man... has lived long. His war began far earlier than ours.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me, Dear Husband. To be honest, I can¡¯t believe him.¡±


    Hazen smirked.


    ¡°Regardless, we crossed over to Edias continent. It was hard. We had obtained peace after a fierce war, so we were too indulged in it. A countless number of ourrades died, and in the process, we killed a countless number of our enemies. Then, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. If this continued, we would eventually perish. We would forever be toyed by them. Unless we took the initiative from them, it would continue until not a single piece of flesh or bone remained from us.¡±


    ¡°And... This crystal is the answer you came up with?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    He nodded excitedly.


    ¡°No matter how many worlds we conquer, we realized we could lose the world¡¯s power in the blink of an eye. At that point, a question popped up in my head. What the hell was this dungeon that helped the defending side? Just who was this Lord woman that she had such an enormous power? Kang Shin, don¡¯t you want to find out?¡±


    ¡°I do, but without her, Earth would have been annihted by our enemies long ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, if you trust her just because you received her help, you¡¯ll end up with an axe to your back. Here, look.¡±


    He pointed at the crystal taking up most of the space in the area. The crystal was sucking in surrounding mana and releasing corrupted mana at the same time. That was what restrained my power.¡±


    ¡°As you can probably feel, it¡¯s an amazing thing. While fighting the so-called dungeon explorers from Keteuce continent and Edias continent, we couldn¡¯t help but analyze them. Obviously, we found a way to weaken the dungeon¡¯s power. All we needed were the material to build the magical tool and the mana to control it. We managed to find all the material, but the mana problem wasn¡¯t something we could resolve in Keteuce continent. But this ce, this Peruta Mountain Range, was different. There was more than enough mana gathered here to operate the magical tool.¡±


    In the middle of hearing him brag, I realized something. I immediately voiced my suspicion.


    ¡°That magical tool, it¡¯splete?¡±


    ¡°Amazing! So you see it!¡±


    He smirked.


    ¡°But it¡¯s still too big! Its core function hasn¡¯t been realized either. We have to make it much smaller, small enough to carry it. We have to raise its output, too! But it¡¯s possible! We can do it. And when it¡¯splete, that¡¯s when you, partner,e in. You take it and enter the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You want me to kill the Dungeon Lord?¡±


    He bit the question I asked casually.


    ¡°We should share its power. Then, we¡¯ll form an alliance. Starting with each world¡¯s leaders, we¡¯ll begin to mix. Eventually, all of humanity will intermarry. A countless number of couples will be formed between two worlds, and when their children are born, the two worlds will start to be one. It doesn¡¯t matter even if one of the worlds¡¯ power disappears. Why? Because the blood of both our worlds will be flowing in everyone¡¯s veins!¡±


    ¡°Ho.¡±


    I let out a short exmation of admiration. He seemed even more excited at my reaction, as he shouted even louder.


    ¡°If we can control the dungeon¡¯s power, which can open the pathway to countless worlds, what will we have to fear? Nothing! We¡¯ll be able to enter any world as we please!¡±


    ¡°With power.¡±


    ¡°Right, with infinite power! In the end, we will be the victors! Indomitable victors that no one can threaten! Invincible victors that won¡¯t be toyed by anyone¡¯s hands!¡±


    ¡°So you were just delusional. I¡¯m starting to doubt whether Keteuce continent even existed.¡±


    I spoke bluntly. However, he unexpectedly sneered at my response.


    ¡°Can you say that when you¡¯re feeling the magical tool¡¯s power? Kang Shin, do you think this power won¡¯t reach the Dungeon Lord?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll be that simple? Do you think the Dungeon Lord is even kible? Even if you killed her, will you be able to take her power?¡±


    ¡°She is just a fool with an incredible power! The dungeon is her, and she is the dungeon. If she¡¯s in front of us, we can analyze her. We can even analyze gods! Taking her power after killing her will be even simpler. All power can be held in a container!¡±


    I was doubtful, truly doubtful. However, I held in my curiosity and asked.


    ¡°Why did you approach Ellos?¡±


    ¡°We heard from other explorers that Sir Kasina had ties to another world¡¯s Hero. Plus, he¡¯s currently the true head of the continent¡¯s allied force.¡±


    True head. I thought of the way Ellos ordered the empire¡¯s knights. He was the disciple of the Hero and friend of the empire¡¯s crown prince. He was fitting of the title ¡®true head¡¯.


    ¡°Plus, he was the Hero¡¯s disciple. Right, the person who can most easily lead the Hero into a trap. And, he was wise. He understood what I said, and he had the brains to cooperate with us to save his continent¡¯s people.¡±


    No, that¡¯s impossible. You don¡¯t know it. That he lost his fianc¨¦e to your forces!


    However, there was still something I needed to find out, something I needed to confirm. I asked.


    ¡°If you couldn¡¯t take the Hero¡¯s power from that Hero you killed, that means he wasn¡¯t the Hero when you killed him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also right! The Hero suffered grave injuries in one of our previous fights. He fled with his disciple and transferred the power to him. Besides me and his disciple, no one else knows this. After all, the disciple hid the fact that he became the Hero. If he hides it, no one else can find out, unless they¡¯re people like us.¡±


    Although I knew the answer, I still asked.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the disciple?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? It¡¯s Sir Kasina, of course! The one you froze.¡±


    In that moment, I slowly closed my eyes.


    I felt like I finally arrived at the answer.


    The reason Ellos acted so strangely.


    Why we had toe here, and what power he had. How he could hide the fact that he became the Hero from me, and what he nned to do from now.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯d like you to make up your mind. Who should we kill? You should know the answer.¡±


    ¡°No, Shin doesn¡¯t have the answer. I do.¡±


    A voice rang out from above, but before I could look up, I first looked behind. The ice I believed to have trapped Ellos was shattered into pieces.


    I turned to the direction of the voice. There, Ellos was standing on the top of the giant crystal.


    ¡°The answer was there from the very beginning, from the moment Barue died from your hands.¡±


    ¡°Sir Kasina...!? Who¡¯s Barue? Are you betraying us because of just one person?¡±


    Ellos smirked without answering him.


    ¡°Shin, you knew everything, right?¡±


    I answered.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°And you still let me be.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even go full out when you froze me, huh?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. You¡¯re nowhere strong enough to break Ruyue¡¯s full-power ice.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, friend. You trusted me.¡±


    ¡°You should thank me.¡±


    ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t have trusted me.¡±


    I became speechless for a moment. I thought about what to say and chose the easy words.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right. I only just found out. If I knew earlier, I would have killed you.¡±


    ¡°But to bring him here without invoking suspicion, I needed you to be the bait. Sorry.¡±


    Ellos bowed to me. Soon, he lifted up his head. His eyes were dyed blood red.


    ¡°Die with me.¡±


    ¡°Sir Kasina, don¡¯t touch that magical tool!¡±


    ¡°Hazen, do you know? In this continent, there¡¯s a story. A story about a God who conceals himself without anyone knowing. When this god appears, he breaks and destroys everything, including himself.¡±


    Ellos smiled with his teeth bared. Not only his eyes, but his entire body was being dyed red. In that instant, the sh in Hazen¡¯s eyes changed. He hadn¡¯t paid attention to Ellos in the slightest, but he now realized he had the power to make him.


    ¡°STOP HIM! NOW!¡±


    ¡°I am Kahar, God of Concealment and Vengeance.¡±


    Indeed, his ability to conceal himself was top-notch. Neither Hazen nor I could detect him at all.


    A stream of red light shot up from his body and prated Hazen¡¯s subordinates. I instantly knew that it wasn¡¯t just mana. Even amongst gods¡¯ powers, that thing was wicked. It was pulling out his blood and soul altogether.


    Ellos held up his sword beginning to drip with bloodred aura. Without even a hint of hesitation, he stabbed it into the crystal.


    ¡°Everyone, die with me.¡±


    An enormous energy exploded. Feeling the storm of mana that no one, not even Hazen, coulde out unscathed...


    I smiled.

 Chapter 275. Kahar (9)

    Chapter 275. Kahar (9)


    ¡°That crazy bastard!¡±


    Hazen shouted as he gritted his teeth. The powered suit he was wearing vibrated quietly, and he was in front of Ellos in the next moment. He held up his fist.


    ¡°You dare trick me!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s toote, Hazen.¡±


    Ellosughed. His sword was already deep inside the crystal. The violet colored crystal pulsed red like a ss heart. At the same time, the surrounding mana began to detonate. Hazen punched Ellos and sent him flying, but as Ellos said, it was toote. There was no way to recover the crystal.


    ¡°Kang Shin, you¡¯ll die too! Help me stop it!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? It¡¯s toote.¡±


    Amidst the thundering explosion of mana, I roused Peruta Circuit and retorted calmly. I looked behind me. Neither Licorice nor Lotte was there. Mm, they properly escaped when I whispered them to.


    ¡°Hu...!¡±


    Ellos staggered up and looked at me. His body was also shining periodically. I was certain that he was perfectly connected to the crystal.


    When Ellos got uppletely, one of his arm exploded. At the same time, a part of the crystal also exploded with a thundering roar, dyeing the surroundings red. This was probably what it was like to witness a bomb go off up close.


    ¡°Your friends aren¡¯t here... Did you see through my n that much, friend?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Though, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d detonate the crystal. Also...¡±


    I held up my spear. The superdense mana around us shot towards the reddened crystal and exploded. It was a truly catastrophic amount of mana.


    ¡°You¡¯re no longer my friend.¡±


    When Ellos died, the crystal would detonatepletely. In other words, the entire space around us would explode. Perhaps, the entire Peruta Mountain Range would explode and even continue out to the rest of the continent. That was how overwhelming the amount of mana gathered here was. Kahar. As Peruta said, he was a god that destroyed everything, even the things he wanted to protect. Thinking about it now, Peruta hadn¡¯t mentioned him randomly. He had undoubtedly felt an ill omen and had advised me to be wary of him.


    ¡°Damn it, Kang Shin! Don¡¯t kill him now!¡±


    Hazen seemed to have realized that Ellos was connected to the crystal. Regardless of what they were saying, I rolled my eyes, looking for thest thing I needed to obtain. This was the only thing I couldn¡¯t prepare for. I could only depend on my luck.


    ¡°What are you looking for? That crater¡¯s the only ce you can run, Shin.¡±


    Ellos pointed to the sky and spoke. I followed his finger and looked up at the sky. Beyond the giant hole in the faraway ceiling was a night sky. It was so far that even Divine Speed couldn¡¯t help me escape. There were only few seconds left until the explosion.


    ¡°Da... Damn it! Etos! O God of Destruction!¡±


    Hazen had a god¡¯s true name, one belonging to a Destruction God. As I thought, he was incredible. Considering his power, I felt he rather suited the Destruction God.


    Shiva¡¯s power boiled inside me. It wanted to break out. Did it want to determine who was superior as a Destruction God? However, it seemed Hazen¡¯s power wasn¡¯t enough. He probably wanted to destroy Ellos¡¯ energy covering the crystal, but as they were both gods¡¯ true names, that was difficult to do.


    Mana exploded. It broke through the whirlpool surrounding my mana and injured me. Most of the crystal shattered and my explorer power was restored, but that wasn¡¯t enough. Even Hazen, who had used his god¡¯s true name, was being injured. There was no way I could be safe without doing anything.


    Still, I was smiling.


    ¡°Thanks, Ellos. I found out thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°Shin...!?¡±


    Ellos retorted in a flustered tone. In the next moment, I used Divine Speed. I approached him, and kicked him.


    ¡°So I¡¯ll let you find your own death.¡±


    ¡°Kak!¡±


    Ellos flew straight across the sky and smashed against the crystal. Red mana shot out from the crystal and grabbed Ellos. Before Ellos could say anything, he froze. The crystal had begun assimting with Ellos.


    ¡°What are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll increase the destructive power.¡±


    ¡°And you still did it...!? Wasn¡¯t he once your friend!?¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡±


    I found it absurd.


    ¡°Someone who used my life to get his revenge? That¡¯s not a friend. He only used me as a chess piece.¡±


    ¡°You... Didn¡¯t you say you trusted him!?¡±¡¯


    ¡°Me? How could I? I could see his scheme from miles away.¡±


    I smirked and shook my head.


    ¡°But I knew he wanted to kill you. No matter what sacrifice he had to make.¡±


    To be honest, I wasn¡¯t confident I could win against Hazen. The magical tool suppressing explorers¡¯ power was too strong. Hazen had also reigned supreme in almost two dimensional world wars. It was impossible to fight such a world¡¯s enemy without using the dungeon¡¯s power.


    ¡°So I also used him as a chess piece.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, you... You!¡±


    I didn¡¯t think Ellos could kill him, but I expected him to weaken the world¡¯s enemy. Ellos responded to my expectation outstandingly. In fact, he even went beyond my expectation. The mana gathered in the crystal wasn¡¯t just enough to kill Hazen, it was enough to ruin the entire continent. The only downside was that it might kill me too.


    ¡°Hah! In the end, you¡¯re also a Hero! Someone who stands on the peak of such dirty worlds can¡¯t possibly be clean!¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you worry about your subordinates than me?¡±


    Almost in response to my words, mana once again exploded. This time, it was far bigger. Most of Hazen¡¯s subordinates were swept away by the explosion. Hazen realized what happened and screamed in despair.


    ¡°Kuaaaaa! Kasinaaaaaaa! Someone like you, someone like you!!¡±


    No matter what happened, no matter what anyone said, I didn¡¯t care. I looked up at the sky. From the giant hole to the holes in the surface of walls leading down to the floor I was standing on. I looked at the spiral helix radiating out.


    How long did his vestige stay here? It was engraved so clearly and had withstood countless years. I could only admire his divinity.


    ¡°Hu...¡±


    ¡®Peruta.¡¯ I murmured to myself.


    He was amazing. It was a power and vestige befitting a god. I was somewhat doubtful, but it really was here. If it wasn¡¯t for Ellos, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed until this entire space was destroyed.


    ¡°Overlord, Trish.¡±


    I quietly recited two powers and held up my spear. Peruta Circuit¡¯s extreme spin made it difficult for me to carry myself, but I endured it. I could do it. I should be able to.


    ¡°No, it can¡¯t end like this! Our hope! I swear I will not¡ª¡±


    Finally, the crystal exploded along with the entire surrounding space. Ellos was the first one to explode, and Hazen, who was resisting with the Destruction God¡¯s power, couldn¡¯t withstand the current of mana and transformed into a stream of blood. A world¡¯s enemy, who sessfully conquered a world and bared the ambition to devour the dungeon, died in vain.


    However, I didn¡¯t have the time to pay attention to anything else.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this, Peruta...!¡±


    In the middle of the overwhelming blood-red mana, I elerated Peruta Circuit. I tuned my breathing and whirlpool to the helix Peruta drew. I didn¡¯t need to two whirlpools to cover my body and spear. I only need one whirlpool centered around the Peruta Circuit in my body. Just one was enough.


    ¡°Huoooooop!¡±


    An enormous amount of mana rushed into my body. It attacked Ellos and Hazen whimsically, but as soon as I pulled it towards me, it happily shot towards me as if it found the master it had been waiting for. At the same time, Peruta Circuit continued to vibrate, absorbing and spinning everything.


    The mana filling up the surrounding space perfectly suited me. Still, there was just too much. A current of mana I had never wielded before creaked to escape my control. As it reeled to destroy me, I desperately straightened my breathing. If I missed this moment, there was nothing else I could do.


    To top it off, another type of mana rushed towards me. It was the storm caused by the shattered blood-red crystal that swallowed Hazen and Ellos. Tens of thousands of crystals, imbued with the giant crystal¡¯s power and Kahar¡¯s power, didn¡¯t follow mymand and swept towards me like a wild beast.


    My armor became tattered, my hair was cut, and blood spurted out from my body. My vitality fell to a miserable level, and it felt like my soul was being yanked out. Still, the spin continued. I had long forgotten about any pain. This was also a type of mana. I should be capable of controlling it. Mana followed an evenrger mana!


    I couldn¡¯t even tell where I was. Volcano? Would it still look like one? I didn¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t even care what condition my body was in. I only focused on one thing. This giant whirlpool I had to create.


    ¡°I can... do it...!¡±


    At that moment, a piece of the blood-red crystal was sucked into the whirlpool surrounding my body and began to spin. Next, more and more crystals became incapable of withstanding the current of mana and was absorbed by my whirlpool.


    The mana, which detonated the entire space, didn¡¯t spread and continued to be collected. The whirlpool roiling around me slowlypressed itself. In the process, the tens of thousands of scattered crystals were beginning to be one again.


    I breathed. A terrifying amount of mana hade inside me and was elerating Peruta Circuit¡¯s spin. The surrounding space crumbled and the hole connecting the sky to the ground becamerger. The whirlpool Peruta drew waspletely gone. However, I was now disying that whirlpool with my own body.


    Peruta¡¯s mana covering this ce, no, this whole continent, was rushing towards me and forming a whirlpool. Almost as if it had been waiting for this moment.


    I body floated up automatically. I was in the center of the whirlpool. Now, nothing could injure me. Mana circted around me calmly, and the pieces of the blood-red crystalpressed themselves as they fused together. At that moment, I realized.


    That I had be one with Peruta Circuit.


    ¡°Ah, aaaaah!¡±


    Unable to withstand the sense of ecstasy, I shouted. The mana filling up my body was beginning to change me from the inside. The bracelet Lin gave me, Radiance, then scattered. It didn¡¯t disappear. Everything forming the bracelet had melted down and was flowing into me along with mana.


    The current sensation was iparable to when I first equipped Radiance. An overwhelming mana shattered my body and reforged it from the very beginning. I disappeared entirely, leaving only Peruta Circuit behind, then reappeared around Peruta Circuit from head to toe. It was a body formed from only Peruta Circuit¡¯s mana, one that other trivial mana couldn¡¯t dare to approach.


    Still, it wasn¡¯t enough. Peruta Circuit, in the end, belonged to Peruta. I needed something that belonged to me. Only then would I take a ¡®step¡¯ forward. I could only realize this now that I had gotten this strong. No one needed to tell me, I was enlightened naturally.


    With my hair being reconstituted, the current of mana began to subside.


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    I slowly opened my eyes. Neither the superdense mana nor the blood-red crystal was here. I was floating in empty air. Volcano? It had long since disappeared. Only magma was boiling from the deep depths.


    ¡°Dear Husband!¡±


    A voice rang out from far away. Lotte and Licorice was flying up towards me. I smiled and waved my hands.


    ¡°Are you two safe?¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband!¡±


    Licorice called me yearningly. They looked fine on the outside, but were they hurt!? I rushed towards them anxiously but stopped in ce when I heard Licorice¡¯s shouting.


    ¡°Wear something! You¡¯re too lewd!¡±

 Chapter 276. Third Season (1)

    Chapter 276. Third Season (1)


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    In Licorice¡¯s hands were Pure ck Desire, which had reverted to its bracelet form, tattered Felixes¡¯ Lava Cape, and my other items. When my body was reconstructing itself, Pure ck Desire and my other items seemed to have fallen down. Thankfully, Licorice had picked them up.


    Pure ck Desire had an indestructible effect, so I didn¡¯t need to worry about it. Felixes¡¯ Lava Cape could also auto-repair itself even if only a single piece of it remained. Unfortunately for the other equipment...


    Ugh, did all my other items go to waste? For a moment, a chill went down my back. Hoping that it wasn¡¯t true, I caught the bracelet Licorice threw at me and equipped it.


    I felt my physical ability heightening in an instant, as a ck metal covered my body. Uuu, it felt cold against bare skin.


    I lowered my altitude slightly and faced the two girls. Licorice gave me the rest of the equipment wrapped into a bundle by my cape. From a nce, it looked like the cape was salvageable, but the essories were the problem.


    Items I obtained not too long ago like Shadow-Hidden de, Thorn Throne, and Echo Ring seemed fine. Thankfully, their disabilities had held out. On the other hand, not even a trace of Golden Teardrop or Flesh Golem¡¯s Second Finger remained. They were low-grade essories, and the stats they gave didn¡¯t affect me that much either. Still, I still felt like I suffered a loss as they had been with me for a long time.


    ¡°What a waste.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what a... What are you looking at?¡±


    It seemed Licorice was regretting something else. Realizing that her gaze was fixated on a certain part of my body, I smacked her head. Just like how I couldn¡¯t go back in time to be naked again, the broken essories couldn¡¯t be reversed. I just had to take care of the ones I had left.


    ¡°Hero, what happened?¡±


    Lotte asked inexplicitly, and I replied in an extremely simple manner.


    ¡°Everything other than me disappeared.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lotte became lost for words. I made a wry smile and opened my inventory. Right, it opened. It had to. The invaders¡¯ magical tool, the violet crystal, no longer remained on this continent. I put all the equipment and essories in my inventory and stretched. As I closed the inventory, an enormous power poured into me.


    Obviously, it was the power of the explorer given to me by the dungeon and by Sherafina.


    ¡°What happened to the world¡¯s power, Dear Husband?¡±


    ¡°I sucked it in too. I couldn¡¯t iste it given the circumstance. Still...¡±


    I closed my eyes. The moment Ellos died, the world¡¯s power left his body. Immediately afterward, the surrounding current of mana swept it away, and my whirlpool eventually trapped it. Just like that, it became a part of me naturally.


    I managed to prevent it from mixing with the world¡¯s power I had, but now that it was inside me, it wasn¡¯t going to leave easily. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Ellos, this bastard. As a Hero, he used himself as a suicide bomb. I knew he loved Barue, but that was overdoing it! And... and!


    ¡°Aaaaah, damn it! That son of a bitch!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Dear Husband, your mana¡¯s erupting out.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. Sorry.¡±


    I calmed myself down thanks to Licorice. A truly enormous amount of mana was used during the process of reconstructing my body from scratch, but the amount of mana still circting around my body through Peruta Circuit¡¯s path was still nothing to scoff at. It seemed to roughly be double the amount I had before...


    ¡°Sherafina should have seen through me by now, right? Let¡¯s see.¡±


    For the first time in a long time, I opened my status window.


    [Name: Kang Shin Race: Human Sex: Male


    ss: Elementalist (Sub ¨C Skill Mixer, Tamer) Title: Lightning God Rank: tinum 9


    Level: 81


    HP ¨C 352,180/352,180 MP ¨C 497,590/497,590


    Strength ¨C 539(+215) Dexterity ¨C 572(+195) Constitution ¨C 763(+71)


    Intelligence ¨C 144(+70) Magic ¨C 879(+185) Charm ¨C 407(+130) Luck ¨C 182(+90)


    Normal Skills ¨C High-rank Martial Arts (Master ¨C Attack power, attack speed +20%), Peruta ¨C Mad Typhoon (Lv 8), High-rank Crossbow Marksmanship (Lv 2), Wind King¡¯s Rage (Lv 5), High-rank Heroic Strike (Lv 5), High-rank Provoke (Lv 9), Divine Speed (Master), Return (Master), Peruta Circuit (Master), Dimensional Travel (Lv 5), Overwhelm (Lv 7), Absolute Soul (Lv 7), Weapon Swap (Lv 7), Captivation (Lv 5), Deific Manifestation, Riding, Mistification, Breath of Death


    ss Skills ¨C High-rank Spirit Mastery (Lv 9), High-rank Spirit Aura (Lv 9), High-rank Elemental Control (Lv 9), High-rank Elemental Contract (Lv 9), Lightning Spear Storm (Lv 7), High-rank Elemental de (Lv 7), High-rank Elemental Tempest (Lv 8)


    Subss Skill ¨C Endow Skill, Skill Synthesis, Taming (Master), Spirit of the Collector, Spirit of the Mixer, Spirit of the Tamer (Master)]


    After checking out my status, I made an exmation of surprise.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing. This was the result of the dungeon¡¯s power being added to my body¡¯s true strength. There wasn¡¯t a single stat that didn¡¯t go up. Intelligence increased by around 50, magic and charm increased by around 100, strength and dexterity increased by around 200, and constitution and magic increased by around 400. I could clearly see which areas this bodily reconstruction strengthened.


    ¡°Nah, let¡¯s forget it. They¡¯re just numbers.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t overestimate myself just because of stats. After closing the status window, I made a vow to myself. A power that solely belonged to me. If I could use the dungeon¡¯s power, I would dly use it, but when I couldn¡¯t, I had to rely on my own power to defeat the enemy. The Demon Lord most certainly had a method of nullifying the dungeon¡¯s power.


    ¡°She even measured my skill growth. What a frightening woman.¡±


    I looked at the mastered Peruta Circuit and smiled. She could have said something, but she didn¡¯t. I found it pretty cute.


    ¡°Dear Husband, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah... Nevermind Ellos. Let¡¯s go back, I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Go back? Where?¡±


    I pondered for a moment before I spat out.


    ¡°To the empire.¡±


    On our way back, we noticed the decrease in the density of atmospheric mana.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s finally breathable!¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    For me, I felt it was a shame considering how well I could wield that mana. Of course, since I didn¡¯t n on living on this continent, that feeling didn¡¯tst long.


    ¡°Dear Husband is really terrifying. Did you take the entire continent¡¯s mana...?¡±


    ¡°No, probably not. The mana density will probably go back up the farther you get from the mountain range. Eventually, it¡¯ll bnce itself out with only being thinned out slightly.¡±


    ¡°Did Dear Husband expect this to happen from the beginning? Since entering Edias continent?¡±


    ¡°If you lower the scale to a fifth of what happened, then yeah.¡±


    I expected to fight the world¡¯s enemy, and I vowed to find Peruta¡¯s vestige. I suspected that Ellos may have changed, and I felt like I would grow stronger once again.


    Everything I expected to happen did happen, just in a far explosive scale. This was the result.


    ¡°If Ellos didn¡¯t make Kahar¡¯s power go berserk, the magical tool wouldn¡¯t have exploded, and if the magical tool didn¡¯t explode, Hazen would have been fine and I wouldn¡¯t have grown to this extent.¡±


    If Ellos didn¡¯t do what he did and I had to fight Hazen, I would have needed to use Shiva¡¯s Eye. Could I have won? I wasn¡¯t confident. Hazen was powerful, and he even had the power of the Destruction God Etos. Even if I won, I would have had to bare a huge sacrifice. Even if I found Peruta¡¯s vestige, I might not have mastered Peruta Circuit.


    Back then, I waspletely devoted to Peruta Circuit with my life on the line. It only made sense, as failure would have meant death. Thankfully, Peruta¡¯s mana cooperated with me, and I managed to go beyond making Peruta Circuit totally mine and achieved a type of evolution.


    ¡°Dear Husband really changed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡±


    I nodded in agreement. I couldn¡¯t lie. After all, I had transformed from head to toe.


    ¡°You look tired, Dear Husband.¡±


    ¡°... Licorice.¡±


    It seemed that wasn¡¯t what Licorice meant. She was talking about something other than just my outer appearance.


    ¡°You can trust me. Got it, Dear Husband?¡±


    With that, Licorice embraced my back. I didn¡¯t say anything in response and simply epted her. Her body¡¯s natural scent seemed to console me.


    ¡°Dear Husband is my most precious person... Okay?¡±


    ¡°What about the other subi?¡±


    ¡°Dummy, is now the time to talk about that? Just ept that Dear Husband is my most precious person!¡±


    Indeed, my question was kind of dumb. I smirked and reached backward to pat her head.


    ¡°Thanks, Licorice.¡±


    [Bat... Now isn¡¯t the time to flirt.]


    [Birdbrain, this is the best time.]


    ¡°Of course, I trust Lotte, too.¡±


    As I reached out with my other hand and patted Lotte, I thought about Ellos. Ellos who had lost Barue, Hazen who had never considered Ellos¡¯ feelings, and myself who somewhat understood it but still couldn¡¯t forgive him.


    Right, for example, just as an example, suppose Hwaya died. If I could involve my friend and get my revenge, would I have done what he did? What if Ludia died? What if it was Ye-Eun or Daisy? What if it was Father, Mother, Ren, Leon, Sumire, Lotte, or Licorice?


    What if Yua and Ina died?


    After thinking about it that far, I raised my head.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    They were all who I had to protect. I couldn¡¯t sacrifice any one of them to avenge someone else. Not even Walker.


    Some of them might be more important to me than others. After all, I was only human. I couldn¡¯t possibly say I thought of everyone equally. Still, taking revenge by sacrificing their lives, that was something I couldn¡¯t do.


    In the end, that¡¯s what it was.


    I wasn¡¯t someone who Ellos had to protect.


    ¡°What... What did I think about Ellos?¡±


    Were we even friends?


    We met for the first time on the dungeon¡¯s 5th floor. He was kind, and even after his party moved on and I had no other choice but to remain on the 5th floor, he continued to contact me and encourage me. When we met the second time, I positions had swapped. Still, the way we treated each other hadn¡¯t changed. We respected each other and hoped we could both protect our worlds.


    Now I thought about it, that was it.


    We didn¡¯t share any special bond, nor did we spend enough time to trust each other unconditionally. Not only that, I was suspicious and wary of him.


    That was all there was between us.


    ¡°Dear Husband, you can¡¯t protect everyone youe to know. It¡¯s even harder to connect with them emotionally.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know... Even though I know that...¡±


    Now that my anger had subsided, all that remained was emptiness. I felt empty like I didn¡¯t want to do anything. I wanted to throw this world away and just return to Earth.


    But I couldn¡¯t do that. Just because Ellos threw away this world, I couldn¡¯t do the same. I couldn¡¯t make everyone struggling to survive in this continent despair because of two irresponsible Heroes.


    ¡°They need hope, too. They also need a new Hero.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I looked up and scanned our surroundings. Right, I couldn¡¯t stay down forever. I was going to give them hope. A new hope.


    Instead of a Hero who died and a Hero who abandoned himself and his world, I had to make a new Hero with the heart to protect his continent. It might take some time, but it should be possible. I hoped so. If I couldn¡¯t find someone like that, that would be the end for this continent. After all, this continent still had an absurdly long road ahead.


    I thought of what Hazen said. I recalled his hate-filled face, as he said he would need to infinitely fight with other worlds to survive.


    It was easy to regard everything as a lie and forget. That was better for my heart, too.


    But, if he was right...


    If it didn¡¯t end...


    If, even after defeating the Demon Lord and all monsters, a pathway to another world opened and enemies poured in...


    I clenched my fists.


    ¡°Licorice, let¡¯s survive until the end.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    ¡°Until the end. The end of the end.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    ¡°No matter what...¡±


    I could see the empire¡¯s pce. Now, it was time to go see the new Hero candidate.

 Chapter 277. Third Season (2)

    Chapter 277. Third Season (2)


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t want to stay in the Edias continent any longer. I wanted to finish what I needed to and quickly go back.


    I told Paul that the Hero had lost his power and transferred the world¡¯s power to Ellos. If I announced it publicly, it would only have served lowered their morale. It was best to not tell anyone, but I felt like I needed to tell Paul.


    ¡°So it really was like that...¡±


    After listening to what happened, Paul wore an uncharacteristic solemn expression. I held him by his cor and shook him.


    ¡°It really was like that? Did you know something!?¡±


    ¡°No, no! Just that... Ever since Ellos lost Barue, he¡¯s done many things without telling me. He lost his usualughter, and he got stronger even though he didn¡¯t enter the dungeon... I also couldn¡¯t talk to him like I could before. That was it!¡±


    Indeed, it was hard to suspect someone just because of that, especially if that person was someone he was close to. I epted Paul¡¯s exnation and let him go. After letting out a dry cough, I continued.


    ¡°In any case, I have your world¡¯s power right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Paul made a nervous expression. If I were in his position, I would have immediately thrown me in the prison until I spat out the world¡¯s power. That was how important the world¡¯s power was. The only reason Paul wasn¡¯t doing anything was that no one was strong enough to restrain me.


    Eventually, he opened his mouth carefully.


    ¡°Hey, Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°We need to pick a new Hero from your continent. I¡¯ll transfer the power to him.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    He looked openly relieved. Then, he suddenly paled. I didn¡¯t know who put him in the position of a crown prince, but that person must have wished for the empire¡¯s doom.


    ¡°A new Hero? But who?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I already decided, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already decided? But Ellos and I are the only ones you know from this continent!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I also don¡¯t want to make someone I don¡¯t know into the Hero. That¡¯s why I picked someone I knew.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    Paul tilted his head. He blinked his eyes a few times, then widened his eyes and shouted.


    ¡°M-Me!?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°You want me to be the Hero? Hell no!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You might not know this, but you don¡¯t have the right to refuse.¡±


    I grinned at Paul who was frantically shaking his head.


    ¡°It takes a long time to transfer a Hero¡¯s power. That means I¡¯ll need to take that person to Earth, and I absolutely refuse to bring someone I don¡¯t know to Earth.¡±


    ¡°I refuse! I don¡¯t want to, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then you want me to go back to Earth with this power?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s this excellent knight! I¡¯ll rmend her in my ce!¡±


    ¡°Just get packing.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s an absolutely beautiful female knight!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Go pack.¡±


    Paul seemed to be going insane. He muttered more nonsense before he dropped his head and spoke.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m too weak.¡±


    ¡°I agree, you¡¯re weak, but humans aren¡¯t strong from the start.¡±


    I grabbed his shoulders and spoke seriously.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve prepared for you.¡±


    ¡°You? For me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I announced with a solemn expression.


    ¡°I call it the thrashing phase.¡±


    With that, I dragged Paul back to Earth. The Edias continent¡¯s people protested, so I cleaned up the invaders for a day with Lotte and Licorice while I waited for Paul to get ready.


    Even though the density had decreased, Edias continent¡¯s atmospheric mana was still on my side. Using it, I annihted many invaders.


    ¡°With this, you won¡¯t have to worry about anything for a while. Their leader is also dead, and I should have killed at least a tenth of their overall number.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you annihted 10% of them in a single day?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. The 10% is including the ones I killed on the way to Peruta Mountain Range.¡±


    Paul opened his mouth with a dumbfounded expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re not human.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking that recently, too.¡±


    In any case, after I returned to Earth with Paul, I visited Eleine to report what happened. I didn¡¯t go to Fairy Garden and went directly to the Lost Valley guild area. Eleine had told me how to get therest time we talked.


    When she found out that the Hero was already dead when I got there, she couldn¡¯t hide her shock.


    ¡°They¡¯re even more skilled with magical tools than me? I thought for sure that he was still alive...¡±


    ¡°They had a way of tricking the dungeon¡¯s system, so that much should have been nothing.¡±


    ¡°Haa, Tian...¡±


    Eleine dropped her head and quietly murmured what seemed to be the Hero¡¯s name. Was that enough? She soon raised her head and continued.


    ¡°In any case, youpleted the mission perfectly. I¡¯ll make sure to give you the MVP reward.¡±


    ¡°But I couldn¡¯t save him.¡±


    ¡°But you tried. You did everything you could for Edias continent. I¡¯m sure Tian would be thankful to you, too.¡±


    When I became lost for words and just stood there silently, Eleine chuckled and put her hand on my head.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good Hero. It reminds me of the time when I was a Hero.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you for thepliment.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not good enough as a man. I want to see Lin right now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t find that regretful.¡±


    She frowned at my response and took out a small bead from her pocket. It had strange runes scribbled on it and was radiating a mystical glow.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s a bit hard to answer. Right, I¡¯ll tell you how it was created. When I transferred the world¡¯s power to my continent¡¯s sessor Hero, I used the tiny bit of world¡¯s power remaining in my body to make it. It¡¯s a magical tool.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t you get in trouble if someone found out?¡±


    ¡°No one did, so it¡¯s okay. So what this does is...¡±


    She confessed her crime nonchntly and continued.


    ¡°It forcefully raises the power of an object to its next level. I don¡¯t know how to exin it. Not even Lord could name this item.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an enhancement stone.¡±


    ¡°Enhancement stone?¡±


    ¡°No, nevermind.¡±


    I took the bead from her and appraised it. As expected, it was full of question marks just like when I first appraised Radiance. I was surprised that Eleine was such an amazing magic artificer. Even if it was made using the world¡¯s power, making an item that surpassed Sherafina¡¯s ability... I saw her in a different light now.


    ¡°Huhu, you¡¯re grateful, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, thanks. It looks like it was worth risking my life.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t being sarcastic. It was a reward that surpassed my imagination. As I received the enhancement stone, all kinds of thoughts ran through my head. Could I use this on myself? If I couldn¡¯t, where do I use it? Chaotic Spear? Pure ck Desire? How was I supposed to activate it?


    When I realized I couldn¡¯t use it on my body, it was decided. I had to use it on Pure ck Desire. Chaotic Spear could still evolve on its own, but this was the only way for Pure ck Desire to evolve.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s it for the reward. Bye-bye. I want to hurry up and meet Lin.¡±


    ¡°Ah, let me go, too. I have to ask Lin something.¡±


    At that moment. Eleine¡¯s scowled like a frog that ate a stinkbug.


    ¡°Oh? Eleine was hiding something like that?¡±


    Lin grinned and stared at Eleine.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d do something like that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t keep a portion on purpose. I wasn¡¯t good at controlling the power at the time.¡±


    ¡°Well, it turned out to be a good thing for this kid. So, you said you wanted to enhance Pure ck Desire with that thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I gave him both the enhancement stone and Pure ck Desire. He took the enhancement stone and examined it for a bit. Then, he shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is something you can just use.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to do something special to get it to work?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    I stared at Lin nkly. Then, I red at Eleine. She shook her hands immediately.


    ¡°W-What? No! I didn¡¯t put in any strange conditions!¡±


    ¡°What Eleine made is certainly a magical tool that enhances, no, evolves, objects. But it can¡¯t be used on anything. It looks like it has severalplicated conditions. I can only see through a couple of them. First, the object you¡¯re using it on has to have an appropriate league. Your Pure ck Desire barely passes it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the second?¡±


    ¡°The second one is a bit iffy. It¡¯s kind of like your Chaotic Spear, but a little different. Pure ck Desire needs to go through many battles and build a record of blocking all sorts of attacks. As they say, objects have memories too. This magical tool raises the league of an object by using the object¡¯s battle experience with its owner.


    ¡°It soundsplicated, but in the end, it¡¯s all about EXP.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°Just something from Earth.¡±


    I received Pure ck Desire and the magical tool.


    ¡°I made a slight modification to Pure ck Desire. When it¡¯s time, it¡¯ll glow. You just have to smash Pure ck Desire with the magical tool. Smash it hard, like you want to break it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, as expected of Lin.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty amazing. Anyways, good job on your Dimensional Mercenary mission. Hurry up and bring that gun-user to me. Ah, it was good seeing you too, Eleine.¡±


    He chased me away naturally and did the same to Eleine. Eleine frowned and shouted.


    ¡°Argh, I came to see Lin! I need Lin to console me!¡±


    ¡°Loka is still pregnant. Even I wouldn¡¯t do it with another woman at this time.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ll die if Lin¡¯s not here!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    For a moment, Lin made an extremely tired face and puffed out smoke.


    ¡°Then you can stay for tea. I¡¯m saying this beforehand, don¡¯t expect me to put a hand on you.¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    ¡°That means you can¡¯t touch me either.¡±


    ¡°... Un?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, you can go.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m kidding! I¡¯m kidding!¡±


    Did she like Lin that much? I made a wry smile and quietly left. I suddenly wanted to see Loretta, but now wasn¡¯t the time. I had to something to give to someone as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Hungry.¡±


    When I went back to Marianne¡¯s Garden, Daisy was sprawled on the kitchen table as always. I made a wry smile and asked.


    ¡°When did you break through the 16th floor?¡±


    ¡°Two hours... ago. I haven¡¯t, eaten anything, during that time. I¡¯m, starving.¡±


    ¡°Wait a bit, I¡¯ll make you something. And here.¡±


    I took out the dragon bracelet Lin made with Radiance and handed it to her. When she received it, she looked at my own wrist fixedly. I added with a bitter smile.


    ¡°I fully absorbed mine. You¡¯ll probably absorb it too.¡±


    ¡°Absorb...? Tsk.¡±


    Daisy made an inexplicable sound and immediately equipped her bracelet. She did it so quickly that I didn¡¯t even have the time to warn her.


    The change was immediate. Daisy fell from her chair and rolled around on the ground without a word. It would¡¯ve been better if she said something, as theplete silence was frightening.


    Seeing Daisy roll around the ground so energetically, I thought about tying her to a mop. Suddenly, Daisy shot up. She seemed to be doing her best to maintain a calm expression, but she was clearly teary. It seemed it hurt a lot.


    ¡°You tricked me.¡±


    ¡°You put it on before I could say anything.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, bad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, my bad.¡±


    ¡°Punishment, make me, delicious food.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s ramen, sure.¡±


    I spoke with a grin, and Daisy quickly nodded.


    ¡°From now on, Kang Shin is, forever my ramen chef.¡±


    ¡°... Forever?¡±


    ¡°Forever.¡±


    In any case, it seemed Paul¡¯s thrashing phase would need to wait a while.

 Chapter 278. Third Season (3)

    Chapter 278. Third Season (3)


    As Paul might need to spend a long time on Earth, I first brought him to our guild house in Seoul¡¯s Jongno district. Ludia and Shuna immediately recognized Paul, but other than them, no one knew him. As most of Revival¡¯s members happened to be present, Paul introduced himself before he entered the thrashing phase.


    ¡°I¡¯m Paul Von Cravis. It¡¯s nice to meet you all.¡±


    Paul bowed politely without a single shred of a crown prince¡¯s dignity. Afterwards, he raised his head, scanned Revival¡¯s members, and let out a startled shout.


    ¡°They¡¯re amazing, Kang Shin!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you can see through their power? You¡¯re not bad, Paul.¡±


    Paul seemed excited, as he breathed out with his nose.


    ¡°They¡¯re all amazing beauties!¡±


    I increased the thrashing phase duration by two months in my heart and introduced Paul to Revival¡¯s members.


    ¡°Paul is Edias continent¡¯s sessor Hero. His continent¡¯s Hero died without officially transferring his power. I happened to retrieve that power, and he¡¯ll be here until I transfer the Hero¡¯s power to him. As you might expect, he won¡¯t be an official member of Revival.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering if we were finally going to get another male member.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to transfer a Hero¡¯s power. It¡¯ll take few months at the very least. Since I have to run around clearing Event Dungeons and monsters, it might even take a year or more.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯ll be seeing each other for a long time. Nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ooh! Nice to meet you!¡±


    Hwaya, who was the most social one out of all of us, greeted Paul first. Paul then immediately greeted her back. Hwaya snickered. It was obvious what she was thinking about, but I had to give her credit for not saying it out loud.


    ¡°Sessor Hero... Hmm, it¡¯s nice to meet you. It hasn¡¯t been long since I heard about Heroes from my son, but it¡¯s interesting how so many Heroes are gathering here.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it simple? If Earth falls to ruin, it¡¯ll take a few more worlds with it. So get stronger, Hero¡¯s father.¡±


    ¡°Hohoho. Walker, have you heard of thrashing phase?¡±


    Everyone in Revival knew what a Hero was and what happened if he died. I had already told them about it. Since I was the strongest person on Earth, they were surprised but they weren¡¯t scared. Regardless of who the Hero was, many of them already thought it would be hopeless without me. Nothing had changed for them. The fact that I couldn¡¯t deny this way of thinking saddened me.


    However, I didn¡¯t tell them about Ellos. I didn¡¯t want to upset them either. Not to mention, a few of them were sure to stick to me, worried about whether I was hurt.


    I was thankful for their concern, but rather than spoiling myself, I wanted to ovee it with my own strength.


    ¡°What about Kasi... No, nevermind. Nice to meet you, Paul.¡±


    Ludia was most likely misunderstanding what happened, but she seemed to have figured out what happened to Ellos since Paul was here instead of him. She swallowed her words and bowed politely. She could be considerate to others. I was quite proud of her growth.


    Paul also seemed to have realized what Ludia wanted to ask, as he pretended to be calm and greeted her back.


    ¡°Yeah, Palludia. You got even prettier. You¡¯re a stunning beauty, really.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t get pretty for you. It was for Shin.¡±


    ¡°Mm, yeah...¡±


    No, I was wrong. She was still savage. I made a bitter smile and turned away. I had to tell Ren something before he left for the dungeon.


    ¡°Ren, I have a good news for you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be happy.¡±


    I smiled at Ren sweetly. Ren let out dry coughs and took a couple of steps back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to hear it, I think.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t. You¡¯ll experience it with your body soon.¡±


    ¡°So it really was about thrashing phase!?¡±


    ¡°Be happy, it¡¯s the third season of thrashing phase!¡±


    Looking at Ren¡¯s somber expression, Paul seemed to be frightened too. Interestingly, Father was nodding his head in satisfaction.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re back safely.¡±


    Hwaya spoke to me as she gave the rowdy men a look of ridicule. I nodded at her and asked her through the messaging system.


    [What happened with Ciara?]


    [She¡¯s fine. She¡¯s controlling mana by herself right now. She¡¯ll be fine on her own in about two days.]


    What Hwaya had done was truly praiseworthy. I gave Hwaya a thumbs up, and she responded with a victory sign. Ye-Eun noticed us and pouted.


    ¡°You guys talked secretly again.¡±


    ¡°It was about Ciara. I exinedst time, right?¡±


    When I said Ciara¡¯s name, everyone became quiet. They were divided into two groups ¨C one that hated Ciara because they were present when we first met Ciara and the ones that stayed quiet because they hadn¡¯t met Ciara or didn¡¯t know much about her. Thinking about it now, because I left for the Dimensional Mercenary mission immediately after I brought her, I hadn¡¯t given them a proper exnation.


    In that case, this was a good chance. Since it wasn¡¯tmon for Revival¡¯s members to all be present, it was probably best to use this opportunity to exin myself. With a bitter smile, I told them about what situation Ciara was in and why I epted her into Revival. Most of them were shocked to find out that Ciara had Evil Eyes, and some showed slight dislike at the idea of making her our ally.


    However, the general response was...


    ¡°I don¡¯t like her as a person, but we certainly need her ability...¡±


    That.


    ¡°Won¡¯t she do something stupid?¡±


    ¡°I decided to put a subus on her as a lookout. As you might know, she has absolutely no war potential. Even if something happens, we¡¯ll be able to restrain her, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Son, did you cure that girl?¡±


    ¡°It was partly thanks to an Elixir, but yes, it wouldn¡¯t have been possible without my power.¡±


    Father seemed to be thinking about something and soon nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have to worry about her that much. I¡¯m sure you know this, but she¡¯s still young. I think it was wrong of her to hide the information about the raid at the Antelope Canyon, but the environment she grew up in was too isted. We have to think about that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father.¡±


    ¡°Plus, children are quick to change, especially when they¡¯re in love. As she grows up, Shin will influence her a lot, so we won¡¯t need to worry about her too much.¡±


    ¡°Father, that¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about the most...¡±


    Father snickered.


    ¡°I wonder. You gave back that child¡¯s eyes and voice, which even with her amazing power, she couldn¡¯t do anything about. I¡¯m sure it was more than enough to blow away every value she held. I think she¡¯ll have at least one of love or worship for you. What do you think? Which one do you prefer?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯d rather take love.¡±


    When I imagined Ciara creating something like Cult of Kang Shin and acting like its saintess, my face paled. It seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one who imagined this, as some of the others also wore the same face. At that moment, Daisy suddenly asked.


    ¡°... Then, are you reproducing, with her?¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°Daisy, you¡¯re banned from using that word from now.¡±


    ¡°... Then, copting?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s banned too!¡±


    I smacked her hand before she could say anything worse.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it! Everyone disperse! Ren and Paul, you two follow me to the underground training room!¡±


    Thrashing phase. It helped to make a new person.


    Thrashing phase. It thrashed a person¡¯s old self away.


    Thrashing phase. It transformed someone into something inhumane.


    ¡°Save me...!¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t die.¡±


    I ignored Paul¡¯s plea and smacked his back. Then, I kicked Ren, who was pretending to be dead.


    ¡°Ren, you won¡¯t get stronger by lying dead on the ground!¡±


    ¡°Kuhuk! Crown Prince...! Just what happened? How can you return as an even bigger monster!?¡±


    ¡°You can do it too, Ren!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie!¡±


    Along with a hearty shout, Ren charged at me once more. It seemed he was mad about being kicked. Perfect, that was the response I wanted!


    ¡°But even if you¡¯re angry, you can¡¯t make such an easy-to-read attack!¡±


    ¡°Aaagggh!¡±


    When I heard Ren¡¯s cry, it felt like ten-years worth of annoyance within me disappeared. Of course, I didn¡¯t say this out loud.


    ¡°And you, Paul! You kept being beaten up! Aren¡¯t you mad!? Be more aggressive!¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to be aggressive when I can¡¯t hit you anyways!? Let me go, I don¡¯t want to be a Hero!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to be a Hero? Even if Edias continent loses its hope!?¡±


    ¡°Ku... Kuuuuu!¡±


    At my words of encouragement, Paul finally picked himself up.


    Good, I didn¡¯t make the wrong choice. Paul was an idiot, but he was more responsible than an average person. Although Heroes had to be strong, it was just as important to have a sense of responsibility. To prevent what happened with Ellos from ever happening again, Edias continent¡¯s new Hero had to be someone like Paul.


    Of course, responsibility alone didn¡¯t solve anything. That was why Paul was going through a thrashing phase.


    ¡°This is hard. I think you don¡¯t have the talent for battle.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so blunt!¡±


    After beating Paul up for three hours, I realized that he had no talent for battle. His talent was only about one-neenth of Ren¡¯s.


    ¡°You know, the most important thing for a Hero is to not die.¡±


    As such, I decided to narrow my focus.


    ¡°Not dying... Right.¡±


    Paul nodded.


    ¡°Plus, you¡¯re a crown prince. You won¡¯t need to stand on the front line, right?¡±


    ¡°But our Hero always stood on the front line.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he was a capable warrior that could utilize the world¡¯s power in battle. That¡¯s not you.¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep scratching my pride!?¡±


    ¡°Thankfully, you have a bit of talent at defending.¡±


    For several years, he climbed the dungeon as a tank. No matter how talentless he was, if he held the shield while climbing 50 floors of the First Dungeon, defensive maneuvers should at least be somewhat ingrained in his body. I personally thought he was more suited to defending than attacking too.


    ¡°But I couldn¡¯t properly grab monsters¡¯ attention and always put Ellos in danger.¡±


    ¡°You have to live. Why would you need to grab aggro? Don¡¯t. Just stay quiet like you¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so pitiful, I¡¯m crying.¡±


    ¡°Paul.¡±


    I pulled back the wooden spear I was hitting him with. Paul groaned and raised his head.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t want to be a Hero?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s more convenient for me to transfer the Hero¡¯s power to a random person. This might sound harsh, but I really have nothing to do with Edias continent. In fact, someone I considered to be a friend betrayed me and I had to go through unnecessary hardship. You should be thankful that I¡¯m even handing over the world¡¯s power. Now, with that said, let me ask again. Do you really not want to be a Hero?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°The Hero we believed would continue to live and lead us died. The friend I trusted the most abandoned our continent when his fianc¨¦e died. ... Now, there isn¡¯t anyone for me to trust but myself.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to protect your continent?¡±


    I asked, and he replied as he gritted his teeth.


    ¡°I do. I¡¯ve been hearing it nonstop ever since I became the crown prince, and I really do want to protect my empire and humanity.¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you then. Don¡¯t you think having to hide is pitiful when it¡¯s to protect your continent?¡±


    He raised his head. He stared into my eyes, then smacked his own face. He really struck hard. He groaned and spat out a tooth with blood leaking from his mouth.


    ¡°... Sorry for acting spoiled. Help me. Help me so that I can survive no matter who or what I¡¯m facing.¡±


    ¡°First, let¡¯s put your tooth back in.¡±


    With holy power, putting a tooth back in was a piece of cake. However, Paul shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine even if I¡¯m missing a tooth... But let me hold on to it. Whenever I¡¯m thinking like I am today, I¡¯ll take it out and fix my attitude.¡±


    ¡°Good, now you have the face of a warrior.¡±


    I grinned and held the wooden spear up again.


    ¡°Ren, rest for 30 minutes. I¡¯m going to teach Paul basics of defense.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to kill him, tone it down a bit!¡±


    I ignored Ren and charged at Paul. Paul gritted his teeth and held up his shield, but it was impossible for him to block my attack. At least, not yet.


    ¡°After we¡¯re done, you won¡¯t even sweat when you¡¯re blocking an attack of this level! Prepare yourself!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaa!¡±


    Paul howled. Then, he held up his shield again and fixed his stance. He was determined and motivated. He now had the mindset of a warrior. Inspired by his determination, I spoke as I pointed my wooden spear at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m also training in something right now, so be careful not to get hit by it and die.¡±


    ¡°... What?!¡±


    Two voices simultaneously rang out. Ren, who was resting on his butt, moved away slowly.


    ¡°Crown Prince, I forgot to tell you something. I promised the kids that I¡¯d make dinner...¡±


    ¡°Elfa has been learning how to cooktely. I already messaged her, so you won¡¯t have to worry about making them dinner. Happy, right?¡±


    ¡°Ha, haha... I¡¯m very... happy...¡±


    Ren dropped his head. Paul¡¯s face told me that he was seriously contemting dropping his shield and running away. Of course, there was no way I would let that happen.


    Third season. It seemed like it would be an enjoyable thrashing phase.

 Chapter 279. Third Season (4)

    Chapter 279. Third Season (4)


    Training Ren and Paul was important, but Revival¡¯s other members were just as important. Some of them were slowing down in their dungeon climbing speed, and they also needed something to prepare for if they lost the dungeon¡¯s power.


    After thinking about it for a long time, I came to a decision. I was going to teach them Peruta Circuit.


    ¡°Peruta Circuit... The mana whirlpool that you use? That thing!?¡±


    ¡°You already have a mana cultivation method, so I guess you might not need it, Lebuik.¡±


    ¡°No, I want to learn it! Let me learn it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just focus on the one you already have.¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t say this as someone who mastered Peruta Circuit at only 22 years old, but it took a long time to learn Peruta Circuit. Without Peruta¡¯s continuous instructions and, though I¡¯m a bit embarrassed to say this, my talent, I would have needed twice or thrice the time I spent.


    For those with already excellent mana breathing technique and mana cultivation method, learning Peruta Circuit might do more harm than good. Good examples were Ludia, who used to be a princess of an empire, Daisy, who didn¡¯t need to learn anything, and Ren and Paul, whom, as crown princes, must have gotten the best training from a young age.


    ¡°So here is the list of people who will be learning Peruta Circuit from me.¡±


    Hwaya Eleni Mastiford, Kang Yungoong, Shuna Aren Lihita, Illina Alexandrovna Mikhalova, Kang Yua, Minami Violet Sumire, Edward Walker, Sophie Brightman, Laz Michel, yda Van, and Ciara Kenex.


    When Ye-Eun saw the list, she spoke dejectedly.


    ¡°Hiing, I¡¯m not here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already learning one from Duca.¡±


    ¡°But there are sevenpetitors here. I can¡¯t be the only one excluded...¡±


    ¡°Wait, seven? Tell me who they are now. You just included two people that you shouldn¡¯t have!¡±


    ¡°O!¡±


    When I was punishing Ye-Eun, someone else raised his hand. It was Leon, who had confused face.


    ¡°Friend, can I not learn that thing? Or is there a special reason I¡¯m excluded?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Leon. You¡¯ll be learning from someone other than me.¡±


    I made a mischievous smile.


    ¡°There¡¯s a sunbae who¡¯s perfect for you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s someone like that!? Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier!? Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Because you needed to be a First Dungeon explorer to meet him.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see! Now that you mention it, I only became onest week!¡±


    In truth, he was already extremely quick. Him being a Gold rank explorer of the First Dungeon meant that he had broken through 80 floors of the Second Dungeon. I made a bitter smile and asked Leon to wait. Father also asked me.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you couldn¡¯t teach it to other people?¡±


    ¡°I did, but not now. I mastered it enough to teach other people. That¡¯s why I¡¯m willing to teach it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great, but I won¡¯t need to learn it. I¡¯ll break through my limits on my own.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that, Father.¡±


    I took out Father¡¯s name from the list without regret. Suddenly, there were only two guys left. When I nced at Michel just to be sure, he smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll dly ept your teaching. If I¡¯m not doing well, please punish me ordingly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much, Michel.¡±


    Michel probably said that half as a joke, as he flinched at my serious response. I didn¡¯t go easy just because the person I was teaching was older than me. It was entirely possible that more people would join Ren and Paul¡¯s thrashing phase.


    ¡°Will it be okay, Shin-nim? You¡¯re already so busy.¡±


    Sumire knew that I didn¡¯t yet master the technique I disyed in front of her. Her reaction waspletely justified. Still, I replied confidently as I stroked her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. As you know, I improved while teaching you. I¡¯m sure there will be something I can learn while teaching Peruta Circuit to others.¡±


    Plus, when the demon race conquered Oceania, I realized I couldn¡¯t be the only one progressing. When I first made Revival, what I had in mind was an elite group that could overwhelm any foe. Now was the time to make everyone stronger.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to engrave Peruta Circuit¡¯s mana path. I¡¯ll do that individually. I can¡¯t give everyone one-on-one lessons, but I¡¯ll check up periodically and give advice. I¡¯ll do my best so that everyone can one-day master Peruta Circuit.¡±


    ¡°Thank god I¡¯m not on the list...!¡±


    ¡°Even thinking about it gives me chills. Crown Prince doing his best...!¡±


    Ren and Paul hugged each other and trembled. I snorted and vowed to do my best for them too.


    After safely telling everyone my n and getting their agreements, I set up appointments with each of the ten people who would learn Peruta Circuit. Then, I took Leon to Fairy Garden.


    [Prince-nim is here!]


    [It¡¯s Prince-nim!]


    [Ah, he brought someone else.]


    [I haven¡¯t seen him before!]


    ¡°Ooooh! This ce is amazing! How beautiful!¡±


    As soon as we arrived at Fairy Garden, nearby elementals greeted us. Although Leon couldn¡¯t see them, he could detect the magical light they were emitting. Seeing the assortment of colors produced by the elementals, Leon eximed in awe. To me, he looked like an old man from the countryside who came to Seoul for the first time.


    ¡°Friend, if there was a ce this beautiful, you should have brought me earlier!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a ce anyone can get into. I had to get permission from you too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m touched! I¡¯m really touched! I haven¡¯t felt this way since I first felt mana!¡±


    ¡°You use too many exmation marks! Anyways, follow me.¡±


    Leon couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the elementals, so I had to drag him to Lin¡¯s workshop. When we neared it, we could hear a noisy hammering noise.


    ¡°Oh? He¡¯s working today too?¡±


    For someone like Lin who hated work, he was working recently to a worrying degree. I tilted my head and kicked open the door to the workshop. Lin shouted as if he knew we wereing. He still had a hammer in his hand.


    ¡°Argh, just wait a bit!¡±


    Lin was striking a small cylindrical metal. I immediately knew what it was.


    ¡°Lin, are you making a gun for Leon?¡±


    I didn¡¯t even ask him to. He was doing it out of his own will! Lin began hammering again as he gave us a nce.


    ¡°Is that him?¡±


    ¡°Hey, dude! Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Leon Pepper! That¡¯s a handsome horn you got there!¡±


    ¡°You sure use a lot of exmation marks. Wait a moment. Let me finish this real quick.¡±


    Lin seemed to have liked Leon¡¯spliment, as he grinned and went back to work. Meanwhile, Leon looked around the workshop and continually let out awe-struck remarks. If I could live like Leon, my life would be filled with happiness. I stared at him absentmindedly as I thought about something.


    ¡°Hu... Okay.¡±


    Did Lin get a satisfying result? He picked up the cylindrical metal brimming with magic power and nodded approvingly. Then, he turned his head towards us.


    ¡°Leon Pepper, was it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What should I call you?¡±


    ¡°Lin.¡±


    ¡°Lin! That¡¯s a cool name!¡±


    Lin grinned and took out a cigarette before giving Leon an offering gesture. Leon nodded immediately, then received the cigarette Lin threw at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t usually give my cigarettes out to other people. Consider it an honor.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯ll remember it!¡±


    When Leon tried to take out a lighter, Lin smirked and lit the cigarette in his mouth without moving a finger. When Leon saw it, he also put his cigarette in his mouth, and as expected, it lit up. Leon widened his eyes and murmured with the cigarette in his mouth.


    ¡°What an enviable ability...¡±


    ¡°This is the first time you said something without an exmation mark, and it¡¯s about lighting a cigar?¡±


    ¡°Unlike you, Kang Shin, he knows what¡¯s good. Oi, let me see.¡±


    He reached out to Leon. Leon tilted his head and grabbed Lin¡¯s hand. Lin then ced his index finger and middle finger on the back of his hand and closed his eyes. Question marks rose up on Leon¡¯s face?


    ¡°... He was right. You really are like me.¡±


    After a while, Lin murmured quietly as he opened his eyes. His expression carried an interest that didn¡¯t exist before.


    ¡°Just what kind of a ce is Earth? It has someone like Kang Shin, and now someone who has a simr ability to me. Interesting, it¡¯s really interesting.¡±


    ¡°So how is it?¡±


    Lin seemed to be hesitating about something. When Leon grinned, Lin shrugged.


    ¡°Good. I can use him to ignore the women bothering me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a very pleasing reason.¡±


    ¡°What floor are you on?¡±


    Leon replied immediately.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only been in the First Dungeon for a week! I¡¯m on the 54th floor now!¡±


    ¡°You advanced from the Second Dungeon? If you climbed three floors in a week, you aren¡¯t all that bad... Good. Do you want to learn from me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always wee to learn, Friend! Learning is what makes someone human!¡±


    ¡°How am I your friend? Well, it¡¯s fine. Ah, I haven¡¯t told you what I¡¯ll be teaching.¡±


    Lin let out ast puff of smoke from the cigarette in his mouth, then threw the cigarette into the air. He then took out a small handgun and shot it.


    A huge explosion bloomed.


    ¡°We¡¯re in Fairy Garden, Lin!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I built it sturdy.¡±


    Lin retortedzily and put away his handgun, but I felt like I could see an enraged Loretta running over. Leon, on the other hand, was riled up.


    ¡°Your ability really is simr to mine! No, it¡¯s even more amazing than mine!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, so you¡¯re at least good enough to see that. Let me cut to the chase. I hate people without talent and people without work ethic. I¡¯m teaching you since Kang Shin rmended you, but if I don¡¯t like you, you¡¯re out. If you¡¯re okay with that, I¡¯ll lend you my help.¡±


    He stared at Leon.


    ¡°You want to give it a go?¡±


    Leon faced him directly and smiled. His face full of confidence never felt so reliable.


    ¡°Take good care of me, Friend! We¡¯ll be seeing each other for a long time!¡±


    Leon and Lin seemed to have something going for them. Was it because they were both smokers? I tilted my head, but if their personalities matched, that¡¯s all that mattered. I nodded approvingly and spoke to Lin.


    ¡°Lin, there¡¯s something else I want to request from you.¡±


    Lin put on a dumbfounded look.


    ¡°Do I owe you something? How can you make a request so confidently?¡±


    ¡°My essories are all broken. Please, Lin. You¡¯re the only person, no, draconian, I can trust!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m the only draconian you know... W-What¡¯s this!? None of them are even remotely intact!¡±


    Even as heined repeatedly, Lin epted the essories. Then, after examining them one by one, he screamed. He truly was a master craftsman!


    ¡°Really!? I shouldn¡¯t have agreed to help this guy... Kuk,e back in a week!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Lin!¡±


    ¡°Go away!¡±


    Lin really was kind! I gave him a thumbs up while Leon snickered from the side with widened eyes.


    Just like that, I sessfully connected Lin and Leon.

 Chapter 280. Third Season (5)

    Chapter 280. Third Season (5)


    I left Leon to Lin and left Lin¡¯s workshop. Considering their personalities, it seemed I didn¡¯t need to worry about them. Since I left my essories with Lin, I¡¯ll check on Leon when Ie back in a week to collect them.


    With that taken care of, I now had time to work on personal business. Of course, to me, personal business only meant one thing.


    It was to finally break through Beyond¡¯s 30th floor.


    The First Dungeon¡¯s 55th Floor Master was the Twin-headed Ogre and the 60th Floor Master was the Superior Doppelganger. Just what did they have inmon!? I was slightly worried about what kind of a monster would pop out, but when I entered Beyond, I was met with a strange scene.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one here...?¡±


    I looked around. It was undoubtedly the battle room. The environment had transformed into a dense forest, but it was eerily quiet without a single chirp of a bird. Most importantly, the Floor Master wasn¡¯t here.


    ¡°What is it now?¡±


    I stood still and fell in thought. One thing I was sure of was that this was the Floor Master battle room and that there was a Floor Master on every Floor Master battle room. In that case, I didn¡¯t need to think too much about it. I held up my spear and shouted as I struck down on the ground.


    ¡°Gaia Buster!¡±


    I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s going on, so I¡¯ll just destroy everything! Immediately, the ground began to quake, and the forest¡¯s trees, rocks, and nts began to be uprooted. The world seemed to be crumbling down. Meanwhile, there was something flying towards me.


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°So that¡¯s what it was.¡±


    Everything I broke was in my control. Before I could even confirm the identity of the flying object, pieces of rocks shed against it and sent it flying a different direction. That was only the start. Now that a target had been acquired, pieces ofnd carrying ck lightning began to all hurl towards it. It was aplete bombardment! The flying object changed continuously changed directions in a seemingly desperate attempt to dodge the iing barrage.


    Eventually, the object manifested in the form of a giant beast.


    [Guooooooo¡ª Kak!]


    In the middle of roaring furiously, it screamed. The entirety of Gaia Buster¡¯s firepower was targeting it. There was no way it could be safe after making its body bigger. In the end, the beast shrunk in size and continued to flee.


    ¡®Is that a doppelganger skill...?¡¯


    Considering how it was freely changing its form, I seemed to have the correct assumption. If that was the only skill it had, it would only be a Superior Doppelganger. It surely had something inherited from the Twin-headed Ogre. Could it be incredibly strong, and I just didn¡¯t know about it because I was never hit?


    If I wanted to confirm my suspicion, I could let it hit me, but there was no reason to seek out an unnecessary pain. I would end it with this Gaia Buster!


    [Critical Hit!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    In the next moment, however, I was flying in the sky. I couldn¡¯tprehend what just happened. Wasn¡¯t I watching that monster get pummeled by Gaia Buster!?


    If anything, I was able to confirm my suspicion. It really did have a powerful punch. I felt like I lost a tenth of my HP. Considering Pure ck Desire¡¯s defensive power and how my HP surpassed 250,000 points, it was terrifying even if it was a critical hit.


    ¡°Ku...! Peika, Ruyue, Sharana!¡±


    [Call me earlier!]


    [Yay!]


    [Master, what are yourmands!?]


    I regretted not having my elementals out earlier and quickly infused them inside me. At the same time, I thought back to what just happened. Then, I immediately found out.


    [Guaaaaa!]


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t just one.¡±


    A Twin-headed Ogre had two heads. However, these guys even had two bodies! One had already revealed itself to draw my attention and lower my guard. Meanwhile, the other had sneaked an attack. Though it was a simple n, it was effective.


    [Be careful, our defense might not hold!]


    ¡°I know. Let¡¯s not get hit from now.¡±


    I released Lightning God¡¯s power and held up my spear. Gaia Buster had also run out of steam. The pieces ofnd that were following my will to attack the enemy were now falling down, and the two enemies disappeared like they were never here. If they could hide from me, their concealment ability was worthy of praise.


    ¡°These guys have a transformation ability, but they¡¯re not doppelgangers or ogres. They¡¯re just something in between.¡±


    Two bosses with strength and stealth. I took a deep breath and roused Peruta Circuit to its limit. A whirlpool of mana rose up and even the fallen debris reacted. In the end, the two bosses had to attack me. I just had to notice them and attack first!


    Skills that needed time to prepare weren¡¯t any good right now. What I needed was chaos mes strengthened by Sharana¡¯s power.


    ck mes ignited on my spear. I grabbed it with my eyes closed and waited. I couldn¡¯t detect any presence. Still, when they attacked me, they were bound to reveal themselves.


    [Master!]


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    I didn¡¯t even need to change my stance. In the same position I was in before, I simply thrust forward with my spear. With the sound of air being cut to pieces, I felt a definite touch on my spear tip. A scream rang out.


    [Kiaaaaaaak!]


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [I know!]


    While I attacked one, the other one was sure to attack me. Without me having to order her, Ruyue encased my armor in an extrayer of ice. An attack then struck the abdominal area of my armor and fell after being frozen. I immediately crushed it with my foot.


    ¡°Does it want a psychological battle?¡±


    What flew at me was an ordinary fruit. Its goal was simple. It was trying to make me lower my guard by repeatedly attacking with fake attacks. It was a good strategy, especially in a situation like this where it was hard to pinpoint the enemy¡¯s location. However, it was na?ve.


    ¡°I already know where one of you is! Heroic Strike!¡±


    I shot spear forward. Chaos Spear struck the mes burning in the air and detonated its energy. By strengthening Peika with Lightning God¡¯s lightning, a huge blinding light exploded.


    [Kyaaaaak!]


    A death throe that even gave its listener chills rang out. Immediately afterward, the chaos mes disappeared from the air. As long as I didn¡¯t extinguish on my own, the only way to extinguish it was for its target to die. Someone with a highest rank curse magic or a highest rank holy magic might be able to get rid of it, but there was no way these bosses had such magic. In other words, one of them had been killed.


    ¡°Now there¡¯s one left.¡±


    I wondered if the other one would attack when I killed its partner, but there was no attack. I quickly retrieved Chaotic Spear and took up my stance. But no matter how much I waited, nothing happened. It seemed the remaining boss monster wanted a drawn-out battle.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want that. I want to go see Loretta, you see...¡±


    I never thought I would need to look for Floor Masters in a Floor Master fight. Not to mention, two Floor Masters had appeared this time. It seemed I couldn¡¯t blindly trust the knowledge and experience I gained. With a bitter smile, I deactivated Spirit Aura.


    ¡°Peika, Ruyue, Sharana, probe around.¡±


    [Will Master be okay?]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s only one left. I wouldn¡¯t lose to it.¡±


    Its attack was certainly powerful, but it only helped to raise my guard. After entrusting the three elements to search for the hiding boss, I closed my eyes and stood still. I had already gained something from this fight. Knowing one¡¯s weakness and oveing it was how one got stronger. Every attack I took from a monster was a valuable lesson.


    With my eyes closed, I looked for a presence that didn¡¯t belong to my elementals. I could feel the presence of the egg in my pocket, but I excluded it too. Then, the world became silent. It was normal for Floor Master battle rooms to have no life other than the Floor Master. In truth, this was the perfect ce to meditate.


    Enough time passed that I was starting to get sleepy. It was then that I finally caught his presence. In that instant, a chill went down my back. It had been hiding in my throat.


    ¡®I almost died.¡¯


    When? Obviously, it was when I attacked the other one. That was the only opening I had. Still, I would have never thought it could shrink enough to fly inside my mouth unnoticed.


    It was undoubtedly waiting for the moment I let go of my tension. But even my elementals couldn¡¯t detect it, just how good was its concealment skill?


    Of course, now that I¡¯d noticed it, it was my win. No matter how capable it was at hiding itself, it couldn¡¯t possibly be better than me!


    ¡°Sky God¡¯s y!¡±


    What did I transform into? It was simple. I had transformed into the Lava King¡¯sva.


    [Amazing! You are the first in Beyond¡¯s history to seed in soloing the Twin Ethuria on your first try! You obtained 3 skill point as a reward. Current skill points: 24]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Ethuria Master.¡¯ All stats increase by 2. This effect will apply even if the title is not equipped.]


    [You cleared Beyond¡¯s 30th floor. You obtained the qualification to challenge the dungeon¡¯s 81st


    floor.]


    [Your maximum HP and MP increase by 2%. You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [Experience has been added to skills you frequently used to progress through Beyond¡¯s 30th floor.]


    [You received the only reward left hidden for the First Explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 10.]


    [Secret. World Deception Technique Book]


    When I heard the flurry of messages, I immediately transformed back. I could transform into liquid or even gas with Sky God¡¯s y, but if even a single drop separated from my body, it was tricky to transform back. It was best to cancel the skill as soon as I achieved my goal.


    ¡°Damn, to think it went in my body.¡±


    [Sorry, Master. It¡¯s my fault...]


    ¡°No, I was justcking.¡±


    I consoled Peika who was sullen. This time, however, I really might have died. Even though my body had gone through a transformation, I was far from invincible. I had been overconfident.


    This Floor Master had entered my body using the single moment of an opening when I attacked its partner. From then, it was only waiting for me to let my guard down. It was a very Floor Master-like method, but there couldn¡¯t be a more fearful method to kill an enemy.


    ¡°Huu... Good. I obtained many things from this battle.¡±


    I pped my cheeks to snap myself out. I was lucky that this didn¡¯t happen on Earth. I was lucky that I got through it without making any fatal mistakes.


    From now on, I wouldn¡¯t let my enemy enter my body easily. Now that I was in the position of teaching others, I couldn¡¯t let them see me make such stupid mistakes, especially if the mistake led to death.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t look down on the dungeon. I was tricked by how easy it had been recently.¡±


    When I imagined Sherafina snickering seeing me fight the Floor Master, I subconsciously pouted. But still, maybe I should thank her for letting me grow.


    Twin Ethuria, two assassins with a powerful punch, the ability to conceal themselves perfectly, and the ability to transform into anything. I couldn¡¯t confirm what they looked like, but I told myself to remember the name.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave my self-reflection to here. Let¡¯s look at the reward.¡±


    If possible, I wanted an item that the worlds¡¯ enemies would have a hard time nullifying. Of course, what I got wasn¡¯t an item, but a skill. That said, when I saw the words ¡®World Deception¡¯, I became excited. It had to be a skill rted to the Ethuria¡¯s stealth and transformation!


    As a skill created by the dungeon, it couldn¡¯t escape the fate of being nullified by the worlds¡¯ enemies, but I had experience oveing this limitation with Divine Speed. I nned on going further in this realm. If I could make my own World Deception using this skill as a basis...!


    I reached out without hesitation and learned the skill. World Deception¡¯s information flowed into me.


    [You learned World Deception (Active)! World Deception has two abilities. First, you can transform into monsters you¡¯ve defeated and use their special attacks. Note that you cannot use attacks that are beyond your league. Second, you can perfectly conceal your presence. When the skill reaches its peak, you can also conceal the presence of others.]


    ¡°Ooooooh!¡±


    The first ability was honestly a downgraded version of Sky God¡¯s y. The second ability, however, was exactly what I wanted. I clenched my fists and hollered. If I used this power well, it could be a much fatal weapon than what I suffered from!


    ¡°Good, now...¡±


    Now, I had to get some rest. I undoubtedly had difficult busy days ahead. Even if it was just for today, I wanted to rx with Loretta and rest. With that in mind, I jumped into the gate that opened up in midair.


    Loretta then scolded me foring to see her after Lin.

 Chapter 281. Third Season (6)

    Chapter 281. Third Season (6)


    ¡°Shin is so mean.¡±


    ¡°I messaged you first though.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a big difference between seeing Shin-nim¡¯s face and just hearing Shin-nim¡¯s voice! I can¡¯t be assured that Shin-nim came back safely until I see Shin-nim and touch Shin-nim with my hands!¡±


    Loretta fretted like a child and hit me lightly. A ¡®light¡¯ hit from Loretta was enough to massacre several hundred Orc Lords, but I endured the pain. Even if we did something couple-like, our bodies made it more extreme. I spoke as I did my best to hide my pain.


    ¡°Kkeung. I just wanted to finish everything I had to do before I came to see Loretta. That way, I won¡¯t be distracted by other things.¡±


    ¡°... Until when?¡±


    Loretta suddenly became quieter as she asked with sparkling eyes. It was extremely cute.


    ¡°All day.¡±


    ¡°All day!? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    Seeing Loretta p in happiness, I smiled awkwardly. Loretta pushed herself towards me and asked with a flushed face.


    ¡°What should we y? What should we y?¡±


    ¡°ying is nice, but there¡¯s actually something I want to learn from Loretta.¡±


    In an instant, Loretta¡¯s face became rotten.


    ¡°Shin-nim, is it fun inting my expectation and bursting it in a moment?¡±


    ¡°It is, actual... Sorry.¡±


    After barely consoling Loretta, I had her sit down next to me. Of course, I had to suffer through unspeakable pain before then.


    ¡°Fine, but only because I¡¯ll be spending time with Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Right, so what I want to learn is...¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s punching people, I¡¯m really good at that.¡±


    Loretta smiled sweetly and threw several jabs. With even a single jab being potentially lethal, I realized Loretta was still slightly angry.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice, but I want to learn about Dimensional Travel.¡±


    Loretta face stiffened.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°... Hold on.¡±


    Loretta got up and circled around the room. She then went into the kitchen and boiled red tea. After wandering around for 10 minutes without saying anything, Loretta filled her teacup and took a sip. Only then did she finally say something.


    ¡°Fine, but only because I¡¯ll be spending time with Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going that far back!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, you can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°I want to learn it.¡±


    I looked at Loretta with a serious face. Loretta then humphed and snorted.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°The difficult of the magic is too high. Also, crossing a dimension with one¡¯s own power rather than using the dungeon¡¯s power takes an enormous amount of mana! It¡¯s impossible with Shin-nim¡¯s current strength!¡±


    ¡°But I still want to learn it. If I do, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be useful one day.¡±


    Loretta wore a exhausted look and asked.


    ¡°At least tell me the reason Shin-nim wants to learn it.¡±


    ¡°I want to be able to use the skills the dungeon gave me on my own power.¡±


    ¡°Be more honest.¡±


    ¡°I also thought about being stuck in a foreign world where the dungeon¡¯s power didn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not... impossible, I guess.¡±


    Loretta turned back from trying to shoot me down. She knew what I had gone through.


    The bnce between attack and defense was twisting in a strange way. The Demon Lord wasn¡¯t the only world¡¯s enemy trying to analyze the dungeon¡¯s power to ovee it. Unless I nned on quit being a Dimensional Mercenary, I wanted to learn how to use Dimensional Travel on my own.


    ¡°But Shin-nim, it will be really hard. It¡¯s not something you can master in just one or two days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m prepared. I¡¯lle learn it from Loretta even if I have to squeeze my avable time dry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Thinking about it now, Loretta seemed to have liked what I just said. Loretta ears were perked up. She fell in thought for a moment, then finally nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell this to Lord. Only tell her after you fully master Dimensional Travel.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Loretta sighed. She then tilted her head and asked.


    ¡°Shin-nim, how did you know I could use Dimensional Travel? Even amongst dungeon administrators, I¡¯m the only one other than Lord who can use it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that hard!?¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you were just mistaken on how hard it was.¡±


    Loretta gave me a stare urging me to give up now, but I only grinned in return. Loretta then suddenly eximed in surprise.


    ¡°Shin-nim, now that I think about it, is that a proposal? It¡¯s the same thing as ¡®I¡¯ll be with you forever,¡¯ right?¡±


    ¡°I want to learn it quickly, so cut the nonsense¡±


    Loretta¡¯s tutoring starting just like that. In parallel with Dimensional Travel, I also practiced making other skills I learned in the dungeon mine. As long as I could protect myself from Loretta, who was eyeing my body like a predator eyeing a prey, she was the best mentor.


    Ren and Paul¡¯s thrashing phase, Revival members¡¯ Peruta Circuit lessons, learning Dimensional Travel from Loretta, and making Ciara into a person with Hwaya.


    There were many things I had to do, but that didn¡¯t mean I could stop climbing the dungeon. I was sure that my current self wasn¡¯t strong enough to defeat the Demon Lord.


    Not to mention, the Demon Lord wasn¡¯t the final boss. I had to defeat the one above the Demon Lord, and even then, I couldn¡¯t be sure that Earth would bepletely safe. Even though I said I would defeat foreign worlds¡¯ enemies, invading their territory was different than them invading mine. Furthermore... No, even if I thought about that one, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it, so let¡¯s set it aside.


    In any case, I headed to the dungeon. First Dungeon¡¯s 81st floor. It was the true upper part of the dungeon belonging to tinum rank explorers.


    [If Tamer is not your main ss, the number of tamed beast you can take to the 81st floor is limited to one.]


    When I stepped on the stairway with Licorice and Lotte, message noona... Sherafina¡¯s alert rang out in my ear. I halted my steps and nced at Loretta who was happily waving her hand from the Floor Shop. Loretta tilted her head for a moment, and hit her left palm with her right fist like she just remembered something. Then, she stuck out her tongue.


    ¡°Ehet.¡±


    Inexcusable. Still, since she was cute, I decided to forgive her.


    ¡°You forgot again, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yep! It¡¯s been a while since I dealt with a new tinum rank explorer!¡±


    I sighed and looked back at Licorice and Lotte.


    ¡°You two should go train by yourselves. Tell Plene to work hard too.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re both going back?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Since it¡¯s like this, I might as well try it on my own.¡±


    Licorice seemed a bit disappointed, but Lotte simply shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if it¡¯s Hero. Then I¡¯ll head to Resting ce of the Angels.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to Earth.¡±


    The two of them nodded and headed back. After sending them off, I looked back at Loretta who was still grinning happily and smacked her forehead with a light aura ball. Loretta frowned and shouted.


    ¡°Shin-nim is so mean! Give me one hundred kisses as punishment!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a reward, so no.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    After hearing what I said, Loretta titled her head for a moment. Leaving the then blushing Loretta behind, I went up to the 81st floor. Loretta was definitely stupid.


    [You entered the 81st floor. Yell mence exploration¡¯ to start exploring.]


    The 81st floor carried an eerie atmosphere. It felt like ghosts would pop out of therge hallway at any time. It wasn¡¯t just the atmosphere that was eerie. The mana in the hallway was also chillingly cold. I had to summon Ruyue to lessen its impact.


    ¡°If it¡¯s like this from the beginning, it won¡¯t be easy... Commence exploration!¡±


    As soon as the words left my mouth, the hallway¡¯s atmosphere changed and its mana pressured me with a killing intent. I poured mana into my choker and summoned Chaotic Spear. At that moment, I felt something falling on my head.


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    I shot my spear up fiercely. However, I didn¡¯t feel my spear connecting. I jumped back and checked my spear.


    There was a lump of blood stuck on my spear tip.


    [The blood is moving.]


    Ruyue briefly spoke. It was as she said. Blood dripping from the ceiling, blood coursing through the walls, and blood crawling on the ground. They were all aiming for me. First, the blood traveling up my spear handle was the biggest problem. I quickly swung my spear, but I couldn¡¯t shake it off.


    ¡°Is this even a monster!?¡±


    [I can feel a powerful mana! It¡¯s simr to a elemental!


    ¡°Ruyue, freeze it!¡±


    [Un!]


    Ruyue immediately frozen the spear handle. Surprisingly, the blood absorbed Ruyue¡¯s ice and continued to creep towards me. Mana eater, this was a mana eater! I clenched my teeth and roused Lightning God¡¯s power. Finally, a little bit of the blood evaporated. However, what I did was like peeing on a field of ice. Compared to the amount of mana I spent, the blood only incurred a tiny loss.


    ¡°So troublesome.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t just let it continue crawl up the spear handle. When I poured in more of Lightning God¡¯s power, the blood shot up with a crackling noise. It headed towards my face, and I smacked it down with my spear de filled with Lightning God¡¯s power.


    ¡°Ruyue, stop the blood falling from the ceiling! Peika, Sharana!¡±


    [From the 81st floor, you cannot have three elementals out at the same time.]


    Along with Sherafina¡¯s exnation, only Peika appeared in front of me. When she saw the blood creeping towards me from all sides, she freaked out and released lightning.


    [Creepy! Burn up!]


    ¡°Peika, they¡¯re mana eaters. You need to use a lot of power!¡±


    [Got it!]


    While Peika and Ruyue frantically stopped the blood from encroaching, I hurriedly took out a mana potion and gulped it down.


    Meanwhile, more and more blood appeared. Seeing a stream of blood shooting up from the ground underneath me, I got startled and stabbed it with my spear. When the property of a liquid mixed with the property of a mana eater, it became extremely tricky to deal with. As I couldn¡¯t just stand here and block them forever, I began to run. As I saw more and more blood filling up the hallway, I became a bit tired.


    ¡°What the hell are these things!?¡±


    I considered using Elemental Tempest, but gave up as I was afraid of the mana eaters annihting the elementals¡¯ existence. In the end, I used Heroic Strikes to cut apart the flood of blood and shouted in annoyance. Although I wasn¡¯t expecting an answer, a voice replied to the annoyed shout.


    [They are ¡®Crimson Hell¡¯, the world¡¯s enemy that almost ruined the world Pantiran.]


    ... Say what?

 Chapter 282. Third Season (7)

    Chapter 282. Third Season (7)


    [Starting from the 81st floor, monsters that match the explorer¡¯s league will appear. It is the dungeon¡¯s way to help heighten the explorer¡¯s league. If exploring in a party, the enemy will be readjusted to match the party¡¯s standard.]


    ¡°... That¡¯s great. No, but what about Floor Masters?¡±


    [If exploring in a party, Floor Masters are fixed. If Kang Shin-nim continues to climb alone, we have special Floor Masters prepared. The Crimson Hell on this floor are only clones of the real Crimson Hell. Its real body is on the 85th floor.]


    Wait, these guys were just clones? With this terrifying of an ability? I suddenly began to hold great admiration for the explorers and warriors that fought against them in Pantiran continent. At the same time, Sherafina finally said something to make me feel better.


    [Additionally, this is the first time since the dungeon¡¯s founding that Crimson Hell has been used as a monster. If you continue to break through alone, you will receive an appropriate reward for this achievement.]


    ¡°Mmm, that is tempting.¡±


    [Because of the world¡¯s enemy¡¯s special trait, Beyond has its own monsters. Please keep that in mind.]


    ¡°So even if I fight worlds¡¯ enemies here, they won¡¯t appear again on Beyond¡¯s 41st floor? Then will I just face stronger versions of what other explorers face?¡±


    [Yes.]


    That¡¯s what I wanted but... Just how did they bring worlds¡¯ enemies into the dungeon!? Worlds¡¯ enemies were basically final bosses of the attacking world, how could they bring them in here? Almost as if she was reading my mind, Sherafina immediately added.


    [The power of worlds¡¯ enemies isn¡¯t absolute. Between annihtion and subservience, many choose subservience.]


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    I murmured quietly. Even so, having worlds¡¯ enemies trapped in the dungeon... I had a feeling that there was more to it than what Sherafina said. Sherafina might even be strong enough to save all worlds without anyone else having to help her. Of course, there had to be a reason she was just administering the dungeon.


    [All enemies from now will be unpredictable. I advise you to take time to analyze their abilities.]


    ¡°No, that¡¯s okay.¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect the dungeon to show monsters matching my standard, but even if the 81st floor had fixed monsters, I didn¡¯t n on getting information about them from Loretta. That would be possible in the dungeon, but on Earth and on other worlds, it was impossible for me to know everything about enemies I met. I needed to be able to deal with enemies I didn¡¯t know anything about.


    ... Still, this was too much!


    ¡°Huu...!¡±


    I took a deep breath and swung my spear, shooting several aura waves flying. It seemed they couldn¡¯t absorb powerful auras as blood exploded everywhere. I then raised Absolute Soul to its peak strength. No matter how my Absolute Soul¡¯s level was, I wouldn¡¯t be able to freely absorb mana from these mana eaters, but I would at least be able to minimize the mana I lost.


    ¡°Yeah, I can just think of this floor as a ce to train Absolute Soul.¡±


    Even as I half-jokingly said that, I frowned. If there was one thing I was sure about, it was that I wouldn¡¯t be able to break through the floor in a couple of hours. If I tried to fly in this ce, I would be swept over by a tsunami of blood and never make it out.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    What could I do? I pondered as I struck down lumps of blood with my spear. My aura and elemental power were both only at half their strength. Lightning God¡¯s power was somewhat efficient, but it wasn¡¯t the perfect answer. Making direct contact with them had more disadvantages than advantages.


    ¡°Peika, Ruyue! Break through the front for now!¡±


    [Got it!]


    [Eit!]


    I didn¡¯t need to conserve mana. I poured plenty of mana into them and focused on Peruta Circuit. Mana surpassing 500,000 points circted around my body, filling up my body and materializing outside. It seemed the whirlpool of mana appearing around me looked tasty to these Crimson Hell clones, as they surged towards me like raging waves. Just how did people from Pantiran continent fight these guys without Absolute Soul? I could only sigh.


    ¡°Now that I think about it...¡±


    While sending Peika and Ruyue about 10% of my mana in a single moment, I scanned over my skills in the skill window and suddenly stopped when I saw a skill. Breath of Death. It was the skill I got from defeating the Death Knight.


    ¡°This skill let me wield aura of death.¡±


    It was a skill that let me absorb the energy of lives I took. I could breathe it out and use it to attack, but I could also use it as an aura by dding my weapon with it like I did with Lightning God¡¯s power or elemental power. Simply put, this skill let me use death aura which usually belonged to peak rank undead. Though I wasn¡¯t sure because I¡¯d never used it, it should have marvelous effect against any living beings.


    The wave of blood surged towards me without sound. Ruyue and Peika seemed to be pushing it back, but even bigger waves erupted from behind in a never-ending cycle. I never would have thought I would face such a scene in the First Dungeon.


    Before it was toote, I used Breath of Death and searched for the collected death energy within me. It was inside a small sphere near my heart. As I killed a terrifying number of enemies in Edias continent, the sphere was full to the point it was leaking out energy.


    When I drew it in my spear with Peruta Circuit, the already ck Chaotic Spear began to emit an ominous energy and was dyed in a deeper ck. Even I didn¡¯t want to touch this aura with my hands. However, I wasn¡¯t done yet.


    ¡°Chaos me.¡±


    I whispered and ignited chaos mes. When it mixed with death aura, ck mes instantly shot up on my spear with an dreary force. It looked even more formidable than the aura Death Knight wielded. As I controlled the aura and checked its power, I was shocked to find I could maintain it for over a year.


    Did I kill that many lives in Edias continent? Really...


    ¡°Good, at least I won¡¯t have to worry about running out of energy!¡±


    It was great ! I immediately tested this new power. Even though it was called death aura, it couldn¡¯t defy Peruta Circuit¡¯s control. The zing death mes enveloped my spear in a whirlpool shape and became fiercer. When Peika and Ruyue couldn¡¯t hold out any more and took a step back, I pushed forward and shot out the me whirlpool in all directions.


    ¡°How¡¯s this!?¡±


    Of course, the Crimson Hell clones didn¡¯t say anything. They couldn¡¯t. They could only detect mana and move towards it greedily. The death mes had a terrifying effect. Any blood that touched the mes began to grow darker, and the ckness continued to spread to parts that didn¡¯t touch the mes. The blood fell back realizing something was wrong, but the parts that touched the mes had already burned up and disappeared.


    mes that burn until the target¡¯s death mixed with the aura of death. No matter how voracious these mana eaters were, they were still alive in the end. Thebination of chaos mes and death aura directly countered their existence. I had found my answer.


    ¡°Perfect! Peika, Ruyue, you two can go rest now. Thanks.¡±


    [Un. I don¡¯t want to deal with them.]


    [Call us if you need help!]


    When the two elementals who showed great firepower disappeared, they rushed towards me, forgetting about the loss they just suffered. Perhaps they nned on leaving parts of their bodies to die so they can focus on devouring me. It seemed I needed to remind them who the real predator was.


    ¡°Huhu, I can even do this now!¡±


    Death mes, which originally only spun around my spear, suddenly grew bigger following the increasing size of the whirlpool. As Peruta Circuit¡¯s spin got fiercer by a level, the whirlpool around my spearbined with the whirlpool enveloping my body. I felt a bit out of breath in this whirlpool of mes, but it wasn¡¯t to the point my movements were affected.


    To be honest, I was still a bit scared, but I let myself go and jumped into the raging wave of blood.


    ¡°Uooooooo!¡±


    The feeling I got when I first made contact with them wasn¡¯t bad. The wave was immediately dyed ck and burned up before evaporating helplessly. Still, the wave of blood continued to rush towards me, sweeping over the whirlpool covering me. With their special trait of absorbing mana, even if they couldn¡¯t absorb death aura, they should still be able to absorb the mana forming chaos mes. The whirlpool began to lose strength. I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this, but...!¡±


    Now that it hade to this, I had no other choice. I poured about 200,000 points worth of mana into the whirlpool. Its death mes instantly began to ze fiercer as it expanded outward. The approaching wave of blood seemed to be startled as it jumped back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if I run out of mana or if you fully evaporate! Uaaaaaaah!¡±


    I howled and began to run under the wave of blood surrounded by only my ming whirlpool! The hand holding the Chaotic Spear constantly moved around, piercing through the front to make a way, while the whirlpool of mes surrounding my body endlessly resisted the wave of blood using my mana. I then summoned Sharana and even added Wind King¡¯s Rage.


    [These guys are so annoying. I¡¯ll strengthen you soon, Master!]


    Sharana¡¯s strengthened wind energy joined the ming whirlpool and created a terrifying force. Eventually, I stopped seeing the wave of blood in front of me. Crimson Hell, which had once been close enough to touch my nose, waspletely blocked the whirlpool and couldn¡¯t approach me at all.


    As I continued to run, I gulped down a mana potion. It tasted like a strawberry banana shake.


    ¡°Kuu... I don¡¯t even feel like I drank anything.¡±


    No matter how expensive the mana potion I drank was, it couldn¡¯t fill more than 20% of my mana, and I could only use it as an extra support. Thankfully, with the mana I stole using Absolute Soul and Peruta Circuit continuously absorbing the surrounding me, I could barely maintain my whirlpool.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s keep going!¡±


    [Leave it to me, Master!]


    Sharana¡¯s power harmonized with any power and strengthened it. She drew her power to its limit, and the 3 meter radius whirlpool raged fiercely and evaporated Crimson Hell. I felt like I could hear their screams of despair.


    ¡°Uaaaaaaah!¡±


    Almost as if I could defeat them with sound, I shouted at the top of my lungs and charged forward. It was a secret that I thought I looked cool as I ran through a sea of blood with a ming whirlpool around me.


    Two days and three hours after that, I managed to break through the 81st floor with my manapletely drained.

 Chapter 283. Third Season (8)

    Chapter 283. Third Season (8)


    ¡°Shim-nim, are you okay!?¡±


    When I came back to the mansion all tattered from breaking through the 81st floor, I was caught by Sumire.


    ¡°Ah, Sumire, this is... Mm, I just had a pretty long fight.¡±


    ¡°You look tired. Please wash up and sleep.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I will.¡±


    I retorted half-heartedly and wondered why Sumire was out in the garden. Before I could continue my thoughts, however, Sumire pped her hands and asked.


    ¡°Would you like me to wash your back? I often did it when my father was still alive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to refuse. For the record, don¡¯t do that to a man unless you n on marrying him.¡±


    ¡°Yes...?¡±


    Hm? Don¡¯t tell me Sumire was treating me like I was her father? Rather than that, Sumire¡¯s father made a grown up girl wash his back!? I fell into stupor. At the same time, I saw a piece of the gardennd flipped over from the corner of my eyes. No, it wasn¡¯t just flipped over. Since there were some nts growing on it, it looked like someone was growing some vegetables.


    When Sumire saw what I was looking at, she smiled sweetly.


    ¡°Ah, those things. You see, vegetables from the Residential Area don¡¯t grow well on Earth. But when I tried growing them here, they magically grew well. Isn¡¯t the dungeon amazing?¡±


    I immediately thought back to Iana and Pookie, the two corpses fermented by the elementals in the garden. It was likely Marianne¡¯s Garden being special rather than the dungeon itself, but I didn¡¯t tell Sumire my thoughts. I figured she wouldn¡¯t need to go into other mansions or residences of the Residential Area.


    I also just realized that Sumire was wearing afortable clothes, an apron, and a pair of work gloves stained with dirt. Among the guild members, she was probably the most family-oriented girl.


    I don¡¯t think Hwaya would be the type to do something like this, and Ye-Eun confidently said she was good at cooking ramen, which meant she wasn¡¯t good at cooking anything else. Only Ludia, who helped Mother with chores around the house, had the potential to surpass her. Still, to think Sumire was growing vegetables here... I spoke with a bitter smile.


    ¡°You could just buy them.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m just taking care of them whenever I¡¯m taking a break from training. I don¡¯t n on climbing the dungeon until I learn the technique Shin-nim taught me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Erm... It¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but after I saw Shin-nim¡¯s spear attack, I subconsciously kept trying to use it whenever I held a spear. I figured it was better to climb the dungeon after I learned it to a usable level. I became a First Dungeon explorer, after all.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, Sumire entered the First Dungeon too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a bit under a month!¡±


    ... I only showed it to her once. Did it get stuck in her mind? If she wasn¡¯t talented, I might have scolded myself for stunting her growth, but Sumire was a genius even amongst all the geniuses I¡¯ve seen, so I probably didn¡¯t need to worry. I believed she would learn this technique even quicker than I imagined. With that in mind, there was only one thing I could do to help her.


    ¡°Do you want to spar after I take a shower? I have to impart Peruta Circuit to you in the afternoon, so it¡¯s a good opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Ah, n-no... Shin-nim should rest. We can spar afterwards...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine once I take a bath. I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    She didn¡¯t refuse a second time. With a grin, I waved my hand and headed to the bath. The grand bathroom on the first floor was big enough be a public bath from Rome. Although it wasn¡¯t used often, it was the best ce to relieve fatigue after a tiring day. After walking to the men¡¯s bath, I realized there was another visitor. It was Father.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back? It took a while this time.¡±


    ¡°Father, I¡¯ll chase you out if you fart in the bath.¡±


    ¡°Is that the first thing you say to your father?¡±


    ¡°Can you me me with how many times I suffered from it?¡±


    I threw a bucket of hot water over me and stepped into the hot bath. Father retorted as he snickered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my body isn¡¯t what it used to be. I can control most physiological phenomenon.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    With what he said, I scanned over Father¡¯s body. He always had a tough build and his face was always younger than he actually was. Looking at him now, however, he didn¡¯t just look younger. He was practically a handsome man in his mid-30¡¯s!


    ¡°... Did you remold your body or something, Father?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I only made a slight breakthrough in my spearmanship.¡±


    I flinched. I remembered the moment I mastered Peruta Circuit when my body broke down once and reforged itself. Just in case, I asked him.


    ¡°Father, did your body break down and reappear, or anything like that?¡±


    ¡°Mm, no, not really.¡±


    This time, Father flinched. His leisurely face had a slight tension to it.


    ¡°I did feel my body being renewed. It felt like my mind was clearing up, and I had an epiphany or some sort. I felt like I finally understood what mana was and the nature of the power I had. But you... Your body broke down?¡±


    ¡°Maybe that was because I learned Peruta Circuit.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Father really hated losing to his son. What he said next made me nk out for a moment.


    ¡°Are you going to teach it to your mom?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Your mom. Shouldn¡¯t you teach her something? Even if she doesn¡¯t be an explorer.¡±


    After nking out a bit longer, I shook my head.


    ¡°Peruta Circuit isn¡¯t that easy to learn. Still, it¡¯ll be nice to teach her a mana cultivation method. I think you should teach her yours.¡±


    At the same time, I fell in thought. I neglected Mother recently, and with everything that¡¯s going on with the dungeon, Earth, monsters, and demons, the number of times I saw her could be counted on one hand. I felt sorry, then I felt relieved that Father was so devoted to Mother.


    How enticing was the dungeon? If you were skilled, beautiful female explorers lined up to receive your help. With Father¡¯s skill, even if he had a face that would make an orc call him elder brother, there would still be explorers that would jump at him. Mother was also a beauty when she was young, butpared to the dungeon where beauties of all races gathered...


    ¡°You see, this woman keeps scolding me for eating good things by myself.¡±


    ¡°Rather than waiting for Mother to get younger by mastering a mana cultivation method, it¡¯ll probably be quicker to bring her items that do that.¡±


    ¡°I doubt items that make you younger aremon. Don¡¯t say such absurd things.¡¯


    I could understand how Mother would feel excluded. Other than her, everyone in the family became dungeon explorers. Now that her husband suddenly looked much younger, even I felt a bit guilty.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to look for it too, Father. If I have time while saving the world, that is.¡±


    ¡°You might as well just say I should solve it on my own.¡±


    Father pped the surface of the water, creating a vibration that shot a water bullet towards me. I put the tip of my hand underwater and created a small whirlpool to block it. It was a yful water fight between a father and a son, but if an ordinary person was hit by that bullet, he would most certainly die.


    ¡°Shin, I heard you¡¯re here. There¡¯s something I need to tell you!¡±


    At that moment, someone rushed into the bath. The only person who would call me like this was Hwaya. Even knowing that I was in the bath, she barged in confidently and stared at me brazenly. Thankfully, both Father and I had our underparts covered. When she saw that Father was here, she made a face that easily read ¡®what a shame.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, Ajusshi was here too.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you act more embarrassed? Actually, don¡¯te in here! Can¡¯t you just send a message!?¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that? We¡¯re in the same house, so isn¡¯t it better to talk face to face? It¡¯s not like you and Ajusshi are naked.¡±


    With Hwaya acting shameless, I became lost for words. While I was thinking hard about what to say, Hwaya stuck out her tongue and continued.


    ¡°Sorry, my bad, I didn¡¯t think Ajusshi was here too. I¡¯ll apologize. I¡¯m sorry, Ajusshi.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Hwaya. Like you said, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m naked. Plus, you¡¯ll be my daughter soon anyways.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I knew Ajusshi was on my side! I¡¯ll serve you wellter!¡±


    Dear god, Father was alreadypromised! When I sighed with my hand on my forehead, she apologized to me again and added.


    ¡°I thought it was the perfect chance to take you out and I ended up being let down, so aren¡¯t we even?¡±


    This woman just revealed her intention of trying to attack a son in front of his father.


    ¡°Father, she¡¯s like this.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it wonderful? Your mother keeps saying she wants to see her grandson, and I¡¯m perfectly fine if it¡¯s Hwaya. I feel a bit bad about Ludia, but can¡¯t you take them both? There¡¯s a huge decrease in poption because of monsters, so you should do your best.¡±


    Since when did Father and Mother be so progressive? Or was I just too conservative? I first gestured at Hwaya to go... No, go out, note in!


    ¡°I was kidding. I really just ran in because I was in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°If you really were in a hurry, you could have just messaged me...¡±


    Hwaya whistled and avoided my gaze. So she was in a hurry but had other intentions too? Trying to achieve two goals with one move, a true tactician! Since she was cute, I forgave her.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t n on leaving, just tell me what you came for.¡±


    ¡°Right, we found another king. Including an SS rank ability user we made into an explorer, a total of 150 people went missing. The subi managed to capture a video they barely sent.¡±


    Damn, can¡¯t I rx and take a bath!? I shot up and shouted.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what happened, say it earlier!¡±


    ¡°I told you I was in a hurry... Oh, how nice.¡±


    Nice my ass! ... was what I was going to yell, but I realized that my lower body felt breezy. Although my body was tougher than steel, the towel wrapped around my waist wasn¡¯t, and it couldn¡¯t hold its position against my abrupt movement.


    ¡°W-What...¡±


    After realizing what happened, I sat back down and shouted.


    ¡°Kyaaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°... Shin, that¡¯s the wrong reaction.¡±


    Hwaya added as she continued to stare at me fixedly. I didn¡¯t think that was the correct reaction either. But hey, can you look away!?


    In the end, another 5 minutes passed before I put my clothes back on and returned to Earth.

 Chapter 284. The Last Member (1)

    Chapter 284. The Last Member (1)


    After putting on my clothes, I headed to our guild house in Jongno with Hwaya. As I sat in the back of the car, I kept grumbling.


    ¡°How can you joke in a situation like this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like not being a minute or two early is going to solve anything. It¡¯s better to rx and take things slow. If they were going to die, they would already be dead.¡±


    Hwaya spoke casually as she put her lips near my ear.


    ¡°The explorer that went missing this time was contracted to Daisy. ording to Daisy¡¯s report, he¡¯s already dead. The media thinks they¡¯re just missing, but... You get what I mean, right?¡±


    ¡°Can you not whisper such a chilling story in my ear?¡±


    Hwaya lightly smiled and suddenly gave a deep sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m not happy either. Just when I thought we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about explorers betraying us, one of them went ahead and died. If we end up being the only explorers alive...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s gather everyone up once this is over. I don¡¯t think the new explorers will ever get to stand on the front lines though...¡±


    Hwaya looked at me astonished.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think we even have a year left.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what our Hero says, I have no choice but to believe you... Mmm.¡±


    It seemed what I said wasn¡¯t something she could just nce over. She made a groaning sound, then suddenly said something absurd.


    ¡°Should we make a kid?¡±


    ¡°How did youe to that conclusion? A girl shouldn¡¯t say something like that easily.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking. I don¡¯t want to think about it, but you know, just in case something happens... I want to give birth to our child before that happens...¡±


    I thought she joking, but she had a serious expression. She looked and acted like a Westerner, but she was quite Korean when it came to something like this. Or maybe it was thebination of her boldness and Korean personality that made her say astonishing things like this. In any case, I answered her by pinching her cheeks.


    ¡°Neither of us will die, so don¡¯t worry about such nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Uuuu.¡±


    ¡°Plus, it will be the end for Earth if I die, so it won¡¯t matter even if we make a kid.¡±


    ¡°But what if I die? You¡¯re going to regret it in ten or so years, and you¡¯ll think, ¡®Gee, I wish I had a daughter who looked like Hwaya...¡¯¡±


    ¡°You want a daughter?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? What¡¯s the point in raising a son? So, will you make a daughter with me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it after I defeat the Demon Lord.¡±


    Hwaya pouted like a duck.


    ¡°Hmph, do I really have to die to make you think properly?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t die. I won¡¯t let you, so don¡¯t say stupid things like that.¡±


    ¡°As always, you¡¯re only talk... Ah.¡±


    I embraced Hwaya. She stopped what she was going to say and became quiet.


    ¡°Sorry for making you feel uneasy.¡±


    Hwaya spoke with a flustered voice.


    ¡°Uh, mm... N-No, I¡¯m sorry too...¡±


    She might have acted like she was fine, but she must have felt great pressure from this incident. She was the person in charge of almost all of Revival¡¯s operations, and naturally she had to worry about Earth¡¯s situation the most. This time, things had progressed too quickly and even a king had made its move.


    There was no way she could be fine in a situation like this. The reason she was joking around must have been to hide her anxiousness too. I could only see this now when she was saying rather extreme things.


    ... Analyzing her words and actions until now, I could consider her barging into the bath as a result of her anxiousness and desire to make a child, but I decided not to think that way as it was scary.


    ¡°Did you calm down?¡±


    ¡°M-Maybe, b-but I¡¯m getting nervous in another sense...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    When I tried to let her go, Hwaya shook her head and dug deeper into my embrace.


    ¡°Just until we get to the guild house.¡±


    ¡°Acting spoiled at your age?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re forbidden from talking about age!¡±


    Hwaya shouted sharply. She was 25 this year in Korean age. She was three years older than me. Because of it, she tried to change the topic whenever her age came up in our conversation. With a bitter smile, I closed my mouth.


    When I gave up trying to keep her off, Hwaya put her arms around me and held me tightly. Then, she murmured quietly.


    ¡°Sorry for saying strange things.¡±


    ¡°That was quick.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for epting everything. This too...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    I stroked Hwaya¡¯s back. Hwaya made a satisfiedugh and embraced me morefortably. If it was the usual her, I would have refused to be this intimate, but today was special. Like she said, I nned on staying this way until we arrived at the guild house.


    At that moment, a dry cough rang out from the front seat.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice being young, isn¡¯t it, Son? Flirting in front of your father...¡±


    ¡°Since you weren¡¯t talking, you should¡¯ve stayed that way until we arrived.¡±


    It seemed Hwaya had really forgotten about the driver, as she froze stiff when she heard Father¡¯s voice. However, as expected of Hwaya, she didn¡¯t leave my embrace.


    As soon as we arrived at the guild house, we first checked the video we received. Revival members currently staying in Korea were all present, and they naturally joined us to watch the video. When the video came on, the first thing we saw was a countless number of people filling up the heart of a city and a gate floating in the sky.


    ¡°An Event Dungeon? But I didn¡¯t receive any notifications!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the problem. There was no notification.¡±


    A subus reported. Then, another video popped up next to the video we were watching. It was also showing a floating gate.


    ¡°It¡¯s a different ce, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The first gate is where the king appeared. As for the second gate, no one has gone in yet. The former is located in France¡¯s Bordeaux, thetter is in St. Peter¡¯s Basilica in Vatican City.¡±


    ¡°There of all ces!?¡±


    I smacked my forehead. It was in the perfect ce to cause a headache. Setting aside its religious importance, a monument of an enormous historical value was about to disappear. Of course, that was if couldn¡¯t clear the Event Dungeon.


    Wait, a king appeared in a dungeon? Sure, cameras worked inside an Event Dungeon, but how was it possible to live stream it to the outside world?


    ¡°Was the video sent from inside the Event Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, through a dungeon explorer. It was possible only because he was a dungeon explorer. Sadly, the video was cut off the moment they were discovered by the king.¡±


    It was still amazing that we managed to procure a video. Being a dungeon explorer sure had its benefits. I nodded silently and examined the two gates.


    When Event Dungeons appeared, Sherafina would normally tell us their ranks to minimize the risk we¡¯d have to take. This time, however, neither of the two dungeons were ranked. Of course, since we didn¡¯t even get a notification, it would be strange to expect them to be ranked.


    Without a doubt, they were one of those.


    ¡°More things that ignore the dungeon¡¯s power? Ehew.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll face more of them in the future. That in itself isn¡¯t surprising, but what I¡¯m afraid of is...¡±


    What was only possible for the demons was now possible for the monsters. This made my head hurt.


    ¡°Hero-nim, can I say something?¡±


    Ciara spoke up. The crosses in her eyes were shining brilliantly.


    ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°Both ces have kings.¡±


    In an instant, silence descended. Coincidentally, the first video was showing people entering the gate. A dense jungle appeared along with giant monsters. I stared at the video intently, then turned towards Ciara and asked.


    ¡°... You know what we mean by ¡®king¡¯, right?¡±


    ¡°The head of the monsters, five leaders working for an unknown being. Two of them already died to Hero-nim¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right.¡±


    It seemed I needed to apologize for underestimating Ciara¡¯s power. Now that she could better control her Evil Eyes¡¯ power, she was no longer who she was in the past.


    But if what she said was true, it meant we had a steep mountain to climb. I asked Ciara another question.


    ¡°You can tell even if you¡¯re far away now?¡±


    ¡°No, before that video came to the subi, I had a dream. Hero-nim knows that my ability manifests in many ways, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°After my eyes opened, my dreams became even clearer. I often have irvoyant daydreams, and I can somewhat control what I want to see.¡±


    ¡°What you want to see?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The world is saved by Hero-nim, and Earth continuing peacefully under Hero-nim¡¯s reign...¡±


    ¡°Nevermind that, tell me what you saw.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Ciara exined slowly. At the same time, the group that went into Bordeaux¡¯s gate was facing a truly massive creature. It looked like a lion and had two frightening yellow eyes.


    ¡°The Beast King, the four-legged ruler of all savage beasts. He is strong and fast, an overlord who can cut and destroy anything with pure strength. Other than Hero-nim, only Daisy Ectradion-nim has the potential to win against him. Kang Yungoong-nim, Minami Violet Sumire-nim, and Su Ye-Eun-nim are included if we¡¯re only talking about stalling for time.¡±


    Ciara said solemnly as if she was making a promation. As if to prove her words, the lion stomped with one leg and caused the earth to quake and fall. When he roared, the entire jungle blew away. Rather than a creature, that was more of a cmity in the form of a creature. It seemed he was even stronger than the Lava King.


    Seeing the lion¡¯s imposing disy, I blurted out.


    ¡°Ren, work harder. You¡¯re falling behind Ye-Eun and Sumire against a lion. That¡¯s an extra month of Ren¡¯s thrashing phase.¡±


    ¡°Kuuuu...!¡±


    Ren made a mortified expression. Thankfully, Father¡¯s spearmanship and mana control improved, and he joined the lineup of people who could fight. Otherwise, the guild¡¯s men would have been embarrassed to no end.


    ¡°The other one is the King of the Dead, one who rules over all corpses and despises all living beings. He has powerful magic power and antimagic. He does not die even if he¡¯s killed. Only Hero-nim and Hwaya Eleni Mastiford-nim canpare with him, and Daisy Ectradion-nim must be present when fighting him. His immortality cannot be broken without Hero-nim¡¯s final move or Daisy-nim¡¯s power. ¡°


    Daisy who was listening on suddenly sparkled her eyes.


    ¡°Corpses? Are there lots of good corpses? Lots of pretty corpses?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°King of the Dead... Good, very good, very very good.¡±


    ¡°Can the word ¡®dangerous¡¯ be in there somewhere?¡±


    Meanwhile, the video ended with the lion breathing an acidic breath. Missing my ass, it would be a miracle if there was even a single survivor. Damn it.


    I pressed my brows and asked Ciara.


    ¡°By the way, what do you mean by my final move?¡±


    ¡°The eye¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°My Evil Eyes? I wouldn¡¯t really consider that my¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I mean Hero-nim¡¯s third eye.¡±


    I immediately closed my mouth. I began to feel fear at Ciara¡¯s power. If I made someone with this power my enemy... No, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do this if I didn¡¯t open her eyes, but still, I felt relieved knowing that she was on our side.


    ¡°Actually, I had two dreams today. The first alerted me of the two kings. In the second dream, Hero-nim was already using that power against a ck-eyed man with a giant shadow and two twisted horns.¡±


    The Demon Lord. I instinctively realized who she was talking about and bit my lips. Ludia¡¯s eyes also shook when she heard Ciara¡¯s description. Right, Ludia had directly faced him before. I hoped I could ease Ludia¡¯s worry as I continued to ask Ciara what happened.


    ¡°Did I win?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hero-nim. I couldn¡¯t see that far. All I know is that Hero-nim would lose if Hero-nim doesn¡¯t use the eye¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Since I was expecting the same thing, I didn¡¯t put Shiva¡¯s Eye into the calction of my total strength. I didn¡¯t know when the Demon Lord would appear, and Shiva¡¯s Eye was a critical power that could only be used once per year.


    As if to confirm my thoughts, Ciara looked at me straight on and spoke.


    ¡°In conclusion, Hero-nim cannot use the eye¡¯s power from now on. The Demon Lord will descend before a year passes.¡±


    I shut my eyes tightly. I understood why Ciara was saying all this. This is what she wanted to say.


    Save your strength.


    No matter what happens today.


    Author¡¯s note:


    Wow, you can really feel the atmosphere of a novel that¡¯s closing in on its end. Personally, I think Ciara should have been deployed sooner. I¡¯m regretting it a bit as the author. She came sote, and she¡¯s talking so much by herself. T.T

 Chapter 285. The Last Member (2)

    Chapter 285. The Last Member (2)


    I noticed everyone¡¯s gazes on me. They were all relying on me to act. It was a bit troubling that they couldn¡¯te to their own conclusions, but... I still voiced my thoughts.


    ¡°We can trust Ciara¡¯s ability. The two kings must be in these two dungeons. You all know what kings are, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    Though she missed her chance to spar with me, Sumire¡¯s eyes were burning with eagerness. Last time, even though she clearly voiced her desire to fight, she couldn¡¯t do so because of herck of ability. As she was chosen this time as one of the approved members, her eagerness was understandable.


    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too much, Sumire. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim!¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the most trustworthy answer, but there wasn¡¯t much I could do about it. I continued with a slight sense of unease.


    ¡°When we take care of these two kings, only one king will remain from the original five. It looks like there¡¯s an even stronger one above them, but we¡¯ll still be able to greatly undercut the monsters¡¯ forces. Once we kill the five kings, monsters of the attribute they control will grow weaker, so we have to make sure to hunt them down. We can¡¯t neglect Event Dungeons either.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to decide on the members?¡±


    Hwaya immediately asked the tough question. I looked around at Revival¡¯s members. There were some that wanted to sit back. I couldn¡¯t me them. Those who were present when we fought the Lava King knew the monstrous power these kings possessed.


    ¡°Me, Hwaya, Daisy, Father, Ye-Eun, Sumire... and Ina. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Un! I¡¯ll help Daddy! I don¡¯t want Daddy to get hurt!¡±


    Right, Ina was never hesitant to participate in fights. Perhaps, she didn¡¯t understand what fear was. If possible, I wanted her to continue that way for all of her life.


    I hugged Ina, who shot her hands up energetically. With an innocentugh, she rubbed her face against mine. Someone looked at Ina enviously, but I ignored it. I felt like knowing who it was would give me more trouble than it was worth.


    ¡°The seven of us will go together. Against the kings, we can¡¯t split our forces. We¡¯ll attack the dungeons one by one.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Mm, why is it so hard to get acknowledged by my son...¡±


    ¡°Corpses, corpses, uhuhu. Uhuhuhu.¡±


    While everyone else seemed full of spirit to fight the kings, Daisy aloneughed somewhat perverted thinking about corpses. I smacked her forehead to snap her out of it, then looked back at everyone.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I need to ask everyone else to do. To be honest, two kings appearing at once is too strange. I feel like there¡¯s more to it than what¡¯s on the surface.¡±


    I looked back at Ciara just in case. She shook her head.


    ¡°Sorry, Hero-nim. My ability isn¡¯tplete yet. I can¡¯t read any further into the future.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. The information you gave is already more than enough. Thanks, Ciara.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Hero-nim...!¡±


    Ah shit, I shouldn¡¯t have said that. Ciara¡¯s face reddened and she stepped closer to me. I frowned, thinking I dug my own grave, and pushed Ciara away before continuing.


    ¡°Mobilize all of the subi and let them focus their attention on any changes to Earth. This includes areas currently conquered by monsters. In fact, if it¡¯s necessary, just wipe them outpletely.¡±


    ¡°Really? I thought we were going to take our time reiming other regions. The Philippines is still under reconstruction, didn¡¯t Guild Master say we had two years?¡±


    yda voiced her question. She wasn¡¯t wrong, but things had changed. I told her exactly what Ciara told me.


    ¡°Sorry if it sounded too rushed, but the two years I talked about was the time we had until the Demon Lord invaded Earth. That¡¯s how much time we thought we had, but it¡¯s different now. There¡¯s less than a year until the Demon Lord¡¯s descent, and it might even be less than three months. We have to act fast.¡±


    ¡°Is the reason their ability to ignore the dungeon¡¯s power?¡±


    I nodded solemnly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just Earth. All worlds rted to the dungeon might be facing simr situations. There¡¯s a great change on the horizon, one that will make the simultaneous appearance of two kings pale inparison. yda, we have to do what we can before things go out of control. You¡¯re with us, right?¡±


    ¡°O-Of course! If it¡¯s for you, I¡¯ll do anything!¡±


    At my serious tone, yda nodded vehemently with a flushed face. While I tilted my head, thinking something was strange, Licorice approached me and whispered in my ear.


    ¡°Dear Husband, you¡¯re not controlling your power right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Shoot, because I was nervous, I was unknowingly releasing my charm and magic power. Damn, I stillcked training. I tried to fix the situation, but my body wouldn¡¯t listen to me. Ciara¡¯s words seemed to have shocked me more than I thought. Thinking I should quickly leave this ce, I took a deep breath and made a final announcement.


    ¡°I said everything I needed to. The six membersing with me should follow me. Everyone else should also immediately set out! Make sure to report on your situation thoroughly, and do not get hurt! Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sounding more like a leader now.¡±


    ¡°A truly fiery development!¡±


    ¡°No idle talks.¡±


    ¡°Chet.¡±


    We immediately set out. Our first destination was France¡¯s Bordeaux, as there still may be survivors. The seven of us hopped on Hwaya¡¯s private ne.


    As for everyone else, besides Leon who was training with Lin, they were working together in a single group.


    ¡°First, Deific Manifestation. Can everyone use it?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡±


    ¡°Same. True name¡¯s power is also ready.¡±


    ¡°What about everyone else?¡±


    Besides Daisy and me, only Hwaya, Ina, and Sumire possessed gods¡¯ true names. Hwaya and Sumire nodded, while Ina tilted her head.


    ¡°I can use... one.¡±


    ¡°You mean your god¡¯s true name has several abilities, and you can only use one?¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    Ina seemed happy that I knew exactly what she meant, as she smiled brightly. What an angel.


    How can she get prettier by the day? Even if I search all of the numerous worlds, will I be able to find a worthy boyfriend for her? No, there was no way someone like that existed. It seemed I had to hold onto her for the rest of my life. Huu...


    ¡°Save it until it¡¯s absolutely necessary, okay?¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    If we had time, I would have liked to taste Bordeaux¡¯s famous wines. Unfortunately, the gate was in Bordeaux¡¯s sky and we weren¡¯t in any position to leisurely sip on wine.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s in the party?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The dungeon¡¯s power probably won¡¯t work, so have your potions out. If you have Elixirs, make sure to have them ready.¡±


    Hopefully, we wouldn¡¯t be in a situation where we needed to use Elixirs, but we had to be prepared against the kings. Even the weakest Hermit King made me nervous, but now we were about to face kings of the same level or even higher level as the Lava King.


    ¡°Beast King¡¯s corpse, give me, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can take it.¡±


    ¡°Wedding gift? Kang Shin, I¡¯m still too young.¡±


    ¡°I think your brain is too young.¡±


    At that moment, the ne came to a stop. I didn¡¯t know how it worked, but I could tell it had all thetest technology. The ne¡¯s door opened, and even as I faced the violent wind, I waspletely unfazed as I looked back at the party members.


    ¡°I¡¯ll jump in. Since we¡¯re in a party, everyone should be moved when I enter the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I want to go with Daddy.¡±


    Despite what I said, Ina didn¡¯t want to let go of me. Thankful for how much she thought about me, I patted Ina gently.


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go together.¡±


    I pecked her cheek and jumped out of the ne with her. Sharana, who I already had summoned, guided us to fall on the gate. As I fell into the ck gate letting out ominous energy, I shut my eyes and sessfully entered the dungeon.


    However, Ina who was in my arms a moment ago was no longer with me.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I looked around flustered. I was undoubtedly in the jungle I saw in the video. Although I didn¡¯t get any messages about having entered an Event Dungeon, I was sure that I was in one.


    But there was no one else here. It wasn¡¯t just Ina. None of the other party members were here. Not even Licorice or Lotte.


    ¡°What happened...?¡±


    I felt a chill go down my back. In the next moment, a thought shed through my mind. I was in an area that the dungeon couldn¡¯t designate as an Event Dungeon. It was stupid to think a party formed through the dungeon¡¯s power would function the same way.


    But what about those guys in the video? So many people entered the gate together just fine, but howe I was the only one who ended up this way?


    I tried to open my friend list, but it was futile. That meant I couldn¡¯t send any messages. Neither the guildmunication channel or the explorermunication channel opened.


    [You¡¯re finally here?]


    At that moment, a thunderous voice rang out. I turned around. A golden-maned lion, far bigger than the one I saw in the video, was looking down at me. He seemed to have been waiting for my arrival.


    [I finally meet you, Savior Hero.]


    ¡°You...!?¡±


    I broke out in a cold sweat. It was partly because I felt his heavy power, but it was mostly because of the sense of unease in this uncontroble situation.


    No, calm down. Even if I was alone, I should be able to beat him. I¡¯ve ovee countless life-threatening situations. Even if I lost the dungeon¡¯s power, I should still be fine!


    [In conclusion, Hero-nim cannot use the eye¡¯s power from now on. The Demon Lord will descend before a year passes.]


    At that moment, Ciara¡¯s words popped up in my head. Did she foresee this situation? No, that was impossible. There was no way she would have kept quiet if she saw me in danger. Still, she still should have felt something. No, could it be a different kind of danger than this...!?


    [Are you worrying about them, Hero?]


    The lion talked. Them? His words made me space out. I knew far too well who ¡°them¡± referred to.


    Right, why was I worried about myself? I was the strongest person on Earth. Even in this situation, I was confident in being able to defeat the Beast King. But I was thinking in the wrong direction.


    [It¡¯s toote, so don¡¯t worry, Hero. This time, all kings havee out.]


    All kings. In other words, thest king was also on Earth.


    In that case, I wasn¡¯t the one trapped here.


    The one trapped was people of Earth, who lost me, their greatest strength.

 Chapter 286. The Last Member (3)

    Chapter 286. The Last Member (3)


    Their methods made me speechless. These beings that called themselves kings not only cooperated together, but they did employ such an underhanded scheme to keep me away from everyone else. I didn¡¯t know what was happening on Earth, but what I had to do was simple.


    I pulled out my Chaotic Spear. Chaos mes naturally ignited above the spear and formed a whirlpool with Peruta Circuit.


    ¡°It looks like I¡¯ll have to crush you quickly.¡±


    [I enjoy confidence from warriors, but you should know the difference between confidence and arrogance, Hero!]


    Immediately afterward, the Beast King opened his mouth and roared. Sharana quickly materialized and enveloped me in a wall of wind. When the two collided, my body was sted back with an inexpressible howl. I barely managed to stop myself by calling Sharana. The Beast King then broke out into an uncontrobleughter.


    [Kuhahahahaha! How cute!]


    ¡°You came up with this scheme because you were so afraid of me, and now you¡¯re looking down on me?¡±


    In a case like this, this could only mean one of three things. First was that this was all an act. However, he didn¡¯t have a reason to. He might be setting up a trap by pretending to underestimate me, but he should know I wouldn¡¯t fall for such a cheap trick.


    Second, what he said before was a lie. There was no n and the three kings weren¡¯t all on Earth. In this case, his goal would have been to provoke me and make me impatient to force me to make mistakes.


    But if that were the case, the way he was acting now didn¡¯t make sense. Lying to the enemy to force a mistake was something the weaker side would do to a stronger side, not the other way around.


    The third possibility was that there was someone else who formted this n and made the kings move. This was the most probable situation. I had an idea who it could be too. The one behind the Five Kings, he must have made his move.


    [Will you fight!?]


    ¡°Do I have any other choice?¡±


    After analyzing the situation in my head, I reached my hands towards the sky. I didn¡¯t have any time to waste fighting someone like him. A beast was best fought with another beast. As I was using this power for the first time, I focused my attention on the principle of this power and guided the power within my body.


    I shouted.


    ¡°Nandi!¡±


    My sight seemed to be dyed red. It was the result of a single word I shouted. A terrifying energy gathered in the sky, and a bone-chilling cry rang out even though its body hadn¡¯t fully formed.


    [GUOOOOOOOO!]


    [Hm?]


    The Beast King tilted his head. He raised his front leg and mmed down on the ground.


    [I don¡¯t know what you did, but it looks like I better subdue you now!]


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    Just by mming down on the ground, he caused the earth to quake and fissure. Shards of rocks sprung up into the air almost like he used Gaia Buster with an increased range. I shot up into the air and checked my current condition.


    First, the stats and skills I earned from climbing the dungeon had decreased by over fifty percent. As unfortunate as it was, with Radiance, Peruta Circuit, and power of gods¡¯ true names, I felt like I could still take him on. At this moment...!


    [GUOOOOOOOOOOO!]


    Along with a terrifying, it made its appearance. Large crimson body, two dignifying horns, and apletely insane pair of crimson eyes. Snorting from its nostrils, the bull, Nandi, stared at the Beast King! Shockingly, it was just as big as the Beast King.


    [Kuhahahaha! I wondered what it was, but it¡¯s just a cow! Kuhahaha, you¡¯re truly adorable, Hero! Are you really the Savior Hero?]


    [GUOOOOOO!]


    Nandi didn¡¯t wait for my signal and immediately charged at the Beast King with its head tucked under. The Beast King sneered and jumped back lightly. Of course, even a ¡®light¡¯ jump from the Beast King caused the earth to cave in.


    As soon as the Beast King moved, Nandi also changed its direction. The boulders shooting up as he charged forward seemed powerful enough to crush a hundred people. It was truly a battle of two monsters.


    [Howughable!]


    [GUOOOOOO!]


    In the end, the Beast King and Nandi shed. One of Nandi¡¯s twisted horns pierced the Beast King¡¯s shoulder! A fountain of blood exploded in the air.


    [Kuk, this is a divine beast!?]


    ¡°You realized it toote!¡±


    After striking the Beast King once, Nandi didn¡¯t think to fall back as he continued to push forward while waving his head around. Not only was a bull picking a fight against a lion, it was even pushing it back! No, now wasn¡¯t the time to leisurely watch a fight. Although I didn¡¯t tell the Beast King, I only had five minutes to utilize Nandi!


    ¡°Sharana, quickly. As quickly as you can!¡±


    [Yes!]


    ¡°Peika, help me. I need your power.¡±


    [Anytime!]


    Sharan and Peika both burst with power. I drew out the power of the Lightning God to its limit. Almost as if I transformed into a lightning bolt, I was shining with a golden radiance.


    [A mere bull!]


    At the same time, the Beast King opened his mouth and roared at Nandi. Though he was a lion, he could breathe out acid and his roar evenly carried physical strength.


    [KAAAOOOO!]


    Nandi¡¯s skin peeled off and blood spurted from its body too. However, Nandi waspletely unfazed by the injuries and even bucked more fiercely. The Beast King began to shed more blood. At this moment, Inded on his back with my outstretched spear stabbing into it!


    [Kuk!]


    ¡°You really are huge. You¡¯re even bigger than the Lava King!¡±


    [Get off my back!]


    ¡°If you pay too much attention to me, who¡¯s going to feed my Nandi!?¡±


    Nandi seemed to have understood my words as it kicked the ground with its back foot and struck the Beast King once more. When its horn stabbed into the same ce it did before, the Beast King had no choice but to take his eyes off me. As he kicked Nandi away with his front leg, he shouted.


    [You impertinent being! Fine, I will end you first!]


    [KAOOOOO!]


    Shiva¡¯s power was truly terrifying. Not even a single one of his power was underwhelming. I raised my spear, and this time, I activated Trish. Now was the time to do as much damage as I could to the Beast King! I just had to strike him as many times as I could.


    ¡°Have you heard of Lightning Spear Storm!? UOOOOOOO!¡±


    All I saw was a wide open back. I decided to think of it as a plot ofnd. To make it into a fertile field, I would use my spear as a hoe to turn thisnd upside down! When I thrust my spear, the Beast King¡¯s powerful resistance tried to bounce me back. Having lost the dungeon¡¯s power, prating his skin was honestly difficult, but with Trish¡¯s divine power and Peruta Circuit¡¯s rotational force, I had enough power to break through. In the end, the spear I thrust forward was barely enough to prate his skin.


    [Huhahahaha, this is the power of a Hero!? Howughable!]


    ¡°It¡¯ll start to itch soon. Nandi, continue!¡±


    [KUOOOOOO!]


    Now that I broke through his skin once, my job was easy. This small hole I made would soon be a tunnel!


    I thrust out once again, and again, and again. This wasn¡¯t even close to the Lightning Spear Storm¡¯s true speed! I poured mana into the muscles in my arm and used Divine Speed. The speed I was thrust out with increased by several times.


    ¡°Uwaaaak!¡±


    Although there were no messages, dozens of white bones shot up from the sky and struck the point I attacked. Thorn Throne¡¯s effect had activated! Immediately, the hole I created expanded and a stream of blood wet my armor.


    [Kuaak?]


    It seemed not even the Beast King could ignore the previous attack. He shook his body fiercely and struggled to force me off his back. As Nandi¡¯s horn was still stuck in his shoulder, its wound expanded and more blood began to shoot out. On the other hand, I desperately held on by grabbing the spear stuck on his back. To think I would be this weak by losing my stats! I couldn¡¯t help but grit my teeth.


    ¡°Like I¡¯d loooooose!¡±


    The techniques I developed didn¡¯t disappear just because I lost a bit of my strength! I held my spear with both hands, focusing my physical power into a single point and striking down. Over half of the spear dug into his back. It seemed he could no longer ignore me.


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    The moment he screamed, his body trembled and the hair on his body stood straight. Having a bad feeling, I immediately utilized Divine Speed to pull my spear out and jump into the air.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Un!]


    [Taste the power of this king!]


    And my suspicion became reality. The hair standing on his body began to shoot out! Although Ruyue immediately formed a barrier around me the moment she was summoned, with the tough and sharp thorn-like hair flooded towards me, the barrier couldn¡¯tst long.


    When I realized what was happening, I immediately created a lightning storm using Lightning God¡¯s power and Peruta Circuit¡¯s power. The thorns which lost someone of their strength while prating Ruyue¡¯s barrier shot towards me.


    ¡°Kuuk!¡±


    [KUAAANG!]


    My painful scream was immediately drowned out by Nandi¡¯s scream. As I struggled to endure the pain and circted Peruta Circuit, a voice suddenly whispered into my ear.


    [Master, I will use my final power.]


    This voice was... Nandi! He was surprising respectful!?


    [If I use this power, I will disappear. The enemy still has his power, so do not let your guard down, Master.]


    Nandi then took a step back, pulling out his horn from the Beast King¡¯s body. Meanwhile, I pulled out all the thorns stuck to my body with my whirlpool¡¯s power. Nandi and I seemed to have shed more blood just now than the Beast King has in the entire fight. There wasn¡¯t a single ce that didn¡¯t hurt.


    But it was even more important to focus on Peruta Circuit now. I gritted my teeth and aimed my spear towards the Beast King.


    [Immediately after I use my power, the enemy will be open to attack. Attack then, Master.]


    [Thanks, Nandi. Take care of me from now.]


    [It is my honor to serve you, as you will walk a path worthy of Shiva¡¯s name.]


    Suddenly, Nandi began to glow with a bright red light. He immediately caught the Beast King¡¯s attention.


    [You...! Fine, let¡¯s try it!]


    The Beast King¡¯s mane stood up. At the same time, his body began to glow with a golden light! Meanwhile, I prepared myself to deal a fatal attack.


    ¡°Sky God¡¯s Rage, Sky God¡¯s y!¡±


    I wanted to use Overlord if possible, but the Beast King wasn¡¯t the only enemy I had to face today, and what Ciara said still hung in my mind. In fact, I was hesitant to even use Sky God¡¯s Rage. Still, I had no other choice. Otherwise, I couldn¡¯t beat him.


    Now that I did, I was fully confident in being able to defeat him. All that was left was Nandi¡¯s attack and my willpower!


    [KUAAAAANG!]


    [Then I will see you in a month.]


    Nandi¡¯s gentlemanly voice, which didn¡¯t fit his roar, tickled my ear. With that, Nandi¡¯s entire body transformed into a blood-like form and attacked the Beast King. The Beast King also let out a golden roar.


    [This is the price you pay for challenging the king of beasts!]


    Two giant powers shed with each other, and spatial rend appeared in this temporary world. With power great enough to overwhelm the power of space, it was possible to break this world created by the dungeon¡¯s power!


    Unfortunately, as their powers weren¡¯t directed at this space but at each other, they couldn¡¯t tear through this space. Still, the shock from their sh was immense. The ground fissured uncontrobly and mana turned into radiant crystals from the fierce explosions they caused. It was a scene I had never seen before.


    In the end, the Beast King was the only one left standing. From a huge gaping wound on his body, blood endlessly poured out, forming a river of blood from the treeless fissurednd. Still, he had survived.


    [Kuaaaaaaa! Who dares to stand against me!? Other than him, there is no one that can kill me! Yes, not even the Hero can... Mm?]


    He finally seemed to have realized I was missing. He was stronger than the Lava King, but he seemed to be stupider to make up for it.


    [... Where did he go? Did he die?]


    The Beast King murmured. As I heard him, I couldn¡¯t help but grin.


    Then, I immediately made my move.

 Chapter 287. The Last Member (4)

    Chapter 287. The Last Member (4)


    Chapter 287. The Last Member (4)


    The 75th Floor Master, Vampire Lord, had a tricky ability. Though he was too weak and died before he could properly utilize his ability, I was different. Even with the same ability, I could show far stronger effects.


    The Mistification skill I got from defeating him could be an excellent skill to some, but that didn¡¯t apply to me. The skill I was talking about was his unique skill, Blood Curse.


    Blood Curse was an extremely simple skill. It was simr to Deathblood Ring¡¯s deathblood effect, but its effect was stronger.


    It would use my health and stter my blood onto him. Once the blood entered his body through his wound, its effect would activate. No matter how strong or weak the enemy was, it would decrease all of his stats and make him fall into massive hemorrhage status effect. As it wasn¡¯t a normal hemorrhage, but one made from curse and magic, the only way he could break out of it was to kill me. In a way, it was simr to chaos mes.


    [Kuk!]


    After looking around for a while, he suddenly screamed. At the same time, a vast amount of blood shot out from the wounds Nandi created. It didn¡¯t end with just a single explosion, as blood continued to shoot out like it was recycling itself like a fountain. Blood Curse was working perfectly.


    [Cough! What is this...!?]


    Sorry, but I¡¯m not done yet. I smiled mischievously and activated the next move. It was Crimson Roar.


    [Kuaaaak!]


    That¡¯s right! That¡¯s the scream I wanted to hear! The Beast King couldn¡¯t withstand the fierce mes in his body and jumped in his spot.


    [You, you¡¯re inside of me!]


    Where? I murmured inwardly and smiled mockingly. The Beast King continued to jump around to get me off of him, but I was in a ce he could never reach with such movements.


    I was flowing through his blood.


    [Where are you Hero!? Where!?]


    Who in the right mind would tell you? You¡¯re the one who set up this trap for me too! I swam through his blood stream and searched for my destination. Suddenly, he stopped jumping around and stood still.


    [... Is this that ray¡¯s ability?]


    I flinched. Although the World Trickery skill I had wasn¡¯t stolen from the Hermit King, its name and effect was the same one he had.


    After murmuring those words, the Beast King snickered as he bled profusely.


    [Foolish. He called himself king, but if his ability was invincible, we wouldn¡¯t have been called the Five Kings! You want to use that lowly fish¡¯s ability to defeat me?]


    He shouted.


    [Since you entered my body on your own, stay and be my nutrient!]


    Immediately, his body began to boil. The first thing I noticed was that a strong acid began to flow in his blood. Almost like how someone with a cold would heat up to drive away the virus from his body, the Beast King¡¯s body was changing to remove me.


    [Did you think I would be defenseless, Hero!? I was expecting more from you, what a shame! Or will you try to change your body back!?]


    His internal temperature skyrocketed, and an acidic mana that attacked all foreign substance began to fill up his body. It seemed he had to pay a price for this technique, as with increased blood flow, he began to hemorrhage even more.


    [Kuhahahaha! Truly funny! To think the Hero would be such a coward! Who would have thought you were more like the Hermit King than the Lava King!?]


    If the Hermit King transformed himself into a tiny monster and entered the Beast King¡¯s body, he would have burned up by now from the temperature or melted from the acid. I was also struggling to withstand these two forces.


    [Cough!]


    At that moment, the Beast King suddenly coughed. It seemed Blood Curse was still working. Of course, Crimson Roar frying up his insides must have hurt too. No matter how big he was, he couldn¡¯t be fine after all that happened. I had to thank Nandi for letting my Blood Curse have such great effect.


    [... Not dead yet.]


    He murmured.


    [He¡¯s not dead yet. He¡¯s still inside me.]


    I grinned. He realized it toote. I had finally arrived at his heart. Specifically, I was inside his heart.


    [This isn¡¯t the ray¡¯s ability.]


    In that instant, I detonated the power of Sky God¡¯s Rage and drew out Lightning God¡¯s power to the limit. My surrounding became dyed in gold. The Beast King let out a horrifying scream.


    [Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!]


    I then canceled my transformation and looked around as Inded on the bottom of his heart. Lightning God¡¯s power and Zeus¡¯ power had mixed together and was destroying the Beast King¡¯s heart.


    This was probably not enough. I held up my Chaotic Spear and struck down with my remaining mana. I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at how big the Beast King¡¯s heart was, as it had more than enough space to fit my body.


    [Kuhaaa! H-How!? How did you survive?]


    ¡°What do you mean, how?¡±


    For the first time after I entered his body, I spoke. At this point, I was confident in my victory.


    ¡°I became your blood.¡±


    Sky God¡¯s y was qualitatively different than World Trickery. Of course, World Trickery surpassed Sky God¡¯s y in its ability to hide my presence. That was how I could carry out this n. Combining Sky God¡¯s y and World Trickery had formed a perfect skill.


    World Trickery allowed me to transform into any monsters I defeated, and Sky God¡¯s y let me transform into whatever I¡¯ve seen. The difference between the two was huge.


    In Greek mythology, Zeus had once transformed into a golden shower to impregnate a woman trapped in a prison. The transformation power he used was avable to me too under the name Sky God¡¯s y. With it, I could transform myself into liquid or even a single drop of blood. The Beast King¡¯s response was within my expectations.


    There was no way he would burn his own blood or melt himself with his own acid. While he raised his internal temperature and spread his acid, I leisurely swam through his blood stream. The only thing I had to worry about was making sure I wouldn¡¯t leave his body through the wounds he was bleeding from.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this work on the Demon Lord too?¡±


    After thinking about it for a bit, I shook my head. I felt like I wouldn¡¯t be able to trick him. The fact that he had a world¡¯s power was the biggest reason. Even if World Trickery hid my presence, there had to be a limit to pretending to be someone else¡¯s blood. Just like how I noticed Hermit King¡¯s presence at the end, the Demon Lord was sure to be capable of doing so.


    [Kuk, kuaaaaak! I, I should have listened to him!]


    ¡°Oh? And what did he say?¡±


    Really, he was taking too long to die. I converted the remaining mana in my body into lightning and pushed it into my spear. Peruta Circuit roiled, and my spear immediately prated his heart, releasing lightning.


    [Kuaaaaak!]


    Damned guy, couldn¡¯t he have said more before he died? In the end, the lightning from the spear burst his heart, and that was the end of the Beast King.


    ¡°Ku, I better focus, or I¡¯ll get swept away again.¡±


    I had to directly face the flood of blood pouring from his heart. Setting aside how dirty it was, did I have to travel through his blood again to get out? No, since he died, was his blood even flowing?


    In any case, I had to get out and join up with the rest of the party as quickly as possible. It hasn¡¯t been too long, so there should be no problem. I just had to quickly... quickly...?


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    I blinked. My body felt strange. Don¡¯t tell me his acid was affecting me now? Or if that wasn¡¯t it, did he leave a curse before he died?


    The Beast King¡¯s blood drenching me was boiling. Not only that, but therge amount of his blood I had no choice but to drink was boiling inside my stomach. It was almost as if he was roaring out.


    ¡°Is this dangerous?¡±


    An rm went off in my head. Did I cancel my transformation too early? No, if I didn¡¯t, I would have had to wait dozens of minutes slowly releasing lightning. I needed to get out of here as quickly as possible, and even if I didn¡¯t, I didn¡¯t feel like it was a mistake to untransform as I initially nned.


    Besides, didn¡¯t his blood drench me after he died? Just what was going on?


    All I knew was that this situation wasn¡¯t something I could control. I couldn¡¯t believe how helpless I felt without Sherafina¡¯s messages telling me about my status.


    ¡®Snap out of it, Kang Shin. You can¡¯t rely on the dungeon forever.¡¯


    In the worst case, I just needed to use Overlord. That power was enough to get me through most situations. Not to mention, the Beast King was dead, so there was no one who could cause me harm. Even when the Hermit King died, I received his ability in exchange for his soul, and when the Lava King died... Wait.


    ¡°... Wow.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but speak even in this situation. I hadn¡¯t noticed because I was too focused on myself, but now that I looked, the Beast King¡¯s insides were letting out a bright golden light. He was certainly dead. This wasn¡¯t done by him.


    It was done by me.


    ¡°Right, it was then.¡±


    When I obtained the Hermit King¡¯s power, I had taken his power for my own. I still wasn¡¯t sure, but perhaps when Peruta Circuit reforged my body, it may have taken this part of my memory and incorporated it to my instincts. Right, I knew instinctively that there was a better way to do it. Just like how the Lava King, Hermit King, and the Beast King had developed unique ways of defending themselves, my body had also developed a way to grow stronger!


    If I were under the effect of the dungeon¡¯s system, Sherafina would have surely told me about the method herself. But now that I was on my own, my body was looking for this method by itself. Its efficiency was iparable to having it spoonfed to my body.


    Peruta Circuit¡¯s spin became fiercer. My body was burning up, and it felt like Peruta Circuit¡¯s mana circuit was trying to burst out of my body. A whirlpool rose up around my body and began to slowly absorb the golden particles of light. The Beast King¡¯s body slowly transformed into golden particles of light and began to slowly flow into me. The spinning whirlpool began to turn golden and created even fiercer rotational force.


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAH!¡±


    I shouted, unable to withstand the power filling up my body. With my shout, the process elerated. The Beast King¡¯s bodypletely transformed into mana and flowed into me, and I held my mind tightly to not waste a single drop of it.


    Sorry, Daisy, it looks like you won¡¯t get the Beast King¡¯s corpse... Hopefully you¡¯ll get the King of the Dead!


    Some timeter, I slowly opened my eyes. With how much mana flowed into me, I couldn¡¯t turn them all into mine, but this wasn¡¯t the first time I experienced receiving such a massive amount of mana. Just like before, I stockpiled the unprocessed mana in a corner of my body.


    I looked around. I was still in the jungle.


    ¡°The corpse really disappeared.¡±


    I was dumbfounded. Such a huge corpse that disappeared without leaving a trace. Now, he was inside me. I could feel it. Interestingly, the result of me entering his body was him entering mine.


    ¡°Huu... Sadly, it looks like I¡¯m missing one of his abilities.¡±


    The Beast King used his iparably powerful body and his powerful acid as his main weapons. Additionally, he could add powerful physical force to his roars. I had received all of his abilities other than his acid ability. I could tell how to use them like they were mine to begin with.


    Most importantly, even though my stats were still being restrained, I could tell how much stronger my bones, muscles, and skin have gotten. I grinned and smacked my body a few times.


    ¡°I heard there¡¯s a hole to fly through even when the sky crumbles. To think Peruta Circuit would bring such a result.¡±


    Perhaps, it wasn¡¯t just Peruta Circuit brining about these changes. After all, Peruta had never told me about any of this.


    It was entirely possible that another power was using Peruta Circuit as a medium to act... No, I was probably overthinking it. In any case, I could think about thister. What I was sure about was that starting with Radiance, I was slowly strengthening myself with powers that no one could take away. Knowing that was enough.


    ¡°Good, now if I hide his manapletely...¡±


    I calmed the boiling Beast King¡¯s mana. Then, the surrounding space began to distort. The Event Dungeon was disappearing, having lost its power to maintain itself. What filled my sight instead was Bordeaux¡¯s sky. Coincidentally, I faced Licorice as soon as I left the Event Dungeon.


    When she saw me, she hugged me with a happy face.


    ¡°Dear Husband, I knew you would be safe! Dear Husbaaaand!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Licorice, I knew I would be safe too.¡±


    I felt relieved and joked. Thankfully, everything seemed okay. Ciara had worried for nothing. Although the Beast King was troubling, I could kill him without much problem, and now that I had joined up with the rest, we could go kill the King of the Dead and thest remaining king together...


    At that moment, Licorice tilted her head and asked.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Hwaya? Why didn¡¯t shee out with you?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I froze.

 Chapter 288. The Last Member (5)

    Chapter 288. The Last Member (5)


    ¡°Hwaya? What do you mean!?¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband was the only one that went in, and Hwaya followed in right after. After that, the gate closed and no one could enter... Eh? D-Dear Husband!¡±


    Licorice who was recounting what happened after I entered the dungeon suddenly pointed behind me with a shocked expression. When I turned around, a grey shadowy circle made its appearance.


    It was a gate.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening now?¡±


    I murmured astonished. Next to me, Licorice asked carefully.


    ¡°Dear Husband, did you really clear the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t just clear the dungeon. For a moment, I even had the right over it! I killed one of the kings and...¡±


    Suddenly, I felt thunderstruck. I recalled what the Beast King said, that all kings hade out this time. In that case, there could only be one answer.


    ¡°This is a different dungeon.¡±


    With that, I quickly reached out to the gate. However, an unbelievable power flung my hand back. Daisy approached me silently.


    ¡°No use. Not even a god¡¯s power, could break it.¡±


    ¡°You used yours?¡±


    ¡°Just one. To fight the King of the Dead, I saved the others.¡±


    Daisy¡¯s had an unusual worried tone. She touched my arms and face, then spoke with a relieved face.


    ¡°I thought you and Hwaya were both trapped... I was worried.¡±


    It felt like this was the first time Daisy ever said something like this. If she used a god¡¯s power to try to break in, I could understand how worried she was. When I thought about how Daisy might be more concerned about us than I previously thought, I suddenly felt touched.


    ¡°Thanks, Daisy. I¡¯m safe and I even killed a king. Though... There weren¡¯t any survivors.¡±


    ¡°What about, Hwaya?¡±


    ¡°It looks like she¡¯s in another dungeon. There were two gates in the same location.¡±


    Once I entered the Beast King¡¯s gate, it shut itself off to prevent anyone else from entering. Hwaya quickly jumped into the gate in front of her, but that gate had been a different gate all along.


    Did they n on separating me and Hwaya from the very beginning? When the thought crossed my mind, a chill went down my back. The Beast King underestimated me and was taken out, but there was no guarantee that the other kings would do the same. More importantly, I could see the prudence of the existence controlling the kings. He was undoubtedly the one who came up with this n to separate our forces.


    When the day I had to face him came, I... No, now wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking about this.


    ¡°Kang Shin, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°... No, sorry.¡±


    Was Hwaya safe? How much time passed since she entered the dungeon? How strong was the other king? I just had too many questions.


    ¡°Worried about Hwaya?¡±


    ¡°Obviously! ... Sorry for shouting. I¡¯m just thinking about something.¡±


    ¡°Un, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    Daisy was staring at me calmly and that helped me calm down. Meanwhile, the ne carrying other Revival members came down above the gate. Ina who was waiting inside jumped into my arms with a teary face.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Mommy went¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know, Mommy¡¯s in the dungeon, right?¡±


    ¡°Un! But I can¡¯t go in. I tried to use Skadi¡¯s power, but Daisy said not to.¡±


    Daisy knew it would be of no use. I consoled Ina who was tearing up.


    ¡°When did Hwaya go in exactly?¡±


    ¡°13 minutes 27 seconds.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s Hwaya, she should be holding on... Damn it, we don¡¯t even know who¡¯s inside!¡±


    I examined the gate again and saw several traces of Daisy¡¯s power. Did she use a dposing ability? A part of the gate was dug in. If a god¡¯s power could only do this much, how were we supposed to force this gate open? How?


    ¡°Maybe with Shiva¡¯s Eye...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s find another method. If Kang Shin uses that, we¡¯ll save Hwaya, but we¡¯ll all die to the Demon Lord.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ciara¡¯s prophecy wasn¡¯t absolute. Still, with her eyes open, Ciara¡¯s ability was iparable to before. Although she didn¡¯t know all kings hade out, she still saw the existence of two kings and their identities. It was likely that I really needed Shiva¡¯s Eye to fight the Demon Lord.


    Damn it! What use was there to obtaining the power of the Destruction God Shiva!? Once per year? How was I supposed to use something like that!?


    ... Wait.


    ¡°I need to go to the dungeon.¡±


    I suddenly thought of something. Without a moment of hesitation, I opened the gate to the First Dungeon. Before I entered, however, Daisy shook her head.


    ¡°I already went. Right now, can¡¯t contact other administrative guilds. Dungeon is very busy.¡±


    ¡°Have you gone to Fairy Garden?¡±


    ¡°Fairy Garden? I don¡¯t know, how to get to that ce.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll tell youter.¡±


    I left Ina to Licorice and jumped into the dungeon. Then, I rushed to Fairy Garden.


    [Prince-nim!]


    [He¡¯s gotten even stronger!]


    [That day must being closer!]


    [Ah, he¡¯sing here!]


    ¡°Guys, where¡¯s Loretta?¡±


    [Pavilion!]


    [She¡¯s at the Pavilion!]


    The elements seemed to have noticed that I was in a hurry, as they answered quickly without joking around. I pictured Fairy Garden¡¯s pavilion in my head and walked forward. Soon, Loretta and over ten other Fairy Garden members appeared in front of me. Loretta¡¯s ear perked up, somehow realizing I had arrived.


    ¡°Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°Loretta, do you know what¡¯s happening on Earth right now?¡±


    ¡°Ah, r-right now, a world is on the brink of ruin, so we¡¯re pressed for time... Did something happen on Earth?¡±


    I held myself back from letting out a deep sigh. This wasn¡¯t Loretta¡¯s fault. We were just unlucky! Meanwhile, Loretta stealthily passed the document in front of her to the man sitting next to her.


    ¡°Noonim! I already have my hands full!¡±


    It was Lin.


    ¡°Take care of it, Guild Master. Noona¡¯s got a business to take care of.¡±


    ¡°Uuuuuk, fine!¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, tell me.¡±


    Loretta quickly pushed her work away and approached me. I felt like I should apologize for bothering her, but I was too much in a rush to waste time with small talk. I exined the current situation as quickly as possible. Event Dungeons thatpletely surpassed Sherafina¡¯s control, dungeons that trapped one person inside and how to break into them.


    After hearing about the full story, Loretta¡¯s expression stiffened.


    ¡°Impossible, there¡¯s no way they can ignore the dungeon¡¯s power to that extent.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth, Loretta.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t just ignoring the dungeon¡¯s power, that¡¯s using the dungeon¡¯s power for themselves! Whether it¡¯s demons or Five Kings or whoever, there¡¯s no way that¡¯s possible!¡±


    ¡°Loretta.¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry.¡±


    When I called her voice solemnly, Loretta drooped her ears and head. But right now, I didn¡¯t even have time to ept her apology.


    ¡°What do we need to do to go in?¡±


    ¡°Go in? The dungeon¡¯s power doesn¡¯t work against them. Not even Lord can do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°What if we¡¯re not using the dungeon¡¯s power? For example, will Shiva¡¯s Eye be able to open the gate?¡±


    After thinking about it for a bit, Loretta ced her hand on my forehead. As I knew what she was trying to do, I recalled what I felt from touching the gate and transferred it to her. Loretta then nodded.


    ¡°Most likely yes, but if what Shin-nim says is true, that power is needed to fight the Demon Lord...¡±


    ¡°Then let me ask again. Is there an explorer in the dungeon with a power rivaling Shiva¡¯s Eye?¡±


    When she heard this, Loretta seemed to freeze. Not even a secondter, she red at me sharply.


    ¡°... Shin-nim had this in mind beforeing here, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to see him again...¡±


    ¡°Then let me go alone. I just thought I should tell Loretta before going over.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have time. Since Loretta affirmed my n, I just needed to act. When I turned around to head off, Loretta grabbed my shoulder.


    ¡°Let me go too. I can help convince him.¡±


    ¡°But Loretta.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m indifferent now. I just didn¡¯t want to see his face again. Or, do you doubt me, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I just didn¡¯t want to force Loretta to see someone Loretta didn¡¯t want...¡±


    ¡°Let me go. It¡¯ll be better that way.¡±


    Loretta spoke with a stiff expression. I looked into her eyes and lightly nodded.


    ¡°Master, are you leaving?¡±


    Sikatra asked Loretta. Loretta held up her hand holding onto mine and retorted.


    ¡°I already passed my official authority to Lin. You¡¯ll be fine without me, right?¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be any problem to our work, but that still goes against Lord¡¯s rule. Master, are you prepared for her punishment?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am, so let me do what I want for now.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Tell that person I said hi.¡±


    Perhaps Sikatra wanted to create this series of events. Somewhat understanding her intentions, I lightly bowed to Sikatra. She also smiled and nodded back. Immediately afterwards, Loretta and I left Fairy Garden and headed to Beyond¡¯s Residential Area.


    Right, there was one candidate I had in mind as someone with equal power to Shiva.


    Beyond¡¯s first explorer.


    ¡°As you might already know, he has Odin¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Odin.¡±


    ¡°Odin isn¡¯t just famous on Earth. He has great influence in other worlds, just like Greek gods do on Earth.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    ¡°Gungnir should have enough power. If he sets his target to the king, it can probably deal critical damage to him even after breaking through the gate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice to know.¡±


    With that, we both saved our breath. It was enough to know what power he had. Not long afterwards, we arrived in front of a giant castle. It was still the eerie ce it was before, letting out fluffy ominous aura.


    When we neared the castle¡¯s gate, a message rang out in my ear. He had detected our presence.


    [You didn¡¯t bother me all this time. Why have youe again, Third Explorer?]


    His voice was still dark, but it carried a cmitous charm. I could tell now that his charm was on a simr level as mine.


    Wait, then did my voice also sound like this to others? I held back my uneasiness and spoke.


    [I have a favor to ask of you.]


    [The answer is no. Go back.]


    He cut down my request instantly. This rude little bastard... I gritted my teeth and was about to ask again, when Loretta ced her hand on the metal gate and asked.


    [I came to ask you for a favor, Kain Zerahard.]


    Even though she wasn¡¯t a Beyond explorer, her voice was ringing out in Beyond¡¯s explorermunication channel. It was to be expected from Fairy Garden¡¯s guild master.


    The moment the first explorer heard Loretta¡¯s voice, his voice trembled.


    [You¡¯re... Loretta?]


    [Yes, I¡¯m Loretta... Shin-nim needs your help. Please listen to him.]


    [No, I¡¯m... Go back.]


    [You must listen to him... I hope you remember, you are indebted to us, to me.]


    I couldn¡¯t raise my head. I knew things were going to turn out this way, but I was too embarrassed to face Loretta. Uuu, to save Hwaya, I was forcing Loretta to threaten her first love. If I die, I was sure to go to hell...!


    [... I see, he is your...]


    [Yes. I have never resented the fact that I have to stay in the dungeon this much.]


    [I see... In that case, there¡¯s no other choice.]


    That was it. We didn¡¯t need to convince him anymore. He epted my request just by Loretta asking for a favor. I was too afraid to think about what debt he owed to Loretta, or how much burden this put on Loretta.


    The iron gate, which had stayed closed for hundreds of years, opened this easily. A wide garden appeared beyond it, and we could see the door to his castle.


    [Come in. I¡¯ll at least hear you out.]


    The dungeon¡¯s strongest explorer was weing me.

 Chapter 289. The Last Member (6)

    Chapter 289. The Last Member (6)


    Loretta and I entered the castle without hesitation. As I somewhat understood where he was, I led Loretta and walked through the castle¡¯s hall, feeling his boundless mana in the surroundings.


    Mm, this is...


    ¡°He has two true names, huh.¡±


    When I murmured, Loretta tilted her head curiously.


    ¡°Two? That¡¯s impossible. Kain... Kain Zerahard only has one true name.¡±


    ¡°No, he has two. He either hid one, or he must have obtained one afterwards.¡±


    [I¡¯m surprised you found out.]


    After his voice rang out in themunication channel, a wall in the hallway rose up like a curtain. Almost like a hidden room from the movies, beyond the wall was a small room.


    Kain Zerahar greeted us, half lying on a giant sofa that seemed to serve as his bed.


    ¡°You¡¯re...¡±


    When he saw me, he opened his mouth, then closed it soon after. I took this time to examine him closer.


    The first thing I noticed was his clothes. Translucent silk-like clothing covered his body, shining with all sorts of colors. The tiny bit of skin he showed on his neck showed how pale he was.


    He had a long and slender neckline, and he was beautiful enough to be considered a woman. I thought Lin was pretty, but Kain Zerahard even surpassed Lin. Left alone for a long time, his hair was longer than an average girl¡¯s and that seemed to add to his charm. I finally opened my mouth.


    ¡°How handsome.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re handsome.¡±


    Almost as if he was copying me, Kain Zerahardmented on my appearance at the same time. Realizing that we talked over each other, we both closed our mouth. An awkward silence descended.


    ... I began to doubt whether Loretta judged people based on their appearance.


    Soon, he eyed Loretta and spoke briefly.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    That was it. It must have been centuries from thest time they saw each other! Of course, I wasn¡¯t generous enough to happily watch Loretta talk to her first love, and since Hwaya must be fighting one of the kings even now, I moved the conversation forward.


    ¡°Myrade... A precious person of mine is in a life-or-death situation where a single second is important. Please, your power can save her. We need Odin¡¯s Gungnir.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to use Gungnir?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you want something in return, I would be happy to anything as long as it¡¯s within my ability.¡±


    Even as I spoke, I knew in the corner of my mind that he wouldn¡¯t ept this request. He had lived in a secret room of his castle for centuries while hiding having a god¡¯s true name. I felt like I knew what this meant.


    Even so, I came to see him because I had a card in hand. In the process ofing to meet him, I became certain of its usefulness.


    ¡°I refuse. There¡¯s nothing I want.¡±


    As expected, he replied instantly.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing you want?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Everything I want disappeared long ago, and there¡¯s no way to turn back time.¡±


    ¡®As I thought.¡¯ I murmured inwardly. As I had heard about him from Loretta and others, I knew what he meant.


    He was thest survivor of his world. In other words, he abandoned his dying world and escaped with the world¡¯s power. It had to have been hundreds of years ago.¡±


    ¡°You should know what I mean. What do you think I¡¯m doing right now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hiding.¡±


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m hiding.¡±


    When was thest time he moved his body? He raised his long and thin fingers.


    ¡°I lost everything I had to protect and escaped cursing everything. As I have no right to live, I¡¯m simply waiting for death toe take my life. Unfortunately, my boundless mana won¡¯t allow me to die easily, so I¡¯ve been waiting for a long time. Perhaps, I¡¯ll have to wait eternally.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to change your mind... but you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    Loretta spoke out. Her voice was filled with faint anger.


    ¡°Do you see me, Kain? Do you see what all administrative guilds are doing? If you help, we can save countless others who are in the same position as you. Even just a little bit would have been fine. The dungeon always cheered you on, and everyone supported you. But you...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Loretta.¡±


    ¡°What don¡¯t I understand!? I experienced the same things you have! Everything I wanted to protect! Everyone I wanted to protect! I lost everything that supported me! Parents, siblings, friends,rades! My world and all lives living in it! You¡¯re telling me I still don¡¯t understand!?¡±


    ¡°I lost the woman I love, the one person I cared for more than the entire world.¡±


    At his calm tone, Loretta retorted in a frighteningly quiet voice.


    ¡°Yes, if there was one thing I didn¡¯t understand, it was the feeling of losing a lover. Is that why you taught it to me? How kind of you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to make Heroes of other worlds face the same reality I did. That¡¯s why I epted Lord¡¯s offer and helped create the dungeon. I create pathways to countless worlds being attacked by worlds¡¯ enemies and helped explorers walk the right path. At first, you were one of them, Kain.¡±


    All explorers were indebted to the dungeon. There was no doubt about it. By entering the dungeon, we obtained the power to resist our enemies, and we grew stronger by relying on the dungeon¡¯s power.


    But Kain holed up in Beyond¡¯s Residential Are with the power he received. Simply put, he had washed his mouth clean after being treated. Even after hundreds of years, he was the strongest explorer. If he joined an administrative guild or worked as a Dimensional Mercenary during this time, he could have saved many worlds from ruin.


    Still.


    ¡°He¡¯s not obligated to do anything, Loretta. No one can force someone to do something... Even if Loretta did in the past.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was the one who disappointed myself. Because I believed in him, I received more shock when I realized the truth.¡±


    Through Kain, Loretta learned that excessive trust only led to her getting hurt.


    ... How she acted in an inexplicably exaggerated manner around me and how she told me to escape if things got hard surely had something to do with her trauma from this incident. Because she didn¡¯t want to be hurt, she had lowered her expectations.


    To be honest, it was quite absurd. This weakness and softness shouldn¡¯t have been the charm she felt from me.


    ¡°... Loretta, there¡¯s something us guys have to talk about.¡±


    I spoke out before she became more emotional. Not only Loretta, but Kain Zerahard also widened his eyes. It seemed he didn¡¯t expect me to do this.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else I need to hear. I just wanted to see what you were going to say. If you know my circumstance, you should know I only have one answer for you.¡±


    ¡°Kain, help Shin-nim! You should be able to do this much! It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll suffer a loss... Ubub!?¡±


    I blocked Loretta¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Loretta, thank you for helping me get here. You did what you needed to. From now, I¡¯ll be fine on my own. I can convince him.¡±


    ¡°S-Shin-nim...!?¡±


    Loretta made a funny expression like she couldn¡¯t understand what I was thinking. Although her pping ears were adorable, as I wasn¡¯t in the best ce to show her my affection, I simply nodded my head for now.


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°... Y-Yes.¡±


    In the end, Loretta nodded with a flushed face.


    ¡°T-Then I¡¯ll see youter. I¡¯ll go back for now! Kain, Sikatra says hi! Make sure you help Shin-nim!¡±


    Loretta then turned around and left as she frantically fanned her reddened face. Seeing her leave quietly, Kain muttered.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing you should be thankful about. I love her and she loves me. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right.¡±


    After murmuring in agreement, he spoke up with a stiff voice.


    ¡°But I still refuse.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can say that¡¯ll convince me. Leave me be.¡±


    ¡°Is it the feeling of loss that¡¯s controlling you?¡±


    ¡°No, it might have been for the first two hundred years, but it¡¯s been a long time since I got over that.¡±


    After hearing him, I took a quick breath. Then, I quickly added.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s the feeling of helplessness.¡±


    Kain¡¯s eyes widened slightly. It wasn¡¯t aughable situation, but I couldn¡¯t help but grin slightly.


    ¡°Are you ready to talk to me now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a rookie who just entered Beyond... You know about it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to brag, but I¡¯m about to enter Beyond¡¯s 31st floor. I¡¯m on the First Dungeon¡¯s 81st floor too.¡±


    Though I was the one who said it, I felt proud. I hade this far. So many things had happened on the way, and thankfully, I had grasped onto many things without letting them go.


    It seemed I wasn¡¯t the only one who thought this way, as Kain spoke dumbfoundedly.


    ¡°... You already surpassed me in Beyond. In such a short time too... Are you really human?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doubting it recently, but I was indeed a human when I was born.¡±


    ¡°Talent... Is this what they call talent? How ridiculous. In my long life, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen someone like you.¡±


    I smiled at his murmuring.


    ¡°Of course,pared to the years you¡¯ve lived, mine must feel as light as a feather. But Kain, ah, I can call you Kain, right?¡±


    ¡°You have the qualifications.¡±


    ¡°Kain, my feather is a bit big. Perhaps, it¡¯s so big that even you won¡¯t be able to see it in its full.¡±


    My Evil Eyes were shining on their own. Depending on their user¡¯s mood, Evil Eyes sometimes activated on their own. That was one of the ws of Evil Eyes, but it didn¡¯t matter as Kain was not so weak as to be affected by my Evil Eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk, Kain, as quickly as possible if possible. I promise to give you something I can give, so lend me your power.¡±


    ¡°Something you can give... you say.¡±


    ¡°How I can be so certain even after realizing the same thing you have. That¡¯s what I can give you.¡±


    Sorry, but I can¡¯t guarantee anything. I¡¯m just doing my best.


    Kain also saw through my little bluff, but surprisingly, he broke out in a smile.


    ¡°I can see why Loretta fell for you.¡±


    He got up. His hair fluttered, and even after hundreds of years, his silk clothes covered his body softly and tightly. After standing on his feet perfectly, he took a light breath and infused life into his body.


    Then, he stared at me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it then. No one can bother us here, so rest easy and show me your everything.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure.¡±


    And that¡¯s what I did.


    With that, Kain joined Revival.

 Chapter 290. The Last Member (7)

    Chapter 290. The Last Member (7)


    Once he decided to enter Revival, he immediately held his hair by the middle. In an instant, he cut his hair.


    His hair that was once too long to bother to measure was now slightly above his waist. I still thought his hair was too long for a man, but he seemed satisfied with himself as he picked up the hair he cut off and imbued mana into it.


    ¡°Today, I will only use Gungnir. Show me your and your guild¡¯s power. Prove to me the potential of your offer.¡±


    ¡°... Fine.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for his several hundred year of hair toe together in the form of a spear. As it continued to take in Kain¡¯s mana, the spear became metallic, and I was honestly impressed.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    He swung it around a few times then nodded.


    ¡°It should have enough power for a one-time use.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than enough. What a monstrous amount of mana.¡±


    ¡°For several hundred years, leftover mana stockpiled on part of my body I didn¡¯t need. Alright, let¡¯s go to Earth.¡±


    He slowly walked forward and stepped out of his room. Even though he was just wearing a singleyer of clothes, he was giving off an imposing aura akin to an dominating emperor.


    Still, he was an ally of an equal standing. No matter how pressured I felt inwardly, I acted fine on the outside as I returned to Earth. Obviously, we came out at the spot I entered the dungeon. In other words, we were right in front of the gate.


    ¡°Ah, Shin!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Ye-Eun. We might not have enough time left, so we should hurry.¡±


    While Ye-Eun and other Revival members looked at the good-looking man apanying me in shock, I forced them to stand back. It seemed Kain didn¡¯t n on dragging things out either. As soon as he located the gate¡¯s entrance, he narrowed his eyes and nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s more powerful than I thought. Using the dungeon¡¯s power? A lot has changed since hundreds of years ago.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe, nothing changed at all.¡±


    Myment made him pause for a moment. Soon, he snickered and nodded.


    ¡°Right, I was mistaken. So, about entering that thing... Simply put, it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Didn¡¯t Loretta say Gungnir would be able to break through the gate? Did I trust her too much!? Seeing me shocked, Kain shook his head.


    ¡°I meant it¡¯s impossible with just Gungnir. I¡¯ll need to add Sleipnir¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I knew he was helping me, but I wasn¡¯t particrly happy with him purposely messing with me in such an important situation. When I eyed him sharply, he quickly continued.


    ¡°I¡¯ll open it with Gungnir and send one in with Sleipnir. Only one person can go in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±


    If only one could go, it obviously had to be me. I couldn¡¯t leave it to anyone else. I might have asked Father if he had a god¡¯s true name, but he didn¡¯t. There were many that tried to convince me and Daisy was surprisingly the most adamant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go. Kang Shin, you already fought. Too tired.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got an upgrade to make up for it. You should be feeling it too, right?¡±


    ¡°You used god¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°You used it too. I should go. Plus, we need your ability to fight the King of the Dead.¡±


    ¡°What if Kang Shin gets hurt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about Mommy, but also Daddy. I want to go too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Ina too, stay here with the others.¡±


    While I convinced everyone, Kain activated Odin¡¯s power. When Odin¡¯s power descended on the spear he made with his hair, the hair becamerger and longer, and materialized aura rose up from it.


    ¡°Sleipnir moves in an instant. The moment I shoot Gungnir, I¡¯ll summon Sleipnir, so hold onto it immediately.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t n on losing to anyone in speed, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    He nodded. I looked back at the others onest time and shouted.


    ¡°Keep your eyes on St. Peter¡¯s Basilica. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen. Daisy, if they attack us first, we might not be able to open our inventory, so have your Laki out. Everyone else, don¡¯t forget about what I told you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Son. Your father¡¯s here.¡±


    Father grinned and smacked my shoulder.


    ¡°So rx and go save my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Gungnir!¡±


    The moment Father finished his sentence, Kain shot his Gungnir. The spear, told by myths to always hit its target, left Kain¡¯s hand and was sucked into the gate. Soon, the gate swirled and a huge hole appeared. Immediately afterwards, the eight-legged horse Kain summoned charged towards the hole. I use Divine Speed and quickly jumped on top of it.


    It seemed there was an unseen connection between Gungnir and Sleipnir, as the hole which was closing itself after Gungnir entered suddenly erged itself when Sleipnir neared. Along with a feeling of being devoured by the gate, I was sucked in. Sleipnir didn¡¯t stop and continued to run.


    The gate¡¯s inside waspletely dark. The sky was full of ck storm clouds, and ck monsters that seemed to be minions of the gate¡¯s king filled up the sky. Compared to the Beast King¡¯s simple jungle environment, the current scene was far more pressuring.


    [Kuhuk!]


    The first thing I heard was a scream. Seemingly flying at the speed of light above Sleipnir, I surveyed the area. In front of me... was something gigantic.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    First, I jumped off of Sleipnir. It didn¡¯t slow down in the slightest and continued to charge before piercing through something giant. Again, a thunderous scream rang out.


    [How did you get in!?]


    Clearly, that giant was the one who screamed. I thought about what he was, but I couldn¡¯t ascertain his shape. How was that possible? He was in front of my eyes, but I couldn¡¯t capture his form?


    ¡°Shin!¡±


    Thankfully, I could capture Hwaya¡¯s voice. As I summoned Sharana, I used Tria and flew towards the direction of her voice.


    ¡°Hwaya!¡±


    It was thanks to Gungnir and Sleipnir buying us time. Currently, that giant was busy screaming out in pain and didn¡¯t seem to care about attacking us. Relieved that Hwaya was fine, I immediately flew towards her.


    Upon closer inspection, however, she wasn¡¯t ¡®fine.¡¯ Her battle dress was torn up and she was full of wounds. Still, she still had all her limbs.


    When Hwaya saw me, she widened her eyes. I stopped next to her and asked.


    ¡°Are you safe?¡±


    She shouted back.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to ask! You were alone with a king! What happened!?¡±


    ¡°I killed him.¡±


    ¡°I see... Thank goodness.¡±


    Hwaya drooped her body. Her teary eyes told me what she was currently feeling, but I didn¡¯t say anything.


    She continued.


    ¡°I knew you must have entered by yourself too... I was so worried.¡±


    ¡°You were alone with a king too!¡±


    ¡°I can die, but if you die...!¡±


    ¡°Hwaya, there isn¡¯t anyone that ¡®can¡¯ die.¡±


    I spoke firmly as I took out my Chaotic Spear. That giant existence with an indeterminate form had finished writhing and was turning its head towards us. I had no clue where to attack him, but Gungnir and Sleipnir had caused him to scream. If he had an immortal body, he wouldn¡¯t have done so. I knew there had to be a way to injure him.


    Moreover, in the end, he was one of the Five Kings. Just like the Beast King said, if one of them were vastly superior to the others, they wouldn¡¯t have been called the Five Kings. There may have been an hierarchy amongst them, but the difference wasn¡¯t huge. I had already defeated the Beast King. Now, Hwaya was with me too.


    I reaffirmed my resolve and spoke for both Hwaya and myself to hear.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to survive until the end, Hwaya. Stay with me until the end.¡±


    ¡°Until the end? I¡¯ll be with your until the end?¡±


    I looked back at her. For some reason, her eyes were strangely out of strength.


    ¡°Shin, you aren¡¯t interested in me anyways. That elf is the only one... You won¡¯t ept me anyways.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ept you.¡±


    With that, I turned around and prepared myself for battle. Therge flock of monsters in the air red at us and shot towards us like rain. Seeing how each of them surpassed SS rank, I released my Evil Eyes.


    Half of the monsters turned to stone, but more than half remained unpetrified. Next to me, Hwaya raised her hands and burned up the monsters with mes at a terrifying temperature.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯ll ept me... But in the past, you...!¡±


    ¡°The way I think has changed since then... And what you mean to me changed too...¡±


    Countless number of worlds and countless number of enemies. I undoubtedly had a long journey ahead of me with my currentrades. Some of them may quit when Earth became safe, but I felt that most wouldn¡¯t.


    Coincidentally, there wasn¡¯t just camaraderie between us. For a long time, I was ignorant of their feelings or I had pretended to be ignorant. But now, it was hard to gloss over them. Seeing Loretta and Kain, I realized something.


    I was no longer just an ordinary Korean person. I wasn¡¯t even an ordinary Earthling. Considering all the things I had to do I couldn¡¯t restrain myself under the name of Earth. If I had to pick a name, it would be explorer. Or maybe, savior was better. So I didn¡¯t need to restrict myself to Earth¡¯smon sense. I couldn¡¯t.


    epting only Loretta, but still brining other female members around to other worlds. I couldn¡¯t do something like that. I had finally decided, and now that I have, I didn¡¯t n on hesitating. Imagining Lin¡¯s grinning face irked me, but I had no other choice.


    [You killed the other king! And you came to find me! Kahahaha, that lion died! Interesting, yes, very interesting!]


    The king roared. In an instant, I somewhat found out what his ability was. He didn¡¯t control high-temperatureva, he didn¡¯t have the ability to conceal himself from the world, he didn¡¯t have mountainous power or control toxic acid, nor did he control corpses. He controlled emotions of all creations.


    His voice caused ripples in people¡¯s hearts. Even the most powerful warriors or the most powerful magicians were mere humans when their mentalities broke down. This king had the ability to break down even the most strong-minded individual and bring him to ruin.


    I was surprised that Hwaya was alive after facing off against someone like him for dozens of minutes. At the same time, I understood why Hwaya would say something she never would normally. When I realized it, a chill went down my back.


    Hwaya was reaching her limit. If I came just a bitter...


    ¡°Hwaya, are you okay?¡±


    I resisted the effect of the king¡¯s voice with Absolute Soul¡¯s power and asked Hwaya. I was thinking it might be better to make her faint. But for some reason, Hwaya¡¯s answer was a bit strange.


    ¡°Yeah... I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m extremely fine.¡±


    I turned around. Hwaya¡¯s cheeks were bright red like she was a volcano about to erupt.


    ¡°Are you really fine!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so fine I don¡¯t know what to do!¡±


    Hwaya shouted. She certainly didn¡¯t sound fine!


    ¡°I feel like I can kill him on my own!¡±


    ¡°Hwaya, calm down!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t die, Shin! I don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s eyes shone with a fearsome light. In that instant, a fiery ze shot up above the iing minions. They were mes of a truly colossal scale. Thinking about how Hwaya still had such firepower, a feeling of respect rose up within me.


    Hwaya spread her arms out and shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy right now and I¡¯m sure more happy things wille in the future! How can I die now!?¡±


    ¡°Hwaya, you...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s survive until the end, Shin! Until the end, crushing through all these bastards!¡±


    Perhaps unhappy that Hwaya got her spirit back, the king led his formless body towards us. Just this made my heart drop a beat. Great despair that I had ovee until now with hope for the future suddenly rose up in my head.


    A great fearid its gaze on us.


    [Come, Hero. Your body defeated the Beast King. Let¡¯s see if you can withstand in front of my fear!]


    The battle between us and the fear-ruling king had now begun.

 Chapter 291. The Last Member (8)

    Chapter 291. The Last Member (8)


    I bit my lips and drew Absolute Soul¡¯s power to the peak. Absolute Soul was the most important skill to prevent his fear from invading my consciousness, especially in this ce where the dungeon¡¯s power was restricted. Even a single mistake could lead to death.


    ¡°Do you have any information on him? Like his weakness?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the Fear King. He¡¯s adept at mental attacks, but his physical body is weak! To make up for it, his army has terrifying physical strength.¡±


    ¡°His physical body?¡±


    Since Gungnir and Sleipnir pierced through him seamlessly, Hwaya was most likely right. But since he was moving just fine after being hit by two of Odin¡¯s powers, I could deduce that he had high health even if his defense was low.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you noticed, Shin, but normal attacks can¡¯t hurt him at all.¡±


    ¡°Normal attacks?¡±


    ¡°Everything other than Evil Eyes or true names¡¯ powers.¡±


    I widened my eyes. If this was true...


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have used Trish.¡±


    Would elementals or Lightning God¡¯s power work? No, I doubt it. Hwaya said her mes didn¡¯t work. Of course, there were also ranks among elementals. There was one I had expectations of. Not to mention, I haven¡¯t used Overlord yet for this moment.


    Still, it was a troubling situation. Overlord had a time limit of just 5 minutes, so I had to kill him in that time. Overlord wasn¡¯t a power to initiate battle, but a power to end one.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it, Shin.¡±


    Hwaya smiled.


    ¡°My Evil Eyes work on him.¡±


    ¡°But Hwaya.¡±


    ¡°Shin, you just support me so I can focus all my attention on him. You can do it, right?¡±


    ¡°That much is easy... Will you be okay?¡±


    ¡°Shin, you defeated two kings by yourself. If I don¡¯t defeat even one, my Witch title would cry.¡±


    I wondered where her anxious self from a moment ago went. Now, she was full of energy. The wounds on her body was also disappearing one by one. I didn¡¯t know whether it was her Evil Eyes¡¯ power, or if she had a power I didn¡¯t know about.


    Or maybe, just like how I mastered Peruta Circuit and overcame my limit, she might have just ovee her limit.


    ¡°One of us has to handle those small fries anyways. It¡¯s perfect.¡±


    ¡°... Fine. I¡¯ll put them all to sleep ande help you. I have a n in mind too.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then... I¡¯m off!¡±


    With that, Hwaya immediately disappeared. She didn¡¯t disappear literally. It was just that she moved extremely fast. In just a breath¡¯s time, she was facing the Fear King and shouting gantly.


    ¡°You lump of tar, fight me again!¡±


    [You were almost finished just a moment ago. Now, you¡¯re surprisingly fine.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. When I knelt back then, it was to help propel myself forward!¡±


    mes shot up from Hwaya¡¯s body, burning fiercely like a pir connecting sky and earth. Good. It seemed Hwaya would be fine. In that case, I could focus on my role ¨C dealing with the army of fear filling up this world.


    [He is the Hero.]


    [A Hero aiming for a higher peak.]


    [Even he has darkness in his heart. I can see it.]


    ¡°You¡¯re too noisy!¡±


    I materialized Ruyue and Sharana. I could fly using Tria, but even if I couldn¡¯t, I learned to stay afloat effortlessly without using any other abilities when I mastered Peruta Circuit. So it was fine even if Sharana was separated from me.


    [Shin, what should I do?]


    [Master, just give yourmand!]


    ¡°Ruyue, you protect me. Sharana, you support Hwaya! Amplify her mes and protect her from other small fries!¡±


    [dly!]


    [Understood, Master!]


    Sharana immediately flew off to protect Hwaya, and Ruyue spun around me in her beastgirl form. Meanwhile, the Fear King¡¯s minions were endlessly spawning in the air.


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    These guys were the Fear King¡¯s clones. That¡¯s what my intuition was telling me. Although the Fear King¡¯s real subordinates might be hiding among them, most of them were giving off identital aura to the Fear King. In fact, the entire area we were in was...


    [Scared?]


    [Are you scared of my power?]


    [Despair and fall! This emotion of yours is a delectable ss of wine to us!]


    No matter where I looked, I could only see grotesque devils. Their words were provocative, like they could peer into my mind, and they were frantically trying to crack my mental defense.


    I raised my foot and took a step forward as if I was walking on ground. Ruyue sensibly created a scaffolding out of ice.


    ¡°Shut it, small fries. I¡¯ll only listen to ones that can survive my Evil Eyes.¡±


    [I¡¯m going to do it, Shin!]


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Ruyue curled her body like a cat, then stretched in a one big motion. In the sky, which carried a smoky smell of sulfur,rge translucent mirrors of ice began appearing.


    [A futile attempt.]


    [Mirrors only serve to reflect your ugliness.]


    [Mirrors can¡¯t stop fear.]


    ¡°You lot.¡±


    I raised my head and gazed at the sky. With a radiant golden light, my Evil Eyes reflected off the countless mirrors.


    ¡°You lot aren¡¯t reading my mind at all!¡±


    Reflected off the mirrors, the power of petrification spread through the countless mirrors and eventually covered the entire sky. However, looking at the reflection of Evil Eyes didn¡¯t cause petrification. Even in Greek mythology, Perseus had killed Medusa by seeing her through the reflection on his bronze shield.


    But my Evil Eyes were no longer ordinary Evil Eyes, and Ruyue¡¯s ice mirrors weren¡¯t ordinary mirrors.


    I poured a terrifying, a truly terrifying amount of mana into my Evil Eyes, and Ruyue¡¯s mirrors had the ability to preserve most of the Evil Eyes¡¯ power.


    As a result, facing a mirror was no different than facing me straight on, and there was only one path for those affected by my Evil Eyes.


    Seeing rocks hail down from the sky, I smirked.


    [What boundless mana.]


    [He¡¯s not human!]


    [He tricked us! This human is using the dungeon¡¯s power!]


    ¡°Ruyue, scatter more mirrors!¡±


    [Un!]


    This ce blocked the dungeon¡¯s power and made it hard for me to receive Sherafina¡¯s help. Compared to when I had the dungeon¡¯s power, I only had 60% of my mana. But if I quantified this amount, it was about 420,000 points, which was only 80,000 less than the maximum amount I had before I defeated the Beast King.


    I was constantly growing. When my mana pool increased, it didn¡¯t stagnate, but elerated instead. Not to mention, I had yet to turn all of the Beast King¡¯s mana to my own. My growth speed even frightened me sometimes, but I had no intention to stop myself. In fact, this wasn¡¯t enough.


    [Do you think that¡¯s enough to win over fear? You think destroying such meager amount would affect me in any way!? Unfortunate! I am evesting, always existing within hearts of humans! Do you not understand what it means to be immortal!? Do you not see what¡¯s awaiting you at the end of your futile struggles!?]


    The Fear King¡¯s gradually raised his voice. His body expanded like a sponge that absorbed water, and his minions continued to pop out endlessly. Just like he said, even if Hwaya charred him or I decimated his minions, he didn¡¯t seem toe close to dying.


    But that was what he wanted us to think. Unfortunately for him, Absolute Soul could see through his antics.


    ¡°Hwaya, he just has high vitality! It¡¯s neither evesting nor immortal!¡±


    ¡°I know...!¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s mes grew brighter and transformed white. Every time she moved, ck smoke exploded from the Fear King¡¯s giant body, and his indiscernible scream deafened my ears.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to fight like this!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t just standing around either. Ruyue continued to make more mirrors, as if topete with the Fear King¡¯s clones, and the power of my Evil Eyes continued to move from mirror to mirror. No matter how many of them assaulted me, it didn¡¯t matter. They couldn¡¯t provoke fear from me.


    ¡°In the end, you¡¯re also someone else¡¯s underling, right? Not to mention, you¡¯ll also die without knowing the truth! Three of your friends were already killed by us!¡±


    [I am different from them. I exist, yet I am in a realm you cannot grasp!]


    [The moment you peer into us, wee to live in your hearts!]


    ¡°When are you going to stop lying, you annoying mosquitos!¡±


    Countless clones turned to stone and rained down. I raised my spear and lightly shattered the rock falling above me.


    ¡°See, I can destroy you just fine!¡±


    [Let¡¯s see how long you¡¯llst!]


    ¡°How long I¡¯llst? That¡¯s what I want to ask you!¡±


    Sharana blew away the clones flying towards Hwaya. They were then exposed to my Evil Eyes¡¯ power through the mirrors, and they soon fell after being petrified.


    I shouted.


    ¡°Ruyue, freeze them all onto the ground! I¡¯ll give you 100,000 mana!¡±


    [That¡¯s more than enough!]


    I gave most of my remaining mana to Ruyue and drank a highest-grade mana potion I had on my belt. Unfortunately, mana potions weren¡¯t enough to rejuvenate my boundless mana pool. I had to rely on Peruta Circuit to do most of the hard work!


    I raised my spear enveloped by an enormous whirlpool. The moment Ruyue froze the fallen rocks to the ground, I drew Tria¡¯s power to the peak, used Divine Speed, and shot down towards the ground. Before I smashed into the ground, I struck my spear down and shouted at the top of my lungs.


    ¡°Gaia Buster!¡±


    [Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!]


    I grinned. This was the first time I made the Fear King scream with my power. As the petrified clones weren¡¯t dead until I thoroughly shattered them, I hadn¡¯t dealt much damage to the Fear King until now.


    But with Ruyue trapping the petrified clones to the ground and me using Gaia Buster, no clone could have survived. Since he lost so many clones at once, it was normal for their main body to scream!


    [You! Herooooooooo!]


    ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping you busy!¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s mes engulfed the Fear King¡¯s outstretched arm. Filling up this entire artificial world, Hwaya¡¯s mes danced and created a wave of mes.


    ¡°You think I just forgot about the humiliation I suffered from you? And when was I rejected? I wasn¡¯t! He said he¡¯d ept me!¡±


    I decided to pretend not to have heard what Hwaya said. Instead, I focused my attention towards the shattered pieces ofnd and made them shoot up into the sky.


    Countless clones still filled up the sky. The amount of mana he had even overwhelmed the Beast King and the Lava King. Together with his powerful mental attacks, there wouldn¡¯t be many he couldn¡¯t defeat. In fact, if I faced him before I obtained the Beast King¡¯s power, he might have had a chance. If I didn¡¯t have Absolute Soul, I might already be bowing down to him, and if I didn¡¯t arrive in time, Hwaya would be doing the same.


    But it was different now. I became a monster capable of wielding boundless mana consciously and instinctively, and Hwaya had seeded in taking a step forward. As a result, the Fear King simply stood no chance.


    ¡°You call this fear? Howughable.¡±


    I sneered.


    ¡°Break them all!¡±


    The heaven and earth seemed to shatter. Countless rocks and ice carrying ck lightning energy mixed together and shot across the sky, shattering the fragments of fear.


    [Kyaaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°It¡¯s too early to scream. I¡¯m already just getting started.¡±


    Seeing Gaia Buster tearing apart the Fear King¡¯s clones, I shed my eyes. The Beast King¡¯s remaining mana was roused awake feeling the movement of mana and attempted to go wild. I didn¡¯t squash it and epted it. Wild instincts, having beaten off a fair amount of rationality, made me more energetic than before.


    I raised my spear again. Now, I felt like I could do it. Within the next five minutes, I felt like Hwaya and I could kill him!


    ¡°This is what true fear is! Overlord!¡±

 Chapter 292. The Last Member (9)

    Chapter 292. The Last Member (9)


    Overlord increased in power the more health and mana I had as it multiplied my power rather than adding to it.


    Even now, the Beast King¡¯s mana was constantly melting into me. Overlord received this mana and amplified it, and the augmented mana dominated the mana I couldn¡¯t yet control and brought it into Peruta Circuit¡¯s flow.


    Peruta Circuit drew in the Enigma surrounding my mana and created a whirlpool. This whirlpool served as a shield that could defend against everything and a de that could cut everything.


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    I drew in a quick breath. I felt it every time I used Overlord. During this 5 minute period, I always tried to grasp its true nature. This was an unknown mana. Enigma, a power that rivaled divine power and Sherafina¡¯s power.


    Not even Sherafina could have created Overlord. Overlord was created from Skill Synthesis, which came from the artifact Loretta gave me, the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch. I always knew Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch was a powerful item, but I now knew it wasn¡¯t just a powerful item. No matter how I thought about it, it wasn¡¯t something one should get as a quest reward.


    As proof, the mana I wielded now...


    [Is that the source of your confidence?]


    [Truly mystical. It¡¯s too great a power for a mere human to wield.]


    [No matter how great the power is, in the end, its wielder is a human. That will be the reason for your defeat.]


    If anything, the Fear King really knew how to boast. Having a great power was no use if one¡¯s willpower was broken, but...


    ¡°Bluffs won¡¯t work on me!¡±


    The whirlpool intensified, growing bigger by the second. Whispers of the Fear King¡¯s clones were cut apart, and the ones falling to the ground from Gaia Buster¡¯s impact were drawn towards the whirlpool and torn apart. The amplified mana from Overlord was being poured into the whirlpool entirely. At the same time, the whirlpool continuously pulled in the mana forming this world. Enigma¡¯s mana kept increasing ceaselessly.


    [Kukuku, a human wants to devour my mana?]


    ¡°I said focus on me!¡±


    Hwaya shouted. Surprisingly, the mes surrounding her were starting to look transparent.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you even scratch him!¡±


    [Kuk!?]


    The Fear King flinched, shocked by Hwaya¡¯s mes. I immediately took action. Thanks to Gaia Buster and the huge whirlpool, the Fear King¡¯s numerous clones were incapable of doing anything. Now, it was the time to attack his main body.


    ¡°Elementals, it¡¯s time to party.¡±


    [Yay!]


    [Whoo, it was worth the wait!]


    [I¡¯m number 389,873 on the line. Take good care of me!]


    [Uu, today isn¡¯t the rollercoaster, right? Right?]


    [Why does he keeping?]


    I didn¡¯t approach him, simply standing in ce as I pulled my spear back. When the spear de grew and reached close to 70 meters, countless number of elementals jumped in. The whirlpool enveloping me naturally moved to the spear and started to spin fiercely.


    [Uoooooooo!]


    [Uaaaaaaaaa!]


    [This must be a soul cleansing!]


    Sorry, but that¡¯s not it.


    [Aah, I¡¯m transforming.]


    [This is Prince-nim¡¯s power, the power to evolve us!]


    [I feel like I got taller!]


    Enigma¡¯s mana transformed the elementals¡¯ appearance. Of course, I couldn¡¯t see them as my soul didn¡¯t match their wavelengths, but I could at least see that the light they were giving off were growing brighter as they spun around in the whirlpool of Enigma. Since their strength affected the strength of my skills, this was only beneficial for me.


    ¡°Hwaya, restrain him!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t n on stopping there!¡¯


    After Hwaya¡¯s confident shout, mes shooting out of her hands greedily devoured atmospheric mana while fiercely charging toward the Fear King. Twisted together like a chain, Hwaya¡¯s mes prated the Fear King and held him together. At that moment...


    [Good, humans. I will let you have a taste of this Fear King¡¯s power.]


    The fear King¡¯s body, which was being restrained by Hwaya¡¯s chain of mes, suddenly split in half like an omelet cut by a knife. From the endless void, a huge eye of fear opened.


    If his existence instilled fear into people and his clones brought this fear into reality, his single eye transformed a person¡¯s every bit of fear into a fear worse than death. In a way, it was like a venomous poison, making one take his own life. It evoked all negative experiences one faced throughout his life and engraved them into his mind. In fact, it even twisted and amplified these experiences. Once one rejected his own existence and refused tolerate it, the only thing left for him was death.


    I realized that his eye were a type of Evil Eyes.


    ¡°Elemental Tempest!¡±


    I shot my spear at it.


    [Uoooooo!]


    [Too fierce! Too exciting!]


    [Uweeeeeek!]


    It was truly a sight to behold. Countless number of elementals shone within the whirlpool of Enigma, making the sky resemble a gxy in a short time. Enigma also acquiesced its light to the elementals and focused solely on strengthening their powers. To be exact, I made it do so.


    The storm of elementals struck the Fear King¡¯s eyes.


    [KAAAAAAAAAAK!]


    A scream containing all fear and despair rang out. I waited for a moment with my spear still stretched out before changing it back to its original appearance. It was after I confirmed his eye being torn apart. I made a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Whew, that was dangerous.¡±


    I was almost devoured. Though Absolute Soul was defending against his mental attacks, his eye had erased Absolute Soul¡¯s existence for a moment. If I didn¡¯t have Evil Eyes of Petrification, I might not have been able to use Elemental Tempest.


    [KUOOOAAAA!]


    [How could a human...!?]


    ¡°Hwaya, are you okay!?¡±


    I immediately checked for Hwaya¡¯s safety. Since I was in such a state, I expected Hwaya to be worse. However, Hwaya wasn¡¯t listening to me.


    ¡°You, die! Die!¡±


    Transparent mes were burning all around her. I wondered how mes could be transparent, but since I was seeing them with my own eyes, I couldn¡¯t deny their existence. She shot transparent fireballs at the Fear King¡¯s single eye, which was untraceably torn apart by my Elemental Tempest. The Fear King shouted.


    [ept fear! ept the despair of reality that waits you! In the end, you will have to face them all!]


    His body, which had been of an indeterminate form, suddenly began to grow arms. These tentacle-like arms flew towards Hwaya and attempted to assault her. They carried tainted mana that seemed capable of instilling the same or even greater fear than looking into his eye. Hwaya scorched these arms and shouted fiercely.


    ¡°Shin, I¡¯m going to finish him! Protect me!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Rather than submitting on fear, Hwaya used it as fuel to her anger and increased the power of her mes. Her Evil Eyes were surely helping, but I was still surprised by her willpower. She seemed to be rivaling even me who had Absolute Soul. Well, it was likely that my skill was affecting her too...


    Looking at her mes, I was certain that she had taken a step into the same realm as Enigma. Perhaps, she mighte to freely wield Enigma quicker than me!


    ¡°I can¡¯t lose now, can I?¡¯


    I murmured silently and raised my spear. With just that movement, the subsided whirlpool rose up again. The whirlpool formed by pure mana began to spin fiercely with my will.


    The Five Kings were losers who had no choice but to be satisfied standing in equal positions. If I couldn¡¯t overwhelm them, how was I to fight the Demon Lord or the existence that these kings feared so much? How was I to put an end to this futilepetition?


    I needed my spear to be sharper. I needed it to have absolute power that could pierce through anything.


    ¡°... But I¡¯ll let Hwaya do it here.¡±


    Hwaya wanted this. I wasn¡¯t so immature as to steal her thunder.


    I gathered the huge spinning whirlpool into a single point at the tip of my spear. In the next moment, I lightly thrust my spear.


    ¡°Now, show me your true appearance!¡±


    [Ku, kuaaaaaa!]


    The Fear King¡¯s tentacles that wouldn¡¯t submit to Hwaya¡¯s mes disappeared without trace. Even the Fear King¡¯s body that didn¡¯t make contact with the whirlpool began to slowly disappear from the outside.


    ¡°Good, I could incorporate it a bit.¡±


    I was content knowing that I could mix a bit of the principle behind the strike I made a while ago. Perhaps, it was thanks to Enigma¡¯s help. But in the end, Enigma was also part of my strength. Once I could control all of these freely, I would have nothing to fear.


    [Foolish humans, you truly want to face me!? Kuaaaaaaak!]


    While my whirlpool annihted parts of the Fear King¡¯s body, a giant grotesque creature began to appear in the sky. If the emotion known as fear had a living form, this would be it - grotesque, deformed, and repulsive.


    But the Fear King, in the end, was a living creature! It wasn¡¯t an emotion that couldn¡¯t be erased!


    ¡°You¡¯re a fake. You can never be fear itself!¡±


    Hwaya shouted curtly and raised her hand. On her palm, an immense amount of mana began to coagte.


    ¡°Even if you are, I¡¯ll burn you up just fine!¡±


    She made a fist, then lightly opened it. Though I couldn¡¯t see anything, I knew this was the strongest attack Hwaya could make. The Fear King¡¯s body burned up from invisible mes. He seemed to have found out there was no going back, as he gave up trying to make us afraid and muttered in vain.


    [Ku, kuku... In the end, it turned out like he nned...! Transcendental, a new birth, and... Kuk, kukukuk!]


    ¡°Don¡¯t bber on about ominous things and die!¡±


    [This is what I can give you, a true fear...]


    With that, thest wisp of his existence burned out.


    We had defeated the Fear King.

 Chapter 293. The Last Member (10)

    Chapter 293. The Last Member (10)


    The moment the Fear King died, I flew next to Hwaya. But when I noticed what state she was in, I stopped. She was taking deep, slow breaths. Every time she breathed in, a vast amount of mana rushed into her. It was her mana that scorched the Fear King. No... To be precise, it was mana that once belonged to the Fear King, having its impurities removed by Hwaya¡¯s mes.


    ¡°Looks like Hwaya found her path.¡±


    Just like how I epted the Beast King¡¯s mana without the dungeon¡¯s help, Hwaya was epting the Fear King¡¯s mana as her own. I didn¡¯t want to bother her as she was going through this process, so I decided to just watch her from afar.


    In just five minutes, Hwaya sucked in all the mana and opened her eyes. When she realized I staring at her, she made an expression that seemed to say, ¡®oops.¡¯


    ¡°S-Sorry, Shin. I got too excited and took everything... C-Come here. I¡¯ll give you half.¡±


    She smiled and gestured me toe over. I knew what she nned to do, but I asked her out of politeness anyways.


    ¡°And how do you n on sharing it?¡±


    ¡°You already know. Uhuhu, uhuhuhu. Now, now,e here.¡±


    Hwaya pucked her lips like a duck and stretched her arms out towards me. I didn¡¯t even need to listen.


    ¡°You can take it all.¡±


    Hwaya shouted disappointedly at my cold reply.


    ¡°Why!? Come here and take you hard-earned share! Hurry!¡±


    ¡°I experienced the same thing when I killed the Beast King. I haven¡¯t even finished processing his mana yet.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Hearing what I said, Hwaya clicked her tongue noticeably. I grinned and spoke.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go out now. There¡¯s still one king left.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. We should.¡±


    Even as she said that, she stole nces at me as if it was a shame we had to leave so soon. Really, what am I going to do with her? I sighed and approached her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me any mana though, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Hwaya replied with a full smile. Since she looked cute, I decided to forgive her.


    Soon afterwards, when Hwaya and I came outside, we couldn¡¯t feel anyone¡¯s presence... except one. Kain was the only one remaining. He was sitting on empty air, and stood up when he saw us.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    ¡°You saw us?¡±


    ¡°Sleipnir was holding on.¡±


    Hwaya whispered in my ear.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the one who helped me enter the dungeon. He¡¯ll be Revival¡¯s newest member.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you really couldn¡¯t enter using normal methods.¡±


    Hwaya muttered with a bitter smile and asked me worriedly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you roped him in, Shin, but if the price you had to pay was helping his world...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it. Besides, I had to meet him eventually, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Mm... It feels like you¡¯re getting farther away.¡±


    Hwaya seemed to have felt uneasy as she carefully took my hand and held it tightly. I didn¡¯t stop her as it was a pleasant feeling anyways. On the other hand, Kain¡¯s eyebrows twitched.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite a man.¡±


    ¡°I am. So? Where is everyone?¡±


    ¡°A dungeon shattered and the one you call King appeared.¡±


    ¡°Now!?¡±


    I somewhat expected it when no one was here, but I was still shocked. Not only did they use the dungeon¡¯s power for themselves, they even broke the dungeon and appeared on Earth!? What shocked me the most was the timing when the dungeon shattered. It was almost like they knew what was happening elsewhere!


    I wiped the thought off my head for now. It was more important to go help my friends.


    ¡°Are you going now?¡±


    Kain asked me in a rxed voice. I could tell by his attitude that he wanted to maintain the distance between us for a little longer. I couldn¡¯t me him.


    ¡°Of course. I trust them, but you never what¡¯s going to happen.¡±


    ¡°I already did my job today, which was using Gungnir and Sleipnir. I won¡¯t help you any more than this.¡±


    ¡°I know... But you can¡¯t do the same tomorrow.¡±


    The promise between us was a mutual contract. I needed his help, and he also seemed to need mine. At my words, which carried this sentiment, Kain slowly nodded.


    ¡°Of course, I promise. Once today passes, I will join your guild and be a member of Revival.¡±


    ¡°Good. Hwaya, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Hwaya red at Kain unhappily, but she seemed to have decided to leave things to me as she shut her eyes and answered.


    ¡°Un.¡±


    The King of the Dead must have appeared in Vatican City. When I imagined countless undead breaking historical monument at the headquarter of the Catholic Church, I couldn¡¯t help but find it ironic. As I flew around the world previously, I set Return¡¯s transfer points here and there, and thankfully, Rome happened to be one of them.


    ¡°Return.¡±


    I closed my eyes and opened them back up. For a moment, I was worried I traveled to the wrong ce, but we were indeed in Rome. Rome was close to Vatican City, and because Yua once told me she wanted to visit Vatican City, I had remembered to set Rome as a transfer point.


    But the Rome I was looking at looked nothing like the Rome I knew. This ce had already be hell.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on...?¡±


    ¡°Shin, over there!¡±


    Hwaya seemed to have sensed something, as she pointed to the distance. I soon understood how she found out so quickly. A giant me dragon was flying in the sky.


    [KUAAAAAAAA!]


    The hell breaking out under us caught our feet, but my friends¡¯ lives had greater priority. We shot towards the direction of Laki¡¯s roar. As we flew, we could clearly see the Vatican Walls, which no longer stood as they once did.


    There wasn¡¯t even a single building left intact, and it was even harder to find any survivors. Even Rome was broken apart to such extent. It wouldn¡¯t make sense if Vatican City was fine.


    All we saw was grey smoke, dust, and undeads. The Death King had turned the entire city into death.


    ¡°Son!¡±


    ¡°Father!¡±


    Father, who was riding on Laki¡¯s back, shouted in rejoice when he saw us. He didn¡¯t look hurt, but his rough breathing made me worry.


    ¡°Did you save my daughter!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Aju... Father!¡±


    ¡°Good! Hurry, go help the other kids!¡±


    Other kids? I looked around in hurry. I couldn¡¯t see Daisy or anyone else. Considering how the Death King was also missing, it seemed they were fighting in a different ce. But then why did Daisy leave Laki here? Was she fine without Laki? A sense of uneasiness swept across my head, which I immediately shook off. Thankfully, Father appeased my worry.


    ¡°Daisy left Laki for us. She must be having a hard time so go help her!¡±


    There were countless monsters other than Laki in the air. Each of them were grotesque and unsightly. They looked simr to the Fear King¡¯s clones, but unlike the clones who received the Fear King¡¯s power, these monsters looked lifeless. They were all undead.


    ¡°Why did you split up?¡±


    ¡°When he appeared, he brought an enormous army. Just the power he had alone was terrifying! ... He¡¯s dangerous, probably the most dangerous out of the Five Kings. Daisy must have known that.¡±


    Father gritted his teeth and thrust his spear in front of him. Vibration energy converged onto a single point before shooting out in a straight line. Monsters flying near it, aiming for Laki¡¯s flesh, disappeared without leaving a single drop of blood.


    ¡°His power of death is contagious. It¡¯s a vicious curse that only the Elixir can cure! Don¡¯t underestimate him and get yourself hurt. Got it!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard more than enough!¡±


    Father wasn¡¯t the only one on Laki¡¯s back. Ye-Eun was also here, scrunching down and carrying two ck daggers. No, this wasn¡¯t Ye-Eun, but Duca.


    ¡°Hurry up and go help Hecate¡¯s disciple! The Lava King is enough to hold out here!¡±


    In the midst of Laki shing with countless monsters, I felt an ominous death energy from the distance. The moment Daisy realized how dangerous the Death King was, she must have left Laki behind to deal with his army while she left to fight him directly. When I was about to charge towards her direction, Hwaya spoke up.


    ¡°Shin, it looks like I¡¯ll have to stay and help Ina.¡±


    ¡°Ina? Shoot!¡±


    I only just realized. My daughter was standing alone on the ground dominated by death. The freezing energy shooting out from her hands were destroying the monsters approaching her.


    In terms of raw power, the monsters on ground were far more damaging than the monsters in the sky. This was because they had devoured all living beings and turned them into one of their own. To further strengthen themselves, they had even broken out of Vatican Walls and were trying to reach out towards other parts of Italy. Currently, Ina was stopping them all by herself. Though she possessed a boundless mana, she was still a child who was less than ten years old. But she was still facing so many undead by herself!


    To stop the destruction from spreading, to protect even one more life, Ina was standing her ground while dripping with sweat. Seeing her tragic fate, I bit my lips. It seemed Ina was the only thing Hwaya could think about, as she let go of my hand, shouting out as she flew off.


    ¡°Take care of Daisy, Shin!¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You take care of our daughter, Hwaya!¡±


    With that, we split up. I flew up, while Hwaya flew down.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Mommy¡¯s here, so don¡¯t worry!¡±


    Hearing their heartfelt shouts with my keen hearing, I smiled as I soared up. After breaking through the clouds, I felt chills from Daisy¡¯s power. Just how far did she bring the Death King!? Thankfully, I could feel the presence of death and the power of a god facing it!


    ¡°Daisy, Sumire!¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, here... Now, we won. Huhu.¡±


    ¡°You came, Shin-nim!¡±


    Seeing their unrelenting faith in my strength, I smiled bitterly. She had to be using a god¡¯s power, but she was still dripping with sweat. Controlling Laki and facing a king couldn¡¯t be that easy!


    On the other hand, Sumire who was protecting her looked unfamiliar. She wore a shining silver armor with a spear in one hand and the Aegis in the other. A full-body armament?


    ¡°I got stronger too, Shin-nim!¡±


    I was about to say something, but decided against it. Now wasn¡¯t the time to ask questions. All I needed to know was that Sumire had be more reliable. Not to mention...


    [The Hero is here. He came to defeat me. The Hero really defeated the others and came here. Haha, hahahaha!]


    An existence far more fearful than someone like the Fear King was looking straight into me.

 Chapter 294. The Last Member (11)

    Chapter 294. The Last Member (11)


    [The kings. You really erased them all? Hahahaha!]


    ¡°This guy¡¯s too punky.¡±


    He had a skeletal body. Was he a lich? The robe he was wearing was oozing with dreary aura, suggesting it was a peak grade artifact.


    ¡°That robe must cost a fortune.¡±


    [I really wanted to see you!]


    He abandoned the enemies he was fighting just a moment ago andpletely turned his attention towards me. Daisy and Sumire¡¯s seemingly devastating attacks poured down on him and shaved off his mana, but he was ignoring thempletely.


    I looked around. I couldn¡¯t see Licorice or Lotte.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Licorice?¡±


    ¡°Licorice and Lotte, both in Event Dungeon... Looking for his, life vessel.¡±


    A life vessel, I had heard about it before. A lich is said to store his life energy in a container, making him immortal unless the container was broken. A lich¡¯s body was real, yet unreal. As long as his life vessel was fine, a lich could always create a body for himself with atmospheric mana.


    Daisy must have brought him all the way here to get him as far away from his life vessel as possible.


    [Hahaha, it¡¯ll be hard to find! You should value your life. I made sure to hide it thoroughly!]


    ¡°You¡¯re different than the kings I¡¯ve met so far.¡±


    [Indeeeeeed! I¡¯m very different!]


    I was already starting to hate him.


    [Those guys are brainless! Not to mention, they¡¯re headstrong.]


    Before Sumire¡¯s spear stabbed him, the Death King swung the staff in his hand and created a barrier.


    [¡®Earth¡¯s Hero? I won¡¯t lose to someone only halfplete. If it¡¯s me, I can devour him and conquer Earth.¡¯ That¡¯s what those stupid kings were thinking even after finding out about the Lava King¡¯s death. This is the result! Of the four fools, that ray who escaped to Earth was probably the wisest. Though, he probably got killed by you anyways! Kahahaha!]


    With that, he raised his free hand into the sky. In his hand was a stick used to control puppets. There were stringsing out of the stick, but I couldn¡¯t tell what they were connected to.


    [And what I dislike the most is that everything is happening as he intended!]


    ¡°As he intended? You mean the one above your head?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it! That¡¯s an excellent way to put it! Yes, he¡¯s always above our heads!]


    Daisy seemed to mutter something and the energy he was releasing decreased significantly. Sumire stood in the sky, either with Daisy¡¯s help or with her armor¡¯s ability, and lowered her body. It looked like she was preparing to attack with ance, even though the spear in her hand wasn¡¯t for charging.


    The Death King, however, didn¡¯t pay attention to what they were doing.


    [You see, I hate this arrangement. I¡¯m the type who¡¯s not satisfied until everything is in my control. Having to take someone else¡¯s orders couldn¡¯t be more unpleasant!]


    ¡°Orders, huh.¡±


    [To him, us Five Kings were nothing but chess pieces. He must have thought he instigated us cleverly, but I could see through him. Our fate was already sealed ¡ª to be sacrifices!]


    ¡°Sacrifices? For what?¡±


    He raised his staff. It had a clear luster like it was made out of tinum. The crystal ball on its tip shone in a five-colored light.


    [Obviously, it¡¯s for you, Hero!]


    ¡°Sacrifices... for me...?¡±


    [Curious?]


    A twisted smile appeared on the lich¡¯s skull head. I asked.


    ¡°And why do you want to tell me these things?¡±


    [An excellent question! It¡¯s because I want to get rid of him! Hero, I assume you don¡¯t enjoy dancing on his palm either. Listen to me, and join me!]


    He swung his wooden stick around. I could see its strings stretching and rxing.


    [There¡¯s not much time left, Hero. I won¡¯t be able to avoid his eyes for much longer. So hear me out and tell me the answer.]


    ¡°Shin, don¡¯t listen to him.¡±


    Daisy interrupted him. Her eyes were shining in a scarlet light.


    ¡°He wants to use you.¡±


    [Isn¡¯t that obvious!? I will use the Hero, and the Hero will use me! This is a true trade... Ei, you¡¯re being annoying, little girl!]


    ¡°We won¡¯t just be annoying!¡±


    Sumire made a ringing shout, and immediately afterward, the staff the Death King pushed out randomly shed with Sumire¡¯s spear. Not only did his staff disappear without a trace, but the energy he was emitting was also cut down immensely. In exchange, Sumire had to fall back like she lost most of her armament.


    [You bitch, my staff!]


    ¡°Shin-nim, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you!¡±


    I slowly raised my spear in response to Sumire¡¯s shout, igniting chaos mes above it.


    To bepletely honest, I still had many questions I wanted to ask him. About the mastermind behind them and the meaning behind them being a sacrifice. I didn¡¯t have enough information to solve this puzzle on my own. Still, I decided to be content with where I was. It was clear he wanted to use me for his benefits. Furthermore...


    ¡°You, if all you wanted to do was talk to me, why did you turn Vatican City and Rome into and of death?¡±


    [I¡¯m the king of the dead. Everywhere I go must be filled with death. Hero, those that face death once are granted eternal life in exchange! Think about it! If I came alone, do you think anyone would have listened to me? No! You would have tried to kill me immediately!]


    Well, he was right.


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll need to beat you up before you can think properly.¡±[1. A little pun. The word for ¡°to be right/correct¡± is the same as the word for ¡°to be hit/struck/etc¡±.]


    [No, Hero. We still have something to talk about!]


    He pulled on the stick he held. It had to be an artifact of some sort! In the middle of charging towards him, I was forced to a stop.


    Even though nothing was tied to its strings just a moment ago, now, there was a peculiar doll resembling a devil dangling on it. The doll was about 3 meters tall, which seemed physically too big for the Death King¡¯s tiny stick to control.


    Rather than the doll, however, I was more concerned with what the doll was holding in its hands. It was a person.


    ¡°... Who¡¯s that?¡±


    [Good question. This is your parent! Your mother!]


    It felt like the world was turning white. I wanted to charge towards him, but I couldn¡¯t move. No matter how quick I was with Divine Speed, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to retrieve mother from that devil doll. So for now, I had to stay still.


    I clenched my teeth and caught my breath. Then, I asked calmly. So calmly that even I was surprised with myself.


    ¡°My mother is in the safest ce in this world. How could that be her?¡±


    Mother was always guarded by the subi, and knowing my importance, Guardian and Freedom Wing also assisted in protecting her. With Licorice always being by my side, I should know as soon as something happened to Mother...


    But Licorice wasn¡¯t here right now. She was in an isted space looking for a way to kill this lich.


    [Did you really think the monsters here were all I had? How could that be! Think about it, Hero. There are only two people I¡¯m afraid of in this world!]


    He put up two fingers with his hand.


    [One is him and the other is you! No one else can stop me. Right, not even this doll! Unlike a Hero, you were a bit foolish. If she was so important to you, you should have protected her better!]


    ¡°You killed them all...?¡±


    [Of course! I¡¯m facing the Hero who killed four of the Five Kings. I had to have some sort of an insurance n, don¡¯t you think?]


    I tried to message Licorice, but the Death King¡¯s mana filling up this area prevented me. But if he was telling the truth, Licorice had to be furious right now. There a lot of subi were in charge of protecting Mother, especially when we had something like this going on.


    [There¡¯s no need to be mad, Hero! Look, your mother is perfectly fine! Like I said before, I want your cooperation. I¡¯m just using this... tool, yes, a tool to make our talk go smoother!]


    He waved his wooden stick and the devil doll opened its mouth. That thing was undoubtedly an artifact rivaling or surpassing his staff. After all, it must have ughtered dozens of SS ranked subi.


    I closed my eyes. Was it a mistake to have all Revival members fight? If I left just a couple of them to protect Mother... No, that was stupid. How were we supposed to do anything if we had to split up our members to protect everyone¡¯s family? How were we supposed to fight against the monsters and demons invading Earth if we had to divert our attention so much?


    Until now, I believed monsters or demons couldn¡¯t do anything to my mother. I believed my mother waspletely safe.


    But I was wrong. Completely wrong. They might have been safe for a long time, but that didn¡¯t mean they would continue to be safe. I should have known that, but I let my guard down and got smacked in the back at the most critical moment.


    [Now, now, don¡¯t move. If you move even a little bit, this little stick will shake. When this stick shakes, the doll attached to it will also shake. When the doll shakes... Heh. So, Hero, are you ready to talk now?]


    Mother seemed to be sleeping. I didn¡¯t know whether she was originally sleeping or she was put to sleep, but after seeing Mother¡¯s face, I looked at Daisy and Sumire.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim.¡±


    [Let¡¯s form a n together! A n to give that guy a blow! Exciting, isn¡¯t it?]


    The Death King rambled on excitedly. His modus operandi was twisted. It wasn¡¯t what normal people coulde up with. Taking a hostage just to talk? To him, that was obvious. A fool like himughed at the other four kings, saying that they were defeated because they challenged me without knowing anything about me.


    Really, none of the Five Kings knew anything about me.


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s talk.¡±


    [Ooooh! Good, that¡¯s excellent, Hero! I knew you would understand!]


    His skull head cackled as heughed. At the same time, something in embrace twitched. Something that was alive, yet without a life. It moved in a way that no one else couldprehend, a way that only I could ept.


    [I am Dortu. Executing Master¡¯smand.]


    My fourth elemental thus made its move.

 Chapter 295. Coming Closer, Going Farther (1)

    Chapter 295. Coming Closer, Going Farther (1)


    The change was quick to happen. The devil doll controlled by the Death King suddenly slumped down as if its strings were cut. As a lich sensitive to mana, the Death King immediately noticed this change and shook his stick in wonder. But it was toote. The devil doll only made creaking noises in response.


    [Hm, it¡¯s not moving, even though this doll is like a clone of mine.]


    Of course, it didn¡¯t move. The devil doll should have turned metallic. Seeing as how it was making creaking noises, it was most likely struggling in its own way. Unfortunately, the Death King no longer had control of the devil doll.


    With the doll unable to move, it let go of Mother. Daisy¡¯s magic was quicker than the Death King, and I was even faster.


    [Oh my! Hero, you are quite fast!]


    The Death King put the devil doll away and used magic to secure Mother, but Daisy¡¯s magic countered his and I safely took Mother in my arms. But when I received her, I frowned.


    ¡°She¡¯s perfectly fine?¡±


    [Hahaha, as long as you promise to cooperate with me, she¡¯ll be fine! Now, if you know what situation you are in, we should have a nice conver...!?]


    The finger he was sticking out towards me turned silver.


    [I am Dortu. Pointing at Master is rude.]


    [Something¡¯s here.]


    He whispered. He immediately looked around, but he couldn¡¯t see Dortu. Naturally, someone who controlled undead couldn¡¯t perceive Dortu. Dortu wasn¡¯t born like any other elementals. It was possible that even elves couldn¡¯t perceive Dortu.


    [But this won¡¯t change anything. I made sure to put extra care into her, you see. I¡¯m the only one that can cure her.]


    There was nothing more foolish than putting in effort to control an unperceivable situation. At least in this aspect, the Death King seemed to be better than the other kings. Rather than looking for Dortu, he was threatening me, who controlled Dortu.


    [If you don¡¯t return her to me soon, my mana inside her will go... BOOM! I assume you won¡¯t like that.]


    Heughed mischievously.


    [Come on, Hero. Think about it. There¡¯s no need for us to fight. Aren¡¯t you curious about the things I know?]


    ¡°Question, do you only have one devil doll?]


    [Hahaha, you¡¯re asking if I took other hostages? A precious magical tool like this, even I only have one. So turn it back, Hero. Otherwise, your mother will be in a pickle.]


    He shook his wooden stick. As the strings danced, the devil doll creaked creepily.


    I didn¡¯t dare believe him easily, but he certainly only had one wooden stick, and even if he didn¡¯t, I just had to take care of him before he could do anything else. As such, I immediately took action.


    ¡°Dortu.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Assaulting the enemy.]


    In that instant, the lich¡¯s abdominal bones shattered. The metallicised devil doll had prated his stomach. It seemed he didn¡¯t expect me to steal control over his doll. His momentarypse in judgement had dealt him a huge blow.


    [Kuhuk!]


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re physically weakest out of all the kings.¡±


    Though I said it half-jokingly, the devil doll strengthened by Dortu¡¯s ability was probably strong enough to deal critical damage to even the Beast King. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean Dortu was always that powerful. It was just that the previous attack carried a world-shaking amount of mana.


    Dortu took the mana within the devil doll and attacked the Death King. This doll had the ability to hide its presence and was powerful enough to ughter dozens of subi. It could even instantlye back to the Death King while carrying Mother. Since such a doll was being used as a one-time assault weapon, its power was imaginable.


    The doll¡¯s attacks didn¡¯t just end with breaking the Death King¡¯s bones. As the doll slowly broke down, the Death King¡¯s lich body began to turn silver starting from his stomach. The silver color also spread from his previously metallised finger, spreading to his fingers joints, hand, wrist, and so on. It was as if the power of metal controlling the doll was devouring the lich.


    [You¡¯re mutating the body of a king!? What power is this!?]


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you ced your life force in a container? I¡¯m just changing one lifeless object to another. It¡¯s no different than transforming the devil doll into metal.¡±


    [Impossible!]


    That¡¯s what I also thought, but after taking 300,000 mana from me, Dortu made it possible. Perhaps, the elementalist skills I finally mastered was also helping.


    Seeing his body turning into a piece of metal, the Death King red at me and shouted.


    [Hero, I enjoy talking things out rather than resorting to force. But if you go any farther, I will blow up your mother. I am not kidding!]


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to now.¡±


    I also red back at him. Now that Dortu made his move, there was nothing the Death King could do. If I had to point out the reason for his loss, it would be that he was a lich, as Dortu didn¡¯t have the ability turn living beings into metal.


    [I¡¯m the king of the dead. Don¡¯t think you can win against me with something like this...!]


    From the unmetallised part of his body, his mana began to boil. The Death King gave up on trying to control the curse on Mother and concentrated all his mana into his body. But this was exactly what Dortu was waiting for. He greedily devoured the Death King¡¯s mana and sped up the metallisation process with it. Against Dortu, the Death King was nothing but prey.


    Not long afterwards, the Death King realized there was nothing he could do. Blood red light shone from his eye sockets as he roared.


    [You¡¯re the one who made this decision. Without me, you won¡¯t be able to resolve that curse. The moment I lose my body, the countdown will start, and in less than five minutes, your mother will lose her life. Not to mention, you won¡¯t be able to find my life vessel. When I return, you will have another decision to make. I won¡¯t be so nice next time around.]


    With that, he turned into a metallic doll. Daisy scrutinized his body and looked at me with her eyes shining.


    ¡°He¡¯s not, dead. Turning him into metal, can¡¯t kill him. I have to... kill him.¡±


    ¡°I know. You can finish him off. I hope Licorice and Lotte wille back soon with his life vessel.¡±


    ¡°But, Kang Shin¡¯s mother.¡±


    Hearing Daisy¡¯s worry-ridden voice, I smiled. Even now, the curse located in Mother¡¯s heart was beating threateningly, but I coincidentally learned how to deal with curses like this today. When, you ask?


    ¡°Sumire, take Mother!¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes! Eh? S-Shin-nim!?¡±


    After handing off Mother to Sumire, I used World Trickery. It would have been perfect if I could use Sky God¡¯s y, but I had already used it in my fight with the Beast King. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t absolutely necessary to have it for my n.


    The method I thought of was simple. Among the monsters I¡¯ve fought, there was one called the Superior Doppelganger. These monsters had the ability to get bigger or smaller. Thus, I transformed into a Superior Doppelganger and made myself undetectably tiny. Though it was a rather roundabout way, this way, I could still make myself tiny using World Trickery.


    After transforming, I flew into Mother¡¯s nostrils and continued through her esophagus. Though the Death King had said she had five minutes, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if there was even less time.


    As I flew towards Mother¡¯s heart, I suppressed the feeling of urgency and tried my best to stay calm. Thankfully, I had experienced something simr before and could easily find her heart. Immediately, I noticed a ck tumor-like curse growing on her beating heart. I held myself back from cursing aloud and reached my hand out towards it.


    ¡°Huu, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    I initiated Peruta Circuit.


    While maintaining a small enough size to not harm Mother, I sucked the curse in using Peruta Circuit¡¯s power. If I hadn¡¯t fought the Beast King, I would have never imagined being able to do this.


    ¡°Come and fight me!¡±


    The ck curse resisted fiercely, but it couldn¡¯t hold out against Peruta Circuit¡¯s pull. Soon, the curse reluctantly hopped off Mother¡¯s heart and charged towards me. In exchange for receiving it directly, I drew the curse into Peruta Circuit¡¯s spin. Naturally, it was safer to take it with my hand than my heart.


    ¡°Come,e!¡±


    With my mind focused entirely on Peruta Circuit, I began to drip with sweat. The curse felt acrid and stuffy, and it was constantly trying to devour me whole. But I concentrated my mana onto the hand I had reaching out. The mana whirlpool carrying the curse moved towards my hand and it began to turn ck. It seemed it was impossible to defend against itpletely.


    ¡°Just hold out a little longer...!¡±


    A few seconds afterwards, the curse staying in Mother¡¯s heart was pulled awaypletely, focusing on my hand, which had a much more appetizing mana.


    ¡°Done! ... I¡¯ll see you in a bit, Mother!¡±


    With a ck curse-filled pearl in hand, I quickly used Return. The transfer point, of course, was Rome, where Hwaya and I arrived before. It was still overflowing with zombies.


    [Guooooooooo!]


    ¡°Thank you for being here!¡±


    Almost like it was waiting for me, a zombie pushed its head towards me. I wanted to give him a big bear hug if possible, but I was in a rush. I touched him with my hand and shouted.


    ¡°Cadeceus!¡±


    Exactly 10 secondster, one zombie carrying a death curse exploded.

 Chapter 296. Coming Closer, Going Farther (2)

    Chapter 296. Coming Closer, Going Farther (2)


    ¡°Thank goodness.¡±


    Seeing the zombie explode into pieces, I sighed in relief. That curse was just too dangerous. If I didn¡¯t push it to something else using the ck snake¡¯s power, it might have been difficult to use other regeneration abilities.


    ¡°Daisy, Sumire... Ah, the messaging system doesn¡¯t work right now.¡±


    The Death King wasn¡¯t dead yet. His influence was still spread out across Vatican City and Rome. I had to destroy this life vessel thing as quickly as possible.


    Using Peruta Circuit, I began to fill up my drained mana. After blowing away a tiny wisp of the curse left on my hand and cleaning up some of the nearby zombies, I shot up into the sky.


    ¡°The monsters in the sky are... mostly taken care of.¡±


    I could still hear Laki¡¯s heartful roar. Laki was truly powerful, as he was still beaming with strength after dyeing the death-filled sky withva. It looked like I didn¡¯t need to worry about Father or Ye-Eun.


    I wanted to go help Hwaya and Ina... But it looked like this domain of death would only disappear once the Death King died. In that case, it was more efficient to join Licorice and Lotte to search for the life vessel. Daisy and Sumire would likely do the same.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The whirlpool shrouding my body alleviated the fatigue I suffered from the curse and continued battles. At the same time, it filled me up with a new power. Reinforced with the Beast King¡¯s mana, my body full of energy once again. It was a different feeling than when I used the dungeon¡¯s power. This powerpletely followed mymand and seemed to have its own will. I was in my peak condition.


    ¡°Dear Husband!¡±


    When I was flying towards the presence of Licorice and Lotte, Licorice found me first and headbutted into my embrace. I received her gently and patted her back with a bitter smile. Soon, Lotte who was in her wyvern form came next to me too.


    [I knew Hero was safe.]


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m happy you¡¯re safe too, Lotte.¡±


    [But... I failed.]


    Lotte who was happily greeting me slumped her tail. I had an idea what she meant. I gave Licorice, who was sniffing my neck, a smack on the head, and asked.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t find his life vessel?¡±


    ¡°Owie, that hurt... But no, we didn¡¯t. It¡¯s too hard. If I knew beforehand, I would have gone looking for it we killed him. Daisy said he had a magic that could forcefully sever the contract Lotte and I had with Dear Husband and told us to get back.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°But even without the contract, Dear Husband is the only one for me! She¡¯s so rude!¡±


    ¡°There might have been more to it than just having our contract severed. Regardless, it¡¯s good that nothing happened.¡±


    While necromancers couldmand arge number of undead, they also had numerous curses in their arsenal. Daisy probably knew what the Death King was capable of based on what she could do herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that Daisy was here.¡±


    What he had done to Vatican City didn¡¯t seem so simple. As a necromancer herself with knowledge in this field, Daisy had taken the appropriate action to minimize the damage.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot we have to talk about, but that¡¯ll have to wait until we finish up the Death King.¡±


    ¡°Un. He should be nearby, but I can¡¯t find him no matter what magic I use.¡±


    Even if his life force was contained in a separate container, it was impossible to move if the container was too far. Consequently, a lich had to hide his life vessel on himself or nearby. It was natural for a lich to be weaker the farther he was from his life vessel. The Death King I faced just now most likely couldn¡¯t show his full power. Otherwise, no matter how amazing Dortu¡¯s attack was, it would have been impossible to metallicize him that fast.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    A thought suddenly shed through my mind. To put this thought into action, I whispered.


    ¡°Dortu, you here?¡±


    [I am Dortu. Always by Master¡¯s side.]


    Dortu immediately replied. He talked sinctly without any fluff. A more important characteristic he had was being invisible. At first, I didn¡¯t even know Dortu was born. Only when I got a message asking if I wanted to form a contract with a new elemental did I realize the metal egg I carried around no longer existed. This had happened only a few days ago.


    Well, perhaps it was wrong to say he was invisible. Dortu had the ability to turn inanimate objects into metal and could infest all metals. At the moment, he was likely staying in my armor, spear, or even my earring or ne.


    ¡°Dortu, you said you could turn any inanimate object into metal, right?¡±


    [I am Dortu. Affirmative.]


    ¡°Then can you turn this entire area into metal?¡±


    [I am Dortu. Requires lots of mana.]


    I grinned and immediately activated Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo. Previously, using Dortu¡¯s power to metallicize the Death King took most of my mana. Even after some time had passed, I had only recovered to about 50%. But with that amount doubling instantly, I was once again overflowing with mana. Just in case, I gulped down a mana potion and ordered Dortu.


    ¡°You can take as much mana as you want. Dortu, go wild!¡±


    [I am Dortu. Executing Master¡¯s order.]


    Dortu¡¯s reply was rxed yet full of energy. Immediately afterward, the ground below me began to metallicize. The ck earth filled with an aura of death started to turn silver.


    ¡°Wow, he¡¯s amazing! But Dear Husband, what happens to the organisms living underground?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a liberal art major so I don¡¯t know.¡±


    I replied with a serious face. Presumably, organisms living underground would die as everything around them turned into metal, but since I wasn¡¯t sure, I didn¡¯t say anything. Meanwhile, the silver color spread farther and deeper.


    ¡°He sure buried it deep.¡±


    ¡°... Shiny.¡±


    Daisy and Sumire arrived. There was also a silver lich shining brightly.


    ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°I understand Kang Shin¡¯s feeling. But dead undead, good undead.¡±


    ¡°An undead is dead anyway...¡±


    I made a groaning noise but didn¡¯t say anything more. I knew Daisy was far more knowledgeable than me when it came to the undead. If she said it was safe, it was. But I couldn¡¯t see Mother, who Sumire should be protecting.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mother?¡±


    ¡°Yungoong-nim took her and left. Most of the monsters in the air were cleaned up, so Laki and Ye-Eun are enough to deal with the rest. Since there might be traces of the curse left on Shin-nim¡¯s mother, he took her to see Ludia-nim.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. It¡¯s not like having more people would help in finding the life vessel.¡±


    Daisy came up next to me.


    ¡°A life vessel is, a lump of life force. Impossible to metallicize. Good n.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but what if it isn¡¯t here? I can¡¯t do this that often you know.¡±


    Everywhere I looked was filled with silver light. By now, it stopped expanding outward and was digging deeper into the earth. Daisy stared down at the ground and soon nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Found it.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Missionplete.]


    Their voices ovepped. Immediately afterward, Daisy put her hand on the metal ground and closed her eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s a big resistance. Prepare to defend.¡±


    Sumire raised her shield and stepped forward in front of Licorice and me. Daisy then started to mumble words I couldn¡¯t understand, and the ground began to shine brightly.


    ¡°Reason he said we won¡¯t find it, I understand.¡±


    Daisy spoke calmly. The earth rumbled and the vibration spread out into the air.


    ¡°He made, thorough preparations. He divided, his life force.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a Horcrux... No, nevermind.¡±


    Soon, something resembling a grain of sand popped up above the metal ground. When Licorice reached her hand out, a rainbow-colored fog sucked it in and trapped it. Daisy nodded her head and continued her work. More and more grains of sand appeared above the ground and Licorice promptly retrieved them with her fog.


    Thanks to Licorice helping out with her powerful magic, their working speed slowly increased. The grains of sand flying around the rainbow fog resembled a starry sky. Seeing these brightly shining dots, Licorice gritted her teeth.


    ¡°Without Dear Husband, we wouldn¡¯t have made it in time.¡±


    ¡°Dortu, hax.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Not hax.]


    ¡°It¡¯s reacting! Get ready!¡±


    After collecting some portion of the life vessel, the metallicized ground began to turn ck. It was as if the Death King was making a final struggle, preventing us from taking more of his life force. However, Dortu wasn¡¯t cking off.


    [I am Dortu. I execute Master¡¯smand. I transform everything into metal.]


    Silver light began to cover the ground once again. Soon, the ground began to turn gold. I asked Dortu just in case.


    ¡°Is that pure gold?¡±


    [I am Dortu. Pure gold can¡¯t change. Once something changes to gold, even Dortu can¡¯t change it. Pure gold is the metal with highest mana resistance. It also has a high magical ability. It requires lots of mana.]


    So he didn¡¯t need to turn the ground into gold before, but he had to now to stomp the lich¡¯s final struggle. At this moment, I realized something. If I understood him correctly, as long as I gave Dortu mana, he could change even a simple stone into gold!


    ¡°Sorry Dear Husband, but if this elemental can really change stone into gold, he can¡¯t be ordinary.¡±


    Gold wasn¡¯t just valuable on Earth. Even in other worlds, it was at the apex of precious metals. It was also why the dungeon used gold as its currency. Although I had uncountably many gold in my inventory, there was a difference between having arge amount of gold and being able to make an infinite amount of gold.


    Just like Dortu said, gold was a magical metal. Although it couldn¡¯tpare to Lukadion, which made up the Luka continent¡¯s holysword, or the famous mithril, just the fact that gold was used a universal currency across countless worlds showed how valuable it was. Now, I could simply make gold through my elemental¡¯s power.


    Where did I get Dortu¡¯s egg from again? If I remember correctly, it was from Luka continent, during Syrmia Bamirtuno¡¯s funeral. She said she was from a world called Xenon. Were there more elementals like Dortu in that world? ... Impossible. If that were the case, the value of gold in the dungeon should have fallen when they connected with Xenon. In any case, it seemed I needed to visit this Xenon world one day.


    While I was thinking about all this, the ground hadpletely transformed into pure gold. Past a certain point, thend remained in its ck color of death, but within a certain radius of us, no speck of ck color could be seen. It was quite ironic considering that the Death King¡¯s life force was sleeping underground.


    ¡°There. This is the end!¡±


    Daisy raised her foot and stomped down. The metallic ground sunk in and rolled like a wave. From underneath her foot, something began to charge towards her.


    ¡°Just die obediently, give it to me.¡±


    When Daisy spread her arms open, silver light gathered on her hands. I instinctively knew that this was Hecate¡¯s power. Daisy had saved her power to thoroughly end the Death King¡¯s life.


    [KAAAAAAAAAAAAK!]


    A loud death throe shook the earth. The most tenacious and nerve-wrecking king was finally dying.


    The pieces of the life vessel trying to assault her burnt up under her silver light, and the same happened to the sparkly grains of sand in Licorice¡¯s rainbow fog. When Daisy cusped her hands together, the fog moved towards her hands and shone periodically.


    Some timeter, Daisy opened her hands. There was an octagonal translucent silver object floating inside. Daisy spoke contently.


    ¡°Remote controller. Meli¡¯s remote.¡±


    ¡°... Is that short for Metal Lich?¡±


    Daisy jumped in shock and looked away with a flushed face.


    ¡°Kang Shin, you know me too well... Do you like me, that much?¡±


    Silence descended. If Licorice didn¡¯t try to give Daisy a Hectopascal Kick, we would have all stayed frozen for a bit longer.


    Regardless, we managed to finish off thest remaining king.

 Chapter 297. Coming Closer, Going Farther (3)

    Chapter 297. Coming Closer, Going Farther (3)


    As grand scale as our battle was, its aftermath was just as grand. The Beast King and the Fear King could be quickly summarized as Revival defeating the gates that appeared above Bordeaux, but the same couldn¡¯t be done for the horrific deaths at the heart of a religion with the over 1.2 billion followers worldwide.


    The Death King had revealed himself above Vatican City and had killed almost all of its people. Although Revival marched straight to Vatican City after hearing about what happened, we couldn¡¯t preventrge number of casualties from urring. Vatican City itself didn¡¯t have too many citizens, but it was always booming with tourists and pilgrims.


    Thankfully, the Pope had survived just long enough for Revival toe to his aid. Although we didn¡¯t specifically strive to save him and had treated him like any other human, after all was said and done, he requested a one on one meeting to show his gratitude.


    But as we needed time to mourn the deaths of ourrades, we put his request aside. The Pope was the least of our priorities.


    Other than the members deployed to Vatican City, all other members undertook operations to clear monsters in Japan and China. Consequently, they didn¡¯t have to face the devil doll.


    If some of them were forced to fight the devil doll, I didn¡¯t know what would have happened. They might have saved Mother from being kidnapped, but it was just as likely that we would have to hold more funerals.


    After defeating the Death King and killing the remaining monsters in Vatican City, the death domain set up by the Death King finally disappeared. Only after this did the dungeon¡¯s functionalitye back fully. It was also at this time that Licorice found out about the deaths of the subi. They had even been cutting off the link among the subi!


    But perhaps this was for the best. Thirty eight subi had died this time. If they all died at the same time, Licorice, as theirmander, might have suffered from a severe mental damage.


    In fact, as soon as the link was reestablished, Licorice fainted without being able to say anything. If this had happened in the middle of fighting thousands of undeads, the oue wouldn¡¯t have been pretty.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about Licorice, but when the dungeon¡¯s functionality is shut down and we get separated, the subi¡¯s link is the only thing we can rely on tomunicate... Is it just the Death King that¡¯s special?¡±


    On our ne ride back to Korea, with the fainted Licorice in my arms, Hwaya muttered after examining Licorice¡¯s face worriedly. I shrugged my shoulders.


    ¡°If you think about it, the subi¡¯s link is based on mana before its being based on their racial trait. It¡¯s just that this is the first time it happened, but it¡¯s possible to hinder their connection with an overwhelming mana. It might happened more often from now.¡±


    ¡°... Huu. In that case, we might have to take the subi out of the frontline battle. Even if we deploy them, we¡¯ll only be putting their lives at risk.¡±


    What happened this time was unprecedented. I wasn¡¯t talking about the link between subi being cut. I was talking about an enemy they were incapable of defending against ambushing them. Not to mention, it was in a situation where all members of Revival had left.


    No one knew how many more battles we had to face, and considering they would only get harder, putting the subi on the frontline would be the same as abusing them.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, they already suffered so much. There are other ces where they can shine, so from now... Mm?¡±


    At that moment, Licorice opened her eyes. For some reason, something about her was off. The starry particles were gone from her pink eyes, and instead, there was a concentric circle in each of her pupils.


    ¡°Dear Husband, were you worried?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I still am.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve experienced a simr loss once before in Enesis.¡±


    Licorice touched her forehead as she replied calmly. The concentric circles in her pupils expanded and shrunk repeatedly, scaring me slightly. She calmly continued.


    ¡°Dear Husband, do you remember what I told you about subi¡¯s death? That they disappear like morning dew?¡±


    ¡°I remember.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but that was a lie. Subi are a subspecies of Mares, which also include vampires and incubi. When subi die, they don¡¯t return to nature. Instead, they give their mana to their kin. It¡¯s themonly said ¡®being together even after death,¡¯ the ultimate link one can share.¡±


    I didn¡¯t think it was amon saying, but I didn¡¯t say anything. Licorice continued.


    ¡°In the past, the Mare Alliance knew about this, and they proposed a n to kill all my subordinates to concentrate their power on me.¡±


    ¡°What...!?¡±


    ¡°Cruel, isn¡¯t it? Even if I get stronger with hundreds of deaths, the pain from it could have killed me.¡±


    ¡°But the fact that other subi are still here means...¡±


    Licorice nodded her head like it was obvious.


    ¡°I, of course, rejected them. But after that incident, the echelon of leaders and I always kept a shaky rtionship. What they considered important was different from what I considered important. So what if we could sessfully steal the world¡¯s power? It wouldn¡¯t have mattered if I didn¡¯t have anyone to share it with. Rather than winning using such a method, I would have rather died. That was also why I could easily ept the Dungeon Lord¡¯s offer. As a result of me prioritizing the survival of my kin, us subi were kept at a respectful distance from the rest of the attackers.¡±


    ¡°Then, your eyes...¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    Licorice nodded lightly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to carry out such a cruel n, but I also knew concentrating the subi¡¯s power rather than dividing the subi¡¯s power into 1/n would a better result. So the members of my kin agreed to offer their powers to their queen when they died. Even when six subi diedst time... and even now, I received their mana. It was just that it was a little dyed this time because of that lich.¡±


    She gritted her teeth. Her eyes were trembling.


    ¡°Too many died. Too many. I didn¡¯t want to get stronger like this...¡±


    Her eyes weren¡¯t the only thing that changed. The appearance of tail and wings changed ever so slightly and were carried a deeper ck color. Looking at it, I thought back to time we fought the Lava King. When the six subi died, Licorice had shown a sudden spike in power. That was likely because she received their mana.


    ¡°Sorry, Dear Husband. We can¡¯t send the subi to battle anymore. Earth¡¯s situation is too dire, and our enemies are too strong. As the subi¡¯s leader, this is my fault.¡±


    ¡°No, this is my fault. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, Licorice.¡±


    Licorice shook her head slowly. After thinking about something for a bit, she whispered in a soft voice.


    ¡°... I need some time. I¡¯ll have to select a crew.¡±


    ¡°Select? Licorice, the subi are¡ª¡±


    Licorice put her finger on my lips.


    ¡°We have to get stronger... Even if we have to weaken others.¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°Sending mana, you don¡¯t have to die to do it.¡±


    Licorice smiled. On her forehead, hermb-like horns changed direction and pointed outwards. It was as if a wild beast that had focused on defending itself resolved to attack.


    ¡°Sorry for telling you this sote, Dear Husband. I didn¡¯t want to take away my family¡¯s power. But I was acting spoiled. Only now realizing it... I¡¯m a failure as a queen.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already strong. You helped me a lot until now, and it¡¯s the same for the other subi. This incident was just...¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not enough. Dear Husband and Hwaya are much stronger than when we first met, but I stayed the same. The other subi haven¡¯t changed either. Plus... we have less than a year left.¡±


    Licorice¡¯s eyes shone. New starry particles appeared in the middle of the concentric circles in her eyes.


    ¡°Half a year is enough. I¡¯ll be strong enough to stand by Dear Husband¡¯s side.¡±


    As I understood her resolve, I didn¡¯t say anything. After a bit, Licorice smacked her lips and corrected herself.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably too hard, but I¡¯ll at least be as strong as Hwaya.¡±


    ¡°Why am I being singled out!?¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband already surpassed the limits of his species! I can¡¯t even imagine how strong he¡¯ll be in half a year!¡±


    Licorice¡¯s affirmation made me happy and a little bit sad. With thisplex emotion in mind, I patted the two of them. Even as she grumbled, Hwaya stoppedining at Licorice, and Licorice finally smiled.


    ... It was only after we arrived in Korea that we realized we left a golden road in Vatican City.


    I wanted to hold a grand funeral for the subi, but Licorice and the other subi wanted the same funeral asst time. I, of course, listened to their request. Elementals sang for the subi and Plene also joined in. Though not extravagant, I still believed it was one of the world¡¯s most beautiful funerals.


    After the funeral ended, with much contemtion, I decided to make Mother a dungeon explorer.


    The reason was simple. If someone aimed for Mother again, rather than investing many powerful ability users to protect her, it was much safer to just have her in the dungeon.


    Although we wouldn¡¯t be able to retrieve explorer appointment rights from her, it was a cheap price to pay to keep her safe. I didn¡¯t think they would deploy such a powerful enemy to kidnap Mother, but since she could be used to threaten me, the Hero, it was only logical.


    Increasing the number of explorers was the least of our worries. Rather than having a few more explorers, having Mother safe in the dungeon was much better as we wouldn¡¯t need to worry about her. If our enemies changed their modus operandi, it was only natural that we do the same.


    But since Mother¡¯sck of ability was one of the reason we didn¡¯t make her into an explorer sooner, we took this opportunity to appoint well-vetted Korean S ranker to climb the dungeon with Mother. Since Father taught Mother how to run away and gather mana, I believed she wouldn¡¯t be too big of a burden. Probably.


    After entering the dungeon anding out, Motherughed happily. It seemed she forgot all about being kidnapped by the devil doll. Indeed, it was better to forget traumatic experiences. I nned to never let her experience scary things again.


    ... Though, she¡¯d still have to look at monsters¡¯ faces while climbing the dungeon.


    ¡°Going in anding out, it¡¯s so simple. How mysterious. So, when can I visit my son¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°You have to reach level 21, Mother.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, you know, I¡¯m really good at games. When I young, I even hit the highest job advancement in Mapl***ory. 3rd was it?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that easy. If it was, I would have let Mother be an explorer much sooner. Also, I think that game even has 5th job advancements now...¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it came out with a 6th...


    Trantor¡¯s note:


    The game was actually Kingdom of the Winds, but I went with Maplestory since it pretty much fills the same role and more people know about it.

 Chapter 298. Coming Closer, Going Farther (4)

    After expanding the number of explorers, I thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to meet the Pope. He was one of the most influential and richest man on Earth, and although I wasn¡¯t the type to be swayed by authority, it wasn¡¯t polite to refuse the earnest request of a man respected by 1.2 billion individuals.


    When the story of Revival trying to defend Vatican City broke out, we received the absolute support and respect of all Catholic followers. Although we would have done the same no matter where the Death King appeared, considering all the things we had to do in the future, it wasn¡¯t a bad thing to have the support of people we needed to protect.


    If we could continue this good image by meeting with the Pope, we didn¡¯t need to give it a second thought.


    When I was getting changed to go to Vatican City, I heard a knock on the door.


    ¡°Hero-nim, do you have time?¡±


    As there was only one person that called me Hero-nim, I frowned slightly but still nodded.


    ¡°Come in, Ciara.¡±


    As soon as the words left my mouth, the door opened. I closed the buttons on my shirt and asked her.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t today¡¯s lesson end?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not rted to the lesson, Hero-nim. There¡¯s just something I wanted to ask.¡±


    I tilted my head. Ciara took a step closer.


    ¡°Hero-nim, is there a reason you didn¡¯t make me into a dungeon explorer?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s about that? Because I made Mother into an explorer this time?¡±


    ¡°Yes. For some reason, it¡¯s hard for me to read things rted to the dungeon. Even this time...!¡±


    Ciara bit her lips like she was anguished. The crosses in her eyes shone radiantly.


    ¡°My predictions were off. The reason I couldn¡¯t find out everything about Hero-nim was also because of the dungeon. So I was thinking, if I be an explorer, wouldn¡¯t I know more about the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°No... To be honest, I¡¯m a bit lonely.¡±


    I was surprised to hear her say she was lonely. Ciara stared at me fixedly and asked me again.


    ¡°I want to help Hero-nim even more. I¡¯ll put in the effort to grow my ability. Hero-nim, please let me be a dungeon explorer.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Hero-nim.¡±


    She had changed and she would likely continue to change. Still, I couldn¡¯t let her be a dungeon explorer, and this wasn¡¯t a problem with her.


    ¡°After opening your eyes, you came to see things rted to the dungeon, right? Your ability is still growing. You might have missed some things this time, but it won¡¯t be the same next time.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your ability is precious and unique. I don¡¯t want other irregrities to mix with your ability. Like I said before, our enemy hase far enough to use the dungeon¡¯s power as their own. You see what I mean, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, I understand.¡±


    It didn¡¯t look like she understood at all. But, knowing that she was still too young to actpletely logically, I lightly patted Ciara¡¯s head.


    ¡°Good girl. You¡¯ll always be with us from now, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much about this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hero-nim.¡±


    After patting her head onest time and noticing that her breathing has gotten slightly rough, I flicked her forehead and headed off to Vatican City. Really, there were too many people that I couldn¡¯t let my guard down around.


    The Pope greeted me in a surprisingly unceremonious appearance. After receiving his gratitude and eating lunch together, I politely rejected his offer to go together to a memorial ceremony for the deaths. With that, our meeting ended uneventfully.


    But it seemed this was where the real business started. When I was about to leave after saying my goodbye, a Vatican official that seemed to be fairly high ranked stopped me. Seeing as how he was wearing a zhetto, he seemed to be a priest, no, a bishop at the very least.


    ¡°My name is Simon. After Two Moon, the Vatican also created a new department to oversee monsters¡¯ movements. I¡¯m the one in charge.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t hold back Vatican¡¯s hero for too long. Though it may be impolite, I will go straight to the point.¡±


    He sat me down in his office and served me tea. It was extremely aromatic, but since I didn¡¯t know much about tea, I simply told him it was delicious after taking a sip. The official named Simon smiled as if he was relieved and spoke.


    ¡°That day, you turned part of Vatican City¡¯s road into gold.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    I forgot again! Seeing my face, he seemed to have realized what happened as he made a bitter smile.


    ¡°Are you... human?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think so.¡±


    ¡°Of course, creating such miracles couldn¡¯t be too easy... right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not easy at all.¡±


    I could imagine the panic if I said it was as easy as drink water, so I just nodded with a serious face. Simon made an even bigger sigh of relief.


    &#91;I am Dortu. With mana, I can turn anything into metal.&#93;


    Dortu seemed to be offended by my statement as he objected, but thankfully, Simon couldn¡¯t hear Dortu. He continued.


    ¡°It goes without saying, but the Vatican has no ns to im ownership over this gold. During the process of retrieving the bodies of victims, we made sure to prevent anyone from touching it. The Pope himself chimed in.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    No matter how logical this sounded, it wasn¡¯t easy to maintain nonchnce in front of a mass of gold. An entire road turned into gold. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if a war broke out over it. But no one had touched it so far? That took some serious discipline. This event made me realize the power of a religion.


    ¡°If you¡¯d like, we can help you collect it.¡±


    ¡°Mm... It¡¯s fine.¡±


    After thinking about it for a bit, I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll gift it to the Vatican. You must have suffered huge losses from this incident. Hopefully, the money from it can be used to restore even a small part of what was lost.¡±


    Simon dropped his mouth in astonishment and remained frozen for a moment.


    ¡°Do you know how much it is?¡±


    ¡°Is it a lot?¡±


    ¡°The width is one thing... but the depth is incredible. We expect it to be several tons at the very least.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was indeed more than I imagined. I immediately thought of price of gold falling, but of course, I was no economist. Simon fiddled with his hands, showing his nervousness, and soon sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s too much. This isn¡¯t something I can handle alone. Though it might be a bit annoying, can you wait here for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure.¡±


    As I often say, I¡¯ve never felt low on money since bing an explorer. Now that I had gotten to the point of making gold as I pleased, I would probably never experience such a feeling ever again. Of course, I knew better than to wantonly spread gold everywhere and mess up the world¡¯s economy.


    In any case, it seemed even the Vatican felt receiving such a huge sum of gold was a burden, as a rather incredulous event urred after the Pope joined in on their discussion.


    They gave the road the title ¡®Hero¡¯s Road¡¯ and decided tomemorate it. That is, they nned to leave the several tons of gold untouched.


    After hearing their decision, I immediately spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just take it. The gold.¡±


    ¡°We came up with this idea after much discussion! We can¡¯t have it any other way!¡¯


    Sion clung onto my legs as he cried. I red at him and asked.


    ¡°Can you even protect it if you leave it alone?¡±


    ¡°Of course. This is the Vatican!¡±


    ¡°What about the restoration effort?¡±


    ¡°The Vatican¡¯s wealth is enough to take care of it. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have made such a decision.¡±


    ¡°Which means you¡¯ll be fine even if I take the gold back.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say much. He just pleaded. Almost like he was praying to God, he cupped his hands and stared at me. I needed to report this guy to the Pope for heresy.


    ¡°Bute on, Hero¡¯s Road? Hero¡¯s Road!?¡±


    ¡°There was also a talk about canonizing you as a saint, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you did that, I might have to dere war on the Vatican and the Church.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we shut it down immediately.¡±


    Thinking about it, it wasn¡¯t such a terrible idea. It would renew the Church¡¯s image, and I would receive the appropriate honor. Of course, the Vatican would have to be able to protect Hero¡¯s Road, but as long as they could, Hero¡¯s Road would serve as a imperishable memorial tomemorate both the Vatican and me.


    At Cardinal Simon¡¯s earnest plea (right, he was a cardinal), I agreed to their Hero¡¯s Road n. As a result, any Catholic believer would, to my dismay,e to hear my name at least once. Saving the Vatican, creating several tons of gold, and leaving it all behind in the holynd of Catholicism. Even I thought it sounded like something from a legend.


    When Hwaya found out about it through the news, she burst out intoughter.


    ¡°Aah, my stomach! S-Shin is a saint!¡±


    ¡°I rejected that offer!¡±


    ¡°Ku, kukukuk, at least my mom would love it. She¡¯s a Catholic.¡±


    ¡°Agh!¡±


    ¡°What? Isn¡¯t it nice, being loved by your mother-inw!?¡±


    ¡°I swear, there will be a day when you¡¯re called a saint too. I¡¯llugh my heart out, be prepared.¡±


    In response, Hwaya burst out intoughter again.


    ¡°Pu, puhahaha! Yeah, we can be a saint couple together!¡±


    ¡°Eeeek...!¡±


    The next day, however, when the news of Revival members¡¯ achievement broke out, her words became reality. In a video in the middle of and filled with death, Hwaya was endlessly shooting out mes and burning up countless undeads. Several inte forums began to describe her as a saint purifying souls of the dead with sacred mes. This description then spread to the mass media, and people began to refer to her as a saint. Hwaya¡¯s face was frozen stiff.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°A saint d in sacred mes! Ow!¡±


    ¡°Uuuuk.¡±


    The Death King. He solidified the standing of Revival to an unprecedented level, but at the same time, he affected Revival¡¯s guild master and vice-guild master with unavoidable titles. As expected of the Death King, he was amazing even after death.

 Chapter 299. Coming Closer, Going Farther (5)

    With the urgent business taken care of, I could finally talk to Kain. He had returned to the dungeon when the fight at the Vatican City ended, and now he hade to Marianne¡¯s Garden after I requested him to. When I called him to the reception room and sat him down, he suddenly asked an unexpected question.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have too many women?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about other things.¡±


    ¡°You have Loretta, but you sure are greedy.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about other things.¡±


    Greedy... I couldn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t greedy, but this was the best for everyone! ... Still, saying that pricked my heart.


    Was it wrong to want to make everyone happy!? ... Well, maybe it was.


    Damn it! I can¡¯t evene to my own defense! I still hadn¡¯t gotten myself out of Korean mindset. Who could me me? I was Korean after all!


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ve experienced simr things. Still, it¡¯s your fault for being born this way. It shouldn¡¯t have been hard to reject them early on.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know things would turn out this way. Besides, I wasn¡¯t born like this!¡±


    I didn¡¯t invite him to ask for romantic advice, so I changed the topic.


    ¡°Did you make up your mind?¡±


    ¡°I was genuinely surprised. Compared to your enemies, you and your allies are shockingly strong. I was even doubting whether the dungeon set its mind to develop you all.¡±


    I grinned. If that¡¯s what it looked like, it was probably because Earth¡¯s power was distributed to select ability users when monsters first invaded Earth. Unlike in other worlds, these abilities let many of us grow stronger more quickly.


    That said, since mana cultivation methods weren¡¯t widespread on Earth, this couldn¡¯t be called a huge advantage. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t the work of the dungeon, but the work of someone else, who wielded Earth¡¯s power and gave it to us.


    ¡°We pretty much cleaned up most of the monsters¡¯ forces. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands of demons, or perhaps even more. We haven¡¯t even met the most important Demon Lord yet.¡±


    ¡°Demon Lord... I might have fought against demons in the past.¡±


    With that, he made a bitter smile.


    ¡°As you know, I don¡¯t really fear many things. Let us cooperate... For what lies beyond.¡±


    Before I noticed, Kain was holding two sses in his hand. For a moment, I thought he took them out from his inventory, but that wasn¡¯t it. It was a spatial magic. Using his magic power, he created an external space connected to him that allowed him to store and take out items. The inventory would be an evolved version of this magic.


    I knit my brows.


    ¡°Did you learn that from Loretta?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to get jealous. You¡¯re the one she loves now, and for me... she was just a kind shopkeeper noona and a teacher that taught me many things. That¡¯s it.¡±


    Shopkeeper noona. To be honest, hearing that from someone else made me feel strange. Not to mention, the look in his eyes and his manner of speech...


    I snorted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie. I didn¡¯te all the way here being a child.¡±


    ¡°... Regardless, she wasn¡¯t my lover.¡±


    He didn¡¯t deny my usation and evaded the topic. Then, he took out a bottle of liquor with an unknownbel.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need any more love. Revenge. That¡¯s enough. For that, I will cooperate with you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Thest bottle. It¡¯s from my world. Consider it honor.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This bottle had to have a special meaning for him. I took the ss from him without a word and let him pour the bottle¡¯s content in it. I then took the bottle from him and poured it into his ss. With that, we toasted.


    As I gulped down the liquor, an indescribably pungent smell of a strong liquor invaded my nose, and as if to appease this feeling of suffocation, a spicy sweetness spread down my throat. My chest felt heavy. Something seemed to fill up my insides and in an instant, it burst.


    I remained calm with my eyes closed and savored the shock this single ss of alcohol gave me. Soon, I opened my eyes narrowly and asked him.


    ¡°... Can a drink¡¯s alcohol content go over 100%?¡±


    ¡°What do you think? Don¡¯t be stupid and take another ss.¡±


    I felt relieved that Father and Walker wasn¡¯t here. Eventually, Kain and I emptied the bottle of liquor, and I went straight into the dungeon. If Father found out, I was afraid he would attack me.


    Monsters appearing in Beyond¡¯s 31st floor was none other than Subus Queens. Compared to the Subus Queen appearing as the First Dungeon¡¯s 65th Floor Master, Beyond¡¯s Subus Queens seemed to have higher charm on top of appearing by the hundreds. For ordinary men, this ce was worthy of the name Heaven. Though, of course, they would get chased out soon after having their vitality sucked out.


    For me, however, this ce was one of the easiest floors of Beyond.


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    ¡°How could this be!?¡±


    ¡°Aah, strength is leaving my body.¡±


    When the Subus Queens saw me, most of them used Sweet Nightmare and with my charm being absurdly high, they received the penalty for their skills failing and nked out. I simply had stabbed them with my spear and moved on.


    The purpose of Beyond¡¯s 31st floor was most likely learning how to attack the Subus Queens while dodging their Sweet Nightmare attacks. For me, none of this mattered. I swung my spear practically randomly as I charged towards the Subus Queens.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, but that man is well beyond our capabilities!¡±


    ¡°As expected of our first customer!¡±


    ¡°Curtain of Night!¡±


    ¡°Kiss of Death!¡±


    About half way through the 31s floor, the Subus Queens began attacking me with different methods. I knew from Licorice that Subus Queens were also skilled in normal magic. However, Licorice was special even among Subus Queens, and even though they were strengthened by Beyond, their magic wasn¡¯t capable of reaching me. Absolute Soul perfectly defend against any of their mental attacks, and their attribute magic could be easily blocked with Ruyue¡¯s power. Even in the worst case, I just had to use Sharana¡¯s power to strengthen my defense.


    ¡°Aah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not strong enough to fight him.¡±


    ¡°Even if we try to hold him back, we¡¯ll only be wasting our time.¡±


    ¡°I can feel his aura is simr to ours.¡±


    When I seemed close to breaking through the 31st floor, Subus Queens began to step back like they lost their spirit. It wasn¡¯t like they used Sweet Nightmare, so what was happening? Just when I was thinking that and tilting my head, one of them stepped forward towards me.


    ¡°By any chance, did you form a contract with another Subus Queen?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡±


    When was thest time I had a conversation in Beyond instead of fighting? Slightly taken aback, I replied obediently. To show that my guard wasn¡¯t down, I gripped my spear tightly and spun it in my hand. I then stared at her and asked my own question.


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Those of us called to Beyond arecking in purity, but most of our abilities and memories are remaining.¡±


    She smiled lightly. There were others who smiled at the same time as her, and I noticed that the Subus Queens looked simr. The Subus Queen in front of me seemed to have noticed my eyes shining, as she nodded her head.


    ¡°Right, they¡¯re all me. After all, how could there be so many Subus Queens in Enesis? To be precise, they¡¯re fakes created with mana and slightly altered souls. If you ask which one is real, we can¡¯t answer you because even we don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The price the losers had to pay was even more cruel than I thought. That said, I imagined it would be something like this. Even though I knew Enesis was the one that invaded Elesia, I couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with them. Of course, if they showed any sign of hostility, I was fully prepared to smash their heads with my spear.


    ¡°Thankfully, we¡¯re on a high floor, so we haven¡¯t regenerated yet and our thinly scattered soul is preserved. I think someone might have mentioned it before. You see, you¡¯re our first customer.¡±


    This was the first time I was officially notified that I had achieved the highest level anyone has ever climbed to in Beyond. Of course, as I didn¡¯t expect another explorer to have surpassed Kain, I wasn¡¯t too surprised.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cut to the chase. Does the Subus Queen you¡¯re contracted to have pink hair?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    A strange air flowed among the subi, but that was only for a moment. Soon, all subi nodded altogether and stepped back.


    ¡°Then as we thought, you can¡¯t be measured with our abilities. Go to the 35th floor. She¡¯ll be waiting for you there.¡±


    ¡°She?¡±


    ¡°The ruler of us all.¡±


    The Subus Queen sparkled her eyes and spoke.


    ¡°Lilith. The one you guys would call world¡¯s enemy.¡±


    I flinched. I was caught off guard in the most unexpected ce. I already had a skill called Lilith¡¯s Temptation. If I could meet her in Beyond¡¯s 35th floor and defeat her...


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell the incubi about it, so you can just pass through them. Though... some of them might not ept it and attack you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared at all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought you¡¯d say. You can go now, charming boy.¡±


    If it was the past me, I would have hunted down even the monsters that didn¡¯t resist. But now, I was different. Knowing that these guys were once Licorice¡¯srades and the tragic fate they had to endure, I didn¡¯t really feel like fighting. After talking to them, I didn¡¯t feel like it even more.


    Most importantly, I wasn¡¯t so rich in time to fight ones that didn¡¯t pick a fight with me. Not to mention, subi and incubi were monsters with extremely high attainment in charm rather than martial arts. I didn¡¯t think fighting them would let me surpass my limits in any way. That said, I was looking forward to meeting this Lilith on the 35th floor.


    Furthermore, it seemed there really were worlds¡¯ enemies waiting on the higher floors of the dungeon. At this point, I had a suspicion that the dungeon wasn¡¯t made for explorers to climb fully. It felt like unpassable floors were created just for the sake of having more floors.


    As I thought of these useless things, I bid my farewell and passed by the Subus Queens.


    ¡°By the way, can you do us a final favor and sleep with us just once¡ª¡±


    With one Subus Queens being knocked down and dragged away by the others, all monsters slowly disappeared from my sight.


    Then, the gate to the First Dungeon opened.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go again.¡±


    First Dungeon¡¯s 82nd floor. Waiting for me there should be an even stronger version of 81st floor¡¯s Crimson Hell.


    The peak of the dungeon, what once felt so out of touch, was now fully within my grasp. Day by day, I could feel myself getting closer to it. It wouldn¡¯t be long. Until I reached that ce and until they reached me.


    I stepped forward.

 Chapter 300. Coming Closer, Going Farther (6)

    Crimson Hell was strong enough to give me trouble even after I grew stronger through the Beast King. They appeared from anywhere in the dungeon floor and put in great efforts to try and assimte me.


    However, I already learned how to fight against them on the 81st floor. Using Death Knight¡¯s skill, Breath of Death, I created chaos mes wrapped in death energy. The moment they touched these mes, they were dyed grey, losing their mana and evaporating.


    ¡°I hate how they¡¯re so quiet.¡±


    They didn¡¯t make any slimy or watery sound. They simply popped out of nowhere, assaulting me. What annoyed me the most was that just being in this ce sucked mana out of me. Absolute Soul actively held its defense and protected my mind, but it couldn¡¯t stop thempletely. It was a true hell.


    [I am Dortu. Reinforcing Master¡¯s equipment.]


    At that moment, Dortu suddenly muttered.


    ¡°Reinforce?¡±


    [I am Dortu. Reinforcing all metals.]


    Immediately, Pure ck Desire shone with a faint light. Small symbols appeared on its surface along with tiny bumps. It was the same for Chaotic Spear. The spear became slightly longer and a red symbol was engraved above the spear de.


    ¡°Dortu, you...¡±


    [I am Dortu. I did well.]


    ¡°Yeah, you did.¡±


    It felt like he wanted me topliment him, so I did. I still didn¡¯t know how he strengthened my equipment, but I soon found out.


    First, Pure ck Desire¡¯s defense went up. Not only its physical defense, but also its magical defense and mana resistance. This meant that Crimson Hell was now stealing less of my mana. Wait, strengthening Pure ck Desire? Even though it was already a Legend grade item?


    [I am Dortu. Effect is temporary. Dortu can change it permanently by staying in it for a long time.]


    ¡°Dortu... You¡¯re the best.¡±


    Chaotic Spear, on the other hand, had its reinforcement focused around its aura. The amount of aura I could draw out using the same amount of mana doubled. Crimson Hell seemed surprised by my sudden change, as they backed off beforeing together into a giant wave. These damned cowards!


    [They¡¯re below us too, Master!]


    ¡°Sharana! We¡¯re going to break through!¡±


    Damn, why did I have to run through waves while climbing the dungeon!? With my spear held out front, I activated Wind King¡¯s Rage.


    ¡°Sharana!¡±


    [Yes, Master!]


    Just by having their names called, my elementals became happy and disyed greater power. Starting from the tip of my spear, a fierce whirlpool covering my entire body rose up. Sharana meticulously and borately strengthened this whirlpool, and mes the Chaotic Spear let out with an ominous light decorated the whirlpool.


    ¡°Uaaaaaaaaah!¡±


    I screamed at the top of my lungs and charged forward into the wave of Crimson Hell!


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so cocky when you¡¯re not even the real thing!¡±


    The wave rolled towards me. After shing with the ming whirlpool, most of it evaporated and fell apart as they were dyed grey. Although I could only see the fiercely spinning whirlpool in front of me, the sizzling sound of Crimson Hell put a wry smile on my face.


    ¡°If you suffered this much, you should know you aren¡¯t strong enough!¡±


    Of course, with their mass, it was hard to maintain this whirlpool. But if I stopped, I knew I would only get engulfed. As such, I tightly shut my mouth and charged forward quickly. Absolute Soul, Peruta Circuit, and Dortu and Sharana¡¯s power. This might be the first time I put this much concentration into manipting so many powers.


    [You cleared the First Dungeon¡¯s 82nd floor. You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond¡¯s 32nd floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    After running with Wind King¡¯s Rage for some incalcble amount of time, I stopped reflexively in response to a familiar message. As the whirlpool surround my body subsided, I could finally see around me once again. Some distance away was a staircase, and closer by was a ck shade, the gate leading to Beyond. There was also Loretta, who was staring at me with a surprised face from the Floor Shop¡¯s stall.


    ¡°Shin-nim, you changed your armor and weapon? Did you go see Lin?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s my elemental.¡±


    ¡°Elemental? ... An elemental that can transform a Legend grade weapon and armor? Mmm...¡±


    I didn¡¯t think too much of it, but it seemed Loretta thought differently. However, after looking like she was hesitating, she didn¡¯t say anything more about it. Instead, she smiled and changed the subject.


    ¡°Good work. Worlds¡¯ enemies aren¡¯t easy to deal with, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Come here, I¡¯ll give you a massage.¡±


    ¡°I feel like you¡¯ll massage me in inappropriate ces.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a wimp. Ehehe.¡±


    I felt like Loretta forgot all about running the Floor Shop, but seeing her face, I couldn¡¯t refuse her.


    ¡°Uhuhuhu, I prepared a mattress in case something like this ever happened.¡±


    ¡°If you touch me in weird ces, I¡¯m going straight to Beyond.¡±


    Contrary to Loretta¡¯s suspicious manner of speech, she really gave a genuine massage. When I lied down on the mattress with my armor and spear back to its bracelet and choker form, she got on top of me and pressed her thumbs down on my sore muscles. An ordinary person would have had his bones shattered, but I was now strong enough to withstand her strength. Every time she pressed her fingers down, a cool breeze seemed to flow into me. I even got these messages.


    [Your magic stat increases by 1.]


    [Your magic stat increases by 2.]


    [Your luck stat increases by 3.]


    [Your constitution stat increases by 2.]


    ¡°it¡¯s a special energy only the Elf Queen can use. I can¡¯t use it very often so you should enjoy it now. So? How is it? Refreshing, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm, my stats are increasing permanently... Isn¡¯t this abusable?¡±


    ¡°... Normally, this technique can only be used on an Elf Queen¡¯s spouse, so don¡¯t tell other elves.¡±


    I grinned and fully rxed my body for her massage. When I closed my eyes and untensed my body, Lorettaughed as she continued her massage.


    ¡°Heh... Yep, if it¡¯s Shin-nim... Huhu.¡±


    ¡°Did you say something?¡±


    ¡°I said I love Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Mm... I love Loretta too.¡±


    ¡°... Hiing, I didn¡¯t record it again.¡±


    Loretta frowned while she continued to massage me diligently. I alsoughed lightly.


    I knew that wasn¡¯t what Loretta initially said. I knew she was still hiding something from me, but I didn¡¯t ask.


    She was an Elf Queen that had lived for over 2000 years. She wasn¡¯t obligated to tell me everything she knew, and even if what she wasn¡¯t telling me was rted to me, I knew she had my best interest in mind. This level of trust was already fully ingrained between the two of us.


    A pleasant silence flowed, and soon, we moved on to a different topic.


    ¡°Did Kain properly enter Shin-nim¡¯s guild?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He decided to cooperate with me for amon goal.¡±


    ¡°Really, I thought I knew everything about Shin-nim... Before I noticed, Shin-nim has been finding out about things even I didn¡¯t know about, and Shin-nim can now easily do things that seemed so hard for me.¡±


    Her way of talking sounded like a mother proud of the children she raised. I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°No, I think having a secret or two can be more charming. I don¡¯t n on interrogating Shin-nim about it.¡±


    ¡°Loretta¡¯s charming too.¡±


    ¡°Uuu, meanie.¡±


    Loretta became quiet. I continued the story about Kain.


    ¡°I think Kain might have lingering feelings for Loretta.¡±


    ¡°I thought so. I¡¯m very pretty, you see.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    ¡°Wow!? What does that mean!?¡±


    ¡°It means I love you.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t trick me!¡±


    Loretta¡¯s acupressure got harder, but I simplyughed. If I hadn¡¯t obtained the Beast King¡¯s power, my bones would have broke undoubtedly.


    [Your charm stat increases by 3.]


    [Your luck stat increases by 3.]


    ¡°Ah, this is enough. Just how much power do you n on using?¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°We can do it again next time. I have to go now.¡±


    I got up and stretched. Her massage made me feel refreshed like the time I reformed my body. I lightly patted Loretta who seemed to want more and jumped into Beyond without even wearing my armor.


    Then, in just 30 minutes, I jumped out of the gate. Loretta, who was yawning at the Floor Shop, widened her eyes in surprise. After examining me from head to toe, she called my name with a dumbfounded voice.


    ¡°... Shin-nim?¡±


    I waved my hand at her and ran up the stairs.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you on the 83rd floor, Loretta!¡±


    ¡°... Eh? Shin-nim! Shin-nim! What was that!? You went into Beyond, right!? How are you going up to the 83rd floor? What¡¯s going on!?¡±


    Even after I fully stepped into the 83rd floor, I felt like I could hear Loretta¡¯s panicked shouts. I found it very interesting.


    From the 81st floor to the 85th floor, I could practically skip Beyond, so Crimson Hell was the only obstacle I had to deal with. Thankfully, Crimson Hell on the higher floors didn¡¯te with strange added effects. They were simply stronger in the amount of mana they sucked in and the amount they appeared in.


    I was increasing my skill proficiencies more by fighting the Crimson Hell than I was by training in Beyond. From what I felt, Absolute Soul seemed to be growing the most. It reached level 8 during my break through of the 83rd floor, and in the 84th floor which had a wider hallway and increased aggressiveness of Crimson Hell, Absolute Soul finally reached level 9. Even I couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°Huu... So it¡¯s not just my imagination. Peruta Circuit¡¯s efficiency is increasing too.¡±


    Absolute Soul aimed to achieve the perfect soul. Its ability to absorb mana was a natural effect resulting from the increased league of my soul, but after it reached level 9, not only did it steal mana from monsters, it also naturally absorbed mana from all things in the universe. When I used Peruta Circuit to absorb mana, its efficiency even multiplied severalfold.


    Moreover, I was getting more familiar with Dortu, who was born not too long ago, and I could now use his ability more efficiently. I also became more adept at using Peruta Circuit, which was tooplex to be described as ¡®mastered.¡¯


    ¡°Crimson Hell might be the fallen state of an lifeform that tried to reach for a higher league.¡±


    Perhaps, the pitiful creature might still be thinking it¡¯s reaching towards a whole soul.


    It wasn¡¯t just Crimson Hell. The worlds¡¯ enemies I¡¯ve met were all continually evolving. What was their ultimate goal? Was it perfecting themselves like Absolute Soul? But even a world¡¯s power couldn¡¯t...


    ¡°... Ugh, I almost thought of something again.¡±


    It was probably too abstract for me to answer definitely. For a moment, however, I felt my heart drop and beat loudly. My instincts seemed to be telling me that I was walking the right path. That if I continued, I would be able to run quicker than anyone else.


    But... Why? Why only me?


    I didn¡¯t know. I wasn¡¯t allowed to know the answer right now, so I could only go on. One day, when I arrive at the destination, I¡¯ll be able to know.


    I kicked open the giant door in front of me. It was there waiting for me.


    ¡°Fight me, Crimson Hell!¡±


    The 85th Floor Master battle was now beginning.

 Chapter 301. Lilith (1)

    Chapter 301. Lilith (1)


    [I¡¯ve been... waiting...]


    A heard a voice. It seemed to belong to a middle-aged man, but it also seemed to be that of an old man and a young boy. I shouted in surprise.


    ¡°You can talk...!?¡±


    [I¡¯ve been watching you... since the 81st floor...]


    He pretended to not hear me and continued his speech. I looked around in case anyone else was here but there wasn¡¯t. In the Floor Master battle room, there were only flowing droplets of blood, which came together in mass to form a wave of blood.


    [That person... seemed to have high expectations of you...]


    ¡°That person? Are you talking about the Dungeon Lord?¡±


    [In any case... it¡¯s great... If I kill you here... It¡¯ll do as a small revenge...]


    ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t n on dying here.¡±


    [That¡¯s... an interesting thought.]


    He smiled.


    [Dungeon... In this ce you call the dungeon... Do you know why you don¡¯t die even when you ¡°die¡±?]


    Like a predator eyeing its prey, waves of blood silently began to surround me.


    [Before you actually die... that person removes you to a safer ce.]


    ¡°That¡¯s what I heard too.¡±


    It was impossible to bring a dead person back to life. That was an ability in the domain of the gods. From my knowledge, only Caduceus was capable of doing so, and even Caduceus had strict requirements. Not even Sherafina should be able to bring so many explorers back to life.


    Not to mention, it was unlikely that Sherafina had as power simr to Hermes. The more I used Hermes¡¯ power, the more I felt that it was rare and special.


    [Simple... Before that person can save you, I will kill you and absorb you. That person won¡¯t be able to do anything...]


    ¡°...¡±


    Now that I thought about it, he wasn¡¯t wrong. The only reason the thought had never crossed my mind was that I had absolute trust in Sherafina. Until now, she had never made a mistake, almost like mistakes weren¡¯t allowed for her.


    [During these countless years... do you think... she never once made a mistake?]


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    After a short contemtion, I held up my spear and began to breathe.


    A breathing different than normal humans, it was a breathing of a Death Knight who was about to face an enemy. As I utilized death energy from 81st floor to the 85th floor, I had gotten used to Breath of Death.


    [Hey.]


    Hm? That was my voice.


    [Even if you talk nonsense to scare me, nothing will change.]


    [Huhu... Does it sound like nonsense?]


    Crimson Hell¡¯s voice sounded like thebined voice of despair of all human beings. I didn¡¯t mean to have a fight of voices, but my current voice was nothing to scoff at.


    [No, what I mean is, it doesn¡¯t matter whether your words are true or not.]


    Dark blue aura came out of my mouth. The corner of a wave approaching me became dyed grey and crumbled down. Crimson Hell let out a faint groan.


    [Until I conquer this dungeon, I don¡¯t n on having my vitality hit zero.]


    One death meant one week and, at the worst, one month. I didn¡¯t have even a single day to spare.


    [I see, your mind... is like an impregnable fortress.]


    [My body isn¡¯t so bad either. Though, you won¡¯t have the chance to experience it!]


    With that, I charged towards him. Chaos mes ignited above my spear and mixed with my death energy.


    [Using you as food... I will obtain a new power... The world¡¯s power inside you, I will obtain it!]


    I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d hear something like this in the dungeon, but as I said before, nothing he could say could scare me. Rather, I became more spirited.


    [Even if you obtain my power, nothing will change for you.]


    [...!]


    My spear shattered a wave. Not only that, but a portion of the wave became petrified after a clear sh in my eyes. Crimson Hell cried out in shock.


    [What!?]


    [If you¡¯re so weak as to be affected by my Evil Eyes, do you think you can overthrow the dungeon just by obtaining my power? If you do, then you¡¯re gravely mistaken.]


    [Evil Eyes...!]


    [When I first met you, I happened to think about why you lost without being able to steal the world¡¯s power.]


    Crimson Hell had an ever-increasing body and sucked in more mana than a mana eater. He was quite close to being invincible.


    Plus, with his body being in a liquid state, he could freely go wherever he wanted. Since he absorbed magical attacks and nullified physical attacks, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder how the Hero of the invaded world defeated him.


    Was the Hero a Death Knight? Impossible. Even if there was someone who could wield death energy like me, just one person wouldn¡¯t have been enough to deal with Crimson Hell.


    Then how? The answer was simple.


    [You¡¯re strong, but your league is extremely low inparison. What that means is you aren¡¯t a powerful enemy that only the Hero can contend against. Anyone could fight you. Right, you¡¯re a weakling that only relies on superiority in quantity. You didn¡¯t lose to the Hero, right? You must have lost to an army. Against an enemy that fought against your quantity with quantity.]


    [...!]


    I was probably correct. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t that he was weak. With his sheer size, I doubt the Hero alone would have been able to stop him. Still, he wasn¡¯t so strong that only the Hero could fight him.


    The fact that my Evil Eyes were working on him was proof.


    [You see, even though my Evil Eyes got stronger, they shouldn¡¯t be strong enough to petrify a world¡¯s enemy.]


    I smirked. My Evil Eyes currently carried death energy as well. Death aura could be wielded like any other mana. Naturally, it could be used to strengthen my Evil Eyes. This power really was all-powerful.


    Anyways, Evil Eyes with death aura¡¯s power magnificently petrified all blood in my sight. The reason I didn¡¯t use my Evil Eyes in the previous floors was precisely to not give Crimson Hell the time to prepare against me. Though, in truth, it was also because I didn¡¯t think Evil Eyes would work against a world¡¯s enemy.


    When I began to ponder about how he could have been defeated, I realized that his league wasn¡¯t that high. The rest was easy.


    [You... Evil Eyes... Evil Eyes of Petrification!]


    [Right. I also added death energy, so it¡¯s technically not a pure Evil Eyes of Petrification.]


    Crimson Hell wasn¡¯t a singr being. He was a colony. It was the only logical conclusion, seeing as how waves of blood swept away the dead parts of its ¡°body¡±. Only a colony could do such a thing.


    Mana eater, which also moved freely and shot out hundreds of tentacles, could be seen as a colony, but it was a clear singr being. The mana eater shared senses and shared mana. If a part of its body was severed, it felt pain and needed to use the mana it stole from me to restore itself.


    But this wasn¡¯t the case for Crimson Hell. It stole mana from me, but killing it made the mana disappear ore back to me. Although a wave of blood sometimes swept through and took the mana, that only solidified my theory that it was a colony. That said, I did think that there was a singr being that controlled the entire colony.


    [Like you said... I expand endlessly... The amount... This battle room can¡¯t possibly contain fully... Throughout these countless years, I restored myself... And this is the result... Pantiran¡¯s Hero, in order to kill me... sacrificed ten thousand mages and twenty thousand warriors... I wonder... Will you be able to defeat me alone?]


    [Who said I was alone?]


    A truly huge wave was rising up in the room. The 85th Floor Master room was bigger than any of the previous Floor Master rooms, but the wave that was rising up was big enough to fill up this entire room. Right, it was enough to drown an entire city.


    [Elementals... You have those trivial things.]


    [Sharana, Dortu.]


    [I¡¯m ready, Master.]


    [I am Dortu. Executing Master¡¯smands.]


    Immediately after Dortu replied, out of the near 700,000 mana I had, almost 300,000 mana disappeared. Then, countless metallic crystals became scattered in the air.


    [Elementals, they are formed from mana. But they are still lifeforms. Our clones... didn¡¯t have the power, but for us, the true body... they are nothing but food.]


    [Then try it. Let¡¯s see if you can devour Dortu.]


    I replied with a grin, and borrowing Sharana¡¯s power, I breathed out Breath of Death. A portion of the wave froze in ce, and while I bought time, the metallic crystals in the air transformed into mirrors.


    [Sharana, I¡¯ll leave it to you.]


    [Yes, Master!]


    Sharana answered as confidently as always. She was a wind elemental, but her ability wasn¡¯t limited to affecting wind. Like Ruyue¡¯s ice or Peika¡¯s lightning, Dortu¡¯s metal could also be strengthened by her ability.


    As Sharana¡¯s power spread through the mirrors, another 100,000 mana was drained from me. I put a mana potion in my mouth, but Breath of Death corroded the ss bottle and shattered it.


    [The power of Evil Eyes... It¡¯s being scattered!?]


    [Wrong. To be exact, it¡¯s being copied while holding onto the same strength.]


    I replied as I shed my two eyes. Small mirrors floated around me as if to guard me, receiving my Evil Eyes¡¯ power and shooting it out in all directions likeser beams. Crimson Hell that happened touched the beams turned to stone and died.


    [Need I say more? If I were you, I would attack me before it¡¯s toote and try to separate me from these mirrors.]


    I smiled provocatively and spun my spear in a circle. With that as the signal, the huge wave of blood swept towards me in full force.


    [I¡¯ll do as you wish!]


    [Yeah, let¡¯s see which of us runs out of mana first!]


    I kicked off the ground, petrifying more parts of Crimson Hell, and leaped up to the air. The metallic mirrors floating around me followed me, spinning around me in a circle. Just the rapid spinning of the mirrors seemed powerful enough to break apart most attacks.


    [Kuaaaaaaa! Be devoured by a wave of blood!]


    [Call me a Newtype from now, you loser!]


    Absolute Soul¡¯s overwhelming energy fiercelybatted Crimson Hell¡¯s attempts to steal my mana. At the same time, Peruta Circuit¡¯s whirlpool incorporated the mes of death and rose up to the sky!


    Breaking the wave apart with a single thrust of my spear, I spread the falling of the wave using the power of the Evil Eyes reflected off the mirrors. Then, I jumped again in the air.


    Unable to withstand the urge rising from the depths of my heart, I shouted out. In my hand was a spear wrapped in mes of death, around my body were countless metallic mirrors guarding me like GN shields!


    [Kang Shin, engaging the enemy!]

 Chapter 302. Lilith (2)

    Waves of blood descended towards me as if to overwrite my existence itself. Metallic mirrors spun rapidly, petrifying the waves, as I kicked the waves down to break them.


    Still, it didn¡¯t really matter how we shed. When I reached out with my spear and reflected my Evil Eyes¡¯ power with Dortu¡¯s mirrors, Crimson Hell turned to stone and broke. He also knew that he couldn¡¯t beat me in a direct confrontation, so from the moment we met, he¡¯s been endlessly using the one ability I¡¯ve been on guard the most against.


    It was the ability to steal mana from me. Even now, as I was constantly moving my body, Crimson Hell was doing its best to try to steal my mana.


    [Let¡¯s see... how long you¡¯llst. I¡¯m curious!]


    [That¡¯s what I want to say!]


    This was the first time I¡¯ve put so much focus into Absolute Soul. If I let my guard down even for a second, Crimson Hell would take control over the initiative. Once my mana started being stolen, it would be toote. When I fought the SSS+ rank Mana Eater in Panan continent, I didn¡¯t have Absolute Soul so I had no choice but to let it steal my mana. Now, however, I had a way to prevent my mana from being stolen, and I was gaining more insight into it as time went on.


    [How persistent...!]


    [Try harder, so I can get used to it more.]


    [You¡¯re saying... you¡¯re still growing? You... You dare to try to scare me!?]


    Did he think I was bluffing? Crimson Hell shouted in contempt and pushed towards me more vigorously. When I looked down from above, the colony of Crimson Hell was shooting up towards me like a tsunami and was extending invisible arms of depredation. With my eyes opened wide, I stabbed my spear into it.


    ¡°Dortu!¡±


    [I am Dortu. Spreading Master¡¯s power.]


    A grey ripple ran down the wave. Beyond the wave that turned to stone and shattered a beatte, Crimson Hell¡¯s invisible hands tenaciously reached towards me. I set up a hard wall in my mind. I released the power of my soul, which not only protected me but also naturally dominated external mana.


    After I first obtained Absolute Soul, I believed I was doing my best to hone it, but that was na?ve thinking. In this dire situation where the only thing keeping me alive was Absolute Soul, I was breaking through all sorts of limits.


    [...!]


    Deep within me, there was something other than Peruta Circuit and Hero¡¯s power that radiated a powerful light. It was the essence of my soul which not even the dungeon nor Sherafina could touch. I felt like this was the first time I wasing into contact with it.


    With an overflowing joy, the way to take the next step, the way to make Absolute Soul my own power flowed through me. Absolute Soul was a process to form the perfect soul. There was something that lightcked. Since I was staring right at it, it would be wrong if I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was.


    I was certain.


    Perhaps because I was staring at that eye-catching light for too long, Crimson Hell was taking a huge chunk of my mana. One hundred thousand, one hundred fifty thousand, two hundred thousand... Now, I only had 200,000 mana left.


    [Did you... give up?]


    [No way.]


    I finished observing the light. I already obtained what I needed.


    I opened my eyes widely and struck my spear down strongly. A whirlpool of ck mes cut through the wave of blood until it touched the ground hundreds of meters below. I had put all of my remaining mana in that attack.


    [Kuaaaaaaaa!]


    The huge blood tsunami split in half as the whirlpool of mes drove by, and a smile bloomed on my face. Blood poured down to the sides like a waterfall, and a de-like pir of blood shot up from the severed part once again.


    [Foolish... Such useless move...! Now, you¡¯re mine...!]


    [I don¡¯t think so.]


    I announced with a slight smile. Immediately, Crimson Hell¡¯s flying stream of greed was revealed clearly. What was previous invisible could now be seen. There was only one reason for it, that it was now under my control. Using the countless straws he ced in me to suck out my mana, I began to suck in his mana.


    [What...!?]


    [My mana, I¡¯ll be taking it back.]


    [You mastered Absolute Soul!]


    ¡®No, Sherafina, I haven¡¯t mastered it yet


    ¡¯ I murmured in a voice she couldn¡¯t hear. ¡®You must not know. Otherwise...¡¯


    I could clearly see it. Absolute Soul was just the foundation. It was the same for Overlord. These two skills born from the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch was nothing but apass pointing me in the right direction. Today, I finally realized it.


    [My mana... How...!?]


    [My league overwhelmed your entire colony. Simple, right?]


    I retorted bluntly. Was he unable to ept it? Or was he making a final struggle? Crimson Hell, which had used its mass to engulf me until now, changed its colony to hundreds of sharp tentacles which shot towards me.


    However, Dortu¡¯s mirrors didn¡¯t let a single one of them through. With Dortu¡¯s meticulous control, the light of my Evil Eyes, reflected by thousands of metallic mirrors, prated the tentacles and destroyed them. Crimson Hell finally screamed.


    [I, I refuse to die like this... I must take my revenge...!]


    [... Now that you mention it.]


    The Floor Masters until now used Sherafina¡¯s mana to regenerate after death. Regeneration was simr to revival, yetpletely different. If revivals perfectly retained one¡¯s soul, then regeneration simply returned one to his previous condition using mana. Coming back to life with regeneration resulted in apletely different soul than before.


    Could someone before and after regeneration be considered the same person? No. This was also why Licorice negotiated with Sherafina to obtain an Event Dungeon, and Sherafina must have epted Licorice¡¯s request because Licorice wasn¡¯t enthusiastic about the war. In truth, I thought it was entirely possible that Licorice cooperated with the defending side. I just never nned to talk to her about it.


    In any case, regeneration would still allow one toe back to life, but there had to be something that even Sherafina couldn¡¯t bring back to life. For example...


    I asked Sherafina.


    [Does the 85th Floor Master regenerate?]


    [No. As a result, once cleared, you cannot challenge the 85th Floor Master again. From now on, it will always be like that.]


    As I thought, it seemed not even Sherafina was capable of bringing a world¡¯s enemy back to life. A clone might be a different story, but it just wasn¡¯t possible for the true body. If a genius with the qualification to challenge Crimson Hell appeared in the future, Sherafina would have to prepare a different monster.


    [Secret... I¡¯ll tell you a secret...! So please, let me...]


    [No thanks.]


    I closed my eyes and increased the radiance of my soul¡¯s light. When I increased Peruta Circuit¡¯s speed and amplified my mana absorption rate, Crimson Hell¡¯s meek resistance disappearedpletely.


    [Kuaaaaaa!]


    That was his end. With a cry that could turn a good dream into a nightmare, Crimson Hell crumbled downpletely. The remaining waves of blood turned into grey stones and fell down to the ground like andslide. I smacked my lips. Contrary to my expectations, there wasn¡¯t much mana to steal from him. With my original amount being 700,000, adding the amount I gained from him probably only brought it up to 800,000.


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s good too.¡±


    I finally deactivated Breath of Death. As I used a huge amount of it while fighting Crimson Hell, I didn¡¯t have much of it left. Thinking that I should go around Earth cleaning up monsters, I opened my eyes. In the huge Floor Master room, I was the only one, hovering solitarily in the sky.


    Then, a fanfare I hadn¡¯t heard in a while tickled my ears.


    [You became level 86. You obtained 5 bonus stats.]


    [You obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond¡¯s 35th floor.]


    [You became tinum rank 6. You obtained the right to appoint a new explorer.]


    [You seeded in defeating Crimson Hell. No dungeon explorer would be capable of believing such feat. Having defeated a world¡¯s enemy fair and square in a direct confrontation, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call you the dungeon¡¯s strongest. You obtained 5 skill points as a reward. Current skill points: 29]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Crimson Hell Killer.¡¯ All stats increase by 5. The effect of the title will apply without having it equipped.]


    [You defeated Crimson Hell alone. You obtained Crimson Hell¡¯s Tattoo as a special reward.]


    [You obtained 1,000,000 gold.]


    [You received the unique reward left hidden for the First explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 10.]


    [Secret. Ultimate Avarice Magic Book]


    I simply smiled. I didn¡¯t think it mattered all that much anymore. Crimson Hell had fought me with all its power, and it was killed by me thoroughly. I nned to take all of its power, but Sherafina interfered and refined it to a more easy-to-learn form. That was the main reason the amount of mana I obtained was so small. That was how dungeon¡¯s rewards worked.


    Secret rewards, special rewards, and event rewards were good because they were unique or few in number. The Orc Lord I faced on the 5th floor must have fought a countless number of explorers and regenerate a countless number of times. So how much power could it have left? Sherafina must have used a huge portion of her power to copy the Orc Lord¡¯s power and stitch it together. The result must have been the Orc Lord Set and Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry.


    To limit their number, she provided those who defeated the Orc Lord alone with a part that contained more of the Orc Lord¡¯s power and gifted them Orc Lord¡¯s Warcry. By doing so, she had increased the value and league of the skill. This didn¡¯t change on higher floors. As the Floor Masters were copied less, the league increased, and when it came to secret rewards, they possessed power close to the original as they were unique. I only figure out something this simple after having broken through the 85th floor.


    And now, with Sherafina refining the reward using all of Crimson Hell¡¯s power, both the special reward and the secret reward were unique, and I ended up getting all of Crimson Hell¡¯s power with the help of Sherafina¡¯s power. Originally, rewards from the dungeon needed a long time to get used to the user. Even then, it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that the user could perfectly wield that power.


    ¡°But I¡¯m different now. Not to mention, I have Crimson Hell¡¯s mana...¡±


    I grinned and received Crimson Hell¡¯s Tattoo. I somewhat expected it, but Crimson Hell¡¯s Tattoo went on my fingers. When I was leisurely watchingplex symbols being engraved on my ten fingers, a message rang in my ear.


    [You obtained Crimson Hell¡¯s Tattoo! Your magic power increases by 20%! When attacking an enemy with a weapon in hand, you will be able to steal a portion of the enemy¡¯s mana.]


    [You have Crimson Hell¡¯s mana and can wield it freely. The Tattoo bes invigorated to its peak!]


    Now, Sherafina, tell me what I can do with a fully invigorated tattoo.


    Though, I already knew the answer.

 Chapter 303. Lilith (3)

    Chapter 303. Lilith (3)


    [Crimson Hell¡¯s Tattoo has been invigorated to its peak. You can steal a faint amount of mana from all opponents you are battling.]


    [Once per day, you canpletely nullify any magic applied to you and absorb its mana. However, the magic cannot be of EX rank.]


    Mm, it was pretty much what I thought. Rather than saying I expected it, it was exactly what I thought I could do with Crimson Hell¡¯s power. Next, I learned the secret reward, Ultimate Avarice. It felt like a huge fireball entered my body.


    ¡°Huu...!¡±


    This was what Crimson Hell left behind. I thought back to when I absorbed the Beast King¡¯s power and circted Peruta Circuit to calm my insides. Meanwhile, a message rang out.


    [You obtained the unique skill, Ultimate Avarice. This skill doubles the amount of mana you steal from others and helps you convert all hostile mana to your own.]


    If Crimson Hell¡¯s Tattoo had the ability of its mana, this skill was the essence of Crimson Hell as a world¡¯s enemy. Before the ability of its mana, the reason it could be a world¡¯s enemy, the innate ability it was born with. Although it took on the name of a skill, in reality, it was nothing but a violent lump of energy.


    Unlike the tattoo, this power was more difficult for me to control. Still, this was a skill, and Sherafina¡¯s power would help in controlling it even if I didn¡¯t reign it inpletely. But against enemies, whom the dungeon¡¯s power didn¡¯t work against, this skill would be useless. In that case, I wouldn¡¯t be able to call it my true power.


    I closed my eyes and focused on the energy that just entered my body. Then, I roused the power of Absolute Soul. Crimson Hell¡¯s power reacted to Absolute Soul and twitched. Soon, it began to move and point its thorns towards me. I nketed it with my soul, and it squirmed here and there before finally bing quiet.


    No matter how much it struggled, in the end, it was a power that lost and now belonged to me!


    There were no messages. That was to be expected. From the outside, it would seem as if nothing changed. But inside my body, I was using Peruta Circuit to make this power be one with the power of Crimson Hell¡¯s Tattoo. The difference between the powers being separate and one was the same as the difference between heaven and earth.


    ¡°Huu... Good.¡±


    Feeling the tattoo on my fingers trembling lightly, I let out a breath. When I retrieved my mana, the tattoo lost its light and disappeared, while the energies swirling around my body all found their own ce. Almost like they never rejected me, all energies sat quietly at rest.


    ¡°Alright, now there¡¯s one remaining problem...¡±


    After obtaining Ultimate Avarice and seeing its information, there was only one thing on my mind. Staring at its skill window, I racked my brain.


    Absolute Soul and Ultimate Avarice. They were both unique skills and skills that were engraved into my body rather than being stored in the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch. Not only did Ultimate Avarice perfectly support Absolute Soul¡¯s ability, but it also amplified by it by a terrifying amount. If these skills became one, the result could only be fearsome.


    ... Should I do it? If it seeds...


    ¡°... No, let¡¯s not.¡±


    They already showed fantastic symbiosis. Although I had never suffered a loss frombining skills, the risk was too big to bet on this precedent.


    In truth, I got the urge to just do it. Even if I lost Absolute Soul, I felt like I could recreate it on my own. Still, I waited. Using Skill Synthesis was inevitable, but it wouldn¡¯t be with Absolute Soul. I might change my mindter but now was at least not the time.


    ... A bit more. I just had to grow a bit more. The answer might be in this dungeon or perhaps the Demon Lord, who must be biting his nail waiting for the day he could cross over to Earth.


    When I came out to the Floor Shop, I met with Loretta who was waiting for me yearningly.


    ¡°Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Loretta. I¡¯ll talk to you after Ie back from Beyond. I feel like I¡¯ll lose my momentum if I stay and talk with Loretta.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving straight away? Meanie!¡±


    Loretta¡¯s smiling face changed like a cat that was doused with water, but I wanted to challenge Lilith when my strength was at its peak. If I stayed and talked with Loretta, I felt like I would lose all the tension in my body, so she was currently no different than poison to me.


    ¡°Uuu, it¡¯s great knowing that I have such a big effect of Shin-nim, but it¡¯s also a veryplicated feeling... I want to be with Shin-nim more.¡±


    ¡°And if you¡¯re with me?¡±


    ¡°Then I want to touch you! Ask me what I want to do next!¡±


    ¡°Never.¡±


    I retorted to y along with her just once, and Loretta didn¡¯t let me down. Dumbfounded, I asked.


    ¡°Are all elves that honest to their desires?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be off.¡±


    ¡°Hiing.¡±


    Leaving the tearful Loretta behind, I jumped into the gate. Although I didn¡¯t fight from Beyond¡¯s 31st floor to 34th floor, 35th floor would be different.


    Not only the Subus Queens, but the Incubus Kings also warned me. The one who led Enesis to invade Elesia, the world enemy.


    Lilith was waiting for me.


    The moment I entered Beyond 35th floor, I felt that the air was a bit sticky. After taking a big breath, I raised Peruta Circuit¡¯s speed. I also felt it while I was fighting the Crimson Hell, but worlds¡¯ enemies all seemed capable of creating their own personal domain.


    A domain that was suited to empowering them while weakening the enemy. I felt like I could do something simr once I reached the absolute peak of Peruta Circuit and Absolute Soul, but that wasn¡¯t possible currently.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even open the door yet.¡±


    Unlike the First Dungeon, Beyond didn¡¯t have any limitation on the number of elementals I could bring out. As such, I summoned all four elementals, infusing Ruyue into my armor, Sharana into my body, Peika into my spear, and Dortu...


    [I am Dortu. I will protect Master.]


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    I decided to leave it to him.


    [Are you ready?]


    I heard a voice, a truly captivating voice of a woman. I repeat. I still haven¡¯t opened the Floor Master room.


    [Elementals will be useless against my power.]


    I ignored her. I didn¡¯t believe that seduction was Lilith¡¯s only power. Just like Crimson Hell said on the 85th floor, if Lilith took my life quicker than Sherafina could act, I would actually die. There was nothing wrong with thoroughly preparing for whatever might happen.


    ¡°... Good.¡±


    I took another breath and surrounded myself in a whirlpool created by Peruta Circuit. The whirlpool¡¯s radius was just small enough to barely surround me, but that was enough. Absolute Soul was also in full effect. To protect myself against Lilith¡¯s strongest bewitchment, I had prepared my best.


    ¡°Thank you for waiting! I¡¯lle in as you wish!¡±


    Just like always, I kicked open the door and marched in.


    Inside... was avish pce. Filling up therge hall were jeweled d¨¦cor and golden sculptures. If not for the fact that they were made out of gold, I would have believed that these sculptures of beauties and good-looking men were alive.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but exim in wonder. Hearing my voice, someone snickered.


    [Huhu, you¡¯re really interesting. How did a kid like youe all the way up here?]


    I turned my head. From above, there was a swinging chair hanging by several chains dangling from the ceiling. Just like the pce hall, the chair was adorned luxuriously, and sitting on it was her, Lilith.


    ¡°Huu.¡±


    I subconsciously took a deep breath. It was to suppress the urge to run into her embrace, but it also served to swallow more of her mana permeating this area.


    Peruta Circuit slowed down and Absolute Soul¡¯s energy subsided slightly. At that moment, my ten fingers shone with a faint light and touched the energy that just came under my control.


    It was Crimson Hell¡¯s mana. This twisted lump of greed desired to make all mana into its own pool. Because of it, it was the sole existence that was unfazed by Lilith¡¯s charm.


    [Don¡¯t tell me you were already going to bow down?]


    If Crimson Hell were alive, it would have undoubtedlyughed and mocked me as such. I gritted my teeth and elerated Peruta Circuit once again. I thanked my fortune for defeating Crimson Hell before meeting Lilith.


    I stood tall and stared at her. Crimson Hell¡¯s violent mana filled my body through Peruta Circuit, relentlessly absorbing Lilith¡¯s sticky mana and making it its own.


    [Oh, you withstood it.]


    She sounded surprised. She didn¡¯t just sound surprised, she acted surprised too, widening her diamond-like eyes and putting her hands over her mouth. Each of her movements and each of her nces was purely lovable. It was almost as knowing how to be loved was in her instincts.


    [Not to mention, you looked at me straight in the eyes. Child, what do I look like to you?]


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a mirror?¡±


    I gritted my teeth as I replied. Even now, Lilith was naturally showering me with her charm. Terrifying. Truly terrifying. I could barely hold on even after I used Crimson Hell¡¯s power. I felt like I could finally understand why the skill I created using Skill Synthesis had the name ¡®Lilith¡¯ in it. In fact, I felt it wascking, unworthy to bear the name of Lilith.


    [Look around, does it look like there¡¯s a mirror? So tell me. Do you have any idea how long it¡¯s been since I saw my face?]


    I was supposed to be her enemy, but Lilith pestered me lovingly like I was her boyfriend. She even bowed with her hands cutely on top of each other. In front of her enemy!


    But even knowing that this was the golden opportunity, I couldn¡¯t move my body. Her charm did not allow an unhonorable ambush. I was certain that even the Demon Lord would be in the same situation in front of her.


    ¡°Your red-blonde hair is tangled, covering your forehead and cheeks. It¡¯s also flowing down over your chair like you¡¯re Rapunzel.¡±


    [Ah, right. My hair color was red!]


    Lilith pped her hands like she finally found out and raised her head shamelessly. She should have been able to figure out her hair color by herself.


    ¡°You have big irises and I see some ck patterns trapped in them. It looks like they¡¯re rted to the foundation of your charm. Overall, you have big and deep eyes that are misty. You won¡¯t get dry eyes, but they¡¯re unnaturally moist, so you should go see a doctor.¡±


    [Right, right. I was born like this. So, aren¡¯t my eyes beautiful?]


    Lilithughed teasingly, while she bent over and shoved her face closer towards me. The chair she was sitting on began to slowly swing up and down. Closer, farther, closer, farther. I felt an instinctive thirstiness. Every time Lilith went farther away, impatience rose from my heart and I struggled to suppress it. Work, Crimson Hell¡¯s Tattoo! Ultimate Avarice!


    ¡°Do I need to go on?¡±


    [Un! I want to hear more!]


    ¡°But I don¡¯t n to.¡±


    I held my spear and aimed it at her face. Otherwise, I felt like I would charge towards her and shower her with kisses. Thankfully, I had learned to move before it was toote.


    [Hurry up and tell me. How tall my nose is, how full my lips are, how much they sparkle, how my figure is, howrge my breasts are, what shape they are, how slender my waist is, and how wide my hips are. I want to listen to them all.]


    ¡°There¡¯s only one thing I can say.¡±


    The chaos mes I shot out from the tip of my spear shed past her due to her chair¡¯s reaction and hit the ceiling. The chains connecting the ceiling and the chair began to burn with chaos mes, turning soft and tender.


    I opened my mouth and announced to Lilith, who was looking at me with a shocked face.


    ¡°Fight me, Lilith.¡±

 Chapter 304. Lilith (4)

    [You... You can really withstand me.]


    I could immediately tell from her voice that she was stupefied. Looking at her, I grinned.


    ¡°Death Collection.¡±


    Immediately, ck mist was released from my body. Lilith was wearing a thin, see-through dress that even a nail, much less a cursed weapon, could tear, but she only watched the weapons pop out of the mist with great interest. Her moist lips slowly opened, and her sweet voice tickled my ears once again.


    [How can you point a weapon towards me?]


    ¡°Die!¡±


    [I am Dortu. Reinforcing all weapons.]


    Dortu infused his power into all the weaponsing out of the mist, and in the next instant, they flew towards Lilith faster than bullets. Truly numerous weapons cut through the air only to tear apart one frail woman!


    [You¡¯ll really stab me?]


    She shouted without thinking to dodge. I sneered. I could attack her. No matter how high her charm waspared to mine, with Absolute Soul and Peruta Circuit strengthening my resolve, she could do nothing against my sturdy willpower. No matter how much she pleaded, there was no way... no way...


    [Huhu, that¡¯s what I thought.]


    ¡°What... is this...?¡±


    I murmured dumbfoundedly. Anyone would do the same. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing with my eyes.


    [There, there. You¡¯re all too kind.]


    Death Collection¡¯s weapons, created through rage and resentment and existing only to kill their target, were stopping in the air one by one. A few of them even began to spin around Lilith as if to act as her guard.


    Unable to believe what was going on, I murmured.


    ¡°Did you... just charm inanimate objects?¡±


    [Huhu, smart. I really like you.]


    Lilith sent me an alluring smile. It was as it she had expected my reaction.


    [I am Dortu. Protecting Master.]


    Dortu sounded hurried. Immediately afterwards, most of the weapons that popped out of the mist turned the opposite way and began hurling towards me. Dortu gave up controlling them and began to control the few that remained unaffected by Lilith.


    ¡°Iiiik, I use this skill for the first time and I¡¯m the one it¡¯s attacking!? The hell?¡±


    [I am Dortu. Protecting Master¡¯s feelings.]


    Dortu¡¯s power was truly immeasurable. Without me doing anything, Dortu controlled his weapons to counter and destroy the attacking weapons. Once broken, the weapons turned to a tar-like liquid and disappeared into the mist. However, Dortu¡¯s weapons only protected me as they revolved around me. They didn¡¯t think to attack Lilith again.


    It seemed Lilith realized something as she watched the weapons¡¯ movements.


    [Oh, is that your power? Or... Could there be another elemental that I¡¯m not aware of?]


    ¡°How can you seduce inanimate objects?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but ask. I knew that now wasn¡¯t the time, but it was just too shocking. No matter how high her charm was, charm referred to the external influence one person had towards another. From one living being to another.


    But Lilith had seduced weapons, whose only purpose was to kill their enemy. I couldn¡¯t understand her power at all. Doing so would be equivalent to arguing that a line was a polygon.


    [Honey, do you know what my name means?]


    ¡°Your name?¡±


    On Earth, Lilith was the first wife of Adam, who rejected him and even God to enter a rtionship with a devil.


    Not only was this untrustworthy, but the story has also changed throughout the years. Now, Lilith was generally thought of as a high ranking female devil who was simr to a subus.


    Lilith spoke.


    [Huhu, Lilith refers to the most charming woman in the world.]


    ¡°That¡¯s in your world.¡±


    [Right, this is in my world. Lilith isn¡¯t a name, but a title. A title of honor, given to the most charming woman in the world.]


    She extended her hand towards me and smiled sweetly.


    [Out of the countless Mares in Enesis, I was the most beautiful and charming. Do you know what the word ¡°most¡± means amongst devils?]


    ¡°Does it look like I do?¡±


    [Huhu, you really are funny.]


    As I retorted curtly, I inwardly asked Dortu how many equipment he could protect from that damned woman¡¯s influence.


    Dortu replied.


    [I am Dortu. Between Master¡¯s spear and armor, one must be abandoned.]


    Immediately, I turned my armor back into a bracelet. When I suddenly became naked with only my underwear, Lilith¡¯s smile instantly became fuller.


    [Now this is nice to see. You changed your mind? Good,e here. We don¡¯t need to fight. We can do more exciting things. Put away your spear too. Huhu... You have an excellent weapon elsewhere.]


    ¡°Please, you should know why I took my armor off.¡±


    I snorted and drew Lightning God¡¯s power into Chaotic Spear. Peika hummed cheerfully and increased its power. The enriched power of lightning easily took form, crackling with fiery sparks.


    [Huhu. You say that, but in the end, you won¡¯t be able to escape my charm. I¡¯m Lilith. I have the power to seduce everything in the world. Everything... except a few women.]


    ¡°The Hero that defeated you...¡±


    [Right, the Hero was female. But even she was hesitant to kill me, and in the end, I was captured by Lord and ended up here.]


    ¡°What an idiot, that Hero.¡±


    [You¡¯re right, but she tried her best. Maybe the other warriors all gave their courage to her, because other than her, no one could do anything against me, especially male warriors.]


    Lilith began to snicker. She reached out her hand towards me and spoke.


    [Those guys who were so hell-bent on trying to kill me... When my hand touched them...]


    Her hand softly wafted through the air. It was as if she was stroking my face, an alluring motion that wanted to make me hers.


    [They happily gave their life for me. Aaah, they were so boring. Really, too boring.]


    ¡°But didn¡¯t they kill the subi and incubi under yourmand to their hearts¡¯ content?¡±


    [Huhu, that¡¯s because I had to wait a long time since the start of the invasion for the pathway to Elesia to be widened enough. But how did you know about... Oh, do you perhaps have a Subus Queen with you?]


    My heart dropped a beat. I didn¡¯t think she would see through me that much. But perhaps, this was a blessing in disguise. Lilith¡¯s expression turned ferocious. It was the first time I saw her with such a face since I met her.


    [You have that despicable brat with you, that pink-haired bitch. So that thing was right. While I lost and stayed trapped in here for countless years, she found herself a new master and went to another world! Hahahahaha!]


    Lilithughed out loud. Herughter was full of rage. Soon after she startedughing, she suddenly stopped and spoke as she stared at me.


    [Sweet child, stay with me. Cut off your contract with her. Stay with me here forever. No one can disturb us here.]


    She continued. Her eyes shone like jewels, seducing me.


    [I can give you everything other than freedom. Do you know the ecstasy a woman¡¯s body can give you? If you embrace me, no other woman will be able to satisfy you. Food? Here, I am no different than the Creation God. Anything you want to eat, anything you want to drink, I can make it all. Battle? World¡¯s enemy? None of that¡¯s important. I¡¯m being serious.]


    Her power, her fragrance became stronger. I couldn¡¯t believe she wasn¡¯t at her limit. The power of seduction I believed I warded off came back stronger than ever. There was no room for doubt. This was the real her, the real Lilith.


    [Nothing¡¯s more important than pleasure. Be with me. I can let you taste pleasure iparable to the girl you took in.]


    ¡°Here, forever with you...?¡±


    [Yes, with me for all eternity.]


    Her words made me quiver. She didn¡¯t possess absolute military force or unrelenting magic power. All she had was a terrifying charm. With this power of charm, she could seduce inanimate objects and create miracles.


    Absurd. Too absurd! Sherafina... Just what was she thinking, trapping her in Beyond¡¯s 35th floor!? She was on apletely different league than Crimson Hell. Crimson Hell could at resist me physically, but Lilith...


    [Critical Hit!]


    [Kyaaaaaaaaak!]


    A horrible shriek rang out in the pce. At the same time, the chains holding Lilith¡¯s chair finally broke off from chaos mes¡¯ continued ze, and the chair plummeted to the ground.


    Lilith screamed with her hands on her face as she helplessly fell to the ground with her chair. I immediately shot my spear towards her, but the chains on the chair surprisingly came together and blocked my spear.


    For mere chains, they were incredibly tough, stopping my follow up attack and preventing me from further injuring Lilith. In truth, this was also partly because I couldn¡¯t use my full strength as I was trouble moving my body.


    [How... How...!]


    Lilith staggered up. Her face was covered in blood. She was covering one side of her face with her hand, and I knew very well why.


    ¡°Crimson Hell could resist me physically...¡±


    I barely held up my body trembling from her charm and retrieved the spear I shot at her face. At the end of the spear de was her skewered eye.


    ¡°But you really only have charm. What a letdown.¡±


    I pulled out her eye and squeezed it. The jewel-like eye exploded, and the power within it began to flow into me.


    [You... How, you¡¯re a man! You¡¯re a man!]


    ¡°Mm, now that you¡¯re one-eyed, you¡¯re not half bad!¡±


    I smiled sweetly. Because I stole some of her power of charm, Lilith didn¡¯t look so fearsome and lovable anymore.


    In fact, looking at Lilith, whose magic power was leaking out in buckets, my fighting spirit was soaring. What a proper warrior should have was now standing tall.


    [If that¡¯s your wish, I¡¯ll kill you...! I¡¯ll kill you and erase that girl¡¯s existence too!]


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it at the start? Fight me.¡±


    I retorted lightly. When Lilith rolled her foot, her magic power spread out through the entire pce, and the dozens of golden statues that seemed to just be decorations began to move. Her god-like charm could even dominate inanimate objects. These golden statues were here to serve as her loyal soldiers.


    ¡°Great, now let¡¯s have some fun!¡±


    Wearing nothing but my underwear, I held my spear up and grinned confidently.


    Then, I charged forward.

 Chapter 305. Lilith (5)

    305 The Guardian of Blood, Challenging the Inheritance!


    Waves of non discernible power rolled off the gigantic bloody being as a wine colored robe went on to drape over its body, a humongously long spear appearing on its right hand, its bodying down and smashing into the ground and causing a quake. It spoke once more, this time being much clearer.


    "Are you prepared to stake your life to fight for the Inheritance of the Blood Progenitor, O...human?"


    A voice of majesty had begun with resoundingly powerful words, but they finished in a questioning tone as the peering gaze focused on Noah. A brief silence came to be before the giant being made of what now looked like shining crystallized blood straightened up and continued.


    "This inheritance is meant for the most powerful beings of the Vampyre Race, are you sure you are willing to stake your life on it, human?"


    Its rumbling voice echoed from all over the miles long coliseum as Noah shouted back without a pause.


    "I am willing!"


    It was a voice full of confidence for whatever this Inheritance would throw at him, this confidenceing from the fact that he was holding on to the Dagger of Time very closely and using [Insight], also ready to take any drastic action if it was required of him to do so.


    "...Good. The test to determine your worthiness will be as such."


    The giant waved his hands as a red light descended towards Noah, a red runic marking being iid on his forehead as a signal came off of his body and was sent towards the bloody giant.


    "The test will be a measure of your intellect, skill, and battle prowess as you face increasingly difficult opponents."


    At these words, one of many pools of blood in the extremely wide coliseum began trembling as figures began rising from it, Noah observing the shapes of exactly one hundred humanoid bats with razor sharp ws and teeth, with wide wings erupting from their backs.


    "Since you are at the Saint Realm, the first level will start with you battling 100 beings at the same rank."


    "..."


    Noah squinted his eyes at the 100 figures letting out power at the peak of the Saint Realm, turning his head towards the bloody giant in a questioning tone as these did not seem to be fair rules in any way for a being at the Saint Realm. The giant let out a slight cough as it continued.


    "Per Master''s wishes, if a being other than a Vampyre was to be let into the Inheritance Grounds, the difficulty would be increased by a factor of 10. Master was fair to all races, but he reserved the tremendous Inheritance in these Grounds to be received by the future progeny of his children. Him even allowing the possibility of other races to fight for the inheritance is a show of his great character."


    Noah shook his head at the praise of this unknown Ancestor that set up these Inheritance Grounds, his thoughts being affirmed as no normal Saint Realm being would be given the task of fighting 100 beings of the same rank as them, no matter how great their power was. This meant that the first level of this Inheritance normally required a Vampyre to battle only 10 other beings of the same rank!


    Noah still had a few questions as he looked towards the bloody giant and asked.


    "How many levels are there, and what are the techniques awarded for passing them?"


    When he discussed with the Vampyre King prior to entering the bloody portal that led to this Ancient Blood World, he was told that the techniques he was seeking would be found in the Inheritance located here, and that it would be up to his strength exactly how many techniques he would be able to get his hands on!


    The giant made of blood turned his head to the side at the calm expression of this human about to face a powerful force of 100 beings at the same rank as it replied.


    "There are six levels in total, with very few being able to pass even the third level in thest 1000 years. For a human such as you, the reward of passing the first level is gaining the bloodline of a normal Vampyre, with the techniques that go along with it. Passing the second level grants you the bloodline of an Elite Vampyre. Passing the Third level will give you the refined bloodline of a Pureblood Vampyre, along with the powerful techniques thate with it."


    Noah''s eyes shone at the mention of these rewards, hearing the talk of Bloodlines and techniques that made him itching to get started, even if the task ahead of him seemed improbable for any other beings toplete. The major thought that upied his brain right now was that if the Bloodline of a Pureblood Vampyres was the reward for the third level of this inheritance, just what tremendous rewards were waiting at the fourth, fifth, or even the spectacr 6th level?


    These thoughts propelled him forward as he yelled out.


    "Good, let''s start!"


    The huge giant that this Inheritance Ground knew as the Guardian of Blood looked closely at this human as the huge weapon it was holding in one hand raised before smashing towards the ground, acting as the initiation of the battle and letting loose 100 Saint Realm Blood Beasts towards Noah.


    RUMBLE!


    The force was astonishing to say the least, with the auras of these Blood Beasts actually roaring at the peak of the Saint Realm as they spread out and began surrounding Noah.


    He let out a dazzling smile at the rushing of these monsters, multiple defensive skillsyering his body as he wanted to test out the skills he held that were extremely powerful, but he didn''t use too frequently as he continued to get more and more ridiculous skills. Spears, swords, and many other forms of weapons made up of blood began to be thrown in his direction from the encircled force of 100 Blood Beasts as he dodged them with ease.


    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!


    They struck the areas behind him as the tremendous speed provided by [Child of Space] and other speed enhancing abilities made the enemies rushing towards him feel like they were in slow motion. SCREECH!


    Ufortable screeches were let out by the Blood Beasts as none of their attacks hit, choosing to go in with brute force as they rushed towards Noah with outstretched ws. Noah stood in ce as his smile only became wider, waiting for more of these monsters to get close to him as he weaved in and out of their attacks. The moment he observed that the 100 monsters were all in a circr formation around him, he finally cast a skill as he used [Gluttony Manifestation], a subset ability of the enhanced Sin of Gluttony after the creation of the <<Absolute Sin>>.


    [Gluttony Manifestation]:: The user can apply the effect of [Devouring] anywhere within 5 meters of them, there''s no need to actively eat them.


    VOOM!


    Complete darkness erupted from him in a circr formation as it covered more than 20 Blood Beasts, the darkness being recalled a second after as the area it was just in was left eerily empty!


    ".."


    The Guardian of Blood watched with surprised eyes as more than 20 Beasts at the Saint Realm were gone in an instant! FLASH!


    Noah wasn''t done as he teleported in and out of the mass of Blood Beasts around him, covering an area of 5 meters each time to maximize the range of [Gluttony Manifestation] as he repeatedly cast the skill 4 more times.


    Quick.


    Fast.


    Easy.


    Noah came to a stop in the air as he saw half cut up bodies, legs or wings that were outside of the range of [Gluttony Manifestation] fall to the ground, not a single Blood Beast remaining around him as he stood victoriously in the bloody skies!


    The only thoughts passing through Noah''s mind was the reminder of the extreme usefulness of many of his unused skills as the Guardian of Blood looked forth with a face of stupor.


    The next chapter title still in the works, see you guys tomorrow!


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 Chapter 306. Lilith (6)

    ¡°Peika!¡±


    [Nom, nom.]


    ¡°Nom, nom!?¡±


    The light filling up the pce disappearedpletely. Something exploded in Peika¡¯s mouth, and crimson blood dripped down from Peika¡¯s mouth. Flustered, I stared nkly at Peika. Meanwhile, the pce changed significantly. Lilith¡¯s mana that dominated the area lost powerpletely, and though not perfect, it was Peika who was taking in that mana.


    [Gulp.]


    ¡°Gulp!?¡±


    Peika swallowed what was in her mouth. Immediately, Peika¡¯s body grew longer, her scales became more luscious, and another horn shot up from her head. It seemed eating Lilith helped her growth immensely.


    ¡°PEika, are you okay?¡±


    [Un. She was almost dead from Master anyways.]


    Peika spun in the air in response as she approached me. From that, I realized that Lilith hadn¡¯t recovered from her injuries and that she was just tricking me. Still, to think she could hide her injuries so well...


    ¡°How did she do it?¡±


    [I¡¯m surprised she could trick Master, but it¡¯s useless against this Peika-nim! I¡¯ll protect Master from strange women like her, huhu!]


    Peika must have forgot what form she was in, as she boasted andughed. But it was true that I could defeat Lilith thanks to Peika, so I thanked her as I patted her.


    ¡°You made this an easy win. Thanks, Peika.¡±


    [Huhu, I should say the same. Thanks to that woman, I feel like I¡¯ll get back my real body soon!]


    ¡°You mean your final seal?¡±


    [Yes, Master.]


    Peika grinned. The flesh and blood covering her teeth made me freeze. Lilith, who had given me so much trouble, had such a pitiful end.


    Without Peika, she would have driven me to a corner. She still had that much magic power left, and her charm was truly terrifying to the point of affecting the world¡¯sws. However, Peika ignored all of that.


    Peika¡¯s ability surpassed my imagination. Even with Absolute Soul and Peruta Circuit, I couldn¡¯t see through Lilith¡¯s trick, but Peika did so easily and even ate her. Was it because Peika was an elemental? Was it because she was female? Perhaps it was both or perhaps it was neither.


    But one thing I was sure about was that there was something special about Peika, something more special than Dortu who was already so extraordinary.


    I knew I would find out eventually. When her final seal came undone and when her real self was revealed. With a furtive smile, I asked Peika.


    ¡°Do you want to try eating other monsters?¡±


    [No! Eating random monsters will make me sick!]


    Peika grumbled like a picky eater, and immediately afterwards, a fanfare rang out.


    [You seeded in defeating Lilith alone. Like with Crimson Hell, you defeated a world¡¯s enemy no explorer has ever defeated nor has ever seen. Until the day the dungeon disappeared, your achievement will be honored among explorers. There will be no dungeon explorer who will dare to go against you. You obtained 5 skill points as reward. Current skill points: 34]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Lilith Killer.¡¯ All stats increase by 5. The effect of the title will apply even when it is not equipped.]


    [You cleared Beyond¡¯s 35th floor. You obtained the qualification to challenge the First Dungeon¡¯s 86th floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus points. Your maximum HP and MP increases by 2%.]


    [Experience has been added to skills you frequently used to progress through Beyond¡¯s 35th floor.]


    [You received the unique reward left hidden for the First explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 10.]


    [Secret. Lilith¡¯s Horn.]


    Horn? But Lilith didn¡¯t have a horn?


    [Of Lilith¡¯s body parts, her horn contains the biggest amount of her power. The dungeon has kept the horn cut off by the Hero.]


    I needed a long time until I could fully understand what this meant. When I finally came to the simple answer, I couldn¡¯t help but drop my jaws in shock.


    ¡°Lilith¡¯s power was already limited...?¡±


    And she still had that much charm? This seemed like a bad joke. Among all the worlds¡¯ enemies I¡¯ve met, she had the most terrifying special ability. I inwardly thanks Peika one more time.


    If I faced her with other members of Revival, I would have had a harder time, as Lilith would surely have turned them against me.


    ¡°I see, so depending on the enemy¡¯s special ability, it¡¯s sometimes better to have just a few people or even just me. Huu... At least it¡¯s all over now.¡±


    [Good job, Master!]


    [Congrattions, Master.]


    After the fanfare confirming the end of the battle rang out, Peika and Sharana had returned to their elemental form. I wasn¡¯t one percent sure, but Peika looked a bit different even in her elemental form... Right, it was almost as if a young girl had be an adult.


    ¡®Well, if it¡¯s important, I¡¯m sure Peika will tell me.¡¯


    I chose to remain silent.


    [I am Dortu. That was an unpleasant woman. She made Dortu fell unpleasant.]


    On the other hand, I could tell from Dortu¡¯s voice that he was vexed. Since he didn¡¯t have a materialized form, I couldn¡¯t pat him to console him. I could only do so with words.


    ¡°You still did well, Dortu. It was just that her ability was weird. From now on, we won¡¯t be...¡±


    ... Mm, I guess I can¡¯t be certain. Among the countless worlds, who was to say there wasn¡¯t someone with the same ability as Lilith?


    ¡°From now on, we¡¯ll get stronger so we can better deal with an ability like that in the future.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Master is cold.]


    Hearing Dortu¡¯s dejected voice, I couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    In any case, the battle was now over. Although Crimson Hell and Lilith had their powers suppressed by the dungeon, I seeded in defeating two worlds¡¯ enemies. With how strong they were, I certainly had many benefits.


    Especially in my fight with Lilith, I clearly rememberedpressing over 100,000 points worth of mana in my spear. Generally, one¡¯s aura became more visible as it got stronger. At that moment, however, my aura had be unrecognizable my others.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure this can¡¯t be done by just anyone.¡±


    Lilith¡¯s shocked reaction said everything. It wasn¡¯t a skill, and I concentrating mana was all I had done.


    ¡°Peika, is it hard to concentrate mana into one point?¡±


    [Master, do you think you can turn inanimate objects to metal after watching Dortu do it?]


    ¡°No.¡±


    [But Dortu can do it like it¡¯s the most natural thing.]


    [I am Dortu. She is right. Dortu can turn all inanimate objects to metal.]


    Peika affirmed Peika immediately. Hearing her, I became speechless. There was no way I could figure out how Dortu turned things into metal.


    ¡°But that the same thing?¡±


    [Let me say it more clearly, Master.]


    Peika folded her fan and pointed it at my face.


    [Concentrating a power into one point is impossibly difficult, especially if that power is mana.]


    ¡°Even though it¡¯s so easy?¡±


    [Ask another explorer to do the same.]


    With that, Peika didn¡¯t speak further. Thinking about her words, I fell into silence. Mm... No... But... In that case...


    ¡°I see... So that¡¯s it.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t remember exactly when, but when I was young, I saw Father thrusting his spear. We had both trained using our ancestors¡¯ training method and learned how to thrust with the power of the entire body concentrated into one point. At the time, I felt that Father¡¯s thrust was different than mine. Because Father was so strong, I believed his was a more perfect version. But now, that might not have been true.


    ¡°This is my ability.¡±


    I murmured quietly. Everything made sense now. The first time I manifested the power of the Hero, it was none other than when I concentrated my body¡¯s power into one point and shot it out, the moment I learned Heroic Strike. A power that was mine, a power that I was born with. Too strange to be called a power. Formless, yet definite.


    Talent.


    ¡°This is my ability.¡±


    In the same tone, I murmured the same thing as if to engrave the words in my heart.


    I closed my eyes and opened them back up. Nothing had changed, yet everything had changed.


    ¡°I found the path.¡±


    The attack I once made in front of Sumire. I wasn¡¯t using any mana, but I believed Peruta Circuit¡¯s was naturally reacting in its own way.


    But that wasn¡¯t it. That was the most powerful power I could show. Though it wasn¡¯t perfected, it was an attack made by concentrating all the power I could muster. An attack I made subconsciously at a time when I didn¡¯t fully understand the power I had, an attack that was the result of luck.


    If I could fullyprehend each particle of my mana, each fiber of my muscles and each drop of my blood, and if I could condense andpress them all into one point... I could go further. When that time came, I would have nothing to fear.


    I had finally figured it out. I always had the answer, but I had only now noticed it.


    [Master is so cool...]


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    I smiled and calmed my internal energy. I knew it couldn¡¯t be in just one or two days. But now that I knew what to do, I knew it was only a matter of time.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s obtain a new power.¡±


    You¡¯ve waited a long time! I reached my hand out towards the reward, Lilith¡¯s Horn.


    What came out in my hand was a reddish-ck horn that strutted up proudly. Its exnation was also extremely simple.


    [Lilith¡¯s Horn (Legend)


    Option ¨C If you make a weapon using this horn, the enemy you cut with the weapon will have a random chance of bing charmed. With a low chance, you can turn the enemy into your loyal subordinate. If you make an essory with this horn, your charm will increase significantly, and you will be able to use a portion of Lilith¡¯s power as a skill. The horn is too dangerous to use without refining it.]


    It seemed Sherafina was worried that I would put the horn on my head. With how kindly she exined the horn¡¯s use, if I was still a Gold ranked explorer, I might have really refined the horn into a weapon or an essory.


    But there was no way I would do so now. Without a shred of hesitation, I tightened my grip on the horn and roused Peruta Circuit. A boundless mana was contained within the horn. What I assumed to be Lilith¡¯s unique charming energy began to pulsate. I didn¡¯t n to go easy on it. Immediately and mercilessly, I began to pull it towards me.


    From the top, the horn began to turn to dust. Flowing into me, the horn¡¯s energy seeped into mepletely. With a thump, my heart made a beat, and the energy instantly began flowing through my veins.


    ¡°Huuuu...!¡±


    It felt like my blood was boiling. Though defeated, Lilith was still a world¡¯s enemy. As her power was more special than Crimson Hell¡¯s power, there was more resistance than when I absorbed Crimson Hell¡¯s power. Still, it was a power I had felt before! I drew Peruta Circuit and Absolute Soul to the peak. If needed, I was ready to infuse Peika into my body.


    However, that wasn¡¯t needed. Though I only had a few seconds of it left, I was still under the effect of Overlord. Within me, Enigma helped suppress Lilith¡¯s power. Lilith¡¯s power slowly bowed its once highly held head and began to fuse with my blood, mana, and body.


    Before I noticed, Overlord had ended and Enigma disappeared, yet the process was continuing. It took a long time. A really long time. Really, this energy was too great!


    ¡°Hu, Huu...¡±


    Some timeter, I slowly opened my eyes. Unlike previously when I learned of my talent, this time, everything had really changed.


    With a slightly stiff voice, I asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    [It¡¯s a horn, Master.]


    Peika answered in a lovable voice. So that¡¯s what it was. I nodded and stroked my left forehead.


    On one side of my forehead was a sharp, dark-red horn that anyone could see with a single nce.

 Chapter 307. Lilith (7)

    ¡°Peika, what does this look like?¡±


    [A horn?]


    ¡°Damn it...!¡±


    I asked Peika just in case I was mistaken, but Peika¡¯s answer didn¡¯t change. Dortu then sensibly created a metallic mirror. I saw my reflection in the silver mirror, and I could clearly see a dark-red horn protruding out. Not only that, but my skin had also turned snow-white, while a part of my hair had turned red. It was as though I had taken Lilith¡¯s characteristics.


    ¡°Dear God...¡±


    I realized that the portion of her power I couldn¡¯tpletely ept had fused with my mana to form this horn. Should I cut it off? I couldn¡¯t help but consider the possibility, but I immediately decided against it. I knew that once I could ept all of Lilith¡¯s power, the horn would disappear naturally.


    In other words, just because I absorbed Lilith¡¯s Horn, it didn¡¯t mean I could fully use her power. Of course, I checked my stats and saw that my charm stat had shot up by almost 300 points, but it wasn¡¯t to the point of being able to charm inanimate objects.


    If I process the remaining power in the horn, would I be able to do it? I wasn¡¯t sure. But with my charm increased, several of my other skills had also be stronger.


    Naturally, Evil Eyes were affected by charm as were skills like Provoke and Overwhelm. If the difference between me and opponent was big, I could now kill him with my presence alone. I wouldn¡¯t have even imagined such a thing had I not obtained Lilith¡¯s Horn.


    ¡°Lilith¡¯s power can¡¯t be my primary ability, so I¡¯ll have to be content with this. If I get greedy for more, I¡¯ll only end up doing myself a disfavor.¡±


    [Master¡¯s charm is already amazing!]


    ¡°I think so too.¡±


    I replied to Peika with a bitter smile. 300 points. Although I didn¡¯t want to admit it, my charm had long since surpassed the realm of a human. Considering one of my skills doubled the effect of charm against those of the opposite sex, I might even be able to use Lilith¡¯s Temptation on Lilith herself. Of course, since Lilith was dead, this could only stay a theory.


    I looked in the mirror once again and realized that I was still naked. I thought about putting my armor back on, but thinking that I wouldn¡¯t need to fight in the dungeon for the rest of the day, I just put on light clothes. Wraith Queen Set or Vampire Lord Set was the best for such asions.


    In truth, Incubus King¡¯s Set was cooler than either of these, but it was just too mboyant for any sane person to wear. On the other hand, Wraith Queen Set and Vampire Lord Set wereparable to luxury brand designer clothes. Not only did they look the part, but they also had decent functionalities. Since Wraith Queen Set was older and came from a lower-level Floor Master, I mostly used Vampire Lord Set.


    But when I changed into the Vampire Lord Set and looked at the mirror, someone resembling a dungeon Floor Master was there.


    ¡°I only got a horn and had my skin color changed, but this... No, that¡¯s a pretty big change.¡±


    Damn! If only I could get rid of this horn!


    It was yet another reason to focus more on training.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out for now. Good job, everyone.¡±


    [You did well too, Master!]


    [It¡¯s an honor to be of help, Master.]


    [I am Dortu. Dortu can now make orichalcos.]


    I left Beyond along with my three elementals. I made sure to check for any leftover orichalcos, but it seemed they disappeared along with Lilith¡¯s death. Since Dortu said he could make them, I nned to make some when I had mana to spare.


    ¡°Shin-nim, wee back... Eh?¡±


    I felt bad about leaving Loretta behind and jumping straight into Beyond, so I nned to stay with her for a little bit. But Loretta¡¯s expression seemed a bit strange.


    ¡°Loretta? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to ask. Shin-nim, do you know what state you¡¯re in?¡±


    ¡°State? ... Ah.¡±


    Shoot, because I was fighting Lilith, I had my charm raised to its limit! Not to mention, after I obtained Lilith¡¯s power, I left without properly restraining my charm..!


    I didn¡¯t even have time to reply. Loretta¡¯s approached me stealthily and grabbed my hands.


    ¡°Shin-nim, I think I know who you fought in Beyond¡¯s 35th floor. Shin-nim¡¯s appearance changed a lot and it¡¯s so obvious too. Huhu.¡±


    ¡°Loretta¡¯s smart as expected. So in that sense, I have something to ask you.¡±


    Loretta smiled like there was nothing more to be said. She stuck her body onto mine and whispered in my ear.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if it¡¯s only for a little while, I can iste us from Lord¡¯s view.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about Sherafina¡¯s voyeurism fetish!¡±


    I yelled, but Loretta suddenly tightly squeezed my hands. Her eyes were shining fiercely. She pulled on my arms as if to say she¡¯d never let go.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to my cabin. Quickly.¡±


    ¡°Loretta, let¡¯s just talk this out!¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, I like talking with my body more. We can talk with our mouthster.¡±


    ¡°Uwaaaaaak!¡±


    I screamed and twisted my body. But because I wasn¡¯t wearing my armor, I couldn¡¯t use my full power! Loretta opened the gate to Fairy Garden and murmured in a happy voice.


    ¡°Huhuhu, what should we name our thirteenth daughter?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how far we¡¯ve gone in your head!? Isn¡¯t that too many!?¡±


    From then, it took some time for Loretta to let me go. I felt like I had to use more energy than the energy I spent fighting Lilith before I could finally escape. I¡¯ll just say that it almost made me cry.


    With Mother entering the dungeon, there were some days when dinner wasn¡¯t prepared, and today was one of those days. I considered going to Marianne¡¯s Garden, but scared that Loretta might be waiting for me, I decided to just eat instant ramen. When I was boiling water in the kitchen, someone sauntered in.


    ¡°Kang Shin, fulfilling your promise?¡±


    ¡°Why are you in my house!?¡±


    Daisy sat down casually wearing a dress shirt and loose shorts. She acted like an old man tired of the harshness of the real world. Plus, her clothes were too defenseless.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you wear something proper? Otherwise, button up your shirt more.¡±


    ¡°Comfy clothes, good clothes. When you¡¯re not fighting, it¡¯s good to let loose.¡±


    ¡°So why are you in my house?¡±


    ¡°Comfy house, good house. When you¡¯re not fighting, it¡¯s good to let loose.¡±


    So my house wasfy. It was my fault for letting her in here so easily. Comining internally, I took out another bag of ramen from the cupboard. Daisy then casually added.


    ¡°I eat two.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    I was somewhat expecting it. Even though we used mana to fight, we both had superhuman muscles. As such, we had to eat at least twice as much as normal people. Since boiling three or four ramen was more or less the same, I took out another bag without hesitation.


    When I was pouring more water into the pot, Daisy suddenly asked.


    ¡°Kang Shin, you got a horn?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, I defeated someone called Lilith and this is what happened. It might look weird now, but it¡¯ll disappear when I can fully control it.¡±


    ¡°Horn, okay. Horn is a symbol of the powerful. If weak demons have horns, strong demons will break them. Dragons, they have the most beautiful horns. Elves who like strong people, also like horns.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I learned that today too.¡±


    ¡°... You mated with the Elf Queen?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    I turned around and shouted back. Daisy then narrowed her eyes and red at me.


    ¡°Elf Queen, perfect woman. Not mating with her, is it because you like me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be serious. I don¡¯t n on troubling other women. I can¡¯t do much about the ones I said I¡¯d ept, but I don¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°... You don¡¯t want to pursue, your feelings for me?¡±


    ¡°Your unfound confidence surprises me every time! I meant to say, I don¡¯t n on liking you romantically!¡±


    Even though I said that Daisy looked at me with pitiful, all-understanding eyes. Feeling like there was nothing I could say that would convince her, I gave up and went back to quietly boiling water.


    When I stopped talking, Daisy nodded with a satisfied face, then began swinging her feet as she hummed melodies I didn¡¯t know. Now she was like a cheery elementary school kid.


    Suddenly, Daisy widened her eyes like she realized something important.


    ¡°Is this... a newlywed atmosphere?¡±


    ¡°What ame newlywed.¡±


    ¡°No money to eat proper food has to make do with ramen. House is small but full of love.¡±


    ¡°Such poor people won¡¯t each eat two bags of ramen. This house isn¡¯t small and there¡¯s no love between us.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, water¡¯s boiling.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    I quit picking on her words and started opening the ramen bags. Out of nowhere, Daisy softly spoke.


    ¡°Kang Shin, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°I should be the one thanking you.¡±


    ¡°At times like this, you should pretend to have not heard anything.¡±


    ¡°If you want to whisper to yourself, you should just say it in your head.¡±


    When I retorted with a snicker, Daisy snorted. Seeing a smile on her face, I couldn¡¯t help but think about how much everything changed. Knowing that I had affected her, I felt somewhat proud.


    At that moment, an archangel I wasn¡¯t expecting to see peeked her head into the kitchen.


    ¡°Oppa, if it isn¡¯t toote, can I eat ramen too?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s notte. Wait just a bit.¡±


    ¡°Kyak, Oppa, there¡¯s a horn on your head! And... You look more bewitching.¡±


    Don¡¯t call a man bewitching, Yua.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much, so don¡¯t worry about it. This horn is like a G**dam builder part!¡±


    ¡°Okay! If that¡¯s what Oppa says, hehe.¡±


    Yua was wearing light clothes as though she just got out of a shower after being in the dungeon. In her arms was a small dragon fuming a fiery yawn. It was the baby dragon born from Lava King¡¯s egg.


    Since I didn¡¯t add ramen into the water, I could still add more water to the pot. With this, I had to wait for more until the water boiled.


    Seeing Yua slump down next to her, Daisy tilted her head, then eximed in her delusional realization.


    ¡°Sister-inw, disrupting newlywed couple... Annoyed.¡±


    ¡°Daisy-ssi, can you say that a little louder?¡±


    ¡°Sister-inw, disrupting newlywed couple... Annoyed.¡±


    ¡°Uk.¡±


    Even Yua couldn¡¯t do anything about Daisy¡¯s my-pace attitude. Daisy had a talent for making her jokes not sound like jokes. Seeing Yua be flustered by her words, Daisy smiled bashfully and hit the chair next to her.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t starve you. Sister-inw should eat ramen with us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me sister-inw, Daisy-ssi.¡±


    ¡°Kang Yungoong said, I can call you that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for letting me know, Daisy-ssi.¡±


    It seemed Father would have to avoid Yua for a while. I mean, just what was this old man telling everyone! Is he trying to make a ser team with daughters-inw rather than grandkids!?


    ¡°Kang Shin, when¡¯s ramen?¡±


    ¡°Wait 5 minutes. Sorry for making you wait.¡±


    ¡°We have more people, it¡¯s okay. I can wait. Grey Elves are very easygoing.¡±


    ¡°Are they?¡±


    ¡°Un. They¡¯re easygoing and rxed about everything. So although everyone is very talented, we don¡¯t get many outstanding warriors. Because we¡¯re easygoing.¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m hearing this.¡±


    ¡°Of course, when they need to, they get serious. Still, they¡¯re very patient. That¡¯s quicker in the end.¡±


    The topic went from ramen to a rather interesting subject. I threw five portions of ramen into the boiling water and thought back to when I first met Daisy. Daisy lying down on her bed really seemed to resemble her description of Grey Elves. Just when I was thinking that Daisy added a finalment.


    ¡°So Grey Elves¡¯ courtships are easygoing. Love and rtionship are also easygoing.¡±


    ¡°Daisy-ssi?¡±


    ¡°Hungry.¡±


    When Yua called her name, Daisy feigned ignorance and bit down on her chopsticks. I couldn¡¯t help butugh seeing her child-like manner.


    ¡°Like I said, if you want to whisper to yourself, you should say it in your head.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, at times like this, you should pretend to have not heard anything. But since you already heard it, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    Daisy spoke with a wink.


    ¡°Even after we defeat the Demon Lord, Kang Shin should make me ramen forever. Kang Shin and I can both spend time leisurely. I¡¯m sure it will be fun.¡±


    The ramen we had that night was extremely delicious. Unfortunately, Yua¡¯s angry kitten-like stare continued to scratch me.

 Chapter 308. Breakthrough (1)

    After eliminating the Five Kings from Earth, we agreed that we needed to clean up as much of the monsters¡¯ territories as possible as quickly as possible.


    However, the explorers we newly appointed and the members of Revival were all busy climbing the dungeon and training to get stronger. I also wanted to focus on just climbing the dungeon if possible.


    Unfortunately, Guardian and Freedom Wing were all too weak for us to just leave everything to them. Even now, they could barely hold their ground against even the most ordinary monsters. I had to acknowledge their hard work, but the reality was coldhearted. They were simply too weak.


    ¡°Dear Husband, do you have any orders for us?¡±


    In the end, I ended up looking for the subi. The reason was simple. I wanted them to find the most efficient route for me to take so I can massacre all the monsters. Since I needed to fill up my depleted death energy, it was killing two birds with one stone.


    During my fight against Crimson Hell, I found out how useful death energy was. Since I was running low, it would be stupid of me to not refill it. If I had a lot of death energy left during my fight with Lilith, I felt it would have gone smoother as well.


    Now that it¡¯s gotten more difficult to carry out a massacre in the dungeon, taking care of monsters on Earth was the best method of getting death energy.


    That said, I didn¡¯t look for Licorice as I knew she was busy. I just contacted the information collection team consisting of 30 subi stationed at the guild house.


    Currently, Licorice, her direct subordinate, the Elder Subus Mirei, and one other very powerful subi were in closed-door training. As they were focusing on taking the energy of other subi to strengthen themselves, I could see that the information collection team¡¯s subi were weaker.


    I felt sorry seeing faint dark circles underneath the subi¡¯s eyes. Still, they weren¡¯t humans and thus wouldn¡¯t get dark circles. I knew they were faking them to appeal to me, and I considered their effort cute and gave each of them a warm hug to which the subi rejoiced unabashedly.


    ¡°Good work, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, everyone is working hard. It¡¯s also been a while since I saw Hwaya-nim¡¯s face.¡±


    It was the Elder Subus Mirei who was in charge of the normal subi, and it was Hwaya who was in charge of Mirei. With Mirei leaving to train, the subi had to report to Hwaya directly, but because she was focusing on climbing the dungeon and breaking through Beyond, the subi¡¯s work seemed to be getting dyed.


    ¡°How many subi are on the frontline?¡±


    ¡°Most of them returned. Rather than splitting up and hunting separately, we¡¯re focusing all our forces in one ce to clear it thoroughly. Only, the subi¡¯s have lost a lot of their individual power. As you know, our Queen is transforming into an Empress...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Aren¡¯t they the same thing? That¡¯s the first thing I thought, but the subi chortled and spoke.


    ¡°It seems our Queen was too embarrassed to tell you herself. She didn¡¯t n on bing an Empress, but with Dear Husband obtaining a great power recently...¡±


    ¡°Great power? This?¡±


    I pointed at my horn and asked. The subus I was speaking to let out a deep sigh in rapture.


    ¡°Yes, Dear Husband obtained Lilith¡¯s power. Because of it, our Queen has been affected significantly too. Of course, she affected Dear Husband too, but the horn on Dear Husband¡¯s forehead is...¡±


    ¡°Wait, can you tell me about this in more detail?¡±


    I grabbed the subus¡¯ shoulders. She quickly cupped her hands over her mouth with a look of ¡®oops¡¯, but considering the side-nces she was giving me, it seemed she nned on leaking this information to me from the beginning. These subi took after Licorice too much. They were all so sly!


    ¡°Dear Husband has a contract with the Queen, right?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°That contract was originally a regrpanion-contract, but when Dear Husband took Lilith¡¯s power, the Queen was affected and the form of the contract changed along with Dear Husband¡¯s appearance.¡±


    ¡°... That kind of makes sense?¡±


    I did think it was strange that obtaining Lilith¡¯s power gave me a horn. It seemed being contracted to Licorice, a Subus Queen, had affected me unknowingly.


    ¡°Subi and incubi as species are very skilled in using charm.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    As Mares, they naturally had high charm and were apt in transferring their charm onto others. As this was their innate racial ability, there was no way for humans to match up to them.


    ¡°Dear Husband is a pure human, but you epted Lilith¡¯s power. Because of the contract, Dear Husband has with the Queen, Dear Husband could adapt to use Lilith¡¯s power more effectively.¡±


    ¡°You mean, without my contract with Licorice, I would have taken Lilith¡¯s magic power normally?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Without my skin turning white, without parts of my hair turning red, and without growing a horn. I thought it was just the power I couldn¡¯t controlling leaking out, but it seemed there was more to it than I initially thought.


    ¡°I thought this change was because I couldn¡¯t fully control Lilith¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Dear Husband already absorbed several powers that are of equal level, if not slightly lower, than Lilith¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°... Now that you mention it...¡±


    Right, I still had room to grow. How could there be not enough space in my body to contain Lilith¡¯s power? I was simply mistaken.


    This wasn¡¯t a leakage of power. What this change did was to make me go beyond the limits of a human, so I could better utilize my charm rather than keeping my charm trapped inside my body and letting it out in clumsy ways.


    It¡¯ll disappear eventually? I was thoroughly mistaken. This horn would be an important weapon to help me control charm.


    ¡°Taking in Lilith¡¯s power served as a trigger to rouse the Queen¡¯s mana residing in Dear Husband¡¯s subconscious, and that resulted in Dear Husband transforming to better utilize a Mare¡¯s ability. So... Dear Husband is no longerpletely human.¡±


    ¡°... Are you saying I became half Mare?¡±


    ¡°Not half, but erm... about one fifth?¡±


    I became lost for words. I felt a slight headache, but when I thought about it again, it didn¡¯t seem so important. No matter what the process was, I had gotten stronger and I could now use the power of charm to an unbelievable extent. So what if I became slightly non-human? ... In fact, the way of girls looked at me was even stranger.


    ¡°I get it now. This isn¡¯t me being unable to process Lilith¡¯s power. It¡¯s the opposite. My body changed to use this power most efficiently, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly. So controlling charm should be much more natural for Dear Husband. Though, a little bit of it might leak out because of its sheer power...¡±


    ¡°Okay, I get it, so get away from me a bit!¡±


    The subus sighed dejectedly and took a step back. Another subus stepped in as though she was waiting for the chance.


    ¡°As we said before, Lilith¡¯s power even affected our Queen. Lilith was a special existence independent from the subi and the Subus Queen. When Dear Husband received her power, the Queen was naturally affected by Lilith¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°So such an exchange urred when I took in Lilith¡¯s power... If it¡¯ll help Licorice, I can give her as much as she needs. By the way, is Lilith this Empress you talked about?¡±


    ¡°No, Lilith is just Lilith. No other title can describe her. There is another word to describe the realm above a Queen. It is Empress.¡±


    After our fight with the Death King, Licorice took in the mana of dozens of dead subi and transformed. She then announced she would get stronger by receiving mana from other subi.


    But that was still within the ability of a Subus Queen. Just like how a bowl didn¡¯t change shape no matter how much water one poured in, Licorice couldn¡¯t be a different species just by getting more mana.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me Lilith¡¯s power can do something like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Just like how Dear Husband became part-Mare, the Queen has surpassed her limits and obtained the possibility to evolve. By getting mana from all subi, she¡¯s collecting the mana she needs to evolve.¡±


    ¡°I see. So I took in Lilith¡¯s power at a nice timing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±


    Originally, Lilith¡¯s Horn should have be part of me as just another form of power. But because of my contract with Licorice, we were both unknowingly affected in a positive way. Truly interesting.


    ¡°So you won¡¯t be able to see her for about half a year.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s... unfortunate.¡±


    Though I often rejected Licorice¡¯s advances, Licorice was still very important to me. Her cheerful smiles and love supported me emotionally in more ways than she probably thought.


    ¡°So in ce of the Queen, we¡¯ll service Dear Husband.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, the reason I came to see you.¡±


    ¡°Uuu, you¡¯re no fun.¡±


    I told the subi what I came for. When I told them I nned on spending two days to clear regions with many monsters, they all became excited.


    ¡°In that case, can you give us a week? We have to see what the most dangerous regions are and also notify Guardian and Freedom Wing.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, Dear Husband is going. We¡¯ll have to contact the other girls... Done!¡±


    ¡°Girls, bring all the information we have!¡±


    In an instant, the room became noisy. They were happy that they had more work to do... Were they okay?


    With that question in mind, I left. I had to wait a week, which meant I was destined to go back to the dungeon.

 Chapter 309. Breakthrough (2)

    Of course, I didn¡¯t go back to the dungeon immediately. I learned some tricks from the subi and practiced how to control my charm more efficiently.


    The whole process took a few hours, and while I was at it, I also mastered using Crimson Hell¡¯s power. Since I was back in Earth, I looked over Revival members¡¯ Peruta Circuits and trained Sumire on spearmanship while I was at it. As Sumire was still focusing on concentrating her power into a single point, I showed her how to do it a few times.


    ¡°Uuu, I can¡¯t do it well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not perfect yet either.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something Shin-nim can¡¯t do?¡±


    Sumire gave me a doubtful look and I flicked her forehead with a smile.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see it just now? I¡¯m still training in this technique.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Sumire rubbed her forehead.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. Did it hurt? I meant it to be a light flick.¡±


    ¡°N-No, not at all. Huhu... Just show me one more time! Not the forehead flick, but the spear thrust!¡±


    ¡°dly.¡±


    After coaching Sumire, I also coached Ciara as I hadn¡¯t given her much attention for a while. H ability was growing at a monstrous pace after awakening her Evil Eyes, but it was important that she knew how to control her mana if she wanted to disy her ability to its fullest extent. At the very least, I wanted to know when and where the Demon Lord would descend.


    ¡°This Peruta Circuit is such an odd technique, Hero-nim.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not talented enough, it¡¯s hard to even realize that it¡¯s odd. So focus and do your best.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hero-nim!¡±


    I already knew this, but she really was quite talented. Of the ones learning Peruta Circuit from me, Ciara was the most outstanding. In terms of skill levels, her Peruta Circuit would already be level 4.


    ¡°Ah, Hero-nim, A precognition...¡±


    ¡°Is it important?¡±


    ¡°Yes, very.¡±


    I gulped. Did I jinx myself? Did she just see when the Demon Lord would descend? I asked nervously.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready. Tell me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hero-nim. It seems... In three years, Hero-nim will take in your 17th wife. Ah, I¡¯m one of the seventeen too! This is great!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no dinner for you tonight.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m just telling you what I saw!?¡±


    In truth, Ciara¡¯s precognition carried an important meaning. No, not the part about the number of my wives (though I¡¯ll try to avoid this future as much as I can), but rather the fact that she saw an event three years in the future.


    Until now, she couldn¡¯t see the future beyond a certain point. The furthest she could see was the Demon Lord¡¯s descent. But today, for the first time, she saw three years into the future where everything would have been resolved.


    Of course, her precognition wasn¡¯t absolute. However, the possibility definitely existed. This meant that we could sessfully defeat the Demon Lord and the existence that was controlling the Five Kings. However, I decided not to tell this uplifting news to anyone else. It was most certainly not because I was afraid of their happiness or anger about me having 17 wives.


    Since I was here, I wanted to see Kain¡¯s face before I went back to the dungeon, but surprisingly, he seemed to be in the dungeon. Apparently, he was challenging the 92nd floor after not having done so for a long time. His ability probably had little to do with why he wasn¡¯t climbing the dungeon, but the 92nd floor couldn¡¯t be that easy. Thinking that it would be hard to see his face for a little while, I finally went back to the dungeon. I considered visiting Lin and Leon but decided against it since I couldn¡¯t be of much help.


    ¡°So you¡¯re back after two days?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wish I had three bodies.¡±


    Loretta, who was waiting for me at the 85th Floor Shop, seemed to have her sanity straight thanks to me controlling my charm.


    ¡°Shin-nim, I know I say this all the time, but rushing things is the key to making mistakes. You have to make time to rest.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m tired, I¡¯lle find Loretta to get another massage.¡±


    Loretta¡¯s ears pped. She spoke with a face full of anticipation.


    ¡°Should I do it now?¡±


    ¡°Not today. I have to go fight.¡±


    ¡°If all explorers were like Shin-nim, someone would have conquered the dungeon already.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I doubt diligence is enough to conquer the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that Shin-nim realizes Shin-nim¡¯s specialness.¡±


    She grinned and nodded. Then, she gestured at me toe forward.


    ¡°Thene receive my blessing before you go. Quickly.¡±


    ¡°Just a blessing, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it the highest grade blessing I can give!¡±


    ¡°Just high-rank blessing is fine.¡±


    If anything, I could really learn from Loretta¡¯s tenacity. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean I would let things go her way.


    ¡°But the highest grade blessing is reaaaaaally good! I¡¯ve never done it before too!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just go.¡±


    ¡°Ehew, you don¡¯t have to be so strict... Shin-nim, could it be...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with me.¡±


    Getting Loretta¡¯s blessing ended up being more work than necessary but, in the end, I stepped into the First Dungeon¡¯s 86th floor with high-rank Queen Elf¡¯s Blessing. As always, a message tickled my ear.


    [You entered the 86th floor. Yell mence exploration¡¯ to start exploring.]


    ¡°Now the environment just openly changes, huh.¡±


    Behind me was the stairway down to the 85th floor, but when I looked back around the 86th floor, all I could see was a vast wilderness.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do here...?¡±


    Should I have brought Lotte? No, Lotte was influenced by Licorice and went off to train somewhere on Earth. Although I could call her whenever I wanted, if she decided on her path, I didn¡¯t want to bother her.


    Moreover, I knew that breaking through the dungeon alone (with the help of my elementals) would be more beneficial to my growth.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. Commence exploration!¡±


    As soon as I shouted those two words, something flew straight towards me. I immediately used Divine Speed and got out of the way. BOOM! With a crashing sound, a deep crater formed on the ground.


    ¡°... Wow.¡±


    To think I would immediately get attacked from a distance... Ah! Another one!


    ¡°Can¡¯t you at least say hello!?¡±


    Still, there was no one here. This time, however, the attack came from a different direction.


    ¡°Until the 80th floor, there were individual enemies. Crimson Hell was a colony, but now the enemies don¡¯t even have real bodies... Damn!¡±


    I murmured to myself as I quickly used Divine Speed. Another formed on the ground as a cloud of dust rose up. I had to first find the enemy¡¯s position. I quickly summoned Peika and Dortu.


    ¡°Dortu, protect me. Peika, find out where the enemies are.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Protecting Master.]


    [Huhu, leave it to me!]


    I could tell that Dortu was protecting me as my armor changed. Of course, as I couldn¡¯t just leave Dortu and Pure ck Desire to defend, spread my mana out to detect any movements and prepared myself to jump away at any time.


    ¡°This one must also be a world¡¯s enemy.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Dortu can feel a familiar energy.]


    ¡°What?¡±


    At the same time, Peika reported in.


    [Master, there¡¯s no one in this ce other than us. Is there really an enemy?]


    ¡°What do you mean? Weren¡¯t we just attacked? ... No, we¡¯re still getting attacked!¡±


    I dodged the third attack with ease and looked up at the sky. I couldn¡¯t even see a ceiling, only a red sky. Would I be able to touch the ceiling if I kept jumping up? I couldn¡¯t be sure even with my current abilities.


    In a situation where I couldn¡¯t see the enemy but had to keep defending against attacks, it was best to just run forward. Other explorers wouldn¡¯t choose such a stupid method as it might expose them to more enemies and lead to their deaths. It was unlikely that they could do much against an invisible enemy.


    However, I was different. With Divine Speed, I could easily dodge the enemy¡¯s attacks and even if I was hit, the attack didn¡¯t seem strong enough to kill me. Rather than standing still like a fool, running around would probably make the enemy move also. Once they moved, they would surely reveal an opening.


    [I am Dortu. An energy is flying this way. It isn¡¯t a life energy.]


    ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    [I am Dortu. That is a metal imbued with mana.]


    A what? Just when I was about to ask Dortu, something flew my way once more. It was almost quick enough to escape my eyes, looking like aser flying through the sky. That was a metal? I was doubtful, but I also trusted Dortu¡¯s judgment.


    Using Divine Speed, I dodged the flying object and continued to run with great speed.


    ¡°Peika, you really don¡¯t feel any life?¡±


    [I don¡¯t lie, Master!]


    ¡°Thene inside my gauntlet! Dortu, you strengthen my gauntlet too!¡±


    [Un!]


    [I am Dortu. Executing Master¡¯smand.]


    I sped up a notch and kicked off the ground. A whirlpool rose up around my body, seemingly pushing me forward.


    As soon as another attack flew out, I quickly detected it and used Divine Speed. In the past, I couldn¡¯t use Divine Speed too freely as it took ten percent of my mana, but now that I understood the principle behind it, the Divine Speed I used was different than the skill Divine Speed. Although the speed amplification wasn¡¯t as good, it was much more efficient, only taking a negligible amount of mana.


    Thanks to Divine Speed, it felt like the world had slowed down. I could see the flow of air and the movement of the enemy¡¯s attack frame by frame. I focused on the flying object and punched out with my gauntlet.


    Dortu¡¯s power made the gauntlet darker and spikier. On the other hand, Peika¡¯s power created fearsome white lightning that seemed capable of ripping apart even a dragon¡¯s scales.


    The enemy¡¯s attack flew in a predictable trajectory and shed with the center of my gauntlet. I widened my eyes. Someone might mistakenly think that I¡¯m using my Evil Eyes, but in reality, nothing happened. Evil Eyes of Petrification never worked against inanimate objects.


    At the same time, I couldn¡¯t help but think of a possibility.


    If I could properly wield Lilith¡¯s power if I could make the power of my hornpletely mine, wouldn¡¯t I be able to petrify inanimate objects as I pleased?


    Evil Eyes of Petrification released charm through eyes and petrified its targets. Lilith could affect inanimate objects with her charm, and if she had Evil Eyes of Petrification, she undoubtedly would have been capable of petrifying inanimate objects.


    Although Dortu could turn inanimate objects into metal, he needed a varying amount of time depending on the state of the object and its momentum. But if I could petrify inanimate objects, Dortu could take the petrified objects and quickly turn them into metal as they would carry my mana.


    If that became possible... Wow.


    I put away the thought for now. I focused on the attack that seemed to want to break through my gauntlet and grabbed it. The reason I widened my eyes was to better see the flying attack.


    I tightened my grip and fought back against the attack. Peika¡¯s lightning crackled, wearing it down, and Dortu added more pressure in my grip. Soon, I could finally see what the object was.


    ¡°... Sherafina, there¡¯s something I need to ask.¡±


    Seeing the object in my hand, I spoke with a stiffened voice. However, before I could receive a reply, another attack flew in with an extreme speed!


    ¡°This is... a bullet!¡±


    [Let me exin.]


    As soon as I realized what it was, Sherafina spoke out.


    [The world¡¯s enemy of the 86th floor conquered the world, Elpato, but was defeated by the Hero of the world, Zedar, when they invaded them. ¡®Eliminator.¡¯ This world¡¯s enemy has the ability to control and evolve all weapons with its mana. Although they aren¡¯t too skilled in handling cold weapons, they be extremely terrifying with firearms.]


    I flew up into the air to dodge the iing barrage of bullets and shouted


    ¡°What, Zedar didn¡¯t have firearms!?¡±


    [That is exactly so.]


    Zedar¡¯s Hero, you lucky bastard!

 Chapter 310. Breakthrough (3)

    Chapter 310. Breakthrough (3)


    ¡°These guys don¡¯t shoot nukes or anything, right?¡±


    [Of course not. Though, it would have been a disaster if they invaded Earth.]


    Sherafina¡¯s calm tone made my head hurt. Using Tria, I made an instant eleration and shouted as I dodged more bullets.


    ¡°Dortu, they¡¯re all metallic, can¡¯t you do something?¡±


    [I am Dortu. They are too fast. If Dortu touches the main body, Dortu can do something.]


    ¡°I can do something too if I can get to their main body.¡±


    [I am Dortu...]


    Dortu seemed sad, so I asked to console him.


    ¡°How about defending?¡±


    [I am Dortu. I am confident in defending.]


    ¡°Perfect, then I¡¯ll leave it to you. Peika, let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    [Yes!]


    I felt Peika¡¯s energy filling me up. Using Lightning God¡¯s power, I amplified Peika¡¯s power as I increased my speed.


    ¡°If you want to stop me, you¡¯ll have to show yourself!¡±


    Breakthrough, even quicker!


    With Peruta Circuit sucking in surrounding mana, I could maintain Divine Speed to a small extent. When my speed became iparably quicker than before, the barrage of bullets couldn¡¯t even hit my shadows.


    Unfortunately, the 86th floor was unlike previous floors in that it was a vast wilderness. I didn¡¯t know where I needed to go to find the stairway to the next floor, where Loretta should be waiting to greet me with a smile.


    In Beyond, the pathways were so narrow that I didn¡¯t really need to search for the correct path. Only from the 86th floor did this dungeon start to feel like an actualbyrinth.


    [I am Dortu. Large metallic objects are appearing.]


    It seemed the enemy realized bullets couldn¡¯t do anything against me, as immediately after Dortu warned me, giant metallic balls shot up from the ground. Coming out of the ground like that is the special right of robots in Hero shows!


    ¡°Haaaaap!¡±


    The enemies all looked extremely boorish, almost as if an unskilled cksmith melded metals to resemble humans. But they were undoubtedly moving, and their hands held threatening bazookas. Bazookas!?


    [I am Dortu. One of those will make it easier to shoot bullets carrying Dortu¡¯s power.]


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    [I am Dortu. It will also let Dortu interfere and dominate them.]


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just shoot tiny metals likest time? Normal monsters don¡¯t drop weapons that often!¡±


    [I am Dortu. That uses too much mana. Dortu believes in Master.]


    ... This guy¡¯s trying to get back at me, right? Because I hurt his feelings before, right?


    ¡°Kuk, it¡¯sing!¡±


    Because I was charging through the air without much thought, dozens of bullets were already stuck in my armor. Even with Dortu¡¯s power protecting me, the force of their impact was huge. They carried overwhelming mana which well surpassed what Earth¡¯s firearms were capable of. If Leon saw them, he might go mad from happiness. Though, he might not live for long.


    But that wasn¡¯t the point. What was important was how much bazooka shells would hurt if even these tiny bullets hurt so much.


    [I am Dortu. They¡¯reing.]


    ¡°Divine Speed!¡±


    Now that things hade to this, I used the dungeon¡¯s Divine Speed even if it used more mana. With my already quick speed increased by more than five times, I shot up just before the bazooka shell could reach me. Immediately, I shot my spear out carrying a hefty amount of lightning.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    Of course, the spear carried more than just lightning. It easily pierced through one metal robot, and as the spear flew back into my hand, the metal robot fell to the ground helplessly.


    [I am Dortu. Commencing Analysis.]


    Dortu¡¯s trusty voice immediately rang out in one ear. The spear had obviously carried Dortu¡¯s power as well. Since I couldn¡¯t take their weapons and fight with them, I had thrown Dortu towards them.


    Although the pierced robot burned up from the lightning and stopped functioningpletely, once Dortu¡¯s analysis ended, he would be able to make use it. The only downside was that my armor¡¯s defense would decrease slightly while Dortu was focusing his energy on analyzing the enemy.


    Once the spear came back into my hands, I quickly threw it once more. The robots¡¯ formation broke down as another robot plummeted to the ground. Feeling their bodies changing slightly, I grinned.


    ¡°Thank goodness I have Dortu.¡±


    Thanks to Dortu, I could approach this world¡¯s enemy in apletely different angle. Without Dortu, my only choice would have been fighting them head-on.


    Considering how more bullets and cannon shells wereing my way as time went on, I was naturally worried about having to fight a fully-armed army. Fighting an army with such firepower head on? That would be suicide unless my luck stat was over 10,000. I would rather fight against all of Earth¡¯s soldiers. These mana-reinforced bullets just hurt too much.


    On the other hand, it seemed Peika was angry that I only praised Dortu. The spear in my hands crackled noisily with lightning as Peikained.


    [What about me, Master? Am I useless to Master?]


    ¡°Peika¡¯s always amazing. I shouldn¡¯t even need to say it.¡±


    [Huhu, that¡¯s right!]


    Damn, if I didn¡¯t have to please my elementals from time to time, I could proudly say an Elementalist was the best ss. Though... I guess it¡¯s fine since elementals are cute.


    [I am Dortu. They¡¯re increasing in number.]


    ¡°Increasing in number? What do you... Wow.¡±


    I stopped in the middle of elerating through the air. Although I was somewhat expecting it, I didn¡¯t expect to encounter such a situation so quickly...


    From the round, hundreds of robots were shooting up into the sky carrying what looked like machine guns, sniper rifles, bazookas, and all sorts of firearms. I had to ask Sherafina.


    ¡°Sherafina, am I also the first one fight these Eliminators?¡±


    [That is so.]


    Sherafina¡¯s answer couldn¡¯t be more clear-cut. Sherafina, just how far do you n on pushing me! Are you just forcing all the troubling monsters onto me!?


    ¡°Argh, whatever! Let¡¯s just fight!¡±


    [You used Provoke! It was ineffective against the enemies.]


    Even the Provoke I resolutely used was nulled. Thinking about it now, these guys weren¡¯t really living beings. That also meant killing them wouldn¡¯t result in death energy.


    Not to mention, I had many skills that used blood, charm, and other concepts that worked against living beings. Against these guys, I couldn¡¯t use any of them!


    I felt my blood pressure rising.


    ¡°Dortu, are you done yet?¡±


    [I am Dortu. One day is not enough.]


    ¡°What!?¡±


    I jumped in surprise at Dortu¡¯s words. However, I was only greeted with bullets from all sides.


    ¡°God, to think I¡¯d actually have to fight under raining bullets.¡±


    I grumbled and shot out my spear. Using Divine Speed and injecting mana into my arm, I cut, blew, and smashed away all bullets flying towards me. Although a powerful resistive force pushed back against me, I decided to charge forward. I just hoped I was going in the right direction!


    *


    I was wrong. Because of the sheer vastness of this flow, I ended up wandering around for a whole day.


    ¡°Dortu?¡±


    [Just a bit more time.]


    I was talking with Dortu over a long distance. He had remained where we took out the first robot and was focusing on his analysis. Because of the limitation on the number of elementals I could summon, I only had Peika to help me break through this battlefield of bullets. Strangely, these robots kept appearing without end.


    ¡°Just how did they lose if there are so many of them left? Aren¡¯t there stronger guys on the upper floors too?¡±


    [The Hero attacked the main body alone.]


    ¡°But the main body isn¡¯t here, right?¡±


    [Right.]


    ¡°Aaaah, I¡¯m doomed.¡±


    No hopes and dreams. With nothing else to do, I simply wandered around the vast wilderness and continued to fight the robots.


    After some time passed, Dortu finally seeded in controlling two robots.


    [I am Dortu. Fire the signal for the counterattack.]


    As Dortu was contracted to me, he instantly located me and started flying towards me with his two robots. The only problem was that Dortu needed almost a day to reach me as I had traveled a day¡¯s distance. As a result, I mostly waited in ce during this time and focused onpletely breaking all robots I came across.


    As these robots reformed from even a tiny fragment, I utilized elementals existing in this ce and wiped the robots awaypletely.


    ¡°Elemental Tempest! Elemental de!¡±


    [Uweeeeeek!]


    [Whoooooooo!]


    [They¡¯re not living nor dead! Let¡¯s break them all!]


    [But how are these guys moving?]


    [I don¡¯t know!]


    [You don¡¯t know?]


    [Uweeeeeeek!]


    Although I could only use two of my contracted elementals, there was no limit on using the free elementals. The elementals¡¯ incessant chattering kept me awake as I broke through this boring wilderness.


    That said, one of these elementals just might have to go...


    [I am Dortu. I reached Master.]


    Dortu finally joined up with me. The two robots I initially shot down were now dyed ck, and they showed no signs of ever having been pierced through.


    For the record, these two were each armed with a bazooka and a minigun, and couldn¡¯t be more frightening if they tried.


    [I am Dortu. Now, it¡¯s Dortu¡¯s time to shine.]


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    Dortu immediately followed up on his confident speech. The robots held up their ckened weapons and began shooting in all directions.


    [I am Dortu. I can control more with Master¡¯s mana.]


    ¡°That¡¯s the best news I¡¯ve heard all day!¡±


    I retracted Elemental de and poured my mana into Dortu. Immediately, the shooting speed of his robots went up. It felt like they were shootingser beams rather than bullets.


    However, it was still only two robots against many. As I said before, the other side had thousands of robots scattered about the wilderness, and there was still one enemy that I couldn¡¯t detect shooting me from far away.


    ¡°Dortu, how long do I have to wait? Another day!?¡±


    [I am Dortu.]


    Dortu didn¡¯t say anything beyond that. I clenched my teeth and shot my spear at a bazooka-carrying robot. Then, I fell in thought. If I use Overlord and wipe these guys out, won¡¯t Dortu need less time to dominate them? No, will using Overlord guarantee that?


    At that moment, the enemy formation seemed to break, and a small explosion erupted from the middle. A few robots blew up followed by more robots.


    [It¡¯s only now starting.]


    Three ckened robots were flying towards us. I aimed my spear at them but realized what was happening before it was toote. Dortu had taken control of them!


    Dortu had initiated his counterattack against the weapon-controlling Eliminators.

 Chapter 311. Breakthrough (4)

    While the robots Dortu took control over began to attack, I also made my move. It would just be sad if the robots we worked so hard to take over were simply shot down.


    Dortu¡¯s n seemed to be infecting other robots by shooting them with bullets imbued with his power. Having even one less robot would mean the rate of infection of slow down.


    Thus, I was kept quite busy. Rather than attacking, I was focusing my attention on defending Dortu¡¯s robots.


    [I am Dortu. Master¡¯s movements are precise and careful. As expected of Dortu¡¯s Master.]


    ¡°I¡¯m just running around aimlessly.¡±


    As these robots weren¡¯t living beings, I couldn¡¯t treat them like normal monsters. Still, it was true that they had mana in their bodies. Whether it be bullets or cannon shells, whatever they shot also had mana imbued in them. Although it was hard to respond to it at first because it was unfamiliar, after fighting them for well over a day, I could predict the mana¡¯s movements to a certain extent and act correspondingly.


    First, I raised Absolute Soul and my mana detection ability to the peak, and as Peruta Circuit raised my physical abilities to the peak, I prepared myself to use Divine Speed in an instant. Once I reinforced my spear to be capable of cutting apart any bullet, my preparation was finished. Next up was pinpointing any bullets close to hitting Dortu¡¯s robots and cutting them down.


    ¡°Easy pickings!¡±


    [I am Dortu. Master is strong. Master evolved.]


    [Master was always strong, idiot!]


    With me hard at work, Dortu¡¯s robots were rarely shot down. Meanwhile, they shot their own bullets endlessly. It seemed Dortu was making their bullets with his power, as they seemed to have an endless supply.


    Of course, underneath all this was my mana¡¯s sacrifice. Several thousands of mana points were being taken every second. Including the amount I spent for myself, the terrifying amount of mana would have made the old me froth at his mouth.


    Luckily, I wasn¡¯t the old me. With Peruta Circuit and Absolute Soul¡¯s harmony, I absorbed the same amount of mana from the surroundings as Dortu used. As these two skills didn¡¯t care about living beings or inanimate objects and worked against any target with mana, I could keep up with Dortu¡¯s massive mana usage without a problem. In other words, I was taking the enemy¡¯s mana and using it against them!


    In any case, the endless barrage of bullets by Dortu¡¯s five robots helped create a path for us charge through. Just this significantly helped my current situation but, as Dortu said in the beginning, his real purpose for controlling the robots wasn¡¯t to just increase our own firepower. It was to use the enemy¡¯s forces against them.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the change to happen. Just like the first three robots we took control of, more robots began to cken. These robots then joined our side and began to shoot their former allies. As they didn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t express any emotion, they couldn¡¯t be more reliable.


    [I am Dortu. I¡¯m speeding up.]


    ¡°You¡¯re doing great, Dortu.¡±


    I also got busier. I didn¡¯t want to let a single robot get shot down.


    I had already spent one day and a bit over five hours on the 86th floor, but I have yet to even see a glimpse of the86th Floor Shop. As I rarely spent so much time clearing a floor in the First Dungeon, I couldn¡¯t help but feel stifled.


    Any other explorer would have berated me for such ament, but I was serious. The dungeon was indeed different from the 81st floor, and I had a feeling things would be even more different from the 91st floor.


    Sherafina had to have more prepared. The dungeon likely had many terrifying monstrosities like Crimson Hell that even Sherafina couldn¡¯t fully control. The dungeon wasn¡¯t a ce to just give out rewards to explorers. It was a ce to test them. Since the founding of the First Dungeon, no one had ever gone beyond its 92nd floor. Knowing this, spending several days on the 86th floor felt like a waste of time.


    [I can¡¯t... see Master.]


    [I¡¯m getting dizzy, Master! I¡¯m getting dizzy!]


    Little by little, I became more experienced in using Divine Speed. Not the skill version of Divine Speed, but the Divine Speed that was the result of knowing its principle and flow of mana, a result achieved through using the skill thousands of times.


    Once my body grew familiar with Divine Speed¡¯s flow of mana, Peruta Circuit, and Absolute Soul incorporated it as a natural flow. Along with Tria, I freely soared across the sky. Tria was the perfect tool to support Divine Speed.


    When I mastered Peruta Circuit, the way I controlled mana changed and I became capable of flying even without Sharana. But of course, I couldn¡¯t fly as freely without Sharana, and Tria was a godsend aid in this situation.


    Now that I had gotten used to using Hermes¡¯ power, I could maintain Tria for an hour! I could now understand where I needed to block the bullets the moment they left their barrels, and Tria transported me to wherever I wanted. With Divine Speed and Tria, I was just too fast.


    At that moment, apletely unexpected feeling of freedom rose up within me. I felt like the wind that could fly to anywhere I wanted. I immediately understood what this feeling was, but as I was in the dungeon, Sherafina kindly exined it to me.


    [You perfectly took in Hermes¡¯ power. As a result, Hermes¡¯ authority strengthens. Your speed increases by an additional 10%. Tria¡¯s duration increases to two hours per day. You obtained a new authority, Petasos.]


    [Petasos refers to the travel hat worn by the Messenger God Hermes. A symbol of Hermes on the same level of fame as Tria, Petasos cannot disy its full strength alone. It can only be summoned for 10 minutes a day while Tria is active.]


    [While Petasos is active, your speed will triple. This speed applies to both movement speed and attack speed, as well as the processing speed of your brain. As it ces a heavy burden on your body and brain, your body and soul must be sturdy and of a high league to use it.]


    ¡°What...? Triple the speed and it doesn¡¯t even turn me red...!?¡±[1. This is some Gundam reference (author going full Gundam recently, huh).]


    Now that I thought about it, Hermes¡¯ winged hat was just as famous as his winged sandals.


    Korea¡¯s famous search engine[2. Naver.] also referenced Hermes¡¯ hat for its logo. In any case, I med myself for only having unlocked Hermes¡¯ final power now.


    ¡°There were many situations in the past where I needed to move quicker...¡±


    The fact that I only obtained Petasos now could only mean that I always had a sense of leisure somewhere in my heart!


    ¡°I only obtained all of Hermes¡¯ power on the 86th floor. How can I not be disappointed with myself?¡±


    Even as I said that I was cutting apart hundreds of bullets while flying around the sky with Divine Speed. The number of robots was increasing. Suddenly, a thought shed through my mind. Wasn¡¯t this the first time I used Divine Speed to this extent? Not the skill version of Divine Speed, but the Divine Speed I learned with my body.


    ¡°Not to mention, Sharan¡¯s not here too.¡±


    Perhaps, not relying on Sharana¡¯s power and using my own ability with Tria was what unlocked Hermes¡¯ final power. Of course, the truth was in the dark. What was important now was that I was like the Red Comet[3. Looks like it was a Gundam Unicorn reference? I didn¡¯t watch the show so I wouldn¡¯t know]... Err, that I could move extremely fast.


    Since I didn¡¯t know how long I would stay on the 86th floor, there was no reason for me to hold back this newly acquired power. After all, I could use this power once per day!


    ¡°Petasos!¡±


    Along with my courageous roar, a white light enveloped my helmet. In a moment, a small pair of feathered wings grew behind the helmet. At the same time, I felt like I was struck in the head with a hammer.


    ¡°Ah, right! The speed of my conscious... triples too!¡±


    My head became filled with all sorts of thoughts whenever I entered a battle, but now, it was even harder to cope with everything in my head and I felt a splitting headache. All sorts of thoughts rose up in my mind and were amplified endlessly. If used wrongly, this power could cripple a person!


    However, I was someone who had climbed 86 floors of the First Dungeon. I couldn¡¯t bow down and kneel because of my own power. Not to mention, I was in a battlefield raining bullets! I quickly expanded Peruta Circuit and created a giant whirlpool to shield my body. At the same time, I tried my best to push away all the useless thoughts that popped up in my head. Then, I began to fill my head with what I needed to do.


    My intelligence stat, boosted by many titles, was finally making full use of its strength. I didn¡¯t think intelligence would help me clear my mind this much. If nothing else worked, I would have even tried punching myself!


    [I am Dortu. Master, are you okay?]


    [Master, you got hit several times! Are you really okay?]


    I replied calmly.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Getting hit by a few bullets wasn¡¯t enough to kill me. Although I would be injured, no attacks could break through Peruta Circuit¡¯s whirlpool and maintain enough force to deal a fatal blow. I set priorities on thins I needed to do and focused on one thought at a time. With my quickened conscious, I could make decisions more quickly, and as my movement speed was also increased, I didn¡¯t suffer from anyg in carrying out my thoughts.


    The result was excellent. I blocked all the attacks I wanted to block and destroyed attacking robots at a speed even I found shocking. However, the most important thing was finding the stairway to the next floor! I recalled theyout of the floor I mapped out over thest day and calcted the path we needed to take.


    Petasos could only be maintained for ten minutes. I had toe up with a conclusion and set up my course of action during this time.


    ¡°Dortu, how long do you need to dominate all of them?¡±


    [I am Dortu. After destroying about 40% of their current forces, I will need 28 minutes.]


    ¡°Good, then we¡¯ll go with that.¡±


    During this ten minutes, we¡¯ll go wild and pave our way forward!


    I also wanted to find out how they were shooting up from the ground. Although it wouldn¡¯t help us deal with them, it would undoubtedly help me when I fight the Eliminator¡¯s main body on the 90th floor.


    ¡°Dortu, I¡¯m going to lessen that time by a third, got it?¡±


    [I am Dortu. What should I do?]


    ¡°Do what you did before where you detonated a few of them. I¡¯ll transfer the detailed n to your head, so you can just carry it out. Got it? Elemental Tempest!¡±


    First, I sent a special massive-scale Elemental Tempest that took 370,000 mana points at the army of robots.


    Immediately afterward, Dortu received mymand and mana, and he instantly strengthened three of his robots. While I guarded them against the enemy¡¯s attacks, Dortu¡¯s threw them into the enemy¡¯s forces. Then, he detonated them! Although this resulted in our forces being temporarily weakened, the mana massively released from the explosion wore down countless robots. When Dortu¡¯s other robots shot follow-up bullets, many more robots turned to our side.


    [I am Dortu. Propagation speed increased.]


    ¡°We¡¯re going to keep doing the same thing, Dortu. Don¡¯t worry about my mana.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Dortu really likes Master.]


    Detonating a few robots and pulling in even more robots to our side. This method wasn¡¯t particrly difficult to pull off. But the reason we could only do it now was because of my mana. As this method constantly used a huge amount of mana, Dortu¡¯s robots would eventually run out of bullets.


    Now that I had Petasos, things were different. I was taking in more mana than Dortu could spend. When my quickened consciousness and quickened Peruta Circuit harmonized with Absolute Soul, an enormous amount of mana that felt almost like all existing mana in this ce came under my control. Could this be Petasos¡¯ real ability?


    In truth, I was a bit let down that Hermes¡¯ final authority only tripled my speed, but I was gravely mistaken. Petasos was Hermes¡¯ most violent ability. It was an absolute power that let me imitate a god!


    ... Of course, the downside was that it had a time limit like Overlord.


    ¡°All of you, die! No, be mine!¡±


    I shouted excitedly. The feathered wings adorning my helmet spread out beautifully, and the sound of detonating robots resonated throughout the battlefield. To me, it sounded no different than a touching bad.


    Just 28 hours afterward, I sessfully broke through the 86th floor. However, there was something I realized only afterward. The army of robots Dortu and I spent so much effort to amass couldn¡¯t be brought along to the 87th floor! Since we couldn¡¯t even bring them with us to Beyond, we had to destroy them all before we left the 86th floor.


    ¡°...¡±


    [I am Dortu. Must we start from the beginning on the 87th floor?]


    ¡°Yeah, Dortu.¡±


    I replied dejectedly.


    ¡°People call this a waste of time.¡±


    [I am Dortu... Dortu hates wasting time.¡±


    The master and servant reached a strong agreement.

 Chapter 312. Breakthrough (5)

    After breaking through the First Dungeon¡¯s 86th floor, I entered Beyond straight away with little rest. As the subi told me to wait a week, I nned to clear as many floors as I could before that.


    Beyond¡¯s 36th floor had mobs of Vampire Lords. They were undoubtedly copies of an original Vampire Lord created by Sherafina. Still, that didn¡¯t mean they were any weaker than the Vampire Lord on the 75th floor. In fact, they were much stronger and annoyed me to no end.


    They maneuvered around freely, making it seem as though they were everywhere at the same time, and with their boundless mana, they constantly aimed for my neck with their blood magic attacks.


    Unfortunately for them, I had gone through too much hardships for them to faze me. The enemies I had faced just before them was a world¡¯s enemy¡¯s army. Though it took some time, four days to be exact, I cleared the 36th floor with little problem.


    Loretta seemed to be waiting for me toe out, as she weed me on the 86th floor and gave me a Fatigue Recovery Juice. While I drank it and relieved myself of exhaustion from the past four days, Loretta asked me a question.


    ¡°Shin-nim, so how did you get through 31st to 35th floors so quickly?¡±


    ¡°The subi and incubi knew they weren¡¯t a match and made way for me. They just told me to go fight Lilith.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Loretta pped her ears andughed.


    ¡°How smart of them. Thanks to that, they¡¯ll get to live peacefully for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Lilith died and Sherafina said she wouldn¡¯t be revived, so who¡¯s going to fill her ce?¡±


    ¡°Sherafina will probably make a fake by picking one of the subi.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfa¡ª¡±


    Loretta put her hands over my mouth. Then, with a cute smile, she spoke.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to restore an original from nothing, but it¡¯s easy to make a fake by giving power to what already exists. With Lord¡¯s power, it will be easy to make an eptable Floor Master. In truth, Lilith was just too strong. Though, I¡¯ve only seen her once...¡±


    Loretta made a slightly worried expression. Ah, thinking about it now, Loretta had the Evil Eyes of Charm. I quickly nced at her shining eyes. As my charm rose, I felt like Loretta was lessening the restraint on her Evil Eyes.


    No, it wasn¡¯t just a feeling. Her eyes openly shone just now. Even so, I wasn¡¯t affected whatsoever. The reason was simple. It was because of my incredibly high charm and the fact that I had be part-Mare... Ugh, just thinking about it made me mad. In any case, considering that Lilith might have had her horn when Loretta met her...


    ¡°... You lost?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to be hit?¡±


    It seemed I was right. Loretta trembled and clenched her fists as though her pride has been shattered. Thinking she was cute, I put my hands around her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Loretta is the most charming person to me.¡±


    ¡°I know you say that to everyone.¡±


    Loretta snorted, but she couldn¡¯t hide her reddened cheeks and pping ears. When it was her puppet at the Floor Shop, I remembered her being good at hiding her emotions... It seemed that her real body wasn¡¯t too skilled at it.


    I could have simplyughed in this situation, but where the conversation was headed made me a bit nervous. Although Loretta hadn¡¯t mentioned it until now, it was a mine that could detonate at any time! My brain was at work harder than in any battle. But I still couldn¡¯t figure out what to say. How can I be two-timing anyone if I¡¯m not even dating anyone? Not knowing what to say, I kissed Loretta¡¯s on her cheek and whispered.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve only said this to Loretta.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Really. You can ask Hwaya and the others.¡±


    ¡°But you like this Hwaya more than me, right?¡±


    ¡°... Of course not.¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer instantly. I had unknowingly ranked them in my head. Ah! Loretta¡¯s gaze is heavy! Is this the price I have to pay for walking this road!?


    Loretta red at me with puffed up cheeks, then sighed. I quickly added.


    ¡°I like Loretta the most, really. Look at me. I can only see Loretta.¡±


    ¡°... Uuu, I hate myself for falling for these sugar-coated words.¡±


    Really, Loretta was too eas... kind! Seeing the tension leave Loretta¡¯s body, I lightly embraced her and stroked her hair.


    ¡°Thank you for understanding. I really do like you, Loretta.¡±


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s my fault for falling in love. And considering what Shin-nim needs to do in the future, making them not have any other thoughts is certainly good, but still...¡±


    Not just in a practical sense, but how I felt about Hwaya or Ludia also... No, I buried these emotions deep inside my heart. I recalled the advice Lin gave me.


    ¡®If you want to take in many women, be confident andmanding. Still, make the woman you¡¯re facing believe that she¡¯s the best.¡¯ To do this, I shouldn¡¯t think of other girls at this moment.


    ... Lin, you yboy, thank you for the advice!


    ¡°... Shin-nim, I¡¯m the best, right?¡±


    Loretta looked up at me with worried eyes. Kuk, did I let my thoughts show!? I cleared my thoughts with Lin¡¯s advice in mind and brought up the truth within me. Don¡¯t lie! Fight head on with nothing but the truth!


    ¡°That was the first confession of love I made ever, can¡¯t you believe me?¡±


    ¡°Words aren¡¯t enough.¡±


    Loretta pushed her lips out. Her eyes were closed, but her ears were pping as if to make a storm.


    ¡°Proof. I need proof.¡±


    ¡°You were aiming for this from the start.¡±


    ¡°Proof. Hurry.¡±


    Loretta said the same thing repeatedly with her lips out. She was too cute and Lin¡¯s manual for responding to such situation disappeared into the back of my mind. In front of this adorable bird asking to be fed, I wholeheartedly did my duty. However, it was hard to make a baby bird full.


    ¡°I need more.¡±


    ¡°Sherafina should be watching.¡±


    ¡°Who cares if that oldie¡¯s watching? Let her watch if she wants! So quickly, quickly.¡±


    In the end, I kept feeding the baby bird until she was satisfied. The subi were waiting for me on Earth this entire time, but I ended up being an hourte.


    ¡°Sweet scent.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how she knew I woulde here today, but Daisy greeted me at the guild house in her full beret, uniform, and enamel boots andmented out of the blue. I asked back.


    ¡°Sweet scent?¡±


    ¡°Elf Queen¡¯s scent.¡±


    I almost touched my lips subconsciously, but I managed to catch myself before the act. I decided to be shameless.


    ¡°I stopped by the Floor Shop, so Loretta¡¯s scent might be on me.¡±


    ¡°Scent, every time you talk... You ate the Elf Queen?¡±


    She came up with a truly original conclusion and, in a way, she wasn¡¯tpletely wrong. Daisy¡¯s senses were too sharp. I smiled and shook my head, but Daisy tilted her head and asked a follow-up question.


    ¡°You want to eat me, too?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°Then I will, eat Kang Shin¡¯s lips.¡±


    As soon as I heard her words, I activated Divine Speed and jumped back. Daisy swung her whip wanting to capture me, but missed. She narrowed her eyes and spoke.


    ¡°Fair y vition.¡±


    ¡°You knew everything! Why did you act innocent? Plus, you took out your whip first!¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d run.¡±


    Daisy prepared a second attack. Her whip control had long since reached a pinnacle. If I wasn¡¯t careful, I could really be done in. Thrown off guard, I shouted.


    ¡°Whatever happened to easygoing!?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, youth explodes. Elf Queen¡¯s scent, unpleasant. I will overwrite it with my scent.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not even that young¡ª¡±


    Daisy¡¯s whip flew in. That wasn¡¯t for capturing, but for shattering someone¡¯s bones! When I dodged it in shock, Daisy spoke with a stiff voice.


    ¡°In elf age, I¡¯m a girl in the flower of youth. What Kang Shin said, very rude.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I quickly gave up and apologized. Daisy put her whip down as though she was content and began to approach me.


    ¡°Oh, Oppa, you¡¯re here!¡±


    At this desperately dangerous moment, Yua¡¯s voice rang out. Her baby dragon, Luna, was in her arms.


    ¡°Yua, you¡¯re here too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Everyone else is busy.¡±


    While Yua didn¡¯t say much, seeing how Daisy and Yua were both here, I knew that what I nned to do on my own had gotten a bit out of hand.


    Daisy controlled the undead and Yua controlled an army of mantises. They were both perfect for dealing with arge number of monsters, even the ones that already became petrified.


    ¡°Oppa can just go alone, you know.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, climbing the dungeon is important, but didn¡¯t Oppa say this? That there¡¯s something you can¡¯t learn in the dungeon. Not to mention, it seems these kids get stronger faster by defeating monsters in the outside world than in the dungeon.¡±


    I could immediately guess a reason. Monsters in the dungeon were all fakes under Sherafina¡¯s power. On the other hand, monsters roaming around on Earth were real monsters that had crossed over a dimension.


    Monsters ate the flesh and drank the blood of the enemies they killed and grew stronger by absorbing their mana. It made sense that monsters on Earth were better at helping Yua¡¯s mantises grow. Even the monsters that already became petrified...


    ¡°What about you, Daisy? Aren¡¯t you busy climbing the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Daisy flinched and looked away. I could guess as to what happened. I asked after waiting a bit.


    ¡°... Vital zero?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Daisy covered her face with her beret. It seemed I was right on the mark. But I knew it was unreasonable to ask someone to climb the dungeon without ever dying. This was especially so if that person was someone like Daisy, who was climbing the top floors.


    ¡°Too...¡±


    Daisy spoke quieter than a walking ant.


    ¡°I got too excited...¡±


    ¡°Excited? About what?¡±


    ¡°... Mating with Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°Oppa!?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do nothing!¡±


    Daisy realized her mistake and corrected herself.


    ¡°I meant, dating Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°You got that wrong on purpose, right!? And when did we start dating!?¡±


    ¡°Owowowowow.¡±


    After paying the appropriate price, Daisy held onto her aching forehead and exined what happened.


    ¡°Got too excited, couldn¡¯t focus on battle... and made a mistake on the 88th floor.¡±


    ¡°Daisy, you...¡±


    Because of how Daisy always showed her emotions in a joking manner, I thought Daisy was odd, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t it.


    Daisy seemed to be embarrassed by what she said, as she covered her face with her beret again. I decided to not poke her dignity any further. Moreover, this topic was making me embarrassed too.


    I changed the topic slightly.


    ¡°At least you didn¡¯t die in Beyond.¡±


    Dying in the First Dungeon only came with a week-long rest period. Inparison, Beyond had a month-long period. I sighed in relief.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do about it now. But you should take this opportunity and take care of things you couldn¡¯t do because of the dungeon. You don¡¯t really have toe with us.¡±


    ¡°...? What I neglected because of the dungeon, I¡¯m doing now.¡±


    What Daisy said touched me. I knew that Daisy cared about Earth¡¯s safety more so than other members of Revival, but I didn¡¯t think she would be this caring for Earth. Just when I was about to put this thought into words, Daisy continued.


    ¡°Spending time to mate... date Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Daisy lowered her beret slightly. Daisy¡¯s crimson eyes looked pure and innocent, but they also contained an unconceble heat. At this instant, I realized two things. First was that easygoing was a dead word.


    Second... Loretta, it looks like you aren¡¯t the only elf devoted to your desires!

 Chapter 313. Breakthrough (6)

    Chapter 313. Breakthrough (6)


    The bnce of the party was perfect. I handled the firepower, while Daisy attacked me and Yua defended me. I know, this party is fundamentally wrong!


    ¡°Dear Husband, there won¡¯t be any strong monsters. Of the remaining regions, we picked the most dangerous ces, but their bosses are SSS rank at most.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    I followed the red line on the 3D hologram map.


    ¡°SSS rank... That used to scare me in the past.¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband had such a time?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I was born with a god¡¯s true name?¡±


    I flicked one of the subi¡¯s forehead and memorized the route on the map. As monsters were practically extinct in Asia and Oceania, we nned on cleaning up North America this time.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to go to Greend with Oppa...¡±


    ¡°Greend sounds great. It should have the highest quantity of monsters.¡±


    Of course, as I had already seen endless snowynd when I was in Antarctica, Greend¡¯s sceneries didn¡¯t give me much joy.


    In any case, Greend¡¯s poption was only around 60,000. There was nothing they could do against the initial monster invasion and, as a result, Greend became an ind of monsters with no humans to be seen.


    ¡°Yes? Oh, monsters...¡±


    Yua made a wry expression. She might have been excited because this was the first time she participated in a hunt. But Yua, this won¡¯t be anything like what you¡¯re thinking.


    Daisy also seemed to have no interest in corpses she could acquire from this trip.


    ¡°SSS rank, nothing special. But killing monsters is, important. So they don¡¯t cause a problemter on.¡±


    The words of someone with experience was always important. Monsters had a higher chance of crossing over the dimension when there were monsters already on the other side. This property was what made this dimensional pathway so troubling. I pointed at the regions I and other Revival members had cleaned up and asked the subi.


    ¡°Once we¡¯re done with North America, will we be half done?¡±


    ¡°Yes, about so. When Event Dungeons appeared in massst time, most of the Pacific and the Antic Ocean were cleaned up. But...¡±


    I knew what she wanted to say, that the monster outbreak wasn¡¯t over. If even a single Event Dungeon was left untouched, it would explode and cover thend with monsters. If all monsters of the other world nned on crossing over to this side, we couldn¡¯t rx. I had a feeling the next outbreak would ur soon, and after that event would surely be the descent of the Demon Lord...


    With a bitter smile, I touched my forehead.


    ¡°I really wish I had three bodies.¡±


    In the past, I just had to take care of myself and my family. But now, I knew too well that the danger Earth was facing was a danger I had to solve, especially because I knew the truth.


    ¡°You¡¯re already doing great, Dear Husband. No one else can do what you¡¯re doing. Cheer up!¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    All of the subi here had lost their home, but rather than resenting others, they ced their hopes on me and followed me. It would be wrong of me to show my weakness in front of them. I grabbed the hand of the subus who encouraged me.


    ¡°Tell Licorice and the other subi that I said thanks.¡±


    ¡°Aaaaah, me too!¡±


    ¡°Me too, me too!¡±


    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s already leaving!¡±


    I waved my hand and bid farewell with Yua and Daisy. As the door closed, I could see the subus I held hands with about to get lynched by the others.


    I then recalled something.


    Can¡¯t those girls just share their sense of touch...!?


    ¡°Oppa, are we going right away?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I saw Mother before, so we can go.¡±


    For the record, Mother finally broke through the 20th floor thanks to receiving help from others. Though she could kill a single orc by herself, I made her stop climbing the dungeon for now and made her enter the guild. Just like Father, Mother also treated the guild house as hers, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that I was the guild master. I assigned her to the same room as Father.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Oppa... After we¡¯re done, can we spend a few hours sightseeing...?¡±


    ¡°Sure, as long as it¡¯s only for a few hours.¡±


    Yua clenched her fists in happiness. Seeing Yua jump around in joy, Daisy tilted her head and asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s, sightseeing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s when you travel to a foreign ce and see its famous monuments or sights.¡±


    ¡°Aha.¡±


    Daisy nodded her head.


    ¡°So it¡¯s looking at another country¡¯s culture,paring them to our own and mocking them?¡±


    ¡°You should do something about your twisted way of thinking.¡±


    Though thest part of what she said waspletely wrong, I could somewhat rte to the beginning part. If I went to a foreign country and saw the same things as if I was home, the trip would feel like a waste. What made traveling fun was seeing and experiencing new things.


    ¡°Once we reim Sylon continent, Kang Shin shoulde sightsee.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see it while I¡¯m reiming it anyways.¡±


    ¡°Un. Let¡¯s see it, together.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Child in my tummy will see too.¡±


    ¡°No, that won¡¯t be happening.¡±


    ¡°Daisy Unni...!¡±


    Yua, who was burning with her passion for sightseeing, red at Daisy when she heard what she said, but Daisy easily pushed Yua¡¯s gaze back. As I thought, Yua can¡¯t win against Daisy!


    Our travel route was extremely simple. Starting from ska, we would receive Guardian and Freedom Wing¡¯s guide and clean up any monster we see up to our final destination which was Greend.


    But before we left our guild house in Jongno, a long-haired girl wearing a ck leather suit hurriedly entered the guild house. ... Eh?


    ¡°Ye-Eun?¡±


    ¡°Huff, huff, I¡¯m notte. Thank god... I saw the helicopter outside, so I didn¡¯t think you had left yet.¡±


    Ye-Eun caught her breath and approached us.


    ¡°Let me join in. I want to be of help too.¡±


    ¡°We already have three people going. What about the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I broke through the 70th floor!¡±


    This monster.


    ¡°I can take some time off now, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all too amazing.¡±


    We were making a trip to clean up a continent, but Yua was treating it as sightseeing, Daisy was treating it as rtionship business, and Ye-Eun was treating it as something to do while resting. If Ye-Eun had broken through the 70th floor, she was on a much quicker pace than many of the others, especially considering when she first entered the dungeon. Plus, with me next to her, there shouldn¡¯t be any trouble...


    ¡°Sure, Ye-Eun. I¡¯ve been wanting to talk to you for a while. We can do that once we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    Ye-Eun spoke with a bright smile. Daisy clicked her tongue.


    ¡°More hindrances...¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling a hindrance! You¡¯re the hindrance!¡±


    ¡°Your teachers are friends, so you guys try to get along too.¡±


    ¡°Hecate told me, watch out for Duca. Her greatest enemy. Steals all good men, and their purities.¡±


    Duca? Well, I guess Hecate would know more about her than me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that, but...¡±


    ¡°Uuu, my cozy trip with Oppa is being ruined... No, four people are better than the usual anyway...!¡±


    Yua murmured to herself with a frown. Afterward, we got on the helicopter, which would fly us straight to the airport.


    ¡°Ah, by the way, Shin. Ciara told me to tell you something. She wanted to tell you by telepathy, but she couldn¡¯t because of your magic resistance.¡±


    ¡°Ciara did?¡±


    I left Ciara to Hwaya after thest time I talked to her, so when did Ye-Eun get that close with Ciara? Seeing me tilt my head, Ye-Eun spoke with a smile.


    ¡°Last month, we formed a second alliance as a sign of letting bygones be bygones.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret. Ehehe.¡±


    ¡°... That alliance, can you let me in?¡±


    ¡°No, not Daisy!¡±


    ¡°So what did Ciara want to tell me? Just that she couldn¡¯t send me telepathies?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    Ye-Eun spoke while she continued to be on guard against Daisy.


    ¡°She said there might be an enemy stronger than thest time. She said she¡¯s not sure, but told us to be prepared for anything that might happen.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    ¡°She apparently foresaw it this afternoon. When I told her I was going to follow you, she told me to pass on the message.¡±


    Suddenly, Ye-Eun pped her hands and added.


    ¡°Oh right, she said it¡¯ll be the demons... But what does this all mean?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to know for now. I¡¯ll tell youter.¡±


    My head suddenly began to throb. It felt like this happened every time I went out. Was I just picking ces that are likely to cause trouble? After thinking for a little while, I asked.


    ¡°There are no survivors in ska, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa. ska has beenpletely taken over by monsters.¡±


    Yua immediately answered. I checked the map again.


    It shouldn¡¯t be the middle of America, right? ces with nothing but monsters. The most probable ce had to be ska or Greend.


    ¡°... Should I go alone?¡±


    ¡°Together.¡±


    ¡°Let me go, too! I told you, I won¡¯t get in the way!¡±


    To be honest, I wasn¡¯t worried about Daisy or Ye-Eun. I didn¡¯t need to say much about Daisy, and Ye-Eun could always summon Duca and run.


    The person I was worried about seemed to know it too.


    ¡°Is it dangerous to the point I¡¯ll cause trouble for Oppa?¡±


    Right, the problem was Yua. Her mantis army was powerful. With them around, she could take care of most monsters. But her army was useless in front of a single enemy with absolute power.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Oppa. I have Luna.¡±


    ¡°Luna?¡±


    I looked at the yawning baby dragon in Yua¡¯s arms. Realizing that I was looking at her, Luna looked back at me with clear eyes. Cute.


    ¡°Luna is really strong. She has abilities even I don¡¯t know about.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    I tilted my head and checked Luna¡¯s mana. Indeed, she had an unbelievable amount of mana within her. How so much mana could fit in her tiny body was a true mystery.


    ¡°The reason I¡¯m going with Oppa is more for Luna than the mantises. Luna eats a lot.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I reached my hand towards Luna¡¯s head. The singr horn on Luna¡¯s head was small, yet tough and sharp. When I touched it, Luna flinched, but she stayed still realizing that I meant no harm. After petting her for a while, I took my hand off. Luna cried quietly and rubbed her face against my hand. Yua smiled sweetly and whispered to Luna.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Luna, it¡¯s Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Haha, Yua is good at making jokes.¡±


    With those words, I stroked Luna again. Good, I made my decision.


    Two hourster, the four of us arrived in ska.

 Chapter 314. The Clash Approaches (1)

    We got off at the ska Penins located south of ska¡¯s maind. Our n was to travel up.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t fresh skan salmon delicious, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s spring right now. Salmonse back during autumn when it¡¯s their breeding season, so it should be hard to find them now.¡±


    ¡°What about bears?¡±


    ¡°ska¡¯s well-known for their grizzly bears, also known as Kodiak grizzlies.¡±


    ¡°Bear paws!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve had bear paws before. The things I had to do to have a taste of it...¡±


    ¡°Wow, really? I want to try it too!¡±


    Yua¡¯s eyes shone brightly. It seemed Yua was interested in skan delicacies. When I was thirteen, I hade to ska with Father for training, and I had to hunt a skan grizzly bear with a wooden spear. ska grizzly bears were notorious for being as frightening as pr bears! Just thinking about the past made my gnash my teeth.


    I wanted to throw Father in front of a grizzly bear as revenge, but since he could easily stab a grizzly bear to death, I couldn¡¯t even call it revenge. Thankfully, I had somehow managed to survive and even ate the paw of the bear I caught. Sadly, it wasn¡¯t even that tasty, especially considering I had almost lost my life...


    In any case, I hade to ska before and I could tell how much ska had changed. I decided to be honest with Yua.


    ¡°I doubt any grizzly bears are alive in ska.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Because of its beautiful natural scenery, many tourists used to visit ska. But now, ska¡¯s precipitous mountains, icy rivers, and wild animals were all gone as if the entirend had been recreated.


    ¡°Wow, look at that mountain, Shin! It looks higher than Everest!¡±


    ¡°I can hear, a howl. Emperor of the mountain.¡±


    ¡°It looks like a monster reced skan grizzly bears as ska¡¯s strongest.¡±


    ¡°Hiing, my bear paw...¡±


    Despite what everyone else thought, we weren¡¯t here to sightsee. I had Daisy summon her super-massive tuna undead, Aikan, and we began our travel. Of course, since we couldn¡¯t ignore the monsters in our way, I decided to borrow Dortu¡¯s power.


    [I am Dortu. I will work hard and waste time with Master today.]


    ¡°No, Dortu, we¡¯re not wasting time today. Also, don¡¯t say that when I summon you.¡±


    [I am Dortu...]


    I transferred my thought to Dortu, and he immediately began to make metallic fragments around us. It looked as though we were in the middle of the milky way.


    ¡°Wow, how beautiful, Oppa!¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t just be beautiful. Also, from now on, don¡¯t look at Oppa¡¯s face. Daisy and Ye-Eun, the same goes for you guys too.¡±


    My Evil Eyes of Petrification didn¡¯t indiscriminately petrify everything around it. What I was worried about was the effect of my charm. I could easily exclude them from my charm¡¯s effect, but I couldn¡¯t say for certain that they would be excludedpletely.


    Once Dortu¡¯s metallic fragments spread far, I began to slowly release the charm I had trapped inside me. After obtaining Lilith¡¯s power, I could recognize the charm within my body as something like a fragrance. Not only did was it easier to control my charm, but releasing it from a single part of my body also became possible. Currently, I was pouring my charm out through my eyes.


    The surroundings turned bright. The light let out by the Evil Eyes reflected off the millions of mirror fragments. Of course, it didn¡¯t just end there. As Aikan was purposely crying out, allnd-based, river-based, and sky-based monsters were paying attention to us. They were then exposed to the light of my Evil Eyes, and the result was to be expected.


    ¡°Wow...!¡±


    ¡°Yua, let your kids out on the ground. I¡¯m going to unpetrify them once they shatter and die.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa!¡±


    Following what I said, Yua released Luna and her mantises. Meanwhile, Daisy¡¯s expression changed when she saw every living being turning into stone..


    ¡°Evil Eyes¡¯ power, amplifying?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because Dortu is an elemental connected to me. It uses a lot of mana though.¡±


    It was also possible thanks to my mana nearing one million points. Not to mention, I was constantly absorbing atmospheric mana with Absolute Soul and Peruta Circuit. My entire existence was like a giant ma attracting nearby mana.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t try it, Daisy. Your Evil Eyes and mine havepletely different effects.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Reading the thoughts of thousands at once, just thinking about it gives me a headache.¡±


    With that, Daisy stared at Yua¡¯s tamed monsters breaking the petrified monsters and eating them, then raised her head and spoke.


    ¡°Kang Shin, petrifiable monsters, how strong?¡±


    ¡°Up to SSS rank, probably?¡±


    ¡°Everything that¡¯s alive?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t work on inanimate objects for now.¡±


    I replied as I rubbed the reddish-ck horn on my forehead. As I was using my charm, the horn was giving off slight heat. I could feel that my Evil Eyes could still evolve.


    ¡°If Kang Shin gets stronger, everything weaker than Kang Shin, can be petrified instantly.¡±


    ¡°I doubt a day like that wille.¡±


    ¡°... If that happens, how is Kang Shin, different from a god?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    I looked back at Daisy. She blushed.


    ¡°Are you, seducing me?¡±


    ¡°No, sorry.¡±


    ¡°But Shin¡¯s name is already Shin!¡± [1]


    While I quickly turned away, Ye-Eun erased the strange air between us with her stupidment. Iughed, but Daisy looked back down on the ground filling up with stones and spoke.


    ¡°Iprehensible sight. Even I¡¯m, getting scared.¡±


    I shrugged. Even if I became much stronger, I didn¡¯t think I would ever be strong enough to petrify someone like Daisy. Of course, there was no reason for me to petrify my precious friend either. In my opinion, there was no need for Daisy to be scared of me.


    But it seemed Daisy thought otherwise.


    ¡°Kang Shin¡¯s Evil Eyes, I looked down on them at first. But if what I said happens...¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin will, receive the awe of all people. Might be... a real god.¡±


    ¡°That sounds so ridiculous, I don¡¯t know even where to begin.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, even if you be a god.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, that won¡¯t happen.¡±


    Daisy held my shoulders and spoke.


    ¡°Don¡¯t abandon me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, geez.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get cursed with sore feet, after walking less than ten li." [2]


    ¡°How would a god get sore feet? It¡¯s nice to know you¡¯re adapting well to living in Korea though.¡±


    ¡°Shin, you won¡¯t abandon me either, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    I was worried Yua would join in on this talk but she was thankfully uninterested. She was simply cheering on her pets.


    ¡°Luna, don¡¯t eat that! It¡¯s dirty! Guys, there are lots to eat on the left!¡±


    ¡°Wow, look at those mantises eat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit gory objectively speaking, but then again, we¡¯ve been killing monsters for a long time...¡±


    ¡°Killing tens of thousands of monsters, just with a blink of an eye. Kang Shin has no persuasiveness.¡±


    Yua¡¯s mantises shattered the stones and happily ate the corpses of the monsters. The ground became dyed in fresh blood, bone fragments, and flesh. As the mantises only needed to eat what I petrified, they quickly gobbled them up and chased after us. Daisy also released her undead army on the ground and cleaned up any monsters that the mantises missed.


    ¡°Monster, massacre.¡±


    ¡°I want to hunt them too... I¡¯m getting all itchy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take out your dagger here, Ye-Eun. It¡¯s scary.¡±


    The gxy made out of Dortu¡¯s metallic mirrors stretched out from the sky to the ground and petrified everything in its range. Although we had to slow down from time to time to let the mantises catch up, by the time we went through 90 percent of the ska Penins, it was only lunch time. Since we left Korea in the morning, only about an hour of time had passed.


    ¡°Emperor of the mountain, looking forward to it.¡±


    Daisy spoke with sparkling eyes while we were eating the meat of a wolf Luna brought back. I then realized that we were flying over the mountain we saw when we first arrived in ska. This mountain was where we heard the thunderous howl.


    The ska Penins was originally famous for its Aleutian Mountain Range. Now, that mountain range was gone and reced by a massive mountain. This probably couldn¡¯t be called Aleutian any longer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go ind following the mountain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Oppa!¡±


    I spoke apathetically while biting down on a wolf¡¯s leg. I wanted to reim Greend under two days, but we weren¡¯t even half-way done with ska. Since I couldn¡¯t feel the energy Ciara talked about here, I just wanted to get this ce over with as quickly as possible.


    Suddenly, in the middle of bulldozing through any monsters we came across, we heard its howl once again.


    [Guaaaaaang!]


    I raised my head. After confirming that source of the cry, I looked back to the others and asked quietly.


    ¡°... Did the subi report on the monsters here?¡±


    ¡°Mm... They said they didn¡¯t go deep in and that this ce had the highest concentration of energy in all of ska. But they said it was all the same for Oppa.¡±


    Yua tilted her head as she retorted. I see. I nodded my head. I remembered hearing about it. Indeed, I could feel an energy different than normal mana from this mountain, but it was still only like a carbonated drink to someone like me.


    ¡°We might have to fight the biggest monster we¡¯ve fought so far.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Yua asked curiously. Without speaking, I pointed at the peak of the mountain in front of us. Everyone could immediately see a red lump hanging onto the peak as though it was a ko hanging on a tree.


    ¡°Oppa, is that alive?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    I nodded. Almost like it heard me, the monster howled once again.


    [Guooooooooong!]


    ¡°Making a soda can for that guy is going to be a bit hard.¡±


    Was this to make up for the grizzly bear we couldn¡¯t see!? Just look at the size of that thing!


    ¡°Bear paw, can you make it for us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you have to eat it all. You¡¯ll be eating it for ten years straight.¡±


    I held up my spear as I joked. My Evil Eyes had already covered this entire region. Since it wasn¡¯t petrified, I had to fight it myself.


    ¡°It¡¯sing!¡±


    ¡°Wow, a mountain peak just crumbled!¡±


    ¡°Grind your dagger well, though it might not go through that thing!¡±


    With that, I jumped off. SSS rank my ass, that thing might as well be the sessor of the Beast King!


    [1] Remember, Shin means "god" in Korean


    [2] A line from a traditional Korean song called Arirang.

 Chapter 315. The Clash Approaches (2)

    [Kuooooooong!]


    The grizzly bear let out a fearsome roar and reached out with its foreleg, smashing a chunk of the mountainside and sending boulders flying down. Daisy quickly put Aikan away and summoned Laki from her inventory.


    ¡°Monsters you haven¡¯t killed yet, leave them to the mantises.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my kids can eat them all!¡±


    Yua left her mantises to do their thing and only called Luna back. However, I was already charging towards the enemy.


    ¡°Fight me, big guy!¡±


    [Guoooooooong!]


    As I got closer to the bear, I could see better just how absurdly big it was. Strangely, although enough time had passed since I recognized the bear, Sherafina didn¡¯t say anything. Immediately, I could understand why. The dungeon¡¯s power was weakened in this ce. This mountain range was where it began.


    It seemed Ciara was right about this ce having something to make me nervous.


    ¡°But sadly, that¡¯s not you!¡±


    [Guoooooong!]


    After shattering a mountain peak like it owned the ce, the grizzly bear still seemed full of strength as it leaped off and shot towards me. We were easily several kilometers away, but the distance seemed to mean nothing to it.


    [Guaaaaaa!]


    Without exaggerating, a bear the size of a mountain swooped down from the sky and swung its foreleg towards me. Flying with Sharana¡¯s power, I chose to not dodge it. If I did, Ye-Eun, Daisy, and Yua would be hit.


    Instead, I drew Peruta Circuit¡¯s energy up and directed it into a single point on my spear. Immediately afterward, I used Lightning God¡¯s power and created a tornado of lightning. Peika then infused herself into the spear and brought up the lightning energy to the limit.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a leg as hello!¡±


    I shouted energetically and shot my spear towards the bear¡¯s foreleg. The concentrated energy even began to suck in surrounding mana as it drove into the bear¡¯s foreleg. Soon, the bear¡¯s foreleg exploded with a manhwa-like boom. It seemed to have nned to crush me under its weight, but it ended up being pushed back into the air instead.


    [Kuaaaaaak!]


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s what I like to hear! Dortu!¡±


    [I am Dortu. Attacking the enemy.]


    The metallic mirrors still floating in the air transformed slightly, bing thinner, sharper, and tougher.


    The hundreds of thousands of metallic fragments shot across the air carrying my mana and stabbed into the detonated foreleg of the bear. Unable to carry itself in the air, the bear was swept away by the flood of metallic fragments.


    ¡°That giant bear, so easily...¡±


    ¡°Oppa is so cool!¡±


    ¡°I climbed the same dungeon as Shin, so why can¡¯t I do something like that...?¡±


    The bear fell into a giant canyon, breaking everything in its path as it crashed down. Daisy then stepped in using Laki.


    ¡°Laki, scorch it.¡±


    [Guuuuooooo!]


    Laki breathed reddish-ck mes from his mouth and filled up the canyon. The terrifying heat seemed to even cook the bear¡¯s roar.


    [Kuooooooo!]


    ¡°Wow, he¡¯s so strong. I wonder when my Luna will be able to do that.¡±


    [Kyuu kyuu.]


    Luna¡¯s eyes sparkled as she watched Laki¡¯s performance. I couldn¡¯t say Laki was Luna¡¯s parent, but he was still the source of the existence called Luna. She was probably learning a thing or two by watching him.


    However, what Yua said next made me doubt my ears.


    ¡°Luna, help Laki.¡±


    [Kyuu.]


    Luna nodded, and the mes Laki was breathing intensified noticeably. The grizzly bear¡¯s scream also became louder. Realizing what happened, I asked in shock.


    ¡°Was that a buff?¡±


    ¡°She can raise the might of all mes. She learned it a short time ago!¡±


    [Guooooooo!]


    Soon, a savory smell rose up from the canyon. Laki seemed to be done breathing out fire, as he coughed a couple times and closed his mouth. Immediately afterward, the entire mountain range began to shake.


    [Kuaaaaaak!]


    ¡°Damn, does this bear really need to deform mountains every time it moves!?¡±


    Crack, crack. The canyon began to split loudly. The mountain peaks forming the mountain range began to drop rocks, from small pebbles to giant boulders. Surprisingly, they were all directed at us!


    ¡°Laki!¡±


    Laki immediately moved following Daisy¡¯s shout. Laki spread his wings and began to p. I doubted whether he could get us out of this situation alone, but it seemed I was underestimating him gravely. Thinking about it now, he was once the Lava King. The boulders flying towards us through the grizzly bear¡¯s mana faltered in face of Laki¡¯s storm of magic power.


    ¡°Sharana, help Laki!¡±


    [This is my specialty, Master!]


    Immediately after Sharana¡¯s cheerful shout, Laki¡¯s wing ps became fiercer. Rather than directly reinforcing Laki, Sharana guided his wind and directed the raining boulders onto him. The grizzly bear got up in shock and jumped back into the air.


    [Guaaaaa!]


    Because of Laki¡¯s terrifying mes, it was bleeding everywhere, its fur and skin were scorched. Only its frighteningly shining red eyes and fearsome growl let me know it was fine.


    Of the boulders hurling down, it grabbed the biggest one that could pass off as a chunk of a mountain¡¯s peak. Bleeding profusely from the spear wound I dealt, it looked to be in an excruciating pain, but it was clear what it wanted to do with the boulder.


    ¡°Shin, a spear is like a toothpickpared to that bear¡¯s foreleg, so how did you do it?¡±


    ¡°You just have topress more energy into one point.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a limit to how much energy you canpress?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡±


    I retorted lightly and poured about 100,000 mana into my spear. Like before, although the spear¡¯s aura carried the power of Lightning God, it didn¡¯t show it. One could only feel that something transparent was undting along the spear de.


    ¡°You should be able to do this too, Ye-Eun. Whether it¡¯s with a dagger or an actual toothpick, it¡¯s possible to use this technique.¡±


    The bear threw the huge boulder at Laki. Brimming with its mana and shining ck, the boulder hurled towards us quickly. I suspected even Laki would find it hard to receive that boulder head-on. Immediately, I kicked off into the air once more and shot my spear towards the giant boulder. The moment the spear tip touched it, 100,000 points of mana spread across the entire boulder.


    I shouted.


    ¡°Gaia Buster!¡±


    Last time was a serenade of metal, this time it¡¯s a serenade of rocks! The boulder broke apart into tens of thousands of shards and returned back to the grizzly bear. Seemingly flustered, the bear rolled its feet. The hill hended on crumbled, but a giant sharp stone mountain rose up and blocked the falling rocks.


    I¡¯ve been thinking this since the first time I saw it, but it seemed this bear could utilize this twisted environment to its fullest potential to both defend and attack. As long as it had its feet on the ground, it was a stage stronger! Thankfully, with Ye-Eun protecting Daisy¡¯s and Yua¡¯s bodies, I didn¡¯t need to worry about their safety.


    ¡°Luna!¡±


    [Kyuu!]


    At the most unexpected moment, Luna¡¯s cute cry rang out. In the next moment, I found out what she did. The stone mountain put up by the bear had turned into magma!


    [Kuaaak!?]


    ¡°Is Luna¡¯s growth direction different than Laki¡¯s? Buffing mes and turning stone into magma... Well, regardless...¡±


    This was a good opportunity! I immediately charged towards it! However strong Luna¡¯s mes might be, they couldn¡¯t possibly be EX rank, which meant they couldn¡¯t break through my cape¡¯s defense. I dove into the magma without hesitation and nned on giving the bear my spear of justice.


    But a rather unexpected sight was waiting for me inside the magma. The grizzly bear was giving me an uppercut like it was waiting for me.


    The moment I noticed it, I shouted the name of the most reliable elemental for times like this.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [Un!]


    Oneyer right in front of me, anotheryer a bit farther away, and one moreyer even farther away! The grizzly bear¡¯s fist shattered the tripleyered barrier Ruyue created and struck my spear.


    Immediately, Thorn Throne¡¯s effect activated and a single bone spear that popped out of the spear tip pierced through its fist. On the other hand, because I didn¡¯t have my strength properly concentrated in my spear, I was sent flying.


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    A little bit of blood was mixed with my frustrated cough. As I thought, in terms of purely physical and magical power, he was the next in line of the Beast King.


    ¡°You thought of punching me while submerged in magma? I like that!¡±


    [Guoooooooo!]


    Of course, the damage it dealt didn¡¯te without a price. It took on Luna¡¯s magma entirely, and since it was counterattacked by the bone spear, which dealt damage proportional to the might of the damage it dealt, it should be a sorry state.


    [Guaaaaaaa!]


    As I thought, seeing the injuries covering its body and the blood flowing down profusely, the bear let out a horrid howl. It was then that a change began to ur. The blood flowing down its body covered its wounds and made new fur grow out. A red, blood-like fur. Each strand of hair stood tall, and the bear¡¯s blood-shot eyes looked to be in a frenzy. Moreover, it¡¯s already humongous body got even bigger, and a portion of the mountain range sunk in under the weight of its body.


    It seemed this monster carried the trait of savage beasts. Going berserk. It was an ability that burned what little life me a beast had remaining to kill anything in its sight.


    [I am Dortu.]


    However, it was toote. The previous magma was the decisive blow.


    [Commencing action.]


    The sound of a grenade exploded out.


    [Kuooooooooo!]


    Its blood-dyed fur exploded and its flesh and bones flew in all directions. The bear screamed. It was different than any of the previous ones, a scream that came purely from pain. A pain that even a berserk state couldn¡¯t ignore could only be one thing, the pain from death.


    The pain came for a very simple reason. The tens of thousands of metallic fragments Dortu shot out were melted by the magma and became liquid. It then covered the bear¡¯s body and some had even entered inside. Just now, Dortu had simply detonated it.


    [I am Dortu. Art is an explosion.]


    ¡°Yes, Dortu, that¡¯s when you say that!¡±


    I nodded in satisfaction at Dortu¡¯s well-timed line. Then, I stared at the giant grizzly bear barely struggling to stay standing. It raised the one part of its body that I left untouched ¨C its one remaining foreleg.


    [Kuaaaaaaaaaaa!]


    ¡°Goodbye, grizzly.¡±


    I threw my spear.


    ¡°Leave the bear paw so I can let the others have a taste.¡±


    The spear prated its head and stuck the ground. The bear looked like a kid raising his arm to ask a question in ss, and soon, it fell on its back. The hunt was over.

 Chapter 316. The Clash Approaches (3)

    After taking care of the bear, we collected its corpse and climbed up the mountain. As no other monsters stood a chance against us, we smoothly finished ska in a day.


    I was curious about the energy that ignored the dungeon¡¯s power, but there wasn¡¯t anything in ska. I had to suspect that there might be something in Canada or America. Of course, it was entirely possible that ska was just a decoy with the real thing being in Greend.


    It felt like a waste to just leave ska, so we spent the night camping out and enjoying the scenery. As promised, I cut off some of the grizzly bear monster¡¯s paw and cooked it for everyone to taste.


    [Kuuuuu.]


    [Kyuu? Kyuu kyuu?]


    It seemed Laki and Luna couldmunicate, as despite being an undead, Laki had intelligence. While Laki talked to Luna like an elder giving valuable advice, Luna listened in closely. Daisy and Yua watched their undead and tamed beastmunicate with interest.


    I, on the other hand, sat on the side and started maintenance on my spear. Since I didn¡¯t know what I¡¯d have to face, I figured I should have my weapon in top condition.


    ¡°Shin.¡±


    Someone suddenly called me carefully.


    ¡°Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°Can I sit next to you?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I stuck my spear into the ground and poured in mana. The ground near the spear rose up slightly, and Dortu coated it with metal to create a simple chair. Finally, Sharana then blew wind to heat up the metal. Ye-Eun sat down on it with surprise.


    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s warm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the power of elementals.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had an elemental too.¡±


    ¡°Mm... You have to be born like this.¡±


    I replied as I scratched my head. Although Ciara gave me the ability to wield elementals, she couldn¡¯t just give it to anyone she wanted. It was possible only because I had the talent. As this talent was extremely rare, not everyone could be an Elementalist just because they wanted.


    Ye-Eun lightly clicked her tongue, let out a dry cough, and spoke carefully.


    ¡°Shin, sorry. I wasn¡¯t really helpful today.¡±


    ¡°No, you protected Daisy and Yua.¡±


    ¡°But my dream was to fight alongside Shin.¡±


    ¡°The day wille soon. You have the talent and your growth speed is shocking. I don¡¯t know why but everyone in Revival is more or less a genius.¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to exin for Hwaya, and there were two others with terrifying growth speed. One was Sumire, who might be even more talented than me in spearmanship, and the other was Ye-Eun, who was breezing through the dungeon purely with her talent.


    ¡°Uuu, still, I was too pathetic today...¡±


    Ye-Eun looked down. She buried her face in her knees and though I felt sorry to say this, Ye-Eun was cute when she was down. I lightly stroked Ye-Eun¡¯s hair. Immediately, she pushed her head towards me. Of course, with her face still buried in her knees.


    ¡°Pet my head more, please.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up with that request.¡±


    ¡°... It feels like my soul is being healed.¡±


    ¡°That much!?¡±


    I nned to continue until she told me to stop, but because she didn¡¯t say anything for a long time, I took my hand off myself. Ye-Eun then spoke.


    ¡°I waited because Shin told me to wait...¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah.¡±


    When did I tell her to wait? For what? I tilted my head. Just when I was about to say something, Ye-Eun spoke in a faint voice.


    ¡°Before I noticed, Shin¡¯s dating another girl...¡±


    So that¡¯s what she meant! I made a bitter smile. The topic matched what I wanted to talk to her about.


    ¡°Remember what I told you, Ye-Eun? I...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not being able to give up. You¡¯re right, Shin. You already told me everything, so you don¡¯t need to feel guilty.¡±


    Contrary to what she was saying, her voice was full of regret. I stole a nce at Yua and Daisy. Their attention seemed to be on Laki and Luna, but I created a barrier of wind around us just in case they could hear us.


    ¡°Yeah, about that... I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have the time for rtionships, but... It wasn¡¯t something I could really control. Sorry.¡±


    If I were Ye-Eun, I would have hit me.


    ¡°Shin, can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not dating just one person, right?¡±


    As expected of an assassin, she goes right for the throat! I sweated as I replied.


    ¡°Uh... yeah.¡±


    ¡°Do they both know?¡±


    ¡°... There might not be just two.¡±


    I looked at the mountain far away. Ye-Eun coughed incontrobly.


    ¡°You yboy!¡±


    ¡°This was the only choice I had. I¡¯ve gotten too close to them, and I have to keep seeing them. What would you have done if you were in my shoes?¡±


    ¡°... Right, Shin¡¯s the world¡¯s hero. Not just Earth¡¯s, but other worlds¡¯ too.¡±


    Even with a bitter smile, Ye-Eun finally nodded.


    ¡°I know. You¡¯ve built bonds I can¡¯t even dream of with those people. Bonds that are too deep for me to talk about and too strong to be cut.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know things would turn out this way.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you don¡¯t have to feel sorry. It¡¯s just...¡±


    Ye-Eun raised her head. I thought she was crying, but she wasn¡¯t. Her eyes were shining with a light I¡¯d never seen before. Feeling the energy squirming inside her, I flinched.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one at fault for not being able to give up.¡±


    ¡°... Even if there are more than three?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but think of Ye-Eun as peculiar.


    ¡°I might not look like it, but I¡¯m very tenacious. You know why I¡¯m in Revival, right?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    Ye-Eun was in Revival because of her feelings for me. That was how it began, and it was probably still the same. Although it would be troubling if she said she¡¯d leave now, once the danger Earth was facing was taken care of, things would be different.


    ¡°I told you before, right? That thing wouldn¡¯t just end with Earth.¡±


    ¡°Yeah... You also said not everyone has to follow you.¡±


    Earth¡¯s problem was ours to solve. But that didn¡¯t mean they had to care about other worlds too.


    Because of the promises I made to my allies, my personal goal, the invaders¡¯ and dungeon¡¯s secret, I nned to continue saving other worlds, but that didn¡¯t mean everyone had to follow me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to follow you until the end.¡±


    ¡°Ye-Eun, you¡¯re twenty-two. There are other things you can do than risking your life to fight worlds¡¯ enemies. Think about it more carefully.¡±


    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re also twenty-two.¡±


    Now that she mentioned it...


    ¡°Also, I don¡¯t think things will end just by killing this Demon Lord and the other world¡¯s enemy.¡±


    ¡°... It will. On Earth, at least.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to trick me, Shin... You know something, right?¡±


    I flinched. Ye-Eun smiled and continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m always watching Shin, so I know at least that much. Plus, I¡¯m probably not the only one.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    ¡°Shin, can I continue staying by your side?¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to exin about Daisy and Loretta, and Ludia and Hwaya didn¡¯t live ordinary lives either. Ludia experienced many things as an empire¡¯s princess, and Hwaya learned magic from a young age, fighting monsters even before we met. Their values were different than ordinary people¡¯s.


    Otherwise, they couldn¡¯t like seeing their man being chased by other women. No, perhaps they still didn¡¯t like that but were enduring it. ... They were enduring it, right?


    In any case, Ye-Eun was different. She¡¯s an ordinary Korean girl who suddenly awakened as an ability user.


    Despite that, she had to take on the weight of Revival¡¯s mission and was currently asking to follow me fully knowing the truth behind Earth¡¯s danger. I could simplify everything by calling her foolish, but I knew that wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°To be honest, I think Shin won¡¯t ept me otherwise.¡±


    She really was honest.


    ¡°You want to go through all that trouble just for a man? Even though you don¡¯t know how long you¡¯ll have to wait?¡±


    ¡°Un!¡¯


    ¡°There are other fish in the sea, Ye-Eun. Guys that are a lot better than me.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s only one Shin.¡±


    Ye-Eun¡¯s eyes were serious, so I decided to be the same.


    ¡°To be honest, I still only think of you as a friend.¡±


    ¡°... Hold on, let me go cry in a corner.¡±


    Ye-Eun was KO¡¯ed in one blow. I stopped Ye-Eun from getting up and sat her back down.


    ¡°Will you still stay in Revival?¡±


    ¡°... Un, I can¡¯t give up.¡±


    ¡°You know you¡¯ve only known me for a year and a half, right?¡±


    Feelings came and went. I couldn¡¯t rmend her to stay in Revival just for me. There had to be some other reason. Otherwise, she would only suffer.


    However, Ye-Eun¡¯s answer was something to behold.


    ¡°How can a love end when it¡¯s hasn¡¯t begun? Also, how can I worry about it ending when it never began? How is anyone going to do anything if they¡¯re afraid of it ending?¡±


    This is why someone with no rtionship experience should say anything. I made a self-mocking smile and hit my head. Then, I looked at Ye-Eun.


    ¡°Then... Let¡¯s just wait and see how it goes. We might not know when it¡¯ll end, but that also means we don¡¯t know when it¡¯ll begin.¡±


    ¡°... Romantic words don¡¯t fit you, Shin.¡±


    ¡°Funny.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Ye-Eun finally smiled. I got up.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s try closing the distance between us first, Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°C-Closing the d-distance!? O-Okay, take good care of me please...¡±


    I ignored Ye-Eun¡¯s joke and continued.


    ¡°Do you remember what I told you before? Aboutpressing your energy.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that invisible aura, right? I tried it once when I was resting, but it¡¯s way too difficult.¡±


    ¡°You can do it. Maybe not as well as me, but you can still get stronger.¡±


    Ye-Eun was an assassin, someone whose attacks had to be more lethal than anyone else. She learned a special ability to control her shadow from Duca. Once she learned how topress her aura, I had confidence she woulde up with an awesome skill I couldn¡¯t even imagine.


    I took out my spear. An enormous amount of aura began to be concentrated in it, and Ye-Eun gulped when she saw it.


    ¡°We have time. Until you can do this with your dagger, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    ¡°You will?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I was already teaching Sumire. Adding Ye-Eun wouldn¡¯t make a difference. With their talent almost being equal, I knew they could do it. Plus, aurapression wasn¡¯t a matter of weapons but a matter of mana. The fact that Ye-Eun used daggers wouldn¡¯t change anything.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it! Please take good care of me!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what she was so happy about, but she nodded her head vehemently and shouted. Her innocent outer appearance sometimes made people forget, but given the chance, she was a battle maniac on par with Duca. She didn¡¯t have a chance to shine because the enemies we fought were too strong, but as she continued to grow by climbing the dungeon and building up achievements, she would start to change.


    Extremely so.


    Just like that, Ye-Eun started to learn about mana from me. Of course, with Daisy and Yua interrupting us in the middle childishly, we couldn¡¯t get too far that day.

 Chapter 317. The Clash Approaches (4)

    Once we left ska and entered Canada, the deste atmosphere I felt in ska diminished slightly, as most of Canada was still popted with humans.


    We traveled to Vancouver, taking care of monsters on our way, and nned to continue down to the States beforeing back up. In less than an hour, we passed through the border after cleaning up monsters.


    As America had one of the highest numbers of ability users, the regions taken over by monsters weren¡¯t as bad as ska. If everything went as nned, we would be able to reach Greend by the end of the night.


    However, the people who weed us in Seattle were a bit strange.


    ¡°That¡¯s him...¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really Kang Shin.¡±


    For some reason, even the Guardian members would not talk to me and talked to Yua instead. Why were they talking to Yua when I was right in front of them!?


    ¡°... Why do I feel like a monkey in a zoo?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it sometimes either. Be understanding, Oppa.¡±


    Yua made a rare bitter smile as she looked around.


    ¡°Oppa¡¯s power is just too unrealistic. Almost to the point that all the other crazy things happening around the world seem irrelevant. Your outer appearance changed so much too.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    I remembered what Daisy said yesterday and shut up. What seemed like an exaggeration by Daisy now seemed to carry a hint of realism. ... No, everyone already knew I was the strongest person on Earth.


    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m notpletely human anymore.¡±


    I murmured bitterly and rubbed my forehead. I could feel he reddish ck horn protruding out of my forehead shining while carrying heat.


    In truth, I considered hiding my horn in front of the masses, but I didn¡¯t want to hide something after I¡¯de this far. I decided to bear the looks people would give me, but things seemed to be going a bit differently than I had imagined.


    Of course, I had long since passed the point where I would be affected by how people looked at me. I grinned. It was a bit shocking that other people found it hard to talk to me, but that was it. It was true that I was different from them, and I didn¡¯t n to go back to how I was either.


    ¡°So, Yua. What did they say?¡±


    ¡°They said we¡¯re close. Seattle is fine, but apparently, the coast of Pornd right below Seattle is full of monsters.¡±


    ¡°Pornd? That should only take a few minutes on Aikan. Alright, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Our hunting method was just as simple in America as it was in ska. I used Dortu¡¯s power to create hundreds of thousands of mirrors and released my Evil Eyes¡¯ power to petrify all monsters. Then, Daisy¡¯s undead and Yua¡¯s tamed beasts shattered them and ate them.


    I spread my mana out to check for any monster that might have been unaffected by my Evil Eyes, and once I concluded that everything was fine, we moved to the next area. With this method, it took less than 10 minutes to clear an area the size of Seoul.


    ¡°Everything turned to stone.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not human.¡±


    ¡°He has a horn. Of course, he¡¯s not human.¡±


    The ones saying these stupid things were obviously the Guardian members traveling with us. I hopped on Aikan¡¯s back with a sigh.


    [I am Dortu. Master, is enough mana stored?]


    ¡°If we don¡¯t, we can always get more.¡±


    I lightly retorted to Dortu¡¯s question and took a breath. As I had absorbed the death energy of all the monsters I massacred, I had to clean the chaotically stuffed energies inside me. Once that was done, I took in new mana into my cleaned body. Seeing me gather mana with Peruta Circuit and Absolute Soul, Daisy said I was like a vacuum cleaner.


    ¡°My mana, don¡¯t suck it in.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take until my Peruta Circuit reaches Oppa¡¯s level?¡±


    ¡°Mm, if it¡¯s Yua, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    Though, no matter how talented Yua was, it would be impossible before Earth waspletely reimed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry. I don¡¯t think the one Ciara talked about is in America.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Ignoring dungeon¡¯s power, more and more appear. At this rate, dungeon¡¯s business expansion will fail?¡±


    I flicked Daisy¡¯s forehead, but because what she said was partly true, I smacked my lips. Setting aside the business expansion nonsense, there was no guarantee that the worlds¡¯ enemies I¡¯d meet from now wouldn¡¯t be like the Demon Lord or the one I met in Edias continent. If worlds¡¯ enemies like them increased, worlds became conquered, and more began to desire other worlds¡¯ powers...


    If the ability to ignore the dungeon¡¯s power spread to ordinary monsters, most dungeon explorers might fare worse than if they hadn¡¯t climbed the dungeon.


    ¡°No, that won¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ll take care of everything.¡±


    I answered half-jokingly and smirked. Daisy then covered her mouth and spoke quietly.


    ¡°Confidence erupting, like puberty. You¡¯ll kick your bedsheetster.¡±


    ¡°You watch out. I¡¯ll make you kick your bedsheets.¡±


    Thanks to America¡¯s Guardian and the subi that gathered all the necessary data, we swept through America extremely quickly.


    Reporters fearlessly followed us around wherever we went, and the broadcasting stations that received the footage aired out the content. Because of our unbelievable speed, the media was even thinking I had clones.


    The method we used was the same wherever we went, but the public opinion of us soared with each footage. Although I didn¡¯t really care for it, the public¡¯s awe was beginning to reach worship. As this wasn¡¯t the first time I was experiencing something like this, I wasn¡¯t shocked in the slightest.


    ¡°It looks like I shouldn¡¯t even dream about mixing in with people and living an ordinary life.¡±


    When I murmured self-mockingly, Ye-Eun consoled me with a cheery voice.


    ¡°I went to apply for a leave of absence before and people treated me like an alien. They were taking pictures of me and everything!¡±


    ¡°You took off your hoodie?¡±


    ¡°I had to for the Unni working at the office. That¡¯s when people started taking pictures.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s when they realized your presence.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Realizing what really happened, Ye-Eun drooped her head sullenly. Although I didn¡¯t want to tell her, I couldn¡¯t let her forget about her stealth ability!


    ¡°Also, you could have applied for the leave of absence from home.¡±


    ¡°I tried... I went to school because I couldn¡¯t do it at home.¡±


    Sometimes, I wonder how you got into our college.


    America, then Canada. We went around every area that might have monsters, but we didn¡¯t find anything special. One would think my suspicion would start to lessen, but it was the opposite.


    Currently, it was night time. As it seemed this trip would take over two days, we gave up our sleep and flew to Greend immediately. We made a campfire on Aikan¡¯s back.


    ¡°As I thought, it was Greend.¡±


    ¡°Greend? What¡¯s there?¡±


    ¡°Ice.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Stone.¡±


    Daisy dropped her jaws at my replies. I didn¡¯t lie. Most of Greend was ice or stone. Only 1% of it was grasnd.


    ¡°What about, people?¡±


    ¡°There used to be around 60,000, but apparently they all died. Compared to how big thend is, there might not be many monsters. They won¡¯t have much to eat.¡±


    Some probably died of hunger, I thought, as I ced a sweet potato over the campfire. They didn¡¯t have anyone to me. It was their fault for crossing over to Earth and killing people.


    ¡°Kang Shin, that¡¯s 1%?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Daisy¡¯s sudden question made me drop my sweet potato and nced over. Just like the subi reported, I saw and covered in ice. Upon closer inspection, however, thend seemed murky. My Evil Eyes were responding.


    ¡°That¡¯s not 1%, but 84%...¡±


    For a moment, I saw something other than ice. If not for my Evil Eyes, I wouldn¡¯t have seen through it.


    That was fake.


    The moment I became certain, a translucent barrier appeared in the air. The sheer size of it made it hard to describe with words and seeing how it curved in the higher it got, it seemed it was some kind of a dome covering Greend. It was like the magical barrier said to protect the mythical underwater city of Antis.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    I eximed. I could now see why Daisy asked if that was the 1%. With the ominous thought that 1% might have turned into 100%, I picked up the half-cooked sweet potato and red at the giant barrier blocking Aikan.


    ¡°Shin, that¡¯s a sweet potato.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it is. But look closely. This is what it means to concentrate your power.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, use something else, if possible. If done in by a sweet potato, even I would feel, embarrassed.¡±


    While Ye-Eun and Yua tilted their heads, Daisy advised me calmly. But I simply grinned at them and held the sweet potato with two hands. Then, I spoke as I poured all my mana into it.


    ¡°Dortu.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Dortu would have liked it more if it was something other than a sweet potato.]


    Dortuined as he turned the sweet potato into metal. Although its size and shape were still that of a sweet potato, its material was changing into something else. When I was looking at the sweet potato shining with a five-colored light, Dortu spoke in a bragging manner.


    [I am Dortu. This is orichalcos. Directional explosive. Dortu¡¯s specially constructed metal.]


    ¡°A sweet potato is, orichalcos... Kang Shin, plus one to bedsheet kicking.¡±


    In less than a few seconds, over a million mana poured into the tiny sweet potato. Of course, it was only possible because Dortu changed it to orichalcos, but with this tiny sweet potato carrying an absurd of mana, the light it was giving off was too bright for one to look at directly.


    I then focused Peruta Circuit¡¯s energy in it. The sweet potato then became a sweet potato whirlpool, spinning endlessly and giving off radiant light.


    With this much light, the enemy must have noticed. Across the translucent dome, I could feel dozens of magic power reacting.


    However, it was toote.


    ¡°Your roasted sweet potato is here!¡±


    I shouted at the top of my lungs and threw the sweet potato. When it touched the gigantic barrier that even made Aikan look like a pebble...


    The dome disappeared as if it never existed.


    ¡°The barrier disappeared!¡±


    ¡°The barrier created by the duke!¡±


    Greend¡¯s vastnd disguising itself as and of ice revealed itself.


    Dumbfounded, I let out a sigh. The swarm of demons gathering on the ground made me recall the time I killed hundreds of thousands of demons in Oceania. However, the bigger problem was that Greend was no longer Greend.


    ¡°These bastards... They moved Luka continent here.¡±


    The nts I saw in Luka continent were growing on the blood-colorednd, and freakishly tall trees were soaring up to the sky. Moreover, the atmosphere was filled with ominous demonic energy.


    Greend had already transformed into the demons¡¯nd. Ciara was right. What she foresaw wasn¡¯t another Lespina, but a much bigger problem.


    ¡°Kang Shin, can I go wild now?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean go wild. Stay put.¡±


    I snorted at Daisy.


    ¡°You have to wait until the bomb goes off.¡±


    ¡°Sweet potato, already broke the barrier.¡±


    ¡°That was a warm-up.¡±


    As the party members were looking at me nkly, I exined kindly.


    ¡°A lump carrying 1,000,000 mana is causing a highly dense whirlpool of mana. What would happen when it met a widely spread current of mana?¡±


    ¡°It would be sucked in?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Instantly?¡±


    ¡°Instantly. Then...¡±


    The sound that rang out at that moment was not a boom, nor a BOOM...


    But a satisfying SWIIIISH.


    It was the sound of Greend and 60% of demons flying away.

 Chapter 318. The Clash Approaches (5)

    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone had a dumbfounded look. While I was expecting it, I agreed that the explosion was a bit too much. If I didn¡¯t throw the sweet potato in full force, we might have been caught up in the explosion too!


    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±


    ¡°Cough!¡±


    ¡°What... What just happened!?¡±


    ¡°He, He attacked! ... With a sweet potato!¡±


    While mes and winds raged from below, I looked at the screaming demons and drank a mana potion.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see, how far the destruction reached... Kang Shin, what did you do?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t expect this either. I was thinking the explosion would be the size of Seoul at most.¡±


    ¡°You mean, you can destroy Korea with a single sweet potato...¡±


    I ignored Ye-Eun¡¯sment. Drawing up Peruta Circuit and Absolute Soul to the peak, I began to absorb the atmospheric mana along with the immense death energy hovering above Greend. Simultaneously absorbing two different energies was a bit tricky, but it wasn¡¯t muchpared to when I was training Peruta Circuit.


    As I continued this process, my eyebrows twitched. I realized that there were more demons on Greend than I thought and that the number of demons that died from my sweet potato far surpassed my initial prediction.


    I asked Dortu.


    ¡°Dortu, is this orichalcos¡¯ power?¡±


    [I am Dortu. It¡¯s not just orichalcos. The metal from the First Dungeon¡¯s 86th floor had a special property, which I added to the orichalcos. Dortu¡¯s metal is always evolving.]


    Dortu seemed extremely content with the metal he made.


    [I am Dortu. They are stimted by mana and can convert all mana to pure destructive power without any loss of energy. Orichalcos greatly amplifies mana, so Master¡¯s mana was amplified greatly before exploding. Exining in more detail requires two days¡¯ worth of time.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I got it.¡±


    [I am Dortu...]


    It was enough to know that Dortu¡¯s metal had the ability to cause a powerful explosion. Of course, the tempest I created around the sweet potato would have increased its power too. This was the result. There was destruction as far as my eyes could see.


    ¡°With that attack, their leader must have noticed what happened.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s dead?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. The mana I used in that attack had the dungeon¡¯s power too.¡±


    If I excluded the dungeon¡¯s power, the amount of mana I had was only around 600,000. That was also a terrifying amount, but that was beside the point. The previous attack had the dungeon¡¯s power. Whoever their leader was, he couldn¡¯t be dead.


    ¡°The Hero came for us.¡±


    ¡°Kuk, but we don¡¯t have the power to fight him. Too many of us... died!¡±


    ¡°This is different from what we heard from them! He¡¯s growing too fast...! He¡¯s not human!¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ve never seen demons scared by a human before.¡±


    Seeing the surviving demons stagger up, Daisy said with a pitying look. She moved swiftly. She couldn¡¯t take out Laki because she had Aikan out. What she took out was something silver.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    It looked familiar. It was a silver skeleton adorning a fancy robe. It was... the Death King!


    [So many corpses.]


    ¡°Meli, raise as many as, you can. One-time use.¡±


    [Understood.]


    The king of the dead, Meli, slowly descended to the ground. Daisy exined as she watched him.


    ¡°Meli¡¯s magic power, lower than Laki¡¯s. Easier to control. Great for raising undead.¡±


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    She was right. Every time Meli¡¯s staff pointed to a direction, numerous corpses of demons rose up. The demons recovering from the shock of the explosion became flustered seeing theirrades rising from the dead.


    ¡°This... It¡¯s a necromancer!¡±


    ¡°Not an ordinary necromancer!¡±


    ¡°I can see a lich! We need to kill him!¡±


    ¡°A Hero using a lich...!?¡±


    I snorted and continued absorbing mana and death energy. I had used all my mana in the previous attack. I knew I would have to face their leader sooner orter. My number one priority at the moment was getting myself to my peak condition.


    ¡°Kids, go!¡±


    Yua also sent her tamed beasts out to finish off the injured demons. From the sky, giant mantises dropped down one by one. ... Just when did they get so big? They were twice the size of a human two days ago, but now they¡¯re bigger than an average building!


    ¡°Hehe, they got big, huh? They grew a lot after eating lots of nutritious food!¡±


    Realizing my surprise, Yua exined as sheughed proudly. The mantises that entered their adulthood began to attack the demons. In an instant, the ground became a total pandemonium.


    ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°W-We need to attack their main body!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, when is the dukeing!?¡±


    ¡°Sweet potatoooooo!¡±


    I heard the demons scream and curse sweet potatoes. The mantises realized they couldn¡¯t defeat powerful demons alone and joined others to attack them together. Upon finally defeating them, they peacefully shared their spoils. As demons were a good source of magic power, the mantises were growing bigger with each kill.


    [Explode! Explode! Death! Death!]


    On the other hand, the undead Meli controlled usually detonated the mana inside themselves to attack other demons. It was quite ironic considering the cause of their death was an exploding sweet potato.


    We quickly swept through thend and easily massacred any and all demons that we met. Although I didn¡¯t pick Yua and Daisy in particr, their abilities were truly suitable for a task like this. Yua¡¯s mantises grew stronger with each demon they ate and had gotten quite terrifying. Meli¡¯s exploding undead was even more terrifying as they showed fearsome contagiousness and destructive power. If there was Hell, the current Greend wouldn¡¯t be too different inparison.


    ¡°This really isn¡¯t what a Hero¡¯s party would do. Just look at it. Are we the Hero party or the Demon Lord party?¡±


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯re on our way to conquer the world.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, no more exploding sweet potato.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t recovered my mana yet anyways.¡±


    ¡°Keep going, kids! Don¡¯t get injured or I¡¯ll get mad!¡±


    After a countless number of demons died, looking down on Greend from above only showed blood-soakednd, scattered flesh, and undead demons and giant mantises running aroundmandingly.


    The demons joined together to resist, but Meli¡¯s undead took the blow from their powerful magic attacks, then immediately detonated themselves to deal critical damage. Yua¡¯s mantises then dove in and crushed them to death before eating them.


    I didn¡¯t know how much time went by, but my mana was now full. I could make the undead and mantises fall back so I can use the metallic mirror and Evil Eyesbination, but I just watched without taking action since they were doing well without me. While I waited on top of Aikan, I guided any excess mana to my spear.


    Greend, once and of ice and stone, had be and of dirt when it swapped with Luka continent¡¯snd. By swallowing the demons¡¯ blood and flesh, thend started to be more fertile.


    ¡°The Hero is there!¡±


    ¡°Do not give peaceful death to the Hero who killed our kin!¡±


    ¡°His Majesty has spoken! Anyone who can bring back his head will be rewarded greatly!¡±


    Just when I was thinking things would end sooner than I thought, a shout full of killing intent rang out. I raised my head and turned to the direction of the shout.


    Immediately, I could see bizarre flying monsters that looked like deformed wyverns. Their bodies werepletely ck, scrawny, and had bloody bones protruding out. Moreover, their deep yellow eyes gave off an intimidating aura.


    ¡°Powerful mana. Kang Shin, careful.¡±


    ¡°Daisy, you focus on the ground. Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    Even before I called her, Ye-Eun had her daggers out and her body bent forward slightly, ready tounch off at any moment. She was a bit pitiful most of the time, but she was extremely reliable in battle.


    ¡°Taste our resentment!¡±


    ¡°You will pay the price for going against us!¡±


    A huge amount of mana came together, forming a magic that hurled towards us. I took one of my hands off my spear and reached forward.


    ¡°Ruyue!¡±


    [I need Sharana¡¯s help!]


    I immediately sent Sharana out as well. A shield of ice then began to form in front of me, bing big enough to cover all of the space in front of Aikan. The moment the demons¡¯ magic struck, the shield absorbed the impact and disappeared with it. I could clearly see that the demons were taken aback.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they explorers!?¡±


    ¡°I thought we could nullify the dungeon¡¯s power!¡±


    ¡°Ye-Eun, did you hear? It looks like they can nullify the dungeon¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The techniques I learned from Master aren¡¯t part of the dungeon¡¯s power.¡±


    Even after hearing what I said, Ye-Eun¡¯s confidence didn¡¯t waver. Seeing a dark aura rising up above her, I judged that she would be fine.


    ¡°Daisy, Yua, take care of the ground!¡±


    ¡°Already on it. Kang Shin, protect me well.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to us, Oppa!¡±


    As time went on, more of those bizarre flying monsters were appearing. I could easily see there were at least two hundred of them. Each of them was more powerful than any of the demons we¡¯ve met so far in Greend. To think they could even ignore the dungeon¡¯s power... They had to be elites even among demons.


    ¡°But Shin, how did you block their magic when they can nullify the dungeon¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°I have powerful elementals.¡±


    I realized that we were being surrounded. As I felt the dungeon¡¯s, Sherafina¡¯s power slowly leaving my body, I calmly breathed in.


    ¡°Thankfully, they¡¯re not on the level of Lespina. But if they get any closer, Daisy and Yua will get affected greatly. You understand what I mean, right, Ye-Eun?¡±


    ¡°Un. But I can¡¯t fly yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll lend you Ruyue.¡±


    [Hiing, I want to be with Shin. Okay...]


    With Ruyue, creating ice footholds was extremely simple. Ye-Eun seemed to have understood what I meant her expression brightened.


    ¡°Then I can go all out!¡±


    ¡°Be careful. I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    I activated Tria and flew up. It wasn¡¯t time to summon Petasos yet. Tria was enough for now.


    ¡°The Hero is there!¡±


    ¡°He massacred over a million of our kin! Kill that wicked Hero!¡±


    ¡°For Our Majesty!¡±


    Feeling the demons¡¯ sights turn toward me, I created numerous metallic fragments using Dortu¡¯s power. My Evil Eyes didn¡¯t work on demons of their caliber. These metallic fragments were purely for offense.


    ¡°Huu.... Haaaa....!¡±


    Thisnd was surging with death energy. I took a deep breath, and an overflowing death energy began to rise up from my body.


    I divided this energy equally among Dortu¡¯s metallic fragments.


    ¡°Dortu, use them well.¡±


    [I am Dortu.]


    Dortu replied confidently.


    [Believe in Master¡¯s elemental.]


    The metallic fragments full of death energy shot towards the demons and the monster birds they were flying on. It was as if a flower was blooming. Although I couldn¡¯t see them, I could feel some of them fall after receiving irrecuperable injuries. With a smile, I shouted.


    ¡°Come at me! Even without the dungeon¡¯s power, I can take on all of you!¡±

 Chapter 319. The Clash Approaches (6)

    ¡°Kuk!?¡±


    ¡°Stop him! Those metals are dangerous!¡±


    It seemed demons liked to pretend to be dragonknights, as they all wore dull suits of armor. However, the metallic fragments Dortu shot out dug through even the tiniest gaps in their armor to injure them. The death energy that invaded their bodies then weakened them.


    ¡°He can use death energy!¡±


    ¡°Attack him together!¡±


    The monster birds charged towards me. It seemed they realized they couldn¡¯t dodge Dortu¡¯s attack as they endured the barrage of metallic fragments in their path. At that moment, Ye-Eun leaped up above me.


    ¡°If the enemies are demons...¡±


    When Ye-Eun¡¯s form disappeared from my sight, the head of the closest demon from us flew off. The monster bird he was riding on also began to fall with a vast amount of blood spurting out of his neck.


    ¡°She sure is fast.¡±


    Her speed even made me think she had Divine Speed. If I remember correctly, I think she said she moves through shadows? Regardless, her speed was shocking. The demons also stopped in ce, seeing one of theirrades suddenly die. Meanwhile, another head of a demon flew up. With how powerful these demons were, I could see how formidable Ye-Eun has gotten.


    ¡°I can¡¯t lose!¡±


    I also didn¡¯t n on receiving their attacks for free! I aimed my spear at the opposite direction of Ye-Eun and began to charge forward. A fierce gale blew around me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you Wind King¡¯s Rage!¡±


    ¡°Under His Highness Demon Lord¡¯s name, we will subdue you!¡±


    ¡°For His Excellency Duke!¡±


    The demons shouted valiantly and held up their weapons carrying chilling magic power. At the same time, the strange aura emanating from them seemed to choke me.


    However, I brushed it off as though I¡¯d experienced this restraint hundreds of times. In fact, their restraint of the dungeon¡¯s power helped me sense it more clearly, and I pushed this power off to the side separate from my other powers. Since I couldn¡¯t use this power, it was better to separate it to minimize the demons¡¯ effect on me than to worry about it.


    Moreover, I was no longer weak without the dungeon¡¯s power!


    ¡°Hold onto your weapons tightly! Try not to die before you can use it!¡±


    I thrusted my spear at the demons in front of me. Dark blue skin and red eyes, a demon attempted to hold up her shield but stopped when she met my eyes. The trembling voice she let out helped me affirm she was female.


    ¡°H-Hero, I...!¡±


    ¡°Loving an enemymander is not allowed!¡±


    I mercilessly pierced her head. Then, I shot up high using the monster bird as a stepping stone and used the wind energy following me to gain momentum for my next attack.


    The next target wasn¡¯t female, and this one shot out a thick lightning bolt from his hands. When the red lightning struck my body, it disappeared without leaving behind a trace. In the next instant, I was close enough to the demon to see his hair follicles. His shocked eyes were quite funny.


    ¡°How...!¡±


    ¡°Unlucky.¡±


    I also pierced his head, and blue blood spurted out, drenching me.


    ¡°So, this is it!? Come on then!¡±


    ¡°Kuk, he¡¯s a monster!¡±


    ¡°Where is His Excellency!?¡±


    ¡°Our duty is toplete our mission! Attack!¡±


    The moment the demons came together to guard against me, one of the demons was beheaded and Ye-Eun showed herself for an instant. In her hands were two daggers shining with a faint light. I immediately wondered.


    ¡®She already learned topress her energy to that extent?¡¯


    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±


    ¡°A woman!¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t catch me with that speed.¡±


    A monster bird spat out a breath mixed with fire and acid, but Ye-Eun was already gone. Freely running across the ice footholds Ruyue created, Ye-Eun moved like she was in a pinball game. The demons¡¯ formation became disorderly, and I charged straight into them.


    ¡°Kuaaaaaaaak!¡±


    When my spear struck a demon, countless number of bone spears shot out around me and attacked nearby demons. However, the bone spears weren¡¯t enough to deal fatal blows.


    ¡°Haaaaap!¡±


    ¡°Taste the wrath of demons!¡±


    ¡°His Excellency will im your life!¡±


    ¡°For victory!¡±


    Even with Wind King¡¯s Rage continuing, demons charged toward me the moment they saw me. They were shining with threatening demonic energy, but I snorted and cut them down easily. Dortu then gave me a warning.


    [I am Dortu. The armor¡¯s state is bing strange.]


    ¡°Armor?¡±


    I furrowed my brows. He wasn¡¯t wrong. The surface of Pure ck Desire, which was now coated with the blood of demons, was faintly shining. As if it was pulsating, the light became weaker then stronger periodically. I couldn¡¯t remove it with Sharana¡¯s power, and not even Peika¡¯s power could burn it off.


    ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t know about our ancient spell.¡±


    One of the demons spoke arrogantly. Ancient spell? I barely knew anything about the current demons. There was no way I would know anything about their ancient time. I first beheaded that demon and converged wind energy around me.


    I tried to take on Pure ck Desire, but that wasn¡¯t possible. Without the dungeon¡¯s help, I couldn¡¯t tell what this spell did. At the very least, I knew that it prevented me from taking off the armor.


    ¡°Dortu!¡±


    [I am Dortu. I am working on it. A formidable power is hindering me, but for now, it is not doing anything.]


    It¡¯s even warding off Dortu who can dominate metal? Why were they hiding such a powerful spell until now? Trace of blood, concentrated energy, and the times when the light shone... Could it be?


    ¡°It is a spell formted with our lives! Will you drench yourself in our blood knowing that!?¡±


    It was as I thought. They were prepared to die from the beginning solely to cast this spell on me. I began to sense danger.


    A spell capable of affecting a Legend grade armor that I couldn¡¯t do anything about. When I became flustered, the demons began to grin as though they¡¯d gained the upper hand. It was extremely unpleasant.


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    I guided the lightning and wind energy of Wind King¡¯s Rage¡¯s final attack and concentrated them around my spear. The demons noticed it and tried to escape, but I released the energy before the could do so.


    ¡°You guys can all die!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaak!¡±


    Dozens of monster birds were swept away by the lightning storm and disappeared without leaving behind a trace. The demons riding on them also shared the same fate except a few that managed to escape the range of the attack in time. I took a deep breath and shouted at Ye-Eun.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let their blood get on you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shin. I¡¯m clean.¡±


    I turned around as Ye-Eun¡¯s voice seemed to havee from behind me, but Ye-Eun wasn¡¯t there. Instead, blood spurted out from one of the demons charging toward me from the left.


    ¡°Kaaaak! We were all waiting for you, Hero! You will die here!¡±


    ¡°Shut it, die.¡±


    Just thinking about being tricked annoyed me greatly, but when their voices fanned the mes, I shot balls of aura and exploded them to death. At the same time, I was angry at myself for not noticing their spell when I thought I mastered mana.


    It was most likely because I was only focused on the fact that they weakened the dungeon¡¯s power. Foolish! Though I¡¯ve fought countless number of demons until now, I shouldn¡¯t have thought they were all the same.


    ¡°His Excellency will arrive soon!¡±


    ¡°Let us offer our lives until his arrival! Ensnare the Hero!¡±


    ¡°If you want to dream, do it when you¡¯re asleep!¡±


    But there was nothing I could do to change what had already happened. I didn¡¯t think being showered by their blood would cast a curse. In any case, this was a good lesson for the future. From now on, I would kill them without letting anything touch me!


    [I am Dortu. The energy is activating. Careful, Master.]


    Dortu¡¯s sharp voice warned me. I nodded inwardly and moved even quicker. At the same time, I felt a mass of energy flying toward me from the north. Even without confirming it with my eyes, I knew it was the duke the demons were talking about. Since their spell was activating now, it seemed the duke¡¯s existence served as a trigger to start the spell.


    I drew up Absolute Soul and Peruta Circuit to the peak. I asked Dortu to ce a thinyer of barrier between my armor and skin. With Sky God¡¯s y and World Trickery, everything was perfect. Anything else wouldn¡¯t pose a problem.


    ¡°Guys, get ready!¡±


    ¡°Aikan, defense mode.¡±


    ¡°Luna, protect us!¡±


    Daisy and Yua seemed to have felt the duke¡¯s energy too,a s they immediately began to make preparations.


    Brining the two of them was truly a wise decision. In front of enemies who suppressed the dungeon¡¯s power, tamers and necromancers, who wielded other monsters¡¯ power rather than their own, were the least affected. As long as the link connecting them to their monsters were secure, they would be able to show their full power.


    I was worried about Ye-Eun the most, but since she hasn¡¯t called Duca yet, it seemed I didn¡¯t need to worry much.


    In truth, I was shocked by her speed that could match Divine Speed and destructive power that could behead a demon in one blow. This was especially so considering the dungeon¡¯s power was being suppressed. It seemed what I felt a couple days ago wasn¡¯t wrong. What was left now was for her to... Uk!


    [I am Dortu! The curse is activating, Master!]


    I could see the so-called demon duke approaching. With a huge pair of bat-like wings and a set of long, curved horns, a man carrying himself proudly flew over. I did not see him in the Luka continent, so he had to be one of the high ranking demons that didn¡¯t appear.


    I was also certain that he wasn¡¯t born with the ability to suppress the dungeon¡¯s power like Lespina. The depth of time I could feel from him was too great for that to be the case. Then how was he suppressing the dungeon¡¯s power? The answer was simple.


    He was powerful enough to crush an average world¡¯s enemy. Just like how worlds¡¯ enemies nullified the dungeon¡¯s power with their leagues, this demon duke was also defying Sherafina¡¯s power with his league. Furthermore, the demon elites that attacked us previously had covered this area with their energy. Part of the reason was to ce this curse on me, but their main role was to construct a battlefield! A space where the dungeon¡¯s power couldn¡¯t be used properly!


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Hero!¡±


    The demon duke shouted excitedly. Though he didn¡¯t have anything in his hands, he was reaching his hands towards me in a w-like manner as if to wrench something out of me.


    ¡°I am truly thankful that I got to meet you. Of course, I¡¯ll have to ask you to pay the price for blowing away our new base!¡±


    [Master, now! Now!]


    ¡°Have a taste of what you did!¡±


    I widened my eyes. I understood what he was doing. I was all too familiar with this flow of energy.


    Pure ck Desire exploded. In this moment, this armor, which carried the unbreakable option, was separated from the dungeon¡¯s powerpletely. Then, it split into hundreds of thousands of fragments and swept through all demons around me. Of course, someone who was wearing it couldn¡¯t be safe.


    ¡°Shiiiiiin!¡±


    Ye-Eun shouted. Now that I think about it, if our genders were swapped, isn¡¯t this the perfect moment for a main character of a novel to awaken a new power? While facing an unimaginable pain, such stupid thought crossed my mind.


    However, at that moment, Ye-Eun began to shine with a dark blue light.


    ¡°Uwaaaaaaaaah!¡±


    Ye-Eun¡¯s stretched out her hands covered in ck aura. Seeing three pairs of arms sprout up from her shoulder joints, I thought in a daze.


    I can¡¯t even crack a joke.

 Chapter 320. The Clash Approaches (7)

    "A god¡¯s power?¡±


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    Ye-Eun gave the duke a deathly re and raised the weapons on her four pairs of hands. Then, without a word, she charged forward.


    ¡°Earth sure has many absurd talents!¡±


    ¡°Haa!¡±


    After a short spirited shout, Ye-Eun¡¯s twin daggers dug into the duke¡¯s stomach. The duke spat out a mouthful of blue blood, which sttered on Ye-Eun¡¯s body. She should have been able to dodge it, but she received it with a grin. While I was watching them with a shocked face, the dukeughed heartily while in pain.


    ¡°Can you not feel our energy overflowing in this area? How pitiful, you¡¯ll follow after the Hero soon!¡±


    ¡°Huu.¡±


    The three pairs of arms formed of aura each used their weapons in hand. One restrained the duke with ck chains, one struck him with an iron mace, one sliced down with a greatsword, one stabbed with a trident, one crushed him with a shield, and one beat him with a staff.


    ¡°Lost your consciousness, I see.¡±


    The duke clicked his tongue and flew back while avoiding Ye-Eun¡¯s follow-up attacks. Seeing his wounds slowly regenerate, Ye-Eun¡¯s brows twitched.


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s difficult to nullify a god¡¯s power. But it looks like you only recently obtained that power. Don¡¯t think you can defeat me, Greenhorn. Moreover...!¡±


    When the duke snapped his finger, his blood sttered on Ye-Eun¡¯s body began to shine with an ominous light.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably best to cut down a talent before it can grow! His Highness Demon Lord is enough as the final candidate!¡±


    ¡°Kuaaaaaa!¡±


    Ye-Eun screamed. Damn it, why didn¡¯t you dodge his blood!? What should I do about that curse? I sacked my brain but couldn¡¯te up with an answer. I just hoped her god¡¯s power would help her withstand it. Since I had a few Elixirs, as long as she survived, I could do something about it.


    For the record, although I wasn¡¯t injured, I wasn¡¯t critically injured. Dortu was protecting me, and I had used Sky God¡¯s y to shrink my body and escape. The injury was from the explosion I couldn¡¯t dodge because I couldn¡¯t take the armor off. Other than that, I was in a better condition than the duke who was injured by Ye-Eun.


    Currently, I was using World Trickery to hide my presence from the duke. I nned to attack the duke at a critical time when Ye-Eun attacked him, but because Ye-Eun was cursed, that n was out the window.


    My n now was to charge toward Ye-Eun with an Elixir when the curse activated. I believed she wouldn¡¯t die. I had already experienced it once. The explosion was indeed formidable, but the energy enveloped Ye-Eun was even more formidable. Just whose true name did she acquire!? Even Shiva¡¯s power was reacting...


    ¡°Goodbye, female warrior! I¡¯ll remember your spirit!¡±


    ¡°Kuhaaat!¡±


    Like what he did to me before, he reached out his hands toward Ye-Eun in a w-like manner. That was the trigger that activated the curse!


    However, at that moment, one of the duke¡¯s arms exploded instead of Ye-Eun.


    ¡°KUhuk!?¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Ye-Eunughed like a child and stabbed two daggers into him. She moved so quickly that I barely caught her in my eyes. The duke spat out a mouthful of blood, but he should now know his blood would have no effect on Ye-Eun.


    Now that I looked at her, the blood on her was gone. I was doubtful at first, but it seemed she really returned the curse to the duke!


    Right, she was using a god¡¯s power. Although she might have lost a bit of her sanity, she shouldn¡¯t have forgotten what happened to me. The moment she activated her god¡¯s true name, she had grasped her power urately and returned the favor to the duke! Though I didn¡¯t know what power her true name had, it was undoubtedly powerful!


    In any case, I was d that Ye-Eun was safe.


    ¡°Kuk, you took my blood on purpose!¡±


    There was no answer. Ye-Eun once again charged toward the duke with her Yasha-like pairs of arms, and the duke grabbed his armless shoulder with the one hand he had and ran away.


    Along the duke¡¯s trail, thousands of balls of mana appeared and shot towards Ye-Eun, but she easily destroyed them with the weapons in her hands. However, they were enough to buy him time, and the duke was murmuring something to himself as though to cast a spell.


    This was my time to move. I couldn¡¯t just leave things to Ye-Eun. However, before I could do anything, the space around me began to shine. Atop this sunlightless gloomynd, only the space around me was shining!


    ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯


    I looked around in confusion and soon realized what was happening. There was something shining. Though rather absurd, what was shining were the hundreds of thousands of fragments of the exploded Pure ck Desire. But these weren¡¯t mere fragments. They were drenched with the blood and flesh of the elite demons that attacked me before.


    These remains of the demons were also shining along with the armor fragments. Thinking about it now, something was strange. This space might be filled with ominous demonic energy, but that didn¡¯t mean lifeless objects like the fragments and the remains of demons could remain afloat in the sky.


    Even so, these things were shining like the stars in the night sky without falling. This mystical scene made me speechless. Though it was beautiful, they were still made of blood, flesh, and bones of demons.


    The duke also noticed this sight.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? Kuk!¡±


    However, he couldn¡¯t do move as he continued to face Ye-Eun¡¯s barrage of attacks. His regenerative ability was truly shocking as he could recover from wounds dealt by a god¡¯s power but it was clear that it wasn¡¯t invincible. Anyone could see it just by the fact that he was trying to avoid getting injured.


    ¡°Haaaap!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll kill you first!¡±


    The duke¡¯s magic power surged up. Shoot, Ye-Eun might be in danger! Even though she was using a god¡¯s power, with the dungeon¡¯s power suppressed, Ye-Eun¡¯s body couldn¡¯tst long.


    [I am Dortu. Master, the armor might revitalize.]


    [I was thinking the same thing, Dortu... Ah!]


    I suddenly remembered something. Reinforcement stone, the magical tool that upgraded an item by a single stage! Lin had told me he installed it on Pure ck Desire. He said the armor would shine when the time came. Now was the time! But still, the activation condition was for an unbreakable armor to receive enough impact to break?


    In any case, it was good news for me if Pure ck Desire was restored. Not only would I have defensive equipment, it would be upgraded by a stage too!


    I scanned my body excitedly. Soon, however, I realized that ¡®it¡¯ had disappeared when the armor exploded!


    [I am Dortu. Dortu knows what Master is looking for. It seems to be falling down to the ground.]


    [Uaaaaaaah!]


    I gave myself a pat on the back for not screaming out loud. I immediately shot down with tears in my eyes. Ye-Eun, hold on just for a moment!


    Descending down, I swept past Aikan. At that moment, Aikan flinched and Daisy subsequently flinched. She poked Yua, who was frozen after witnessing Pure ck Desire¡¯s explosion.


    ¡°Kang Shin, alive.¡±


    ¡°R-Really!? H-How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Intuition of a woman in love.¡±


    Way to lie so easily! You found out because of Aikan!


    I wanted to go smack her head, but I had to retrieve the reinforcement stone before it was toote. I continued to shoot down as I spread my mana out. Found it!


    ¡°Guoooo.¡±


    One of Meri¡¯s undead was about to explode next to it! In a panic, I drew Divine Speed to the limit and even activated Petasos. If someone saw me, I would look like a bolt of lightning descending from the sky!


    ¡®Got it!¡¯


    The moment I caught the reinforcement stone, the undead exploded. Damn, I sure am experiencing many explosions today! Was it because I threw that sweet potato!? Did it curse me!?


    I cursed at the heavens and shot up to the sky carrying my injured body. Petasos and Tria together with Divine Speed transformed me into a streak of light. The reinforcement stone was tightly grasped in my hand.


    ¡°Kang Shin, good luck.¡±


    When I passed by Aikan the second time, Daisy noticed me by herself this time and cheered me on. I was moving too fast to answer her, but hearing her words made me surge with strength.


    I arrived at the fragments of Pure ck Desire which were still shining in the sky. Without hesitation, I threw the reinforcement stone. Of course, someone at the level of a demon duke easily noticed it.


    ¡°Mm!? So you were alive, Hero! I knew you wouldn¡¯t die from just that!¡±


    ¡°Kuhaa!¡±


    During the short interval I was gone, the duke and Ye-Eun seemed to have exchanged countless blows as they were both wounded heavily. However, Ye-Eun couldn¡¯t regenerate unlike the duke.


    Ye-Eun also discovered me. Her eyes widened for a moment and soon she smiled. Her beautiful smile made it hard to believe that she was the same person who was viciously attacking the duke just a moment ago.


    Suddenly, her body began to transform once more. The wounds on her disappeared, and the dark blue aura enveloping her went away, leaving behind a golden aura.


    Next, her three pairs of arms formed with aura began to shine radiantly. The weapons in her hands began to change form with the exception of the chain. The ck chain became golden, and her other weapons became a golden chakram, javelin, iron bar, and a club.


    ¡°Durga! It¡¯s Durga!¡±


    At that moment, I also realized what her previous form was. Kali. Her dark blue skin and bloodthirst were exinable if she was Kali. The goddess Kali was Shiva¡¯s wife and enjoyed ughter. Durga, who was also Shiva¡¯s wife, was a strong and pure female warrior.


    These two goddess that seemed like ck and white shared one thing inmon, and it was that they were more powerful than any ordinary male god.


    Kali wasmonly known as the avatar of Durga, but they were both avatars of Devi, the most powerful goddess in Hinduism. I didn¡¯t think Ye-Eun obtained such powerful gods¡¯ true names.


    In any case, she had both Kali¡¯s and Durga¡¯s power! The wounds on her had disappearedpletely, and she was eyeing the duke like a valiant female warrior that stepped on the battlefield.


    It seemed not even the duke who schemed to blow up my armor foresaw this happening.


    ¡°Another god¡¯s power!? I thought the Hero was the only one with the power of two gods!¡±


    ¡°Huhu, you¡¯re also hiding something. If you don¡¯t take it out quickly, you¡¯ll be killed by me.¡±


    It seemed Ye-Eun¡¯s sanity has been restored. It seemed using Kali¡¯s power made her lose her mind while mercilessly ughtering her enemies, while Durga¡¯s power calmly pushed her enemy to a corner.


    To be honest, I thought Kali fit Ye-Eun¡¯s image more, but it was always nice to have more god¡¯s true name. With Durga¡¯s power, she might even get closer to the next step.


    ¡°Fine. I don¡¯t see a reason to refuse if that¡¯s what you say.¡±


    So you became the Army Commander! While watching the armor fragments shining fiercely, I heard the duke¡¯s words and turned towards him. He raised his arm. Blood spurted out from one of the wounds on his face, drenching him. It felt like he intended for that to happen.


    ¡°I saved my strength thinking the Hero was alive, but since everyone I have to kill are here, I won¡¯t hesitate any longer! I¡¯ll show you! This is the power of an Army Commander!¡±


    Greend squirmed once more. The dead blood soaking thend began to rise up to the sky. Death descended in an enormous amount of blood. It wasn¡¯t death energy, it was an energy only demons could wield. A symbol began to form.


    ¡°Our magic circles are truly vicious and formidable! Drawn with the deaths of our kin, it destroys everything including ourselves! It doesn¡¯t protect what must be protected. However, it kills what must be killed!¡±


    Right, from the beginning, they were scapegoats. From the moment I arrived at Greend, they moved as though they were waiting for me without paying attention to their lives. Their sole goal was to kill me.


    I didn¡¯t the duke was the same, but I was wrong.


    ¡°Hero and the powerful female warrior! The era of the Demon Lord ising! He will rule all under Heaven! He will be the final existence! Let us honor him with our deaths!¡±


    The Army Commander shouted with his body full of wounds. Enveloped in Durga¡¯s power, Ye-Eun threw her chakram at him and restrained him with her chain. However, even the chakram blowing up one eye and the chain restraining his arm, his magic power didn¡¯t decrease.


    The truly massive magic circle of blood elerated and floated up. It was so big that my eyes couldn¡¯t catch all of it in their sight. Yua and Daisy shot up towards us in shock, but it didn¡¯t matter as all of Greend and the airspace above it were affected.


    I canceled Sky God¡¯s y and World Trickery, and appeared in the sky with nothing but light clothing. The duke shouted in surprise.


    ¡°How could you be so unhurt!? The curse went off!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m immune to curses. Only my armor exploded.¡±


    At my calm reply, the dukeughed dumbfoundedly. Thatugh seemed to say, ¡®Amazing, but can you do anything about this?¡¯


    He was right. I nced at the magic circlepleted with the deaths of millions of demons then red at the duke.


    ¡°Hey, let me ask you something... Does the Demon Lord have a future sight ability?¡±


    ¡°If he didn¡¯t, this magic wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±


    I shut my eyes. I knew something was strange. They were nning such a grand scale magic that used their lives as ingredient. They must have known I woulde to Greend. Not a prediction, but a certain assurance. It had to be future sight, just like Ciara¡¯s ability.


    Ciara has not mastered her ability. She had to grow more. Although she had already helped her immensely, to face off against the Demon Lord, her ability was immeasurably important.


    I could survive. Even if that magic circle activated, I was confident I wouldn¡¯t die. I had Peruta Circuit, Absolute Soul, and Overlord. But what about the others?


    Even without the dungeon¡¯s power, they fought brilliantly, especially Ye-Eun. She managed to corner the Army Commander without the dungeon¡¯s power, and the world ¡®excellent¡¯ wasn¡¯t enough to describe her feat.


    However, even she wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid death.


    As such, I came to a decision. To use Shiva¡¯s Eye. I couldn¡¯t expect Kain¡¯s help now. He was in the dungeon and there was no way for me tomunicate with him. It was entirely possible that this magic circle would affect not only Greend, but the ocean, airspace, andnd around it. If I didn¡¯t use Shiva¡¯s Eye, it would cause immeasurable destruction.


    Although I didn¡¯t have a way to defeat the Demon Lord without Shiva¡¯s Eye, saving it now would only lead to myrades¡¯ death. If I were burdened by their sacrifice, I would undoubtedly be weak. My league would plummet all the way to the bottom.


    However, before I could activate Shiva¡¯s Eye, someone moved. Was it Ye-Eun? No. She was indeed moving, but the Army Commander was facing off against her. Then was it Daisy? Yes. She put away Aikan and Meri and took out Laki, but Laki¡¯s power wasn¡¯t enough to do anything. Yua seemed to be supporting Laki with Luna, but even five Lakis wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop that magic circle.


    What moved were the fragments of light that was once Pure ck Desire.


    They were falling on the magic circle.

 Chapter 321. With Your Own Power (1)

    ¡°I guess when you¡¯re reinforcing something, you need some material to go along with the reinforcement stone.¡±


    Though that sounded a bit nonsensical, it was the perfect way to describe the current situation. The cloud of Pure ck Desire¡¯s fragments covered the magic circle and began to greedily absorb blood.


    ¡°What are those!? Did you do something, Hero!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡±


    Sorry, but I don¡¯t know what that is either.


    From his confused face, I could tell he no longer had the magic circle in his control. I turned my sight to the magic circle once again, and saw that it was distorting little by little. The ck blood that painted the magic circle began to move towards one ce, moving so fast that my eyes could barely keep up.


    ¡°So? What¡¯s your n now? It looks like that magic circle isn¡¯t going to activate.¡±


    ¡°... Huu.¡±


    It seemed he was thinking the same thing. The helpless look on his face made him look like a middle-aged man that lost his life¡¯s savings by gambling.


    At that moment, a huge hole blew through his chest. Ye-Eun¡¯s chakram had prated him.


    ¡°Kuhuk!¡±


    ¡°Eit!¡±


    Ye-Eun¡¯s attack didn¡¯t just end there. She pulled on the chain that had been restraining one of his arms and threw her javelin, prating his head. When he arrived in front of her, she beat him to a pulp with her iron bar and club.


    Though unbelievable, he died just like that without even his final words. It was somewhat understandable as he was suddenly struck after having put all his mana into the magic circle, but it was still unexpected for him to die so helplessly. I had to give credit to Ye-Eun for being able to go in for the kill in a situation where such an overwhelming mana was going berserk. Was it because of her talent as an assassin? Or was it because of the divine power in her body?


    When the Army Commander¡¯s head exploded, the blood covering the Army Commander¡¯s body began to let out a dark light. It seemed he had no ns to go out peacefully.


    ¡°Ye-Eun!¡±


    Using Divine Speed, I charged at Ye-Eun. She was only just taking her weapons back when she was tackled by me and flew away. As a result, she was safe from the Army Commander¡¯s suicide explosion. As I continued to elerate forward after pushing her away, I also managed to escape the brunt of the force. Still, I couldn¡¯tpletely avoid getting hurt, especially because I only had Dortu¡¯s protectiveyer on me.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    This explosion was even stronger than the previous explosion caused by the curse. That wasn¡¯t the only problem. As if they were expecting this to happen, the elite demons that were on standby began to absorb demonic energy and puff up.


    Though not as strong as the giant magic circle, it was still enough mana to blow away this entire area! I immediately decided to use Overlord.


    At that moment, the crumbling magic circle shone and began to suck in the demonic energy of the demons that were about to explode. It sure was greedy!


    The magic circle quickly shrunk to a size I could see with my eyes. Seeing dense demonic energy and mystical cold energy bingpressed into one point was a chilling sight to behold.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one to lose in terms of mana capacity, but I¡¯ve never seen so much mana gather together in one ce...!¡±


    If it was at the level of the Beast King, I could do something about it with Peruta Circuit and Absolute Soul. But if that much mana gathered together, the matter was out of my hands. Peruta Circuit? I would end up being sucked in instead. At first, I thought Shiva¡¯s Eye would be enough to break the magic circle, but not now. That magic circle, which was constantly evolving by devouring all sorts of energy, seemed impervious to all attacks.


    ¡°Kang Shin, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    The raging mana in the sky caused the demons below to all forget about the battle and look up. Daisy also seemed uninterested in fighting them, as she looked up at me with a calm expression.


    ¡°If that goes wrong, Earth will end.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Before it¡¯s toote, to Kang Shin, I want to say something.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t set up gs like that.¡±


    I frowned at Daisy¡¯s words. Daisy dropped her head sullen, and this time Yua raised her head.


    ¡°Oppa, I want to say something too!¡±


    ¡°Yua, we¡¯re not going to die! I think!¡±


    If you want to make a confession, go to a church, not me! I shouted inwardly and asked Dortu.


    ¡°Dortu, can you find out what¡¯s happening?¡±


    [I am Dortu. If Dortu goes in there, Dortu will get sucked in and die.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t. That wasn¡¯t my intention.¡±


    At that moment, another change urred. Mana, demonic energy, blood, flesh, and fragments of Pure ck Desire, all of these began to flock to one ce.


    A golden light shed, then darkness that seemed to suck in all light rose up, then a dark red light shed, then a blue light shed. Amidst this chaos, I tried to open the gate to the dungeon, but I couldn¡¯t. Damn it.


    ¡°Amazing.¡±


    Did her true name¡¯s power run out? Ye-Eun flew over and murmured in a daze. The arms formed with aura and the weapons that were in those hands were all gone. She had returned to her normal form. I had many questions I wanted to ask her, but this was the first thing I asked.


    ¡°... Don¡¯t you have something you want to say?¡±


    Ye-Eun widened her eyes and shouted.


    ¡°Un, I can go into Beyond now too!¡±


    ¡°You sure are carefree... Uwah!?¡±


    While I was replying with a bitter smile, I felt something pulling me down and screamed. Ye-Eun quickly tried to pull me up, but I slipped out of her hands. I fell from the sky andnded on the magic circle.


    ¡°S-Shin!¡±


    ¡°Shin!¡±


    ¡°Oppa!¡±


    Ye-Eun, Daisy, and Yua¡¯s voice rang out. I frantically operated Peruta Circuit while looking around. What was holding me down was the energy forming the magic circle. In the blink of an eye, I had sunken into what was now an enormous lump of energy. The energy then began to change.


    ¡°Kuk, what¡¯s happening...!?¡±


    The light shing in myriad colors suddenly disappeared then settled on a delicate grey light.


    In the next instant, I gasped and tightened my stomach. The energy was tightening around me. I tensed up my body and drew up my mana to the peak to reinforcement my body.


    By now, I had an idea as to what was happening. A custom armor was being forged. But if I couldn¡¯t endure this pressure, my body would undoubtedly shatter.


    ¡°Huu, haa...! What a test!¡±


    Lin, you didn¡¯t say anything about this!


    Of course, I knew Lin probably didn¡¯t expect this to happen. Perhaps even Eleine who created the magical tool had no idea. Who would have expected this magical tool to ask for so much? Not only did it require an enormous amount of mana, it also required bodies of demons and terrifying materials that made killing worlds¡¯ enemies look easy inparison!


    ¡°Shin, are you okay!? All the energy is flowing your way!¡±


    ¡°Oppa! Luna, do something!¡±


    [Kyuu.]


    ¡°Kang Shin, don¡¯t die... If you must, at least leave behind your body. We¡¯ll be together, forever.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to die!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but shout back at Daisy¡¯s words. It was close to beingplete, I had no ns to give up now. I frantically gathered up every ounce of mana to reinforce my body. Even the singr horn on my forehead was radiating a great heat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be arrogant... Just be forged obediently!¡±


    Like I¡¯d lose! I shouted like a madman and tensed every muscle in my body. If I let my guard down for even a second, my bones and organs would surely break!


    An unknown amount of timeter, just when I was thinking about using Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo to replenish my mana, the blinding light subsided slightly. The pressure on my body disappeared. The moment all pain went away, a warm, no hot sensation seemed to envelope me.


    I raised my arm subconsciously and a thin ck metal began to coat it. It was shining on its own and its natural silk-like softness made it hard to believe that it was metallic. I moved my arm around. Its flexibility made me doubt whether I was wearing an armor at all.


    I expanded my view to the rest of my body. I immediately wondered where Pure ck Desire¡¯s original traits went, as what was covering my body was too thin to even call an armor... Right, it was a metallic silk.


    An incredibly soft metal wrapped my body. If metals could be weaved to make silk, this would be it. There were symbols I couldn¡¯t decipher engraved here and there, and these symbols radiated a blue glow. This faint light gave the armor a dignifying majesty.


    ¡°The helmet too...¡±


    The helmet was no different than the armor. Other than my eyes, itpletely covered my face, even my horn. To be exact, the armor had a slightly bigger horn that fit my horn inside.


    ¡°Mana... disappeared.¡±


    Daisy¡¯s voice rang out. I looked around. As she said, the truly unbelievable amount of mana had all disappeared as though someone had devoured it all. Of course, I knew who, or what, did it. It was the armor I was wearing.


    ¡°Shin, what a cool armor!¡±


    Ye-Eun pped in awe. But from what I could tell, this armor seemed like a strange mix of a tuxedo and sweats.


    ¡°Did all that mana get suck into the armor, Oppa?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡±


    I answered carefully as I wasn¡¯t sure myself. This metallic armor that didn¡¯t hinder my movements was indeed mysterious, but it was still hard to believe that a single armor could absorb the amount of mana that could have ended Earth.


    ¡°Armor, information?¡±


    ¡°The dungeon¡¯s power can¡¯t be used right... Ah!¡±


    Because all the energy in the area was sucked into the magic circle, the power nullifying the dungeon¡¯s power was also annihted, and we could now open our inventories or go into the dungeon.


    Moreover, I could feel the dungeon¡¯s power returning. My depleted mana was filling back up. I immediately shouted, feeling a sense of omnipotence with my replenishing mana.


    ¡°Great... Sherafina, show me what you can do! Tell me the armor¡¯s options!¡±


    [???(???)


    ?? - ???


    ?? - ???]


    Ah... Well, that¡¯s what I expected!

 Chapter 322. With Your Own Power (2)

    ¡°Kang Shin, how is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter.¡±


    I answered half-heartedly and pointed below us where the magic circle had disappearedpletely. Realizing that the raging demonic energy had calmed down, the surviving demons began to cast magic even whilst they were confused.


    ¡°For now, Greend, done.¡±


    Laki slowly descended. Feeling a surging me energy around Laki¡¯s mouth, Luna made cute noises and pped her wings to strengthen it. Yua quickly ordered the mantises to fall back. Surprisingly, they were still fighting the demons.


    ¡°Almost no signs of life left, on the ground... Finish it in one blow, Laki.¡±


    [Guooooooo!]


    Laki roared with the intention of frying every demon left on the ground. At the same time, his mouth opened widely.


    Immediately, intense mes that could scorch even death poured down. Demons frantically threw magic at the mes, but there was nothing they could do against a king¡¯s mes.


    One hourter, we happily hopped down on the still heated ground.


    ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s nothing left alive on the ground.¡±


    I spoke as I looked around and made a bitter smile. Daisy then rebutted me.


    ¡°Have to be, thorough. Demons, possess world¡¯s power. Left alone, they¡¯ll reproduce.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they aren¡¯t in Greend.¡±


    ¡°... Is Greend, small?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s 21 times bigger than Korea.¡±


    ¡°Then how, did you know?¡±


    Daisy asked, but I was surprised in my own way.


    ¡°Eh, how did I know?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t, ask me that.¡±


    Ye-Eun then hopped in. ¡°Maybe Shin¡¯s ability suddenly increased?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m still growing, but my detection range was only the size of Korea before. There¡¯s no way it suddenly multiplied over 20 times.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s already amazing...¡±


    Of course, the only thing that was different was the armor I was wearing.


    ¡°I see, so this armor can multiply my detection range?¡±


    In any case, I was able to confirm that no demons were left in Greend. If there was one and I couldn¡¯t detect him, that demon had to be the Demon Lord.


    Daisy then tilted her head and asked.


    ¡°It gave up, defense?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! I think...¡±


    I shouted in denial. No matter how amazing this armor boosted my detection range, it would be useless as an armor if it lost its defensive power. Ye-Eun then held up her dagger and asked.


    ¡°Shin, should we test it?¡±


    ¡°... Should we?¡±


    Though I was a bit worried, it was true that I needed to test its defensive capability. I held my arm out with a bit of nervousness.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Un. Eit! Kyak!¡±


    After striking down with full strength, Ye-Eun suddenly screamed as she was shot back. Flustered, I shot forward and grabbed her before shended.


    However, the force she was under was stronger than I thought. Simply put, even I would be thrown back with her if I wasn¡¯t careful.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I got flung back when I tried to attack. Hiing, that hurt!¡±


    ¡°It hurt?¡±


    Could it be...? I looked down at my arm where Ye-Eun tried to hit. As expected, there wasn¡¯t a crack, much less a scratch. I also didn¡¯t feel anything touch me.


    ¡°It looks like it can reflect attacks too...¡±


    Of course, the important part was how much this armor could reflect. At times like this, there was only one person I could rely on! The image of a draconian giving a thumbs up appeared in my head.


    No, now that I thought about it, it wasn¡¯t a thumbs up, it was a middle finger!


    ¡°That armor, how do you take it, off?¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it...¡±


    I waspletely covered by the armor. There weren¡¯t any holes in the joints either. Though that might sound like perfection in terms of defense, it meant hell when trying to take it off. Of course, considering howfortable it was, there was no problem wearing it constantly, but that would be too embarrassing!


    At that moment, as though it detected my mana entering a nonbat state, the armor let out a bright light. Starting from the boots, the armor turned into a sticky substance simr to tar and began to crawl up my body.


    ¡°Wow, Shin, it¡¯s like a slime!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡±


    My horn then let out a faint light. The tar climbing up my body reacted to the light and was sucked into the horn. Soon, the armor covering my body disappearedpletely, and I could feel that it was inside my horn.


    ¡°Mm, I think I know now...¡±


    ¡°Know how creepy, the armor is?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Rather than an armor, it was more like a lump of energy with self-intellect that protected its owner. Being an armor was the most efficient way to do its job. It made sense why Sherafina couldn¡¯t see through it.


    Theposition of this armor consisted of the demon¡¯s power which nullified the dungeon¡¯s power, and an immeasurable amount of mana and demonic energy. It even had the original power of Pure ck Desire, and the world¡¯s power Eleine used to possess. In a way, this object was on apletely different dimension than the dungeon.


    Pure ck Desire was an item Lin made using the materials I brought. As Lin desired to escape from the dungeon¡¯s influence, it wasn¡¯t strange that the result of Pure ck Desire¡¯s evolution was this.


    It wasn¡¯t possible to check the information of this object. As Sherafina couldn¡¯t read it, it couldn¡¯t be put into stats or skills.


    Since the stat boost Pure ck Desire gave was gone, under the dungeon¡¯s system, it could be said that I suffered a severe loss. However, I didn¡¯t think so.


    Especially now when the dungeon¡¯s position was unclear, bing isted from the dungeon¡¯s influence was a good thing. Even without stat boosts, I knew the terrifying amount of mana it carried, and I knew it was using it to protect me.


    Even if a monster ignoring the dungeon¡¯s power appeared, there would be nothing it could do to lessen this armor¡¯s power. This in itself made me satisfied. Of course, how the armor looked was a different matter!


    With that, wepleted our Greend subjugation. I was used to fighting a king, a duke or whatnot whenever I went to clean up an area, but this time, we were almost all killed.


    Because of the eerie words the duke said, it suddenly dawned on me that I would be meeting the Demon Lord soon. I had to finish what I could in the dungeon as quickly as possible. A strong hunch urged me on.


    *


    ¡°So, this is the result of the evolution?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking at it.¡±


    Lin scanned the armor covering my body and said with a smirk.


    ¡°Should I call you Kamen Rider?¡±


    ¡°Spare me.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see Leon, who I expected to be with him. Noticing me looking around, Lin mentioned.


    ¡°Leon went to climb the dungeon. Every time he learns something, I¡¯m sending him to the dungeon so he can experience it with his body.¡±


    ¡°I see... How is he?¡±


    ¡°Pretty good.¡±


    Lin spoke briefly. He seemed to have thought it wasn¡¯t a good exnation as he added a bit after.


    ¡°He¡¯s better than I expected. His character is fantastic too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    ¡°But of course, he¡¯sckingpared to you. Still, he¡¯s satisfactory. If you weren¡¯t around, he might have been okay as the Hero.¡±


    ¡°Coming from Lin, he must be so good that you want to give him kisses and hugs.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you doubting my honest evaluation?¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t Lin a tsun... No, nevermind.¡±


    Lin red at me for a moment and snorted.


    ¡°Anyways,e over here. I¡¯ll look at it closely.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. There¡¯s also something I want to request specifically. Can you see if it still has its skills?¡±


    ¡°Skills? You didn¡¯t extract it?¡±


    ¡°Skills are part of an armor¡¯s power. I didn¡¯t extract it in case it would affect its evolution.¡±


    ¡°So you aren¡¯t so stupid after all.¡±


    I put my arm out, and Lin lightly struck it with a hammer. Immediately, he gasped and almost let go of his hammer. His strike had been reflected back.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything on purpose!¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    ¡°You little...!¡±


    After bickering for a bit, Lin began to re-examine my armor. His unique crimson aura seemed to caress my armor. After some timeter, Lin let out a faint groan and took his aura backpletely.


    ¡°A monster among monsters. That magical tool... I don¡¯t know whether it was created to be like that, or if it somehow transformed because of the world¡¯s power Eleine put in.¡±


    ¡°Did you find anything out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. First, all the skills flew out the window.¡±


    ¡°God damn!¡±


    I should have extracted Sacrifice at least! Desire Thorn, which amplified the power of charge type attacks and stole the enemy¡¯s health, and Devourer, which stole the enemy¡¯s health when my HP fell below 10%, were also amazing. Butpared to Sacrifice which doubled my attack power, they werecking. Of course, because my recent battles wouldn¡¯t have ended pretty if I used Sacrifice, it didn¡¯t see much use, but it was still regrettable.


    ¡°But there¡¯s a new skill I could decipher.¡±


    ¡°You should say that first!¡±


    ¡°Rather than a skill, it¡¯s an authority. Extort.¡±


    ¡°... Extort?¡±


    ¡°The attack reflecting power of this armor is a passive effect of Extort. Its stealing the enemy¡¯s attack to attack them back. It looks like the skills that were in Pure ck Desire had some effect on it.¡±


    ¡°Extort... Now that I think about it, both Devourer and Desire Thorn stole health from the enemy. So theybined and evolved to be this ability?¡±


    I closed and opened my left hand. Thinking back, I already experienced a portion of Extort¡¯s power when the armor was created. Not only did it devour the remains of the demons, it even extorted the magic circle and made it its own power.


    Not to mention, it even nullified the final suicide explosion the duke tried to do. Extort. It was indeed an ability befitting an armor made by collection of demonic essence.


    ¡°That thing is connected to you. It¡¯s not an equipment that protects you externally, but something that¡¯s be a part of you. Understand? It may look like an armor now, but it¡¯s absolutely not an armor. Calling that an armor would be an insult to all the armors I¡¯ve made so far.¡±


    ¡°I think so too. This isn¡¯t an armor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also why I called it an authority. Extort can¡¯t be used against something or someone stronger than you.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I didn¡¯t think it could reflect the Demon Lord¡¯s final attack or anything either.¡±


    At that moment, Lin shoved his face towards me. His handsome face was twisted in a frown.


    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s more dangerous. As you get stronger, Extort will also get stronger. Do you understand why I called it Extort? It¡¯s because I can¡¯t express it in a more detailed way. As long as you have the ability, this authority of yours can steal anything using any method. ... It¡¯s in the realm of a god.¡±


    ¡°Can you move your face back first?¡±


    I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away.


    ¡°This armor has the power of a god? Like a true name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the armor. It¡¯s you, Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I told you before. That¡¯s not an armor, but a part of you.¡±


    Lin spoke with a grin.


    ¡°You became a god.¡±


    Author¡¯s note:


    That¡¯s an exaggerated conclusion, he¡¯s not actually a god!

 Chapter 323. With Your Own Power (3)

    Chapter 323. With Your Own Power (3)


    I also replied with a grin.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense, Lin.¡±


    ¡°Are you ignoring me, you little bastard?¡±


    ¡°I can tell. This thing is definitely tied to me, but it¡¯s not purely my power. Not for now, at least.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, well, you¡¯re not wrong. It can¡¯t be that easy to be a god.¡±


    ¡°Right? A god is something more...¡±


    I stopped in the middle of my sentence. I didn¡¯t want to say something I had to clear idea about. Instead, I scratched my head, or rather, my armor. Lin thenughed and spoke.


    ¡°So what are you going to call it? Since you said it wasn¡¯t a part of you, shouldn¡¯t you need a name to call it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Hmm, I don¡¯t know what metal it¡¯s made of, so I¡¯ll just call it something basic. Like Steel.¡±


    ¡°As I thought, you have no naming-sense.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than Pure ck Desire!¡±


    I stuck my tongue out at Lin, but ended up licking Steel¡¯s metal. Because of howfortable it was, I kept forgetting that I was wearing it.


    ¡°Did you find out anything else? Like its weakness.¡±


    ¡°Oh, like the increased chance of receiving a critical hit that Pure ck Desire had?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Penalties like those all disappeared. The only problem is Pure ck Desire¡¯s propertiespletely disappeared. As you can probably feel it, its stat boost is gonepletely. Mana and demonic energy broke through their limit and condensed into a what¡¯s almost a semi-organism. Don¡¯t expect anything other than Extort.¡±


    ¡°So Extort is all I have to remember?¡±


    ¡°Yep. To be honest, all ancient artifacts are like that. Items rted to the dungeon have all sorts of random effects, butck a unique authority. Do you know the concept of Ambience?¡±


    ¡°Like aura?¡±


    Lin frowned, so I quickly shook my head.


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, I know. I¡¯m just surprised Lin knows Earth¡¯s artistic theory.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, who says other worlds are different from Earth? Ambience is an unseen distinctive atmosphere or quality. An object with Ambience is the kind of thing that presents victory to a seemingly disadvantaged side.¡±


    ¡°Lin has something like that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen it before.¡±


    With that, Lin gestured at his empty back. I immediately knew what he meant. His sniper rifle. The gun that killed the leader of the Book Walkers, a world¡¯s enemy in one blow. As I thought, it wasn¡¯t a normal weapon.


    ¡°Ancient artifacts... Right, they had a rather pure vor. A cksmith¡¯s ability is important, but they were mostly created from miracles. The product of coincidences, an Original. Items of thetter generation were naturallypared to items of certain elements or types that were created before, so their League and Ambience fell. Item ranks like Rare, Unique, Epic, Legend, or God are dependent on how much Ambience an item has.¡±


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m hearing about this.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is. It¡¯s just a spection I made from how Lord assigns ranks to items.¡±


    Iughed. Lin pointed at Steel and continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s the first Original I¡¯ve seen in a long time, one that surpasses many of the others. Just thinking about how much I helped in its creation gives me joy. Of course, it was also helped by your ability as its user and a miraculous background. Like I said, rather than the ability of cksmiths, artifacts...¡±


    ¡°¡ª are the products of coincidences born from miracles. I got it. I¡¯ll take good care of it.¡±


    ¡°Show it to Eleine too. She must be curious.¡±


    ¡°I will. I¡¯ll be off then. Take care of Leon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯te back.¡¯


    Lin retorted half-jokingly and I gave him a re before leaving Fairy Garden. As I couldn¡¯t ignore Lin¡¯s words, I visited Eleine too. She must have realized Steel¡¯s value at a nce as she immediately offered gold for it. I gave her a refreshing smile and left Loft Valley¡¯s guild area.


    In thest venture, not only did I gather an overflowing amount of death energy, I also grew stronger and evolved my armor. Now, it was time to return to the dungeon.


    When I entered the 87th floor, a bullet shot toward me without a moment of dy. It aimed straight for the middle of my forehead! I considered dodging it, but decided to receive it to test Steel¡¯s defense.


    I reached out with my hand. When the fast-traveling bullet struck the center of my palm, it changed direction and flew back the way it came from in the same speed. I stared at the bullet in a daze. A momentter, I realized that Extort could pretty much reflect all attacks.


    BOOM! An explosion rang out in the far distance.


    [... You destroyed 1% of the Eliminator¡¯s main body.]


    Then, Sherafina¡¯s seemingly shocked message rang out.


    ¡°As I thought, the super long range attack wasing from the main body!¡±


    Though Sherafina didn¡¯t reply, I knew I was right. On the 86th floor, I had to face two types of attacks. One was constant snipes from an unknown distance away, and the other was an army of robots with all sorts of fire weapons.


    At first, I thought there were robots with sniper rifles, but even after getting used to the robots¡¯ mana, I couldn¡¯t detect any hints of the sniper shots. As expected, they wereing from the main body rather than robots.


    The only mystery now was how it was pinpointing me from such a distance, and also how it was damaged when Steel reflected it.


    ¡°... What happens if I kill the Eliminator now using this method?¡±


    Obviously, this was one of the first things that crossed my mind! Sherafina didn¡¯t answer me for a while, but she soon came with an answer.


    [That won¡¯t happen.]


    Oh? I grinned and charged forward.


    At first, I nned to use death energy to corrupt the robots, then use Dortu¡¯s power to take control of them. However, now that I had Steel, it was a different story. To be frank, an enemy of a lower League could no longer do anything against me.


    When I reached this conclusion, I grew a bit afraid of myself. With my Evil Eyes and Dortu¡¯s power, I could petrify all SSS rank monsters, but now, I could even reflect all of their attacks. Even I didn¡¯t want to fight with myself.


    Of course, this attack reflection had other limitations other than the enemy¡¯s League. It was that it used my mana whenever the ability activated. But with Peruta Circuit and Absolute Soul, I could suck in mana from anything around me.


    In other words, if an enemy of a lower League wanted to prate Steel¡¯s reflection, the only option was to barrage me with highly destructive attacks and drain my mana to zero.


    In this way, the surest way to defeat me was the Eliminator¡¯s army of robots. Even now, they were shooting a seemingly endless amount of bullets! Although it would take a long time, they should be able to injure me. The main body¡¯s super long range snipes should help too.


    Unfortunately for them, Steel wasn¡¯t the only tool at my disposal.


    [I am Dortu. Another day of arduous work ahead.]


    ¡°Can you stop talking like that, Dortu?¡±


    Previously, Dortu needed a long time to take control of a single robot. But the robots on the 87th floor weren¡¯t too differentpared to the robots on the 86th floor. With the experience he had, it only took him one hour to control a robot that fell to the floor after being hit by its own bullet.


    [I am Dortu. Dortu¡¯s getting the hang of doing arduous work.]


    ¡°Now you¡¯re doing that on purpose.¡±


    On the other hand, I was slowly getting used to reading the trajectories of the robots¡¯ bullets. While Dortu did his thing, I constantly moved around and tried to read the trajectories of the thousands of bullets and cannon shells, which was now possible with my mana detection being iparably stronger than before.


    [You destroyed 5% of the Eliminator¡¯s main body.]


    Even while I dodged most of the attacks, I made sure to receive the snipes that flew at me asionally. Although I could only detect this bullet when it came close, it was still possible for me to dodge it.


    But why would I? I could destroy the enemy I¡¯d meet on the 90th floor beforehand! Sherafina¡¯s messages telling me of my progress was sounding more and more bitter too.


    Clearing the 87th floor only took half the time of the 86th floor. While passing through the 87th floor, I considered testing Extort other than its passive attack reflection aspect.


    But this ability wasn¡¯t something that would increase in power with more use. Since it would grow naturally with my League, I decided to save it for now. A trump card had to used only when necessary.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t use Extort¡¯s power at all. I was already using it to reflect attacks, and if I needed to, I would use it to full effect.


    I jumped into Beyond¡¯s 37th floor without resting for even a bit and faced further strengthened Vampire Lords. They poured powerful attacks the moment they met me and retired from life immediately after. As I only had to watch my mana running out, I felt a bit bad passing through Beyond like this.


    ¡°Come to think of it, this isn¡¯t that useful for training.¡±


    That said, I would have Steel for the rest of my life, so I wouldn¡¯t need to get experienced in fighting enemies who couldn¡¯t break through Steel¡¯s reflection. Still, the dungeon had to have monsters that were capable of doing so! Not these fake Vampire Lords, but the real Floor Master!


    Just like that, I cleared Beyond¡¯s 37th floor quicker than the First Dungeon¡¯s 87th floor. Immediately afterwards, I went up to the 88th floor.


    As I felt many things while defeating the demons¡¯ duke, I wanted to increase my League as quickly as possible.


    On the 88th floor, on top of the robots from the previous floors, there were robots attacking me from close range with swords made with aura-like mana essence.


    These robots were quicker than the robots armed with guns or cannons, but they still weren¡¯t able to ovee Extort. To clear the 88th floor as quickly as possible, I charged forward.


    Until Suddenly...


    A giant missile fell down from the middle of the sky.

 Chapter 324. With Your Own Power (4)

    Facing the missile, my jaws dropped in disbelief. You¡¯re dropping missiles now because guns don¡¯t work!? Isn¡¯t that too much!?


    The missile wasn¡¯t justrge. Its power and the sheer amount of mana in it were simply absurd. Without giving me the chance to avoid it, the missile fell directly on my head.


    Well, to be honest, I didn¡¯t think about avoiding it.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    The missile detonated, as a missile normally would upon hitting its target. The only problem was that a huge torrent of energy erupted right on top of my head. Then, perhaps expectedly, I clearly saw the torrent disappear as though it was sucked in by something.


    A bolt of lightning seemed to sh in my head. Seeing not just bullets but this immense energy missile disappear, I understoodpletely.


    Not long after, a booming sound thundered across the sky. It was iparably louder than when I reflected bullets.


    [... You destroyed 19% of the Eliminator¡¯s main body.]


    ¡°I wonder what it¡¯ll shoot next...¡±


    Just in case, I stood in ce and waited for a moment, but no more explosives headed my way. Almost as if it used all of its energy in the previous ordeal, the Eliminator¡¯s main body went quiet for the rest of the 88th floor.


    However, the 89th floor was a different story. A truly unbelievable amount of robots greeted me from the start. There were more of them than the demons I killed in Greend! There were 10 times more robotspared to the 88th floor and 30 timespared to the 87th.


    This wasn¡¯t normal! No dungeon floor had ever had so many monsters! Though, these guys are robots, not monsters!


    ¡°Just how the hell did you guys lose with all this!?¡±


    I shouted as though I was wronged and charged towards them. Immediately, hundreds of thousands of robots barraged me with bullets. Even if reflecting one bullet only cost 1 mana, blocking them all would cost me hundreds of thousands! The absurdity of the situation made me speechless.


    [I am Dortu. Commencin... arduous work.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that so calmly like you pushed a nuke button! You¡¯re not even understanding the meaning of that phrase!¡±


    Dortu flew off. I had no idea where to begin, but it wasn¡¯t like I had any other choice than to fight.


    First, I summoned Sharana.


    ¡°Sharana,e inside me and strengthen me!¡±


    [Yes, Master!]


    The moment Sharana entered my body, I felt lighter and Steel let out a brighter radiance. That was to be expected. Steel was a part of me. If I got stronger, Steel also got stronger. The amount of mana I needed to steal the enemy¡¯s attack also lessened.


    Although having Sharana infused inside me used up mana, this was still much more efficient in terms of mana.


    ¡°Tria! Petasos! World Trickery!¡±


    Holding my spear up, I charged forward fiercely, reflecting back all bullets hitting me! From multiple ces, robots were blowing up. As Extorted attacks came to carry some of my own power, all bullets were reflected back a stage greater than the original. As a result, a single reflected attack was enough to kill the original attacker.


    ¡°Uoooooooooh!¡±


    With a spirited shout, I charged forward. The 89th floor had so many robots that it was as though the Eliminator brought robots from other floors to it. But was that even possible? Well, thinking about it now, this was the first time I could attack the Floor Master from a normal floor. Sherafina¡¯s influence clearly became weaker the higher I went in the dungeon and Floor Masters became stronger. In that sense, it was totally possible for a Floor Master to be able to control what appears on its subordinate floors.


    But if that were really the case, then what I thought of while watching the Eliminator¡¯s attacks would be cold-hard truth. It would mean that the Eliminator didn¡¯t just have the ability to control all weapons. It had another ability that, together with its ability to control weapons, allowed it to conquer a world.


    ¡°Kuk, my mana¡¯s running low.¡±


    I gritted my teeth and grumbled. Even though I was fully utilizing Absolute Soul and Peruta Circuit, the sheer amount of robots was making it hard for my mana recovery speed to hold up. Did the Eliminator already find out how to counter my reflection?


    [I am Dortu. Acquired one robot.]


    ¡°How long do you need to get enough to deal with these guys?¡±


    [I am Dortu. I need about 20 hours.]


    ¡°Got it. Thanks.¡±


    I cleanly gave up trying to receive Dortu¡¯s help. While my mana continued to decline, I charged forward relentlessly. Closebat robots ran at me with what seemed like beam sabers, but I easily sliced their heads off with my spear. Meanwhile, an uncountable number of bullets struck my body, being reflected back to their shooters. It was the same for rockets and cannon shells. Although my mana was falling rapidly, the robots were dying at a simr pace.


    [I am Dortu. Acquired 100 robots.]


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    I swung my spear. After destroying the arms of three robots, I shot the spear¡¯s aura forward, cutting apart several tens of robots at once. The explosions they caused also reflected back, burning other robots and causing them to explode.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of mana left.¡±


    Even with mana potions, I wasn¡¯t recovering much mana. Something like a mana elixir might be different, but ordinary mana potions were no longer enough to offer much help.


    I gritted my teeth. Even though I had already killed over a hundred thousand robots, that wasn¡¯t even close to half of the robots present. Facing the killing intent of these carefully manufactured machines, something seemed to boil inside me.


    ¡°Huu... Come at me!¡±


    I let out a hearty shout and gulped down a mana potion. At the same time, I activated one of my hidden cards, the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo. Immediately, my mana filled back up to full.


    I had only recently obtained Steel. Even without it, there was no way I would lose to the Eliminator!


    The robots pulled their triggers. Bullets, cannon shells, and rockets flew towards me. Quite literally, they wereing from all sides. There was nothing I could do to dodge them. What if these guys really came to Earth? Surely, Earth would face its doom in a single day.


    I had very little options. I endured the relentless attacks using Steel¡¯s ability. A portion of the attacks hit each other and detonated before reaching me, but the majority of them flew my way consecutively without a hint of error in flight routes.


    The world in front of me became white. However, I couldn¡¯t feel any pain. All attacks returned to their owners, and the remaining robots detonated altogether. As Steel also reflected back the resulting huge explosion, my mana was falling down quicker than ever before. Without the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo, I might have run out of mana. I just hoped I would never have to meet another enemy that attacked in such quantity. Please.


    [I am Dortu. The robots Dortu controlled exploded...]


    Now wasn¡¯t the time to think about that! With half the robots disappearing in the previous exchange, the number of robots didn¡¯t seem so endless anymore.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t have any mana left. First, I need to use Peruta Circuit to... Kuk!?¡±


    I closed my mouth in the middle of my sentence. There was an enemy I had to defeat first. As if it was waiting for this moment the entire time, from the tip of my toes to the top of my head, a dreadful killing intent and a wave of mana surged, squeezing me from all sides!


    The Eliminator was aiming at me from 360 degrees, from every possible angle!


    [Chance of avoiding, 1.7%.]


    For the first time, I heard its voice. Somewhat expectedly, it was a machine-like voice devoid of any emotion.


    [You were an excellent enemy. But now, your weapon will be mine.]


    ¡°As I thought, you can¡¯t just control any weapon. You have to defeat it first. Much like how things are most of the time, you have to prove your qualification first.¡±


    [Fire.]


    The Eliminator didn¡¯t seem keen on chatting with me, as with a single word, he fired thousands of missiles at me. An army of missiles suddenly appeared in thin air and flew toward me! Could I dodge it if I utilized Divine Speed to its full effect? Impossible.


    As such, I deactivated World Trickery. The enormous amount of mana I¡¯d been hiding filled my body. For a moment, the Eliminator seemed to have flinched, but there was no way for to know affirmatively.


    If someone were looking at me in the next moment, he would think that the sun had descended to earth. Centered around my body, an enormous torrent of energy erupted. Of course, soon enough, all of this energy was absorbed into air.


    [...]


    I sighed and resumed Peruta Circuit. Now, I really didn¡¯t have any mana left.


    [Your mana... how...!?]


    ¡°Before I drank my mana potion, I was slightly changing my mana consumption amount so you could see it. Simple, right?¡±


    [You¡¯re not a Hero... But a scammer!]


    If I didn¡¯t use the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo, I really would have died. But the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo was always within my calctions as I used World Trickery to increase the amount of mana needed to reflect each attack. With Petasos increasing my calctive ability, it would have been impossible to trick the Eliminator.


    ¡°Huu.¡±


    I gulped down another mana potion and grinned.


    ¡°Got you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    [But... I was prepared.]


    ¡°What!?¡±


    It even knew I would trick it? Immediately afterwards, a truly humungous missile, more than 10 times the size of the one I faced on the 88th floor, fell towards me. Just how the heck was a missile like that even shot!? Then, without any twist, the missile exploded above my head.


    A thundering boom simr to the time I threw a sweet potato rang out. Although it wasn¡¯t quite as powerful, the difference wasn¡¯t too big as I was standing right underneath it. If my HP ran out under such a force, could Sherafina save me before it was toote? I didn¡¯t think so.


    Within a white blur of nothingness, I closed my eyes and murmured.


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    A long whileter, seemingly after Sherafina had time to process what happened, a message rang out.


    [You destroyed 99% of the Eliminator¡¯s main body.]


    I threw down the empty bottle of mana potion. Immediately, it transformed into an Elixir bottle. I had only hid its energy with World Trickery, but the Eliminator was surprisingly easily tricked.


    To add on, when I activated the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo before, I drank a normal mana potion while acting like it was some amazing potion. Drinking two Elixirs consecutively caused one¡¯s body to be destroyed. For mana potions, drinking two consecutively wasn¡¯t allowed at all. However, there was nothing wrong with drinking an Elixir after drinking a mana potion.


    I had hidden the existence of the Subus Queen¡¯s Tattoo, using the mana recovery it gave me to make it seem as though I drank an Elixir. That was my first and final trick. My goal was to make the Eliminator think there was no way for me to recover my mana. Clearly, it had worked perfectly.


    With the previous explosion, all of the robots on the 89th floor had turned to dust. With nothing to stop me, I began to walk towards the end of the floor.


    [I am Dortu. Master is mean.]


    ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s like they say, you have to fool your ally if you want to fool your enemy.¡±


    Dortu, who worked tirelessly to no result,ined, and I consoled him with a grin. To make my trick seem more believable, I had not even told Dortu about it.


    It wasn¡¯t that I believed the Eliminator wouldn¡¯t get fooled. I simply thought he might have prepared for the worst possible situation. The Elixir I disguised using World Trickery was one solution to his preparation, and if that didn¡¯t work, I even had Overlord. No matter how I thought about it, it was a battle I couldn¡¯t lose.


    It was simple to say that the victor of this battle was the side that read the enemy¡¯s moves more, but there was key point to consider. Regardless of how many moves each side prepared, it was only the Eliminator that took damage.


    I used mana, which was recoverable, while the Eliminator used its main body, which wasn¡¯t recoverable. This was a huge advantage in this head game. Not to mention, my instant judgment skill and speed was heightened by Petasos. If I felt like it, I could have dodged the Eliminator¡¯s bullets and missiles.


    The Eliminator was strong. It was potentially the worst enemy to face with Steel. However, the Eliminatorcked magic power and League. That was the reason for its loss.


    ¡°If you wanted to win, you should have brought three times more firepower at least. Wait for me on the 90th floor. I destroyed 99% of you, so you¡¯ll have to work hard with the remaining 1% if you want to win.¡±


    I sneered and quickened my pace. Using my mana detection, I could already sense the end of the dungeon floor, the 89th Floor Shop, and Loretta smiling and waving her hand.

 Chapter 325. With Your Own Power (5)

    ¡°See you, Loretta.¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, you haven¡¯t slept for two weeks.¡±


    When I met Loretta, I gave my goodbye as always and tried to head to the next floor. However, Loretta held me back.


    ¡°Shin-nim has superhuman powers, and I know Shin-nim is growing even now. Soon, Shin-nim might even reach my level. But you still need to rest.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll be a match for...¡±


    As I turned around, Iughed at what Loretta said. Then, I stopped.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Can you see it now?¡±


    Loretta spoke with a faint smile. It was as she said. Looking at her directly, I felt as though I could take her on. This didn¡¯te from a simple estimate of her mana. It came from the intuition of a warriorparing his League against his opponent¡¯s.


    ¡°But Loretta was far away not too long ago... What happened?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how fast Shin-nim is growing. For others, it bes harder to take the next step the further they go, but it¡¯s the opposite of Shin-nim. Shin-nim was slow to grow at first, but now, Shin-nim¡¯s mana, League, and body are all growing by the day. Do you think that¡¯s because of the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    I slowly shook my head. Absolute Soul, Peruta Circuit. Beast King and the others kings I absorbed mana from. The most recent Extort. All of these didn¡¯t just end after I obtained them. Even now, they were slowly yet explosively growing.


    My body grew sturdier by the day, while my muscles grew stronger, the charm in my horn grew more powerful, and my mana multiplied. Even if I was facing a million of myself from a year ago, I had the confidence to crush them with a single punch.


    ¡°If even a little more external power flows into Shin-nim, Shin-nim will explode. For now, you need to make the power you have yours.¡±


    ¡°I have time.¡±


    ¡°You need time. I originally nned to just watch until Shin-nim reached the 90th floor, but I didn¡¯t think Shin-nim would get stronger while crossing the 89th floor.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    I did think I got stronger when I almostpletely destroyed the Eliminator. It would be silly if I didn¡¯t gain anything after experiencing such a torrential storm of mana and reflecting it back.


    Loretta reached her hand out. Immediately, the gate to Fairy Garden appeared. I thought one needed the key Loretta gave me before to enter Fairy Garden, but seeing Loretta and Fairy Garden¡¯s other members, it seemed they could enter and leave Fairy Garden freely.


    Most likely, the key was only needed by an outsider like me.


    Loretta gestured at me.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s take a lesson. ... With Shin-nim¡¯s current mana, ¡®that¡¯ might be possible.¡±


    ¡°Alright, fine.¡±


    I knew what she was talking about. Dimensional Travel! Since she was going this far, there was no reason for me to refuse. With a bitter smile, I grabbed Loretta¡¯s hand. She made a satisfied smile and stepped into the gate. In the next moment, I found myself in front of Loretta¡¯s log cabin.


    I let out a deep sigh. Since I was the one who wanted this, I had no ns to go back.


    ¡°But Loretta, how long do I need to rest for?¡±


    ¡°Not too long. A month or two should be enough!¡±


    ¡°... Hah?¡±


    I rebutted. Lorettaughed, and I did too. I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡±


    ¡°Should we start?¡±


    It seemed she wasn¡¯t. I attempted to back away, but Loretta grabbed my arm at lightning speed. It was still too early for me to be a match for her strength.


    ¡°You¡¯re only teaching Dimensional Travel, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Shin-nim! Of course!¡±


    ¡°Why did you say that twice!?¡±


    There was no point in resisting any further. The door to the log cabin opened, then closed.


    Only after two full monthster did Loretta give me the okay to climb the dungeon.


    ¡°It¡¯s perfect now. How is it, Shin-nim?¡±


    ¡°I think I understand Dimensional Travel better now.¡±


    ¡°Geez, not that! Though, that¡¯s amazing too!¡±


    I had Petasos, a cheat ability that tripled the speed of my thoughts. Without this ability, it would have taken longer to establish the foundation for Dimensional Travel. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the only thing Loretta was talking about. She was also talking about the immense energy filling me up.


    ¡°Now, I can call everything mine, except Steel.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already unbelievable that you managed to perfectly control such a huge energy in such a short time. Anyone else would have taken at least 20 years. Shin-nim¡¯s talent isn¡¯t just extraordinary anymore, it¡¯s freaky.¡±


    I simply smiled at what Loretta said. Things that came easily to me were hard for others to do. But that wasn¡¯t anything umon. There were many that I couldn¡¯t do that others could do easily.


    In the past, I didn¡¯t understand why that was the case, but since this was just how I was born, I had no ns to throw my weight around and act superior. But of course, that didn¡¯t mean I would allow the opposite to happen. I simply thought I was lucky to have been born with the potential to get stronger.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving then. I have to take care of some things and climb the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, have a safe trip.¡±


    With that, Loretta pushed her lips towards me. I honed myself during the past two months, but I still couldn¡¯t do anything against Loretta¡¯s charm. It was simply too strong for me to reject.


    As soon as Loretta let me go, I returned to the guild house and found Father drinking alone.


    ¡°It sure is hard to see my son¡¯s face. Did you visit another world again?¡±


    ¡°I told you, I had to spend some time to clean up the energy within me. I learned something new too. Come to think of it, didn¡¯t Ie visit from time to time? It¡¯s not like I was imprisoned.¡±


    ¡°You change so much each time that it feels like it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    I smiled and scanned the room. As expected, there was no one else.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Walker? Doesn¡¯t he usually drink with you?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in the First Dungeon now. He¡¯s been working himself tirelessly recently to climb even a single floor more. With Sophie, of course.¡±


    ¡°Kuk.¡±


    What Father said made me realize how much time had passed. Although I came to visit once every few days, I didn¡¯t have the time to meet with each guild member. I see, now that Walker was in the First Dungeon, Revival¡¯s members were now all climbing the First Dungeon.


    Wait. Then why was Father drinking here alone?


    When I gave Father a curious look, he let out a heartyugh and closed his mouth. I asked with a grin.


    ¡°You died?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t poke your father¡¯s weakness like that, Son.¡±


    ¡°I should when I can.¡±


    ¡°It seems I thought you well.¡¯


    ¡°I learned from the best.¡±


    As I replied to Father, I sat down across him and handed him an empty cup. He then made a pleased smile and filled the cup.


    ¡°You died too?¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t go around dying now.¡±


    ¡°Then did you suddenly learn to take things slower? You¡¯re always in a rush.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a good reason I¡¯m in a rush... It¡¯s not like I can ask someone else to do my job.¡±


    Father didn¡¯t say anything. Although Father had also gotten stronger in the past two months, the two of us were now too far apart in strength to evenpare. Father put down his drink with a bitter smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. I wanted to always stand by your side as a reliable father, but what I can do? I just have too good of a son.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Father. We don¡¯t have much time left anyways. I can handle it.¡±


    With that, I emptied my cup. Was what I said unexpected? Father also took a sip with a bitter look.


    ¡°... My son¡¯s going too far, too fast. I wanted to raise him strong, but I didn¡¯t want to raise him an old man.¡±


    I smacked my lips. I didn¡¯t expect to get such a reaction just by saying I¡¯ll fulfill my responsibility. Since I didn¡¯t know what to say, I stayed silent. Father also seemed to felt awkward, as he scratched his head and filled my cup back up.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we have a spar after this. Your father¡¯s gotten stronger recently, so it should be helpful.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Father. Ah, by the way, where¡¯s Paul?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s spending all his time doing the training regime you assigned him. Do you want to see him?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I need to pass him the rest of his power. A Hero shouldn¡¯t be away from his world for too long.¡±


    When I thought about Paul, my body shot up automatically.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have another drink here alone.¡±


    ¡°Call Sumire too.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    I immediately looked for Paul. Like Father said, he was fully concentrated in his training without even thinking to climb the dungeon.


    ¡°I thought you forgot!¡±


    ¡°I did, once. Has it been a week?¡±


    ¡°You...¡±


    I blocked Paul¡¯s shield and calmed him down.


    ¡°Sorry for beingte. It took a while to settle everything.¡±


    ¡°Mm... No, it¡¯s more important that you train yourself. I can¡¯t reallyin..¡±


    As expected, Paul quickly understood my position. If anything, his character was great.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t just y around. I can give you the rest of your power now.¡±


    ¡°Rest? Isn¡¯t there over a half of it left?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Come here.¡±


    Paul approached me half in doubt and slowly sat down with his back towards me. I ced my hand on his back and pushed the rest of Edias continent¡¯s power into him. Paul flinched, and soon became immersed in properly receiving the energy. Without being able to speak a word, he struggled to control the energy I passed him. I stood by his side and prevented Edias continent¡¯s energy from going berserk by injecting him with my massive mana.


    An unknown amount of timeter, Paul opened his eyes in shock.


    ¡°This is what it feels to be a Hero? ... It doesn¡¯t feel like anything changed at all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll feel it soon. Your shoulders will start getting heavy.¡±


    ¡°... What about you? Isn¡¯t it heavy?¡±


    ¡°If it was, I would throw it away. That¡¯s just how I am.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t feel burdened at all now?¡±


    ¡°No, but to do what I want to do, I have to protect Earth first. So my responsibility as a Hero doesn¡¯t burden me at all.¡±


    With that, I stayed silent for a moment. Then, I told Paul.


    ¡°Go back to Edias now. You have something to do there.¡±


    ¡°... Yeah.¡±


    Paul answered after a moment of silence. Now, Paul¡¯s connection with Earth was gone. He wasn¡¯t from Earth, and the Edias continent was still warring with its invaders.


    Plus, Edias continent also had the Peruta Mountain Range. Or was that different?


    Suddenly, Paul began to roll his feet.


    ¡°I can¡¯t... Let me join you too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be crazy and go back to Edias. You have a job to do there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be fighting the Demon Lord here. I won¡¯t be in danger. And with my power, I can help protect Earth from other monsters.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t be crazy and go back. What if you die?¡±


    ¡°I have to protect Edias with my own power alone. If I die here, I would have had no hope in Edias anyways!¡±


    I smiled.


    ¡°Paul, go back.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin! I¡¯m not someone who doesn¡¯t know how to pay back his debt!¡±


    ¡°No, Paul. Go back.¡±


    I turned around and continued.


    ¡°Like I said, there¡¯s something you need to do there.¡±


    Paul widened his eyes. I shrugged and smiled.


    Anyone who saw it would agree that it was a terrifyingly evil smile.

 Chapter 326. With Your Own Power (6)

    Paul went back to Edias immediately. As he had gotten stronger while toiling with Revival¡¯s members, I knew he would do just fine.


    After sending Paul off, I went down to the training room. As expected, Father and Sumire were sparring. I waited until their spar ended to reveal my presence.


    Sumire stabbed her spear into the ground and leaned against it to catch her breath. When she saw me, she jumped up in surprise.


    ¡°S-Shin-nim! You were here!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You sure are improving fast. I¡¯m happy to see you¡¯re trying hard.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    While embarrassed, Sumire couldn¡¯t hide her happiness. But Father, who was standing next to her, clicked his tongue.


    ¡°That¡¯s no way to woo a woman. Instead of exchanging your spears, you should take her out for tea or something.¡±


    ¡°Sumire¡¯s my disciple...¡±


    I retorted back at his nonsense, as I immediately went up to spar with Father. Leaving mana and skills aside, we fought purely with our physical strength and spear technique. As Father was also high up in the dungeon, his physical strength was suitably great. As he was the one who taught me spearmanship, his spear technique didn¡¯t need to be exined either.


    But of course, I was now much stronger than him.


    ¡°Monster... I gave birth to a monster.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t give birth to anyone, Father. It was Mother.¡±


    Although we only sparred for a short five minutes, Father fell to the ground covered in sweat. I then turned towards Sumire, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see how much you improved.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim!¡±


    As Sumire¡¯s style was different than Father¡¯s, sparring with her was more fun. Attacking with her spear and defending with her shield. However, her offense and defense weren¡¯t limited to these obvious methods. If the chance arrived, she freely attacked with her shield and defended with her spear.


    Her shield technique was in a realm I couldn¡¯t offer any advice on, and she was firmly establishing her one-handed spear technique style. Thankfully, I could still help her in this aspect, and I helped her fix several problems throughout our spar.


    ¡°Thank you for this match! Shin-nim really is amazing!¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that to me?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Second Master is amazing too!¡±


    ¡°Thanks... So Son, when are you going to the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°After swinging my spear a couple times, and if possible, after seeing Hwaya and Ina. I¡¯m nning on clearing Beyond¡¯s 39th floor, First Dungeon¡¯s 90th floor, and Beyond¡¯s 40th floor in one go.¡±


    Father nodded, then spoke firmly.


    ¡°My new daughter has been busy with Ciara recently. You should go to Earth if you can.¡±


    ¡°... Got it.¡±


    When I gave Sumire a nce, she nodded without hesitation.


    ¡°It seems Unni is trying to predict the next wave of Event Dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Indeed, that was one of the most important tasks. I wanted to head to Earth immediately, but because what I said about swinging my spear a couple times made Sumire look at me with eyes full of expectation, I had to carry it out with a bitter smile. It was the purely physical technique that I had gotten fairly used to by now.


    Of course, if I really concentrated all of my power, the guild house would crumble, so I had to hold back.


    Sumire began to call me Takemikazuchi and seemed ready to ask me to show it one more time until the end of the night. Thankfully, I managed to get away from her and return to Earth after showing her a few more times.


    When I entered the guild house on Earth, I heard a cking sound in the kitchen and a smelled a sweet aroma. When I entered the kitchen thinking someone else other than Hwaya and Ciara was here, I found a rather unexpected sight.


    ¡°Ina, don¡¯t eat that yet.¡±


    ¡°Are we waiting for Daddy?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to put it on the cake. Wash it clean and chop it. You can do it, right?¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    Hwaya was moving around busily in an apron. The source of the sweet aroma was a cake batter full of sugar, which Hwaya was swirling.


    I rubbed my eyes.


    ¡°Mommy, when is Daddying?¡±


    ¡°Sumire said she¡¯d hold him back. If we fail, we have to make it again, so hopefully Sumire will do a good job...¡±


    ¡°Does Daddy like cakes?¡±


    ¡°Shin eats everything. Apparently, he likes sweet things the most. Yungoong Ajusshi... Father said so, so it must be true.¡±


    Hwaya had an extremely bright expression. She looked especially cute when she smiled.


    ¡°Huhu, I¡¯ll show him I can do it too! Since it¡¯ll be a joint attack with Ina, he won¡¯t be able to withstand it.¡±


    ¡°Ina¡¯s attacking Daddy with Mommy?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to attack his heart with this cake. Ina likes it too when Father¡¯s happy, right?¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t cut grape seeds! How did you even cut it!?¡±


    ¡°I froze it and split it in half. I¡¯m good, right?¡±


    After watching until this part, I silently left. The past me might have barged in to see Hwaya¡¯s flustered face, but now, the first thing I thought of was to let myself be surprised. But will I be able to act naturally? That was the only thing in my mind.


    ¡°Well, looks like I¡¯ll have to take Hwaya failing into ount and go to the dungeon.¡±


    I could also feel Ciara¡¯s presence in the guild house. Sumire probably wasn¡¯t lying when she said Ciara was trying to predict the next wave of dungeons. Once I came back, I would be able to hear about the result.


    Humming happily, I headed to the dungeon. Even while breaking through Beyond¡¯s 39th floor filled with Death Knights and Vampire Lords, I couldn¡¯t be more light-hearted.


    [A challenger.]


    [A challenger really appeared.]


    Past a certain point, monsters in Beyond were all shocked when they saw me. It wasn¡¯t because I was strong, it was just because I made it here.


    [He¡¯s trying to go higher.]


    [Envy is driving me on. Let¡¯s make that man kneel down in despair.]


    [Our swords hold our resentment from being left without a choice. Are you strong enough to ept them?]


    ¡°Stop being so noisy and juste.¡±


    I pointed my spear towards them and ignited chaos mes on its tip. Beyond was long. If I walked through it as though it was a park, I would need several days to go through it. I had to use Divine Speed constantly to break through in a day.


    ¡°You guys can¡¯t give me what I want anymore.¡±


    [This magic power...!]


    [H-How can a human possess such an overwhelming magic power!]


    I kicked off the ground. Chaos mes rose up after sucking in my magic power and shot towards the Vampire Lords and Death Knights. Chaos mes scorched everything it touched. Although a few lucky Death Knights managed to dodge the mes, when they tried to attack me with their swords carrying death aura, Steel simply sucked in their auras.


    [What!?]


    ¡°Thanks for the death energy.¡±


    The powers I had all worked well together. Absolute Soul and Crimson Hell¡¯s power, and now Steel¡¯s Extort. They stole mana from anything and anyone that attacked me and made it mine in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°You can have it back.¡±


    [Back? Kuaaaaaak!]


    Without integrating the absorbed mana, I directed it to my spear and stuck it inside the monsters in front of me. Attacking all enemies with fast consecutive stabs, it was Lightning Spear Storm.


    As expected of monsters in Beyond¡¯s 39th floor, the Death Knights and Vampire Lords had high magic power and defense. However, there simply wasn¡¯t anything they could do against me. Any monster that appeared in front of me turned into particles of light and disappeared thereafter.


    [You dare insult the knights who rule over death!? I will show you the true power of death!]


    ¡°Please, go ahead!¡±


    Death Knights began to form a magic circle using their death energy.


    [Come, Swords of Death!]


    ¡°Lame!¡±


    Though that was what I said, the swords they summoned were quite good. It seemed they had to consume their death energy permanently to make them, but they attacked their enemy without having to be held by the Death Knights.


    As there were many Death Knights, the number of swords flying around numbered several hundred! As they also used their special skill, Death Collection, I couldn¡¯t tell whether these guys were knights or sword collectors!


    ¡°But that¡¯s still nowhere close to being enough! Show me more! Don¡¯t tell me this is all you can do with death energy?¡±


    [Kuaaaaa, fine, we will!]


    When I mocked the Death Knights¡¯ power, they became enraged and began to pour one ck magic after the other.


    [Curse of Death!]


    [Curse of Madness!]


    [Curse of Pestilence!]


    As expected of death energy, it could form many different kinds of curses. I looked intently at the magic circles they drew and asked.


    ¡°Any other curses?¡±


    [How can you be fine after taking all these curses!?]


    A Death Knight asked in shock. I nodded and replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m immune to curses.¡±


    [Bastard!]


    ¡°Well, that was a good lesson. Thanks!¡±


    When dense death energy flowed into my spear, the Death Knights flinched and stepped backwards. Using my spear, I drew a giant magic circle in the air.


    [No way...!]


    ¡°Yes way.¡±


    [He can wield death energy!]


    From the ck magic circle I drew, many greatswords began to pop out. Although the Death Knightscked the death energy to summon more than a couple swords at once, I was different. I possessed so much death energy that I had topress it multiple times.


    As I was generous with the death energy I used, several hundred greatswords popped out of the magic circle and hovered above the air. I then added Dortu¡¯s power into the swords. Be it Death Knights or Vampire Lords, they couldn¡¯t shut their mouths watching this scene.


    [This... crazy...!]


    [Didn¡¯t you guys teach him!?]


    [Shut it, you annoying mosquitos!]


    In the end, they began to fight among themselves. I leisurely shot my greatswords at them with a smile.


    ¡°Now, now, if you have anything else you haven¡¯t shown, please do so now!¡±


    Two hours afterwards, after learning all the ways that Death Knights used death energy in, I freed them for eternity. I then left Beyond¡¯s 39th floor. It was now time to eat cake!

 Chapter 327. With Your Own Power (7)

    Chapter 327. With Your Own Power (7)


    ¡°"Tada!¡±"


    When I returned to the guild house in Jongno, Hwaya and Ina weed me as they spread their arms and showed the cake they made.


    I thought it was possible that they failed and ended up ordering one from a bakery, but the slightly odd whipped cream decoration and the grape seed I saw Ina cut proved that the cake was home-made.


    ¡°You made it for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course. How is it? Looks as good as a store-bought cake, right?¡±


    ¡°You should first wipe that whipped cream off your face.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    They must have yed around with the whipped cream as Hwaya¡¯s face was full of whipped cream. I thought she left it there on purpose, but judging by her expression, it seemed she had no clue.


    I approached Hwaya and wiped the whipped cream off with my fingers. Then, I did the same for Ina. While Inaughed joyfully and clung to my arm, Hwaya slightly blushed andined.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you take it off with a kiss or something?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t even happen in old manhwa.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you though? Kyak!¡±


    When I carried out her request, she immediately smacked me. Though she was the one who hit me, she ended up grabbing her hand and groaning in pain.


    ¡°Stupid, do it after my heart¡¯s ready!¡±


    ¡°I just did what you told me to!¡±


    ¡°I almost got a heart attack!¡±


    ¡°Daddy, give Ina a kiss too!¡±


    The daughter was more honest than her mom. When I hugged Ina and gave her a smooch, Hwaya narrowed her eyes at Ina.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but she hates losing to me.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be jealous of a kid. Let¡¯s just eat the cake.¡±


    ¡°Kuk...¡±


    When the three of us were cutting the cake, Ciara also appeared. Her lips were pouting, which led me to believe she was a bit angry.


    ¡°Can I join now, Hwaya-nim?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,e.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh at the clear hierarchy between them. Ciara bowed to me respectfully before finding a seat to sit.


    ¡°Hero-nim, I¡¯ve been trying for a while, but I can¡¯t seem to grasp when the next wave of Event Dungeons wille.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush it. We should still have some time left.¡±


    At my words, Hwaya smiled faintly and spoke.


    ¡°But we should be able to estimate the approximate time. There might be a bit of an error, but it should be in about three months.¡±


    ¡°Three months? ... I¡¯ll keep that in mind for now.¡±


    ¡°I can foresee parts of Hero-nim fighting the monsters... but I can¡¯t figure out the location. Sorry, Hero-nim. My ability iscking.¡±


    I sliced off a piece of cake, put it on Ciara¡¯s te, and spoke.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be sorry. If you¡¯re trying your best and still can¡¯t do it, then it¡¯s not your fault. You can take it slower. Just knowing when is already good.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hero-nim.¡±


    Hearing Ciara¡¯s words, something seemed to pop up in my head, but the thought disappeared when I took a bite out of the cake. I only hoped that it was edible, but it seemed Hwaya was a better cook than I thought. Truthfully, it was delicious.


    While Hwaya and Ina made time to make this cake for me, it wasn¡¯t like they had ample time to spend freely. Taking the opportunity cost into ount, this cake might have been the most expensive cake in the world.


    Currently, these two expensive-bodied girls were sipping tea next to me as if they didn¡¯t want to enter the dungeon, while I enjoyed a second slice of cake.


    After staring at me intently, Hwaya suddenly asked.


    ¡°Shin, are you on the 90th floor now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I should get it over with quickly.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I never managed to catch up after being passed.¡±


    Hwaya groaned defeatedly, and I stroked her head with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re already amazing.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you can say that because you¡¯re better than me. That¡¯s it, I¡¯m going to the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Hwaya, wait.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Ah.¡±


    I stopped Hwaya and kissed her on the cheek. She widened her eyes.


    ¡°Shin, my stat just rose...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I did it.¡±


    ¡°Kissing can raise stats!?¡±


    This time, Hwaya stopped me. Her eyes were burning passionately. Scary. I immediately confessed.


    ¡°Lo... Loretta taught it to me. I can do it now because my League reached a certain point. It¡¯s not something anyone can do. Apparently, I can influence others because I can wield Enigma¡¯s power and several gods¡¯ powers. It¡¯s not permanent, but I figured it¡¯ll help while you¡¯re in battle.¡±


    ¡°You kissed enough times to learn something like this!?¡±


    As it poked at my consciousness, I couldn¡¯t refute what she said. ording to Loretta, it was only possible for me to give blessings to others because I was the chosen partner of the Elf Queen Loretta.


    In other words, I had been intimate with Loretta to the point that I was recognized as her partner.


    Instead of giving Hwaya a direct answer, I replied with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kiss you too to make up for it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a different story!¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t want it?¡±


    ¡°No, I do. I might have given up on monopolizing you, but I can¡¯t lose to that woman!¡±


    ¡°Hwaya, you sure choose to live your life the hard way.¡±


    ¡°Hurry, do it ten more times! ... Does doing it on the lips have a better effect?¡±


    Once I gave Hwaya enough blessings to satisfy her, this time, Ina and Ciara were watching me with sparkling eyes. First, I set Ciara aside as she didn¡¯t need to go to the dungeon.


    ¡°Hero-nim, if I receive a blessing, I¡¯m sure I can foresee the exact time and ce!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just an empty illusion. I¡¯ll break it for you.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we test it!¡±


    ¡°No need. Go away. Shoo.¡±


    But I did give a blessing to Ina. Ina simply smiled joyfully, but because of Ciara¡¯s increasingly clingy gaze, I also hurriedly escaped to the dungeon.


    First Dungeon¡¯s 90th floor. Normally, there were monsters on the way to the Floor Master room, but the 90th floor was dead silent. No robots appeared and the Eliminator didn¡¯t try to snipe me. The only thing I had to do was cross a vast wastnd.


    Of course, I had an idea as to why this was happening. The Eliminator was likely the one controlling the robots I¡¯ve been facing since the 86th floor. With only 1% of his main body remaining, he must be having a hard time even breathing.


    By the time I finished digesting the cake I ate, I reached the Floor Master room. Near the end of the wastnd was a single giant iron door that didn¡¯t seem to fit in with the surroundings. Though faint, I could feel a bone-chilling energy pulsating inside.


    ¡°Huu... Alright.¡±


    As always, standing in front of a Floor Master room gave me a sense of tension. While only 1% of his main body remained, it was entirely possible that he was prepared for an instant burst attack. However, a sense of tension of this level didn¡¯t hinder a fight. In fact, it helped me prepare for battle and ultimately perform better.


    After taking another breath, I kicked open the iron door.


    ¡°Fight me, Eliminator!¡±


    However, what greeted me was a giant ruin.


    ¡°Wow...¡±


    I looked around. Giant machinery and structures were lined up endlessly, but they were all destroyed. Most of them seemed to have exploded, and the wreckage seemed to be the size of an entire city.


    ¡°If I actually fought here, that would have been quite the scene.¡±


    I murmured with a smile. Amidst the mountain of scraps continuing endlessly, a conventional weapon seemed to be ditched inside. It vibrated weakly, signaling that the Eliminator wasn¡¯t dead yet.


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to find the real main body to end it.¡±


    [It¡¯s not... over yet...]


    Oh! It seemed the Eliminator even had the energy to rabble. The moment its voice rang out, I detected several presences pop up. Weapons. They wereing from the thrown aside weapons nearby.


    There were many guns that survived the explosion, but it seemed the Eliminator didn¡¯t have enough energy to move them, as the weapons that floated up were cold weapons like swords, spears, axes, and hammers.


    [A weapon... with a Hero¡¯s power... If I can have that...!]


    ¡°You want Chaotic Spear? You¡¯re quite greedy.¡±


    With a smirk, I raised my spear. However, the Eliminator seemed to have some confidence.


    [In this... vast space... will you be able to... find me...? Before then... your weapon will... be mine...!]


    I think I understood what it was saying. The Floor Master room was no different than its domain. Its main body was here, and it was overall the best ce for the Eliminator to use its ability to manipte weapons.


    Even now, I could feel an invisible hand reaching out toward Chaotic Spear. Though the Eliminator was barely breathing at this point, a world¡¯s enemy was still a world¡¯s enemy.


    ¡°Well, go ahead to your heart¡¯s content.¡±


    [Huu...!]


    Weapons floated up. Countless weapons, simr to what I experienced against the Death Knights, aimed towards me. No, to be exact, they were aiming for my Chaotic Spear. Judging from what the Eliminator said, it seemed it could absorb the power of a weapon and make it its own.


    In that case, what I had to find was...!


    ¡°Gaia Buster!¡±


    I shouted valiantly and struck down on the ground. ck lightning shot out from the tip of Chaotic Spear and ran across the field of ruined machinery.


    An explosion erupted, but I ignored itpletely. Cracks appeared on metals, shattering it and scattering millions of fragments.


    [This is!?]


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can hide after I wipe everything off the ground!¡±


    I raised my spear. That served as a signal. The Eliminator¡¯s weapons floating unnervingly in the sky were instantly swept away by Gaia Buster¡¯s current.


    An enormous explosion erupted. I indifferently struck the ground once again. This time, I released pure aura from the spear tip.


    Then, I easily located the Eliminator¡¯s main body.


    [Kuk!?]


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can run now!¡±


    I pulled out my spear and swung it. The aura string connected to its tip pulled in an elegant longsword, which I grabbed with my hand. Although I felt an enormous recoil for a moment, Extort blocked a portion of it, and I also raised my aura and thoroughly destroyed it. The sword¡¯s defensive barrier shattered, and its real appearance came out.


    ¡°... Well, this is surprising...¡±


    An absurdly sharp and smooth sword body, and a hilt made from a leather of unknown origin. The guard of the hilt contained a green jewel, which shone with periodic light.


    ¡°Your main body is a sword?¡±


    [How, in just two months... Kuk!]


    The Eliminator seemed to be shocked just like me, but for a different reason. Indeed, it was true that I couldn¡¯t utilize my aura so freely two months ago.


    However, just by adding my thoughts about spearmanship into the aura, I learned to control aura like my limbs. But of course, it wasn¡¯t something I aplished alone.


    Loretta didn¡¯t just teach me Dimensional Travel. She passed down all of her knowledge of mana. It was the kind of knowledge that my past self couldn¡¯t have carried out, but one that my current self desperately needed.


    Without it, even I wouldn¡¯t have been able to learn to perfectly control all of the different energies I had.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny while you act shocked.¡±


    Even now, just by having the Eliminator in my hands, an authority surpassing my imagination attempted to invade and take control of all my weapons. I instantly realized the central source of the authority. It was the shining green jewel.


    What controlled so many weapons and robots was this tiny jewel! If I didn¡¯t destroy all the machinery and metals beforehand, finding the Eliminator¡¯s main body would have been difficult, to say the least. Just thinking about it made me sweat.


    However, that wasn¡¯t the reality. After all, the Eliminator¡¯s main body was in my hand.


    [You won¡¯t be able... to destroy me... As long as... weapons exist... I will never... be eliminated...!]


    ¡°Who said I¡¯d destroy you?¡±


    I replied with a grin. I decisively pulled the green jewel out of the sword and squeezed it in my hand.


    ¡°Thanks for the meal.¡±


    Then, I began to steal his power.

 Chapter 328. With Your Own Power (8)

    Chapter 328. With Your Own Power (8)


    The jewel resisted, letting out a dazzling light, but it couldn¡¯t do anything in its current state. Compared to when I used Peruta Circuit in the Beast King¡¯s body, this was a piece of cake.


    [A human... won¡¯t be able... to contain me...!]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re not as amazing as you think.¡±


    Because of the Eliminator¡¯s fierce resistance, Steel had to use some of its energy for defense, and thus the Extort speed decreased. I concentrated on Absolute Soul and Peruta Circuit and held the jewel tighter. Arge crack appeared on the green jewel, and the Eliminator¡¯s resistance dropped by a huge level.


    [I refuse to die... without havingpleted my mission...!]


    ¡°Mission?¡±


    A rather interesting word was mentioned. While the jewel¡¯s energy continued to flow inside me and became mixed with my mana unable to withstand its flow, I asked.


    ¡°What mission? You¡¯re about to die, so tell me.¡±


    [The mission, I was given...]


    The fact that the Eliminator was ¡°given¡± a mission suggested that there was someone who gave it to him. Hmm, was this guy just saying this to disturb me on its deathbed?


    [To eliminate... the dungeon¡¯s creator.]


    Around therge crack that appeared before, numerous thread-like cracks ran out. Before I could say anything, the jewel shattered into pieces and scattered into the air.


    ¡°That sure disturbed me alright.¡±


    Of course, even if I kept the Eliminator alive, it was unlikely it would say anything more.


    I looked at the longsword that used to hold the green jewel. Although it no longer held the jewel or the enormous energy it held, the longsword was still shining brilliantly. At that moment, the longsword let out a faint light simr to when monsters scattered into particles of light. Immediately, I encased the longsword in my whirlpool, and the longsword¡¯s light returned to normal while its energy stopped leaking.


    This longsword was a weapon that the dungeon¡¯s power couldn¡¯t clone. It had stayed with the Eliminator¡¯s main body through the ages. Letting it return to the dungeon was a shame. Sherafina probably wanted to absorb it as always and give it back to me after she refined it, but I preferred now to have it my way.


    ¡°Great. First, I¡¯ll take care of what¡¯s inside me.¡±


    I quickly absorbed the Eliminator¡¯s energy inside me and processed it to join the rest of the energies that I refined into one.


    But as I said before, the Eliminator didn¡¯t have that much mana. It was a lot, but it was stillckingpared to the other worlds¡¯ enemies I¡¯ve met.


    What was amazing about the Eliminator was its authority to dominate all weapons. This authority was what made a lump of energy like the Eliminator rule as a world¡¯s enemy and even conquer a world.


    Of course, just absorbing the Eliminator didn¡¯t give me the power to freely control all weapons. However, I did obtain the possibility. With its potential to grow, this power could ultimately reach that level.


    Without Steel, it would have been impossible to absorb the Eliminator¡¯s power so perfectly. At best, I only would have be more proficient in wielding various weapons.


    Sherafina could only have expected this much. The reward she would give couldn¡¯t have been greater. But because I absorbed the Eliminator¡¯s power myself, the reward she could give me disappeared.


    [As Kang Shin-nim absorbed the Eliminator¡¯s power, the reward will be limited. If Kang Shin is willing to release a portion of it, I can refine it into the dungeon¡¯s power.]


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Even if Ipared to receiving the help of the dungeon¡¯s system, keeping the power in its pure form will be more effective against worlds¡¯ enemies.¡±


    [That is true.]


    Of course, I was confident I wouldn¡¯t be disadvantaged and obtain all of the Eliminator¡¯s power. But since Sherafina couldn¡¯t read Steel¡¯s power, she wasn¡¯t able to understand this. In any case, I could always show it to herter. Her surprised face was something to look forward to.


    ¡°Sherafina, did you know someone¡¯s trying to get rid of you?¡±


    There was no answer. Really, she only kept quiet at times like this.


    With a grin, I held up the longsword in my hand. This was likely an artifact crafted with the Eliminator, an ancient artifact serving to act as the base of the Eliminator¡¯s great power. It was yet another artifact that Sherafina couldn¡¯t read.


    ¡°This is enough as a reward.¡±


    [... Understood.]


    The Eliminator could no longer regenerate. It might be possible if the dungeon had the green jewel I absorbed and the longsword I was holding, but I had already absorbed the former.


    [Will you also reject the dungeon¡¯s offer to refine that longsword?]


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m nning on using it for something.¡±


    I lightly rejected Sherafina¡¯s offer and held up Chaotic Spear.


    [It¡¯s too dangerous. That sword isn¡¯t something the dungeon can analyze. If its properties are transferred, it might go berserk.]


    ¡°Trying it won¡¯t hurt!¡±


    I then strongly struck down on the longsword. In an instant, the longsword disappeared and an immense energy flowed into Chaotic Spear. A blinding light shot out from Chaotic Spear, and soon, Sherafina¡¯s notified me calmly.


    [??? has been absorbed by Crimson Chaotic Spear. Growth: ??.??]


    I could only say one thing.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bug!¡±


    In truth, I somewhat expected this to happen. It was just that I thought it was more probably for Chaotic Spear to undergo an evolution. It was almost at 98% growth. I didn¡¯t think it wouldn¡¯t evolve even after devouring the Eliminator¡¯s longsword. No, could it be...?


    ¡°Was it also like this when it evolved into Chaotic Spear?¡±


    Back when it was still Gluttony Spear and reached 99.9% growth, it onlypleted its evolution after devouring all of my mana. If it was the same now, would the spear evolve once I poured all of my mana into it?


    Though I came to that conclusion, I returned the spear into its choker form for now. It wasn¡¯t something to be done here.


    I did everything I needed to on the 90th floor. Since Chaotic Spear is also stuffed, it was now time for it to go work out.


    Beyond¡¯s 40th Floor Master was waiting for us.


    The 36th to 39th floors had Vampire Lords and Death Knights. Vampire Lords were different, but I was initially quite troubled by Death Knights.


    Although advancing in Beyond wasn¡¯t difficult, as I knew what kind of being the Floor Masters from now would be, I couldn¡¯t help but be nervous.


    ¡°The 40th Floor Master is also a world¡¯s enemy, right?¡±


    [Yes. Do be careful, as it is extremely dangerous.]


    Sherafina¡¯s answer was simple as always. Was there a reason she kept matching me with worlds¡¯ enemies? Why didn¡¯t these worlds¡¯ Heroes finish them off, allowing the dungeon to take them? Was it on purpose? To help nurture people like me?


    If the Demon Lord wanted to enter the dungeon after losing to me, I didn¡¯t have the confidence to let him go. I would most likely tear even his soul apart.


    Perhaps, these Heroes defeated them, but weren¡¯t quite strong enough to kill them and received the dungeon¡¯s help. No, that was strange too.


    ¡°This damn dungeon only gets more mysterious as I go higher up.¡±


    Iined audibly for Sherafina to hear and entered the 40th floor. Of course, there was no reply.


    The moment I stepped into the 40th floor, an intense spiritual pressure swept over me. It was a stifling energy that seemed to reject life.


    I couldn¡¯t help but remember my encounter with Lilith. From the looks of it, it was possible that the 40th Floor Master was even stronger. As long as I won, there would be a lot to gain.


    From a certain point, as I climbed the dungeon, authorities and mana rather than levels and items were piling up. Did other explorers experience the same thing? Did they fight worlds¡¯ enemies, face their limits, and obtain new powers?


    From what Kain told me, that wasn¡¯t the case. First, it was impossible for most explorers to absorb their enemies¡¯ powers directly, and no explorer wanted to face such an extreme test either.


    But one thing was for sure. Sherafina was offering me a unique path and I was epting every power beyond her expectations. My previous battle with the Eliminator was one such example. Without relying on the dungeon¡¯s system, I could extract the enemy¡¯s power on my own.


    If the dungeon had three different paths, other explorers were taking path A, Sherafina was guiding me to path B, while I took path C.


    It wouldn¡¯t have been possible had I not learned Peruta Circuit and Absolute Soul. Meeting Peruta and learning Skill Synthesis through the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch were two biggest reasons I...


    [Come in.]


    A dreary voice abruptly cut off my train of thought.


    [How long will you keep me waiting?]


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, why don¡¯t you entice me toe in somehow?¡±


    I retorted with a snort. Just like Lilith, the 40th Floor Master was bbering even with the door closed. It meant that the dungeon¡¯s power couldn¡¯t fully contain him, that Sherafina couldn¡¯t control thempletely.


    In any case, I somewhat had a guess as to his identity. I summoned Dortu and Peika before confidently kicking the iron door open.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight!¡±


    [I¡¯ve been waiting.]


    The Floor Master room was a huge tomb. A chilling wind of a dark, damp limestone cave swirled around me.


    There were candles lit with blue mes burning on the sides of the cave¡¯s walls, and at the end of the line of candles was a truly grand throne.


    [Hero, it¡¯s so nice to finally see you in person.]


    The titan sitting on the throne spoke. Other than his size, he looked no different than a normal human. He wore a dark blue armor and held a giant bigger than his body.


    Ah, another thing, two blue mes were zing inside his eyes.


    [Along with the birth of the Savior Hero, that person has also woken up from her long rest. Being unable to see the end of the long, long evolution was my greatest regret, but now seeing the protagonist of this story in front of me, having spent my days sitting on this seat finally feels meaningful.]


    ¡°You talk too much.¡±


    I aimed my spear at him and spoke.


    ¡°First, fight me.¡±


    [Hahahaha! This is my first battle in a long, long time. Perhaps, it might even be my final. Just think of it as me putting on airs.]


    He held up his axe. Feeling the death energy shooting out of his body in that instant, I realized he had long since veered off of being a human.


    [Rather than talking, I also prefer the sound of shing metals and flowing blood and sweat! We truly think alike, Savior Hero!]


    ¡°Like I said, you talk too much. Here, have a taste of Heroic Strike!¡±


    This was probably the only way to get him to move! I immediatelypressed over 500,000 mana into one point and shot out. It was the start of the battle with the 40th Floor Master, Death Lord.

 Chapter 329. With Your Own Power (9)

    Chapter 329. With Your Own Power (9)


    [What an absurd mana!]


    It seemed even he couldn¡¯t directly receive this attack. As he flew up to dodge, he swung his axe and shot a giant aura wave. An ordinary human would have his bones and flesh rot just by being near to it!


    [Huuu.]


    I sucked it in using Breath of Death and received the impact of the aura with Extort. But as his attack wasn¡¯t so weak that I could fully take it with Extort, I weakened it as much as I could using Absolute Soul and stole only the mana I could steal. Steel could then block the rest of the attack with its defense.


    [That¡¯s the ability of a Death Knight! You even absorbed my aura... Are you a mana eater?]


    ¡°You should be worried about other things¡±


    After receiving his attack, I kicked off the round and leaped up into the air. The ck energy swirling around his body instantly transformed into hundreds of thorns before hurling towards me. I didn¡¯t think of hitting them away. In front of Steel, such minor attacks were useless.


    I jerked my spear by an inch. In the next moment, an explosion erupted on his back. The 500,000 mana I shot out had boomeranged back and hit him.


    The ck cape fluttering behind him disappeared. I expected it to be a fatal blow, but it seemed his cape had the ability topletely absorb a single instance of attack. Kuk, if I knew that, I would have only used 300,000 mana!


    [You can already control the aura you shot out? Truly amazing!]


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even started!¡±


    Using death energy against him was likely to be meaningless. Thus, while I continued to use Breath of Death, I only concentrated on absorbing his death energy. Only chaos mes were burning on my spear.


    [I am Dortu. Analyzing his armor.]


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, Dortu. Peika, materialize!¡±


    [Got it!]


    When a huge lightning dragon appeared in the air, the Death Lord flinched. On the other hand, Peika charged at him as soon as she materialized. The powerful lightning energy circting around her body was fiercer than any time in the past.


    [Kuku, I have never fought at a disadvantage. Savior Hero, I certainly must recognize your strength.]


    ¡°Do you know something?¡±


    [Of course. After all, I am the king of the dead.]


    Mm? King of the dead? Didn¡¯t the Death King call himself that too? Then was this guy also a lich?


    At that moment, I closed my eyes and stretched my mana outwards. However, I couldn¡¯t find anything that could be his life vessel. It seemed he felt my mana¡¯s movement, as he shook his head with a loudugh.


    [If you¡¯re looking for the vessel carrying my soul, I will tell you. It¡¯s inside me.]


    ¡°Inside you?¡±


    [Indeed, extracting your soul from your body and storing it elsewhere is a good way to achieve immortality. But a soul will be tainted the moment it leaves its body. That¡¯s why I separated my soul and sealed it inside my body. If you destroy me, you¡¯ll be able to destroy my soul too.]


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you kind.¡±


    Was he telling me his weakness? Something was definitely wrong with this guy. However, he nodded as if what he said was only natural.


    [This way, it will be a much more interesting fight!]


    ¡°Fight...?¡±


    This bastard... Was he crazy? I gave him such a nce.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡±


    No, I was saying it out loud.


    [The reason I held on to my life even while being reduced to this state was all in order to fight. To experience the sh of powerful mana and strength! That person¡¯s ambition to overtake all worlds swayed me, and for that, I endured all these years. Since I got to fight the Savior Hero at the end of it all, can you me me for being so talkative?]


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you became a lich to fight?¡±


    [That¡¯s right.]


    Dumbfounded, I lowered my spear. He wasn¡¯t done talking yet.


    [Losing the world¡¯s power wasn¡¯t important to me either. What was important was that there was no one left in my continent that I could kill! That¡¯s why I raised the ones I killed into Death Knights and crossed over to another world. There, I killed and killed again. When there wasn¡¯t anyone left for me to kill, that¡¯s when I met that person.]


    Who said only losers ended up trapped in the dungeon? I had to change this way of thinking. This world¡¯s enemy was telling me that he entered the dungeon of his own volition. He even gave up his world¡¯s power! Though, I guess it wasn¡¯t important to an army of undead.


    Thinking about it now, the Death Knight I first faced also seemed to just enjoy fighting without caring about other matters. However, unlike the Death Lord, that Death Knight carried resentment against the dungeon, but perhaps, that was directed at the Death Lord who killed them and dragged them into the dungeon.


    ¡°The Dungeon Lord?¡±


    [That person made an offer! To let me fight a powerful enemy capable of defeating me!]


    ... I took a step forward instinctively. It was a reflexive movement to not be pushed back by the pressure behind his words. The enemy in front of me loved battle more than anyone else I¡¯ve met. Such an enemy was also the most terrifying one.


    ¡°You believed in those words and stayed here all this time?¡±


    [Of course. It was meaningless to fight weaklings.]


    ¡°You waited for me.¡±


    [That¡¯s right.]


    That only implied one thing.


    Sherafina knew that I woulde here. Me, or some other Savior Hero.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not too important.¡±


    My fight with the Demon Lord wasn¡¯t far off. If I could defeat the Death Lord and obtain his power, that would be an incredible boon for me.


    ¡°Are you done talking?¡±


    [You don¡¯t seem surprised.]


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    I grinned and held up my spear.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight then. I like fighting too.¡±


    Even if I had things to protect, I wouldn¡¯t be so all-out if I didn¡¯t have fun. I shouted.


    ¡°Peika, Dortu!¡±


    [Got it!]


    [I am Dortu. Commencing nullification.]


    [Good, let¡¯s fight!]


    While the Death Lord condensed an enormous amount of mana into his axe, Peika charged straight towards him. At the same time, Dortu began to destroy his armor. Not paying attention to such misceneous matters, the Death Lord stared at me and charged towards me. A massive energy was rushing my way!


    [Will you dodge it!?]


    ¡°Why would I dodge such a weak attack!¡±


    I poured hundreds of thousands of units of mana into my spear and formed a transparent aura. When the Death Lord saw it from a close range, his burning mes in his eyes widened in surprise. However, it was toote. A spear and axe shed, causing a shockwave powerful enough to tear apart space.


    [Kahahahaha! You are the first warrior to ever receive my axe head-on!]


    ¡°The Hero of the world you invaded was just weak.¡±


    With a smirk, I swung my spear once more. The Death Lord¡¯s armor was too unscathed for me to attempt a stab. Dortu was working hard, but it seemed that his armor had quite the resistance.


    [Eiit, evil energy, burn!]


    On the other hand, Peika also released as much lightning as she could as she bit down on his helmet. The Death Lord¡¯s death energy resisted Peika¡¯s lightning, and his axe weakened as a result. With a strong flick, I struck his axe away before stabbing it with my spear.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you summon something too?¡±


    [I always fight alone!]


    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ll lose to me! Crimson Roar!¡±


    After making a stabbing maneuver and forcing the Death Lord to back off, I widened my mouth and let out a roar. The surrounding area immediately became covered in scarlet mes. mes were just as effective as lightning when it came to burning death energy!


    [What a lukewarm me! Death Crystal!]


    ¡°Oh? I like that one!¡±


    Along with his shout, ck energy rose up and solidified into a translucent crystal, protecting him from Crimson Roar. I carved the death energy¡¯s movement pattern into my eyes. Then, I raised my spear once and fended off the Death Lord¡¯s iing axe.


    ¡°Like I said, you can¡¯t win!¡±


    [In battle, there¡¯s no such thing as absolute or impossible! Restrain!]


    This time, death energy solidified into chains and snaked towards me. Cutting through Crimson Roar¡¯s energy filling up the surrounding space and seemingly unaffected by Peika¡¯s lightning, the death energy chains seemed to want to pierce through my body.


    ¡°Good try!¡±


    However, the Death Lord didn¡¯t know a thing about Steel¡¯s power! Strengthened by my mana, Steel let out a dark light that engulfed the chains flying towards me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make good use of them.¡±


    [What!?]


    The Death Lord shouted in surprise. The chains coiled around my arm and began to strangle the Death Lord¡¯s armor on their opposite ends. With a smile, I swung the chains down. About 200,000 mana transformed into aura and flowed into his armor through the chains.


    [Kahak!]


    The Death Lord coughed out a scream. It seemed these chains even had the ability to amplify the energy they were carrying. When I gave a victorious grin, the Death Lord coughed out a mouthful of dead blood before breaking the chains and bursting out into aughter.


    [Right, such petty tricks won¡¯t work on someone like you! Kuoooooooooo!]


    Death energy erupted from all directions. Peika twisted her body and roared in opposition, creating voluminous lightning that scorched the death energy. Nevertheless, the sheer amount of death energy meant that it couldn¡¯t be erased entirely.


    Along with Absolute Soul, I once again started Breath of Death. Although Breath of Death didn¡¯t have any levels, the way the Death Lord wielded death energy was in a different realm.


    [The energy I obtained by giving up being human, this energy made me stronger. Death is a weapon, a curse, and an armor that hides me from the brilliant light of life. Savior Hero, do you know death?]


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    I retorted lightly.


    ¡°But I n on learning it today.¡±


    Then, I threw out another Heroic Strike towards the death energy concentrated on him!

 Chapter 330. With Your Own Power (10)

    [How can a human possess so much mana?]


    Shooting a sphere of aura to weaken the momentum of Heroic Strike, the Death Lord asked as he backed away. However, it was impossible topletely dodge Heroic Strike. As such, the Death Lord held up his axe to block what he couldn¡¯t avoid. The toughness of his axe could be guessed by the fact that not a single scratch appeared. But it seemed that it still couldn¡¯t block all of Heroic Strike¡¯s might.


    [Kahak!]


    The shock delivered by the aura caused him to cough out another mouthful of dead blood. However, while his body might be breaking apart, the death energy he was outputting was only getting stronger.


    While the Death King used his death energy to control the undead, the Death Lord seemed to have his entire body made of death energy. If I hadn¡¯t learned Breath of Death, I might have been in danger.


    ¡°How can there be a limit to amassing mana?¡±


    [Of course, there is. For humans, there is a clear limit. In fact, even elves, dwarves, beastmen, and even dragons have limits.]


    Peika shed with him once again. However, the ck mana barrier he created was sufficiently powerful enough to block Peika¡¯s attack.


    [Even elementals!]


    [Master, this guy keeps...!]


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡±


    The death energy emanating from his body split into several streaks and flew towards me like a whip. Although I could block them with Steel, doing so would waste more mana than needed. Instead, I expanded Peruta Circuit and created a whirlpool to wrap around my body. The ck whips then continuously shed with the whirlpool, causing loud noises to ring out.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    I charged towards him. Chaotic Spear, carrying hundreds of thousands of mana, cleanly obliterated all other energies and shot towards his chest!


    [Kuhaaaaap!]


    His shout sounded out. Without thinking about dodging the attack, the Death Lord raised his axe and struck down against my spear. When the two collided, an explosive sound erupted. However, neither of us backed down.


    I pulled my spear out of the deadlock by twisting it slightly and swung down as though it was an axe. This time, the Death Lord blocked it with his axe.


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    I kicked the Death Lord¡¯s leg, which was firmly nted in the ground, and jumped using the counterforce. His axe rushed after me like a dragon wanting to bite off someone¡¯s head!


    Clenching my teeth, I swung my right arm and rotated my spear. The concentrated aura on the spear de hit his axe away and continued up to destroy a section of the cave. It had also been flung away by the recoil, as it couldn¡¯t break through the axe¡¯s defense.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can block this!¡±


    [Unlike your skills, you talk like a third-rate warrior!]


    Seeing chunks of the ceiling falling down, I poured in my mana and Dortu¡¯s power turned them into bombs in an instant. Then, using my spear, I shot them as though they were cannon balls.


    Using the death energy rising from his body, the Death Lord formed a whip and struck them down before they could reach him, but the subsequent detonations of the bombs reduced his whip to a sorry state. Seeing an opening, I activated Divine Speed and shot another ball of concentrated aura.


    Puk! With a dull sound, the armor covering his right arm exploded. It was the first effective blow dealt to him.


    [You have no limit.]


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    He was praising me from the moment we met, but I was also surprised by his strength.


    His strength was as though the Beast King waspressed into a human form, and he was even using his death energy to strengthen himself. If I became careless for even a single moment, I had no doubt that he would send a critical attack that would prate Steel¡¯s power.


    [Is it the natural talent of the Savior Hero?]


    ¡°Natural talent of the Savior Hero? What¡¯s that?¡±


    I asked again.


    ¡°In fact, what¡¯s even a Savior Hero?¡±


    [I¡¯m not too sure either. All I know came from what the Dungeon Lord told me. I simply came to my own conclusion using the information I had.]


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s that conclusion?¡±


    The Death Lord smiled. The axe he held up began to grow bigger. By sucking in death energy, it was growing sharper and tougher.


    [Defeat me. Then I¡¯ll tell you.]


    ¡°Damn guy.¡±


    Where¡¯d he learn that from! I called Peika back.


    [What¡¯s wrong, Master?]


    ¡°Chaos mes don¡¯t work on him.¡±


    To be exact, chaos mes worked, but because he was always covered in an enormous amount of death energy, chaos mes could only burn his death energy without reaching his body. Seeing him being unaffected by chaos mes even after the previous attack broke a part of his armor, I became certain.


    Chaos mes dealt continuous damage by staying ignited on a target, but Peika¡¯s lightning was stronger. Since chaos mes couldn¡¯t reach him, it was more efficient for Peika to be with me.


    ¡°You¡¯re literally quite the lump of energy.¡±


    [It¡¯s what I obtained by giving up both life and death. Savior Hero, what did you give up in order to obtain that power?]


    ¡°My life, fucker.¡±


    As I retorted, I infused Peika into my spear and watched the transparent aura begin to crackle with lightning.


    ¡°Look at the power I have. Does it look like I¡¯ll enjoy a peaceful life?¡±


    [Kuhahahaha! Perhaps at the end of your growth, you might give up death as well! Unlike me who abandoned being human and became an undead, you¡¯ll be in a human¡¯s body! No, if that happens, you might not even be human anymore! Kuhahaha!]


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny, you bastard!¡±


    I bellowed loudly and used Frozen Roar while I was at it. The death energy hurling towards me froze, and a portion of the energy surging up on his axe fell off. At the same time, a surge of energy coursed through my body.


    I wasn¡¯t done yet. I activated both Twin-headed Ogre¡¯s Tattoo and Giant Wolf¡¯s Tattoo. In an instant, the attack power of my close ranged skills and charge type skills increased by 50%. In other words, the skill I was nning on using would have its might doubled.


    [Your power suddenly increased tremendously.]


    ¡°Because the dungeon¡¯s power hasn¡¯t been working much, I¡¯ve been holding them back. But now, I have some confidence in myself. Well, that¡¯s not a story for you to hear.¡±


    There was no need to reveal my secrets. I held up my spear again. Since this wasn¡¯t the First Dungeon, I summoned Sharana.


    [At yourmand, Master!]


    ¡°Strengthen me with your wind.¡±


    [That¡¯s my specialty!]


    A gust of wind began to blow around me. Mixing in with Peika¡¯s lightning, an ordinary person would find it difficult to even stare at my figure.


    The Death Lord seemed to have felt danger, as he sent dozens of ck whips and aura waves flying towards me. In response, I summoned Ruyue and created a barrier of ice. Although it disappeared when it collided with the whips and aura waves, it bought enough time for me to gather the necessary energy.


    I aimed my spear towards him and kicked off the ground.


    ¡°Wind King¡¯s Rage!¡±


    [Kuhaaaap!]


    There was nowhere for him to run. The Death Lord let out an odd bellow and swung down his axe to cut the energy I was emitting. A huge ck aura shot out from the path of his axe and charged towards me while cutting apart the ground in half.


    As I had already started charging towards him, I couldn¡¯t move away now. As such, I faced his attack directly.


    [Kuhahahaha! Your courage is praiseworthy!]


    ¡°Hmph, as if that can even cut a radish in half!¡±


    A lightning storm and earth-severing strike collided. The already crumbling cave began to rumble even more.


    ¡°UOOOOOOH!¡±


    I scraped together all the mana lying inside my body and poured it into the wind. Then, I activated Crimson Hell¡¯s Tattoo and began to suck in the Death Lord¡¯s death-carrying mana. Filtering it with Breath of Death, Absolute Soul and Peruta Circuit worked together to draw in mana to my body. Everything was happening in an instant.


    My body became a giant lump of mana.


    [I won¡¯t die so easily! Take this, Savior Hero! This is my power!]


    The Death Lord kicked off the ground and charged towards me. His entire body was covered in his ck energy. After dissipating the aura he shot out, I also charged towards him in full force.


    ¡°Dieeeeee!¡±


    I started the gathering of the fiercely spinning wind and lightning. Using the one supreme talent I had, I concentrated every power into one point.


    In an instant, the surroundings became silent. Even the crumbling cave seemed to halt momentarily. In reality, everything moved extremely slowly because I was using Divine Speed.


    Thanks to Divine Speed, I was able toplete the energy concentration process in the blink of an eye. The Death Lord also noticed what happened. Seeing the energypressed together on the tip of my spear, his eyes widened.


    [I see, I see! So that¡¯s what made you the Savior Hero!]


    ¡°You¡¯ll die if this hits you, so you better speak your mind now!¡±


    [Kuhahahahaha! I¡¯ve already ovee death once, yet you¡¯re announcing my death so boldly!?]


    With a heartfulugh, he raised his axe. Coincidentally, at that moment, the death energy surrounding his body and the armor he was wearing disappeared.


    Even someone that wasn¡¯t me could kill him by attacking his weak point. In the center of his chest was a jewel shining like a star!


    [I am Dortu. Nullificationplete.]


    [Kuk!?]


    It seemed the Death Lord didn¡¯t expect this to happen at all. I couldn¡¯t me him as he couldn¡¯t perceive Dortu¡¯s existence. He immediately began to gather death energy to cover his body, but he was full of openings in my eyes.


    I thrust my spear and spoke.


    ¡°You have nothing to say?¡±


    [The Savior Hero is... one who gathers everything! And...!]


    Unfortunately, that was it.


    Before his axe could reach my shoulder, my spear prated his chest.


    The jewel exploded with a boom, and the subsequent torrent of mana, lightning, and wind destroyed the Death Lord¡¯s body without leaving behind a trace.


    I took my spear back and stood my ground. Taking the crumbling pieces of the cave with my body, the corner of my mouth twitched.


    ¡°You should have said it earlier, damned guy.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Master, did Dortu make a mistake?]


    ¡°No, Dortu. You did well today. You made the difference.¡±


    Without Dortu, I wasn¡¯t sure myst attack would have killed him. His armor was sure to be an extraordinary item.


    In the short time that the two of us fought, Dortu managed to nullify and even eliminate his armor. It seemed Dortu¡¯s ability was growing stronger too.


    [I¡¯m all out of energy. I¡¯m tired.]


    ¡°You did well too, Peika. Go rest.¡±


    I stroked Peika who left the spear, and she happily went back to Fairy Garden.


    I also sent Dortu back before raising my head. A giant boulder falling my way was struck down by a flying axe.


    ¡°Looks like you didn¡¯t know about this either.¡±


    In the final moment, it became possible for me to control his axe using the Eliminator¡¯s power. I couldn¡¯t do anything about the energy residing in it, but I could make the axe aiming for my shoulder move slower and heavier.


    The Death Lord must think he lost because of the power concentrated on my spear tip, but I had actually utilized several different powers to defeat him. Although I could have defeated him earlier if I wanted, it was the first time I had met such a powerful warrior and I ended up getting too excited.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t do this next time. It¡¯s not like the Demon Lord will simply charge at me.¡±


    He might even stay still and only shoot magic. In fact, I didn¡¯t know whether or not he would fight himself. But since he was the only one in the Demon Army that was capable of fighting, he would have no choice.


    To get better used to the Eliminator¡¯s power, I spun the axe around and struck down the falling boulders one by one. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t die even if the entire cave copsed on top of me.


    After some time, a message rang out.


    [You seeded in defeating the Death Lord alone. The Death Lord was a powerful warrior and mage who had never experienced a single defeat in his life. Granting him both defeat and annihtion is truly a grand achievement. You obtained 5 skill points as a reward. Current skill points: 39]


    [You obtained the title, ¡®Death Lord Killer¡¯. All stats increase by 5. The effect of the title will be applied even when it is not equipped.]


    [You cleared Beyond¡¯s 40th floor. You obtained the qualification to challenge the First Dungeon¡¯s 91st floor.]


    [You obtained 5 bonus stats. Your HP and MP increases by 2%.]


    [Experience has been added to skills you frequently used to progress through Beyond¡¯s 40th floor.]


    [You received the unique reward left hidden for the First explorer. Congrattions! Your luck stat increases by 10.]


    [Secret. Death Lord¡¯s...]


    The message suddenly stopped.


    The falling boulders began to rise up one by one. At the same time, I could feel a power slowly leaving my body. I narrowed my eyes.


    ¡°Ho... What interesting situation is this?¡±


    The dungeon¡¯s power was disappearing from the dungeon.


    At that moment, the axe suddenly froze in mid-air. Perplexed, I tried to manipte the axe again, but the axe no longer listened to mymands. That axe... ceased being a weapon.


    [I forgot, I had something else to tell you.]


    ¡°Hey, you bastard.¡±


    I cursed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know lying can get your hand chopped off!?¡±


    [I didn¡¯t lie. To a warrior, his weapon is part of his body! So I did seal my life in my body!]


    He retorted casually.


    Right, the voice wasing from the axe, which carried his life.

 Chapter 331. Final Wave (1)

    After leaving Beyond, I slumped down on the chair in front of Loretta¡¯s Floor Shop. Loretta stared at me intently and tilted her head.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t change much.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to undergo some super transformation every time Ie back?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been doing that for a while now. I thought Oldie was pouring she has for Shin-nim.¡±


    Thinking about it now, she wasn¡¯t wrong. I scratched the back of my head and retorted.


    ¡°Well, Sherafina will have some trouble filling up the higher floors again, but not this time. Even I can¡¯t stick a straw in and suck everything out from every enemy I meet. Ah, by the way...¡±


    Suddenly remembering what I just experienced, I clenched my right fist and raised my index finger before slowly moving it to the right.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Mm...¡±


    As Loretta didn¡¯t seem to understand, I went slower and gestured more clearly. Only then did Loretta seem to understand.


    ¡°Huhu, I see.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great... I knew my eyes weren¡¯t wrong.¡±


    Loretta smiled brightly as though she knew this would happen. I reached out and grabbed her hand before asking her what I¡¯ve been wondering for a long time.


    ¡°Did you decide it was me from the very beginning?¡±


    ¡°Of course. When Shin-nim was on the 7th floor, I was already certain.¡±


    Loretta smiled shyly and grabbed my hand tightly before continuing.


    ¡°Though, I didn¡¯t think I woulde to love that person. That was also when I gave you the key.¡±


    ¡°... Really, I can¡¯t win against Loretta.¡±


    ¡°Now you know how amazing I am.¡±


    Loretta strutted her chest and smiled confidently. Seeing her, I spoke as though I only just thought of something.


    ¡°By the way, I picked up an axe. Do you want it?¡±


    What I took out from my inventory was none other than the ck giant axe which carried the Death Lord¡¯s life.


    ¡°Chaotic Spear is full now. I already extracted the skill it had, but it shouldn¡¯t lose in terms of sturdiness.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a present, I¡¯ll dly ept it. But you should know that giving an axe to your lover isn¡¯tmon sense.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯tin if you¡¯re going to take it.¡±


    I grumbled and handed her the axe. Loretta swung the axe a couple times and seemed satisfied.


    ¡°Wow, this is a great weapon. Hm? I can¡¯t appraise it... It¡¯s beyond what Lord can read!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s perfect for self-protection, right?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, have the monsters in the dungeon been that freakishtely?¡±


    ¡°Yes, even Loretta might have trouble dealing with them.¡±


    When I nodded seriously, Loretta made a tired expression before swinging her axe like she was angry.


    ¡°Just how many monsters did Lord put in the dungeon without me knowing? If not for Shin-nim, they might have swallowed up all of the dungeon¡¯s mana! The resources in the dungeon are infinite. Lord seems to be taking in monsters without much thought. How is she nning on dealing with the maintenance cost?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for telling me things I didn¡¯t want to know. Anyways, stop swinging that axe every time you say something. It¡¯s scary.¡±


    Loretta smacked her lips and swung the axe a couple times more before putting it away in her body. I couldn¡¯t get used to it no matter how many times I looked at it. Still, I now knew that it was Loretta¡¯s unique spatial magic.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of it.¡±


    ¡°Even if I¡¯m not there, that axe will protect Loretta well.¡±


    ¡°Or Shin-nim can just stay with me always.¡±


    Loretta murmured as she slowly approached me. Seeing her shining eyes, I could tell what she was thinking about. I scratched my face and replied.


    ¡°I have to climb the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That spear, it¡¯ll take some time for it to evolve, right? I¡¯m sure it will.¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, I indeed didn¡¯t have a reason to hold back from evolving the spear. I held up Chaotic Spear. Although it has been sucking in my mana for some time, it didn¡¯t seem close to finishing its evolution. I had to take a seat and focus on pouring mana into it.


    ¡°Fairy Garden has great air and great water! I¡¯m sure being there will help Chaotic Spear¡¯s evolution!¡±


    ¡°You have no basis for that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Loretta nodded confidently. She already had one hand holding onto mine, but now that she put away her axe, she used her freed hand to grab my shoulder tightly. If she had a tail, I¡¯m sure it would be shaking fiercely.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go! I can give it some of my mana too.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Just make me some delicious tea.¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡±


    As soon as I gave my agreement, Loretta opened the gate to Fairy Garden. With a bitter smile, I walked in with Loretta.


    ¡°Noonim, you¡¯re being rude.¡±


    ¡°Leave.¡±


    For some reason, when she saw Lin at her cabin, she tried to chase him out. However, Linughed shamelessly as he shook his head.


    ¡°Now, now, this is the final evolution of a weapon I made. As its creator, shouldn¡¯t I offer my help?¡±


    ¡°Liiiiiin...!¡±


    It seemed Chaotic Spear automatically notified Lin when it became ready to evolve. But still, to think he would predict that I¡¯de to Loretta¡¯s cabin...


    I pacified Loretta, who was in her battle mode and smirked at Lin¡¯s slyness.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I needed Lin¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°When it evolved into Chaotic Spear from Gluttony Spear, I think it wasted too much energy. Plus, I thought its attribute would be simr to yours, but for some reason, its fire attribute became strengthened, which I didn¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Lin a me dragon?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it was made, but it wasn¡¯t supposed to be like that when it evolved.¡±


    This was the first time I was hearing about this! When I stared at Lin, wondering why he didn¡¯t tell me all this time, he slowly dodged my gaze and looked away.


    ¡°A-Anyways, it didn¡¯t fully digest everything it devoured either. I guess it¡¯s my fault for not knowing it would devour a holy sword. So I went and settled it out with Eleine.¡±


    ¡°How does Eleine rte to any of this?¡±


    Lin took out a small bead from his pocket.


    ¡°As you know, the magical tool Eleine gave you was quite extraordinary. Until then, I was looking down on her quite a bit. But that magical tool of hers could raise an item¡¯s rank by a stage even when it wasn¡¯t part of the item¡¯s creation process. That¡¯s a feat that¡¯s hard to exin with words. So if we borrowed her power, I figured we could get your spear to evolve without having any energy indigested.¡±


    ¡°And that bead is what you got from Eleine?¡±


    I ced Chaotic Spear on top of a table. Lin examined the spear before letting out a sigh.


    ¡°I expected as much, but it sure ate a lot of random stuff. Be thankful for my foresight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always thankful.¡±


    ¡°Lies.¡±


    Lin snorted, but he seemed quite satisfied. At that moment, I saw a kiss mark on his neck. Thinking about the price he must have paid to get this item, a chill went down my back.


    ¡°Lin, you going that far for me is a bit creepy, so please...¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to say, but this is from Loka.¡±


    Lin almost smacked me.


    I obediently ced my hand on top of Chaotic Spear. Loretta and Lin, whom I trusted absolutely, were both here with me. After gathering nearby mana with Peruta Circuit and Absolute Soul, I began to push every ounce of mana into Chaotic Spear.


    ¡°This bastard... I already had an idea, but just how much mana does he...¡±


    ¡°Lin, if you¡¯re going to do it, do it properly. If possible, end it quickly and leave.¡±


    ¡°I understand, so stop with that killing intent.¡±


    As I poured mana into Chaotic Spear, Lin also ced the bead in his hand on Chaotic Spear before drawing out his mana. From the side, Loretta watched the scene of two horned men holding onto a single spear.


    After some time, the spear began to shine on its own. The amount of mana put into it easily surpassed 1.5 million. However, Lin¡¯s gaze told me to keep going, so I continued to pour more mana in.


    After a truly baffling amount of mana went into the spear, the bead ced on top of it disappeared. Lin widened his eyes.


    ¡°Whew, there. Kang Shin, finish it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    As soon as the words left his mouth, I poured all the mana I had left in a final spurt. Immediately, the spear released a blinding light. Amidst the light, the shape of the spear became more simple.


    After one powerful light filled up the cabin, the spear finally stopped devouring my mana.


    The smooth spear handle was revealed first. The reddish ck symbols covering the spear had disappeared, and an absolutely spotless tinum metal filled my eyes.


    ¡°... Lin, did something go wrong?¡±


    ¡°You think I know?¡±


    After leading me on all this time, Lin betrayed me! I examined the spear more worriedly. First, the length didn¡¯t change much. The spear de was a bit longer, making it more suited to stabbing than cutting, and it was made of an even whiter metal than the spear de. I had never seen such a metal before.


    ¡°What a beautiful spear.¡±


    Did it look different to Loretta? Her dazed voice made me reexamine the spear. Because of what she said, the spear suddenly looked prettier.


    ¡°Grab it, Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    I grabbed the spear like Loretta said. Immediately, an electrifying feeling spread from the tip of my fingers. Just by holding onto it, it seemed as though it had be a part of my body. Although Chaotic Spear was a supreme item in its own regard, it was iparable to this spear.


    ¡°How is it, Kang Shin?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, how is it?¡±


    The draconian and elf were waiting for my reaction. I held up the tinum spear and embraced it. After confirming one thing, I spoke confidently.


    ¡°This... I can¡¯t see its information.¡±


    Sherafina¡¯s indignity had yet to end.

 Chapter 332. Final Wave (2)

    When I climbed up to the 91st floor, I was met with an open world. The sky was high and blue and a vast sea was before my eyes. Under my feet were white sands.


    ¡°Did Ie to the wrong ce?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t be med for thinking this. Suspecting that I was under an illusion, I raised my mana, but nothing changed. Even a god would find it difficult to trick me. That could only mean that the scene before me was real.


    When I turned around, I saw an unnaturally ced stairway that proved that this was the 91st floor. I had arrived beyond the 90th floor, which few people have ever seen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what this means but I¡¯ll know once I start walking.¡±


    After preparing myself to deal with whatever mighte my way, I shouted.


    ¡°Commence exploration!¡±


    Plump! The moment my voice thundered out, I heard the sound of something falling in the sea. The sound didn¡¯t end with just the one time. Almost as if someone was throwing giant boulders into the sea, the sound rang out continuously.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on in the sea...?¡±


    Curious, I turned towards the sea, then met a building-sized leg filled with suction cups rising up from the water. If the leg was that big, how big was its head?


    ¡°... You¡¯re kidding, right?¡±


    I murmured with a frown.


    [No.]


    Though unnecessary, Sherafina quickly replied. I cursed inwardly and was about to step forward when I realized that I was sinking down.


    When I turned around, the sand behind me was falling as though a hole had opened up in the middle of the beach. From the pit, a giant monster with thousands of tentacles peeked its head out!


    ¡°An antlion!¡±


    The tentacles simultaneously hurled towards me. Not only was this antlion making me slide down to its pit, but it was also attacking me with its tentacles! It was truly the final form of antlion evolution!


    The sand had a suction power as though the sands themselves carried mana, and the tentacles were flying about everywhere. Any other explorers might have been in grave danger, but unfortunately for the antlion, I had few methods I could use to fly.


    First, I summoned Sharana and infused her inside me before soaring up to the sky. Then, I summoned Dortu.


    [I am Dortu. Creating bombs.]


    Immediately after Dortu ryed his intention, several explosions erupted from the antlion¡¯s pit. Thankfully, I was continuing up into the sky. Otherwise, the giant explosions might have affected me too!


    Amidst the explosions, the antlion¡¯s body revealed itself. Just like I thought, the antlion was incredibly big that it was hard to find the right words to describe it. From what seemed to be its mouth hole, the antlion created few spherical mana balls and shot them towards me.


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    No matter howrge it was or how much mana it carried, in the end, it was a low-ss organism that couldn¡¯t wield mana at my level. As a human, I had to teach this insect where it belonged.


    I reached out to the air. A tinum spear popped out of nowhere, and I drew a trajectory that pierced all of the mana spheres the antlion shot. Then, I drew up the power of the Lightning God. In an instant, the spear crackled with sparks, and Ipressed the lightning into one point. Once enough energy came together, I shot the lightning without a moment of dy.


    ¡°It really does go well with lightning.¡±


    At first, I was unsatisfied with it evolving into an unknown spear, but if Chaotic Spear was troublesome because it had too strong of an individuality, this spear matched me well as though it was made for me.


    Even just now when I shot out lightning or concentrated my energy, it was easy and simple as though there was another me helping. Its ability to amplify lightning energy was especially noteworthy. Even without mana, just having this spear would let me shoot lightning any time I wanted.


    The bolt of lightning that dropped from the sky tore through the antlion¡¯s mana balls. From afar, the lightning bolt would look like a skewer. Without missing this opportunity, I used Steel¡¯s power through the lightning I shot out and made the mana balls mine.


    ¡°Haap!¡±


    The moment I raised my arm, the bolt of lightning transformed into a whip and flew up along with my arm¡¯s movement. The skewered mana balls rolled towards the end and formed a single sphere. Eventually, it was as though I was swinging around a il connected by chains.


    [Guooooooo!]


    The antlion bellowed. Though I was now certain that it wasn¡¯t an actual antlion, that didn¡¯t matter much.


    I raised the il and struck down at it. With a thundering crack, it tore through the antlion¡¯s giant jaws and broke down parts of its carapace. Then, lightning poured into the antlion¡¯s body, making it convulse.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    I swung the il continuously without stop. Because of the sheer size of the creature, just one or two whips wasn¡¯t enough to end it, but when I repeatedly struck its injuries with the mana ball, the antlion finally became silent.


    [I am Dortu. Finishing the job.]


    In an instant, Dortu transformed the grains of sand into bombs. When they exploded, the flesh revealed underneath the carapace I broke shot up into the air. A disgusting bodily fluid erupted like a volcano before the twitching body of the antlion disappeared into particles of light.


    After confirming that the antlion died, I raised my head and looked around.


    ¡°I think I know what the concept of the 91st floor is...¡±


    On the ground, I could see more antlion-like heads peeking out, and at sea, I could see the roiling tentacles of an octopus confirming that what I saw before was right. In that case, there had to be something in the sky as well.


    Found it.


    Not one, but more than ten dragons were circling around each other. Each of them was at least a hundred times bigger than Lotte. It seemed they noticed my existence, as a few of them turned to re my way.


    [Gruoooooooooo!]


    Their roars caused the earth to shake. For a moment, I couldn¡¯t help but think I was better off jumping into the sea and fighting the building-sized tentacles than fighting those monstrosities.


    However, I had already provoked those dragons to the fullest. With a deep sigh, I kicked off the air.


    ¡°Alright,e at me, you damned lizards!¡±


    Along with a spirited shout, I swung my spear. Then, I saw the lightning il from before shoot up from the ground along the trajectory I drew. I immediately tilted my head.


    ¡°Why is it still here?¡±


    Of course, Loretta had already taught me how to solidify and control the mana I shot out. Just like how I easily killed the antlion just now, this technique was convenient and perfect for anyone who hated wasting mana.


    The only downside was that it was hard to maintain for more than a few minutes.


    That was the reason for my surprise.


    [Gruooooooo!]


    The dragon that was closest to me breathed out fire. I hurriedly swung my spear, and the giant ball of mana at the head of the lightning il received the dragon¡¯s breath. As it was connected to me by my spear, Steel could convert the dragon¡¯s mes into the ball of mana.


    Then, the power stayed without dissipating.


    ¡°I get it...¡±


    I murmured in a daze and looked down. The tinum spear was still shining mystically. Clearly, this spear had the ability to preserve and even amplify the power I imbued into the spear.


    When the spear evolved, I immediately asked Dortu to analyze it, but all he could tell me was that it was a metal of a form that couldn¡¯t exist. Now, I understood what he meant. If there was another spear like it, that would be a disaster.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s test it out a bit.¡±


    It was possible that the spear had abilities I didn¡¯t know about. First, I pulled the ball of mana, which had absorbed all of the dragon¡¯s mes, back before thrusting it forward fiercely. Enraged by the fact that I was unfazed by its me, the dragon was charging towards me when it was hit by the ball of mana and sent flying back.


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not very skilled at using ils! So I¡¯ll show you what I am skilled in!¡±


    I tensed up my arms and poured all the lightning and mana I could wield into the spear. The ball of mana hanging at the head of the lightning il slowly melted down into lightning, and the il transformed into a single thick and long lightning bolt. Its width had room to grow, but its length had now reached the height of a skyscraper. Immediately, I held and swung this giant spear.


    ¡°Now get over here!¡±


    [Gruoooooo!]


    The roars of the dragons resounded through the sky. As if to harmonize with the dragons¡¯ roars, the monsters at sea howled.


    The monsters I had to face on the 91st floor were these massive creatures! Each of their strengths didn¡¯t lose to any of the monsters I¡¯ve fought in the past. In that case, I had to y at their level!


    ¡°It¡¯s a super-sized Elemental Tempest just for you! Here!¡±


    On the thick and long spear de made of lightning, a countless number of elementals gathered together. A number of elementals I had never wielded before responded to my call and joined the storm brewing around my spear.


    [Whoo, call all your friends! There¡¯s more than enough room today!]


    [Yay, I can finally join Prince-nim¡¯s ride!]


    [It¡¯s Peika-nim.]


    [Stupid, don¡¯t say the name!]


    Feeling their impending doom, the dragons breathed out fire once again as they charged towards me. I immediately called Dortu.


    ¡°Dortu, block those however you want and send them towards Elemental Tempest¡¯s path!¡±


    [I am Dortu. epting Master¡¯s unreasonable demand.]


    The dragons couldn¡¯t break the metallic barrier Dortu created. That was enough. Holding the several dozen meters long spear of lightning that had be a huge storm, I thrust it forward.


    ¡°ELEMENTAL TEMPEST!!!¡±


    In a single moment, close to a million mana exploded. The monsters ring at me, the monsters running away from me, and the monsters eager to break through Dortu¡¯s barrier were all swept away by the storm of elementals. Seeing all those dragons disappearing at once was truly a refreshing sight.


    [Kuaaaaaaaaaa!]


    [Kiiiiiiii!]


    However, many monsters still remained, both on the ground and in the sea. I looked around the endless sky. In the far distance, beyond the point Elemental Tempest could have reached, I confirmed the existence of more flying monsters. Immediately, I asked Sherafina.


    ¡°Sherafina... Just how big is this ce?¡±


    [It is three times the size of Earth.]


    I was given a mission to destroy an entire world of monster

 Chapter 333. Final Wave (3)

    I knew that the dungeon was mysterious in many ways, but it was hard to understand how a single floor of a dungeon could have the area three times the diameter of Earth.


    Not to mention, each monster in this ce was big enough to end arge city or even a small country. But there wasn¡¯t just a few of such monsters, this entire floor was swarming with monsters like these!


    ¡°Just how did you bring them here?¡±


    [I moved a world that was waiting for its doom after losing its power.]


    ¡°An entire... world?¡±


    [Yes. Not all worlds are ssified as winner or loser. If a Hero escapes to the dungeon foreseeing his defeat, both the invader¡¯s world and the defender¡¯s world will end. In addition, if the power isn¡¯t directly taken from a Hero, the world¡¯s power may suddenly disappear. In other words, just because one side hase out victorious, it doesn¡¯t mean that the winning world will survive.]


    It was something I considered before. I already knew that Loretta was a Hero who came to the dungeon after losing with her power intact. The other administrative guild masters were the same, and Kain was surely not the only runaway Hero among explorers.


    After these Heroes¡¯ defeat, extinction was the natural fate of the defending world, but what about the attacking world?


    If mutual destruction was the result of their struggle for survival, what could be more depressing? I couldn¡¯t cheer them on, but in the end, they were also victims of this senselesspetition for survival.


    ¡°That¡¯s... unfortunate.¡±


    [The dungeon had to prepare trials for its challengers, and these worlds rejoiced in knowing that there was a way to survive. Since both sides had something to gain, the dungeon is able to offer such an environment to explorers.]


    It was trulyughable. The dungeon, the attackers, the defenders, all of them. Who wouldn¡¯t find it funny?


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the only floor like that, right? Sherafina... Just what is your...¡±


    I stopped mid-sentence and swallowed my words. A thought suddenly crossed my mind. If Sherafina moved over entire worlds, wasn¡¯t it the dungeon maintaining these worlds?


    If Sherafina had such a great power, why did she need to nurture Heroes and explorers through the dungeon? Couldn¡¯t she have solved it with her strength directly? Why did she need to create this system known as the dungeon?


    [This is the first time since the dungeon¡¯s founding that a world-ss floor has been opened to an explorer. To prevent the dungeon¡¯s loss of energy, everything on this floor is for one-time use. Though burdensome, it is a needed sacrifice to achieve the dungeon¡¯s goal.]


    ¡°Goal...¡±


    [As very little of the dungeon¡¯s power has been used, the dungeon has very little control over it. Do watch out for danger.]


    ¡°Thanks for the advice.¡±


    I smiled bitterly at Sherafina¡¯s kind message. The timing of her message was perfect as though it was an excuse she had prepared beforehand.


    Monsters in the vicinity charged towards me, as though I was their ticket to freedom. The sky was filled with countless number of dragons, the earth was filled with antlions and other massive monsters hidden underground, and the sea was littered with super-sized krakens and other sea monsters. This entire world was my enemy.


    ¡°I do feel sorry for you all, but sadly, we can¡¯t join hands and be friends at this point.¡±


    I grabbed my spear tighter. The several dozen meter long spear de of lightning cut through the air and cleanly severed the head of a dragon.


    ¡°This older brother is busy. Let¡¯s hurry up.¡±


    I announced as I spread my mana out and increased my detection range. Currently, the most important task was to reach the end of the dungeon. I could think about other thingster.


    ¡°Looks like the stairway to the next floor isn¡¯t nearby. Guess I¡¯ll have to clean this ce up before I go.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Dortu will help Master clean up.]


    In general, metals have high thermal and electrical conductivity. Although copper was the most widely used metal in practice, it was silver that has the highest conductivity for heat and electricity. It was only because of their high cost that electrical wires used copper.


    However, this was before mana or monsters appeared. With the advent of monsters, Earth came to discover new metals, and silver quickly had to give up its ce as the number one conductor of heat and electricity. But of course, because of these new metals¡¯ sky-high cost, copper was still the mostmonly used metal.


    In any case, Dortu had the ability to make a metal with higher thermal and electrical conductivity than any of the metals found on Earth. Not only that, his metal could transfer energy without any loss, and he could even turn heat energy into metal.


    What was so amazing about Dortu¡¯s ability wasn¡¯t that he could infinitely produce gold. It was that he could make metal with any property he desired.


    [I am Dortu. Dortu will now make electricity torture hell.]


    ¡°Sorry Dortu, but your naming sense sucks.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but cut in.


    [I am Dortu. Dortu will not make it.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t sulk and make it, Dortu.¡±


    [... I am Dortu. Dortu will now make electric hell.][1. He says this in English.]


    Did he think it would sound cooler if he said it in English? Sorry, Dortu, but you¡¯re wrong... By the way, what happened to ¡®torture¡¯? ... Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know how to say it in English?


    From a single point in the air, a line of metal began to be drawn. As though a painter was moving his brush on his canvas, Dortu was drawing a line of metal using the air as his canvas.


    In a sh, the line extended far beyond the reach of my sight and even split into multiple lines like the branch of a tree. The lines then tore through any monster in their paths. Although enraged monsters destroyed some of the lines, broken lines were mended in the blink of an eye and continued to kill any nearby monsters.


    ¡°Scary.¡±


    It felt as though the world was trapped in a birdcage created by Dortu. What started as a single strip of metal had now branched out to cover the entire sky and was beginning to advance to the ground and sea. My mana was being sucked out rapidly. It meant Dortu¡¯s metal carried an immense power.


    [I am Dortu. Preparation is finished.]


    [I¡¯m done too, Master!]


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s do this!¡±


    In an instant, the elongated spear of lightning shrunk to its original size. When the lightning energy becamepressed into the spear handle, tinum sparks began to crackle around the spear. Would Zeus¡¯ lightning be stronger than this? Perhaps so with Sky God¡¯s Rage, but without it, Peika and Dortu¡¯s powerbined might very well match Zeus¡¯ divine lightning!


    [Gruoooooooo!]


    A dragon with his wings pierced by dozens of metal lines roared and breathed out fire. The metal Dortu created had an extremely high heat conductivity. The moment it breathed out, countless other monsters roared in pain.


    At that moment, I raised my spear and struck down on a metal line nearby.


    ¡°Haaaaaap!¡±


    The spear severed the line and released the lightning inside at the same time. Immediately, the world became dyed in white. An absurd level of lightning erupted through the metal lines and reached every target in the world.


    [Master, a lot of monsters are still breathing!]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, ignore them. It doesn¡¯t look like they can be a threat.¡±


    I retrieved my spear and looked around. First, I could no longer see any monsters in the sky. Thanks to Dortu¡¯s metal covering most of the sky, the sky was now nothing but clear and clean.


    There were many injured monsters on the ground, and the sea monsters must have received indescribable shock, as several hundred boiled octopus legs floated on the water.


    But if they were dead, they should have disappeared into particles of light. Since they were still there, they had to be alive even if their legs were cooked.


    [I am Dortu. Monsters in this area have been disarmed, but the previous undtion of mana attracted more monsters. Master has low mana.]


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s lots of scattered mana in the air from all the dead monsters.¡±


    I smiled at Dortu¡¯s concern, immediately spreading out Steel¡¯s power and starting Peruta Circuit. The mana particles saturating the air immediately began to rush into me.


    ¡°Every time I clear a floor, I¡¯m conquering a world.¡±


    After sucking in all the scattered mana, I murmured with a sigh.


    ¡°You said the 45th floor was thest floor in Beyond?¡±


    [Yes. Just like the dungeon¡¯s 100th floor, no explorer has ever stepped foot into Beyond¡¯s 45th floor.]


    ¡°So if you don¡¯t enter Beyond by the First Dungeon¡¯s 55th floor, you can¡¯t reach its end. It¡¯s a rough ce, so I understand.¡±


    [Beyond is a bit different than the rest of the dungeons.]


    Normally, there would be a detailed exnation after this, but Sherafina didn¡¯t say anything more. Just when I was thinking she¡¯d never tell me about it, Sherafina¡¯s message continued.


    [Beings that can ignore a part of the dungeon¡¯s power even while being tied to the dungeon. Higher floors of Beyond is a ce to test whether explorers cane out victorious against such beings.]


    ¡°And if they fail, they¡¯ll die.¡±


    [That has never happened to this day.]


    Sherafina sounded like her pride was hurt. Since I didn¡¯t want to provoke her more and get hated, I changed the topic slightly.


    ¡°What happens when you conquer all of Beyond?¡±


    [You will be given a world¡¯s power.]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    [Through the ages, countless number of explorers and numerous Heroes have entered the dungeon. Heroes who died while staying in the dungeon didn¡¯t have a reason nor a target to transfer their powers to, and the dungeon managed to obtain their powers when they died. An explorer who has conquered Beyond will be given a portion of such worlds¡¯ powers.]


    What can one do a world¡¯s power? All worlds had powers that fit their form and size. But if a different world¡¯s power was brought to a world that lost its power... it should be possible to ¡®revive¡¯ it. Even if it might not be fully revived, even if everything couldn¡¯t return to the way it was...


    In that case, a simr reward might be given for conquering the dungeon.


    ... I should be the first one hearing about this, right?


    I felt a slight headache, but I regained my calm after taking a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it beforehand, but I don¡¯t need something like that. Give it to another explorer.¡±


    [In that case, as the conqueror, you have the authority to give the power to an explorer of your choice.]


    I nodded without replying. However, most of the foreign explorers I knew were already Heroes who carried their worlds¡¯ powers or were people like Ludia who was preparing to fight the one who stole their world¡¯s power. Although Kain¡¯s world went extinct, he still had his world¡¯s power.


    How many explorers wanted to grant their world a world¡¯s power? If I had to choose one to give a world¡¯s power to, how am I supposed to make my choice?


    ¡°You sure like troubling people, Sherafina.¡±


    I spoke with a sigh. Sherafina then replied with a slightly different tone than usual, like a young girl full of emotions.


    [I am always rooting for you from the bottom of my heart. Always and forever.]


    Another month went by.


    I was advancing through Beyond¡¯s 44th floor.

 Chapter 334. Final Wave (4)

    Monsters appearing from Beyond¡¯s 41st floor looked simr to demons.


    They were shaped like humans, but had ck skin and violent nature, using their body parts as weapons. Simr to demons, they carried an explosive amount of mana, but they were different in that they could regenerate even if their limbs were cut off, relying more on their physical abilities than their magical abilities.


    These monsters called ng had never appeared in the First Dungeon.


    [They are one of the oldest monsters in the dungeon. They existed even before the dungeon¡¯s founding. They¡¯re ancient monsters that should have disappeared in the flow of nature.]


    ¡°And you dragged them into the dungeon?¡±


    [Yes.]


    ng. In front of these monsters, neither magic nor skills worked. It wasn¡¯t that they nullified the dungeon¡¯s power. It was just that the types of attacks made by refining a power into other forms didn¡¯t work. Only pure aura and power of elements could injure them. It seemed it had something to do with their League.


    [He ising.]


    [His growth seemed to have no end, but it seems it hase to an end.]


    They also had a strange way of talking. While they tried to pierce my stomach with their hands covered in white auras, they talked politely as though to annoy me.


    [He is tough.]


    [His armor has a very special ability. If we lose our focus, we will be killed in an instant.]


    [Let us ambush him to test him.]


    ¡°Shut it, you bastards!¡±


    With a shout, my spear covered in a transparent aura shot out and crushed an ng baring his teeth at me.


    Nearby ngs flinched and took a few steps back, but I charged towards them at full force. Swinging my spear like a baseball bat, I swept through all the nearby monsters.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t my match!¡±


    [You are right, but when our numbers multiply by 158 times, we will have a chance.]


    [We cannot understand how he has exceeded the standard.]


    [There must have been an outside intervention. To lower the error rate...]


    ¡°Disappear!¡±


    Even though they admitted to having no chance unless their numbers multiplied 158 times, they still attacked me relentlessly.


    As I took care of them one by one, I couldn¡¯t help but be curious about their boss waiting for me on the 45th floor. I was especially curious what he had to say about me.


    [It is impossible to kill him.]


    [It is impossible for anyone.]


    ¡°Like I said, you guys are noisy!¡±


    Though I made it look easy, these ngs were incredibly powerful. To pierce through their tough bodies, I needed topress more than 200,000 mana, and I to destroy even their ashes to prevent them from regenerating.


    The fact that not even a hundred of such monsters could injure me showed just how much of a monster I became.


    After I took care of another group of ngs, I reached a dead end. I had already used mana detection to check out other areas.


    I was certain this had to be the ce where the gate was, so I looked around in confusion. Soon, as if to show that I wasn¡¯t wrong, a gate leading to the First Dungeon appeared out of thin air.


    ¡°Huu, it¡¯s almost the end. Thank god Beyond is small.¡±


    Beyond was no longer bigger than the First Dungeon. Unlike the First Dungeon floors which came to be the size of a, Beyond¡¯s floors never surpassed the size of a country. Furthermore, as the 45th floor was the final floor, I really was close to finishing Beyond.


    I came out to the Floor Shop expecting to see Loretta pping her ears happily, but she wasn¡¯t there. I tilted my head and sent her a whisper.


    ¡°Loretta, where are you?¡±


    [Uuu, two worlds went extinct at the same time so I¡¯m busy taking care of some things. For some reason, lots of worlds are bing extinct recently. It¡¯s like they¡¯re trying to take Shin-nim away from me!]


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it... But I¡¯ll see youter then.¡±


    [Sob, see youter, Shin-nim.]


    Loretta¡¯s words worried me. Was it wrong to think climbing higher elerated the change in other worlds? Was someone coordinating these changes? Just when I thought I knew more about the world, but it seemed I was wrong. I sighed.


    ¡°Alright, I might as well go straight to... No.¡±


    Although I was a bit tired from fighting all those ngs on the 44th floor, I thought I would have no problem fighting the 95th Floor Master if I drank some potions and took some rest. However, my conversation with Loretta made me feel too uneasy.


    Even while I told myself everything was fine, I returned to Earth to regain my calm.


    When I went to the guild house in Jongno, I saw several subi moving around busily.


    ¡°What¡¯s everyone doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Dear Husband!¡±


    When one of the subi shouted, the rest instantly froze and turned their sights towards me. This wasn¡¯t the first time this happened, but it was still a bit scary.


    ¡°We¡¯re investigating the next mass outbreak.¡±


    ¡°Ciara-nim is very anxious. We¡¯re looking into past data to predict as much as we can.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s especially anxious today.¡±


    ¡°Where is she?¡±


    The subi all pointed to the second floor. I nodded in reply and went up to Ciara¡¯s room on the second floor.


    ¡°You¡¯re here, Hero-nim.¡±


    ¡°You knew I¡¯de?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ciara pulled out her face buried in papers to look at me. Her cross shaped pupils were shining radiantly.


    ¡°If it¡¯s about Hero-nim, there isn¡¯t a single thing I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    I retorted half-heartedly and approached her. Her pretentious side was annoying, but her hard-working side was admirable.


    Ciara then went back to focusing on the documents near her, a first for when I was around, and murmured audibly.


    ¡°As I thought.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I finally figured it out.¡±


    She put down the document in her hand, which I picked up after. It contained pictures of the dungeon gates from America taken from multiple angles. It even had data on the Event Raid that broke out afterwards. I had to give props to the cameramen who risked their lives.


    ¡°Remember what I told Hero-nimst...¡±


    She raised her head and seemed to say something, but stopped in the middle and flinched.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re too close.¡±


    Because I was looking at the documents, I had naturally went right in front of her. Ciara blushed and fidgeted away. Her breathing was rough.


    ¡°Ciara, you changed.¡±


    ¡°I-If youe closer, I don¡¯t know what I might do to you...¡±


    That was scary in and of itself, but the fact that she realizes it was undoubtedly a rapid advancement.


    ¡°Ciara, you grew.¡±


    ¡°Hwaya-nim said she¡¯d kill me.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡±


    It seemed she even learned to care about her life. After a sigh, I carefully sat down on the chair next to her.


    ¡°So? What did you find out?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as I told you before, I¡¯ve been trying to see the future with Hwaya-nim¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember.¡±


    Hwaya and Ciara wanted to know two things. The first was when the next Event Dungeon outbreak will be, and the second was where. Knowing these two factors was crucial in properly responding to them.


    ¡°You said you couldn¡¯t see any gates and only us fighting monsters in a ce that didn¡¯t resemble Earth.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hero-nim. I thought it was because of myck of ability. To be more skilled, I concentrated on learning Peruta Circuit and ways to control mana which Hwaya-nim taught me. I researched my ability in various ways too... Of course, my ability did grow as a result.¡±


    ¡°So? Did you find out something new?¡±


    ¡°Let me change the topic slightly...¡±


    Ciara¡¯s cross shaped pupils shed.


    ¡°Hero-nim, do you remember Greend?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. A lot happened there and it wasn¡¯t even that long ago.¡±


    ¡°Originally, Greend is a wastnd that¡¯s mostly ice. But somehow, the demons managed to switch Greend to a differentnd mass. Hero-nim said it belonged to a world called Luka.¡±


    Ciara skillfully manipted a device on the table and turned on a hologram video. It contained footages of the changed Greend.


    ¡°To be honest, how they did it wasn¡¯t important to us. Instead, I focused on just how perfectly thends swapped. With the subi¡¯s help, we investigated thend mass, and our result was the same as what Hero-nim told us.¡±


    For some reason, she looked really proud as she said that. Did she just like saying my name?


    ¡°The current Greend is no longer a part of Earth. It is a part of the Luka continent.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I immediately understood what she was trying to say. That was the reason for my silence.


    Ciara also understood that and stayed silent. If she was like this when we first met, I would never have hated her.


    ¡°So...¡±


    After some time, I opened my mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me the Luka continent will move over to Earth?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ciara replied with confidence.


    ¡°And in ce of the outbreak of Event Dungeons.¡±


    ¡°You mean they canpletely escape the dungeon¡¯s influence.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I believe this was why I was able to foresee the future to this extent when I wasn¡¯t good at foreseeing things rted to the dungeon. Of course, in exchange, there was another power hindering me.¡±


    ¡°That must be the Demon Lord¡¯s power.¡±


    I answered. Then, I stood up.


    ¡°I should get ready. Ciara, when is it happening?¡±


    ¡°Less than two months from now. No, since we aren¡¯t sure whether it will happen at once, it might be even earlier.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    I nodded silently. Ciara looked up at me and sparkled her eyes.


    ¡°But I believe in Hero-nim! Hero-nim is someone who will be a conqueror of all things!¡±


    ¡°You should really stop them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even need to foresee it! I¡¯m sure of it!¡±


    Really, what do I do about this kid? I made a light sigh. Then, I bended down slightly and gave the dazed Ciara a kiss on her forehead. It was the blessing she so wanted.


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    ¡°If you want me to give you another blessing, don¡¯t say that again. Got it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I thought using a carrot was a better tactic than using a stick, but unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t effective.


    Ciara had fainted before hearing what I said.

 Chapter 335. Final Wave (5)

    Revival¡¯s position on Earth left no room for doubt.


    In the past, Guardian or other government agencies closely monitored whatever actions Revival took, and practically all kinds of mass media flocked to analyze the situation. But now, Revival only needed to say the word to achieve anything they wanted. In fact, the extent to which this was true was reaching a terrifying degree.


    I only realized this while I was taking care of overdue work. Among them, the first thing I had to solve was the dungeon outbreak that would happen in less than two months.


    Thanks to Ciara, we knew that the fourth dungeon outbreak wouldn¡¯t be like any of the past outbreaks. This time, demons from the Luka continent would invade Earth directly.


    Although we wouldn¡¯t be able to stop thempletely, knowing what will happen gave us time to prepare against it.


    I first summoned all the free Revival members to the guild house and practiced dimensional magic while I waited. After about ten minutes, the door to the conference room opened and Hwaya sauntered in feebly.


    Last time I heard, she was going through Beyond¡¯s 24th floor. I doubt she died on purpose to make it to the meeting, which meant she cleared the floor in such short period of time! That also exined why she looked so exhausted.


    ¡°Shin, Ciara was humming around me with a proud boasting look, did you do something?¡±


    ¡°Hwaya, didn¡¯t she tell you something more important?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Hwaya immediately changed her manner and let out a deep sigh. It was the kind of sigh a middle-aged assistant manager who had little chance for a promotion.


    She spoke with a pitiful face.


    ¡°Your blessing didn¡¯tst long. Give me another one. A stronger one.¡±


    ¡°I know you want to escape from reality, but this isn¡¯t a joking matter... Come here.¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    When I gave her the blessing she wanted, her expression brightened. But it seemed she wasn¡¯t satisfied with just the blessing as she walked into my embrace with open arms.


    Compared to her high level, Hwaya¡¯s constitution was worryingly low. The lightness of her body made me worry about her even more. As if to confirm my thoughts, Hwaya whispered in a slightly dazed tone.


    ¡°Shin, I know we¡¯re in a hurry... but let me stay like this for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, unlike how you act, your shoulders are reliable.¡±


    ¡°Shut it.¡±


    Hwaya only had a few people she could act spoiled around, and with how much she supported me emotionally, I was d I could help her this way. Things were quitefortable as neither of us talked.


    At that moment, the door opened again.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    The one who walked in at this timing was none other than Walker. Because Hwaya had her face buried between my shoulders, she didn¡¯t know who walked in. As for Walker, he immediately grinned when he saw us.


    ¡°Looks like I came in at a bad time.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and sit down, Walker.¡±


    Hwaya grumbled without turning around or getting up. If it was like any other day, it wouldn¡¯t have been weird if she shot a fireball at him. Walker seemed to have known this too as he sat down with a bitter smile.


    ¡°You better take care of her, Kang Shin. When she¡¯s not in front of you, she¡¯s noticeably weak and exhausted. If you abandon her, you¡¯ll go to hell.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. You just worry about Sophie.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sophie then walked in through the open door. Not only her, but Yua, Ludia, Ye-Eun, Father and other members walked in together. Yua furrowed her brows the moment she saw Hwaya and me, and Hwaya finally got up while grumbling once more.


    Using my freed hands, I picked disyed the document I looked over with Ciara on a projection.


    ¡°Simply said, I wanted to talk to everyone about the uing dungeon outbreak. Everyone should know about Ciara¡¯s foresight ability, right?¡±


    With that, I exined how the Luka continent might overwrite parts of Earth. Everyone listened in in a daze.


    Overwriting Earth¡¯snds. It was simr to how Event Dungeons became Field Dungeons when they were left uncleared. Lands that underwent such transformation couldn¡¯t be changed back.


    ¡°W-Wait.¡±


    Sophie spoke with an expression that seemed to say that her head hurt.


    ¡°The outbreak¡¯s scale... Any predictions?¡±


    ¡°Sophie, this might be a bit shocking but...¡±


    I wonder when it started. Was it when I mastered Peruta Circuit and reforged my body? Or was it when I killed the Beast King? I didn¡¯t know exactly when, but from a certain point, I seemed to gain a bit of an intuition. Furthermore, it was especially strong when it came to matters rting to the world¡¯s power, Heroes, and worlds¡¯ enemies.


    It wasn¡¯t something like Ciara¡¯s foresight ability. I believed it was a natural product of my League increasing. In any case, this intuition of mine was speaking strongly. I ryed the message my intuition was trying to say.


    ¡°This will be the final one.¡±


    ¡°Final one? ... Ah.¡±


    Sophie and the others who weren¡¯t sure of the situation turned pale. I then projected the world map. It was result of all the subi¡¯s countless hours of investigation and analysis.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how big Luka continent is, nor do we know how big the monsters¡¯ world is. But we did find a rule that the previous ¡®invasions¡¯ followed.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Dungeons won¡¯t appear where they¡¯ve already appeared before.¡±


    With that, I manipted the projection. Parts of the world map began to turn red. Watching the map, Ye-Eun asked, tilting her head.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Event Dungeons appear more than once in Yeongdeungpo District?¡±


    ¡°The exact location didn¡¯t ovep. It¡¯s the same for other ces. But if those two dungeons in Yeongdeungpo became Field Dungeons, they might not swallow all of Yeongdeungpo together.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s...¡±


    Over 60% of the map was red. I nodded and spoke.


    ¡°Those are areas that the Luka continent will overwrite. Monsters and demons will be crawling in these red areas.¡±


    Up until now, we had destroyed many Event Dungeons. Considering how quickly they came and how uncooperative other ability users were, our aplishments were truly praiseworthy. But even with that, we had not covered even half of Earth.


    ¡°This is hell...¡±


    ¡°None of the other worlds faced something like this.¡±


    Ludia agreed with someone¡¯s remark with a bitter smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about this for a while. Event Dungeons are urring too quickly on Earth and there are too many of them too. When Luka continent got invaded, demons didn¡¯t move their previous world¡¯snd. They only crossed over to our world themselves.¡±


    ¡°Panan continent also didn¡¯t go through anything like this. How can Earth be this unlucky? Though, I have to admit, it¡¯s lucky to have someone like Crown Prince...¡±


    Ren agreed with Ludia. Kain, who came surprisingly, made an audible hurumph.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time something like this has happened... My world faced something simr. Monsters and theirnds crossed over in the middle of densely popted areas. It was quite a tragic scene.¡±


    ¡°Tragic scene?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it, I get it. Don¡¯t listen to him, everyone.¡±


    I tried to interrupt him, but Kain continued resolutely.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Monsters or objects suddenly appeared where humans were, exactly on top of them. It wasn¡¯t too bad when objects crossed over. If you were one of the unlucky ones who were at that wrong ce at the wrong time, you would die, but at least it would be swift. But when monsters crossed over, it was a bit of a pain. Humans bing chimeras was one thing, but monsters gained superior intellect when they fused with humans, bing a even scarier threat.¡±


    ¡°Uuuk!¡±


    ¡°See, I told you not to listen.¡±


    I mocked Walker who ran out of the conference room with a pale face. ...Wait, Walker?¡±


    ¡°S-Sorry.¡±


    For some reason, Sophie apologized in his ce. Seeing her apologetic and embarrassed face, I asked with doubt.


    ¡°Sophie, are you...¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah. He has Couvade syndrome.¡±


    Silence descended. Ye-Eun was the only one tilting her head, wondering what Couvade syndrome was. After Ludia whispered her an exnation, she became silent. Ludia knowing more about Earth¡¯s knowledge than Ye-Eun was unexpected, but that wasn¡¯t important at the moment.


    Hoping to change the mood, I made a soft remark.


    ¡°C-Congrats.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. But I couldn¡¯t say it because of everything happening recently...¡±


    Seeing her extremely apologetic face, I sighed. I¡¯m sure they were being careful, but I knew things didn¡¯t always go as one nned.


    Hwaya spoke quietly.


    ¡°This is great.¡±


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°It is! Congrats, Sophie. I thought I was going to be the first one. I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    ¡°Says who?¡±


    ¡°Ha.¡±


    Ludia sneered and Hwaya snorted back. Thanks to them, the awkward atmosphere went away.


    ¡°I know each of our strengths are important... I¡¯m so sorry. We were careful, we really were...¡±


    ¡°I know, you don¡¯t have to feel sorry. ...How long has it been?¡±


    ¡°Three months. I¡¯m fine, but Edward is still like that.¡±


    I closed my eyes and opened them before making an announcement.


    ¡°Sophie, rest from now.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m fine for now!¡±


    ¡°No, rest. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen, we can¡¯t overwork you. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll make Walker make up for it.¡±


    ¡°Uuu...¡±


    Sophie became silent. At that moment, Walker came back in with his head down.


    I spoke.


    ¡°No excuses?¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    ¡°You better get ready to work your ass off.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m at yourmand...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s also talk about this now. We can¡¯t do anything about what already happened, but everyone should be more careful so as to...¡±


    With that, I closed my mouth. Along with Hwaya, all the girls were looking at me with sparkling eyes. As I knew understood exactly what they were thinking, I stealthily changed what I was going to say.


    ¡°... Ren, be careful with Lebuik.¡±


    ¡°Hm? What is this Couvade syndrome? Lebuik and I have to be careful? Is it a disease contagious to beastmen!?¡±


    It seemed I didn¡¯t need to worry about Lebuik. With a sigh, I pped to signal this talk was over.


    However, it seemed Kain wanted to keep talking about his damned chimeras, as he looked at me and asked.


    ¡°Did this never happen in Earth?¡±


    ¡°Never. There were monsters that appeared on Earth without going through Event Dungeons, I don¡¯t know if it was luck, but no monster ever fused with a human. Though, maybe we just never discovered one.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it will be the same this time?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    I shook my head vehemently.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re gathered here. To prevent incidents like that.¡±


    ¡°... We have to take such a hugend transmittance into ount?¡±


    Walker spoke unconvinced. Land transmittance, it was the perfect phrase to describe what would happen.


    ¡°... Looks like there will be a mass migration.¡±


    Sumire added quietly. I nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll contact each country¡¯s Guardian and government. Directly.¡±


    And that¡¯s exactly what I did that day. Along with announcing humanity¡¯s need to evacuate, I revealed the areas ofnd transmittance.


    By a single sentence from me, a mass migration began the next day.

 Chapter 336. Final Wave (6)

    [This is the map provided by Revival¡¯s guild master, Kang Shin. He predicts 60% of Earth will be the target of what he callsnd transmittance. These areas are the areas that have yet to be affected by gates.]


    [Governments across the globe are preparing to relocate their citizens to ¡°safe areas.¡± The Korean government submitted a formal request to Revival, but Revival¡¯s guild master has declined the request and is now working to sweep the currently remaining monster territories.]


    Two weeks after my announcement, I was the only news topic no matter which news media I looked.


    60% of Earth bing a danger zone sounds absurd even to me, but everyone was taking my words as the absolute truth. I couldn¡¯t help but find the feeling scary.


    [A footage of Revival¡¯s guild master clearing a monster territory has gone viral. I have also taken a look, and I can only call it incredible. We¡¯ve brought a guest analyst to break down the video. Selected by Mr. Kang Shin himself to be a dungeon explorer, it¡¯s Korea¡¯s ability user, Mr. Choi Yul.]


    [Hello, it¡¯s nice to be here. First, I can hardly be called an analyst. No ability user on Earth should be capable of analyzing his power.]


    Next to the host was one of the first ability users to be an explorer. Instead of climbing the dungeon like he¡¯s supposed to, it seemed he epted a news cover offer. Pointing to the video footage ying on the corner of the screen, he exined.


    [Can you see them? Those metallic fragments in the air are most likely one of his special abilities. Just like the gold he created in the Vatican City, he seems to have the ability to transform anything into metal or create it from null. Just this ability alone would make him one of the strongest ability users on Earth.]


    [You mean Hero¡¯s Road of Vatican City. Then can Mr. Kang Shin¡¯s ¡®metallification¡¯ power be considered a one-of-a-kind power?]


    [It¡¯s not just Earth. The dungeon I can enter is full of people from many different worlds, but no one had the ability to create metal like him. His ability is unique and will continue to be unique. In any case, what¡¯s important is that these metals only serve as a medium for his true ability.]


    Excited, the man then went on to make guesses about my Evil Eyes and how it worked together with Dortu¡¯s power. Surprisingly, he was pretty good at exining everything.


    ¡°Finished. Kang Shin, no more monsters, on Earth. No demons either.¡±


    After I turned the screen off, Daisy spoke as she flew next to me. Next to her was Meri.


    I looked down at the Arctic Sea. As she said, I couldn¡¯t feel any presence of life.


    ¡°That was quick.¡±


    ¡°Anything in sight, Kang Shin already killed.¡±


    Daisy added with a small smile.


    ¡°Kang Shin¡¯s nickname, god of judgement.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me more nicknames, it¡¯ll only make be tired.¡±


    I retorted brusquely and put away the phone in my hand. Daisy then stretched before putting Meri away in her inventory. Looking at her, I asked.


    ¡°Can you not use dimensional magic?¡±


    ¡°Inexperienced.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll teach you, so learn it for when the dungeon¡¯s power suddenly bes limited.¡±


    ¡°... Kang Shin will teach me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Hu, Kang Shin is always hitting on me, sometimes pitiful.¡±


    Daisy shrugged without changing her expression. I nodded and added.


    ¡°Don¡¯t learn it.¡±


    ¡°A man¡¯s word is worth a thousand gold.¡±


    ¡°Where are you learning these things...¡±


    After sighing, I returned to the guild house with Daisy. While the rest of the country was busy relocating, the area around our guild house was especially quiet. Jongno wasn¡¯t part of Earth¡¯s ¡®red zone¡¯, and with Revival¡¯s guild house being here, the district was nned to be used for ability users¡¯ base camp.


    Along with other subi, Hwaya was looking at a projection on the wall, covering the changes to the world in real-time. Ever since thest meeting, she was working nonstop without rest.


    ¡°The loss is going to be immeasurable. We won¡¯t be able to save everyone¡¯s lives, and when thend transmittance happens, countless public and private properties will be lost. Hu... To think the result of us being prepared.¡±


    ¡°Just looking at the screen won¡¯t change anything, Hwaya. Go rest.¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t continue being here anyways. The subi said Licorice wille out soon, so I¡¯ll stay until shees back.¡±


    ¡°No, leave things to the subi and rest. We did everything we could.¡±


    We notified the world of the uing danger and killed everyst monster on Earth. What more could we do? Use our abilities to help humanity¡¯s evacuation? That was too inefficient.


    ¡°Your body is more important. Rest and make sure you¡¯re in your top condition.¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Rest.¡±


    I sighed and dragged her away. Daisy, who was looking at us from a distance, asked aloud.


    ¡°Are you two going to bed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m putting her to bed. You get ready to learn magic.¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    ¡°W-With just the two of you? No, let me be there too.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t do anything weird, so you just focus on getting some sleep.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Hwaya seemed intent on not moving a foot unless I moved her. With a sigh, I picked her up. Hwaya struggled to free herself while Daisymented on the situation.


    ¡°Calcting woman. Will take number of precaution.¡±


    I pretended to have not heard her. At that moment, a part of the projection on the wall suddenly flickered off. It was clear what that signified.


    Transmittance.


    Hwaya, who was making a fuss in my arms, and Daisy both froze.


    [The transmittance has started.]


    A subus reported.


    [The location is Japan, the scale is all of Honshu. It¡¯s the entire area other than the part under the influence of one of the previous gates!]


    ¡°... Didn¡¯t we have two months?¡±


    Hwaya asked quietly. I shrugged and replied.


    ¡°Ciara said two months is when the transmittance willplete. ...Though, I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d already start.¡±


    ¡°Ehew.¡±


    Unlike how she was acting previous, Hwaya leaped out of my arms resolutely.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Shin. I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Staring at Japan¡¯s map, I nodded. With the transmittance already happening even with all the preparations we were making, I felt like going insane, but we had to make haste as much as possible. Even a single second was precious.


    Japan was undoubtedly only the beginning.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    I immediately summoned all the members avable and headed to Japan.


    While Japan was also carrying out a country-wide evacuation, two weeks was realistically too little time. Not to mention, the demons that appeared in Japan began their massacre immediately as though they knew what they were going into.


    If the appearance of the monsters was like natural disasters, the appearance of the demons was a clear promation of war. They had a clear goal and did not save their strength to aplish it.


    After several members gathered, we teleported to Tokyo using the Return location I had set beforehand in Tokyo. All this only took 7 minutes to happen.


    During these 7 minutes, the number of casualties surpassed 7.5 million.


    [Oooooh! Wasn¡¯t Earth supposed to be an uncivilized ce? How can there be so many interesting things?]


    [Inparison, Luka continent was too boring!]


    [But why are the humans here so weak?]


    ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°M-Monsters!¡±


    [Who called us monsters!?]


    There was no need to look around. A ughter was continuing in the city even at this moment, and the numerous tall buildings were crumbling down as though they werepeting with each other. There wasn¡¯t a single direction where no scream rang out.


    ¡°Everyone spread out. I¡¯ll take care of this ce.¡±


    I announced to Hwaya, Daisy, Leon, Yua, Father, and Kain before kicking off the ground and releasing my energy fully. I was making myself known to all the demons.


    [What¡¯s that?]


    [It¡¯s the Hero!]


    [The Hero? Don¡¯t joke.]


    The sharp voices of demons rang inside my ears. Ignoring them, I shot up into the air and began to create metallic fragments and ice fragments. To increase the number of fragments, I summoned both Dortu and Ruyue.


    [How can that be? It¡¯s only been a few minutes since we came here! How can the Hero be here? In Luka continent, the Hero needed at least two days!]


    [What kind of a Hero is he?]


    The fragments began to reach ground level. Most demons simply destroyed whatever they set their eyes on, but the smart ones slowly backed off while keeping their eyes on me.


    [I don¡¯t know what he is, but his mana is absurd!]


    [Weren¡¯t we supposed to retreat when the Heroes?]


    ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡±


    I murmured quietly and widened my eyes.


    The countless number of metals and ice received my eyes¡¯ power and reflected them in all directions. Even if they began to run the moment I arrived, it would have been toote. With my mirrors helping me, the power of my Evil Eyes could reach far beyond the scope of this city.


    In an instant, all demons were petrified before shattering into pieces.


    ¡°Kyak!?¡±


    ¡°Huk, Huuk... What just...¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯m alive!¡±


    The demons shattered for a simple reason. By using Steel¡¯s power through the mirror, I had absorbed all of the petrified demons¡¯ mana.


    I multiplied the number of mirrors using the mana I absorbed, and the mirrors spread out rapidly. Although it might be hard to cover all of Honshu, I knew the other members would take care of that.


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin.¡±


    ¡°It must be him!¡±


    ¡°Thank god, we¡¯re safe now.¡±


    After confirming that no demons were left alive, I led my flock of mirrors and moved to another area.


    [The Hero¡¯sing!]


    [I heard that. Run away from...]


    [A power like this... Kahak!]


    Once they saw me, it was toote to run. Tens of thousands of demons died every moment. The small number of demons strong enough to withstand my Evil Eyes couldn¡¯t withstand being hit by mirrors being used as bullets.


    ¡°So many monsters all died in an instant...¡±


    ¡°It was all real.¡±


    ¡°Just by being here, he...¡±


    I wanted to tend to the injured people, but I had too little time.


    As such, I ignored what the people below were saying, whether it was a plea for help, words of gratitude, or words of resentment. I moved solely to decimate the demons.


    It was the same for the other members. After spreading out into all directions, they fought against demons where my power couldn¡¯t reach. It was 30 minutester that I came to be certain that all of Honshu was cleared of demons. However, before we could clean up Honshu, Japan¡¯s other inds underwentnd transmittance. As such, we had move nonstop tobat the demons.


    [It¡¯s the Hero!]


    [Glory to His Highness the Demon Lord!]


    ¡°Save us!¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, Shin-nim is here!¡±


    Three hours, all it took was three hours. Moving without rest, I killed all non-human targets, stealing their mana in the process.


    Thankfully, none of the demons that appeared in Japan were strong enough to cause trouble. But during the three hours it took to kill all the demons, Japan lost 30 percent of its poption.


    At the same time, they also suffered a catastrophic loss in properties. But rather than worrying about lost properties, more people were simply d to have survived this ordeal.


    When they saw me, they let out all sorts of screams and cheers, which I ignoredpletely.


    ¡°Shin!¡±


    ¡°Hwaya, are you done?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah. We¡¯re done with our... Shin?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You... What are you wearing?¡±


    We gathered at Tokyo¡¯s Return point where we first arrived at. While many survivors murmured to themselves from the distance while looking at us, Hwaya shouted at me the moment she saw me.


    ¡°What am I wearing? I only have a helmet. I don¡¯t even have it on right now.¡±


    ¡°Above your horn.¡±


    ¡°Horn?¡±


    Dortu immediately created a mirror in front of me. Seeing my face reflected on it, I tilted my head.


    [The momentnd transmittance urred in Japan, he appeared at the scene of ughter. In an instant, he turned all monsters into stone before continuing on to eliminate Japan of all monsters.]


    [Turning everything to null, he acts solely to save humanity. Some are saying he is a god created at the time of Two Moon in order to save humanity...]


    Above my horn, a small ring of light was spinning around. I reached to touch it, but it only felt warm and had no tactile feeling.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    I murmured. There was no one to answer me.


    Something no one knew about was happening to me.

 Chapter 337. Final Wave (7)

    Chapter 337. Final Wave (7)


    After finishing up Japan¡¯s crisis, we quickly returned to Korea. While thend transmittance was underway, we didn¡¯t know where the next ce would be.


    When things began happening exactly as Revival said, the minority of people who doubted us began to evacuate in a panic. While a mandatory evacuation was already underway, people began to be more proactive in doing so.


    At the same time, footages of the massacre in Japan and Revival¡¯s quick clean up spread and increased talks about me even more. I wasn¡¯t the only one there, but I was the only one everyone was talking about.


    What was even more terrifying was the ring of light spinning around my horn. As time passed, it only became firmer and more stable. Pointing at this ring of light, Hwaya asked.


    ¡°Have you heard of Halo?¡±


    I retorted jokingly.


    ¡°I do, but I haven¡¯t yed it.¡±


    ¡°Not the game!¡±


    I smirked and shook my head. Of course, I knew what she was talking about.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd. I¡¯m not an angel or a saint, why would this be a halo?¡±


    ¡°What else would it be then?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    At a Loss for words, I touched my horn. I could still only feel a faint heat. I couldn¡¯t feel the halo at all.


    Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the horn. As expected, it didn¡¯t feel any different. With a shrug, I asked Hwaya.


    ¡°Hwaya, how do I look like?¡±


    ¡°A handsome man with a halo and a horn.¡±


    ¡°Not that. Do I look different?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Hwaya immediately replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to put it. It¡¯s a hard-to-approach kind of feeling. Even if I wanted to hug you, I would hesitate right before doing it. Something like awe... or admiration... You know how I¡¯m not affected by most mental magic, right? But you go right through it.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    If Hwaya was saying this, something was happening to my body for sure.


    But I didn¡¯t feel any different, and although I learned to control my body¡¯s energy, I couldn¡¯t do anything about this ring of light.


    After touching the horn and struggling to control the light for a few more minutes, I gave up and fell on the couch.


    ¡°What is this good for?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking about when something strange like that happens to your body?¡±


    Hwaya spoke with a wry smile.


    ¡°I thought you got too far out of reach, but it¡¯s nice to know that you¡¯re still the Shin I know.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, far out of reach. If anything, I¡¯m closer to you than ever.¡±


    ¡°If your wife had a light bulb on her forehead, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be scared too.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help butugh at Hwaya¡¯s words.


    ¡°Scared? You are?¡±


    ¡°I might not be scared of other things, but thinking about bad things happening to you or my mother makes me scared to death, so don¡¯tugh.¡±


    Hwaya frowned, and a few fireballs popped up in the air. It was a trick she learned to do after she got her Evil Eyes and had her me wielding ability strengthened. I decided to take this moment to say what I needed to say.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hwaya. I¡¯ll be with you forever.¡±


    ¡°You better not let the Demon Lord kill you after saying that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t die. The only thing that can kill me now is myself.¡±


    ¡°You also can¡¯t suddenly say you¡¯re bored with the human world and transcend into heaven.¡±


    ¡°The heck is that. Anyways, there are so many things I haven¡¯t done yet, so don¡¯t worry about something like that. Come here.¡±


    Since I didn¡¯t know how busy things would get from now on, I had to service her when I could. When I pulled Hwaya into my embrace, she didn¡¯t resist and even dug deeper into my arms.


    ¡°Good, that was 99 points.¡±


    ¡°What about the other point?¡±


    ¡°You know.¡±


    Hwaya looked up into my eyes with a shy smile. Because of her lovable smile, Ipletely forgot about that halo or divinity.


    While Walker interrupted usst time, thankfully, no one interrupted us this time as I slowly obtained myst point.


    *


    The sudden start of thend transmittance and the tragedy in Japan were more than enough to stir up the world. Those who worked to seek personal profits realized the gravity of the situation, and the world-wide evacuation sped up.


    It seemed my existence also put a check on these greedy people. Unlike in the past where I looked around for monsters to show off my power, this time, I had appeared in the middle of Tokyo and swiftly cleaned up all of Japan. As a result, people were beginning to see me as an existence that had transcended humanity.


    While I was still treated as a human in the past, now, it was as though I was in a higher realm. It was a truly strange feeling.


    [Revival¡¯s master, Kang Shin, came into this world on year XXXX in XX Hospital in Seoul...]


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s about you, Shin.¡±


    ¡°Ye-Eun, turn that off.¡±


    Just listening to TV nowadays gave me goosebumps. Come on, came into this world!?


    Instead of turning the TV off, Ye-Eun changed the channel. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t any different.


    ¡°Look Shin! It¡¯s our school!¡±


    Because I was focused on climbing the dungeon, I barely remembered about the university I used to attend. Just when I was thinking about it some man was excitedly bbering in front of the camera, I realized it was a business department professor.


    ¡°Why is a professor that I don¡¯t even remember seeing talking about me?¡±


    [He was an extraordinary student. He rarely came to school, but his grades and performance on assignments were always excellent. I should have known it back then... Many female students had a crush on him too. Just by being there, he caught people¡¯s eyes, truly a remarkable trait.]


    He was writing a novel. Plus, because he mentioned female students, all of the girls in the guild house turned towards me and gave me funny looks. I vowed to get my revenge on the professor and turned the TV off.


    The bigger problem was that something like this was happening on a daily basis. It was as though a sleeping volcano has finally woken up.


    ¡°There¡¯s going to be a Church of Kang Shin at this rate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it might really happen, so don¡¯t even mention it, Walker.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised it hasn¡¯t happened earlier.¡±


    On the other hand, Ludia acted as though this waspletely normal. In this regard, she shared the same sentiment as Ciara.


    ¡°People of Earth need to be more thankful. Most worlds fail to prepare properly at first, so their Heroes don¡¯t end up on the top of their worlds even after tens of years passing by. Worlds like these generally end up losing without standing a chance. But Shin managed to rise to the top in just a few years and came to minimize damages this much while being invaded by two worlds at the same time. It would be weirder if no one worshipped him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because Earth already had several widespread religions. Plus, there are more educated people on averagepared to people of other worlds. They probably felt weird worshipping someone who was alive.¡±


    ¡°But because we have a friendly rtionship with the Vatican and disyed an undefeatable might in front of everyone, we managed to topple this perception of theirs.¡±


    ¡°Those things aren¡¯t important at all.¡±


    I interrupted the others who were analyzing what happened.


    ¡°Of course, if possible, I want them to stop doing that, but if that helps more people survive, I¡¯ll leave it alone for now. I¡¯ll leave Earth for a while once I defeat the Demon Lord, so it won¡¯t matter then.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, your horn decoration got bigger.¡±


    ¡°Kuk, don¡¯t mention it. I don¡¯t want to think about it.¡±


    The golden ring of light, what Walker called a horn decoration, was indeed slowly getting bigger and strutting its presence. I didn¡¯t even want to imagine what would happen once ordinary people found out about this ring. Of course, as I had a lot of other important things to worry about, I didn¡¯t have the time to think too much about it.


    ¡°Kuhum, anyways, what¡¯s important is how to divide ourselves. We can¡¯t all just stay in the guild house when we don¡¯t know when thend transmittance will ur. We still have many things to obtain from the dungeon, so we¡¯ll have to form a rotating shift. Of course, we¡¯ll have to leave out people who need to enter Beyond. But since I¡¯m about to Clear Beyond, you can leave me in.¡±


    It was important that the guild house was never empty. Revival¡¯s members consisted of Earth¡¯s strongest ability users. I formed teams based around some of the stronger members and had them stay in the guild house in the time slot allotted to them. That way, everyone else would be informed of and transmittance whenever it happened.


    ¡°What an incredible world and what incredible subordinates. To think you can receive information and react based on it so quickly...¡±


    Kain seemed extremely impressed with how smoothly everything was executed. Seeing him making a surprised face for the first time, Iughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s meaningless if we don¡¯t have the strength to support it. In that sense, take care of us, Kain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just do what I¡¯m contracted to do. As long as it¡¯s within the terms of our contract, I can do whatever you want.¡±


    I was satisfied with his reliable reply. I added with a gentle smile.


    ¡°As you know, we don¡¯t have a lot of time left.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    By the time the aftermath of Japan¡¯snd transmittance was resolved, many things had changed. However, things that were important to me all stayed the same.


    I headed to the dungeon once again. I wanted to see the end of the dungeon that was now within my sight.


    Next on the list was the 95th Floor Master.


    The difficulty of the world breaking that started on the 91st floor continued to escte, and by the time I reached the 94th floor, it took my current self a whole ten days to reach the Floor Shop.


    Just like on the 91st floor, I continued to face gigantic monsters, destroying dozens of giant golems or krakens.


    I expected the 95th Floor Master to be simr, but my expectations were a bit off. Unlike the previous Floor Master rooms, the 95th Floor Master room was an entire room. The moment I went up to the 95th floor, I could hear a voice ring out.


    [There¡¯s finally a human who managed to reach me. How truly incredible.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Although I couldn¡¯t see even a tiny fraction of him, I could clearly hear his voice in my ears.


    [Born in a human¡¯s body, yet trying to transcend humanity, I give my utmost respect to you, Challenger. But a League must be given to one who fits it.]


    In an instant, the surroundings became dark. I guessed the reason without even looking up. There was a giant being eclipsing the world¡¯s light.


    [Thus, I will test you with due diligence. Are you prepared, Human?]


    Looking up, I saw a dragon.

 Chapter 338. Demon Lord (1)

    Chapter 338. Demon Lord (1)


    ¡°I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to find someone with more mana than me.¡±


    But I was wrong. The dragon in front of carried more than my 1.5 million mana. The dragon spoke unenthusiastically.


    [Be careful not to fall and die.]


    Just when I was wondering what he meant, the ground began to shake and fall. I couldn¡¯t even feel his mana move, so I was surprised to say the least. Of course, as I could now fly with my power alone, I wasn¡¯t affected by the ground disappearing. But I caught a glimpse into his shocking magic.


    Floating in the air, I reached out towards the countless debris of the ground falling to a seemingly endless underworld.


    ¡°Dortu!¡±


    [I am Dortu. Following Master¡¯smand.]


    Some of the debris stopped in the air and began to turn silver. The dragon looked on with an extremely amused expression.


    [A material transformation, interesting!]


    ¡°It¡¯s my elemental¡¯s power, but... Mm?¡±


    While continuing to transform the debris, I felt something was out of sorts. At the same time, I caught sight of something in the middle of the crumblingnd.


    ¡°Overflowing river of blood.¡±


    The blood did not belong to the dragon.


    The moment I realized that, I turned around towards the entrance to the 95th floor, but the entrance was gone. I should have realized it when the entire floor was the Floor Master room!


    [You already noticed?]


    The dragon spoke and reached out with his foreleg as if to imitate what I did. With just that single action, most of the falling debris turned direction and shot towards me. Dortu transformed his metallicized debris into maces and spun them around me.


    Thundering shes began to ring out. Dortu¡¯s metal maces and the dragon¡¯s debris were colliding fiercely.


    [Right, I am not tied to the dungeon.]


    ¡°...¡±


    Because I was so used to the dungeon¡¯s power leaving me recently, I didn¡¯t notice that the dungeon¡¯s power disappeared. I was dumbfounded.


    ¡°How did youe in here?¡±


    [It¡¯s not too difficult. Her power is too strong even for me, but tricking her is extremely simple.]


    ¡°Tricking her, eh.¡±


    [She should be watching a human fighting a giant right about now.]


    ¡°Ha.¡±


    This was what the dragon was saying. That he killed the 95th Floor Master and was tricking Sherafina with an illusion magic.


    As someone who felt Sherafina¡¯s power before, I could say this for certain. This was different than simply ignoring the dungeon¡¯s power.


    The dungeon¡¯s power was Sherafina¡¯s power which is refined in order to be passed to explorers. An ability to nullify the dungeon¡¯s power, which Lespina had, wasn¡¯t necessary. To iste an explorer from the dungeon¡¯s power, it was enough to simply cut off this link between Sherafina and the explorer.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean anyone could ignore Sherafina herself. The difference between the two was as great as the difference between heaven and earth. Tricking Sherafina required an extraordinary amount of effort and mana. Simply put, this dragon wasn¡¯t at his full strength.


    Dumbfounded, I asked.


    ¡°Why are you in the dungeon?¡±


    [Prove to me your League.]


    With Dortu¡¯s army of metal maces fighting the countless debris ofnd, it was hard to see what was directly in front of me. However, I could clearly feel a terrifying amount of energy amassing near the dragon I could faintly see.


    Immediately I realized that it was the symbol of dragons, dragon breath!


    I used Frozen Roar in a hurry, but Frozen Roar could only weaken the breath by a fraction. Meanwhile, his breath became increasingly bigger.


    Against a dragon, I wanted to fight with Peika so she could support my lightning, but because of his breath, it was smarter to summon Ruyue for defense. I clicked my tongue.


    ¡°No choice, Ruyue!¡±


    [Got it! Leave it to me!]


    This wasn¡¯t the time to save my strength. Ruyue appeared in her materialized form and immediately created barriers of ice with dozens ofyers. Starting from where I was, a flower of ice bloomed towards the direction of the dragon¡¯s breath.


    [Kuaaaaaaaa!]


    The dragon finally breathed out. I recalled Lin saying that an EX rank me was something the Demon Lord could create by giving up one of his arm, but thinking about it now, that must have been because the Demon Lord normally didn¡¯t wield mes! There was no way that this me breath didn¡¯t reach EX rank!


    Ruyue must have felt the me¡¯s power, as she turned towards me and confessed.


    [Shin, I don¡¯t think I can block that.]


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that now, Ruyue!¡±


    Even now, there were debris flying about and colliding everywhere. I couldn¡¯t move now as I was more or less trapped by all the debris, but there was also no way to block the dragon¡¯s breath by staying here.


    In that case, I¡¯d have to use one of my once per day skill, Shadow Blink...!


    [I am Dortu. Master, this isn¡¯t the dungeon.]


    ¡°Yeah, I know that! ... Ah.¡±


    I¡¯m stupid!


    [I am Dortu. Yes, Master is stupid.]


    ¡°Shut it! Sharana!¡±


    [Yes, Master!]


    Although this ce was technically the dungeon, it was apletely different world isted from Sherafina¡¯s power. Since the dungeon¡¯s power couldn¡¯t be used, there was no way the dungeon¡¯s rules would apply here!


    I immediately summoned Sharana, who immediately materialized and bolstered Ruyue¡¯s ice barriers.


    In an instant, the thousands of petals Ruyue created became more brilliant. The dragon¡¯s breath then struck the barriers.


    Unable to withstand its force, hundreds of barriers instantly shattered and each of the remainingyers could only hold out for a few milliseconds before shattering. Although the breath was still far away from us, I could still feel its powerful heat.


    ¡°Take more of my mana!¡±


    [I won¡¯t lose!]


    [We¡¯ll stop him, Master!]


    [I am Dortu. Dortu will help too.]


    ¡°Dortu!?¡±


    My mana began to plummet. Ruyue exerted more strength into her ice petals and Sharana strengthened them.


    At the same time, Dortu exerted his power on the debris continually hurling towards me. Though Dortu¡¯s metal maces were simply smacking them away until now, they now began to transform into a red metal.


    [I am Dortu. Firing.]


    Then, they tore through the ocean of debris and shot upwards. Clearly, they were targeting the dragon¡¯s breath crashing down towards us.


    [I am Dortu. This metal absorbs heat and converts it to freezing energy.]


    ¡°So you can create any metal you want.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Not any metal, only metals that Dortu knows.]


    The first few debris melted immediately, but as more debris struck the breath, the incredibly powerful breath began to weaken gradually.


    With Ruyue¡¯s ice barriers blocking the breath¡¯s way, it became noticeably weak by the time it was just a kilometer from me. The dragon seemed to have noticed it too as he drew up mana from a much deeper ce.


    [Kuaaaaaaaaaa!]


    [Protect Shin!]


    [He is someone who cares for all elementals. I will not let him be food for some lizard!]


    [I am Dortu!]


    The elementals¡¯ power shot up to the limit. To handle their mana consumption, I drew Peruta Circuit¡¯s, Absolute Soul¡¯s, Steel¡¯s and Crimson Hell¡¯s powers to the limit, absorbing all the mana I possibly could.


    Although I¡¯d experienced using arge amount of mana instantly, I had never experience such arge sustained usage of mana nor absorbing such arge amount of mana.


    [We did it, we won!]


    Hearing Ruyue¡¯s cheerful shout, I gathered my senses. Now, there wasn¡¯t anything around us. The dragon¡¯s breath and the countlessyers of Ruyue¡¯s barriers had both disappeared.


    There was oneyer of Ruyue¡¯s barrier left, which was especially thick and hovered about two meters from us. In other words, I was only a singleyer of ice barrier away from that terrifying red light me.


    Of course, with how close the breath had gotten, the surrounding debris had all melted. Dortu then got rid of his metal maces, and the dragon finally opened his mouth.


    [You really blocked it. How long has it been since I saw a human stopping my breath? I¡¯m truly pleased.]


    ¡°Well I¡¯m happy you¡¯re pleased, shitty lizard.¡±


    That bastard, to please him a couple more times, a world would have to be destroyed! Even though I cursed him, the dragon continued while maintaining a pleased tone.


    [Then as promised, I¡¯ll tell you why I am in this ce called the dungeon.]


    The dragon created a countless number of fireballs in the air.


    [I am not very pleased with the dungeon¡¯s and her goal. It is preposterous and arrogant.]


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    [But my world and my race were facing their doom, and I realized what she was aiming for could be my goal. I¡¯m thus waiting for that result in the dungeon¡¯s highest floor.]


    ¡°This goal you¡¯re talking about, is that me?¡±


    [Yes, precisely.]


    Ruyue also created a countless number of iceballs, which struck the dragon¡¯s fireballs and let out a blinding steam.


    [I cannot allow you to walk into her mouth. I must take you for myself, or else...]


    The steam created by the colliding ice and mes suddenly began to rush towards me. Not only that, the abundant mana in the world disappeared. Dragon, a creature that controlled mana. He truly fit that description.


    While I was shocked by the sudden disappearance of mana, I felt inexplicably calm. There was something I could feel only after the mana disappeared.


    [Come, Savior.]


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    With my eyes closed, I took a deep breath. Then, I opened my eyes back up.


    The ring of light spinning around my horn let out a bright light and a thick ck mana began to cover my body. This mana was none other than Enigma.


    ¡°Good, I finally get it.¡±


    I grinned. Then, I charged towards the dragon without a moment of hesitation.

 Chapter 339. Demon Lord (2)

    [That¡¯s...!?]


    The dragon¡¯s voice had been calm until now, but it now carried a hint of surprise. It seemed he realized what the ck mana surrounding my body was.


    [You already took that step?]


    ¡°Stop saying things I can¡¯t understand!¡±


    I thrust my spear forward. The tinum spear devoured Enigma and instantly elongated to dozens of meters in length. Without me having to think about it, my mana moved subconsciously along the path of Divine Speed and pierced through the center of the dragon¡¯s wing. Shocked, he pped his wings and shouted.


    [This speed and power... and this mana pattern I can¡¯t grasp. It¡¯s as I thought!]


    Countless fireballs appeared in the air once more. At the same time, a crushing pressure descended on my body. Clearly, he was trying to prevent me from moving with Divine Speed! The fireballs then hurled towards me and detonated.


    [I¡¯ll protect Shin!]


    [I¡¯ll help too!]


    Ruyue and Sharana reacted before it was toote, but because of the sheer number of fireballs, they couldn¡¯t block them all with their power. And since the fireballs were part of a dragon¡¯s magic, Steel¡¯s Extort was limited against it.


    [Show me more! Your power, prove it to me!]


    ¡°I will even if you don¡¯t tell me! ... Peika!¡¯


    I clenched my teeth and shouted. Peika immediately infused herself into my tinum spear and boosted the spear¡¯s lightning power. Now that I think about it, I had to give it a name soon. Something like Rose Spear.


    ¡°Haaaaaap!¡±


    I pulled my spear back before thrusting it forward heavily. At the same time that Ruyue and Sharana flew to the side, the dragon¡¯s ps became fiercer, and a powerful gale blew towards me.


    My spear of lightning strengthened by Enigma collided with the dragon¡¯s cmity ss des of wind! Sharana¡¯s quick interference weakened his wind des to an extent, but they were still incredibly powerful.


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    [To think you can even sh with me directly.]


    Since a while ago, the dragon had nothing but praise for me. Even so, his attacks never seemed to cken. He simultaneously used two or three magic at all times. His favorite magic seemed to be applying sporadic pressure, creating and shooting countless fireballs, summoning and dropping down huge boulders.


    [I¡¯m curious as to how long you¡¯llst.]


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to say.¡±


    Enigma wasn¡¯t just a strong type of mana. It stood above other mana and could nullify or dominate them. In a way, it was simr in position to Steel¡¯s Extort.


    And now, I could fully control Enigma without having to use Overlord.


    When Steel absorbed the Enigma covering my body, it immediately began to transform. While Dortu couldn¡¯t strengthen Steel with his power, things were different now that Enigma was under my control.


    The transformed Steel was still thinner than the old Pure ck Desire, but it became thick enough to be called an armor. Reinforced by Enigma¡¯s power, Steel began to extort everything that hit my body. However, the dragon let out a snort in response to seeing this.


    [Indeed, it¡¯s powerful. But that¡¯s all you can do with that threatening mana!?]


    If anything, the dragon¡¯s ability to use magic was a cheat. Without any preparatory movement, a torrential acidic rain began to fall from only the sky directly above me. Even Ruyue¡¯s ice barriers reinforced by Sharana¡¯s power couldn¡¯t withstand its force and shattered.


    [That is a mana I can¡¯t use. If that¡¯s all you can do with that mana, then you do not have the qualification! I will retrieve that power for myself!]


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t yours, to begin with, don¡¯t take things that aren¡¯t yours!¡±


    I tightened my grip on my spear. Concentrating Peruta Circuit¡¯s power on the spear tip, I created a whirlpool of Enigma. Then, I thrust it into the air.


    ¡°Take this instead!¡±


    Again, an immense pressure descended on my body, but I stole it using Extort and added its energy to the whirlpool I shot out. Instantly, the whirlpool spiraled up and sucked in the torrent of acidic rain. After devouring the acidic rain and all of its mana, the whirlpool changed direction and shot towards the dragon.


    [Not bad, but not enough!]


    ¡°Hu!¡±


    The dragon easily created a barrier of giant manaparable in defensive power to the barriers Ruyue created before. In response, I thrust my spear towards the barrier. The stream of Enigma shot out of the spear tip and stuck to the edges of the barrier. With a smile, I yanked on my spear.


    [Hm!?]


    The barrier disappeared. Soon, the whirlpool of Enigma and acidic rain struck the dragon¡¯s body.


    Following up, I took the giant barrier I stole from him andpressed it down to a ball. Using the spear as its handle, I swung it down on him. With a boom, his scales popped up into the air like petals falling from a cherry blossom tree. It was the first effective attack Inded on him.


    [Indeed, that¡¯s a fearsome power!]


    ¡°Now you know? Looks like you¡¯re all mana and no brain.¡±


    I detonated the mana to round off the attack, but he pped his wings and blocked it with his own mana. At the same time, he created mana bullets in the air..


    The sky was filled with the mana bullets he created. Like stars in the night sky, there was a truly countless number of them. It showed just how much mana he carried.


    [Will you be able to steal all of these from me?]


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we try?¡±


    The mana bullets shot towards me. With the sheer number of them, dodging them was simply impossible.


    Preparing myself for anything that might happen, I imbued mana into Steel. At that moment, intense mes that were impossible to nullify ignited around my body.


    I already knew he had multiple means of attack! Thankfully, I waspletely immune to status effects. Otherwise, this fight would have ended as his victory a long time ago. A dragon was skilled in all types of magic, and with this particr dragon¡¯s absurd level of charm, mental attacks and status effect magic were also possible.


    [Let¡¯s see how long you can keep up that mana!]


    ¡°How long? I don¡¯t have a time limit anymore!¡±


    I shouted as I shot towards him. I was still under the effect of Divine Speed. The halo that began to shine radiantly from the moment I began to use Enigma asserted its presence to the dragon.


    ¡°A dragon¡¯s magic, let¡¯s see it!¡±


    From that point, the fight continued for 10 hours. While the dragon¡¯s magic was powerful, my elementals limited the types of magic he could use. At the same time, it was also hard for me to pierce his magic power defense and deal a critical blow.


    However, there was something I gained during this period. I had grown more used to using Enigma and Steel. I got used to the dragon¡¯s power, and I could now gage his power to an extent.


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    I suddenly came to a realization.


    ¡°This is how Sherafina expresses others¡¯ strengths with numbers.¡±


    Understanding your power and understanding the target¡¯s power, setting absolute numerical values to express one¡¯s strengths. It was simpler than I imagined. Sherafina¡¯s ability to quantify my strength was shocking at first, but after fighting the dragon for several hours, I had also learned to do it.


    Still, Sherafina shortened this process to an absurdly short amount of time. She was truly an amazing existence.


    [That power of yours, I¡¯ve witnessed it well.]


    Though he didn¡¯t show his emotions, I could tell he was tired. His body was full of wounds from our drawn out fight, and his left wing waspletely tattered. Many of his silver colored scales had also been torn off and were now floating in the air.


    [But you don¡¯t quite live up to my expectation.]


    The scales suddenly began to change. In Greek mythology, there was a story where a prince sowed a dragon¡¯s teeth in the earth to make powerful warriors. Simrly, this dragon was imbuing mana into his scales and creating miniature dragons.


    [Let¡¯s finish this. I will take that power!]


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    I snorted. At the same time, Dortu received my mana and began to create numerous metallic mirrors in the air. It was my small fry elimination skill!


    ¡°You¡¯ve made a mistake.¡±


    [Hm...!?]


    In the next moment, the dragons created from his scales all became petrified. Dortu then transformed them into metal, and Peika imbued her lightning into them. All of this happened in the blink of an eye.


    I then shot everything towards the dragon.


    [Kuk!?]


    It seemed even he didn¡¯t expect this to happen. The dragon¡¯s blood shot up in the air as a countless number of metallic balls dug into his body and frazzled with lightning. I then took in the dragon¡¯s blood with Enigma¡¯s power.


    ¡°Attack!¡±


    [I am Dortu. Following Master¡¯smand.]


    Dortu¡¯s metallic mirrors absorbed the dragon¡¯s blood and began to shine. In the next moment, they transformed into crimson knives and hurled towards the dragon.


    [Kahak!]


    This was the first time I heard him scream. But my attack didn¡¯t end yet. Activating Death Collection, I poured out my overflowing death energy and summoned arge number of death swords.


    When I applied Enigma and death energy to everything, a terrifying amount of weaponsparable to the number of mana bullets the dragon previously created filled up the air.


    [You were hiding that power?]


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t hiding anything. You just couldn¡¯t detect it.¡±


    Enigma surged up. It wasn¡¯t something I received from someone, but something I created myself. Before I noticed, another ring of light appeared above my spinning halo.


    ¡°Now die!¡±


    The weapons all stabbed into the dragon. It seemed he nned to blink out, but I was holding him still with my spear. Flesh, blood, and bones burst out of his body. But instead of screaming, he shouted happily.


    [Right, you should have at least this much power! Now I¡¯m satisfied!]


    For the first time, I felt the cirction of his mana. However, this mana didn¡¯t just flow inside his body. It was resonating with something in this world and rising up explosively.


    Realizing where it wasing from, I looked up.


    Previously, I thought the dragon was covering the world¡¯s light, but that wasn¡¯t it. It was the dragon that was creating the light in the first ce.


    To be exact, what was endlessly shining was an absurdlyrge object.


    [But you are still unqualified! Since I can¡¯t be sure I can¡¯t defeat you, we¡¯ll just have to die together!]


    ¡°Are you crazy!?¡±


    This was the first time I was seeing something like it. A true meteor. Judging from its size, heat, and kic energy, it could very well destroy severals in our sr system.


    [Let¡¯s see if you can petrify this!]


    ¡°I can¡¯t petrify objects anyways!¡±


    While I worked my brain to think up a way to survive, the dragon retorted with a grin.


    [The dragons I created before weren¡¯t alive either, what nonsense are you talking about now?]


    ¡°What?¡±


    I immediately thought back to what happened. Indeed, the dragons he created from his scales only learned to move thanks to his mana. At best, they could be called artificial lives. They weren¡¯t truly alive. But at the time, I petrified them without much thought.


    Did I ovee this limit unknowingly while using Enigma?


    ¡°But still, I can¡¯t petrify that!¡±


    [Right, you can¡¯t. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll die together.]


    As I wasn¡¯t a dragon, I wasn¡¯t able to read his expression well, but I was sure he was feeling quite happy with himself.


    ¡°You bastard, you were nning on doing this from the start!¡±


    [Not from the start, but from when I realized I couldn¡¯t beat you.]


    ¡°Uaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡±


    I threw my spear at him. But it was impossible to kill him, when he¡¯s entirely given up on attacking me and was focusing on staying alive until the meteor killed us both.


    In the end, there was only one answer.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    I clenched my teeth. As I pulled my spear back, I closed my eyes.


    I stopped thinking about controlling Enigma, focusing all of my attention on a single point on the tip of my spear.


    [You don¡¯t have time to fool around!]


    ¡°I am Dortu. Master is focusing. Dortu will stop you.¡±


    Perhaps because he absorbed power from the metals I threw at the dragon, I could hear Dortu¡¯s voice with my ears rather than my mind. Has he materialized for the first time? I¡¯m curious! I want to look, but I can¡¯t!


    What I had to look was something else. The attack I seeded for the first time when I was showing Sumire. That miraculous attack which was the result of my talent for concentrating energy.


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    After gathering everything I could and concentrating them on the spear tip, I took a deep breath.


    Before I noticed, an intense heat was in front of me. I could tell without opening my eyes just how close the meteor hase.


    I shot my spear forward.


    The world became white.

 Chapter 340. Demon Lord (3)

    I opened my eyes.


    Countless pieces of rock were falling from the sky. With most of its boundless mana gone, it was descending to the groundless world without strength.


    [Shin, the dragon!]


    I seeded. For a moment, that was the only thing in my mind. But as the dragon charged towards me the moment the meteor was destroyed, I didn¡¯t have time to drown in a sense of achievement.


    Because I released most of the energy I had just now, I quickly gathered nearby mana and created a barrier around me. The slowly rising mana of Enigma added to its strength, yet the dragon opened its huge mouth seemingly unperturbed by the barrier.


    ¡°You crazy bastard! Really?¡±


    [Don¡¯t look down on dragons!]


    Like I expected from when he started approaching, he shot out a fire breath! Right in front of me! Not to mention, because his pressure magic was pushing me down, I could barely move an inch even with Divine Speed. With my mana not recovered yet, I couldn¡¯t utilize Steel¡¯s power either.


    ¡°I am Dortu. I will protect Master.¡±


    Someone jumped in front of me. It was Dortu! Now I knew for certain that he had materialized. He looked exactly like a knight, his entire body covered in a thick armor and holding arge shield with his hands.


    [Shin, mana, give me mana!]


    [Master, I¡¯ll help too! I need mana!]


    Ruyue and Sharana also flew in, doing what they can to help. Just like the two of them, Dortu had little to no mana. It was hard to say how long they couldst.


    Because of the close proximity of the dragon breath, it took even more mana tobat it. There was just no way to know how much mana we would need in total. Gritting my teeth, I shouted.


    ¡°Guys, dematerialize!¡±


    With my unyieldingmand, the elementals canceled their materialization and flew into my embrace. The dragon shouted while increasing the force of his breath to break the remaining barrier.


    [You don¡¯t want to sacrifice your elementals? At least you¡¯re kind!]


    ¡°Bullshit.¡±


    I gave him a middle finger. In any case, as long as the elementals weren¡¯t materialized, they wouldn¡¯t be injured by the breath. After letting out a breath of relief, I waited until the barrier shattered before using Shadow Blink and teleporting behind the dragon¡¯s neck.


    [What!?]


    ¡°You attacked me at a good time. I¡¯ll give you that.¡±


    I ced my spear on his thick neck and tapped on it as though I was praising him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a weak point or something?¡±


    [Kuoooooo!]


    It seemed he didn¡¯t. He twisted his neck as if he wanted to continue his breath, but because I was stuck to his neck, he would end up frying his body if he did so. Wait, he was still doing it!


    [Didn¡¯t I tell you? Let¡¯s die together!]


    ¡°You crazy...!¡±


    Using Divine Speed, I ran down along his neck. Changing my position along with where the breath wasing from, I meticulously ran circles around the dragon¡¯s neck. However funny it might look, I was dead serious. If his breath hit me, I knew I would die!


    Things were more serious than I imagined. His breath changed directions with impossible angles, as though it was a guided missile.


    [Kuoooooooooo!]


    ¡°Argh, too hot!¡±


    A dragon breath was nothing to scoff at. I could tell he was giving his all, as his neck and abdominal regions were burning from his own breath. There could be no hotter mes anywhere in the myriad worlds!


    In any case, what was important was that the dragon was also getting burned while I ran down his neck. Drawing Steel¡¯s power to the limit, I absorbed even the mana in the heat, but it was still excruciatingly hot.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to die, can¡¯t you just die peacefully...?¡±


    I gritted my teeth and held up my spear. Then, I squeezed out what little mana I had avable and squashed in onto the spear tip. Even though I was using Enigma, a transparent aura was faintly undting on the spear tip!


    Thinking I was getting the hang of this, I let out a small smile. Immediately afterward, I stabbed the spear into the dragon¡¯s neck. I slowed down abruptly, but knowing that the dragon breath would incinerate me if I stoppedpletely, I clenched my teeth and ran forward while keeping my spear cutting across his neck.


    [Kuk!]


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can continue that breath with your neck cut! Dortu, I¡¯ll leave it to you!¡±


    [I am Dortu. Spreading seeds.]


    The dragon¡¯s body was truly enormous. Not only was he the biggest enemy I¡¯ve faced, he also had the greatest amount of mana.


    Simply making a circle around his neck took me 12 seconds. Considering my speed, this was an extremely long time. Regardless, a clear red line was drawn around his neck. However, his breath hadn¡¯t stopped.


    [That¡¯s not enough.]


    ¡°It is.¡±


    I jumped up high. Without missing this opportunity, he turned towards me and shot his dragon breath straight towards me. However, I shouted first before the breath could reach me.


    ¡°Dortu!¡±


    [I am Dortu.]


    Along with Dortu¡¯s calm voice, a thunderous sound boomed out. Dortu had detonated the metal he nted in the dragon¡¯s neck. The shock from the explosion then caused the dragon breath to miss me.


    [Kahak!]


    I heard his scream once more. At that moment, the empty air suddenly exploded and injured my cheek. With that as the starting point, as though unseen bombs were nted in the air, series of explosions began to ur.


    A great flow of explosion that Steel couldn¡¯t do anything about! While I frantically gathered nearby mana in shock, Sharana shouted in a hurry.


    [Mana itself changed into an explosive! Be careful, Master!]


    ¡°What!?¡±


    The mana I absorbed into my body then exploded. After coughing out a mouthful of blood, I gritted my teeth.


    ¡°He really is full of all sorts of tricks!¡±


    But as long as I knew about it, I wouldn¡¯t fall for it a second time. The dragon couldn¡¯t wield Enigma, but I could convert mana into Enigma. I reached out with my hands and began to convert mana into Enigma. Consequently, the nearby mana stopped exploding. I could safely absorb them and recover my mana.


    [Kuoooooooooo!]


    However, the dragon was continuing. Was he trying to copy what I did? A terrifying amount of mana gathered together and formed giant des. Several tens of them! I looked at the closet de shing down towards me and reached towards it with my hands.


    ¡°Haaaaaaap!¡±


    The moment I touched the de, I activated Extort with all my strength. The de flung back into the air as though it hit a hard wall, and before itpletely left my field of view, I grabbed the center of the de with my injured hand and swung it horizontally, destroying all the other des.


    Then, I aimed the sword at the dragon.


    Dortu¡¯s explosives seemed to have worked, as blood was pouring down from his neck. Of course, as I knew the absurd regenerative power of a dragon, it didn¡¯t surprise me when I saw his deep wounds recovering. However, it wasn¡¯t toote.


    [How persistent!]


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to say!¡±


    The de made of half-transparent mana was dyed in grey. The entirety of the huge de was being converted into Enigma.


    If I couldn¡¯t wield Enigma properly, I would have died to the dragon long ago. I couldn¡¯t be more thankful for the halo spinning on my horn. Without it, I wouldn¡¯t have realized I could wield Enigma with my own power.


    ¡°Huuuuuu...!¡±


    The tattoos engraved in my body all began to glow. My mana filled up, and my arms and legs grew stronger.


    The tattoos slowly melted into my body. In the end, they were mana refined by Sherafina. Now that I learned how to control them, they were returning to their original form.


    I could feel myself emitting a brilliant light. The mana de grewrger as it sucked in more and more mana. Even some of the magic the dragon used was sucked into it.


    [I am Dortu. Starting reinforcement.]


    It seemed not even Dortu could transform this giant mana de into a metal. His power only drew a thin line of metal along the de¡¯s edge. At that moment, the dragon shouted.


    [A spear user wants to finish me with a sword?]


    ¡°Who cares?¡±


    Without a moment of hesitation, I swung the de down. The de fell as though to sever the world in half, and although the dragon let out a final dragon breath against it, the de absorbed even the dragon¡¯s breath.


    It was only then that I realized what Dortu meant by reinforcement. The metal he added to the de was what he created from absorbing the dragon breath¡¯s heat. That¡¯s why it could cut through the dragon breath!


    Until the end, the dragon used all sorts of magic in disbelief of what was happening, but the de absorbed them all and finally severed the dragon¡¯s neck.


    Seeing the dragon¡¯s head separate from its body, I snorted.


    ¡°What matters is that you won, not how you won!¡±


    Then, the dragon¡¯s body began to shine.


    [I¡¯m satisfied.]


    ¡°... God damn it.¡±


    I cursed softly.


    ¡°Is not dying some new fad? Aren¡¯t you a living being? How are you alive with a severed head?¡±


    [If it¡¯s you, you can do it. I will entrust myself to you.]


    ¡°Entrust what? I don¡¯t want it, go away.¡±


    [I¡¯m going to start. I can keep us hidden for six months. Do what you can to obtain my everything.]


    The dragon¡¯s voice rang out. I then realized that this was a magic. It was prepared the moment I entered the 95th floor, set to trigger when I killed him!


    It was an extremely simple magic.


    [A dragon¡¯s power, will you be able to contain it, human?]


    ¡°Shut it. I¡¯m not even a human anymore.¡±


    Grumbling in a low voice, I closed my eyes seeing the dragon¡¯s body flying towards me as particles of light.


    One monthter, when I finally left the dungeon...


    A single dungeon had appeared on Earth.

 Chapter 341. Demon Lord (4)

    I saw it the moment I came back to Earth. It was hard to miss something so big flying in the sky. How big was it? You could most likely see it no matter where you were on Earth.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    I immediately got a headache. When I first awakened as an elementalist, I saw a dream. This dungeon looked exactly like the dungeon I saw back then.


    In that dream, the sky was reddish ck, the sun couldn¡¯t shine down on earth... and countless number of people had died in the dungeon. If I remember correctly, Father and I talked before entering the dungeon...


    ¡°O-Oppa.¡±


    Turning around, I saw Yua walking in through the door.


    ¡°Yua.¡±


    ¡°It really is Oppa...¡±


    Yua murmured seemingly in disbelief. Luna wasn¡¯t in her arms.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Luna?¡±


    ¡°Luna grew up. I can¡¯t carry her around anymore.¡±


    ¡°In just one month?¡±


    ¡°A lot happened. Follow me. Many people have been worried sick about Oppa.¡±


    We were seeing each other for the first time in a month, but Yua was acting strangely calm and collected. I thought only a month passed, but did ten years somehow go by? I was filled with all sorts of thoughts, but I decided to be content with seeing Yua safe and sound.


    As we came out through the door, Yua spoke in a soft voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe, Oppa. I was worried so much.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s almost over too.¡±


    With that, I made a bitter smile. Yua looked a little surprised as she looked up at my face, but she soon nodded and smiled.


    ¡°I trust you.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°But is Oppa¡¯s confidenceing from that strangely shaped horn? Ah, you have two of them now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind the horn, hahahaha.¡±


    Rubbing the two horns curving up on my forehead, I smiled sweetly.


    ¡°Shin! Where were you until...¡±


    Hwaya, who was looking at a projection screen on the wall, shouted the moment she saw me entering with Yua before stumping down on her seat.


    With her eyes trembling and tearing up, she spoke as she red at me.


    ¡°I feel like I lost 30 years of my lifespan worrying about you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°... What about now? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Whew... Hic.¡±


    Seeing Hwaya break out into tears, I softly stroked her head. Hwaya then let out what she had been holding in for the past month.


    ¡°It was so hard by myself. Everyone only listens to you. It was so sad and annoying at the same time, I...¡±


    ¡°You did well. I won¡¯t suddenly cut off contact again, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Hwaya pouted and rebutted.


    ¡°You said you¡¯d always be by my side before you disappeared.¡±


    ¡°But for real this time!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I pinky swear.¡±


    Though I didn¡¯t have much choice, since I had left everything to Hwaya for a month, she deserved some praise andfort. Just looking at her, I could see she was on the verge of copsing.


    She might have looked fine to others, but I knew how troubled she must have been.


    ¡°Thanks, Hwaya. I¡¯ll take care of everything now so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Un...¡±


    ¡°Uuuu, I, I have to endure it...¡±


    It seemed Yua was feeling great pain from my intimacy with Hwaya. There were many things I wanted to say, but I decided to wait untilter.


    Looking up, I happened to see the screen Hwaya was looking at.


    Then, I froze.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Areas that underwentnd transmittance. Look at the areas in red.¡±


    ¡°But this is...¡±


    ¡°Well... That¡¯s how it is.¡±


    Hwaya spoke rather calmly. I pointed at Jongno, where our guild house was located, and asked.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there an Event Dungeon here before?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that Event Dungeon had monsters, not demons.¡±


    I immediately felt a chill go down my back. I had understood what she meant.


    ¡°Then...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shin. It¡¯s not your fault. We were all fooled.¡±


    Although Hwaya seemed calm about it, I couldn¡¯t calm down at all. We had made a critical miscalction.


    Thinking about it now, the previousnd transmittances had only been between the Luka continent and Earth. But we included Event Dungeon areas from the monsters¡¯ world into our safe zones. We didn¡¯t even stop to think.


    Why? Why didn¡¯t I think of it? Why did I assume the Luka continent and the monsters¡¯ continent operated under the same rules?


    I knew the answer. It was because the demons¡¯ Event Dungeons had never ovepped with the monsters¡¯ Event Dungeons. As a result, we concluded that thend transmittance would follow the same rule.


    But that had been a trap. The demons might have even nned their invasion paths to be that way for this moment. When I thought of it like that, the hair on my body stood on ends.


    We were yed for a fool. We thought we were prepared, but that was arrogance. The Demon Lord and the demons hadpletely tricked us.


    I asked solemnly.


    ¡°... How many died?¡±


    ¡°2.3 billion.¡±


    Seeing my expression stiffen, Hwaya added.


    ¡°It all happened in an instant. Land transmittances in areas that we believed were safe zones... My heart dropped when I heard the news.¡±


    ¡°What about now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been taken care of. It happened about a week after you disappeared. Almost as if they knew you weren¡¯t here.¡±


    Hwaya¡¯s expression darkened as she recollected the past few weeks.


    ¡°None of Revival¡¯s members died. yda and Ludia made sure everyone survived... That¡¯s why people resent us more.¡±


    ¡°Resent? It¡¯s not like we wanted other people to die! How can they resent us just because Revival members didn¡¯t die!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because we didn¡¯t die against those strong and fearsome demons. Countless number of ordinary people died... but we didn¡¯t.¡±


    I could imagine how hard Revival¡¯s members worked to protect others. But people were resenting us because none of us died? The absurdity of the situation left me speechless.


    At that moment, the door opened. Ludia quietly walked in.


    ¡°Sorry, I only nned to listen in... But I couldn¡¯t calm down until I saw you with my own eyes.¡±


    Ludia looked just as exhausted as Hwaya. I then remembered they were on the same shift. Ludia quickly approached me and closed her eyes as she held me. After the energy she released covered me, she got off with a satisfied expression.


    ¡°Great, you¡¯re not hurt...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I nned on seeing everyone after talking to Hwaya...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand.¡±


    Ludia didn¡¯t seem to mind it too much, as she turned towards Hwaya and spoke.


    ¡°You forgot something important.¡±


    ¡°Something important?¡±


    Ludia nodded her head.


    ¡°That Shin is seen as separate from Revival.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m Revival¡¯s master.¡±


    ¡°This disaster happened when you were gone. People are saying this wouldn¡¯t have happened if you were here.¡±


    I understood what Ludia was saying, but I was still dumbfounded.


    ¡°What kind of a nonsense is that? Nothing would have changed even if I was here.¡±


    Without replying, Ludia put up another video on the screen. It was a live news coverage.


    [The voices of condemnation against Revival is bing louder and louder. Many are supporting the theory that Revival¡¯s members have plotted against Kang Shin, who has not appeared for the past month. Revival¡¯s spokesperson, Miss Hwaya Mastiford...]


    Hwaya sighed.


    ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t say anything. I was afraid you¡¯d get angrier.¡±


    ¡°I am angry.¡±


    ¡°See.¡±


    ¡°Since when did you be a spokesperson? Aren¡¯t you the vice-guild master?¡±


    ¡°People don¡¯t care about it.¡±


    Hwaya spoke bluntly.


    ¡°To them, Revival is Kang Shin and Kang Shin is Revival. Without you, Revival is nothing more than a militant group that can¡¯t be controlled.¡±


    ¡°... The timing was too perfect.¡±


    Ludia said with a shrug.


    ¡°At first, we ignored it and thought it would go away, but the voices became louder at a speed we can¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°To the people, you were no different than God. It became worse over the past month, practically to the point of blind worship... And we were the devils that killed God.¡±


    I pressed my forehead. I began to understand Yua¡¯s strange calmness and Hwaya¡¯s frustration. Even I wanted to cry.


    ¡°Damn, why now...¡±


    I thought to the month I spent absorbing the dragon¡¯s power. It was a necessary time to grow my strengths and reaffirm what I learned about my halo and Enigma.


    But during this time, the demons made a frontal assault as though they knew about my situation. Revival¡¯s members managed to stop them, but it couldn¡¯t be called sessful by any means.


    A third of humanity had died. It was hard to say whether the world could go on the way it was.


    ¡°The demons must have taken a catastrophic damage too. What they did wasn¡¯t what invaders would do. They were practically on a suicide mission!¡±


    Or maybe, they didn¡¯t care about the number of casualties.


    After thinking that far, I raised my head.


    I looked at the entrance to the dungeon in the sky.


    ¡°Has anyone entered that dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Not if you were here, Shin.¡±


    Hearing Hwaya¡¯s words, I shut my eyes. Ludia added to the exnation.


    ¡°No matter how many demons we killed, people wouldn¡¯t believe us. Almost like they were being controlled, they hated us and cried out your name. We were certain the Demon Lord was in that dungeon, but we didn¡¯t have the confidence to go in without you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I would have been furious if you went in without me.¡±


    ¡°... But other people didn¡¯t listen to us.¡±


    I mmed my fist down on the table.


    Ciara¡¯s prophecy wasing true.


    Even after devouring the blood of countless number of ability users, the dungeon in the sky seemed hungry for more, spreading blood red light across the entire world.

 Chapter 342. Demon Lord (5)

    ¡°The Demon Lord is indeed in there.¡±


    After flying to the aerial dungeon, I immediately recognized the energy inside it.


    I had met the Demon Lord in the Luka continent. What I felt from him back then matched the energy I felt in the dungeon.


    ¡°But Shin, what are you going to do? Thend transmittance isn¡¯t over yet.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    I looked down on the ground. Even if everyone went a bit insane from the continued cmities, I couldn¡¯t just leave them to die.


    In truth, I didn¡¯t really care what other people did or what they called me. I was only annoyed because they were targeting other member of Revival.


    I was protecting humanity because I could. If people important to me had to get hurt or killed, I would abandon humanity without hesitation. That was one thing I never changed my mind about.


    So from now, we wouldn¡¯t move separately. Of course, only a few of the strongest members would enter the Demon Lord¡¯s dungeon, so I had to think of a solution for the members who would stay behind in case powerful demons remaining in the Luka continent crossed over while we were gone.


    ¡°... Right, I can just deal with them first.¡±


    I pped my hands at my sudden insight.


    ¡°Hwaya, can you show me the areas thatnd transmittance hasn¡¯t happened in?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Areas thatnd transmittance hasn¡¯t urred, in other words, these were the areas that demons coulde to from now. Picturing the terrain of the Luka continent in my head, I nodded.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll need one hours and thirty minutes in the worst case. That should be quick enough.¡±


    ¡°Shin, what are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Wait, Hwaya, is Ina in Beyond?¡±


    ¡°No, she should be in the First Dungeon. Why?¡±


    ¡°I want you and Ina to support me with mana. There¡¯s something I want to do before I go into the Demon Lord¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    ¡°... You need more mana on top of that absurd amount you already have?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t use all of my mana right now, so I need your help.¡±


    Hwaya tilted her head, but realizing that I made my decision, she nodded and messaged Ina.


    Ina immediately ran out of the dungeon and flew up to us. Ina had grown immensely in the past month. The moment she left the dungeon, I could feel the colossal amount of mana she carried.


    Of course, I had called her precisely because I expected to have grown this much, but it was still surprisingly nheless. Solely in terms of quantity of mana, she might surpass Hwaya and Daisy. It was truly shocking, especially considering she was only 10 years old.


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m back, Ina.¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    Ina smiled sweetly and charged towards me. This charge was strong enough to injure even the Beast King, but I easily received Ina into my embrace.


    Ina sniffed my scent like a dog before digging her head into my chest.


    ¡°It really is Daddy! Where were you? Ina wanted to see you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the real Daddy. Sorry for beingte, Ina.¡±


    Seeing Ina acting spoiled like Hwaya did, I smirked as I patted her. Hwaya looked at us with aplicated expression before asking Ina.


    ¡°Who do you like more, Ina? Daddy or Mommy?¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Well if you ask that now, of course she¡¯d say it¡¯s me...


    After spoiling Ina a bit more, I asked.


    ¡°Ina, Daddy has something he needs to do. Can you help me with your mana?¡±


    ¡°Un! I have lots of mana! I can give lots to Daddy!¡±


    Ina seemed happy to be of help, shouting joyfully as she flew around the sky. Seeing her so cheerful after what she must have gone through in the past month put a smile on my face.


    ¡°Should we start now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ina and Hwaya ced their hands on my hand. As I received their hot and cold mana, I released my own mana andbined them into a single ball. In just a few seconds, close to two million points of mana agglomerated in the air.


    ¡°This is enough.¡±


    I held the ball in on hand. In the next instant, a halo shot up on each of my two horns and began to spin. I held up the ball of mana and threw it at the dungeon in front of me.


    ¡°Stay put for just two hours!¡±


    My words became the trigger for a magic spell. From the ball of mana I threw, tinum colored chains shot out and coiled around the huge dungeon. Hwaya seemed to have felt something from my spell.


    ¡°Shin, you...¡±


    ¡°For the next two hours, not even Sherafina will be able to undo those chains. Of course, that means the Demon Lord also won¡¯t be able to.¡±


    ¡°... Just where were you for the past month?¡±


    ¡°Just like how my enemies know about the dungeon, I simply studied for a bit.¡±


    I gave a light reply as I watched the chainspletely encase the dungeon. At that moment, a ck ripple spread across the chains and a deep voice rang out.


    [Huhu... Hero, you¡ª]


    ¡°Shut it.¡±


    I waved my hand and added more mana. The voice was cut off and the dungeon fell silent. Now, no one would be able to enter or leave the dungeon.


    The Demon Lord used the dungeon¡¯s power for himself to perform this cute trick. This is what he gets for not expecting that someone else could do the same.


    ¡°But Shin, if the Demon Lord could havee whenever he wanted... Why didn¡¯t he when you weren¡¯t here?¡±


    ¡°Right now, Kain is in Earth. Just Kain might not have deterred him, but he didn¡¯t know exactly when I woulde back, so he used his subordinates to test the waters.¡±


    I was certain. The Demon Lord knew that Earth had someone on the same level as my old self. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have encaged himself in a dungeon.


    ¡°Ah... You mean...¡±


    ¡°There can only be one reason that he brought over a dungeon when he could havee through and transmittance. It¡¯s because he didn¡¯t want to fight me and Kain at the same time. The dungeon he¡¯s in right now has an entrance limit. Kain and I can never enter together. At best, only me and two other Revival members would be able to go in. The one who created this dungeon isn¡¯t Sherafina, but the Demon Lord. The Demon Lordpletely discovered the dungeon¡¯s mechanism.¡±


    ¡°... Then what was the point of us climbing the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be here if we didn¡¯t.¡±


    I gave a simple rebuttal. Hwaya immediately acquiesced and nodded.


    ¡°Right, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand next to Shin if I didn¡¯t climb the dungeon. Huhu, if I think about it like that, I¡¯m quite thankful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant...¡±


    I replied with a sigh. But of course, I knew Hwaya understood what I really meant.


    ¡°Anyways, once I carry out what I¡¯m nning, the Demon Lord will notice it and try to leave the dungeon. Until now, he didn¡¯t know when I would being back, but now, he would know for sure.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I n on going to the Luka continent.¡±


    Hwaya understood what I meant.


    ¡°And the demons in the Luka continent would be able to contact the Demon Lord.¡±


    ¡°Right. So once the Demon Lord knows I can¡¯te back to Earth, he¡¯ll try to kill Kain. But since I closed the dungeon, he won¡¯t be able to for the next two hours.¡±


    ¡°Shin, are you trying to do what I think you¡¯re trying to do...?¡±


    I replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to sweep the Luka continent.¡±


    ¡°... Alone?¡±


    ¡°Alone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get angry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. The Demon Lord is here, so no one in the Luka continent can be my match.¡±


    Hwaya became lost for words at my confident tone. Just when I thought she¡¯d stay silent, she blurted out.


    ¡°Shin, you¡¯re super cocky now.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°But also really cool.¡±


    ¡°I know that too.¡±


    I grinned at her and continued my words.


    ¡°The monster continent might move too. That¡¯s why I¡¯m leaving you on Earth. We already took a massive blow because of their tricks, we don¡¯t know what the monsters would do while we¡¯re focusing on the demons. So stay on guard.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t their Five Kings die?¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s a monster above them. We don¡¯t know if the Five Kings were the only powerful monsters, so please, I feel like they¡¯ll do something.¡±


    ¡°... Will you be fine on your own?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    After confirming that the dungeon was sealed tightly, I contacted Kain.


    ¡°It¡¯s Kang Shin. Kain, I¡¯m going to leave Earth for a bit. Please be on standby.¡±


    [You¡¯re back. Did you get stronger?]


    ¡°Yes... I¡¯ll finish everything before the day ends.¡±


    [Huhu, I like how straightforward you are. Good. I¡¯lle soon.]


    Soon after Kain¡¯s reply, a tremendous energy descended above our guild house. It was Kain. Feeling his mana, I nodded in satisfaction and contacted others.


    ¡°Leon.¡±


    [Hey! You¡¯re safe!]


    ¡°Where are you now?¡±


    [In the First Dungeon! I¡¯m on the 91st floor!]


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to climb the dungeon anymore. Come back to Earth. There¡¯s something I need you to do.¡±


    [Just say the words!]


    I told Leon my request.


    [... Is that okay?]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the consequences and just do it. You should be able to, right?¡±


    [I can, but...]


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the subi support you.¡±


    [Understood.]


    Leon also began to move. Good, with this, I made all the preparations I could.


    Before I left, I entered the dungeon for thest time and went to Resting ce of the Angels. I came to get Plene, but surprisingly, both Lotte and Licorice were there too.


    ¡°Lotte, Licorice!¡±


    ¡°H-Hero. I knew you were safe.¡±


    Lotte rubbed her eyes the moment she saw me and greeted me cheerfully. I grinned and stroked her head.


    I then turned towards Licorice. For some reason, it didn¡¯t feel like I haven¡¯t seen her in a while even if she looked different after her awakening as the empress.


    ¡°Dear Husband, did youe to take Plene?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Licorice, I¡¯ll leave Earth to you. Help Leon.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I already know everything.¡±


    Indeed, Licorice knew everything on my mind. I didn¡¯t know exactly when it happened, but Licorice and I came to share a consciousness just like she did with the other subi.


    It was around the time I finished absorbing the dragon¡¯s power. I suddenly knew that Licoricepleted her awakening as an empress and realized that a new link between us was made. This link wouldn¡¯t be blocked or severed no matter what or who was interfering.


    Licorice had gotten stronger, and as we could transfer our thoughts to each other, she was someone I needed by my side.


    ¡°Little bat... How foul.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, this is the difference between our Leagues!¡±


    Despite Lotte getting stronger, the two of them stayed the same. I grinned once again and patted Lotte one more time.


    ¡°Please, Lotte. Wait with Licorice for just two hours. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Plene. I need your help.¡±


    ¡°Un!¡±


    I brought Plene and used my version of Dimensional Travel.


    When Dimensional Travelpleted sessfully, Plene and I found ourselves in the ce where we used Return to go back to Earth in the past.


    And this ce was surrounded by demons, as if someone had told them I would being. When they saw me, they seemed frightened out of their minds. It was rather funny.


    ¡°Damn it, the Hero really...!¡±


    ¡°Run! We need to live!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all dead, we¡¯re screwed!¡±


    ¡°No, please...!¡±


    They were acting like the end of the world was upon them. I couldn¡¯t me them. There was no way they couldn¡¯t feel my magic power.


    I spoke.


    ¡°You might be able to kill ordinary people, but you won¡¯t be able to kill me. You could have lived peacefully in Luka continent without invading another world, but that¡¯s not what you did. I will no longer let you be.¡±


    I raised my hand into the sky.


    [I am Dortu. Creating a mirror.]


    Dortu¡¯s power activated, and a giant metallic mirror appeared in the air. I looked up. The power of my eyes dyed the mirror, and in an instant, the light reflected off the mirror covered more than 10% of the entire continent.


    I have arrived.¡±

 Chapter 343. Demon Lord (6)

    No one had the time nor the ease of mind to say a word.


    In the next moment, every single demon under the mirror¡¯s light disappeared into dust. In just an instant, ten percent of the continent had been annihted.


    ¡°Huu... That took a toll.¡±


    I summoned Sharana and calmed the blowing sandstorm. Absorbing the demons¡¯ mana, I replenished my own. As I swallowed an entire dragon whole, I wouldn¡¯t need to worry about running out of mana, but it was still good to replenish my mana when I could.


    ¡°Wow, amazing!¡±


    Seeing hundreds of thousands of demons dying in the blink of an eye, Plene pped in excitement. I couldn¡¯t tell whether she was innocent or ignorant.


    ¡°But Shin, is there anything for me to do?¡±


    Plene looked around the empty field and tilted her head.


    ¡°Your power is very important. You can draw out the demons that are hiding.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true but... I¡¯m weak.¡±


    Plene replied with a sullen face. While she was strong in her own way, she was the weak onepared to Lotte or Licorice. She simply wasn¡¯t apetition starting from her mana pool.


    ¡°No, your ability is just as important as Lotte¡¯s or Licorice¡¯s. It¡¯s exactly what I need now too.¡±


    ¡°Will I be able to do it?¡±


    ¡°You can if I help you.¡±


    Plene widened her eyes. I ced a hand on Plene¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Sing, Plene. Just think about bringing all demons here.¡±


    ¡°U, Un! I¡¯ll try! I feel like I can do it!¡±


    As she had an obedient personality, she immediately began to sing when I ordered her. At that moment, my horns shone with a fierce light. Plene continued to sing as though she was oblivious. Meanwhile, her song was spreading out faster and wider.


    It took less than ten minutes for a change to ur.


    ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    ¡°M-Moon... Giant moon...!¡±


    I could hear the voices of demons from far, far away. Soon, I could see a sandstorm blowing in the horizon.


    Demons specializing in movement techniques were the first to enter my sight, while demons that could fly were the next to shoot towards us in lightning speed.


    However, what they faced was nothing but the end.


    The ones that managed to let out a scream were the powerful ones that could resist my charm. But most others simply turned to dust the moment they came under the effect of the mirror. Even with other demons dying in front of them, demons continued to flock towards us like how moths flocked to a me. They were already unable to think clearly.


    As she continued to sing, Plene widened her eyes as though she couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. When she looked at me disbelievingly, I gave her a smile and gestured her to go on. The golden light my horns were emitting were getting stronger and stronger.


    ¡°I¡¯m letting you borrow my charm.¡±


    ¡°Lla~!¡±


    ¡®Amazing!¡¯ She seemed to say.


    ¡°So don¡¯t worry about anything and continue singing. It shouldn¡¯t take longer than an hour.¡±


    ¡°Ll~!¡±


    ¡®This much is a piece of cake!¡¯ She seemed to say. It was my one-sided interpretation, but that was probably okay.


    As time passed, more and more demons flocked towards us before turning to dust. Consequently, arge amount of mana began to fill the area. I continued to absorb them as I erged the size of the mirror.


    Eventually, the mirror became too big to be captured in my sight, and the amplified power of my eyes seemed to turn even the flow of air slow.


    Of course, as Plene¡¯s song wasn¡¯t targeted by my Evil Eyes, I didn¡¯t need to worry about the song spreading slower. Plene¡¯s song spread out as if to cover the entire continent. It would have been nice to close my eyes and appreciate her beautiful voice, but sadly, I had to keep my eyes open to use the Evil Eyes¡¯ power. With a smirk, I added more power to the mirror.


    ¡°Dortu, let¡¯s wrap it up.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Understood.]


    The giant mirror rumbled. A crack ran down its center, and the mirror began to split. Uncountably many mirror fragments were created, which then quickly flew to their position as though to form a constetion.


    ¡°Pretty.¡±


    Plene, who finished singing, looked up at the sparkling mirror fragments in awe. I spoke as I nodded.


    ¡°It won¡¯t look that way to the demons.¡±


    A giant mirror might look better on the surface, but many smaller mirrors were actually better for spreading the Evil Eyes¡¯ power.


    In just a few minutes, the gxy of mirror fragments killed the continent¡¯s remaining demons.


    ¡°Well done, Plene. We¡¯re done now.¡±


    ¡°Relly? Hehe, that¡¯s great! I wish my charm would grow too.¡±


    ¡°It will in the future. Anyways, let¡¯s take care of onest thing and go back.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Plene tilted her head adorably, but I only made a small smile in reply.


    However, not long afterwards, a man appeared in the air. A demon with a long horn. The magic power in his body was undoubtedly of the highest ss.


    Just like the Army Commander I faced on Earth, this demon was most likely the strongest demon in this continent apart from the Demon Lord.


    ¡°You¡¯rete.¡±


    ¡°I am...!¡±


    He gritted his teeth, and I made a sly smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so mad. You were just weaker than me, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I immediately set out when I heard the news from the Demon Lord...!¡±


    ¡°Haha, you see, that giant mirror didn¡¯t just carry my Evil Eyes¡¯ power.¡±


    Magic power began to surge from the demon¡¯s body. He spread open his bat-like wings and shouted furiously.


    ¡°That giant mirror, it was a magic circle to trick me!¡±


    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t just you. It was just a little illusion magic to prevent you and other demons who could withstand my Evil Eyes from finding me.¡±


    When I broke the giant mirror, the illusion magic naturally disappeared. I assumed there would be at least five demons who survived, but it seemed the enraged demon in front of me was the only one who could withstand my Evil Eyes.


    ¡°Causing a mess here won¡¯t change anything! Earth will be conquered!¡±


    ¡°But did you know that all the demons that came to Earth have been wiped out?¡±


    I waved my hand in the air. The mirror fragments filling up the sky moved along the path of my hand.


    It was as if I was drawing the night sky, almost like a god.


    Seeing that, I spoke in a leisure way.


    ¡°It¡¯s just you and the Demon Lord now.¡±


    ¡°Y-You devil...!¡±


    ¡°Oh please.¡±


    I snorted.


    ¡°You guys were the ones who came after us first.¡±


    ¡°You think we¡¯re different!? No! Just because we had our world¡¯s power taken away, you called us invaders!¡±


    ¡°But you started to look for other worlds after conquering Luka continent. Luka continent¡¯s world power... It didn¡¯t disappear, right? The Demon Lord still has it, doesn¡¯t he? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to deny it, when I know new demons have been born.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer. I shrugged.


    ¡°But still, I¡¯ll admit that you guys were the same in the beginning. But you got a twisted start. I¡¯ll correct it now, so something like that won¡¯t happen again. Of course, you¡¯ll still die.¡±


    ¡°Arrogant...! You¡¯ll correct it? That¡¯s what the Demon Lord seeks to do! To im everything and correct the twisted worlds! You speak just like the Demon Lord!¡±


    ¡°The Demon Lord is wrong, and I¡¯m different than him.¡±


    I retorted coldly. Comparing me with the Demon Lord? Absurd.


    This demon was ignorant. Of course, being ignorant wasn¡¯t a sin. He might not have had the chance to find out. It wasn¡¯t right to fault him for that.


    However, it also wasn¡¯t deserving of praise. As I didn¡¯t n on exining everything to him, I prepared myself to hear his final words.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Demon Lord have a weakness or something? You know, don¡¯t viins betray their leaders when they¡¯re about to die?¡±


    ¡°Kill me. I will curse you with all my power! You will carry a curse that not even the Demon Lord can shake off! You will never seed! This nightmare that reigns over us will continue infinitely without end!¡±


    As he shouted at the top of his lungs, blood was pouring down from his orifices. It seemed he really was casting some sort of a curse. However, I simply snorted at the grotesque sight.


    ¡°Sorry to tell you...¡±


    I pointed my index finger towards him. The mirror fragments all shot towards him.


    ¡°But I¡¯m immune to curses.¡±


    He widened his eyes. In the next moment, he was swallowed by the flood of metal.


    Just a few secondster, the mirror fragments returned to their position following the flickering of my finger. Nothing remained in the demon¡¯s ce, and only the small number of bloodied fragments served as a proof that he ever lived.


    ¡°Alright, Plene. Let¡¯s go back. We¡¯re done now.¡±


    ¡°Wooow, you¡¯re amazing, Shin! So cool!¡±


    Plene¡¯s sparkly eyes lit up even more. I patted her head, as I told myself to not let Ina see such a sight.


    When I returned to Earth, everything was still the way it was. Truthfully, I was worried that another fifty percent of humanity might have been wiped out, but thankfully, it was just my imagination.


    That said, it seemed the monster continent really attacked. I could tell what happened when I saw the golden spear in Kain¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Something happened.¡±


    ¡°Just a light exercise.¡±


    If he had to take out a god¡¯s power, it had to be an intense exercise. It seemed Kain liked to act aloof. Thinking he wasn¡¯t a bad person, I asked.


    ¡°Is it over?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Earth will meet its own oue.¡±


    Kain spoke in a low voice.


    ¡°So start now.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Before I noticed, other guild members flew over. No one was in the dungeon.


    Hwaya, Daisy, Lebuik, Father, Ye-Eun, Ren, Ludia, Shuna, Ina, Yua, Sumire, Walker, Michel, yda... Other than Sophie, who couldn¡¯t participate in fights because of her pregnancy, Leon, who was given an important task, and Licorice and Lotte who were helping Leon, everyone was present.


    ¡°Good work everyone.¡±


    I started off in a casual tone.


    ¡°Today, everything will end. Celebration can wait until it¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re not taking everyone, right?¡±


    Ye-Eun asked carefully. I nodded.


    ¡°I can¡¯t break the Demon Lord¡¯s dungeon, so only me and three others will go in. Magicians whose magic power is lower than the Demon Lord won¡¯t be effective against him, so I¡¯ll take those who can fight in close range. First, Father.¡±


    Including the Demon Lord, demons had a higher affinity to magicalbat than physicalbat. Hwaya and Ina were catastrophic to other demons, but their power shouldn¡¯t be effective against the Demon Lord.


    Hearing my words, Father raised his spear happily.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re respecting your father.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only father who¡¯d think that way when being taken to such a dangerous ce. Next, Ye-Eun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡±


    Ye-Eun had a god¡¯s true name. I couldn¡¯t leave her out. Fighting the Demon Lord. In front of such dangerous task, Ye-Eun¡¯s eyes only reflected enthusiasm. She couldn¡¯t be more reliable.


    ¡°Finally, Sumire.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim! I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    Sumire shouted valiantly. Kain looked at me as though he couldn¡¯t understand what I was thinking.


    ¡°There¡¯s one too many. I don¡¯t think that dungeon will allow more than three people to go in.¡±


    ¡°I put my hands on it before. When those chainse off, the gap in the dungeon will widen slightly. It¡¯ll be enough for four people to go in. Though, you won¡¯t be able to.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, what a shame. I would have liked to see his face.¡±


    I smiled at Kain¡¯s leisurely reply.


    ¡°You have something to do too. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    Then, next...


    I looked up at the sky. It was time. The chains binding the dungeon blew off, and the darkness trapped within began to fill up the sky.


    The sky turned ck.


    Under the artificial sky without a single stream of light, the dungeon opened its mouth as though to swallow more challengers.


    From inside, I could still hear the screams of despair and smell the scent of blood.


    ¡°Son, are you ready?¡±


    Holding a three meter long spear, Father turned towards me.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I retorted lightly. I needlessly inspected my equipment.


    Steel was covering my body as always. In my hand was the tinum spear that could pierce through anything, one that wouldn¡¯t lose to a god¡¯s divine armament.


    Also.


    ¡°Sharana, Ruyue, Peika, Dortu.¡±


    [I¡¯m ready, Master!]


    [Me too, me too! I¡¯m ready to show off my power!]


    [Huhu, with Master¡¯s power, such a boring dungeon will be a piece of cake.]


    [I am Dortu. Following Master¡¯smand.]


    With them by my side, I wasn¡¯t afraid of anything. Thinking that to myself, I gave them a confident smile. They also answered with a bright smile.


    I can do it.


    An abundant confidence filled me up.


    I pointed my spear at the entrance of the dungeon.


    ¡°We¡¯re going in!¡±

 Chapter 344. Demon Lord (7)

    The dungeon reeked of blood. Just how many ability users died that the smell of blood irritates me this much?


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°The dungeon¡¯s power...¡±


    Sumire and Ye-Eun seemed taken aback. I expected as much. While this ce was more or less an Event Dungeon, it alsopletely rejected the dungeon¡¯s power. To be exact, this space rejected Sherafina¡¯s power. After losing the power they had for such a long time, it wasn¡¯t surprising for them to be shocked.


    ¡°Uuuu, I expected to lose the dungeon¡¯s power, but I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d feel this weak.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve experienced it before but I just can¡¯t get used to it.¡±


    I nced at mypanions.


    ¡°Prepare your gods¡¯ power.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one, Son.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re strong without it, Father.¡±


    Father seeded in taking a step into the realm outside the dungeon, and he didn¡¯t lose to anyone in his mana control. Perhaps because of it, he seemed less affected than Ye-Eun or Sumire.


    Knowing that, I retorted curtly as I drew up my true god names¡¯ power. An invisible something descended on my spear and a pair of wings sprouted up on my back.


    [Ho.]


    A man¡¯s voice rang out.


    [So this is your power, Earth¡¯s Hero. Interesting. Truly interesting.]


    It was the Demon Lord¡¯s voice. Oddly, I couldn¡¯t grasp his presence in the slightest.


    I slowly looked around. The first thing that caught my attention was the blue moon shining down on us from above. The next to catch my attention was a river of blood shining under the moonlight.


    [It hasn¡¯t been long since then, but you sure changed a lot.]


    In the blink of an eye, the number of presence increased. I should have killed all demons other than the Demon Lord. Could he have kept some in the dungeon? However, my question was soon answered, as human-shaped creatures made of blood began to pop up.


    ¡°Demon Lord, there¡¯s something I always wanted to ask you.¡±


    [Go on. I¡¯m very curious about you too.]


    My eyes shed. In an instant, the rising blood creatures and the entire river of blood turned to stone.


    ¡°Who told you about Earth?¡±


    Then, the petrified river began to flow once more. This time, however, it wasn¡¯t blood, but a mercury-like metal that was liquid at room temperature. I raised my hand lifting up the river water and molded it into a single giant ball.


    ¡°Who told you where I was?¡±


    [What do you mean? I simply opened up a path to another world, and Earth just happened to be on the opposite end.]


    ¡°That¡¯s not funny.¡±


    [Hm, is it not?]


    With that, the Demon Lord finally made his appearance, bringing along countless number of ck mana balls.


    [Indeed, I received help from the one you know. It wasn¡¯t a particrly pleasant experience.]


    He was a beauty. Of course, I didn¡¯t think the Demon Lord would look ugly, but he was beautiful to a shocking degree.


    If I wasn¡¯t here, mypanions would have fallen under his charm.


    [But regardless of the method, I ended up meeting you!]


    He spread his arms open. In a moment, the ck mana bullets shot down towards us. Without exaggeration, each of them carried enough power to obliterate arge city. The Demon Lord had an unusuallyrge amount of mana. Almost like me.


    ¡°Dortu!¡±


    [I am Dortu. Blocking all attacks.]


    The metallicized river spread out across the sky and received all the mana bullets. The Demon Lord¡¯s tone went up a notch.


    [Yes, that power! That looks interesting too!]


    Pieces of rocks began to float up from the ground. The Demon Lord¡¯s ck mana enveloped the rocks glowing under the moonlight, strengthening them. At that moment, Father charged towards the Demon Lord.


    ¡°You talk too much!¡±


    [I¡¯m not interested in you.]


    Speaking apathetically, the Demon Lord focused his magic power on Father. I immediately destroyed it, and Father sessfully shot his spear towards him.


    It seemed Father¡¯s attack was enough to threaten the Demon Lord as he reached out with his hand and actively blocked the attack. Meanwhile, I reinforced the metallic river water with the Demon Lord¡¯s mana I stole and shot it towards him.


    [Huuuuu.]


    The Demon Lord took in a deep breath. Immediately afterwards, the floating pieces of rocks shot out in all directions. The metallic river water could not block them. Thankfully, Sumire quickly stepped in and protected us with Athena¡¯s power, Aegis.


    ¡°How annoying!¡±


    [This time, it¡¯s my turn to ask a question.]


    The Demon Lord created a sword made of ck demonic energy and received Father¡¯s spear with it. After greedily devouring the vibration in Father¡¯s spear, it spat it back out. Father also took in the vibration and returned it back.


    [Who told you that?]


    ¡°You should already know.¡±


    I raised my head. Something has been on my mind for a while, and sure enough, the light emitted by the blue moon began to change to a blood-like crimson color.


    [Lespina! That wench betrayed me!]


    ¡°I must have been more charming than her original master.¡±


    As I retorted yfully, I scanned the magic power within the moonlight. Father continued to attack the Demon Lord, and Sumire soon joined in with Athena¡¯s spear. Realizing that a single hand wasn¡¯t enough to deter them, the Demon Lord took out a strange dagger with his other hand and received Sumire¡¯s attack.


    ¡°Careful, that dagger can suck out your soul!¡±


    [Good, you¡¯re well informed!]


    Sumire struck the Demon Lord¡¯s jaw with Aegis. Immediately, the Demon Lord¡¯s jaw began to petrify. The Demon Lord looked stunned, while Ye-Eun suddenly appeared behind him. She immediately swung her dagger at the Demon Lord¡¯s neck, but soon spoke doubtfully.


    ¡°Shin, I think he¡¯s fake!¡±


    [How did you find out?]


    The beheaded Demon Lord reappeared unhurt. With an annoying smile on his face, he held a different weapon than before.


    ¡°Shin, this one¡¯s fake too!¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    The Demon Lord shot out another wave of mana bullets. This time, the bullets were far stronger than before. I frantically operated Dortu and Ruyue¡¯s power in defense.


    [Hero, do you know the value of your power?]


    Another Demon Lord appeared. Then another appeared, and another appeared. Each carried an overwhelming amount of mana, and I stared at them in disbelief.


    [Hero, do you know why you were born with that power?]


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    I answered. In truth, I wasn¡¯t really interested in what he had to say. I was more concerned with trying to kill him. I was beginning to understand why Ciara said I needed to save Shiva¡¯s power.


    ... Wait, I was just about to think of something...?


    [Hero, do you know what that power is for?]


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not for you.¡±


    ¡°Shin, leave the ground to me and do what you need to do.¡±


    Ye-Eun finally activated her god¡¯s power. Her body became enveloped in a golden aura, and arms equipped with powerful weapons sprouted up.


    [Hm!?]


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle these guys.¡±


    Surprisingly, she had activated both Kali¡¯s and Durga¡¯s powers, but she didn¡¯t use them both. Instead, she transferred Kali¡¯s divine power to Durga¡¯s weapons to strengthen them. While the two gods¡¯ close affiliation likely made it possible, Ye-Eun was still incredible for being able to aplish it.


    In any case, what was important was that Ye-Eun could deal with the Demon Lord¡¯s clones that were popping up on the ground. The clones had multiplied to dozens and each created countless mana bullets, carpeting the entire airspace. However, Ye-Eun charged towards them without a hint of hesitation.


    Countless number of hands appeared in the air tobat the mana bullets.


    ¡°In the end, you¡¯re only clones!¡±


    Ye-Eun began to make her move. Mana exploded here and there along with the Demon Lord¡¯s clones. Sumire protected me from the explosions with her shield, and Father struck down the clones flying towards Ye-Eun.


    [Kuhahahahaha!]


    The Demon Lordughed heartedly. I couldn¡¯t tell which of the clones wereughing, even while many of them were being erased under Ye-Eun¡¯s attacks.


    [Humans sure are interesting. You¡¯re quite different than the humans I met in the Luka continent! Those self-proimed gods, to think about obtaining power from those relics of the past. Who would have thought of it?]


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether gods were born or created. What matters is that they¡¯re strong. They worshiped by billions of people, and their heroic tales are passed down to this day.¡±


    I began to activate Shiva¡¯s power, one of the strongest among them. The center of my forehead opened up and a red eye appeared.


    [Foolish! Truly foolish! You dare to fight me with such fake power? Hero, if you think of doing the same, that will be your downfall! A god is someone like me!]


    The moon shone. The light emitted by the reddened moon illuminated the Demon Lord¡¯s clones and illuminated us. This light seemed to want to forcefully tear apart my body.


    [I swallowed billions of souls and made their mana mine! What would this power be if not the power of a god!?]


    The Demon Lord shouted. Having swallowed 2.3 billion humans from Earth, the red moon was shining fiercely. Just the light it was giving off was a powerful attack.


    It was iparable to what I did in the Luka continent with Dortu¡¯s giant mirror. Power of souls that couldn¡¯t be imitated with mana, the resentment of billions of souls made that moon the worst magical tool of all time.


    [You think you can destroy it with that eye? Kuhahaha!]


    The Demon Lord sneered. However, I retorted with a smirk.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a god. You couldn¡¯t create a moon, so you brought one over.¡±


    Admittedly, he was absurdly powerful. Using his magic power, he had brought over the moon in Luka continent¡¯s gravitational pull. Not only that, he also ced it in this dungeon he created. This dungeon did not look big from the inside, but that moon was denying that proposition. That moon was too far for our energy to reach it, but its power could easily reach us.


    That¡¯s why I needed Shiva¡¯s power. I could sense it the moment I activated it. Befitting its description of all-destroying power, this eye would destroy this entire space along with that moon. The only problem was that I couldn¡¯t exclude mypanions from its target.


    When I realized this, the third eye slowly closed down. I murmured in disbelief.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this power too useless?¡±


    [Have you realized it¡¯s futile? Have you given up? Your friends are still energetic! I wonder how long they willst.]


    The moonlight absorbed power from all beings on earth. It seemed simr to the dungeon¡¯s power Sherafina had. While it had a different basis of power, its basic structure seemed extremely simr.


    No, it wasn¡¯t just that.


    [She taught me too many things, not realizing it woulde back to bite her!]


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    I shook my head and reached out with my hand. Following my hand¡¯s movements, Dortu¡¯s liquid metal slowly formed a long sharp spear. Then, the golden light from my hand enveloped the spear.


    ¡°You were used. This was her goal from the beginning.¡±


    [Why do you think so?]


    Gods¡¯ powers are molded into suitable forms by Sherafina before being given to explorers. That¡¯s why explorers can use them as skills and wield them without having the suitable body.


    But that¡¯s not what a true god¡¯s power was. A true god¡¯s power only existed as a concept symbolizing the god. It was Sherafina who turned the Destruction God Shiva¡¯s power into an eye form. Sherafina was manipting Shiva¡¯s mighty and destructive power to her will.


    How could a god given the title of Destruction God not be able to distinguish what to destroy and what not to?


    The power that formed Shiva¡¯s Eye was now being extracted into its original form and being imbued into the giant golden spear. It was the same for Zeus¡¯ power.


    ¡°Lend me your power for thest time. Afterwards, I won¡¯t use them again.¡±


    I whispered. As though my words worked as a catalyst, the spear carrying Zeus¡¯ and Shiva¡¯s power let out an eerie light and changed its form. For a moment, the red moon stopped functioning. Ye-Eun could finally catch a breath, while Father gritted his teeth and stabbed his spear on the ground.


    ¡°Shin-nim, the power of gods are disappearing...!¡±


    Sumire, who was protecting me from the Demon Lord¡¯s attacks all this time, turned towards me and shouted in shock. I replied with a grin.


    ¡°I still have Hermes¡¯ power. I need to borrow his power for something.¡±


    [Will you be able to stop it? You may be enlightened, but you should know, that enlightenment is just another word for helplessness!]


    The red moon had only lost its power for a moment. Soon, it began to beam out as if to not lose. A ball of resentment created by billions of souls and mana, as though to devour all existences, it was applying more and more pressure.


    ¡°Eit!¡±


    I threw my spear. Although I made a joking shout, the spear¡¯s effect was evident.


    The moon stopped giving off its light.


    [Hm!?]


    For the first time, the Demon Lord let out a shocked voice. In that instant, above the moon shattering into countless pieces, a giant appeared. It was the Demon Lord¡¯s real body!


    The moon was his method of attack, and at the same time, a magic circle to hide his presence.


    Staring at the moon, our eyes widened. It wasn¡¯t just because he was humongous. Of course, he was bigger than any existence I¡¯ve ever faced, but that wasn¡¯t the only reason.


    ¡°What is he?¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Father nodded. Ye-Eun and Sumire did the same. Although everyone was confused, there was something they realized amidst the confusion.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t get it?¡±


    Even Lespina might be more knowledgeable than the Demon Lord. Lespina could perfectly nullify Sherafina¡¯s power. In our fight against her, this unique ability of hers made us struggle greatly. However, the Demon Lord¡¯s method was different.


    He created this dungeon with his own power and he made it so that we couldn¡¯t use the dungeon¡¯s power here. Although he seemed to be unaffected by the dungeon¡¯s power, he actually wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°You¡¯re being reinforced by the dungeon¡¯s power.¡±


    [... What!?]


    At this moment, the Demon Lord had more of the dungeon¡¯s power than any explorer. On the other hand, mypanions and I did not have even a fraction of the dungeon¡¯s power. Almost as if someone had nned things to be this way.


    Right, an explorer who didn¡¯t know the situation would say this.


    That a single demon explorer was fighting several human bosses.

 Chapter 345. Demon Lord (8)

    ¡°The power you¡¯re using isn¡¯t something you came up with by analyzing the dungeon¡¯s power.¡±


    Because of the size of the Demon Lord¡¯s body, I didn¡¯t know where to aim my spear. For now, I aimed at his gigantic neck and spoke.


    ¡°That¡¯s just the dungeon¡¯s power.¡±


    [...]


    The Demon Lord didn¡¯t say anything. Or perhaps I couldn¡¯t hear him.


    However, the dungeon was steadily creeping towards us to im our lives. The earth shot up and the air froze. The river of blood I got rid of before reappeared. The fragments of the moon I destroyed with Shiva¡¯s and Zeus¡¯ power were falling as countless meteorites.


    [Do you expect me to believe you? That I am being controlled by her?]


    ¡°I don¡¯t see a reason you shouldn¡¯t believe me.¡±


    [She controlled me and put the dungeon¡¯s power into me without my knowledge?]


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    [To im you through me?]


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Could be, or...¡±


    I thought back to the first time I became a dungeon explorer. At the time, I was just an ordinary yet not so ordinary boy.


    I climbed the dungeon and grew stronger through Sherafina¡¯s help. And within a year, I was able to meet with her face to face.


    She was powerful beyond my imagination. She also favored me greatly. If she ever wanted something from me, she could have taken it whenever she wanted.


    If the person the Demon Lord was talking about was indeed Sherafina, things just didn¡¯t add up. I couldn¡¯t understand why she needed to take such a roundabout way.


    Except, if what she wanted couldn¡¯t be obtained from my weak self and could have been obtained only when I had gotten strong to this point, then things made sense.


    I also had a guess as to what that was. An ability that no one else has. Not the ability to wield elementals, not Absolute Soul nor Peruta Circuit, but an ability that belonged only to me. An ability that I honed throughout all these years.


    An ability that I had yet to see the end of.


    If my thought was correct, even the Demon Lord could be a sacrifice for my growth. Of course, it was unlikely that the Demon Lord would believe me even if I told him.


    Putting these thoughts together, I asked the Demon Lord lightly.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    [.... Haha, hahahahaha!]


    Suddenly, the Demon Lord burst intoughter. Because of how big he was, hisugh resonated through the entire dungeon and even injured our ears. Parts of the dungeon flying towards us suddenly halted in midair.


    [Good, now I understand. I¡¯ll acknowledge that I was yed by her!]


    The Demon Lord raised his hand, where crimson mana began to gather.


    [But both you and she are too arrogant! You shouldn¡¯t have told me about this!]


    The Demon Lord shrunk slightly. On the other hand, the mana gathering on his palm becamerger. I was very familiar with this mana. It was none other than the dungeon¡¯s, Sherafina¡¯s mana!


    [Now I know. I believed it to be mine, but it really wasn¡¯t!]


    His voice was getting smaller, but the power I was feeling from it was increasing.


    Eventually, the energy on his palm shone with a brilliant light and tried to envelop him, but the Demon Lord released a ck demonic energy with his body and cast the light aside.


    [No one can control me!]


    This crazy guy!


    Immediately afterward, the dungeon shattered.


    We came back out to Earth. Beneath the still dark sky and blood red clouds, screams of despair rang out. A countless number of massive monsters were running amok. As I expected, the monster continent had started their final attack!


    [I am the king of all things demonic, reigning supreme over all things evil! None may err me and none may stand above me!]


    The Demon Lord spread his arms open. The ground was full of death energy, and he was clearly trying to absorb them! I quickly opened up an extradimensional space and sent a flurry of metallic fragments towards him.


    At the same time, I tried to absorb the death energy before he could, but it was almost as if he got stronger by casting aside the dungeon¡¯s power, as he began to absorb all negative energy on Earth.


    It wasn¡¯t just death energy. He was using a power I hadn¡¯t experienced before. Demon Lord, this title surely didn¡¯te from simply being the leader of the demon race.


    [As such, I will obtain you and rule over all worlds!]


    ¡°It¡¯s about time you stop dreaming!¡±


    His body had shrunken to about half its original size. Seeing the mana in his hand beingpressed, I clicked my tongue.


    ¡°To think just some words affected him this much. He¡¯s more talented than I thought.¡±


    ¡°You were too careless, Son.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I shrugged.


    ¡°What do you mean? I was purposely stalling for time toe up with a way to take the dungeon¡¯s power out of him. I troubled Father, Sumire, and Ye-Eun because of it.¡±


    ¡°... You mean you made him do this on purpose?¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim, are you saying you controlled the Demon Lord? You finally entered the realm of gods!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing amazing, so don¡¯t be so exaggerating.¡±


    While Father and Sumire couldn¡¯t close their mouths in shock, Ye-Eun, who was ready to restrain the Demon Lord with her golden chains if given the chance, turned her head slightly and asked.


    ¡°Why did you click your tongue, Shin?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you see a talented person, a demon, in this case, you naturally get jealous. That¡¯s why I clicked my tongue. The situation itself is very favorable for us.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I said that and raised my spear. The Demon Lord¡¯s killing intent also became focused on me. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out he wanted to kill me and take my power.


    ¡°First, the dungeon is now our enemy. So what good would it be to stay in that dungeon?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying you provoked him to destroy the Event Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another reason too.¡±


    While the Demon Lord brought Earth¡¯s demonic energy together to a single point, his right arm was cut off. The severed arm bloated up for a moment before losing all its power and disappearing. In the nearby airspace, ¡®he¡¯ appeared.


    Kain.


    ¡°Indeed, with this much power, he should be one of the strongest among worlds¡¯ enemies.¡±


    [Kuaaaaaaaaaa!?]


    ¡°Give up on that arm. I won¡¯t be able to use any divine power in exchange for that attack, so it¡¯ll be hard to recover your arm.¡±


    With a truly lighthearted tone, Kain twirled a spear that was beginning to lose its light. Riding Odin¡¯s famous steed, Sleipnir, he prepared himself to charge forward at any time.


    [Ku, kukukukuku! How painful!]


    The Demon Lord screamed in pain at first, but soon he broke out intoughter. Rather than blood, ck demonic energy shot out of his wounds. Putting his uninjured left hand on the wounded area, he continued tough.


    [Right, this is it! This pain and hostility from many! This is what I felt when I conquered the Luka continent! Aah, how foolish was I, relying on a power that wasn¡¯t my own!? After conquering the Luka continent, I believed I had gotten stronger, but no! I had just blinded myself with a power I couldn¡¯t control!]


    ¡°So what, you¡¯re going to give up on taking my power?¡±


    [Of course not, Hero. You should know the answer to the question. Your power is different than the dungeon¡¯s mishmash power! It is an authority! Eternity is granted to those who strive for power! Come! I will step over everything, including that arrogant fool above the Tower of Babel!]


    Without even a single warning, demonic energy detonated around the Demon Lord. It was powerful enough to critically wound even me! As I now continually maintained Divine Speed in


    Battle, I could thankfully react quickly.


    To be exact, I controlled the metallic fragments I previously took out from my extradimensional space and blocked the explosion of demonic energy. The metallic fragments flooded forward, enveloping the demonic energy and obliterating them.


    However, the Demon Lord¡¯s attack didn¡¯t diminish.


    [Is that all!? Show me that power once more! The power that will be mine!]


    Spears of demonic energy began to hurl towards everyone. In addition, magic spells that made me recall my fight with the dragon filled the air.


    The only difference was that the Demon Lord¡¯s magic belonged to demons. As they were different from the magic of dragons, I couldn¡¯t analyze them at all. Seeing small wounds beginning to appear on mypanions, I asked worriedly.


    ¡°Sumire, can you block them!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°Huhuhu, it just got more exciting!¡±


    While Sumire replied nervously, Ye-Eun¡¯s battle hunger seemed to be triggered. In an instant, the golden aura she had transformed into a bluish ck aura.


    ¡°y with me! Use more of that magic!¡±


    [Kuk, I¡¯m not interested in you!]


    Ye-Eun charged at the Demon Lord and began to push him back with the weapons on her aura arms. However, she was exerting much more energy than before. Even if she could injure the Demon Lord, I couldn¡¯t leave her be.


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    My voice rang out, spreading across the sky. The reply came just as quickly.


    [The preparations are done, friend.]


    ¡°Then start!¡±


    In that instant, a deafening sound capable of burying the numerous explosions of demonic energy resounded. Thousands of fighter jets shot up into the air. It was truly a sight to behold. I could imagine how difficult it was to protect all these fighter nes with so many monsters running amok.


    [Mm!? Scraps of metal that can fly!? Is this Earth¡¯s power!?]


    ¡°Normally, it wouldn¡¯t be effective against you.¡±


    But Leon was controlling them.


    Leon, and nobody else.


    [I can¡¯t do any borate maneuvers! I can¡¯t even have them all at full power!]


    It was as he said. No matter how amazing his mana control has be, it was impossible to control several thousand fighter jets to attack a single target. It was already surprising that he could pull up thousands of fighter jets carrying explosives.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is good enough. It¡¯s dangerous, so stay back and send Licorice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already here, Dear Husband.¡±


    As though she learned teleportation or blink, Licorice appeared behind me before I noticed.


    After evolving into an empress, Licorice looked more beautiful than ever. She could easily im the title for the most beautiful woman in the myriad worlds. The two horns growing from the forehead were like essories that adorned her beauty.


    For the first time, the Demon Lord examined Licorice¡¯s body and my body closely.


    [Hero... Did you be a mare!?]


    ¡°I stopped trying to distinguish that long ago.¡±


    I replied with a snort. The Demon Lord¡¯s follow up was rather surprising.


    [It does not matter. To think I¡¯d meet another woman that is to my taste. When the Hero dies, his power will be mine. Beautiful mare,e to me. I am the king of all things demonic, king of all things evil! I will be the sovereign of all!]


    Licorice made a dumbfounded face and whispered to me in a daze.


    ¡°Dear Husband, is he crazy?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you realize it when you saw him?¡±


    At that moment, one of the fighter jets suddenly exploded. It was the Demon Lord¡¯s doing.


    [Hero, why haven¡¯t you made your move? Are you afraid of me? Or did you really n on these scrap metals to be your trump card?]


    His demonic energy began to spread out in tentacles. At the same time, Licorice leaned against my back with a soft smile, and the boundless mana in her body began to flood into me.


    It wasn¡¯t just her mana. She served as a medium to transfer the mana of all surviving subi.


    Using their mana, I activated my power. The power of the Eliminator that I perfectly molded into my power. The power to reinforce and control all weapons.


    Thousands of fighter jets charged towards the Demon Lord, each carrying my mana and using Divine Speed.


    An enormous explosion erupted.

 Chapter 346. Demon Lord (9)

    ¡°Die!¡±


    Shouting at the top of my lungs, I concentrated the explosion of thousands of fighter jets to the Demon Lord. However, the Demon Lord¡¯s vigor didn¡¯t diminish and in fact, increased.


    [As if I¡¯ll be taken out by something like this!]


    The Demon Lord¡¯s shout of anger cut through the explosion and rang in my ear. Hisrge bat-like wings spread open and a burst of demonic energy began to devour the damage from the fighter jets¡¯ explosions.


    [I will not yield!]


    ¡°Is it me or is that guy still powering up?¡±


    When I murmured in a half-joking manner, Licorice narrowed her eyes and red at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s because Dear Husband is too strong. Compared to humans, demons are organisms with no limit. As long as they have the talent, they can grow extremely quickly.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me that now?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think Dear Husband would get so strong.¡±


    Eventually, the explosions subsided. The Demon Lord appeared from within, his clothes tattered and his body wrought with wounds. Still, the amount of power in his power was more than enough to send a chill down my back.


    [Die.]


    ¡°Ek!¡±


    In an instant, I got in front of Father. Steel let out a ck light, and I spat out a mouthful of ck blood. The Demon Lord curled his mouth into a smile.


    [Good defense. I wonder how long you can keep it up.]


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing now, Licorice?¡±


    ¡°If I knew, I¡¯d be the Demon Lord, not a Subus Empress. I do have a guess... Language spell.¡±


    Language spell?


    ¡°It skips over all the annoying steps in invoking a magic and manifests whatever¡¯s on the caster¡¯s mind. It¡¯s mana costly but extremely fast and powerful.¡±


    [Fall.]


    This time, it¡¯s going for Sumire! A spell that I couldn¡¯t see the start of sent Sumire spiraling down in an instant.


    I quickly sent a wave of aura to catch her, but the Demon Lord¡¯s tentacles of demonic energy flew over to cut it off. Father swung his spear at the tentacles and shouted.


    ¡°You keep doing unmanly things!¡±


    [You can die too.]


    ¡°Ha!¡±


    It seemed Father got a feel for his attack with the previous one. After creating a powerful vibration in the air, he twisted his body meticulously. Other than coughing out a mouthful of blood like I did, he wasn¡¯t injured.


    ¡°Unless the source of an attack is internal, there¡¯s bound to be a change in external energy. Predicting his attack isn¡¯t hard, just that...¡±


    [Continue dodging then!]


    I understood what Father was worried about. Numerous attacks that came consecutively! I quickly moved my metallic fragments around, but it seemed the Demon Lord¡¯s attacks weren¡¯t something the fragments could block.


    Licorice quickly cast a barrier spell. Of course, even that wasn¡¯t enough topletely block the Demon Lord¡¯s attacks.


    ¡°The baits have done their work, so send them back.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡±


    Kain spoke as he blocked the attack sent his way. Ye-Eun protested angrily.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a bait!¡±


    ¡°Bait, don¡¯t trouble Kang Shin and get back.¡±


    When my name came up, Kali¡¯s energy wavered for a moment. At that moment, the Demon Lord made another attack, and when I pulled her out of the way with a string of aura, Ye-Eun reluctantly nodded.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll get back.¡±


    [As if I¡¯d let you.]


    The Demon Lord was truly shameless. The Demon Lord¡¯s incessant attacks on the weaker members of our party seemed to have irritated Kain, as he hurled his spear towards him.


    ¡°Try using that spell again!¡±


    [You think I won¡¯t!?]


    In the next moment, the Demon Lord flipped upside down. He was bleeding from his entire body. Meanwhile, Ye-Eun took Sumire and safely got out. Father held his spear up as though he didn¡¯t want to leave, but I bowed and pleaded.


    ¡°Father, take care of the ground. There are too many monsters.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, fine. I wanted to put in a proper blow, but none of my attacks seem to be working anyways... Be safe, Son.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me.¡±


    By the time Father finished leaving the area, the Demon Lord managed to stagger up. The wounds on his body were clearly critical, but it felt like he wouldn¡¯t die no matter how much damage he took. A never-ending stream of demonic energy energized and healed his body.


    [Magic reflection, you bastard...!]


    ¡°Serves you right.¡±


    Kain spoke boastingly as he received his spear that flew back into his hand. As his previous attack clearly changed the flow of battle, I gave Kain a thumbs up. However, the Demon Lord concentrated his overflowing demonic energy into his eyes and shouted.


    [But it doesn¡¯t look like you can use it a second time...! I acknowledge your strength but in the end, you will also be devoured by me!]


    It¡¯sing again! The Demon Lord¡¯snguage spells flew towards from all sides.


    To analyze his hardly detectable magic, I rolled my brain. At the same time, the halo on my horns elerated. A mana of indescribable light rose up around Steel.


    [I see, so that¡¯s your final weapon! That iprehensible mana... How can you wield that power?]


    ¡°Because it¡¯s originally mine.¡±


    I retorted casually and elerated the concentration of mana. Though it was impossible to see hisnguage spells and break them, strengthened to the limit by Enigma, Steel was withstanding his attacks. The Demon Lord asked in doubt.


    [Your power...?]


    ¡°It¡¯s in the same realm as gods¡¯ power, but in truth, it¡¯s no different than gods¡¯ power. Enigma is just a different form of it.¡±


    When I obtained a halo, I truly understood Enigma. Although the halo itself was still a mystery, I knew it was a mark that my League had taken a step into the next realm.


    Because of it, I learned that I could wield Enigma with my own power. The Overlord skill simply gave me a sample of the power I woulde to wield. Of course, if I didn¡¯t grow since the time I obtained Overlord, I wouldn¡¯t have learned to wield it.


    In any case, I didn¡¯t think this was the power Sherafina wanted from me. If it was, the Demon Lord would have reacted differently, and this much was something Loretta could also do.


    Additionally, wielding this power didn¡¯t make me a god. It could be a requirement to bing a god but in the end, it was on the same realm as the dungeon¡¯s power Sherafina had.


    [But a power only holds meaning when it works against an enemy. Your mana is indeed lethal and resembles those damned gods! But it will be mine in the end!]


    ¡°Bastard, how are you so greedy!?¡±


    Spells continued to fly without stopping. I spread my arms out and released Enigma out in all directions. Now, I felt like I was beginning to understand how hisnguage spells worked. Converting my mana to bullets of aura, I shot them at the Demon Lord.


    ¡°Kain, Licorice! Restrain him for a moment!¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Kain held his spear up even as he snorted, while Licorice immediately set out with Divine Speed. Approaching the Demon Lord in an instant, Enigma was also gathering on her hands.


    [What!?]


    ¡°It¡¯s Dear Husband¡¯s power, so I can use it when we¡¯re together!¡±


    Licorice scratched at the Demon Lord, which he blocked with his hand. Meanwhile, Kain charged towards him on Sleipnir and stabbed his spear in from his blind spot. The Demon Lord¡¯s demonic energy exploded fiercely and pushed them back. All the while, hisnguage spells continued to shoot at them.


    [Die!]


    ¡°Eit!¡±


    While Licorice and Kain resisted hisnguage spells, this time, countless beads of demonic energy rose up in the sky. Having absorbed all negative energy on Earth, the beads were emitting a chilling light.


    [I am the king of all evil!]


    ¡°Kyak!¡±


    ¡°Kuk!¡±


    The two of them couldn¡¯t dodge this attack. Still, remembering my request to restrain the Demon Lord, they protected me from the beads with their bodies.


    ¡°I¡¯m good now!¡±


    At that moment, a flood of metallic fragments swept over the Demon Lord. It happened right after Licorice and Kain were sent back from the explosion of demonic energy. The Demon Lord detonated more demonic energy to stop the metallic fragments, and from the outside, it seemed as though my attack had little effect.


    ¡°... D-Dear Husband, you asked us to restrain him for just that?¡±


    ¡°Did you make an error somewhere?¡±


    Licorice and Kain looked at me dumbfoundedly. I replied with a shrug. Licorice nodded in understanding when I transferred some of my consciousness to her, but Kain still seemed clueless.


    However, the mystery was soon solved.


    [... Kuhuk!]


    The metallic fragments were indeed powerful, but they didn¡¯t have enough power to deal a fatal blow to someone like the Demon Lord.


    However, after the metallic fragments were destroyed by the exploding demonic energy, the Demon Lord became pale and oozed out ck demonic energy from his body. This demonic energy didn¡¯te out of his own will, but because it wasn¡¯t under his control.


    [Y-You...! What did you do to me!?]


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    I spoke in awe.


    ¡°You were right about this curse. Not even the Demon Lord can shake it off!¡±


    Right, the metallic fragments I just used carried the blood of thest demon I killed in Luka continent. I was sure he¡¯d be happy if he knew his curse came in useful.


    [Something like this... Something like this!]


    The Demon Lord¡¯s horn shrunk. In return, his demonic energy exploded in several ces. Seeing explosions that could ruin a world, Licorice screamed.


    ¡°What do we do, Dear Husband! He¡¯s gotten even crazier!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯ll work now. That curse cut down his League by a step.¡±


    ¡°Work? What will? ...Kyak!¡±


    Licorice, who turned towards me, screamed as she blushed. Worried that it was too much, I asked Dortu to create a mirror for me to see.


    A woman of unsurpassable peerless beauty was reflected in the mirror.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    I eximed in surprise. Then, I was surprised once more at the voice I uttered. All I did was transform into a woman with my power!


    ¡°I have to admit, I¡¯m quite beautiful. What do you think, Demon Lord?¡±


    [Y-You are... Hero!?]


    The explosions subsided slightly. Seeing the Demon Lord noticeably flustered, I winked at him and shouted.


    ¡°Lilith¡¯s Temptation!¡±

 Chapter 347. The End (1)

    Immediately, blood burst out from the Demon Lord¡¯s body.


    [Kuhak!]


    The demonic energy he was emitting was cut in half, flowing smoothly into my body. Twirling dthe demonic energy around my hand, Iughed.


    ¡°How is it, Demon Lord? Is your heart beating?¡±


    [Kuuuk!]


    In truth, I had never nned to use Lilith¡¯s Temptation on the Demon Lord. He was one of the most powerful among all worlds¡¯ enemies. He was already strong when he had the dungeon¡¯s power, but he got even stronger when he cast it aside.


    At the same time, the possibility of Lilith¡¯s Temptation working kept increasing. Countless injuries from the prolonged fight made him weary, and most importantly, the curse from his subordinate demon lowered his charm to the point I could influence him with my own.


    It was only possible because I learned to quantify a target¡¯s abilities in my fight with the dragon.


    I could double the power of my charm against someone of the opposite sex, and after I absorbed the dragon¡¯s power, I learned to change my appearance without having to borrow a god¡¯s power. With the right conditionsid out, there was no need for me to hesitate.


    Licorice asked in shock.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Zeus¡¯ power disappear!? How?¡±


    ¡°This is my ability. Zeus isn¡¯t the only one who can transform into whatever he wants.¡±


    For example, the dragon I fought could change his appearance too. As I had the dragon¡¯s power and had Zeus¡¯ power until just recently, it wasn¡¯t hard for me to transform into a woman.


    [Kuhuk, this... this is the dungeon¡¯s power!?]


    ¡°It¡¯s the power of my pocket watch and charm.¡±


    Skills stored in the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch could be used even when the dungeon¡¯s power was restricted. Although they didn¡¯t work against Lespina, that wasn¡¯t because the pocket watch was the dungeon¡¯s power, but rather...


    ¡°Anyways, what¡¯s important is that this fight is over.¡±


    With a grin, I held my spear up. Then, I frowned. My arm had gotten caught.


    ¡°These are so cumbersome. How do girls fight with these things?¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband... Most people¡¯s aren¡¯t that big!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was Kain disappointed? For some reason, he turned away without a word. I snorted.


    ¡°You should be ready to do anything to win! It might be embarrassing, but isn¡¯t it better than losing yourrade because you were holding back!?¡±


    ¡°... Indeed, how you win is none of my business.¡±


    Kain murmured. Then, the Demon Lord shouted as he staggered up.


    [My, my demonic energy... my demonic energy will devour you!]


    ¡°Sorry, but that won¡¯t happen.¡±


    The demonic energy twirling around my hand streamed into my body along Peruta Circuit¡¯s flow and smoothly mixed with other mana. Not only was my mana replenished, but my mana pool also continued to grow to an unprecedented level.


    [How can you use demonic energy so easily...!?]


    ¡°What nonsense are you bbering? Demonic energy is mana too.¡±


    Seeing Licorice shake her head from the side, it seemed that wasn¡¯tpletely true, but it didn¡¯t matter since it didn¡¯t make a difference for me. I pointed my spear towards the half-dead Demon Lord. The aura coursing into the spear becamepressed to the limit.


    [I see, your true ability... So that¡¯s why all worlds...!]


    ¡°Are those yourst words?¡±


    [Hmph, I can still... Kuk!]


    The moment demonic energy rose up from his body, I reached my free hand towards the Demon Lord. Grabbing him by the neck, I strangled him to prevent him from escaping. It wasn¡¯t just a physical restraint, but an absolute restraint that used Enigma.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you escape.¡±


    [I, I... am someone who will be the ruler of all worlds...!]


    No matter how strong he could be, he stood no chance after Lilith¡¯s Temptation and additionally effects cut his power to a fourth. He attempted an attack by throwing the remaining demonic energy he had, but I simply took his attack with my body with a smile. At this point, I didn¡¯t feel a thing from such meager demonic energy.


    Then, I cut him in half with the spear in my hand.


    While his body was powerful, it was tattered by Kain¡¯s divine spear, fighter jets¡¯ explosions, and Lilith¡¯s Temptation. It simply couldn¡¯t withstand my spear which was strengthened to the limit by Enigma.


    [Kuaaaaaaak!]


    As expected of the Demon Lord, he didn¡¯t die simply by having his body cut in half. Hearing his bloodcurdling shriek, I stuffed my spear back into my extradimensional space, then grabbed the two halves of his body in each of my hands.


    ¡°Like I said, I won¡¯t let you escape.¡±


    [Kuk...!]


    I drew my power up. It didn¡¯t matter whether the power was Extort, Crimson Hell, or Absolute Soul. It wasn¡¯t necessary to distinguish them when they shared amon purpose. All I needed was for them to carry out my will.


    [Ku, kuuuuuuuuua!]


    ¡°Whew... Looks like this will be the final test.¡±


    [Kuaaaaa!]


    The Demon Lord¡¯s severed halves seemed to be shriveling up. Soon, they began to scatter away as particles. After letting out a sigh, I roused Peruta Circuit and collected the particles together onto my hand.


    ¡°Stop trying to run, will you?¡±


    [...]


    The ck particles glowed as if to respond to my words, but that was it. Immediately afterwards, I absorbed all of the particles. Thest handful of demonic energy and the power of the Luka continent rushed into me.


    ¡°Good, now it¡¯s over.¡±


    Feeling the Demon Lord¡¯s energy fusing into my body, I stretched in satisfaction. The moment I felt the numerous attributes and energies in my body merge into one, I became certain that I had obtained something special.


    Immediately, I suspected that this was what Sherafina wanted.


    ¡°D-Dear Husband.¡±


    ¡°Hm? What?¡±


    When I turned towards Licorice, she flung her body at me at full speed.


    ¡°Whoa, what!?¡±


    When I received her in shock, Licorice rubbed her face on my chest and shouted.


    ¡°Dear Husband, I think it¡¯s fine if you stay that way!¡±


    ¡°Stay? Ah, I¡¯m still a woman!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay as long as it¡¯s Dear Husband! Kiss, do you want to kiss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not okay!¡±


    I quickly transformed back. Licorice got off as she made a noticeably disappointed expression.


    ¡°What a shame...¡±


    ¡°I only transformed to take down the Demon Lord.¡±


    I smacked her head.


    ¡°Kain, it¡¯s over. Let¡¯s go take care of the monsters on Earth.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Kain?¡±


    Kain didn¡¯t speak. When I called his name a few times, he finally looked back at me and spoke.


    ¡°My world¡¯s power disappeared.¡±


    At that moment, Sherafina¡¯s voice rang out.


    [¡®Kain Zerahard¡¯ Grand Raidmences! You encountered one of the enemies aiming for the world¡¯s power! The dungeon¡¯s power is not fully effective against worlds¡¯ enemies. The Grand Raid system exists to give what little support it can to explorers who are fighting against the worlds¡¯ enemies. The enemy can ignore up to 5% of you and your party members¡¯ skills and levels!]


    [¡®Daisy Ectradion¡¯ Grand Raidmences! You encountered one of the enemies aiming for the world¡¯s power! The dungeon¡¯s power is not fully effective against worlds¡¯ enemies. The Grand Raid system exists to give what little support it can to explorers who are fighting against the worlds¡¯ enemies. The enemy can ignore up to 5% of you and your party members¡¯ skills and levels!]


    [¡®Ren Verotude Goldion¡¯ Grand Raidmences! You encountered one of the enemies aiming for the world¡¯s power! The dungeon¡¯s power is not fully effective against worlds¡¯ enemies. The Grand Raid system exists to give what little support it can to explorers who are fighting against the worlds¡¯ enemies. The enemy can ignore up to 5% of you and your party members¡¯ skills and levels!]


    After hearing the messages, I eximed.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Kain continued.


    ¡°You should be feeling it, right? The worlds¡¯ powers of all the Heroes on Earth are going towards you.¡±


    It was as he said. Before I noticed, three worlds¡¯ powers were flowing into me. This feeling was simr to the increase in League I experienced when I leveled up in the dungeon. Kain seemed to have realized it too as he shouted in a hurry.


    ¡°Kang Shin, hurry. Once the pathway opens, there is no turning back!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, what a mess! I¡¯m on it!¡±


    Sherafina finally made her move! I quickly twisted open the door to the dungeon. Pzzzt! After fixing the door rejecting me with Enigma¡¯s power, I shouted at Kain.


    ¡°Kain, you remember, right!? Do as we talked about before! That¡¯s more important!¡±


    ¡°I know. I obtained this god¡¯s power just for that.¡±


    ¡°God¡¯s power? What god¡¯s power?¡±


    I recalled back to my first encounter with Kain. I had heard Kain had Odin¡¯s power, but the power I first felt from him was a different god¡¯s power. I had noticed it because I had Zeus and Hermes¡¯ power.


    ¡°From now on, all explorers will gather in one ce.¡±


    The moment I stepped into the dungeon, Kain activated the power he had been waiting to use. The biggest reason I took him into our guild was now in effect.


    ¡°From now on, all members of Revival except Kang Shin will disappear from Earth.¡±


    ¡°Dear Husband, at least exin what he¡¯s are you doing before you go! ... Thanks! Revival members, gather! Ignore the monsters you¡¯re fighting and get over here!¡±


    Immediately after I shared my consciousness with the flustered Licorice, she flew about in a hurry to bring people together. In a way, it was quite cute. Still, I had to acknowledge its effectiveness, as more subi and members of Revival showed up as she moved about.


    While most were confused as to what was going on, there was no time to exin things in detail. I already had my hands full with deflecting Sherafina¡¯s power that began to pour over us.


    ¡°Is everyone here!?¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s here! Except Ciara!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not an explorer, so she should be fine!¡±


    Before the dungeon¡¯s door closed, Kain shouted sonorously. The space around him already became his personal space that Sherafina couldn¡¯t invade.


    ¡°Kune¨¥!¡±


    The golden helmet of Hades, which had the power to hide from any entity, covered all members of Revival. Hwaya who caught a glimpse of me reached towards me, while I waved my hand at her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, dear.¡±


    Then, I entered the dungeon.


    In this ce, Loretta was nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 348. The End (2)

    ¡°...¡±


    I stared at the empty Floor Shop. Though I was expecting it, I was still shocked. I worried for her safety but decided to trust her.


    ¡°Sherafina, are you ready?¡±


    There was no reply. But I knew how to get one. I threw my body at the gate to Beyond.


    Monsters that began to appear from Beyond¡¯s 41st floor, ng. They had a unique trait which prevented them from taking damage from non-pure aura attacks.


    Furthermore, the way they talked suggested that they knew who I was. Though I wasn¡¯t sure until now, I became certain after obtaining the Demon Lord¡¯s power.


    ngs should be puppets that use Sherafina¡¯s power. From the beginning, she wasn¡¯t trying to hide it.


    The 45th floor wasn¡¯t big. It was a tranquil marble room that was extremely silent. Moreover, this room was full of the dungeon¡¯s power.


    [I¡¯ve been waiting.]


    A creature with ck skin and a pair of white wings spoke.


    [I believed you would aplish it one day.]


    The voice belonged to a man, but I knew it was Sherafina.


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    [I¡¯m not sure myself. Too much time has passed for me to remember the past. But I do know that I was once a girl.]


    He... She... Sherafina said that and asked back.


    [There¡¯s something I can¡¯t understand. How did Kain Zerahard hide his ability from me?]


    ¡°The power he got was the ability to conceal himself and hisrades.¡±


    [That¡¯s...]


    ¡°Yeah, it was to hide from you.¡±


    For a moment, Sherafina became lost for words. She then asked again.


    [How did you enter the dungeon?]


    ¡°I can do at least that much.¡±


    [Not ording to my calction.]


    ¡°95


    floor.¡±


    [So it¡¯s as I suspected. To be capable of deceiving my eyes, was it a dragon?]


    I nodded. From Sherafina¡¯s jet-ck skin, eerily crimson eyes opened.


    [So there was a dragon left alive. I thought I got rid of them all.]


    ¡°What a mistake.¡±


    [It can¡¯t be described as a simple mistake. It threw off my n that had an absolute chance of seeding.]


    ¡°But you¡¯ll still try?¡±


    [The goal I¡¯ve been working for my entire life is now in front of me. Kang Shin, if you were in my position, would you stop just because the chances decreased?]


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t set such an annoying goal in the first ce.¡±


    [Of course, that¡¯s because you were already born with everything.]


    Born with everything, huh. The question I had when I first entered the dungeon remained to be answered. Now, it was time for me to find out.


    After taking in a deep breath, I spat out.


    ¡°... You¡¯re the one connecting two worlds.¡±


    [Yes.]


    She acknowledged it straightforwardly.


    ¡°You¡¯re also the one stealing worlds¡¯ powers and designating the attacking side and the defending side.¡±


    [Yes. I¡¯ve been setting worlds without possibility into attackers, worlds with possibility into defenders.]


    ¡°Possibility?¡±


    [Yes, the possibility of you existing.]


    The puppet Sherafina was controlling didn¡¯t show emotions well, but I knew that its current face portrayed joy. I asked again.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been doing all of this just to find me?¡±


    [Yes.]


    ¡°You brought countless worlds to extinction, tricked powerful ability users into creating the dungeon, and shared your power with explorers as if you were generous. Everything, just for me?¡±


    [Yes.]


    People would call a being capable of such feat this.


    ¡°Are you a god?¡±


    [What is a god?]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [On your head, there is a shining power I can¡¯tprehend. Is that the proof of a god?]


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    [I also don¡¯t know if I am a god. But, other existences would indeed call us gods.]


    I chuckled at her words. God. The ones who created this word were humans and other beings with intellect. Zeus, Odin, Hermes, Shiva, Kali, Durga, Ignis, all of them! They were birthed from humans.


    Still, to think this is how she would respond to my question. It seemed she really didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Right, you¡¯re not a god. If anything, I¡¯m closer to a god than you.¡±


    [That¡¯s also what I think.]


    ¡°Do you want to be a god?¡±


    [Not at all. You bing a god is not part of my n. That might be where the n started to go awry. But that¡¯s it. I expected you to have a power or two beyond my understanding.]


    Sherafina sounded surprising calm. Almost as if it didn¡¯t matter how strong I was.


    [I have the ability to wield worlds¡¯ powers.]


    ¡°I know. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be able to put worlds¡¯ powers into people¡¯s body as you like.¡±


    [I can¡¯t put these powers into just anyone. They have to be a Hero.]


    In other words, the designation of Heroes wasn¡¯t under her control.


    [When the world I lived in became connected with another world, I learned of the existence of worlds¡¯ powers and became stronger from it. Soon, I realized I could freely move any world¡¯s power. That¡¯s how I came to create pathways to all worlds.]


    ¡°And?¡±


    [I wanted to contain all worlds¡¯ powers inside me. I thought it would be possible if I used my ability.]


    The way she spoke sounded as though it was the most natural thing to do. I could already feel myself getting a headache.


    ¡°Just because of that... you brought countless worlds to extinction?¡±


    [Yes. The pursuit of power is a natural instinct. Is it not the same for you?]


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t kill everyone I know for the sake of getting stronger! Even if you got stronger, what would you have left?¡±


    [An absolute power.]


    Speaking as though it was a matter of fact, the corner of Sherafina¡¯s mouth twisted into a smile as she stared at me.


    [You should know the nature of your ability, and you still say this?]


    ¡°Knowing the nature of my ability and destroying other worlds have nothing to do with each other.¡±


    [I can wield worlds¡¯ powers, but I couldn¡¯t seed in containing all of them in my body. I didn¡¯t have the ability.]


    ¡°... So?¡±


    [But you have the ability to fuse any power, any number of powers into one. Simply put, it is the concentration of all into one.]


    I shut my eyes.


    [After so long, I finally found you. You grew up magnificently and your ability bloomed excellently. Though it might have gone a bit overboard, it is still within my control.]


    ¡°That¡¯s it? The reason you connected different worlds and the reason you created the dungeon?¡±


    [Yes.]


    ¡°Just for that, you made so many people suffer?¡±


    [I only elerated what was happening regardless.]


    She continued calmly.


    [In Earth years, it only took 4,200 years. Even I didn¡¯t think it would be so quick. I was prepared to have the dungeon¡¯s administrators, its form and name change several times.]


    ¡°What made you like this? Humans, elves, dragons, anything! You shouldn¡¯t have been alone from the start! So why?¡±


    [Is a reason required to pursue power?]


    ¡°What?¡±


    [No matter what it may be, is there a need for a reason to pursue it?]


    ¡°...¡±


    Sheughed. Though it was through her puppet, it was the first time I was hearing herugh.


    [Why do you seek a reason? Since when was there a reason for every act? Kang Shin, you are too na?ve. I do not question why I am the way I am. I simply do what I wish to do. And that is to pursue power. No matter how many worlds disappear in the process, no matter how many existences perish, that is none of my concern. Why should it matter?]


    ¡°You... Don¡¯t you have anyone you cherish? If not now, in the past?¡±


    Ellos¡¯ face immediately popped up. He was a man of passion who was selected to be a First Dungeon explorer. He met his love and lost her to the world¡¯s enemy. For him, a single woman was more important than himself or his world. As a result, he sought to get revenge by pulling me in and died because of it.


    I didn¡¯t pity him. The moment he schemed against me, he was no longer my friend. He was just my enemy. But thinking that he was simply toyed by Sherafina, I was filled with nothing but pity for him.


    [The moment you ce a value on others, you be weaker.]


    She said assuredly.


    [And in reality, you split your power to protect your family, friends, and Loretta.]


    ¡°... Ha.¡±


    ¡°When I tried to secure Loretta, I felt my existence threatened and had to give up. To give Loretta so much power, you must have spent quite a bit of your own. Am I wrong?]


    I smirked.


    ¡°Rather than my power, it was the axe¡¯s power... but no, you¡¯re not wrong.]


    Where was Loretta hiding? I wondered. In any case, it was good to know that Sherafina failed to secure Loretta. As I was worried quite a bit, I was greatly relieved to hear Sherafina¡¯s words.


    Sherafina continued talking. I didn¡¯t know whether she understood what I was thinking.


    [As such, no one holds any value for me. No one, except you. As such, I must have you.]


    With that, the puppet finally began to move.


    [Of course, I am only going to measure your ability for now. I wouldn¡¯t dare to think I could defeat you with a puppet.]


    ¡°Smart.¡±


    I reached out with my hand and grabbed the empty air. Above my head, the halo let out a fierce light before the mana of Enigma obliterated the ng.


    ¡°But something like this is no longer capable of measuring my power.¡±


    [... It seemed I underestimated a god¡¯s power.]


    This time, the voice didn¡¯te from the puppet. I could feel a slight trembling in her voice. When I grinned, she gave me a surprise.


    [It seems I really will need Ciara Kenex¡¯s power.]


    ¡°... What? She should be...¡±


    [She¡¯s in the dungeon.]


    Sherafina said.


    [It was smart to try to hide her from me, but you made one mistake.]


    ¡°...!¡±


    [The selection of explorers doesn¡¯t only ur with designations of other explorers. Ciara Kenex is working hard to climb the dungeon to be of help to you.]


    I began to run. Casting aside the restrictive force of the dungeon¡¯s power, I returned to the First Dungeon. Then, without hesitation, I ran up to the 96th floor.


    [I will be waiting for you on the 100th floor. If you do not hurry, you won¡¯t make it in time.]


    ¡°Shut it!¡±


    Sherafina spoke in glee.


    [Her power is connected to yours. Once I obtain hers, I will get to know you more.]


    ¡°Huaaaaaap!¡±


    The earth twisted and the space distorted as I charged straight through the 96th floor. However, the 100th floor was too far away. If Ciara was really in the dungeon, she was practically in Sherafina¡¯s hands!


    [Kang Shin, when the timees, you will no longer have the qualification to fight me.]


    I ran.


    Towards the 100th floor!

 Chapter 349. The End (3)

    From its birth, the dungeon was deeply tied to Sherafina and undoubtedly belonged to her. It was Sherafina who chose what monsters appeared on the dungeon¡¯s floors.


    That said, there was one rule she couldn¡¯t vite. The dungeon had a clear end and she couldn¡¯t increase or decrease the number of floors as she wanted. As the dragon and the Death Lord showed, she couldn¡¯t control all aspects of the dungeon either.


    Thinking about it closely, the dungeon actually had many ws. For example, the escape of a single administrative guild master could halt the dungeon¡¯s operations.


    Sherafina surely had the ability to interfere, but she maintained an eerie silence. Because of it, I felt even more rushed.


    Not to mention, the 96th floor was too big. Even if I could ignore magic spells, mechanical traps, and monsters that lied in it, it still took me a long time to break through.


    Having spent five minutes to rush through the 96th floor, I headed up to the 97th floor while gritting my teeth.


    Even though I strongly told Ciara not to be an explorer, she went into the dungeon when she was ¡®selected¡¯. It was vexing to no end. When Ciara couldn¡¯t be located at the time Kune¨¥ activated, I should have known something happened.


    Sherafina was right. I told Ciara not to enter the dungeon because I didn¡¯t want her power to be nullified by worlds¡¯ enemies. That was a lie. The truth was I didn¡¯t want her to be exposed to Sherafina.


    Her innate Evil Eyes were already surprising, but carrying countless abilities in her body and creating new ability users, that was something even Sherafina couldn¡¯t do. Like mine, this authority of hers was an absolute power that had never existed before.


    Though Ciara herself might not be aware of it, she was deeply tied to me. There certainly was a reason that she was born in the same world as me.


    Sherafina said that I was connected to Ciara. Was it because Ciara had part of the world¡¯s power of Earth? Perhaps, but that was unlikely to be the only reason. A Hero with the power to concentrate all powers into one. A Saintess that appeared on Earth only. Though I didn¡¯t want to admit it, her existence had to have been prepared for me.


    Not by Sherafina, but by someone else.


    I broke through the 97th floor and immediately went up to the 98th floor. 13 minutes had passed since Ipletely conquered Beyond.


    ¡°From now on, it¡¯ll only be a matter of seconds...¡±


    I murmured impatiently. I did everything I could and that made me more impatient, as it meant I couldn¡¯t do anything more than that. Sherafina was an enemy in a league of her own, and I couldn¡¯t easily estimate the limits of her power.


    At that moment, the dungeon stopped. The monsters appearing here and there all disappeared, and the traps activating endlessly also ceased their function. This could only mean one thing.


    ¡°It¡¯s as I thought.¡±


    Sherafina was absorbing Ciara. Ciara¡¯s authority was truly powerful. Sherafina, who didn¡¯t have the ability to concentrate all powers into one, couldn¡¯t control the dungeon and absorb Ciara¡¯s authority at the same time.


    If that was possible, Sherafina would not have needed me. Thus, the dungeon was bound to stop the moment Ciara entered the dungeon.


    There was no need to hesitate. I charged through the silent dungeon as if my life was on the line. With no monsters or traps to get in my way, it became much easier to break through each floor. 98th floor... 99th floor... I hoped Sherafina wouldn¡¯t finish absorbing Ciara by the time I reached her, but it was fine even if she did.


    I arrived.


    ¡°...¡±


    For a moment, I stood still without a word. The 99th Floor Shop. Looking at the empty storefront, my worry for Loretta grew. I didn¡¯t think she was in any danger with what Sherafina said, but without seeing her with my own eyes, I couldn¡¯t feel at ease.


    ¡°... See you in a bit, Loretta.¡±


    Beyond the storefront was the staircase to the 100th floor. Wasting time here would only benefit Sherafina. Throwing off the remaining worry and hesitation, I climbed the final staircase.


    A ce I had visited before was waiting for me.


    The ce I had visited from Fairy Garden with Loretta. As the dungeon¡¯s challenger, I had entered Sherafina¡¯s realm.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡±


    She turned towards me. It was definitely Sherafina, the one I remembered meeting before. However, what she said next made me freeze in ce.


    ¡°Hero-nim.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I rebutted with a frown.


    ¡°Sherafina, I would rather you not imitate Ciara.¡±


    Sherafina, who became my enemy, was imitating Ciara who I originally hated. Consequently, I was feeling more ufortable.


    Hearing my words, she widened her eyes before suddenly breaking out into a joyous smile.


    ¡°Oh my, my apologies. I¡¯m still in this form.¡±


    Then, she changed into Ciara¡¯s appearance. At a loss for words, I asked.


    ¡°I know you have a transformation ability. What¡¯s the point of doing this?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Hero-nim. I just forgot to change back to my appearance after checking out this new body. Don¡¯t be so angry.¡±


    At that moment, I realized that the girl in front of me was the real Ciara Kenex.


    I couldn¡¯t tell with the energy I could feel from her. Ciara¡¯s energy was iparablyckingpared to Sherafina¡¯s. However, my intuition, which became strengthened to a level of absolute correctness after obtaining the halo, suggested that the existence in front of me was closer to Ciara than Sherafina.


    ¡°... How did you survive?¡±


    I asked in a dumbfounded voice.


    ¡°Did you think I would get eaten or something?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. We¡¯re in apletely different League. An old hag who could not even embrace worlds¡¯ powers and at best move them among Heroes. Me who can distribute abilities among people. It¡¯s obvious who¡¯s superior!¡±


    Indeed, Ciara had the power to distribute her power to people who weren¡¯t Heroes. However, the scale of the power they wielded was too different.


    But Ciara said this imposingly.


    ¡°Hero-nim, a stream wanted to devour an ocean and ended up bing one with it. Then should this stream now be called a stream? Or an ocean?¡±


    ¡°What... Are you saying Sherafina is the stream? Someone who had such boundless mana and lofty League?¡±


    ¡°The amount of mana one has means nothing. Even if Hero-nim has no mana, Hero-nim will still be a Hero.¡±


    She spoke as though it was the most obvious matter of fact.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for me. Even if I have no mana, I am a Saintess. A Saintess, whose task is to support Hero-nim by his side and eliminate all who dares to get in his way. Although my League is shabbypared to Hero-nim¡¯s lofty League, I still wouldn¡¯t lose to a mere Irregr.¡±


    If what Ciara was saying was true, everything Sherafina had done was in vain. Even if she managed to defeat me, she would have failed in absorbing me. I would have just absorbed her back. But of course, there was no way to test this hypothesis at this point.


    No matter how absurd this situation seemed, I couldn¡¯t say it didn¡¯t happen. The girl in front of me was certainly Ciara Kenex and she certainly had Sherafina¡¯s power in her body.


    I didn¡¯t expect this at all. Really, I didn¡¯t think Ciara would be the one waiting for me here. What I expected was Sherafina who obtained Ciara¡¯s power, that was it.


    I couldn¡¯t stay silent forever. From what she exined to me just now, I picked out the phrase that weighed the most on my mind.


    ¡°Did you say Irregr?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She suddenly barged into my and Hero-nim¡¯s n. What else would I call her?¡±


    ¡°n?¡±


    At my follow-up question, she answered with a confident smile.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it from the start? That Hero-nim will be the one to rule everything in the end! The n is to ensure that happens! The n to concentrate all worlds¡¯ powers into Hero-nim alone!¡±


    ¡°What...¡±


    Whenever I heard her say this, I thought she was simply being a kid.


    ¡°No, wait, isn¡¯t that strange? Sherafina created this n over 4,000 years ago. What do you mean she barged into ¡®our¡¯ n?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Hero-nim. It¡¯s only been 4,000 years ago! Hasn¡¯t Earth existed for billions of years?¡±


    Ciara said as she tilted her head.


    ¡°That woman only realized that the number of worlds¡¯ powers were decreasing and tried to snatch them. She¡¯s a bug that shamelessly flew in the middle of our n. Without her, our n would have gone much smoother.¡±


    ¡°You, just how much do you know?¡±


    ¡°Well, of course, I know everything there is to know about Earth!¡±


    She answered as though it was a simple question.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t like this at first, but Hero-nim helped me open my eyes! Literally! Uhuhu, I still can¡¯t forget the moment when I first opened my eyes. To me who only knew the reason for existing, you gave both power and direction. With these eyes, I came to know everything that happened on Earth and everything that will happen on Earth in the future!¡±


    ¡°You tricked me.¡±


    ¡°It was for Hero-nim.¡±


    She spoke without batting an eye.


    ¡°Hero-nim is too kind. You care for even the tiniest insects that have no value. That will only dy our goal. Do you remember, Hero-nim? What happened in Antelope Canyon. I was really shocked. I only did what I did for Hero-nim...¡±


    ¡°Ha.¡±


    When I sighed at a loss for words, I suddenly remembered something. It was because she mentioned Antelope Canyon.


    Not too long ago, something simr had happened, except on apletely different scale.


    ¡°Land transmittance.¡±


    ¡°Huhu, that¡¯s right. I knew everything, of course. But if I stopped it, all of humanity wouldn¡¯t be worshipping Hero-nim like they are doing now.¡±


    2.3 billion people had died. If Ciara really knew what would happen, everything she told me and showed me had just been for show.


    ¡°I, I knew Hero-nim would give me a kiss if I did that!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I thought Ciara had changed. That she was narrow-minded because she was young and grew up in a sheltered environment. I believed she could change as she spent more time with us.


    But I was wrong. She hadn¡¯t changed at all. She was the same.


    Now, I knew.


    When 2.3 billion people died fromnd transmittances, all resentment was centered on Revival. But strangely, none of the resentment was directed at me, Revival¡¯s leader. Instead, I was treated as a messiah who would solve everything. Frankly, it was too unnatural. But now I knew why.


    ¡°It was you.¡±


    Someone had designed it to happen. That someone was in front of me.

 Chapter 350. The End (4)

    Ciara strutted her chest and spoke proudly.


    ¡°Yes. The more difficult things are, the more people will look for a savior. With 2.3 billion people dead, I was confident in making Hero-nim into a God. I just had to cut off the few dissenting voices and amplify the positive voices. It was simple.¡±


    She had experience controlling the media with her n¡¯s power. Contrary to my belief, she hadn¡¯t cut off her rtionship with the Kenex n. In fact, she was most likely its ruler. With her n¡¯s power and the power of her future sight, manipting the popr opinion should have been simple.


    ¡°Setting me aside, how did you trick Daisy?¡±


    ¡°Hero-nim, I am an Evil Eyes beholder.¡±


    The cross in her eyes shone fiercely.


    ¡°My League isn¡¯t so low as to be analyzed by such low-grade Evil Eyes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Hero-nim, please ask if you have more questions! I will answer any questions you have!¡±


    ¡°Why did you enter the dungeon? Were you afraid I would lose to Sherafina?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. There¡¯s no way someone who can¡¯t even beat me could beat Hero-nim!¡±


    Right, that was the same conclusion I came to just now. A conclusion that made all the preparation I made against Sherafina look foolish.


    Ciara continued to answer my question.


    ¡°It was to make use of that Irregr¡¯s ability.¡±


    Immediately, I began to feel uneasy.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Her League might have been low, but her ability was certainly shocking! To think she could transfer worlds¡¯ powers as she wished! With an ability like that, we can quicklyplete Hero-nim¡¯s power.¡±


    An even more cruel thought arose.


    ¡°Then, you mean...¡±


    ¡°Yes. I will connect Earth with all other worlds. I¡¯ll transfer their worlds¡¯ powers to Hero-nim, so Hero-nim just has to absorb them! Our n will beplete!¡±


    Ciara¡¯s eyes were shining iparably.


    ¡°So Hero-nim, please don¡¯t defy me. I don¡¯t wish to bring harm to Hero-nim. It will hurt for just a moment, so please bear with it!¡±


    ¡°What... You...!¡±


    Suddenly, it became difficult to talk. Why? Obviously, it was because this space was densely packed with ¡®Sherafina¡¯s¡¯ now Ciara¡¯s mana. An immense pressure was pressing down on my body.


    Though somewhat ridiculous, with Sherafina¡¯s power, Ciara was undoubtedly stronger than me.


    If all worlds¡¯ powers became concentrated into me like she said, the situation would be reversed, but it would be toote once that happened. Just separating the few worlds¡¯ powers I had in my body would take ages. Once countless other worlds¡¯ powers became forcibly fused, it would be impossible to reverse it.


    No, in the worst case...


    ¡°You, what will be of you afterward?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will be a suitable existence for the name Hero-nim will have.¡±


    ¡°What if I kill you, take the power distribution ability you have and give back worlds¡¯ powers?¡±


    ¡°Hero-nim, absorbing the worlds¡¯ powers is simply a process, not a goal. I understand you have lingering affection towards other worlds, but please give up. Once you wake up, it will be irreversible.¡±


    Ciara continued to squeeze our her mana as she hummed joyfully. Sherafina¡¯s mana flew towards me with a different power than Enigma.


    Though it was Ciara who was controlling Sherafina¡¯s mana, she was doing it naturally and effortlessly. Her talent in learning Peruta Circuit surprised me before, but the level of control she was showing had far surpassed the talent she showed me.


    I fought back with Enigma, but Sherafina¡¯s mana suppressed it with raw power. But this wasn¡¯t too unexpected. If I was confident in beating Sherafina with only Enigma, I wouldn¡¯t have been so nervous in the first ce.


    Not to mention, we were in a space created for and by Sherafina. Even if I moved just a bit, her mana reacted sensitively.


    I tried to attack her with Divine Speed, but it was futile. Manipting her mana fluidly, Ciara easily blocked me with a smile. Then, while I contemted the moves I could make, she sighed and curled her fingers to a hook shape.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯ll hurt, but please bear with it. I¡¯m not as skilled as Hero-nim, so I can¡¯t control someone else¡¯s power too well. Eit.¡±


    I immediately realized what she was trying to do. Sherafina¡¯s power rose up and a devouring pressure overwhelmed me.


    She was trying to suck out all of the dungeon¡¯s power from me. Ridiculous! She could wield Sherafina¡¯s power to this extent already?!


    Although I was shocked by her skillfulness, I was relieved by her action itself.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Give it up, Ciara.¡±


    ¡°How? Hero-nim, you should have that woman¡¯s power inside you, right?¡±


    ¡°I did, but it¡¯s a bit different now.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow.¡±


    Ciara acted surprised as she tilted her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, Hero-nimpletely absorbed it? She must have put several locks to prevent Hero-nim from doing that, how amazing! Hero-nim is really amazing!¡±


    ¡°You sure are detestable.¡±


    ¡°How mean. But it¡¯s okay, I know Hero-nim loves me deep down inside! You fixed my eyes after all!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my life¡¯s greatest regret.¡±


    As I blurted out curtly, I became certain of one thing. She couldn¡¯t use her foresight ability in this space. If she knew she couldn¡¯t absorb the dungeon¡¯s power from me, she wouldn¡¯t have carried it out. It could only mean she was unable to achieve a perfect future sight in this space.


    Of course, the reason she couldn¡¯t steal the dungeon¡¯s power from me was simple. Currently, the dungeon¡¯s power was tied to me by a certain medium. This medium was an item that had stayed with me for a long time - the Collector¡¯s Pocket Watch.


    The pocket watch was an odd item even in terms of the dungeon¡¯s rules. Whether it be the power of the dungeon or the power of an artifact, the pocket watch could absorb it and let me wield it.


    At first, the pocket watch was just as mysterious as any other dungeon item, the more I climbed the dungeon, the more I came to know that it wasn¡¯t a simple item. Once the pocket watch let me synthesize skills, my suspicions became solid doubt. From it, I obtained Overlord. In a way, the pocket watch was what made me reach where I was today.


    And it was none other than Loretta who gave me the pocket watch. Not long ago, I asked Loretta if she had my identity in mind when she gave me the pocket watch and she nodded unhesitatingly. Right, Loretta had known for a long time that Sherafina had tricked her, and the pocket watch was her secret weapon against her.


    Not long ago, the pocket watch went through a final change. The final product was simple. It stored any number of external powers, synthesized them and let its user wield them freely. Its purpose was even simpler.


    That was to transfer Sherafina¡¯s power to a different medium and convert it to a different power, and thus even if Sherafina tried to take the power away or tried to use it to harm me, she would be unable to. As long as I had this item, I would be released from the fate of explorers, which was to be at the whim of the Dungeon Lord.


    However, the pocket watch¡¯s power had been blocked once before. That was when I fought the demon Lespina. Other than that one time, it had never been blocked. Then why was blocked against Lespina?


    Lespina was a deviant who was unique even among demons. Unlike the Five Kings or the other worlds¡¯ enemies I¡¯ve faced, she didn¡¯t simply reject Sherafina¡¯s power, she rejected any power that wasn¡¯t pure. That was why she could reject the pocket watch¡¯s power after she perceived it.


    In any case, the fact that Ciara was oblivious about the pocket watch¡¯s existence proved that she was no different than Sherafina in this space.


    Though I was quite shocked at first, fighting Sherafina or fighting Ciara was no different!


    ¡°Geez, it really isn¡¯t easy, is it? Hero-nim is just too excellent. Though, that¡¯s what I like about Hero-nim, huhu.¡±


    ¡°I might like you if you just die here.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, there you will again with the tease. I already know how much love you have for me!¡±


    Her mana shot towards me from all sides, but my control over mana didn¡¯t lose out either. Even against an enemy who beat my mana both qualitatively and quantitatively, I had the confidence to stand firm. As I thought she would predict my attacks with her foresight ability at first, my shoulders lost strength.


    ¡°Looks like you really can¡¯t use your foresight ability in this ce.¡±


    ¡°My Evil Eyes isn¡¯t something like Evil Eyes of Future Sight. Hero-nim, these eyes let me see vividly the record of all past and future of the called Earth. They¡¯re also what lets me help Hero-nim!¡±


    So it was like that. I thought Sherafina¡¯s power was resisting her, but it seemed Ciara¡¯s Evil Eyes had an absurd ability. Her Evil Eyes weren¡¯t the eyes of an ability user, but an administrator!


    She said her League was lower than mine? She was only being humble. Someone who knew everything about a world couldn¡¯t possibly have a lower League than me! If she returned to Earth, there might be no way to stop her.


    But thankfully, it seemed the power of her eyes was limited to the premises of Earth. That exined why she had trouble using her ability on matters rted to the dungeon. Another suspicion rose up.


    ¡°How did you find out about Sherafina?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know her name. I simply found out about the existence of the dungeon and its hindrance to our n. The rest was easy. Once I have the keyword, I can pull out any information about it from Earth¡¯s memory.¡±


    What heaven-defying ability! In other words, the only thing Ciara couldn¡¯t see among everything I did was what I did in other worlds.


    Even at this very moment, Ciara was working to connect Earth to all other worlds. She knew that an infinite number of worlds and an infinite number of beings would perish. Yet, her expression was bright. Rather than her might, her distorted will was much more frightening.


    ¡°Ciara, why are you going so far?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I love Hero-nim! I only exist for Hero-nim!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need something like this.¡±


    ¡°But you do, Hero-nim. I know it. You might not be able to understand it now, but trust me and just wait a bit.¡±


    It was impossible to get through her. The values we had were hopelessly different.


    Talking to her was meaningless. If anything, it would only serve as a way to relieve her boredom while she connected Earth to other worlds.


    Even so, I couldn¡¯t help but ask. There was still something I wanted to know.


    Staring at her, I asked.


    ¡°Do you remember Lespina?¡±

 Chapter 351. The End (5)

    After thinking for a bit, Ciara soon replied with a nod.


    ¡°The female demon, right? The one who had the ability to ignore the dungeon¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°You said the next Demon Army Commander I would fight would be a strengthened version of Lespina.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. But that was my mistake. I realized it after I obtained this woman¡¯s memories. That woman was an Irregr among Irregrs. If this Sherafina woman knew such an odd thing would be born, she would never have given information to the Demon Lord.¡±


    Lespina¡¯s power was unique even among the countless demons that ever existed. The Demon Lord seemed to have vowed to birth more demons like her, but in the end, no demon like her appeared again. Even the Demon Lord was toyed by Sherafina¡¯s hands.


    But after subjugating Lespina, there was something I always considered strange.


    ¡°Before I defeated Lespina, I met Sherafina for the first time. At that time, Sherafina told me about two things. First, the danger of demons. Second, Ciara Kenex, to take you in. ... That was a magic spell to force someone to act a certain way... a mental suggestion, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Because Hero-nim already had Absolute Soul at the time, it was impossible to instill a mental suggestion without Absolute Soul activating unless she met Hero-nim face to face.¡±


    ¡°I see, so she did the same to Loretta.¡±


    I remembered thinking Loretta was acting strangely by suddenly bringing me to meet the Dungeon Lord.


    That was the only time Sherafina met with me directly. At the time, I didn¡¯t think it was strange, but thinking about it now, it was too unnatural.


    If she wanted to tell me something, she could have done so through the dungeon¡¯s messaging system. If she wanted to stay in her automated message-like character, she could have ryed her message to Loretta.


    Moreover, if Sherafina wanted to eventually obtain my power, it was better to not show herself in front of me until the time arrived. Because I met her before, I was able to deal with her mana much easily.


    There was no way Sherafina didn¡¯t know this. It was just that she had to see me at the time to instill a mental suggestion.


    The way she achieved this was simple. She put in a mental suggestion to Loretta to bring me to her. After meeting me in person, she sessfully put in a mental suggestion to me. It would have been impossible had I mastered Absolute Soul, but I had notpletely adapted to Absolute Soul at the time. That was why I fell for her mental suggestion.


    What happened afterward, I remembered clearly. Even though I didn¡¯t want to meet Ciara again, I decided to pull her in without much thought. Most importantly, I killed any demon I came across mercilessly and ruthlessly.


    Of course, I never hesitated about killing an enemy. But at the time, it was almost as if I was blinded by the thought of killing Lespina. I massacred demons without caring for my own safety or thinking straight.


    ¡°But why? You should know since you absorbed Sherafina. Why did she need to go so far as to meet me to put in a mental suggestion?¡±


    ¡°They were important to her. She was confident in being able to absorb me and feared that female demon¡¯s power. Also... That woman, Lespina, knew part of the truth. She knew about the connection between the Demon Lord and Sherafina, Though, she ended up dying by Hero-nim¡¯s hands without being able to do anything.¡±


    As I thought, Ciara didn¡¯t know.


    There should have been one more thing Sherafina was worried about. Me finding out that she was the one giving information to the Demon Lord, that she was the hidden ruler behind the monsters¡¯ continent. Ciara said Lespina died without being able to do anything, but the reality was a bit different.


    Right, that was when I became certain that Sherafina was my enemy. The moment Lespina fell under the effect of Lilith¡¯s Temptation and became my subordinate, the mental suggestion Sherafina left in my head disappeared.


    ¡®The Dungeon Lord met with the Demon Lord.¡¯


    That was what Lespina said as she was burning to death.


    ¡°But Hero-nim, why are you asking about her now?¡±


    Ciara didn¡¯t know what Lespina told me. There was only one reason.


    Her power wasn¡¯t pure.


    ¡°I wanted to make up my mind.¡±


    ¡°Make up your mind?¡±


    With a nod, I reached my hand out to the air. In an instant, more than half of the mana inside me became concentrated in my hand. It was a technique that I could do, a miraculous ability that is only granted to me.


    Ciara quickly interfered with her mana, but I roused Extort¡¯s power to the maximum and stole some of its power. The reason I hadn¡¯t used Extort until now was for this moment. No matter how overbearing Sherafina¡¯s mana might be, I wouldn¡¯t lose to her so easily, especially with a trump card or two in my pocket.


    Ciara looked astonished.


    ¡°Hero-nim, that¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a magic called Dimensional Travel.¡±


    A magic I learned in Loretta¡¯s cabin, where neither Sherafina¡¯s nor Ciara¡¯s magic could reach. This magic lets me travel through dimensions to other worlds without the dungeon¡¯s support. Looking noticeably shocked, Ciara shook her head.


    ¡°Hero-nim, don¡¯t tell me... Are you trying to leave this ce? I apologize, but I cannot let that happen.¡±


    ¡°I thought about that too. It should be possible if I use Hermes¡¯ power, but I decided otherwise.¡±


    I hesitated between two choices. One was to escape first and make a surprise attackter. The other was ending it all here and now.


    After analyzing her ability... No, just based off of what Ciara said, if I escape, Ciara would go back to Earth. That would only make her stronger.


    If I were to fight Ciara here, it would be no different than fighting Sherafina, and I would be able to use everything I prepared against Sherafina on Ciara. Since Ciara couldn¡¯t use her Evil Eyes¡¯ ability, the oue was already decided.


    Through the dimensional gate that opened up, I threw in a single coin. Immediately, Ciara¡¯s irresistible mana swept over the gate, closing it all too easily.


    ¡°Hero-nim... What was that coin for?¡±


    Ciara asked with an expression that seemed to say she couldn¡¯t understand. I answered.


    ¡°It was a signal.¡±


    ¡°Signal?¡±


    Seeing Ciara tilt her head in a cutesy manner, I drew in the urge to smack her head. For now, I nodded calmly and replied.


    ¡°Do you remember when I finished off Lespina?¡±


    ¡°Of course! I watched all of Hero-nim¡¯s fight with my eyes! Aaah, no matter the situation, Hero-nim was magnificent, glorious! As for that female demon, Hero-nim burned her to death with chaos mes!¡±


    ¡°Right, and you know what chaos me is, right?¡±


    ¡°An inextinguishable me that burns until the target is dead!¡±


    Ciara¡¯s eyes lit up. It was as though she forgot about the dimensional gate I just opened.


    This child was really too dangerous. Having an absurd amount of mana and the ability to see the history of the past 4.6 billion years was one thing, but her personality was too twisted.


    ¡°Hero-nim used to favor that power in the past! Aah, I still remember how much my heart fluttered when I first saw Hero-nim use that power! My only regret is not having been there to see it in action!¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth, there are actually two ways to extinguish those mes. Do you know them?¡±


    ¡°Yes! The first is for the target of the mes to die.¡±


    ¡°And the second?¡±


    With an undtion of space, a gate opened up in the air. I didn¡¯t open this gate. It was opened from the other side by the one who received my signal.


    At that instant, Ciara¡¯s expression paled.


    ¡°... Hero-nim?¡±


    I spoke with a grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s for me to extinguish it myself...¡±


    From the gate, a supple bodied woman walked out. Violet hair and light blue skin. Other than theplete white pupils she had that made her eyes frighteningly creepy, she was a rare beauty.


    ¡°Before the target dies.¡±


    A demon.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯m d I made it on time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Lespina. It¡¯s good to see you again.¡±


    ¡°Me too, Master!¡±


    ¡°H-How...!?¡±


    Seeing the dumbfounded Ciara, I kindly exined.


    ¡°I faked Lespina¡¯s death. To prevent Sherafina from finding out.¡±


    ¡°How...!? No, just where was that woman!?¡±


    ¡°Edias.¡±


    I spoke briefly.


    ¡°I had the feeling Sherafina was closing in on me and Lespina was also reaching her limit. I released her to a different world so she wouldn¡¯t have to live in hiding. It seems I managed to trick you because of it.¡±


    ¡°Edias... The world¡¯s enemy!?¡±


    ¡°Yep. She was also a safeguard I prepared for my trip to Edias. Do you really think I would go to a world filled with danger without a safety? Lespina was my safeguard.¡±


    Mastering Peruta Circuit wasn¡¯t part of my ns. Only a fool would rely on a lucky encounter to save his life. I thoroughly nned for my survival, and that was to bring Lespina along. With Lespina¡¯s power to reject all impure power, I had the confidence to survive in any situation.


    But one unexpected happening after another urred, and I ended up not using Lespina. But I managed to carry out my second purpose in going to Edias. A ce filled with Peruta¡¯s mana, Peruta Mountain Range. There couldn¡¯t have been a better ce to hide from Sherafina¡¯s eyes and recover at the same time.


    If not for this, I would have made all of Peruta¡¯s mana in the continent into mine. Why else would I have left behind such valuable mana?


    ¡°How did you achieve... Dimensional Travel?¡±


    ¡°You need two things for Dimensional Travel. First is the spell to cast Dimensional Travel, second is the mana is to use Dimensional Travel.


    I gave Paul all the necessary ingredients.


    I didn¡¯t just give Paul his world¡¯s power as he went back to the Edias continent. I also ced magical knowledge that would allow Lespina to find my coordinate and the mana she would need to use Dimensional Travel.


    With the previous coin, I sent Lespina the signal, and she managed to find me sessfully.


    ¡°But how... Sherafina should have kept a close eye on this man called Paul!¡±


    ¡°I only asked Paul to do one thing. To go to Peruta Mountain Range and make a tomb for Peruta.¡±


    I was no fool. Why would I exin Paul everything? His task was finished when he went to Peruta Mountain Range, where Lespina was staying. The rest, Lespina could figure out.


    ¡°That¡¯s why Sherafina didn¡¯t find out.¡±


    ¡°Hu, huhu... But a single demon won¡¯t change anything, Hero-nim.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. If I wasn¡¯t sure, I would have taken everyone and escaped.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s little you can do with that demon, Hero-nim. Don¡¯t underestimate the League of my ability. I devoured Sherafina¡¯s power in my powerless state. No matter how much I love Hero-nim, I might get mad if you look down on me too much!¡±


    ¡°No, Ciara. If that power was yours, I wouldn¡¯t have been so rxed. But...¡±


    Turning around, I spoke as I shook my head.


    ¡°It seems that power isn¡¯t yours.¡±


    If that power purely belonged to Ciara, she would have known everything in regards to Lespina. If she did, things wouldn¡¯t havee to this.


    She would have done everything she could to prevent Lespina from crossing over to Edias continent, and she would have been hell bent on having Lespina killed. The fact that she failed to do so proved that Ciara¡¯s power was rejected by Lespina¡¯s authority.


    Lespina rejected all impure power. Her power rejected Ciara.


    ¡°Then whose power is it!?¡±


    Ciara shouted. Lespina had already taken action. I transferred the remainder of my mana to Lespina and using my mana, she separated Ciara from all of her powers. This included Sherafina¡¯s power, the League she possessed, and Earth¡¯s power.


    Ciara tried to draw up her mana, but it was futile. Her desperate attempts to resist becameughably sad.


    As I pulled these powers towards me, I became certain. Mm, considering how only Sherafina¡¯s power was being sucked in, it seemed Ciara¡¯s original power really wasn¡¯t mine.


    In that case, there was only one other candidate.


    ¡°Not telling ya.¡±


    Speaking tauntingly, I grabbed Ciara.


    I could finally catch her. With her boundless mana and lofty League disappearing, the Ciara in my hand was no different than an ordinary 13-year-old girl.


    ¡°P-Please save me.¡±


    She said.


    ¡°Please save me! You were the one who told me about Hero-nim!¡±


    I felt like I knew who she was talking to, but this being didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°Save me! I need to give Hero-nim his power... I must! Otherwise, Hero-nim is too pitiful. Hero-nim should be a king that rules over all... Oh, please!¡±


    ¡°Do you like me that much?¡±


    ¡°Hero-nim, I¡¯ve been saying it from the beginning! You are the only one for me! From the moment I was born, I knew about Hero-nim and I lived only for Hero-nim!¡±


    She should know what I was about to do to her. Still, Ciara¡¯s eyes were only filled with affection and longing.


    ¡°Hero-nim, it¡¯s not toote. Connect all worlds to Earth! Hero-nim will be God, and by your side, I...¡±


    ¡°But I hate you. I have since the moment I met you, and I still do.¡±


    ¡°Hero-nim¡ª¡±


    Without hesitating any longer, I tore her in half. Then, with my power of lightning, I incinerated her body without leaving behind a piece.


    ¡°Aaah, Master, so cool!¡±


    ¡°You did well too, Lespina. You know what to do now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lespina ced her hands over my own and began to transfer all of her power to me. Though it was a bit difficult when I had yet to fully absorb Sherafina¡¯s power, I still sessfully took in her mana. Lespina¡¯s power was vital for what I wanted to do next.


    My unique power, Sherafina¡¯s power, and now Lespina¡¯s power to reject all impure power. It was incredibly unnatural for these powers to mix. In the first ce, it was contradictory for a power to reject impure power tobine with other powers, thereby forming something non-pure.


    But the talent I was born with made this possible. Under my watchful eyes, all three powers fused into one unbelievably smoothly. The inside of my body expanded endlessly, and my mana grew explosively without limit. It was hard to believe that a simple fusion of three powers could result in something like this.


    My appearance also began to change. I grew taller, my skin began to glow, and another golden circle appeared in my eyes. Finally, my halo let out a brilliant light before beginning to change shape.


    ¡°Master, it was an honor to serve you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Afterward, Lespina raised her hand and tried to stab her stomach. But looking at her, I reached out and stopped her.


    ¡°... I nned on killing you at first, but you¡¯ve been too helpful. Plus, I don¡¯t feel like killing anyone else right now... You should continue living by my side.¡±


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Lespina shouted with a touched look. The fact that she was alive and would continue to live went against the creed I lived by until now. But, in a way, this didn¡¯t seem so bad.


    Though it was an act of mercy I made on a whim, thinking about it again, that might have been the final catalyst in making me reach this position.


    The position of godhood.


    ¡°Then what will you do now, Master?¡±


    Though she lost all of her power and became an ordinary demon, Lespina asked with a voice full of energy and happiness. Compared with the moment she submitted to me, her change in attitude was almost a bit unnerving, but I believed this was for the best.


    Reaching out to her with my hand, I filled up her mana and spoke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s definitely a lot for me to do but...¡±


    Putting the dungeon back in operation, cleaning up Earth, taking care of other worlds... There was just too much work for me to do.


    But for now.


    ¡°Let me sleep a bit.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    After sleeping just a little bit, I¡¯ll take care of the rest. Thinking that I snapped my fingers. Looking at the golden bed that appeared in front of me, I furrowed my brows.


    ¡°Dortu, try to make it softer.¡±


    [I am Dortu. Metal is normally hard. It¡¯s definitely not because I hate Master for sleeping with another woman.]


    Well, I won¡¯t be sleeping I guess.

 Chapter 352. Gods Marriage (END)

    I first looked for Loretta. I had no idea where to start, but Loretta was in her cabin. The way she was crouched down in the corner of her cabin holding onto an axe was cute, but also a bit scary.


    ¡°Shi, Shin-niiiiiim!¡±


    ¡°First, put that axe down.¡±


    Loretta came running into my arms with teary eyes. I kindly removed the axe she was holding before I received her in my arms.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe too, Loretta. I knew the axe would help.¡±


    I looked at the axe, which still contained the Death Lord.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    [If you want to repay me, make me a cool new body!]


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡±


    When I was having a staring contest with the Death Lord, Loretta asked with her face still buried in my chest.


    ¡°What happened to Lord?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Loretta let out a small sigh. She must have spent thousands of years with Sherafina. I¡¯m sure she had many things on her mind.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since I noticed Lord¡¯s n. Even Lin noticed earlier than me.¡±


    ¡°You found out after what happened with Kain, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Loretta nodded with a bitter smile. Then, she shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s over now so I won¡¯t think about it anymore. I¡¯m just happy that Shin-nim came back safe and sound. I¡¯m happy to have been of help.¡±


    ¡°Without Loretta¡¯s pocket watch, none of this would have been possible.¡±


    ¡°Huhu.¡±


    I asked.


    ¡°How did you obtain the pocket watch?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an artifact that was created in my world. Lin really wanted it in the past, but I didn¡¯t give it to him. Lin said he could beat Lord if he had it, but I didn¡¯t think so. Plus...¡±


    ¡°Plus?¡±


    ¡°... No, I¡¯m keeping it a secret.¡±


    Loretta looked away with a reddened face. As I knew what it implied, I simply made a small smile.


    As we were in a hurry, the seat of the Dungeon Lord was given to Loretta. But she wouldn¡¯t be chained to the seat for eternity. I nned to carry out what I nned to do from the beginning. With the power I had now, it was possible.


    To disconnect all connected worlds and return worlds¡¯ powers to their proper worlds. The number of worlds¡¯ powers wasn¡¯t decreasing at all. They were simplybining with another. Now that I could wield worlds¡¯ powers as I pleased, separating them once more wasn¡¯t a difficult task whatsoever.


    It might be difficult if all worlds¡¯ powers fused together into one... No, having taken a step further, I felt like I could divide them again even if that happened.


    In any case, once this was done, the dungeon would disappear. There was no need for it to exist. Members of the administrative guilds who were chained to the dungeon would finally be set free. And of course, Loretta was included.


    ¡°Hurry up and free me, Shin-nim.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long, so just wait a bit.¡±


    I had the confidence in redividing worlds¡¯ powers, but I had trouble giving Sherafina¡¯s power to Loretta.


    What resulted from the fusion of my original power, Sherafina¡¯s power, and Lespina¡¯s power was a shocking power no one could have imagined. Because of the origin of this power, it was hard to iste Sherafina¡¯s power.


    But that didn¡¯t mean I had to be the Dungeon Lord. I was Loretta¡¯s Partner, so I could give her a blessing, and I could put in a portion of Sherafina¡¯s power into it.


    Once Loretta received my blessing, she could act as the Dungeon Lord for a month. I had to give her the highest grade blessing to have itst for a month, but Loretta had no qualms about it. In fact, she enjoyed it very much.


    ¡°Muhuhu, muhuhuhu.¡±


    ¡°Stop sticking to me and restart the dungeon. Earth is in trouble too.¡±


    ¡°Uuu, okay... But you have toe back after you¡¯re done with Earth!¡±


    After confirming that the dungeon had started operating again, I hurriedly returned to Earth. The moment I sent Kain the signal, he deactivated Kune¨¥


    ¡°Cool hair essory.¡±


    That was all Kain said, and that was enough. He saw that I had reached my goal, there was no need for me to exin anything to him.


    ¡°Dear Husband!¡±


    ¡°Uuk, Shin changed again.¡±


    ¡°Huu.¡±


    ¡°Shin!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re safe, Son!¡±


    Revival¡¯s members rushed towards me as they checked for my safety. I became a bit depressed as they reminded me of the ordinary people who came to worship me, but such thought flew away when they all charged into an embrace.


    No, now¡¯s not the time for this!


    ¡°Guys, I know you¡¯re happy to see me but pick your weapons back up!¡±


    I shouted, pointing at the monsters running around on the ground.


    ¡°We can talk after we kill all the monsters!¡±


    Kain¡¯s Kune


    Postponing the celebration forter, everyone scattered to all sides.


    In the center of it all, I raised my spear and shouted.


    ¡°Fight me, you bastards!¡±


    My strengthened Evil Eyes shone and the monsters on the ground all became petrified. At the same time, people¡¯s gazes became focused on me.


    ¡°Shin-nim!¡±


    ¡°Shin-nim is back!¡±


    ¡°He came to save us!¡±


    ¡°... Whatever, you guys can call me what you want.¡±


    I decided to give up.


    Cleaning up Earth took four whole days. Sherafina¡¯s final wave of monsters was truly wide-ranged and carefully nned. The fact that it took me four days with my Evil Eyes showed how dire the situation was. But of course, it didn¡¯t matter too much as we ended up killing every monster without leaving even a single goblin behind.


    Once the monsters were annihted, the world continued to roll along even with the massive damage it suffered. I believed all of humanity was thinking the same thing. That the world continued no matter what happened.


    There was also an unwee news.


    ¡°Oppa, it looks like an official church has been established.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s thest thing I wanted to hear.¡±


    Yua reported with a happy face to which I retorted with a frown.


    ¡°Can we get rid of it somehow?¡±


    Licorice, who knew my thoughts the best, burst into aughter and poked my cheeks yfully.


    ¡°Huhu, humans need someone like Dear Husband to get through this dark time. Just bear with it. Dear Husband will leave Earth soon anyways, right?¡±


    ¡°Ehew.¡±


    Ciara¡¯s legacy ran too deep for me to erase. If I wanted to, I would have to raise my spear against the surviving humans. Since that was obviously out of the question, I reluctantly epted the situation. At that moment, the light the halo was giving off became thicker.


    Damn, I don¡¯t know anymore.


    I gave Daisy, Kain, and Ren their worlds¡¯ powers back.


    ¡°I¡¯m currently researching how to prevent Heroes from being burdened with worlds¡¯ powers. Once I get results, I¡¯ll tell you all.¡±


    ¡°Kang Shin, are you abandoning me in Sylon?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll follow Kang Shin until I die. Even after death, we¡¯ll be, together.¡±


    ¡°Hah, it¡¯ll be a while before I die.¡±


    ¡°Un. So I¡¯ll follow you, forever.¡±


    She sure knew how to throw the right pitches at the right time. Looking at Daisy, who was staring at me intently and asserting her will, I stroked her head once and shrugged at Kain and Ren to hide my embarrassment. The two of them spoke one by one.


    ¡°Crown Prince is really amazing.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the number one Casanova under heaven.¡±


    ¡°Want me to take your powers away?¡±


    After taking care of urgent matters, I prepared to leave Earth. The amount of blood flowing across dimensions would diminish the faster I went, so I hurried as much as I could.


    Hwaya, who noticed this quickly, cut in strongly.


    ¡°Leave after we get married.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    When I didn¡¯t give a reply, Hwaya¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to hit you if you say you won¡¯t get married until you¡¯re done with all of the worlds.¡±


    ¡°Hwaya, I¡¯ve always admired your sharp intellect.¡±


    ¡°Someone grab him, I¡¯m going to hit him.¡±


    Just when I was wondering who could hold me down, Ye-Eun, Ina, and Daisy activated their gods¡¯ powers and grabbed ahold of me. There really was no one you could trust in the world.


    In the end, my wedding was nned at the age of twenty-three. If possible, I wanted to marry Loretta first after freeing her from the dungeon, but that would only mean I was ignoring Hwaya and the rest.


    After careful consideration, I decided to hold two weddings, one on Earth and one in Fairy Garden. That way, Loretta would also be a bride.


    While the wedding at Fairy Garden only had Fairy Garden¡¯s guild members to worry about, the wedding on Earth was God¡¯s wedding, so it was difficult to hold it in peace. Because of it, the brides seemed to be looking forward to Fairy Garden¡¯s wedding more.


    ¡°Loretta unni, can you make my mom an explorer! She wants toe!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make things more difficult. Also, I¡¯m only seventeen, so don¡¯t call me unni.¡±


    Loretta rejected Hwaya¡¯s request to make her family members dungeon explorers. Instead, she created a ¡®one-time guest¡¯ system, which only allowed guests into Fairy Garden. It was a power fitting of the Dungeon Lord. Thanks to her, the brides¡¯ families could visit Fairy Garden too.


    The wedding day arrived in the blink of an eye. For both weddings, we only needed to prepare the wedding hall, since we only needed to invite Revival¡¯s members and the brides¡¯ families.


    As for me, I was hiding in the corner of Fairy Garden.


    ¡°Shin, why are you hiding?¡±


    Ye-Eun, who was in her wedding dress, discovered me quickly. Seeing Ye-Eun in her pure white dress, I realized once again how beautiful Ye-Eun really was.


    ¡°Ye-Eun, you look really beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Eh. Ehehehe. Really? Hehe, you look cool too Shin! Like you always do!¡±


    Ye-Eun smiled brightly. She was especially cute when she smiled.


    ¡°So, why are you hiding?¡±


    But she didn¡¯t let me off. Damn.


    ¡°... I¡¯m too scared to see my mother-inws¡¯ faces.¡±


    Six brides. I knew what position I was in in the world, but that didn¡¯t make the situation any better. I could only imagine what my mothers-inw were thinking. For example, if Yua were to marry someone with several wives...


    ¡°You might be scared, but don¡¯t destroy Fairy Garden because of it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I got worked up.¡±


    That was from rage rather than fear, but thankfully, Ye-Eun didn¡¯t know my inner thoughts.


    ¡°Even if you say mothers-inw, only Hwaya unni¡¯s mother and my parents are here.¡±


    ¡°Still.¡±


    Ludia, Loretta, and Daisy had all lost their parents, and Licorice didn¡¯t have one, to begin with. As a result, only Ye-Eun¡¯s parents and Hwaya¡¯s family were in the bride¡¯s¡¯ guests. Not to mention, Ye-Eun had not stayed in touch with her parents for a long time and only called them because it was her wedding.


    Ye-Eun¡¯s parents were treating her like a monster since the day Ye-Eun awakened as an ability user, but once they saw Ye-Eun in her dress, I was sure they would change their mind. Though, it might be toote to mend their rtionship.


    ¡°I just have a lot on my mind. I¡¯ll be there in time, so don¡¯t worry and go get ready.¡±


    ¡°Un! Uhuhu... Eit.¡±


    Afterughing innocently, Ye-Eun gave me a peck on the cheek before turning around and running. She was undoubtedly embarrassed.


    The moment Ye-Eun disappeared, Ludia popped out from the ground like she was waiting.


    ¡°Shin, there¡¯s a lipstick mark on your face.¡±


    ¡°Your ability to control the earth sure improved, huh.¡±


    ¡°I had to get stronger to be with Shin.¡±


    Ludia said with a small smile, while I wiped the lipstick mark off my face.


    ¡°Did you guys do a baton pass?¡±


    ¡°No, I came a while ago, so I was waiting for you guys to finish talking. Didn¡¯t you notice?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s too much power concentrated in Fairy Garden right now. If I start releasing my power, it¡¯s sure to copse, so I¡¯m holding it in. So unless someone bears any hostility towards me, I can¡¯t notice anyone hiding. ...Loretta and Hwaya aren¡¯t hiding nearby too, right?¡±


    ¡°They wanted toe with me, but I stopped them. It would have been troublesome if all brides disappeared.¡±


    Iughed out loud at Ludia¡¯s words. She then spoke firmly.


    ¡°Shin, thank you for killing the Demon Lord.¡±


    ¡°I only did what I needed to do.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll think of it the way I want to. That you killed him for me. I¡¯m happier that way and it makes my heart flutter more.¡±


    For a moment, I became lost for words. Ludia slowly approached me and leaned against my arm.


    ¡°Thank you for epting a spoiled girl like me as your bride.¡±


    ¡°But... Is that okay with you? After this, I¡¯ll be traveling countless dimensions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine as long as Shin¡¯s there.¡±


    Ludia¡¯s voice carried no hesitation.


    ¡°I finally learned to be honest with myself. I¡¯m going to do what my heart¡¯s telling me to. I don¡¯t want to regret anything.¡±


    ¡°... It feels like everyone is maturing except me.¡±


    Ludia chuckled at myint and dug closer towards my shoulder. Seeing her beautifully arranged hair being messed up, I let out a sigh.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to get your hair done again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. That¡¯s my honest feeling right now.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m going to start with Luka continent first. I have to transmit back thend that came to Earth.¡±


    ¡°Un. Huhu, thanks to my husband, I¡¯ll be able to hold my head up in front of my people.¡±


    Ludia spoke proudly. After staying still for a bit, she kissed my cheek and got off. Then, staring straight into my face, she asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s something you need to do here, right?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡±


    ¡°Good, then I¡¯ll take the others with me. Make sure youe back straight away once you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Ah, wait, Ludia! Dear Husband, me too, me tooooo!¡±


    ¡°I also, with Kang Shin... Ut, don¡¯t grab me. W-With Kang Shin, with Kang Shin...!¡±


    Ludia dragged away Licorice and Daisy, who were hiding gods knows where. Even if they weren¡¯t resisting at full strength, to be able to drag them away... Just how strong did she get while I wasn¡¯t watching!?


    [They¡¯ll make fine wives. They¡¯re all so beautiful too.]


    ¡°I think so too, Peruta.¡±


    Hearing the voice ringing in my ear, I answered without being surprised.


    [This will be thest time I talk to you like this, huh.]


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    [Leaving worlds¡¯ powers in their original form, that was a good decision. Because of it, you¡¯ll be able take the next step.]


    I shrugged and retorted.


    ¡°Take the next step... I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s even a foothold to take my step, but... that¡¯s nice to know.¡±


    [I¡¯ll look forward to meeting you again someday. Things are interesting over on this side too.]


    ¡°More interesting than what I experienced in the dungeon?¡±


    [You think something like the dungeon is even remotelyparable?]


    ¡°... Ha, there¡¯s just no end to it, is there? Do I have to transcend the physical ne if I want to cross over?¡±


    Hearing myint, Perutaughed heartily.


    [You¡¯re most of the way there, so you don¡¯t have to think of it as something so far-off. Well then, I¡¯ll be going now. I¡¯m sure we will meet again one day.]


    ¡°When the timees, spar with me with your real body.¡±


    [I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.]


    I felt something snap off. I could feel that the connection between Peruta and me vanishedpletely. It made sense. Now, my body wasn¡¯t too different from Peruta¡¯s. There was no way he could manifest in my body.


    ¡°Sherafina and Ciara, they both had a huge misunderstanding until the end...¡±


    They had both tunnel-visioned badly. If they had widened their sights by just a bit, they would have been able to grasp what was on the other side. If they did, they would have been able to achieve what they sought isntead of having to resort to their destructive and wasteful n.


    I let out a small sigh.


    ¡°By the way, Peika.¡±


    [Un!]


    Peika immediately appeared. Because Fairy Garden empowered elementals, Peika manifested in her beautiful girl form. Today was a joyous day. Peika also looked extremely happy.


    I asked her.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer Ciara?¡±


    [What are you talking about, Master?]


    ¡°Before she died, she was looking for you. Why didn¡¯t you answer her?¡±


    Peika tilted her head. She opened the parasol she was holding in her hand, covering the sunlight shining down. As she looked at me, she seemed a bit teary.


    [I don¡¯t know what you mean, Master.]


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    [... Suppose there¡¯s a really really reaaaaaaally old elemental. Among the countless stars and countless worlds, she was born in an especially old world at the same time as the stars.]


    ¡°Right.¡±


    [Even an existence like that would naturally perish. That¡¯s because eternity isn¡¯t allowed for an elemental without a master.]


    ¡°Is a master required?¡±


    [Un. Elementals are iplete by nature. They beplete by meeting their master and forming a contract. Just like I did, Ruyue did, Sharana did, and Dortu did.]


    Peika increased the size of her parasol and covered me with it too.


    [The elemental thought, ¡®I want to continue living.¡¯]


    ¡°Right.¡±


    [The best way to achieve that was to make her master live forever, the master that she would be fated to meet one day!]


    ¡°Aha.¡±


    [So the elemental began to think about how to make her master live forever. Eventually, she realized the best way to achieve it.]


    As I already knew what that method was, I gave the answer as I stared at Peika.


    ¡°To concentrate all worlds¡¯ powers to that master?¡±


    [Un. That was the safest, most risk-free way.]


    ¡°Safest, most risk-free...¡±


    Peika continued.


    [That elemental was extremely powerful. In reality, she was no different than the star¡¯s representative. It was the same for other stars¡¯ powers. Right, it wasn¡¯t particrly difficult.]


    ¡°And?¡±


    [The elemental set her n into motion. She connected worlds together and waited for her rightful master to be born. She then picked a suitable person to bestow her power to and made that person connect her with her master.]


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t that elemental give her power to her master? Why did she go through an intermediary step, Ciara?¡±


    [The talent of the master the elemental was waiting for was too high. He couldn¡¯t be controlled easily unlike that Ciara girl.]


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Peika continued.


    [But that only made the elemental happier. Nothing brings more joy to an elemental than having an excellent owner. With all the ns she made, even if a slight miscalction urred, she believed she could bring about the result she wanted. So then the elemental formed a contract with her master.]


    ¡°But?¡±


    At that moment, Peika made a small smile before continuing.


    [But that elemental made one mistake. She had never formed a contract before, so she didn¡¯t know how deep the contractual bond was or how much influence it would have on her. Even if she did, she would surely underestimate it. After being alive for billions of years, she hade to look down on almost everything.]


    ¡°That was the problem, huh.¡±


    [Her n continued as nned, but the elemental began to grow weary. ¡®At this rate, Master might be sad.¡¯ ¡®What if Master dies before the n finishes?¡¯ So she gave him the power of lightning that was only permitted for her and even helped him learn about a powerful mana. ...She also bit women who tried to seduce her master. Stupid things like that.]


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    I ended up justughing.


    [The elemental was just a fool. She lived for billions of years, but she only really began to live after being connected to her master. Through him, she came to realize many things.]


    ¡°Quite a cute elemental, huh.¡±


    [In short, the priority of the elemental changed. Between her unhappiness and her master¡¯s unhappiness, she realized her master¡¯s unhappiness pained her more.]


    Peika finished as she reddened her cheeks.


    [An elemental like that would have wanted to hide her true self because she wouldn¡¯t want her master to hate her.]


    ¡°So that¡¯s why she ignored Ciara¡¯s dying call.¡±


    [A psychopathic woman like her wasn¡¯t worth her master¡¯s smile.]


    With that, Peika dropped her head. She looked like a kid who was waiting to get punished.


    Looking at her, all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind. Even though I expected this to happen from the day I fought Lilith, hearing the truth from Peika¡¯s words still shocked me greatly.


    I let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Peika.¡±


    [Un.]


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need your help a lot from now. So let¡¯s do our best together.¡±


    [... Un!]


    Peika threw away her parasol and jumped into my embrace. All sorts of thoughts filled my mind, but this was the best oue. Unlike Ciara, I couldn¡¯t just push away Peika because I wanted to.


    Elementals were like that. Just like how I became more important to Peika than herself.


    When I was consoling her silently, Peika carefully lifted her head and asked.


    [Then Master, can I be the seventh bride?]


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    It seemed my troubles wouldn¡¯t end any time soon.


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