The magic circle lit up.
A much larger boulder than before floated into the air.
Yoo Chae-young’s eyes narrowed with focus.
‘How is that kind of output possible with just a 4th Circle spell?’
Wasn’t his mana supposed to be low?
“Both of you, cover your ears!”
A tremendous explosion rang out.
The massive boulder shot forward and shattered the golem into pieces.
Baaang-!
“The noise will attract monsters. We need to move quickly.”
“Yes!”
“Understood…”
It took quite a while.
“The dungeon has expanded and transformed. We can’t rely on the old paths anymore.”
“Just follow me.”
“We should map the area as we go.”
“I said, follow me.”
“…Understood.”
Yoo Chae-young didn’t protest further.
It was easier that way.
And strangely, it was difficult to resist the power in this man’s words.
Yoo Chae-young was usually calm and collected, but now, in this fear-filled dungeon anomaly, her unsteady subconscious kept gravitating toward choices that brought her comfort.
And that comfort was relying on Kang Hyun.
“Can you find the way?”
“I’ve spent my whole life as a mercenary. Finding the way is second nature.”
“A mercenary?”
“I’m a mercenary. Government-affiliated.”
“…?”
Was he joking?
‘What does being a civil servant have to do with navigation?’
It was a joke. Yoo Chae-young knew only the latter part of Kang Hyun’s two-fold statement was true.
Regardless, Kang Hyun astonishingly found the correct path every time.
Eventually, they reached a forest blocking their way.
“Stop. We’re clearing out the Stone Worms before moving on.”
“St-Stone Worms!? Where are they?”
Yoo Chae-young cried out in alarm, her tension palpable.
It seemed the memory from earlier still lingered.
‘She’s surprisingly fragile, despite her usual demeanor.’
She didn’t actively participate as an Awakened, so perhaps she wasn’t used to crises.
“They’re not nearby yet. But this forest is their nest.”
“A nest…! I don’t see any Stone Worms, are you sure?”
“Look at the ground. It’s loose and crumbly. That’s because the Stone Worms dig through it, feeding on nutrients.”
“Oh…”
“The trees are tilting because their roots have been disturbed. This is definitely a Stone Worm colony.”
The scariest thing about a dungeon anomaly was its uncertainty.
But the man in front of Yoo Chae-young seemed to know everything.
“Then what should we do? If it’s a colony, this is B-rank dungeon-level difficulty.”
“No need to kill them.”
“Are we turning back?”
“No. I’ll use a 3rd Circle spell, <Shockwave>, to stun them and pass through.”
“Oh…!”
Aden’s magic activated.
Boom…
The ground below trembled, though the surface only experienced mild vibrations.
“Let’s move.”
Even as they faced more challenges, Kang Hyun’s decisions left no room for argument.
By then, even Yoo Chae-young stopped questioning Kang Hyun’s actions.
She simply listened, absorbing what she could, and asked questions to learn.
“Why are we taking a detour now?”
“In harsh terrain like this, you need to be wary of monster territories. A significant decrease in numbers means there’s a big one up ahead.”
“I see…”
“We’ll avoid it.”
Yoo Chae-young belatedly realized Kang Hyun was speaking informally to her, but she didn’t correct him.
This, too, was a subconscious choice for peace of mind. His informal tone, rather than offending her, was reassuring.
“Why are you still ranked as E?”
“Because my stats are E-rank.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
She was speechless.
It was a fair point.
Where would she even start critiquing it?
Was the issue that someone so skilled was such a low rank?
Or that someone of such a low rank was so skilled?
Kang Hyun was simply beyond common sense.
Debating whether it was the chicken or the egg felt meaningless.
“Even so, with this level of skill, you could’ve easily achieved a higher rank by proving yourself.”
“My mana is too low to fully utilize my abilities.”
“Your mana stat…!”
Then wouldn’t he need support?
Yoo Chae-young’s face lit up with determination.
“Other stats are all F-rank too. Except for stamina.”
“When we return, I’ll convince Seonghwa to provide unconditional support for you.”
“Sure.”
Everyone said the same thing.
Kang Hyun understood his own value well.
He was used to recognition and favorable treatment—it had always been this way, even in his past life.
That self-assuredness, born of experience, was what captivated Yoo Chae-young further.
The talent Seonghwa had their eyes on might have been Aden.
But Yoo Chae-young’s interest had long since been fixed on Kang Hyun.
‘Will I ever meet someone like him again?’
Knowledge aside, his mana was below E-rank, yet he wielded magic with such proficiency.
Even without being able to use it properly.
How was that even possible?
‘Wait… hold on.’
Low rank.
Yet abnormally exceptional abilities.
Endless potential for growth.
A being that matched these characteristics.
Finally, Yoo Chae-young remembered.
The person who had recently shaken the world.
‘Perfect… Clear?’
Her hair stood on end as her intuition screamed at her.
‘It’s definitely him.’
Yoo Chae-young, a renowned scout in the Awakened industry, was staring at the back of a man who embodied the greatest potential in the world.
Thump, Thump.
Should she ask?
He seemed to be hiding his identity.
Would he be offended?
After cautious deliberation, she finally mustered the courage to speak.
“When we return, I’d like to propose a lifetime contract to our guild master. Not the freelance mercenary contract we originally planned.”
“No.”
She bit her lip.
Of course, he wasn’t a treasure so easily claimed.
“Where, then? The top guild, ‘Lord’? Or a massive foreign guild? No, maybe even a foreign government? The U.S.? China?”
“What are you talking about? I just don’t want to belong anywhere.”
“But you’re already government-affiliated.”
“That’s just a facade. No obligations, no restrictions.”
Right, he was a freelance mercenary.
At first, she thought his title was peculiar, but now it was clear—it was something tailored to him by the government.
‘This will be a tough fight.’
But she vowed to win him over.
For Seonghwa’s sake!
They finally reached the center of the dungeon.
What awaited them, however, was despair.
“It’s… the boss room….”
A massive door loomed before them, exuding an overwhelming pressure.
So this dungeon had a boss room.
‘Can we handle this?’
The dungeon’s difficulty had skyrocketed.
From the perspective of Yoo Chae-young, an F+-rank Awakened, it was impossible to gauge its rank.
And now the boss room of such a dungeon?
Even with the most optimistic view….
‘At the very least, we’d need ten C-rank combatants to even have a chance.’
That was merely a rough estimate.
This was a boss room in a dungeon anomaly.
There was no telling what might emerge.
Worst-case scenario, an A-rank monster could appear, and no one could complain.
‘Even if he is the Perfect Clear Awakened…’
No one could completely surpass their rank.
Yoo Chae-young was again consumed by unease.
Kang Hyun and Aden, having heard the explanation, spoke.
“Well… let’s crack it open and see.”
“If I pour all my mana into it, I can probably manage something.”
“Think the boss is going to wait around for that?”
Kang Hyun lazily flicked his sword.
“But I’m all out of mana.”
Even interfering with Aden’s magic had gradually drained him.
“Hmph… If something strong comes out, we’re really out of options.”
Yoo Chae-young flinched.
‘If even Kang Hyun-nim says that…’
Was this really the end?
“Master, don’t you still have that ‘Dried Sacred Water Elixir’ you received last time?”
“Oh, right. Why, you want a last meal before we die? That stuff tastes terrible.”
The elixir was no longer effective.
It only worked in the F-rank mana range.
“Even if it doesn’t boost mana stats, it’ll refill your mana completely.”
“…Are you a genius?”
“Hehe, you did call me a genius, Master!”
Aden’s ideas always caught people off guard.
She reminded Kang Hyun of Mila.
He took out the elixir and popped it into his mouth.
Munch, Munch.
Yoo Chae-young, watching, suddenly shouted in shock.
“What—what are you doing! Spit that out, right now!”
She had heard about the elixir, but to see someone casually eat it like that… was absurd!
“No, don’t! If you’re gone, we’re doomed! Spit it out right now!”
Her voice was filled with urgency.
She even grabbed Kang Hyun by the collar and shook him, her composure completely shattered.
Whatever.
Munch, Munch.
“Tsk.”
He spat out the husk.
“Ugh, what a healthy flavor.”
Bitter. So bitter.
Yoo Chae-young, who had been frantic moments ago, now wore a dumbfounded expression.
“Huh?”
Aden crossed her arms, nodding knowingly.
“Yep, yep. That’s the normal reaction.”
She recalled how shocked she had been the first time she saw such behavior.
“My mana’s full. Let’s open it.”
“…Are you really going to open it?”
“No point in standing around.”
Such a straightforward answer.
And then, with no preparation and only a sword dragging in one hand, Kang Hyun pushed the door open.
Rumble…
The boss revealed itself.
“Ah.”
Behind Kang Hyun, the two others froze in place.
“We’re screwed.”
Rumble…
A chilling growl echoed.
Before them stood a wolf the size of a house.
No, a wolf with three heads.
Its silver fur gleamed with a metallic sheen.
Yoo Chae-young muttered under her breath.
“Iron Cerberus…”
Her voice was filled with despair.
“A B-rank… boss…”
Game over.
If this was a boss monster in a B-rank dungeon, even a well-seasoned A-rank couldn’t handle it solo.
This was a raid-class monster.
If it escaped to the outside world, an emergency evacuation order would cover at least a 10-kilometer radius.
Yoo Chae-young resigned herself to death.
‘This isn’t possible.’
Neither A-rank Aden nor Kang Hyun, the Perfect Clear, could win.
They were all going to die.
“Aah…”
She collapsed to the ground.
Even Aden, usually composed, wore a blank expression.
His once-clear eyes were now unfocused, hazy.
The face of someone who had realized their impending death.
But Kang Hyun was the only one who calmly stroked his chin, as if calculating.
“Hmm…”
There was no other choice.
‘This… only that will work.’
He clicked his tongue.
This body hadn’t practiced it yet.
Kyle had died in his previous life.
During his battle with the World Tree.
And in the moment of death, he transcended to a new realm through his demise.
The pinnacle of the Words of Power.
However, he had never used it before.
‘This will be my first time.’
Kang Hyun stepped forward.
Step, Step.
The sound of his footsteps and the scraping of his sword echoed.
Aden, Yoo Chae-young, and even Cerberus turned their gazes toward him.
Grrr…!
“M-Master…?”
As he walked, he pulled down his mask.
He spoke.
“Spirit. Soul. Essence. Ritual.”
The Words of Power resonated in the boss room.
“Command. End. Termination.”
An absolute authority that transcended strength,
applying unconditionally to all beings.
“Declaration. Fade.”
With the ninth utterance, Kang Hyun stopped before Cerberus.
He raised his head, meeting the monster’s gaze.
Grrrr…
And then.
ROAR!
The beast lunged forward, its massive jaws wide open.
“【Die】”
Zing—
Cerberus froze in place.
Slowly, its body tilted to the side.
Thud!
The B-rank raid-class boss, Cerberus, was dead.
Yoo Chae-young and Aden stared at the scene, unable to make a sound.
