'FWOOSH!'

The jet-black magic power originating from my right foot tore into the pit. The force of it flipped the entire thing over, sending a gruesome cascade of what looked like organs and intestines spilling out. The pressure that had been holding our ankles vanished.

"Hyoin!"

Screaming his comrade's name, Jingu charged. His body was already nearly half-monsterized. One half of his face was human, the other, a skull.

'CLANG!'

His battle axe crashed against the shield Ea had deployed, letting out a deafening roar. I smirked. "So even demonkin care about their comrades' lives?"

"I'll fucking kill you right here!"

The blood vessels in his eyes burst, and blood streamed down his face. I layered more shields and spoke again.

"Let me ask you one thing. You're human too, so why are you trying to destroy humanity?"

"Grr! Grgrgrgrk!"

His voice became increasingly distorted until it was no longer understandable. Soon, the remaining half of his human form vanished, revealing a completely undead face. As I thought, there was no room for dialogue with demonkin. They say that even when they're in human form, their minds are so twisted they just spout sophistry.

I raised my index finger.

<Earth Claymore>

A blade of earth with 100% proficiency shot up and tore through the creature's chest.

Jingu tried to immediately change direction and charge, but I summoned another blade right in his path.

'Lightly.'

My finger danced as lightly as a conductor's baton. With each movement, earthen blades erupted tenaciously, tearing and splitting the creature's body.

'Kreeeee!'

With a deep gash in its leg, the creature backed away, putting distance between us. I quickly prepared Light Devastar, forming it around my right foot before gauging the distance.

'Ea. Display Devastar's range for me.'

-Roger. Displaying now.

Ea converted the magic circle's formula into a program-like format, displaying it in my Deva's Eye, so I could easily adjust the range. Devastar's range appeared in the air as a black line. The spell enabled spatial jumps; moving to its maximum range would cancel all momentum, allowing for a follow-up attack. But what if an object stood in the way before I reached that maximum range? I extended the line to a point just behind Jingu, then activated Devastar.

'Thwack!'

With a burst of black smoke, I shot forward, my knee slamming into Jingu's face at the perfect angle. The creature spun through the air and came crashing down. The instant I landed, I raised my index finger.

'Crunch.'

An earthen sword shot up from the ground, piercing the creature's left chest.

A grating screech tore from its throat as the undead thrashed in agony. I flicked my index finger a few more times.

With a series of sickening crunches, more earthen blades erupted, skewering each of its limbs and pinning it completely.

'Nice.'

Incorporating physical gestures into my casting was an application of 'Command Magic.' Though my magic was based on circles, I'd use any trick in the book to maximize my casting speed. Satisfied with the research I'd done in the Magic Tower, I walked toward Jingu.

"Talk."

I crouched down, meeting the creature's eyes.

"Is your demonkin party the only one? Are there others?"

-Tower Master! Look out!

At Ea's warning, I whipped my head around. A lizard-like demonkin had rushed in and was swinging a greatsword.

'Shing.'

Or rather, it was 'about' to swing. A thin red line bloomed diagonally across its torso.

The demonkin fell silent, lowering its head to look down at the wound.

And then, with a sound like tearing fabric, its body split wide open. Blood splattered as the organs within twitched with a final, shuddering pulse.

The demonkin's torso fell to the floor. Beyond it stood a woman with flowing red hair, her posture still holding the form of her final sword stroke.

"Are you all right, Yusin?"

'...Whoa. That was Hong Yeon for you.' I nodded and asked, "What about the tree monster?"

With an expression void of emotion, she flicked her sword to shake off the blood and jutted her chin to the side. Sohee, her limbs transformed into wood, lay collapsed with a gaping hole in her chest.

"Are you really okay?"

"Yes." She sheathed her sword as she answered. "It doesn't bother me in the slightest."

Killing monsters with human forms, even demonkin, couldn't be a pleasant experience. I turned back to the undead Jingu, still flailing in pain.

'It'll be difficult to get any information out of him.'

I stood and raised my index finger. With a soft thump, the undead's movements ceased. Letting out a sigh as if to brush it all away, I spoke to Yeon.

"Let's go. It seems very likely there's a portal in this dungeon."

"Right."

There was hope. My hypothesis was panning out to be true. The demonkin had joined the reconnaissance team, discovered this dungeon and its portal, and then filed a false report with the Association. After that, they'd set a trap and patrolled the area to eliminate intruders. When the Association suspected something was amiss, they initiated a dungeon re-evaluation, but this dungeon was then reported as cleared by another party. In other words…

"There might be one more party besides these guys."

Yeon nodded. "Then we must hurry."

As she started to walk ahead, I pointed in the opposite direction.

"This way."

"Pardon?"

"That way is their trap. The Boss Zone is over here."

She tilted her head. "How do you know that?"

"There were a few clues I intentionally held back. I only came this far to keep up the pretense."

Of course, the truth was that Ea had analyzed the dungeon and guided me. We crossed the hill and moved quickly toward the Boss Zone. Like most forest-type dungeons, it was larger than I expected. Our progress was smooth, but the fact that we hadn't encountered a single monster was unsettling.

"Yusin."

Just then, Hong Yeon spoke.

"Did you know from the beginning?"

"...Yeah. Why?"

"You seem to know a lot about demonkin."

Demonkin were a peculiar type of disaster, not yet fully understood by the public; many still considered them an urban legend. They were extremely cautious and secretive, making them difficult to distinguish from those who were infected by a Disaster. Yeon might have been prepared for the possibility, but she couldn't have been as certain as I was.

"I was caught up in a demonkin incident when I was young."

"...Ah."

"That's why I know a bit more than most."

She didn't press further, just nodded. I was grateful. It wasn't a memory I enjoyed revisiting.

"We're here."

From the top of the hill, we looked out over the landscape. Beyond a sheer cliff lay a magnificent canyon, and below it, a wide plain stretched out, crawling with an innumerable swarm of monsters.

"So that's where they all went. Not a single ant in the forest, because they were all gathered here."

"Yusin. Look over there."

The moment I looked where she was pointing, my eyes widened. At the far end of the monster horde, a dark blue portal pulsed.

'Finally...!'

I had finally found it—the portal to the Labyrinth that could end this damned disaster.

"What's the plan?"

"What do you think? We break through."

My words made Yeon's brow furrow. "Are you suggesting the two of us break through all those monsters, enter the portal, and defeat the Irregular boss?"

"That's exactly it."

"...Realistically, that's impossible. Neither of us is in peak condition, and with the fate of the country on the line, we have to consider the possibility of failure."

"Then what's your idea?"

"Let's return to the entrance for now," Yeon said seriously. "Getting out of the dungeon and contacting the Association is the top priority. We need to report the portal's discovery and summon professional hunters."

"Time is the issue. If you factor in the time it takes for us to get back and for the pro hunters to arrive, we won't be able to stop the full breach. The casualties will be enormous."

"And what if we're killed by recklessly charging in? This dungeon would remain undiscovered, leading to even more casualties. Taking risks is one thing, but the stakes are too high this time. We have to play it safe, even if it means a full breach occurs."

She had a point.

"All right. Then let's contact the Association, give them the location, and then we'll move. Any objections?"

"...Just a reminder, in case you forgot, we are inside a dungeon."

"I can communicate from here."

She tilted her head. "How?"

"It's a method of altering mana frequency with my ability. You wouldn't understand even if I explained."

I gave her that excuse and closed my eyes.

'Ea.'

-Yes, Tower Master.

'I'm sending you the Association President's direct number. Tell Seojin to contact her.'

-Understood.

But even with a direct call, there was a chance the President wouldn't trust Seojin. I thought for a moment, then turned to Yeon.

"Do you have a story or something to prove your identity to your sister? A secret only you would know."

She shot me a glare. "It won't be a secret if you hear it."

"Is this really the time for that? Anything will do, just tell me."

"Can you really reach them?"

"I'm serious. Would I lie in a situation like this?"

She closed her eyes in thought before speaking. "Tell her, 'Wanting to marry a man stronger than you isn't Amazonian, it's old-fashioned. Why don't you at least try meeting the men from the arranged dates?'"

"...You say some truly cruel things with such a straight face."

I relayed the intel for the President, along with Hong Yeon's message, to Ea. Ea passed it to Seojin, and a moment later…

-Tower Master. The Association President has received the call.

'Oh! What did she say?'

-She says she's going to grind you into a pulp.

I turned my head. "She says she's going to grind you into a pulp."

"...Did you really reach her? That reaction sounds exactly like my sister."

I focused again on Ea's voice.

'Did the President believe us?'

-Not at first, but she seemed to barely believe it after Ms. Hong's message. I've informed her that you and Ms. Hong are together and have discovered the portal.

'Then what are her orders?'

-She said she will send all available pro-hunter forces as quickly as possible, but it will take time. And…

Ea hesitated. -She said, 'There's no time. If possible, you two handle the Labyrinth Dungeon.'

'Well, of course she did.'

I relayed the message to Yeon.

"If those are the orders, then we have no choice." She pushed herself up with a clatter of armor. "Let's break through."

"Okay."

* * *

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