A crimson fireball the size of a human head.
Hell Fire shot rapidly toward the group of Ogres.
A moment later.
Hell Fire landed in the middle of the Ogre group.
FLASH.
A blue, superheated explosion erupted.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-BOOM——!
“Aaaagh……!”
The grass and unknown plants of the green meadow evaporated in an instant.
The shockwave swept over them, sending the couple, who had been staring blankly, rolling across the ground.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM——!
A tremendous explosion shook the earth.
The ground trembled, and the roar of the blast pounded into their chests as though it would burst their hearts.
A cloud from the explosion formed and covered the sky.
[Current Mana 50]
[Critical Warning : Mana consumption is high.]
[S-Grade Magic Skill (Mana:Life Force Exchange) active.]
[You will die if all Mana is depleted.]
Kang Hyeon-woo ignored the warnings ringing through his head and stared at where the group of Ogres had been.
“My God…….”
The man groaned, breaking out in a cold sweat.
A crater had formed where Hell Fire had struck. The heat of the explosion had swept through the depression, leaving the ground smooth.
The Ogres had vanished without even leaving a trace.
“Who…… exactly are you……?”
The man swallowed dryly, his body trembling.
Everything he had imagined about Mercenaries.
Everything he thought he knew about special abilities.
It had all been shaken to its foundations.
“None of your business. It's dangerous ahead, so stay here and wait quietly.”
Kang Hyeon-woo looked back at the couple and the child as he spoke.
Without saying much, the child stared at the place Hell Fire had swept through and nodded.
“I never knew the Stream could be used like this…… I'm really surprised.”
The child repeatedly turned her palm over as she pondered something deeply.
“Hmm……. Then if I use the Stream like this here and change the attribute…….”
The woman called So-jeong pulled the child toward her.
“We'll look after the child. What's your name?”
“Me? I'm…… My name is…… Ah, Lena. I'm Lena.”
The child stopped turning her palm over and grinned broadly.
***
‘It's been a while.’
Kang Hyeon-woo sank into thought as he climbed the temple-like structure.
Special Dungeons always had similar types of missions.
Destroy something.
Sometimes it was an altar, and sometimes it was some other small object.
As one of the Final Seven, Kang Hyeon-woo had been called in to clear countless Special Dungeons.
He had been through so many that he was sick of them.
Kang Hyeon-woo inhaled.
Amid the acrid smell of flames, he could sense clean air.
The scent of the air was distinctly different from Earth's.
Kang Hyeon-woo took an old-model Core from his bag and tossed it into his mouth.
CRUNCH.
[Mana restored by 500.]
[Direct Core consumption has low recovery efficiency.]
[Use a refined Core or a Recovery Station.]
[Critical Error…….]
‘Greater Shield.’
WHOOSH-!
An invisible spherical barrier formed around Kang Hyeon-woo.
After reaching the top of the stairs, Kang Hyeon-woo stared at the temple's enormous doors.
‘Explosion.’
KABOOOM—!
The massive doors exploded in every direction.
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-.
Fragments of the doors struck Kang Hyeon-woo's shield and bounced away.
The entrance to the temple had been blasted wide open.
Inside stood a silent hall (Great Hall).
Huge pillars rose high on both sides, supporting the ceiling.
At the far end of the hall stood a dais and the altar that was the Dungeon's objective.
Though completely empty, the interior was so clean that it would not have seemed strange if people suddenly filled it.
Kang Hyeon-woo slowly walked deeper inside.
.
.
.
This Special Dungeon was B-Grade.
Among classifications ranging from S to F, it was still on the upper end.
Normally, a B-Grade Dungeon was a place that an entire mercenary corps had to swarm into just to barely clear.
The Ogres outside had been little more than a warm-up.
The real fighting was supposed to begin after entering this place.
That was why he had deliberately left the other three behind.
‘Hmm…… Strange.’
The interior was literally empty.
There were no monsters guarding the altar.
‘Detect.’
WHOOSH-!
An invisible pulse spread outward and swept through every corner of the temple.
But it found nothing.
‘It's a new Dungeon…….’
Something like this could happen if someone had already attempted to clear it.
That would require them to have avoided the group of Ogres, reached this place, and secretly slipped through the doors.
Of course, that was impossible. Identify had shown that this Dungeon had only recently appeared and that no one had ever attempted to clear it.
Kang Hyeon-woo shrugged once and slowly approached the altar.
Just as he reached the altar and was about to cast a spell.
SSSSSSS—!
Black mist gathered around him.
The mist soon converged into one mass, and a sinister skeleton wearing a long black robe appeared.
“A Lich……. This isn't a monster that should appear in a place like this.”
A Lich was a monster that occasionally appeared in Special Dungeons of at least A-Grade or higher.
No matter how many times its body was killed, it would revive, so its Life Vessel—a bottle containing its life force—had to be found and destroyed.
It wielded powerful area-of-effect magic, and with its virtually endless life force, it had even overcome a Mage's greatest weakness: close combat.
It was truly living terror itself.
Kang Hyeon-woo stared at the Lich with an indifferent expression.
‘Not my business, I suppose.’
Just as Kang Hyeon-woo was about to cast another spell.
“Grrrrrr. Who…… are you……?”
The Lich spoke.
.
.
.
It was impossible to converse with monsters.
That was the conclusion various professors and scientists had reached after years of research following the first appearance of Anomalies.
Some monsters made weapons at a medieval level, and there were even many monsters that closely resembled humans.
Yet not only conversation, but even simple communication with any monster had proven impossible.
Scientists believed this was likely a restriction imposed by some transcendent entity responsible for causing the Anomalies on Earth.
All Mercenaries had to do was kill monsters as soon as they encountered them, according to the Dungeon's objective.
And yet one of those monsters had just spoken.
Kang Hyeon-woo tilted his head.
“It speaks…….”
“Who…… are you? Why has the one who was supposed to come…… not appeared……?”
“……Supposed to come.”
Kang Hyeon-woo narrowed his eyes.
The Lich fell silent for a moment and stared at Kang Hyeon-woo.
“……If you are not the one, then only death awaits……!”
FWOOSH-!
Flames poured from the Lich's hand.
ROOOOAR-!
Kang Hyeon-woo's shield blocked the flames.
‘Phase Intervention.’
The scorching heat that had been melting everything around them subsided. The flames remained powerful, but their effect had been weakened by the separated phase.
“……You bastard…… magic……?”
The Lich's toneless voice drifted out.
The Lich immediately raised an arm and pointed a finger at Kang Hyeon-woo.
“……Die……!”
A thin, laser-like beam of light shot from the tip of the Lich's finger.
‘Finger of Death.’
It was a spell that had once struck terror into tanks.
B-Grade and lower tanks died instantly.
Even tanks of A-Grade or higher had to be equipped with all manner of buffs and items just to survive in a near-death state.
It was a horrifying skill.
‘Absolute Shield.’
HMMMMM—!
A glowing white sphere surrounded Kang Hyeon-woo.
THUNK-.
The Lich's spell vanished the instant it touched Kang Hyeon-woo's shield.
The Lich took the slightest step backward.
“……That magic……? You bastard…… are you…… not an Earthling?”
“A monster that knows about Earth. This gets more interesting by the moment.”
Kang Hyeon-woo raised his hand and pointed at the Lich.
“Feel the difference in our levels.”
‘Power Word, Kill.’
WHUMP—!
The moment the spell ended, the Lich crumbled apart and turned into black mist.
Within the separated phase, the black mist drifted toward one side of the hall.
[Current Mana 25]
[Critical Warning : Mana is extremely low.]
‘Dispel.’
Kang Hyeon-woo slowly followed the black mist while taking a Core from his bag and swallowing it.
[Mana restored by 400.]
[Direct Core consumption has low recovery efficiency.]
‘I'm running a deficit.’
The mist flowed into a gap between the floor stones in the corner of the hall.
Kang Hyeon-woo lightly gestured, and the floor was ripped away, revealing a staircase leading underground.
Kang Hyeon-woo followed the black mist downstairs.
***
The small storage room was filled with all kinds of jewels.
Beautifully crafted accessories rested on shelves in one corner.
Kang Hyeon-woo reached into the corner of a shelf and picked up a small glass bottle about the size of his palm, the same bottle the black mist had flowed into.
“If you don't crawl out right now, I'll break the Vessel.”
The moment Kang Hyeon-woo finished speaking, black mist poured out of the glass bottle.
The Lich's form soon appeared again.
“Y-you bastard…… no, y-you…… Who are you……?”
“None of your business.”
“How can…… a human…… wield words of power……? Could you perhaps be…… one of the great ones……?”
“I'm the one asking the questions. Remember this: if you answer slowly or answer me with a question, I'll shatter this immediately.”
The Lich flinched as it looked at its Life Vessel in Kang Hyeon-woo's hand.
“What…… would you like to know……?”
“How do you know about Earthlings?”
“Th-that is…… Grrrrrrrrgh……!”
The Lich tried to answer, but it could not speak and merely trembled violently.
‘Is some kind of protection spell on it?’
“I'll change the question. Have you met Earthlings before?”
“Y-yes…….”
“You monsters…… I mean, are the Special Dungeons on this side part of a world that actually exists?”
It had been one of the scientists' greatest questions.
The Lich stared silently at Kang Hyeon-woo.
“You…… truly…… know nothing…….”
“Were you originally supposed to meet someone here?”
“Yes…….”
“Who?”
“Eagle…… Actual…… of a guild called…… Shinhwa…….”
“……!”
Without realizing it, Kang Hyeon-woo tightened his grip around the glass bottle.
“Grrrrrgh……!”
“Eagle Actual. Are you talking about Chris Taylor?”
Chris Taylor.
He was one of the Final Seven.
A veteran of U.S. Special Forces, he had chosen ‘Eagle Actual’ as his codename.
A strong and fearless warrior.
With a sword in hand, he had fought at the very front alongside Park Seong-jun and served as the group's leader.
“……I do not know…… that either…….”
“What were you planning to do when you met today?”
“Th-that…… GRAAAAAAAAAH!”
SHATTER—!
The glass bottle in Kang Hyeon-woo's hand burst apart on its own.
The Lich, which had been screaming horribly, vanished at once.
‘Eagle. Chris.’
One of the heroes who ruled the world.
He was, for all practical purposes, one of the people who had created the system under which humanity now lived.
That was also why each city was called a fortress (Fort).
‘Chris…….’
But it had been a long time since the heroes had appeared at any official public event.
‘What is happening?’
This was his first time seeing a monster speak, and he had no way of knowing whether the monster had truly intended to meet Chris.
After thinking for a moment, Kang Hyeon-woo shook his head.
‘Then again, it's none of my business.’
Kang Hyeon-woo's only goal was Park Seong-jun.
Nothing else.
.
.
.
“My God. The inside is incredible.”
The couple and the child entered the temple.
Kang Hyeon-woo had already destroyed the altar.
A glowing portal identical to the one Kang Hyeon-woo's group had entered through had formed in front of the altar.
“Follow me.”
When the couple descended underground, they let out cries of amazement.
“My God……. What is all this?”
“It's so beautiful.”
In the old days, gold would have sold for quite a high price.
But after Shinhwa came to rule the world, Cores had become both currency and valuables.
Gold, silver, and treasure like these no longer held nearly as much value as they once had.
“Take whatever you need.”
While the couple frantically rummaged through everything, Kang Hyeon-woo fixed his gaze on a necklace hanging from the shelf.
Unlike the others, it was a thin, small necklace that glittered conspicuously.
‘Identify.’
[S-Grade Magic Skill Artifact]
[Can use ??-Grade Magic Skill (Absolute Shield).]
[Can use ??-Grade Magic Skill (Wish).]
[??-Grade Magic Skill (Wish)]
[Required Mana : ???]
[Required Mana varies according to the user's wish.]
‘Wish…….’
It was one of the classic useless magic skills.
The Mana required by a wish was unclear, and in the case of lower-grade wishes, there was no way to know when or how they would come true.
Moreover, users of this magic skill often made grand wishes.
When they did, most were unable to withstand the required Mana cost and died immediately.
‘Absolute Shield should be useful.’
Kang Hyeon-woo tossed the necklace to the child.
“Put that on.”
“What's this?”
“A necklace enchanted with magic.”
“Wow……! What kind of magic does it have?”
“You don't need to know yet. You probably can't use it in the first place.”
Since she was not an Awakened, it was effectively useless.
The child carefully put on the necklace and grinned broadly.
“Thank you.”
“Now get ready to leave.”
The couple stuffed their pockets and the insides of their clothes full of items while repeatedly bowing.
“Thank you so much. Lena, thank you too.”
“Thank you too.”
Kang Hyeon-woo stared at the child.
“Why is your name Lena?”
“Because I remembered Big Sister Lena. What's wrong with that?”
“Then again, it's none of my business.”
Laughing excitedly, the couple disappeared through the glowing portal first.
Kang Hyeon-woo looked across the now-empty hall.
‘A monster that can speak…….’
After thinking for a moment, Kang Hyeon-woo raised his hand.
SNAP-!
Kang Hyeon-woo snapped his fingers.
Lena, standing beside him, tilted her head.
“What was that for?”
“An old habit. You don't need to know.”
Kang Hyeon-woo and Lena stepped into the glowing portal as well.
***
“Hands up!”
“Move and we'll shoot!”
The first thing Kang Hyeon-woo saw after emerging from the portal was the couple lying face-down on the ground, bound.
Numerous soldiers surrounded them, aiming Core Guns at Kang Hyeon-woo.
‘Shinhwa.’
Their equipment was on an entirely different level from that of the Defense Force he had seen in Port Mine.
“Were you dispatched from headquarters?”
“You bastard. Get down! If you don't comply immediately, we'll shoot.”
The soldier at the front thrust his gun toward Kang Hyeon-woo and shouted.
“I merely dealt with an Anomaly. Why?”
“That portal you just came through was an Anomaly owned by Shinhwa.”
“Owned? Ridiculous.”
“If you don't listen, we'll open fire.”
A soldier behind him pulled a small device from his clothes and drove it into the ground.
HMMMM—!
With a faint breeze, Kang Hyeon-woo felt an invisible barrier spread through the surrounding area.
“An Awakened Ability Neutralization Device?”
“You know your stuff. Resistance? Looks like we caught a big one today.”
The soldier grinned unpleasantly and adjusted his grip on his Core Gun.
Kang Hyeon-woo stepped forward and spoke.
“As it happens, I met something in there. Though it died before I had the chance to ask it anything.”
“What……?”
“Now you'll have to answer my questions.”
Kang Hyeon-woo raised his right arm.
“You idiot…… Fire!”
RATATATATAT—!
The Core Guns opened fire.
At the same time, Kang Hyeon-woo's spells unfolded.
‘Greater Shield.’
‘Phase Intervention.’
‘Classification.’
‘Slow Missile.’
‘Control Gravity.’