Yoon Ji-han didn’t dare to look at the old man.
Everything about him was terrifying.
It wasn't just his size or the ferocity in his eyes that inspired fear. The man radiated a presence that crushed the will, an aura of pure dread that felt like standing naked before a colossal desert storm. He was an overwhelming, unstoppable force of nature.
Seeing Yoon Ji-han trembling and unable to respond, the old man spoke again.
“Can’t you speak, you fool? Give me a name before I roast you like a crocodile.”
“Yoon Ji-han? What a stupid name.”
Even at the mockery, Yoon Ji-han said nothing. He feared any word of protest would be met with the old man’s wrath—swift and final as a crocodile's snapping jaws.
The old man pressed on.
“So, fool! How did you get into this dungeon? You couldn’t have used the entrance I did.”
“And if you stutter, I’ll blow your head off.”
“I came in through an underground tunnel.”
“Yes! I was working in the Magic Stone Mine when a wall collapsed. An entrance to a dungeon appeared behind it and pulled me in.”
“Heh.” The old man let out a dry chuckle. “Looks like the trap was sprung.”
“Occasionally, a dungeon will become oversaturated with mana. To protect itself, it vents the excess by creating a secondary entrance. That’s the trap. It releases mana to lure in living creatures.”
“Kehehe!” he cackled. “What terrible luck you have. Most people could live their whole lives and never stumble into one of those.”
The old man openly ridiculed Yoon Ji-han’s misfortune.
Yoon Ji-han couldn’t bring himself to retort. The old man was right; he was haunted by relentless bad luck.
Mustering his courage, Yoon Ji-han asked, “Who… who are you? Where are we?”
“And from now on, this place is my hunting ground.”
“Yes, a hunting ground.”
At Kang Tae-san’s ominous words, a shiver traced its way down Yoon Ji-han’s spine. This felt like more than just boasting. The savage light in the old man's eyes and the tempest of madness rolling off him left no doubt he was telling the truth.
And then it happened.
Suddenly, giant crocodiles began to surface from the lava.
They were monsters known as Flame Crocodiles.
The Flame Crocodiles charged, their immense jaws gaping wide.
Witnessing the terrifying sight, Kang Tae-san only chuckled.
At his word, a massive sword embedded in the ground nearby tore itself free and floated into the air.
Kang Tae-san snatched the greatsword, Cheon-myeol, from the air.
In an instant, a brilliant light erupted from Cheon-myeol.
The sword’s resonance sent a shockwave through the entire dungeon.
Yoon Ji-han’s face twisted in pain. His heart began to hammer against his ribs—not from excitement, but from a profound and grating discomfort. The sword’s cry was an agonizing shriek that scraped at his very nerves.
Yoon Ji-han wasn’t the only one who felt it.
Agitated by the sword’s resonance, the Flame Crocodiles began to convulse.
It wasn't just the Flame Crocodiles. From every corner of the volcanic zone, beasts began to emerge. Flying monsters blotted out the sky while creatures even larger than the Flame Crocodiles thundered across the scorched earth, all of them charging toward Kang Tae-san.
Cheon-myeol’s resonance had enraged every monster in the dungeon.
Unable to believe what he was seeing, Yoon Ji-han could only stare, his mouth hanging open.
The real madness began next.
Wielding Cheon-myeol, Kang Tae-san dashed toward the swarm of monsters.
The massive bodies of the Flame Crocodiles were torn asunder. Their tough, resilient hides were sliced through as if they were parchment.
And it wasn't just the Flame Crocodiles.
Countless other monsters, whose names Yoon Ji-han did not know, were ruthlessly cut down.
Kang Tae-san was a storm.
The monsters were nothing but debris swept up in his gale-force winds. The very flow of the lava, the volcanic ash that filled the air—everything was blasted away by the typhoon named Kang Tae-san.
What in the world is his rank?
It was a staggering display of power, yet he didn't seem to be using any skills. He was slaughtering the horde with nothing but the raw, inhuman strength of his body and the greatsword named Cheon-myeol.
Before long, Kang Tae-san stood surrounded by mountains of monster corpses.
His maniacal laughter echoed through the dungeon. As he swung Cheon-myeol, slick with blood and viscera, he no longer looked human. He was something else entirely, merely wearing the shape of a man.
Yoon Ji-han was completely overwhelmed by Kang Tae-san’s madness. He couldn’t move a finger. He could barely even breathe.
A hulking, rhinoceros-like monster was the last to fall. Not a single creature on the ground remained.
Kang Tae-san had single-handedly decimated the entire horde, yet he showed no signs of fatigue.
Without realizing it, Yoon Ji-han swallowed, his throat dry.
And then it happened.
Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from the peak of the volcano.
The sound was so powerful it nearly blanked out Yoon Ji-han’s mind. He struggled to hold onto his senses as he saw a colossal monster emerge from the volcano’s summit. The sheer majesty of the gigantic creature, like a dragon from legend, froze Yoon Ji-han where he stood.
Kang Tae-san just smiled as he looked up at the monster.
“You’re finally here, Jeok-ryong!”
It was wrapped in crimson scales from head to tail, its body stretching thirty meters long, with wings that would be even wider when fully extended.
That’s not a dragon?
Yoon Ji-han trembled before the Drake, a creature unlike anything he had ever seen. The crimson aura shimmering around its body stood in stark contrast to the lava it had emerged from.
Monsters of B-rank and above possessed unique traits, much like humans. Red signified a master of physical combat, while blue denoted mastery over magic. A B-rank or higher monster with a blue aura, for example, would be a proficient magic user.
The Jeok-ryong that had just appeared was a monstrous entity of B-rank or higher with a mastery in magic.
Kang Tae-san tightened his grip on Cheon-myeol.
“That bastard is the final boss of this dungeon.”
Even when facing the dungeon’s ultimate boss, Kang Tae-san showed no hint of fear. If anything, he looked delighted, a maniacal grin spreading across his face.
Yoon Ji-han couldn’t begin to comprehend the man’s behavior. He wondered if becoming a high-ranking Awakened made you mad, or if you had to be mad to get there in the first place.
The Jeok-ryong flapped its wings and soared into the sky. It dove toward Kang Tae-san at a terrifying speed, the sharp wind of its passage cutting the air long before it arrived.
Bending his knees slightly, Kang Tae-san glanced at Yoon Ji-han.
“Survive on your own.”
In the next moment, Kang Tae-san launched himself from the ground. It was shocking enough to see a man fly, but his launch was accompanied by a sonic boom. Breaking the sound barrier, Kang Tae-san appeared instantly before the Jeok-ryong.
The collision between the colossal monster and the diminutive human sent a thunderous peal across the cavern.
The aftermath shook the dungeon to its core. The once-placid lava surged like a tidal wave, and the volcano belched a thick, black smoke. The corpses of the monsters Kang Tae-san had slain, their protective auras gone in death, melted away as the lava consumed them.
A wave of lava surged toward Yoon Ji-han.
He scrambled to evade it, but the molten tide pursued him relentlessly. If this continued, he would dissolve just like the other monsters.
High above, Kang Tae-san and the Jeok-ryong were locked in a furious battle. The real problem was the collateral damage. Kang Tae-san deflected a blast of the Drake’s breath, and it struck the ground perilously close to Yoon Ji-han.
Accompanied by a deafening crash, lava splashed everywhere, and Yoon Ji-han was forced to bear the brunt of it. He darted between erupting geysers and molten rivers like a madman, too panicked to even think about using his abilities.
To survive, he had to get away from their fight.
Yoon Ji-han leaped across the lava, landing on a formation of black volcanic rock. The stone crumbled beneath his feet, revealing more molten rock below.
If he fell, it was over.
Acting on pure instinct, Yoon Ji-han pulled at the surrounding sand. Just as he had done to evade the Flame Crocodiles, he wove a platform of sand beneath his feet.
Creating sand platforms one after another rapidly depleted his mana. He managed to land on solid volcanic rock just as his energy gave out completely.
Kneeling on the ground, Yoon Ji-han gasped for air. His heart felt like it would burst from his chest, and the metallic taste of blood rose from his lungs. It was the toll of expending all his energy in a single, desperate burst.
The entire dungeon shook violently.
Looking toward the source of the tremor, Yoon Ji-han saw that the fight between Kang Tae-san and the Jeok-ryong was reaching its climax.
Amid a manic shout from Kang Tae-san, an enormous power began to gather within Cheon-myeol. For a fleeting moment, in Yoon Ji-han’s eyes, the greatsword seemed to double in size.
Kang Tae-san hurled Cheon-myeol toward the Jeok-ryong.
The sword flew like a meteor, piercing straight through the monster’s chest.
The Jeok-ryong let out a pitiful shriek as it plummeted from the sky. The colossal creature, over thirty meters long, crashed onto the lava-scarred terrain. All strength gone, its body sprawled limply across the ground.
Kang Tae-san descended to stand over the motionless Drake.
The Jeok-ryong was still breathing, its breaths coming in ragged, labored gasps as it looked up at the man who had defeated it.
Glancing down at the dying beast, Kang Tae-san spoke.
“I scoured the desert for a year to find you. I need your heart to imbue Cheon-myeol… so die gracefully.”
He lifted Cheon-myeol high and plunged it deep into the Jeok-ryong’s heart.
The pain of the blade piercing its core sent the Jeok-ryong into a final, feeble convulsion.
Cheon-myeol, embedded in the monster’s heart, began to glow a brilliant red, drinking in the vast, fiery mana befitting a dungeon’s final boss. The sword absorbed the power, growing so hot it looked as if it might melt away.
At the peak of this incandescence, Cheon-myeol suddenly began to transform.
Kang Tae-san watched Cheon-myeol’s metamorphosis with satisfaction. The reforged blade was now larger, its form sharper and more menacing than before.
The dungeon’s core was its final boss. Without that core, the dungeon could not maintain its form and began to face annihilation.
A crimson portal materialized over the Jeok-ryong’s remains.
It was the exit.
Just before stepping through, Kang Tae-san turned to look back at Yoon Ji-han.
“Aren’t you leaving, you fool?”