A stench of rot hit his nostrils.

A crimson sky, a dense black forest. The place they stood was a dead land.

[New Quest has arrived!!]

A Quest arrived before Ha Gangwoo could even fully take in his surroundings.

[Summoning the Bringer of Ruin][S-Rank]

Grade: D

Description: The dark mage ‘Beiron’ is summoning a Great Demon. Join forces with your party members to stop Beiron’s summoning and protect the peace of Sky Land!!!

Reward: ???

(Pathfinding)(TIP)

“D-Grade??”

For a grade from just the Tutorial, that was insane. Even for a Gate, D-Grade was something level 40s would challenge.

Ha Gangwoo pulled out his gun and gripped it tight. Only eighteen shots, but this didn’t look like the time to conserve ammo.

He stared at the hologram that appeared before him.

[Time until Demon Summoning: 120:00]

Only two hours left.

Ha Gangwoo turned his gaze and focused on one spot.

A massive black sphere—ominous Mana was constantly coalescing, threatening to explode at any moment.

“That’s the place, huh.”

Even without activating the Pathfinding function, he could tell at a glance that was where the demon was being summoned.

“Everyone’s confirmed the Quest, right?”

Beside Ha Gangwoo, Kang Seongbin spoke, resting his greatsword on his shoulder.

“Then we move out now.”

He must trust his strength a hell of a lot, charging into a D-Rank Dungeon with zero strategy like this.

Ha Gangwoo didn’t have any brilliant ideas either, so he planned to follow along.

But Chae Seohyun apparently thought otherwise.

“Hold on.”

*Tic-*

A vein bulged on Kang Seongbin’s forehead.

“What now! You’ve got complaints today? What’s so damn upsetting?”

He roared, stepping threateningly toward Chae Seohyun.

Chae Seohyun didn’t back down. She locked eyes with Kang Seongbin.

“I’ve stayed quiet until now because I didn’t care about your weird antics. But this time, it’s different.”

“Wha—weird antics?”

Kang Seongbin’s eyebrow twitched. Chae Seohyun ignored it and pressed on.

“There’s data from ten years ago—four A-Rank Trait users cleared an S-Rank. So why do you think the recommendation for this Dungeon is A-Rank, even with two S-Rank Trait users in the party??”

“You’re saying it’s because of me?”

Kang Seongbin grabbed Chae Seohyun by the collar with his blackened arm.

“Fuck, I’ve been lenient because you’ve got a good Trait. You insane? If you’re so unhappy, why’d you join in the first place!”

He shouted with a face like he could bite her. But Chae Seohyun’s expression didn’t budge.

Watching the scene, Ha Gangwoo glanced at the shrinking timer before him.

[118:33]

Still counting down by the second—they didn’t have time to waste fighting like this.

Just as Ha Gangwoo stepped forward to break it up, *tug*—Lee Ayeon grabbed his sleeve.

*Smirk*—She smiled with her eyes and whispered softly.

“Wait for it.”

That smile, like she’d expected this all along. It rubbed him the wrong way.

*Tug*

At that moment, Chae Seohyun placed her hand on Kang Seongbin’s violet arm.

*Hum-* A golden light gathered around his forearm.

“Your arm. Cracked, right?”

Kang Seongbin’s twisted expression softened. She’d hit a nerve.

“Why did I join? I just didn’t want a future Ranker running from the third floor. And—”

Chae Seohyun glanced at Ha Gangwoo, standing there blankly.

“I liked the extra firepower.”

Kang Seongbin stared at Chae Seohyun’s face for a long moment, then *tug-* let go of her collar.

He turned wordlessly, facing the forest. After about three seconds, he spoke low, calm now.

“So, what do you want to do?”

“We need a plan.”

Kang Seongbin, who’d been all stubborn charge, had turned around.

Lee Ayeon smiled faintly, speaking to Ha Gangwoo.

“See? It all worked out, right? Only Seohyun-unni can talk sense into the leader.”

That tone—like she’d seen it all coming.

”What’s she thinking?”

Lee Ayeon’s motives nagged at him. Why had she placed him in this party? Why go out of her way to provoke Kang Seongbin into entering an S-Rank dungeon? She was clearly up to something.

Just as Ha Gangwoo’s suspicion toward Lee Ayeon took root, Chae Seohyun picked up the thread.

“First, let me apologize. I was too rude. I’m sorry, Captain.”

She bowed her head in apology.

Kang Seongbin clicked his tongue and turned away.

“Now then, I’ll give my thoughts.”

Chae Seohyun continued.

“Everyone saw the quest grade, right? A D-grade means the recommended level is between 40 and 60. In other words, this dungeon is likely far harder than we can imagine.”

As she spoke, Chae Seohyun pointed toward a spot in the distance.

Ha Gangwoo followed her gaze to the location.

‘Pillars of light?’

Two golden pillars of light shot high into the sky—one to the west, one to the east.

“For a difficulty this high, the System prepared a buffer. If you check the quest window, there’s a TIP tab.”

Ha Gangwoo opened his quest window immediately.

[Summon of Ruin][S]

Grade: D

Description: The dark mage Beiron is summoning a Great Demon. Join forces with your party members to stop Beiron’s summoning and protect the peace of Sky Land!!!

Reward: ???

(Pathfinding)(TIP)

Looking closer, he saw a button labeled TIP next to the Pathfinding function.

Ha Gangwoo opened the TIP tab at once.

[TIP—Two legendary armaments lie dormant in Sky Land. Use the armaments to stop Beiron.]

‘Armaments?’

So that light was a marker for where the armaments lay hidden.

The corner of Ha Gangwoo’s mouth curled up.

‘So there was a mechanic like this.’

Just as Ha Gangwoo was getting interested, studying the quest window…

Chae Seohyun looked at Kang Seongbin and spoke.

“So, what should we do? Captain?”

All eyes landed on Kang Seongbin. He sat there with a sullen look on his face, as if to say, *Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to handle everything? Why ask me now?*

“Haah…”

Kang Seongbin let out a heavy sigh and softened his expression. He knew Chae Seohyun was trying to be considerate of him. He was still in a bad mood, but what could he do? Her reasoning was sound.

Even for someone like him, a level-40-plus dungeon was a stretch.

Kang Seongbin straightened his posture, then looked at Ha Gangwoo.

“Let’s run a quick test.”

***

Kang Seongbin stood before Ha Gangwoo, a greatsword in hand.

“Come at me with everything you’ve got. The way we clear this depends on your actual skill.”

Kang Seongbin scowled as he conceded. Normally, he wouldn’t have bothered gauging Ha Gangwoo’s full strength—he trusted his own abilities that much. But after hearing Chae Seohyun’s words, he changed his mind.

Between the quest grade and the mana reeking from this dungeon, even an S-Rank Trait wouldn’t be enough alone.

So he needed a precise read on Ha Gangwoo’s combat power. The guy looked like garbage at first glance, sure—but still more useful than Choi Jangbok had been.

Ha Gangwoo, for his part, found the situation baffling.

‘Fight, all of a sudden?’

[117:31]

The timer kept ticking down, second by second. They didn’t have time for this.

‘He doesn’t trust me, then.’

And he thought he understood Kang Seongbin’s intention. With time this tight, splitting into two teams to grab the armaments was the ideal play.

But the new party member didn’t inspire confidence.

Then the solution was simple: show him.

A thin smile tugged at Ha Gangwoo’s lips.

‘So they’re S-Rank Trait holders.’

From eavesdropping on Chae Seohyun and Kang Seongbin, he’d gathered both of them were S-Rank.

Meeting not one, but two S-Rank Trait holders like this—and one of them a super rookie from a major guild, no less. They must’ve entered the Tower with serious training behind them.

‘Where do I stand?’

Ha Gangwoo was curious. Just how far would his level take him? And he didn’t like that bastard either. The way he dismissed people as garbage—it reminded him exactly of Yoon Jeonghyuk.

‘I’ll go all out.’

Ha Gangwoo tightened his grip on the pistol. Only eighteen rounds, but items were part of his combat power too. He intended to give it everything—as if he meant to kill.

Kang Seongbin tapped the floor with his greatsword. *Thok.*

“What are you waiting for? No time—get in here!”

*Chaek.* Ha Gangwoo leveled the pistol at him.

“Don’t blame me if you get hurt.”

Grinning, Kang Seongbin’s lips curled.

“That’s my line.”

*Bang!!*

The instant Ha Gangwoo pulled the trigger, their fight began.

“Who do you think will win?”

Lee Ayeon sidled up to Chae Seohyun, watching the clash. A sly grin spread across her face, as if she found the whole thing too entertaining.

“That’s obvious.”

Chae Seohyun stared at Ha Gangwoo with a flat expression.

“His stats look decent enough—but that’s all there is. He can’t win. Not a chance.”

Chae Seohyun knew Kang Seongbin better than anyone. For three months of training, she’d watched him—and he was a monster, plain and simple.

Seongbin’s problem was that he knew his own power too well. Arrogance, maybe, but he had the strength to back it up. That was why he didn’t complain about party life.

*Boom!!!*

But as if mocking that prediction, Chae Seohyun’s expression hardened the longer she watched.

‘What the hell is that guy?’