“Whoa~~! What the hell? That’s insane~~”

Lee Ayeon’s mouth fell open as she clapped her hands together.

Chae Seohyun, too, could only stare with parted lips at what had just happened.

At the sight of the Undead Knight’s upper body ripped apart in a single blow.

‘What the hell just happened… Does that even make sense??’

Chae Seohyun was baffled.

That monster had been at least Mid-Boss level—no, on par with a proper Boss-class monster.

A perfect example: Kang Seongbin had pushed his Demon Hand nearly to its limit and still lost, hadn’t he?

And yet that same monster had been destroyed in one hit, crushed as effortlessly as ice.

It was staggering. What kind of Trait could grant such power in just the Tutorial?

It was at that moment, as Chae Seohyun’s curiosity about Ha Gangwoo deepened.

Whirrr—

Light shimmered from the body of Undead Imperial Knight Commander Reins.

[Reins’ Armlet]

A dazzling blue glow—the effect of an Artifact.

***

Phssssss

Under Lee Ayeon’s touch, the Undead Knight’s flesh crumbled to dust. And right on schedule, Skeletons clawed up through the ground.

Rattle— rattle—

They’d gathered about twenty Skeletons when.

Shhhhh—

Kang Seongbin opened his eyes.

“Are you okay~?”

Lee Ayeon hopped over and tilted her head, looking at him.

Ignoring her, Seongbin shifted his gaze.

His eyes landed on the Imperial Knight Commander’s form—its upper body utterly torn away.

Crunch—Seongbin ground his teeth, his face contorting. That bastard had done what he himself couldn’t.

Slowly, Kang Seongbin pushed himself to his feet.

[Your level has increased!!]

Whether from killing the monster and leveling up, both his pierced body and his mind felt in peak condition.

Chae Seohyun stepped up to Kang Seongbin and held out the dice.

“Twenty minutes, thirty-five seconds until the demon summon. And that monster dropped an Artifact. Ayeon-ssi and I waived our claim—only the party leader and Gangwoo-ssi landed the kill, so it’s yours to roll for.”

She’d laid out the whole situation.

Kang Seongbin took the dice from her hand. His face twisted as he stared at them, then he spun on his heel and clicked something.

“Trash like that? I don’t want it.”

Ding-

A system window popped up in front of Ha Gangwoo.

[All party members have waived acquisition rights.]

[You have acquired Reins’ Armlet.]

[Reins’ Armlet]

Grade: D

Durability: 20/20

Attack Power: 15

Mana: +15

Vitality: +20

Description: An armlet Reins always carried. It bears an inscription—looks like a gift from someone. (F.E)

Effect

– Restores 1 MP per second

Ha Gangwoo stared at the armlet materializing before his eyes. A gold bracelet, the simple elegance of its ornate pattern catching the light.

‘One MP every second?’

Every skill ate mana, and the more mana you had, the higher the damage it dealt.

But this thing restored 1 per second—an item that could massively amplify the damage of every skill he had. Not to mention it’d cushion the dizziness that came with mana drain.

A smile crept across his face as he looked at the armlet.

And then—

Thunk-

A shield gleaming with golden light appeared in front of Ha Gangwoo.

“…”

Kang Seongbin, his expression sour, stared holes through him.

He’d just handed over the entire armament set before the boss fight.

‘He’s trusting me with the gear?’

Gangwoo was puzzled. The armaments were a set item—the key to clearing this dungeon. And Seongbin was just handing them over like that.

He looked at Kang Seongbin’s face. Still scowling, still looking like an ornery bastard. But something felt different.

At first, Seongbin had treated him like he didn’t exist. Now he was actually entrusting him with something.

‘Whatever. Doesn’t matter.’

Hadn’t he given rewards based on performance scores from the first floor to the second? If he got a chance to shine using the armaments, the payout would be even better.

Ha Gangwoo accepted the shield.

Kang Seongbin spun on his heel and planted himself at the foot of the stairs. His face had gone hard; he folded his arms.

“Good work so far. Now all that’s left is to take down Boss Beiron ahead, and it’s over. I’ll start the briefing on the boss strategy.”

And so Kang Seongbin’s boss-strategy briefing began.

***

[Lance Imbued with Sacred Light]

Grade: C

Durability: 50/50

Attack Power: 89

Strength: +61

Agility: +36

Description: The lance of Imperial Guard Captain Reins of Sky Land. Wreathed in potent divine power, it is effective against enemies of the dark attribute. (Dungeon-exclusive item. Vanishes upon dungeon clear.)

Effects

– 1,000% increased Damage against demon-kind.

*Set Effect (2/2)

– Grants the Judgment of Destruction effect to your weapon.

[Light Shield Imbued with Sacred Light]

Rank: C

Durability: 100/100

Defense: 110

Vitality: +99

Mana: +21

Description: The shield of Imperial Guard Captain Reins of Sky Land. Wreathed in potent divine power, it is effective against enemies of the dark attribute. (Dungeon-exclusive item. Vanishes upon dungeon clear.)

Effects

– Nullifies dark magic when guarding.

*Set Effect (2/2)

– Grants the Judgment of Destruction effect to your weapon.

Ha Gangwoo picked up the gleaming golden arms. He checked the set effect immediately.

[Judgment of Destruction]

Effect: A single strike that destroys all darkness. The effect disappears the moment you attack.

Cooldown: 120 minutes (the Cooldown resets if a price is paid).

A Cooldown of a full 120 minutes. An effect usable only once.

During the briefing, Kang Seongbin had made two demands of Ha Gangwoo.

[1. Use the arms to take point and fight.]

[2. Use the set effect the moment Chae Seohyun signals you.]

Then he added this:

[Don’t trust me. Always stay watchful.]

Well, the last fight had taught him that much.

Kang Seongbin’s Trait borrowed power from something. But he didn’t seem able to control it freely.

Ha Gangwoo turned his gaze toward his party members.

Only 18 minutes remained.

Kang Seongbin had asked for a little time.

Thump! Thump!!

Kang Seongbin was butchering the dead bodies. Probably trying to draw out as much power as possible before the boss fight.

Lee Ayeon paced in front of Reins’ corpse, and Chae Seohyun clutched the pendant on her chest, muttering something under her breath.

Ha Gangwoo used the moment to check his own status.

[Ha Gangwoo]

Level: 19

HP: 2150/2150

MP: 111/111

Strength: 80(+95)

Agility: 50(+75)

Vitality: 53(+164)

Mana: 50(+61)

Sense: 40(+22)

Luck: 55(+25)

Vitality: 51 → 53(2↑)

Luck: 50 → 55(5↑)

He’d invested the points from leveling up into Vitality and Luck.

On top of that, the two armaments, along with Reins’ Armlet and Chae Seohyun’s Buff, had sent his stats skyrocketing.

His HP had hit 2,000, and his MP had broken past 100.

‘I can do this.’

His grip tightened around the lance. The leather creaked, a satisfying sound.

Ha Gangwoo was gathering his strength before the boss fight when—

“Haaah… Haaah…”

Kang Seongbin, gasping for breath, began climbing the stairs, his preparations apparently complete.

Then he stopped and turned back.

In an instant, his eyes — sharp as a predator’s — locked onto Ha Gangwoo.

Gangwoo flinched.

Their gazes met, and a chill raced across his skin, raising every hair on his body.

‘Does he have a demon growing inside him?’

Just as Ha Gangwoo’s curiosity about Kang Seongbin’s trait began to stir, Seongbin spoke.

“We’re starting the clear.”

Then he staggered up the stairs. They’d said he couldn’t distinguish friend from foe, but it seemed he wasn’t losing his mind entirely.

“Let’s go~”

Lee Ayeon grinned wide, dragging her Skeleton along as she followed Seongbin. Chae Seohyun climbed the stairs without a word.

Ha Gangwoo watched them for a moment, steadied his breath, and fell into step behind.

***

[Time Until Demon Summon: 17:12]

A vast altar. Above it, an enormous sphere of darkness radiated a grim aura. Just looking at it made his whole body bristle with unease.

He swallowed.

Gangwoo tightened his grip on the lance and fixed his gaze forward.

A man in a robe. Both arms spread wide, holding the orb aloft. A massive staff in one hand stood out.

‘That’s Beiron?’

The black mage summoning a demon.

Without needing to confirm, that man was clearly Beiron.

But something was off.

The altar was vast — the size of a soccer field.

And the only thing on it was Beiron.

‘Because of Kang Seongbin?’

The reason was Kang Seongbin.

Whether by design or accident, he’d lured all the guards protecting Beiron down here.

Thanks to that, the boss fight looked like it would end cleanly.

“Haaah… haaah…”

Seongbin staggered, then said quietly:

“We start now.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than — whoosh — he charged at Beiron.

Chae Seohyun placed a hand on Ha Gangwoo’s shoulder.

“The signal is the moment Beiron is bound by Chains of Light. Let’s go.”

‘Chains of Light?’

As Gangwoo tilted his head at her words, Seohyun bolted after Seongbin.

“I’ll count on you again this time~”

Lee Ayeon flashed a crescent-eyed smile and followed.

Ha Gangwoo’s pupils contracted. The moment seemed to slow to a crawl, as if frozen.

His Agility stat was a whopping 125. Maybe because of the stat boost, everything felt even slower.

Gangwoo quietly closed his eyes and extended his Sense.

Thump-thump.

His heart pounded.

He slowly opened his eyes and stared ahead.

His party members came into view, sprinting toward Beiron.

‘Why am I so unsettled?’

Was it because of that giant orb floating in the sky? His heightened Sense was sending him constant warnings.

Finally, Gangwoo decided to ignore it.

‘Do what I always do.’

Hadn’t he taken down that monster Reins in a single hit?

Ha Gangwoo chose to trust himself.

Ha Gangwoo’s eyes sharpened.

The party had given him two orders.

One: hold aggro at the front line.

Two: the moment Chains of Light appeared, activate his weapon.

Gangwoo tightened his grip on the weapon and lowered his stance.

“Still, I have to throw myself into it with everything I’ve got.”

But he had no intention of playing it straight. With his current stats, he could shatter anything in a single blow.

‘Battle Stance.’

Kuuung—a crimson aura wrapped around his entire body.

[Attack Stance has been activated.]

[Your next attack deals 2x destructive power.]

Tat—Gangwoo stamped his foot down with all his strength.

The ground beneath him exploded with a deafening crack.

Whoosh—he tore through the air, charging straight at Beiron.

Past Lee Ayeon, who had started first. Past Chae Seohyun. Whoosh—in an instant, he shot past Kang Seongbin’s side.

Gangwoo’s pupils contracted. In the slowed world, he fixed his gaze on Beiron.

The dark mage only now seemed to register the threat, turning his body slowly.

A thin smile crept across Gangwoo’s lips.

Beiron’s back lay wide open.

Gangwoo thrust his spear toward that exposed point.

Bwoong—

BOOM!!!!!!!!

A thunderous explosion roared across the altar.