CRASH!!

The earth bucked wildly under the colossal impact.

The floor beneath Beiron’s feet couldn’t withstand the shock and let out a screaming crack.

Kwadadeuk—

Gangwoo’s hand, gripping the lance, trembled subtly. As befitted the immense impact, the jolt that traveled up to his fingertips was extraordinary.

Gangwoo’s brow furrowed.

‘No… that can’t be…’

The spear he’d thrust had come to a dead stop right in front of Beiron’s body.

A full 175 Strength, plus double destructive power from Attack Stance. It was his absolute peak output. And yet, that attack had been blocked so easily.

Gangwoo ground his teeth as he stared at something invisible.

‘A barrier???’

Around Beiron—a faintly shimmering, translucent barrier tinged with black had been there.

Where the spear tip had met the barrier, a subtle hairline crack now ran across it.

Proof that it hadn’t been entirely ineffective.

Seureuk—

Beiron, having fully turned around sometime during the exchange, now gazed at Gangwoo.

Gangwoo pulled his lance back and dropped into a lower stance.

‘An old man??’

Beiron was an old man, his face hidden under a pulled-down black hood.

‘…What the hell?’

Gangwoo frowned, staring hard at Beiron.

There was something familiar about that face, like he’d seen it somewhere before.

‘Who was he?’

Just as Gangwoo’s mind churned with doubt—

“Don’t loiter around up front—get out of the way!”

Kang Seongbin charged in, shouting.

Whoosh—Seongbin’s greatsword cut a sweeping arc through the air.

‘Crazy bastard!!’

Gangwoo saw the trajectory of the greatsword and twisted his body aside.

Whoosh—

The great sword tore through the space Ha Gangwoo had just occupied and struck Beiron’s barrier.

Clang! A sharp sound rang out.

Crack—Kang Seongbin’s sword energy split the floor.

The attack was keen enough to stir a blade wind, but the shield held firm.

Clang— Clang— Clang—

Kang Seongbin’s great sword hammered against Beiron’s flesh. But it was utterly useless.

Beiron simply stood still, staring at Ha Gangwoo and his party. As if nothing they did mattered.

‘Something’s wrong.’

No matter how low-grade a D-rank boss was, those last full-powered attacks weren’t weak. With his equipment, they should have been overwhelming.

Yet they were blocked this easily.

Goosebumps crawled across Ha Gangwoo’s entire body.

Was it that writhing black energy in the sky? Or Beiron himself? Either way, a chill ran down his spine.

Ha Gangwoo swallowed dryly and gathered his strength once more.

Groan—

Ha Gangwoo’s red aura crept upward, slow and steady.

[Attack Stance has been activated.]

[Your next attack will deal 2x damage.]

‘There’s no way it won’t work!’

That barrier had to have limits. Keep hitting it, and it would break!

Certain of that, Ha Gangwoo charged again.

“Charge~~!”

Lee Ayeon, who had already arrived, gestured. At once, the Skeleton rushed toward Beiron.

Chae Seohyun, also arrived, stood beside Ayeon and muttered something under her breath.

This was a real clear—pouring everything they had into Beiron.

Clang! Clang! Kang Seongbin hammered the barrier.

Whoosh— Ha Gangwoo thrust his lance.

Rumble, rumble, rumble— Over thirty Skeletons.

A combined assault worthy of an army!

Beiron watched the scene calmly, his expression daring them to try harder.

The massive staff in Beiron’s hand rose slowly. Then—thud—it tapped the floor.

Boom!!!!

A massive explosion erupted.

“Aaaah!”

The blast sent Kang Seongbin rolling across the ground.

Crumble— Over thirty Skeletons turned to dust.

Whoosh—

Ha Gangwoo’s pupils constricted.

Krrrrrr— The magic surging from the explosion’s epicenter toward him seared into his mind.

Pitch-black dark magic. That was the explosion’s true nature.

Chak— Ha Gangwoo stopped his charge and hoisted his shield.

Flash!!

The moment shield and magic collided.

[You have Nullified the Dark Magic.]

A welcome notification chimed in his ear.

Grinning wryly, Ha Gangwoo charged straight ahead.

Rumble, rumble, rumble— The explosion’s aftermath kicked up dust. The area was completely shrouded.

Vision utterly blocked. But Ha Gangwoo charged directly at Beiron.

Because his Sense stat granted him Detection, pinpointing exactly where Beiron stood.

*Whoosh*—Ha Gangwoo burst through the dust and locked onto Beiron with pinpoint accuracy.

Beiron, acting as if Gangwoo was beneath his notice, turned his back and reached a hand toward the sky.

Seeing this, Gangwoo’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

‘Ignoring me, huh…’

*Shiiik*—

Gangwoo thrust his spear with all his might. *Crunch*—

As always, the moment impact came, a tremendous shock raced up through his fingertips.

But this time,

*Grin*—the corner of Gangwoo’s mouth curled upward.

The reason:

He had aimed precisely at the spot where a subtle crack had already formed.

*Crackle*—Beiron’s shield began to chip and fall away in chunks.

Did Beiron sense this anomaly? He whipped his gaze around in alarm. Seeing the fissure in the barrier, he started backing away.

A wicked smile spread across Gangwoo’s face.

‘That’s right.’

Gangwoo pursued Beiron, thrusting his spear with everything he had.

*CLANG!!!*

But this time, no crack formed.

‘Tough as ever.’

The reason was simple—he hadn’t used his Attack Stance.

‘So this is what a D-rank skill amounts to.’

After just this one bout, he could feel firsthand how valuable Attack Stance was. Without it, he wouldn’t have even made that tiny crack.

Gangwoo halted his pursuit, planting both feet firmly on the ground.

He needed to activate that skill—annoying to execute, but undeniably effective.

”Attack Stance”

*Thrum*—

Mana energy surged around him once more.

But something was different.

‘Purple?’

The color of the energy was strikingly distinct.

The reason was,

[Extreme Strike Stance has been activated.]

[The next attack will have 10x destructive power.]

Against all odds—a mere 4% chance—’Extreme Strike Stance’ had triggered!

A sharp, sinister smile curved at Gangwoo’s lips.

‘Think you’ll survive this too?’

Gangwoo spread his legs wide, lowered his stance, and with a *pop*—he pushed off the ground with all his strength.

*Whoosh*—the immense rebound carried him to Beiron’s side in an instant.

Startled, Beiron thrust his massive staff forward.

*Boom*—a colossal orb of darkness shot forth!

The sheer force was so immense that flames erupted around the orb as it tore through the air.

But,

*Fssss*

[Dark magic has been nullified.]

‘Easily canceled by the ‘Light Shield Imbued with Sacred Light’.’

*Snap, crackle, sizzle*—

Using his momentum, Gangwoo swept across the floor, angling his spear for the thrust.

‘Just how strong will this be?’

A tenfold increase in destructive power—he was dying to see its might.

With a grin, Gangwoo drove his spear forward.

*Vwoom*—the sound was sharper than ever before,

*CRUNCH!!!*

The impact was beyond imagination.

*BOOM!!!*

That unyielding shield shattered into pieces.

*CRASH!!!!!*

Dust began to settle after the massive explosion and shockwave.

***

Boom!!!!

The ground shuddered under the weight of a colossal impact.

‘What the hell?’

Chae Seohyun was healing Kang Seongbin, who lay collapsed on the floor.

“Haaah… haaah… Get off me!!!”

Kang Seongbin’s crimson eyes flashed as he shouted, then shoved her away with a thud and vanished into the dust.

‘….’

Chae Seohyun silently stared toward the source of the shock.

‘Something’s wrong.’

No matter how she thought it over, the current situation made no sense.

This place was just the Tutorial. And the Dungeon’s rating? A whopping D-Rank.

She’d figured it would be a challenge suited for level 40s. That was why she’d pushed her opinion so strongly to Kang Seongbin.

But contrary to her worries, the monsters were at best level 20. Plus, they had the auxiliary weapon—the Divine Armament.

The current Dungeon wasn’t impossible.

Even the Mid-Boss Reins that Kang Seongbin had dragged along seemed manageable—even without that Ha Gangwoo guy.

Kang Seongbin had only fallen because he charged in alone while out of his mind.

For all that, the Mid-Boss Reins was no pushover. And the one who shattered it in one blow was that Ha Gangwoo.

She had no idea what his Trait was, but just looking at his stats, he showed strength on par with a level 40.

And yet, Beiron blocked that guy’s attack as if it were nothing.

No matter how she looked at it, wasn’t that strange? Suddenly, defense at an impossible level—and on top of that, Reins should have been at Beiron’s side normally.

Lost in thought, Chae Seohyun reached a conclusion.

‘The Spear of Ruin.’

The Spear of Ruin embedded in the Divine Armament.

Only that power could pierce through Beiron’s barrier.

‘Then I’ll need the Chains of Light.’

Getting the Divine Armament was the right call, after all. Without it, that Beiron would have been an invincible existence impossible to clear.

Having made her decision, Chae Seohyun rose to her feet and began to chant the skill.

Whoosh—a golden light rippled from her hands.

‘Let’s do this for sure. Bind him with the Chains of Light and hit him with the Spear of Ruin!’

Right on cue, the dust began to clear.

Chae Seohyun stared straight ahead with a serious expression.

As the dust parted, a black form gradually came into view.

Ding-

[You have defeated the Black Mage Beiron.]

[You acquire 8,600 EXP!!]

[You acquire 100,000 Gold.]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

“Wha—… what the hell?!!!”