On the vast altar beneath the crimson moon, murderous intent rippled through the air.

A cold wind whispered past his cheek.

“Haaah…”

Ha Gangwoo steadied himself.

That sensation he’d first felt facing an Orc on the first floor.

Now, that Sense was awakening again.

‘I can do this.’

He gripped his lance and raised his shield.

There was only one card left to play.

[Bullet of Ruin]

Rank: S

Description: A bullet imbued with the chaotic power that crushes all things. (Warning!! The weapon used may be destroyed.)

Attack Power: 9,999

Effect

– Grants the Ruin attribute.

*Ruin’s Affliction — pulverizes the target, leaving it irrecoverable.

This round is going to grind that bastard to dust.

An S-Rank bullet, no less.

A single chance. He absolutely could not miss.

‘I’d hoped he’d drop his guard like before… but.’

Lucifel’s crimson eyes locked onto Ha Gangwoo. A wave of chills crawled over his skin, making every hair stand on end.

‘This is going to be rough.’

Lucifel no longer seemed interested in playing.

Clink—

As if to prove it, Lucifel’s index finger pointed at Gangwoo.

Crascccrrrrr—

A black beam shot forth with a savage roar.

Ha Gangwoo hoisted his shield—the relic—to meet it.

[Nullifying dark magic.]

As expected, the beam fizzled apart with a pop. A resonant zing traveled up his arm.

[Durability decreased by 20.]

[Durability: 60/100]

Only 60 durability left. Even the relic he’d thought was utterly overpowered had its limits.

Lucifel stroked his chin and scowled.

“That shield is irritating. How much longer can it hold?”

Once more, Lucifel aimed his index finger.

Zzzziiing—dark energy gathered at his fingertip, a power on an entirely different level from the previous attacks.

Gangwoo could tell at a glance—this energy was leagues apart from everything so far.

Ha Gangwoo twisted his face into a grimace and planted his feet wide.

‘Come on, hurry up and do it already!’

The moment Gangwoo voiced that thought inside his head.

Crascccrrrrr—

A colossal Dark Cannon shot forth from Lucifel. The pressure was like a massive tank charging at missile-speed—just watching it made Gangwoo’s legs tremble.

Gritting his teeth, he ducked behind the shield.

Boom!!

The instant it collided with the Dark Cannon.

Scccrrrrraaape—

His body was dragged backward, scraping across the floor.

Gangwoo tried to brace with all his might, but the ground tore apart beneath him under the relentless barrage.

“Ugh!!!!”

Ha Gangwoo ground his teeth.

‘If my stance breaks here, it’s over.’

[Durability decreased by 20.]

[Durability: 40/100]

[Durability decreased by 20.]

[Durability: 20/100]

In an instant, the durability bottomed out,

[Durability decreased by 20.]

[Durability: 0/100]

Crack—the moment a fissure ran through his shield.

“Oppa!!! I’m done~!!!”

Lee Ayeon’s voice cut through from beyond the massive Dark Beam.

‘Damn it!!’

Ha Gangwoo twisted his face into a scowl.

Crascccrrrrr—

The beam was still blazingly intense,

but—shhhhhh—

The Light Shield crumbled to the ground with a grotesque sound.

‘….’

The moment Ha Gangwoo grimaced, bracing for death,

[Nullifying dark magic.]

the System’s chime rang out.

The colossal Dark Beam popped and disintegrated.

‘Right before the ‘Light Shield Imbued with Sacred Light’ shattered, it had erased the enormous Dark Beam.’

‘Hoo…’

Ha Gangwoo wiped the sweat from his jaw and fixed his gaze straight ahead.

The air churned from the Dark Cannon. Beyond it,

Lee Ayeon, carrying Kang Seongbin over her shoulder, was moving out of the way.

And.

‘That really is a tempting Trait.’

Where the demon should have been, there was now a spherical orb.

That orb was none other than a barrier.

The once-transparent barrier had stacked and stacked until it looked pitch black.

And the caster of that barrier was,

[Beiron has used ‘Dark Barrier.’]

[Beiron has used ‘Dark Barrier.’]

[Beiron has used ‘Dark Barrier.’]

[Beiron has used ‘Dark Barrier.’]

……

….

..

.

Beiron.

Resurrected by Lee Ayeon’s Trait, Beiron was spamming his skill.

[Elin’s Elixir]

Grade: C

Description: An elixir made by dissolving a Blue Dragon’s heart. It is imbued with immense Mana power.

Effect

-Increases MP recovery by 1,000% for 1 minute.

On top of that, Beiron was downing the elixir and firing off skills without limit.

With this, the demon was completely pinned down.

*Thud!!!*

*Thud!!!*

A tremor rang out from within the multi-layered barrier. It sounded like a hammer pounding inside soundproof glass.

Ha Gangwoo slowly approached Beiron’s barrier.

*Thud!! Thud!!!*

Up close, the vibrations from inside were strong enough to shake the ground.

“Hoo… good thing.”

His plan had worked out.

*Thud!! Crack—*

A sound of something breaking came from within the black orb.

‘No time.’

Making his judgment, Ha Gangwoo gripped a pistol in his right hand and a lance in his left.

[Weapon: Mana-Imbued Pistol] [Weapon: Lance Imbued with Sacred Light]

Two weapons were taking effect from the Equipment Window.

With this, the Mana-Imbued Pistol was also granted the ‘Damage +1,000% when attacking demon race’ effect from the lance.

Ha Gangwoo immediately used the scroll from the Lucky Pouch.

[Amplification Magic Circle Scroll]

Grade: B

Description: A scroll imbued with powerful magic. Useful for ranged-focused classes. Use it as a trump card to blast your enemies away.

Effect

-Creates a circular magic circle with a diameter of 10M in front. Increases the Damage, range, destructive power, and crushing force of any skill that passes through it.

[Magic Circle Creation Time: 1 minute]

[Duration: 30 minutes]

*Crackle—* Sparks flew as a dazzling circular magic circle began to form before his eyes.

A great halo of light, with unknown characters inside blazing as they took shape.

[Magic Circle Creation Time: 59 seconds]

With this, all preparations were complete.

All that remained was, while the magic circle formed,

for Beiron, freed from his MP limit, to hold on.

Ha Gangwoo stood behind the magic circle, raised his pistol, and aimed at the barrier.

Whether from the Sense Stat or not, he could vividly feel the demon rampaging inside the barrier.

*Gulp—*

Ha Gangwoo swallowed dryly and kept following the demon’s head.

Crack!! CRASH—

Crack!! CRASH—

In the stillness, a murderous tremor shook the earth.

And then,

[Magic Circle Generation Time: 40 seconds]

[Magic Circle Generation Time: 30 seconds]

[Magic Circle Generation Time: 20 seconds]

With about twenty seconds left,

CRAAAAAASH!!!!!

A sound like the world tearing apart.

BOOM!!!

The barrier shattered.

***

[Beiron’s Barrier has been destroyed.]

[Beiron’s Barrier has been destroyed.]

[Beiron’s Barrier has been destroyed.]

…..

…

.

In that instant, Lee Ayeon’s lips curved up faintly.

‘Grandfather… this is really too much.’

At first, she’d thought her grandfather’s words were absurd. But looking at that demon, she reconsidered.

‘If… if I could catch it…’

If she could catch it, wouldn’t it be worth challenging him, just as grandfather said?

But it didn’t look easy.

She’d used everything—even that trump card—and given her all.

Now, even that had been broken.

‘What do I do now…’

Just as Lee Ayeon sank into worry,

Flinch!!

A wave of demonic energy from the demon who’d burst out of the barrier washed over her entire body.

Her hands trembled subtly. Her Trait laid bare the demon’s overwhelming strength.

“No… way… is it really… ending in failure…”

Maybe it was the demonic energy, but Ayeon found herself imagining the worst.

If she retired like this, both her promise to grandfather and her promise to Jia would be impossible to keep.

Ayeon ground her teeth.

‘That can’t happen. Not that.’

She pulled herself together and commanded Beiron through their Link.

[Trap the demon in a Barrier.]

It was the best she could do.

***

“I indulged you, and now you’ve gotten too big for your britches.”

A voice like scraping metal echoed, chilling the air.

Whoosh—

Enormous wings unfurled from the demon’s back. A tail that hadn’t been there before grew and swept across the ground like a chain.

Lucifel had fully opened his power.

Grrrr—

Every breath Lucifel took rasped through the air. A fiery glow flickered in his pupils.

‘How dare a lowly worm try to cage me?’

Lucifel was livid at being trapped in a narrow pen.

Casually, Lucifel reached out a hand.

His palm aimed at the old man who had confined him to such a lowly place.

FFFWHOOSH—

A colossal Energy Cannon obliterated Beiron. Then Lucifel’s gaze turned to one man.

The man who’d amused him before—now pointing another strange object at him.

Veins bulged on Lucifel’s forehead.

The effort as if he could actually kill him felt too presumptuous.

‘He doesn’t know his place.’

Lucifel shifted his massive legs, closing the distance toward Ha Gangwoo.

*BOOM!* The ground trembled with every step.

A wide, mad grin spread across Lucifel’s face.

‘I wonder what expression he’ll make.’

Lucifel was a demon who fed on the despair of others.

He couldn’t resist the pleasure of watching a hopeful creature plunge into hopelessness.

Especially someone as ignorant of his place as this one — those always broke the most satisfyingly.

Before he knew it, Lucifel had reached Gangwoo’s side, looming over him.

A monster at over three meters tall; just looking at it pressed an enormous weight of intimidation onto him.

Lucifel showed his teeth in a sneer and spoke.

“Go ahead, shoot. I’ll give you the chance.”

Then he tapped his own horn with a grotesque index finger.

“Aim well.”

When a target’s full-powered attack proves utterly useless, hope twists into despair.

Lucifel knew that all too well.

But as he watched, a gleam lit up Ha Gangwoo’s eyes.

Gangwoo slowly parted his lips.

“I went through all that trouble for nothing. Didn’t expect you to be this kind.”

[Magic Circle Formation Time: 0 seconds]

[A Magic Circle has been formed.]

The magic circle completed just in time.

A violet radiance rippled around Ha Gangwoo’s body, shimmering.

[Extreme Strike Stance has been activated.]

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

Gangwoo put force into his index finger.

*Krrrrrk* — The gear at the muzzle of the pistol turned.

*Tick* — The moment the gear reached the end.

*Clack* — The hammer struck the Bullet of Ruin.

*Zzzzziiinggg* — The bullet flickered into light.

*KRA-KOOOOM—*

A massive Energy Cannon burst forth.

The already colossal Energy Cannon expanded threefold as it passed through the Amplification Magic Circle.

Seeing the immense Bullet of Ruin, the energy glow surging toward him, Lucifel bared his teeth with a grin.

“AMAZING!!!”

Lucifel’s instincts screamed at him. Dodge this attack now, flee!

This feeling was one he only ever sensed in the presence of *that one*. And that made it all the more thrilling.

That a being who hadn’t even bloomed yet could wield such power.

The demon let out a sneering laugh.

“Yes! I’ll take it all!!!”

Lucifel spread his arms wide as he watched the immense energy radiance.

Lucifel was confident.

He was a Great Demon, unlike ordinary demons — he had no weakness.

His horn could be sliced off, his core shattered, his heart burst — and still, he wouldn’t die.

Lucifel’s power lay in his very cells.

As long as over 70% of his body wasn’t obliterated in one shot, he simply couldn’t die.

And on top of that, his phenomenal regenerative ability. He was absolute perfection itself.

So even this attack didn’t frighten him.

*KRA-KOOOOM—*

The Energy Cannon swallowed Lucifel whole. His flesh seared, and an agony beyond description crashed through him.

A grin split Lucifel’s face. He savored the pain.

‘How long has it been since I felt such exquisite torment?!’

The kind of pain that made you think you might actually die—the purest pleasure he’d experienced in nearly a century.

His arms disintegrated. The muscles across his entire body burned to nothing.

‘This is getting dangerous.’

Lucifel felt the limit approaching and was about to regenerate—

[You cannot regenerate.]

The smile vanished from Lucifel’s face in an instant.

‘Wh—What?! W-Wait… just—wait!!!’

Lucifel flailed inside the Energy Cannon, caught off guard, but it was already too late to dodge.

And then—

“Uwaaaah!!!”

The moment Lucifel’s scream echoed from within the Energy Cannon—

Crack—the Mana-Imbued Pistol in Ha Gangwoo’s hand shattered, exploding into fragments with a bang!

“Whoa!”

Ha Gangwoo skidded backward across the floor, shoved by the cannon’s recoil.

When he lifted his head—

‘…’

Only Lucifel’s two legs remained, standing there, alone.

His upper body had been sliced clean off, pulverized.

A moment later, severed from command, the legs toppled over with a dull thud.

Ding!!!

[You have defeated the Great Demon Lucifel!!]

[You have gained 31,600 EXP!!]

[You have gained an additional 31,600 EXP from the Perk effect.]

[You have gained 1,000,000 Gold.]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

…

..

A clamor of notifications pounded at his ears.

***

[You have defeated the Great Demon Lucifel!!]

[You have gained 31,600 EXP!!]

[You have gained 1,000,000 Gold.]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

[Level up!!!]

…..

…

.

“Whoa~!”

Chae Seohyun and Lee Ayeon stared, mouths wide open, at the colossal Energy Cannon.

Even from nearly a hundred meters away, its light was enormous, its scale staggering.

‘That’s on par with a Ranker’s skill…’

A thin smile crept onto Lee Ayeon’s lips as she watched the Energy Cannon.

A Player who’d just entered the Tutorial, already wielding that much power.

‘Interesting.’

Lee Ayeon clenched her fists.

The man who would stand at the very top.

‘Jia’s definitely going to like him.’

Lee Ayeon licked her lips, her eyes fixed on Ha Gangwoo.

***

Thud!!

Chae Seohyun drove a sealing stake into Kang Seongbin’s shoulder.

Kang Seongbin, who had been lost in madness, slipped into sleep.

“Thank goodness…”

Chae Seohyun wiped the sweat from her brow and straightened up.

A torn-off arm was one thing—reattach it and be done—but restoring a destroyed heart… that was something else.

Ha Gangwoo found himself intrigued by Chae Seohyun.

‘So this is what an S-Rank Trait looks like.’

At that level, it seemed comparable to Yoon Jeonghyuk’s ability.

Maybe,

‘Could she even revive the dead?’

As Gangwoo lost himself in thought, Chae Seohyun approached him.

Then she bowed her head deeply.

“I owe you a great debt. Truly, thank you.”

“Huh? Ah… sure.”

Gangwoo scratched his cheek with his index finger as he answered.

Lee Ayeon also hopped over and stood before Gangwoo.

And just as she was about to say something—

Ding-

[You have cleared ‘Summoning of Ruin’!!!]

[Calculating individual score…]

The dungeon was cleared.

***

Ding- Ding-

The clamorous score-measurement sound rang out into the sky.

Kang Seongbin, who had opened his eyes at some point, twisted his face into a scowl and stared at his own score window.

[Kang Seongbin]

Monsters Killed: 56.

Damage Dealt to Boss: 0

[Hidden] Damage Dealt to Lucifel: 31,105

….

…

..

.

[A Rank]

Bang!

The moment the measurement finished, a reward chest popped into existence before Seongbin.

And so the measurements proceeded one by one.

[Chae Seohyun]: B Rank

[Lee Ayeon]: B Rank

The final score measurement was Ha Gangwoo’s.

Ha Gangwoo stroked his chin, looking at his own score window.

‘I’d better get SS-rank or higher.’

Bonus points from beating Beiron, plus the hidden boss Lucifel. A strange sense of anticipation surged through him.

Ding-

[Ha Gangwoo]

Monsters slain: 36.

Damage dealt to the Boss: 115,061

Damage dealt to [Hidden] Lucifel: 10,231,105

….

…

..

[Hidden] Lucifel slain

Calculating score…

…

..

.

Ding!

[SSS Rank]

“Oh~!”

The rank exceeded expectations. SSS Rank — wasn’t that a rank I’d never even seen before?

What kind of item would an SSS Rank reward give? I could hardly contain my anticipation.

As if answering that anticipation, the darkened sky shifted to a brilliant blue.

Beneath that blue sky, a colossal System window materialized.

[A special reward is being granted!!!]

*Thrumm—*

A single ring, blazing with resplendent light.

It descended from the sky, pouring out a fierce radiance.

[Lucifel’s Ring]

Grade: ???

Durability: ∞/∞

Description: A ring imbued with Lucifel’s madness. Powerful demonic energy clings to it—beware, for it may taint you with that madness!

Effects

– Enables Demonization.

The crimson gem set in the golden ring looked rare at a single glance.

‘Grade’s a question mark?’

A smile spread across Ha Gangwoo’s lips.

‘Demonization, huh.’

What kind of effect would it bring? It was an ability he wanted to try out right this instant.

As Gangwoo reveled in the item, a system window materialized.

[The door to the next floor is opening.]

*Thrumm—* A door formed at the center of the altar.

It was different from the system that had forcibly moved them before.

[Time remaining until Dungeon collapse: 10 minutes]

The Dungeon clearing was truly over.

***

*Thud—*

Kang Seongbin hoisted his greatsword onto his shoulder and planted himself in front of Ha Gangwoo.

Then, in a whisper so faint it was almost inaudible, he murmured,

“I owe you a debt. I’m thanking you.”

With that, he spun on his heel and vanished beyond the door to the next floor.

Chae Seohyun gave Gangwoo a small bow.

“I’ll repay my debt for sure next time.”

She left those words behind and stepped through.

Now only Ha Gangwoo and Lee Ayeon remained.

Ayeon came to Gangwoo’s side and craned her neck forward.

“I honestly thought it was over when my Summoned beast died. I really owe you~! Thank you!”

“Everyone worked hard. If Ms. Lee hadn’t been here, I’d have died to that demon outright.”

Gangwoo meant it sincerely.

If Seongbin hadn’t bought time by releasing his seal, if Seohyun hadn’t healed him, if Ayeon hadn’t blocked the demon with her Barrier—none of them would be standing here right now.

“Oh, stop being so humble~ It’s okay to brag a little at a time like this~”

Ayeon tossed out a playful banter, but Gangwoo just stared at her, expressionless.

Just like that.

[Time remaining until Dungeon collapse: 7 minutes 20 seconds]

[Time remaining until Dungeon collapse: 7 minutes 14 seconds]

As time ticked by, Ayeon tilted her head and asked,

“Aren’t you going to the next floor??”

“No.”

“Why not?? Don’t tell me~ you’re about to… confess to me? I’m a minor, you know~”

Ayeon lifted a hand to her own cheek and spoke.

But Gangwoo slowly opened his mouth.

“No. I want to see how you revive the demon.”

For an instant, Ayeon’s expression flickered. She was still smiling, but the atmosphere shifted.

“Ah… I see.”

Ayeon walked over to the corpse of the dead demon.

“I wasn’t planning on hiding it anyway. The moment I summon one, it just follows me around.”

Ayeon touched the demon’s green blood with her index finger, dabbing it lightly.

*Squelch—* The viscous blood clung to her fingertip. And then, the moment she licked it with her tongue—

Click. Click.

The demon’s leg—the one they’d all assumed was dead—began to tremble violently.

And then—*Thud!!*—the demon’s form burst forth from the corpse.

Gulp.

Ha Gangwoo swallowed dry spit, his eyes locked on the scene.

‘Resurrection…’

The skill he’d wished for so desperately—the one that could bring the dead back to life. He’d just found it.

“Is it possible…”

He was about to ask if it could work on people, too, when his eyes met those of the resurrected demon.

‘…’

The moment he saw its eyes, he knew.

The demon that had grinned wide at him, that had scrunched its expression when he scratched its horn—that demon had feelings.

It had emotions.

But the thing standing there now was not that demon.

It was nothing more than a puppet, obedient to Lee Ayeon’s every word. Nothing more, nothing less.

“…”

Had he been hoping for too much? A wave of emptiness crashed over him.

Then, a new question surfaced.

“Why go this far just to make a minion? There are stronger monsters outside than this demon, aren’t there?”

Why goad Kang Seongbin into challenging an S-Rank dungeon just for that?

It had to be about obtaining a powerful underling.

But no matter how strong this demon was, it couldn’t be better than the monsters out there.

No matter how he looked at it, something didn’t add up.

At Gangwoo’s words, Lee Ayeon smiled faintly and replied.

“Huh? What do you mean~? If the balance was off, Antero would just get rid of it. You didn’t know that? Don’t tell me you came in with nothing?”

“Ah…”

It was about fairness.

Right—if someone had brought in S-Rank items from the start, the Tutorial’s equity would be broken.

‘So there was a mechanism like that.’

Because Gangwoo had entered empty-handed, he’d never triggered it, but Antero existed precisely to maintain that equilibrium.

Lee Ayeon hopped toward the door, waving her hand.

“I’d love to go to the next floor with you, but I’ve got things to do~! Well then~ see you later~ You were really cool!”

With a crescent-eyed grin, she vanished through the threshold.

The three party members disappeared, leaving Ha Gangwoo alone in the dungeon.

He slowly began to walk.

*Ding-*

[You have equipped Lucifel’s Ring.]

Gangwoo slid the ring onto his finger and stood before the door.

A door blazing with an intense blue light.

What could be waiting on the fourth floor?

Now that even that fearsome demon was dead.

There was no more fear.

*Ding-*

[You have entered the 4th Floor.]

Ha Gangwoo had moved to the next floor.