Kim Songcheol felt the Mana Flow and looked up.

The space rippled, and Mages appeared.

“I can’t miss out on the feast!”

A female staff member Mage in a bright red Robe shouted loudly and raised her hand in the air.

Suddenly, space opened, and a huge Castle, the size of a house, shot out from the spatial rift at an incredible speed.

It wasn’t targeting anyone in particular.

An unspecified multitude.

They simply launched an attack towards the Forest where presences were felt.

“Trying to go up!? Whose permission do you have!”

The Mage in the black Robe created a giant barrier in the sky.

To climb the Grand Staircase, they would have to break through that barrier.

‘Was it always this chaotic…?’

Kim Songcheol quickly moved closer to Setsu and the Celestial Spirit Maiden, adopting a defensive posture.

This was a type of battle in a Dungeon he had never experienced before.

People tend to form groups around a single ideology or a single person.

It’s normal for battles to break out due to conflicts between groups.

But here, many individuals fight against many other individuals.

It was truly a free-for-all.

“I haven’t seen that face before? You look delicious!”

A female staff member with a sword surged up from the ground, heading straight for Kim Songcheol.

With each swing of her sword, Sword Auras tens of meters long erupted wildly.

Kagagagang!

Kim Songcheol intercepted the Sword Aura with bright light, but did not lower his guard.

If he showed a gap, he didn’t know what would strike him.

He saw individuals fighting one opponent, then immediately changing direction to target a weaker foe.

As long as they killed someone, it was a success.

Everyone’s goal was to take at least one life.

Because by killing a person, they could absorb their power.

‘It’s complete pandemonium.’

It wasn’t just ordinary Hunters; dozens of Hunters with S-rank combat power were entangled in battle, and the surroundings were instantly devastated.

All sorts of Magic rained down from the sky, and various Sword Auras tore through the air.

“Let’s take them one by one.”

Kim Songcheol, who had been frantically repeating his Workshop, caught in the vortex of the massive battle, made a decision.

[The green Mage on the left.]

As soon as Kim Songcheol’s command fell, the Celestial Spirit Maiden and Setsu abruptly changed direction, targeting the Mage in green clothes.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden’s Ink-black aura tore through the air, and green Shadows flew like Light Beams.

The Mage in green clothes successfully defended the first attack by appropriately combining defensive and offensive Magic, but crumbled into Nothingness from Kim Songcheol’s subsequent attack.

Piiing!

A powerful beam of light pierced through his brow.

The three people who formed a team began to devour one by one in the melee.

No one else here has a team. Everyone is an individual and must protect their own lives.

Because of this, there were almost no casualties, and it became a war of attrition.

It was Kim Songcheol’s team that turned the tide.

The three of them rushed in with one mind and dealt with them one by one.

However, this method is not without problems. If everyone recognizes that three people are moving as a team, it could become a battle of three against all.

“Let’s split up.”

Before their attention could focus, they scattered to divert attention, and dealt with enemies from a distance through coordinated attacks.

Kim Songcheol’s team organically roamed the battlefield, simultaneously ensuring safety and enhancing their power.

There were no problems.

This is the very beginning of an S-rank Dungeon.

Considering the individual abilities of the people here, Kim Songcheol’s team could be said to have taken first, second, and third place.

Rupture Spear!

At that moment, the ceiling that blocked the sky shattered.

The mage who had cast the magic had died.

Kim Songcheol pondered for a moment.

Now, he could seize the opportunity to go up.

But he had to think more about the future.

He didn’t know how many such floors there might be, or where he might get stuck.

This was a world where you could steal power by killing someone.

Judging by the amount of power flowing in, it was not an insignificant amount, even if it wasn’t all of it.

‘…I’ll accumulate as much as possible and then go up.’

Kim Songcheol made up his mind.

After all, everyone here had chosen to come up themselves.

This fight was also a choice, so they had to bear the responsibility themselves.

Mercy can only be shown when one has the luxury.

Saving everyone might have been recklessness.

Kim Songcheol unleashed Oneness.

Golden light spread in all directions, and a Golden Barrage poured down.

It was as if a giant god in the sky was randomly striking down pillars of light.

Kwagagagang!

Chaos descended upon the already confused battlefield.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden and Setsu took advantage of that opening.

The number of hunters who had gathered due to the commotion began to decrease rapidly.

Those who noticed that the three hunters were moving as a team attempted a concentrated attack, but their numbers were already too few.

During the battle, Kim Songcheol’s team had absorbed the power of other hunters, so there was no room to overturn the situation.

After a long time, the roaring sound that echoed everywhere subsided.

In the end, only Kim Songcheol’s team, three people, remained on the battlefield.

…

A radius of tens of kilometers was completely devastated.

The forest disappeared. The ground was overturned, and all the vegetation was covered in dirt.

The astonishing thing was that sprouts grew again from beneath it, and the ground moved on its own, repairing the hollowed-out areas.

The Forest was rapidly restoring itself.

“It was a more interesting place than I thought.”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden clenched and unclenched her fists, looking down at the recovering Forest.

Of course, she didn’t find the recovery itself interesting.

The power she had absorbed from other Hunters seemed to satisfy her.

That power wasn’t just internal energy. It included physical abilities like bones and muscles, as well as mental strength, which could be considered secondary.

All her stats within the conceivable range had increased.

“Was it called Asura’s Path? I understand why.”

Setsu scanned the battlefield with slightly subdued eyes.

But that was all.

She enveloped her teammates in a green light.

The Grand Staircase was intact amidst all the chaos.

The three of them ascended the Grand Staircase.

The stairs stretched high into the sky. Again, after reaching a certain point, the direction of gravity reversed, and a Wilderness unfolded above them.

It was the second floor of Asura’s Path.

Kim Songcheol descended into a large Valley. Judging by the prevailing atmosphere, hiding was the priority.

If a commotion broke out, they wouldn’t just have to deal with one opponent, but likely also the ones who would gather after hearing the disturbance.

The conclusion was that it was better to be careful until they could gauge the combat power of the Hunters on the second floor.

“Let’s move towards the stairs first.”

Kim Songcheol’s team traversed the Wilderness. Valleys, rocky mountains, and hills obstructed their view, so they couldn’t see far.

Instead, by listening to the lingering echoes of battle sounds from afar, they could infer that a fight was happening somewhere.

“How about we just take care of all the foes we encounter and keep going?”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden said this while going around a rocky mountain.

“It’s not bad. But we only have one life, so being careful isn’t a bad idea either.”

“Hmph.”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden snorted, clearly displeased.

“Why? Are you in a hurry?”

“I won’t deny it. The Divine Demon will be waiting just a few more steps up.”

“We don’t know how many of those stairs there are, do we?”

“There won’t be an infinite number.”

“And the Divine Demon might already be dead.”

“It’s hard to believe he’s dead.”

“Is he that strong? No, if so, he’s incredibly powerful… Meeting him quickly might even be suicide.”

…

Surprisingly, the Celestial Spirit Maiden remained silent for a moment. She had expected her to rage and tear him apart immediately.

“Perhaps I don’t want revenge, but rather to die. There might be a Capital City where I can die. But the desire to meet him quickly and kill him is greater than the fear of that.”

“That’s a bit contradictory.”

“You could see it that way, but that’s how I feel.”

“The human heart is truly complex, isn’t it?”

It was then that Setsu shrugged, as if accustomed to the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s attitude.

“But are we going to keep leaving the guy who’s following us alone?”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden said.

Kim Songcheol also knew that someone had been tailing them for a while now.

There was only one, and they weren’t doing anything, so he was just watching.

“Following us?”

Only Setsu, who lacked Sensory Perception, blinked in slight surprise.

“Since it’s been brought up, shall we see what they’ll do?”

Kim Songcheol stopped walking and turned around. He then looked at the distant hill.

It was several kilometers away, but distance is relative.

To a Hunter like Kim Songcheol, that distance was as good as being right next to them.

“Hmm.”

As he suddenly stopped, the presence following him also stopped. But soon, as if having made up their mind, they slowly moved and appeared on top of the hill.

Flowing brown hair was seen first. She was wearing a field jacket with many pockets and holding a long staff.

She was a Middle-aged Woman.

“What do you want?”

Kim Songcheol’s voice carried through the air and reached her.

“You’re quick-witted. You already sensed me.”

The Female Staff Member’s voice sounded as if she was speaking right next to him. She was also a high-level Mage.

“You deliberately didn’t hide your presence, didn’t you want me to know?”

“Indeed, I have a good eye for people.”

The Female Staff Member’s faint laughter spread lightly.

“You asked what I wanted, right? My request is nothing special. Just let me move with you. I’ll provide some companionship, so it won’t be a loss.”

“Why?”

“From what I’ve seen, you two aren’t the crazy enemies. You saw them on the lower floor, didn’t you? Those who came to gain power. They’re no different from Hungry Ghosts rampaging to devour power. I’m different from such low-class individuals. I have no interest in power. I’m just an Adventurer who came to see the end of this world.”

Adventurer.

It’s like human nature.

To conquer places no one has ever been to.

Not everyone comes to an S-rank Dungeon, especially this Asura’s Path, with the same goal.

Even Kim Songcheol’s team has different goals. Of course, no one came for power, so broadly speaking, they could be called Adventurers like her.

“What do you all think?”

Kim Songcheol asked for his teammates’ opinions.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden and Setsu didn’t express any particular opinion.

They implied that they didn’t care and trusted Kim Songcheol’s judgment.

Kim Songcheol turned back towards the Female Staff Member.

“Come along.”

Of course, this didn’t mean he was fully accepting her as a comrade.

He might not be able to look after her in a dangerous situation, and she might even die during combat.

It was merely combining forces for a short time with a common goal.

Nothing more, nothing less.

The Female Staff Member suddenly dropped to the ground, then surged up in front of Kim Songcheol.

It wasn’t just movement magic, but rather a very high-level spatial magic.

“My name is Betty. First, let me explain my usefulness. After surveying this place, I’ve found that it’s much harder to ascend than what we experienced below. That’s why I approached you. There are quite a lot of crazy foes around the Grand Staircase.”

Everyone who enters this Asura’s Path wants to ascend.

Naturally, they would gather at the Grand Staircase, and it was also natural for them to set up camp around it, waiting for prey to flock. The area around the Grand Staircase was truly a ‘hot spot’ for combat.

“To go up, you need to gain some strength and break through those crazy foes… I’ve made a plan that satisfies all these conditions. You won’t be at a disadvantage. I provide the plan, and you lend your power of Nothingness.”

Betty wandered the second floor, looking for people like Kim Songcheol.

She had a plan, but she couldn’t see a way to ascend alone.

This deal is a win-win for everyone.

Betty had stayed on this floor for quite a long time. Kim Songcheol’s team was essentially gaining that much time.

It was a good offer for Kim Songcheol, who was pressed for time.