“Ugh!”

Frank hurriedly swung his sword and retreated. He didn’t even have time to lower his head. A burning sensation in his side indicated that a sword must have grazed him.

He was grateful that his insides hadn’t spilled out.

Because he could still fight right now.

“This bastard!”

The blonde female Knight with a sword yelled fiercely and charged forward.

She was absolutely furious.

If they fought properly, she could take his head in two or three strikes.

But the damned Mage kept hindering her movements.

Just now, a lightning spear flew at her, preventing her from properly swinging her sword.

‘After this cursed guy, it’s that guy.’

The female Knight added Kang Hyecase, who was standing far away shooting magic, to her kill list.

She was constantly annoyed by the way he subtly cast magic to restrain her, without hitting his own allies.

‘What is Osel doing?’

The male Knight, Osel, who had run towards the other Mage.

Normally, he would have settled the matter and returned by now. But for some reason, there had been no news of him whatsoever.

She lightly parried Frank’s sword and glanced back.

She had that much composure.

But then.

‘…!?’

I saw Lightning strike Osel, who had leaped into the air, and a Mana Blade flying from behind, severing his neck.

‘Why, just why…!?’

She opened her eyes wide.

She couldn’t believe it.

With that much Thread power, and even anti-Magic seals on his armor.

He was beheaded by a mere 3rd Circle Mage?

And in a one-on-one fight?

And that incomprehensible situation filled her with dread.

The thought that she, too, could die slowly crept up on her.

She quickly raised her Aura and turned her gaze back to Frank.

Golden aura flowed in streams from her sword.

“Get out of the way… get out of the way!”

She shouted loudly and charged at Frank.

She planned to cut Frank down with a single sword stroke and run straight to the Portal.

“…Dig.”

A faint incantation was heard from afar.

It was at the same moment her foot sank into the ground.

She stumbled once, but regained her balance with extreme reflexes.

“Where do you think you’re going to run off to!”

Frank’s sword fell into that opening, and she quickly parried the attack.

Her stance was almost completely broken, but she had enough skill to block Frank’s attack.

“Hold.”

The incantation was heard from a closer distance.

She felt magic constricting her entire body and activated the anti-magic seal.

Light burst from her armor, deflecting the magic into nothingness.

Meanwhile, wind rapidly gathered beside her. Kang Hye Castle’s Air Hammer was being activated.

She cut through the flow of air with a single stroke and took a step towards Frank.

But Frank was already retreating.

Because he had seen Kim Songcheol’s hand signal.

The moment the distance between Frank and the female knight widened slightly.

“Thunder Strike.”

Lightning struck, piercing through the gap.

The anti-magic seal shone once again.

‘I, I have to escape.’

She had to get away from the mage who killed Osel, right now.

She took a few steps, ignoring Frank, but…

“Stone Missile, Bind, Mana Blade, Bind, Air Hammer, Stone Missile, Stone Missile, Thunder Strike.”

Magic poured out behind her like crazy.

If she didn’t want her back to be riddled with holes, she had no choice but to turn around.

Kagagagagang!

The moment she turned, she swung her sword at maximum speed.

This was not a range that could be endured with the anti-magic seal.

As she swung her sword with all her might, a thought suddenly occurred to her.

‘When… when will this end…?’

It won’t end.

‘It won’t end…?’

It won’t end.

That’s why Osel had sacrificed his thigh to seize an opportunity.

And that’s only possible in a one-on-one situation.

“Yup.”

Her struggle ended when Kang Hye Castle’s Magic Missile flew and hit the Official Position player with a ‘thud!’

Thanks to the helmet, her head was only slightly twisted, but through that gap, Kim Songcheol’s magic spells struck her one by one, and soon her guard opened, taking the full brunt of all the magic.

Kwa-ga-ga-gang!

She flew backward like a kite with a snapped string and rolled on the ground.

Her front armor was already in disarray.

She had also been struck by lightning a couple of times, and smoke was rising from her, causing fear.

“What the, you…?”

Frank said to Kim Songcheol.

He had said it would be interesting to see Kim Songcheol use magic, but this was beyond interesting.

“That female staff member is still alive? Aren’t you going to get revenge?”

At Kim Songcheol’s words, he belatedly came to his senses.

He looked back at the fallen female knight and then shook his head.

“No… this is enough. It’s complicated to return the points… you deal with it.”

Frank plopped down on the spot and took off his upper garment. Blood was gushing from the sword wound on his side.

Just then, Lee Yong-chan and Park Ha-su’s battle also ended. This was thanks to Kang Hye Castle, who had a free hand and provided support.

Kim Songcheol took out a bandage and waved his hand slightly. Then, a Mana Blade was created above the female staff member’s head and decapitated her like a guillotine.

“Stay still.”

Kim Songcheol sprayed a hemostatic agent on Frank’s side and bandaged it.

It wasn’t a fatal wound immediately, but it was good to provide first aid.

“But… aren’t you a 3rd Circle Mage?”

Frank asked, frowning. Pain was belatedly surging from his side.

“What about it?”

“No, to call you a 3rd Circle Mage…”

How should he express it?

Saying ‘he has power to spare’ would be close.

Kim Songcheol was using 3rd Circle Magic, but he had power left over.

Not only his casting speed but also his power was on a different level compared to other 3rd Circle Mages.

Just like a high-ranking Mage.

“I don’t have much to say about that.”

Anything he said would just be bragging.

Kim Songcheol finished bandaging him and stood up.

His head moved somewhere.

[Thank you, Mister. I knew you could do it.]

Because Pern’s voice was heard.

“No thanks needed. It was a fair trade.”

[Then we’ll be going now. I heard that you might dislike us since you lost your comrades. May you be filled with the blessings of the spirits.]

“Pern?”

There was no reply.

The Wind Path that had conveyed the voice also gently dissipated into a breeze.

…He’s so thorough.

Considering it was a Ranger’s Castle, it was highly likely that Pern had insisted on saying goodbye.

After finishing the battle, Team 24C collected the bodies of the America team with Frank.

One of the three bodies had its combat uniform removed.

Frank, with a blank expression but tears streaming down his face, took off his own combat uniform top and put it on the body.

When Kang Hyecaste, unable to watch any longer, approached and patted his back, Frank finally sobbed uncontrollably.

It was much later that the Swordsmen each slung a body over their shoulders and set out to find the Portal.

The Portal was at the northernmost edge.

Normally, they would have said something upon discovering the Portal, but not today.

Even the playful Lee Yong-chan and Park Ha-su remained silent.

Frank personally pushed his comrades into the Portal, and then finally turned to Kim Songcheol.

Thanks to you, I got my revenge. I’ll have a little something to say to my teammates’ families. Thank you.

However, Kim Songcheol shook his head.

The situation just allowed it. If it hadn’t, it never would have happened.

Hmph, right. You also have a duty to protect your teammates. Well then, let’s meet again next time. Preferably on Earth.

Perhaps feeling much better, Frank left with a small smile and entered the Portal.

Whew, he finally left. How many points did we collect, big brother?

As soon as Frank disappeared, Lee Yong-chan asked.

He wanted to settle the accounts continuously, but Frank was listening nearby, so he couldn’t even speak.

The points collected by Team 24C definitely included a share for Frank’s teammates.

First, I got about 40,000?

Me too, around that much.

The combined points of Lee Yong-chan and Park Ha-su were 80,000.

Adding just two more, they had already far exceeded the average point acquisition for E-rank.

This is because it’s normal for each normal person to collect about 10,000 to 20,000.

I got 70,000.

Kang Hyecaste revealed her points.

When you kill a Hunter, you receive not only the corresponding kill points but also all of their held points.

It seemed the Mage Kang Hyecaste killed had quite a few points.

The only one left was Kim Songcheol.

Everyone’s gaze turned to Kim Songcheol.

I have 220,000.

Kim Songcheol said calmly, but the other teammates gasped in astonishment.

The kill points from two powerful Knights, and all the points they had collected, had all gone to Kim Songcheol.

They had roughly expected it, but it was far more points than that.

In the end, the total was 370,000.

They had collected 370,000 points in an E-rank Dungeon.

In a place where you couldn’t even exceed 100,000 no matter how many Monsters you caught.

It was truly a great record.

***

Frank returned to America and reported what had happened in the Dungeon.

Unlike usual, the report was long.

This was because three people had died, and he had returned alone. He even recovered the bodies.

All of these were unusual circumstances.

Normally, either all four would vanish, or if they returned alive, at least two would barely escape with their lives.

Frank’s report was fully drafted into a document and continued to ascend to higher authorities.

The final destination of that report was James Whitmore, Director of the Federal Government Hunter Official Position Bureau.

“Kim Soul Chaeng?”

James, sitting in his spacious office reading the report, pronounced the East Asian name once.

If written in Korean, it would be something like ‘Kim Soul Chaeng’.

“Kim Soul Chaeng…?”

He scratched his white hair and tilted his head.

It was a name he seemed to have heard somewhere.

According to the testimony of Francis Bennett, or Frank, this Kim Soul Chaeng possessed overwhelming magical power and was the person who would make Korea more than a second United Kingdom.

Upon reading that far, Kim Soul Chaeng’s identity came to mind.

“Ha, Kim Songcheol!”

He wasn’t the Director of the Hunter Official Position Bureau for nothing.

The name, which he would have instantly recalled if the pronunciation had been similar, was delayed because it had been mangled through an intermediary.

But at the same time, a question arose.

‘Colt clearly said he was stupid.’

Colt Vanguard, Jester.

It was James who sent him to Kim Songcheol.

To be precise, Colt heard about it somewhere and said he wanted to go, so James sent him, thinking it was a stroke of luck.

After meeting Kim Songcheol, Colt reported to James:

‘It’s true that his Mana Affinity is high, but his performance is only good for now. He’s not smart enough for advanced magic.’

However, reading Frank’s report, these were not things someone with low intelligence could do.

Even putting other things aside, how could someone with low intelligence display such casting speed?

He had to process an enormous amount of magic formula calculations, which was not something a person with a poor brain could do.

James immediately stood up and pointed a finger at his red-haired female secretary.

“Send a direct message to Colt Vanguard. Tell him his salary is increasing and to come immediately.”

A direct message is the most effective way to reach Colt Vanguard.

Calling him would be pointless; he wouldn’t answer.

As expected, a few minutes later, a magic circle appeared on the office floor, and with a flash of light, Colt Vanguard emerged.

He was wearing a bathrobe with wet hair.

“Really?”

Colt Vanguard shook his mobile phone with an expectant expression.

He was asking about the authenticity of the salary increase news he received via direct message.

“Depending on your answer.”

James calmly crossed his arms and sat on the desk.

Of course, I have no intention of raising your salary.

If anything, I’d cut it.

But I had to hear the answer.

Why he lied.