A ball of light rapidly moved over the swarming monsters, illuminating the surroundings.

100 meters. 200 meters.

The sphere of light powerfully pushed back the heavy darkness.

And 300 meters.

A monster stood there.

It was truly a gigantic monster.

Even from 300 meters away, its size was enough to feel oppressive.

What, what is that…?

The team members were agitated.

It looked about 9 meters tall.

Standing on two thick legs, it simply stared at the hunters with its five eyes.

It was definitely not a monster you would see in an E-rank dungeon.

Concentrate! Don’t waver!

Kim Songcheol shouted. The wave wasn’t over yet.

A moment of carelessness could lead to irreversible consequences.

Kim Songcheol’s heart wasn’t unshaken either. But in that intense crisis, an intuition flashed.

This isn’t a dungeon to defend. It was a dungeon to break through!

That monster must have been standing there all along.

It must have been waiting for the hunters to discover it and rush towards it.

Then they had to go.

To that monster.

That was Kim Songcheol’s judgment.

After the eleventh wave ended.

Kim Songcheol spoke to Park Ha-su, who was gasping for breath.

Are you okay? Can you carry me and run?

His voice and tone were bright, unfitting for the situation.

Excuse me?

Park Ha-su, as expected, asked back with a bewildered expression.

“From what I see, if we defeat that monster, a portal will probably be created right away, right?”

…?

“So, I think we’ll have to immediately pick you up and run as soon as we defeat it.”

There is roughly a 10-minute interval between waves.

They had to defeat that ‘Gatekeeper’ within 10 minutes.

Dealing with both the wave and the Gatekeeper at the same time was out of the question.

“I can carry you and run, but…”

Park Ha-su’s reluctant reply.

Carrying him and running wasn’t the problem right now.

Defeating that monster was more urgent.

“Alright. Gather around.”

Kim Songcheol gathered his team members. Team 24C stood huddled together at the top of the slope.

“I don’t think this will end if we keep enduring.”

Kim Songcheol first explained the basis for his judgment.

That the number of monsters hadn’t increased.

That it might be an endless wave.

If so, there’s a high probability it’s a ‘dungeon to break through.’

“I’ll take care of that monster.”

Kim Songcheol revealed his decision.

“By yourself… do you mean?”

“No, together. I can’t do it alone. I’ll defeat it, and you all take care of me and get out. I plan to use my strength until I pass out.”

The team members fell silent for a moment.

They wondered if there was another way. But they couldn’t think of any way to defeat that giant monster.

There’s no way to fight it using normal methods. Not only would they not be able to kill it within 10 minutes, but they don’t even know if they can kill it at all.

Besides, even if they fought, Kim Songcheol would be the one to land the decisive blow anyway.

Because Kim Songcheol has the most firepower on the team right now.

‘This strategy… has no turning back…’

Kang Hyesung bit her lip.

If Kim Songcheol fails, it’s game over.

As the second mage, she wanted to propose an alternative plan, but honestly, no good strategy came to mind.

If they didn’t defeat that monster, all that was left was an endless wave.

The outcome was as good as decided.

Kim Songcheol must also know that fact.

His offer to defeat it himself was an unavoidable last resort.

“9 minutes left. So… are we leaving now?”

Lee Yong-chan glanced at his wristwatch and asked. He had set the timer as soon as the wave ended.

“If you all agree.”

Kim Songcheol said, looking around at his team members.

“…I agree.”

Kang Hye Castle hesitated for a moment, but was the first to reveal Doctor.

“We do as we’re told, brother.”

“That’s right, brother.”

Lee Yong-chan and Park Ha-su said with difficulty, smiling.

Everyone agreed.

It was time to go to Thread.

“Alright, let’s go.”

The uphill path the Monster came up was a downhill path for Team 24C.

They walked down quickly, stepping on the red-glowing gravel under the moonlight.

‘They’re not trying to kill us.’

Kim Songcheol thought.

Even that giant Monster, which he had never seen before, could probably be dealt with.

Because that too would be a warning.

When moving from F-rank to E-rank, it simply sent out a multitude of Monsters as a warning.

Because it was F-rank.

In E-rank, it must be sending a ‘more serious warning’.

There was a reason for that judgment.

E-rank and F-rank.

These two grades are, so to speak, for training.

The Rupturebet was merely a distinguishing symbol that humans on Earth had attached for convenience.

What was seen when setting the difficulty on the Stone Slab with the Thread system was just an unknown symbol.

The ‘real’ begins from D-grade.

That was precisely why the Training Institute’s Graduation was set to 4 Circles.

If so, why was this Dungeon urging Kim Songcheol to advance quickly?

Even though he had adjusted his Magic training, fearing such an event.

‘Is it because of the 2nd-tier Circle theory…?’

Kim Songcheol had only read 1 out of 5 volumes.

The ‘2nd-tier Circle theory’ was still just simple knowledge.

Kim Songcheol did Nothingness.

But he couldn’t think of any other reason.

The warning, that giant Monster, was already right in front of him.

Does that mean Kim Songcheol can utilize that knowledge?

‘There’s no choice. There’s only one chance anyway.’

He had to deliver the best attack.

It was a no-back-up strategy, just as Kang Hye Castle thought.

In that case, there was no choice but to use the 2nd-tier Circle theory.

Kiiing!

Kim Songcheol’s Circle expanded with a high-pitched sound.

“Step back.”

The Circle that had emerged from his body instantly grew in size.

The Swordsmen next to him gasped and retreated.

Devouring the space where the Swordsmen had just been standing, the Circle grew to a diameter of 20 meters.

Beneath the red night sky, three resplendent rings of light proudly displayed their form.

Lee Yong-chan, as if possessed, reached out to the Circle but withdrew his hand, feeling the pressure of the Mana.

Pure Mana wouldn’t cause a major problem, but its rotational force was unlike an Inner World Projection.

Kiiiiiing!

The Circle increased its rotational force. The light from the Circle intensified, and a blue glow filled the area around Kim Songcheol.

The blue light flickered on Kang Hye-Castle’s face next to him.

‘Volume 1 was… ‘

Kim Songcheol recalled what he had read in Volume 1.

If he were to condense that beautiful, complex, and unfamiliar content into one word, it would be ‘Initiation’.

It was the first step towards Oneness.

Kim Songcheol intended to ‘Initiate’ now, create Oneness for a fleeting moment, and then, by splitting that ephemeral instant, manifest Magic based on that Oneness.

That was Kim Songcheol’s full, heartfelt power right now.

If asked if it was possible, there was no answer but that it had to be done.

Kiiiiiing!

Kim Songcheol said,

“Throw me some light.”

Kang Hye-Castle cast a light Magic, illuminating the area around the Monster.

In the distance, the colossal body stood tall, clearly visible.

Kim Songcheol stopped at a certain point. The distance to the Monster was approximately 150 meters.

Kiiiiiing!

The Circle spun madly, emitting a thunderous roar. As the rotation speed increased, blue Grains scattered in all directions, and the Circle became increasingly close to pure white.

Kim Songcheol slowly closed his eyes and brought his hands together in front of him.

The three Circles, now pure white, began to move.

The Circle moved backward.

Slowly.

But clearly.

‘What is he doing…?’

Kang Hye-Castle was utterly speechless at the unprecedented sight.

Unlike the Swordsmen, he understood Magic theory.

It was impossible for the concentric circles of the Circle to exist somewhere other than the heart.

But that impossible thing was happening right before his eyes.

The Circle stopped, its concentric circles not at Kim Songcheol’s heart, but about one meter behind his heart.

That wasn’t the end of it.

The Circle, which had been rotating parallel to the ground, gradually tilted until it was perpendicular to the ground.

Behind Kim Songcheol, three large circles of light formed, like a halo.

Initiation.

When Kim Songcheol’s eyes snapped open.

Three Circles suddenly expanded greatly. Their diameter seemed to be almost 50 meters. Then, they shrank quickly as if being pulled.

In that fleeting process, the three Circles merged into one, and the size of the Circle was reduced to a mere arm’s length.

The color also changed, radiating not white, but brilliant golden light.

It was Oneness.

Ah.

Kim Songcheol tasted Oneness.

It was a brilliant taste.

But it was not the time to be intoxicated by that taste.

Thump, thump, thump!

A giant monster was running towards him.

He felt that it was not an Inner World Projection.

Kim Songcheol thought of 3rd Circle Thunder Strike.

It was different from usual.

Each Magic Formula was felt.

Also, he saw gaps in the tightly woven Magic Formulas.

Normally, he wouldn’t even know there were such gaps, but now they were clearly visible.

And Kim Songcheol had it,

the material to fill those gaps.

It was his ‘Will’.

The tightly woven Magic Formulas spread out, occupying a wide space like constellations in the night sky.

The ‘Will’ wove through the night sky, forming constellations.

Kim Songcheol, absorbed in Concentration, did not notice, but his Will, made even stronger than usual by the influence of Oneness, was intervening in the Magic.

It was instantaneous for Thunder Strike to transform into a completely different Magic.

It was a Magic that did not exist in the world.

If he had to name it.

Heavenly Thunder.

Beeeeep!

The moment a high-pitched sound, barely audible, pressed down on everything.

Divine punishment fell from the sky.

A light seemed to form far above in the pitch-black sky, then a Pillar of light pierced down onto the monster’s head.

For a moment, everything was engulfed in light, then it darkened again.

It was a Magic accompanied by such intense light.

A bright yellow beam of light pierced through the monster’s crown, through its neck, descended to its chest, burned its heart, then exited below and tore through the ground.

It was the result of suppressing the electrical property and investing all remaining output into high heat and penetrating power.

It was impossible to tell if it was a Light attribute Castle or an Electric attribute Castle just by looking at it.

Boom…!

The monster, which had been running, showing off its Aura, fell forward.

Its brain and all its vital organs were pierced through.

It was not a wound it could endure.

And at the same time, Kim Songcheol’s body collapsed.

The Oneness that had been illuminating Kim Songcheol from behind also disappeared as if it had been extinguished.

“Brother!”

Lee Yong-chan ran over and supported Kim Songcheol’s body. Kim Songcheol had completely lost consciousness.

Even when he simply enhanced his Magic, he was almost on the verge of fainting.

Now, he had used his power beyond his limits.

His physical condition was unknown.

“Brother, Brother!”

It was then that Lee Yong-chan carefully patted Kim Songcheol’s cheek.

“What are you doing, carry him and run! That was the plan!”

Kang Hye Castle shouted, pointing forward.

A new Rupture of light was shining in the darkness.

It was the light of the Portal.

They had to escape before the wave began.

“Damn it!”

Lee Yong-chan first picked up Kim Songcheol and began to run towards the Portal.