A green dot appeared high in the sky.

The green dot began to descend, gradually revealing its form. It was a large cone.

It would have higher penetration than a single pillar. It was worth looking forward to.

The approaching cone suddenly plunged towards its target at an incredible speed.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden ignited her black energy, and Kim Songcheol also reached out his hand downwards, creating a magic circle.

This was an operation that required seizing the moment. Coordination was paramount.

With their concentration at its peak, the two followed the cone with their eyes.

Whoosh!

The cone tore through the air and accurately struck its target.

Boom!

The moment the cone hit the Carrion, there was a loud explosion, and the mass of flesh rippled significantly.

The cone ruptured almost five meters deep. It had accomplished more than half its task.

As the cone, having fulfilled its purpose, dispersed, a green light flew in and entered the pit of flesh.

The green light transformed into a hollow cylinder, supporting the constantly regenerating flesh of the Carrion.

Snap!

At the same time, Kim Songcheol’s Bolt Bringer shot out, gleaming with red light, and with that red spiral, the Celestial Spirit Maiden threw herself into the pit.

The black energy scattering everywhere gathered into her two hands.

It looked as if she was wearing gloves made of black fire.

The moment the Bolt Bringer, which had been grinding through and rupturing the Carrion’s flesh, disappeared, the Celestial Spirit Maiden, having landed, swung both hands down forcefully.

Boom!

A sickening tearing sound echoed within the pit of flesh.

The combo, leading from the cone, to the Bolt Bringer, to the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s attack, was perfect. The attacks landed sequentially without delay.

According to the plan, she should have already grasped the Carrion’s core.

But the Celestial Spirit Maiden showed no sign of coming out.

“It’s going to break…!”

Setsu cried out with difficulty. Her outstretched hands visibly trembled.

Kim Songcheol looked down into the pit. He saw the Celestial Spirit Maiden tearing at the flesh like crazy.

Due to her immense regenerative power, the flesh was extending even into the inside of the cylinder.

At this rate, she’d be trapped.

“Come out!”

Kim Songcheol shouted loudly and created a shield inside the cylinder.

Clatter!

The shield formed in a grid pattern, delaying the cylinder’s collapse.

However, the Celestial Spirit Maiden seemed not to hear Kim Songcheol’s voice, only tearing at the flesh.

“I’m not kidding!”

Kim Songcheol grabbed the Celestial Spirit Maiden’s shoulder with telekinesis, and only then did she leap into the air.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden’s body shot up quickly, narrowly passing through the shield’s grid.

The entrance to the cylinder was about to close with flesh.

Kim Songcheol’s Bolt Bringer flew to widen the entrance. That’s when the cylinder shattered.

Crash!

The shield supporting the cylinder also instantly shattered into pieces.

The moment Kim Songcheol’s eyes widened.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden, her long hair fluttering, escaped the hole and landed on the floor.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden’s eyes were subdued.

Even though she had escaped the most dangerous situation by the narrowest margin.

‘Three people were not enough… ‘

The Celestial Spirit Maiden thought of her goal rather than her own safety.

Her siblings had gathered six or seven normal hunters to deal with the field boss, and the ‘second young master’ had gathered five people, including himself, to open the Upper Gate. That was the best record ever, and the rewards from the Upper Gate had been a great driving force for the second to surpass the first.

In such a situation, just three might have been too ambitious.

‘I thought it was doable.’

The Celestial Spirit Maiden saw hope when she met Kim Songcheol.

Hope that they could do it with just three.

Recruiting powerful hunters and opening the Upper Gate with a small number of people are both abilities of a successor.

Three would be a clear demonstration of her ability, and the fewer the numbers, the stronger the rewards from the Upper Gate would be.

‘…Four isn’t bad either.’

The Celestial Spirit Maiden quickly accepted the situation and lowered her goal by one step.

The ‘second young master’ had five people. Even four could get directors like Sa Gwang to move.

It was then.

“Let’s try one more time. It was so close.”

Kim Songcheol said. At that, the Celestial Spirit Maiden raised her head.

“That was our best just now. I know that too.”

“I’ll try a little harder.”

“Does effort just happen?”

“To some extent.”

Kim Songcheol spoke as if asking her to trust him.

He felt like helping him a little, seeing how dedicated he was, as if his company was going bankrupt.

Moreover, the core was right in front of them. There was no need to exert much more power. If she exerted just a little more, the Celestial Spirit Maiden would be able to bring up the core.

…Good.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden nodded. Kim Songcheol was not someone who would speak carelessly.

One Coin.

Kim Songcheol held up a finger towards Setsu.

Yes!

Setsu, somehow understanding the meaning, ascended back into the sky.

Before long, another cone flew down at high speed.

It was at that moment that a golden circle emerged from Kim Songcheol’s body.

Oneness, radiating a brilliant golden light, positioned itself behind Kim Songcheol.

Just a little. A little is enough.

Kim Songcheol’s Will intervened in the Bolt Bringer’s Magic Formula.

He had no intention of drawing so much power that he would collapse.

He planned to stop at just a headache.

He didn’t know if it was possible, but that was the plan for now.

The magic circle was created at an angle facing the target.

The Magic Formula of the output part crumpled and emitted a bright light. The control part was the same.

The closely connected Magic Formulas moved away from each other, and Kim Songcheol’s Will filled the space between them.

It’s better than I thought… isn’t it?

Kim Songcheol finished manipulating the Magic Formula, feeling a tingling headache.

Even though he had touched a bit more than planned, the headache was weaker than expected.

He had even prepared to be sucked in and collapse like last time, but unexpectedly, the control was smooth.

This power has definitely… grown stronger since achieving Oneness. No, is it that control has become easier? Or both?

It was then.

Boom!

The cone struck its target. At that moment, three red lights burst from the magic circle, shooting towards the target with an intense aura.

The three beams of light intertwined, forming an even larger spiral.

The cone scattering and the spiral plunging into the pit happened simultaneously.

And without a single misstep, the Celestial Spirit Maiden threw herself into the pit. Her entire body was engulfed in black energy.

At the same time as the spiral’s red light scattered.

Boom!

A powerful explosion erupted from within.

A moment of silence.

Kim Songcheol and Setsu swallowed hard, looking down into the pit.

The next moment, the Celestial Spirit Maiden soared out of the pit, holding a sphere the size of a head.

A dark, murky color.

It was the core of Carrion.

The Castle was empty.

But there was no time to rejoice.

Gulp!

Carrion’s dark red flesh, having lost its core, began to undulate. Blood and bodily fluids gushed out from all directions.

“Aaah! Air raid warning!”

Setsu completely enveloped Kim Songcheol and the Celestial Spirit Maiden in a green light sphere and quickly ascended into the sky.

Splash!

Before long, Carrion’s mass of flesh exploded violently, scattering blood, bodily fluids, and chunks of flesh everywhere.

The surrounding 100 meters had completely turned into a hell. The mere thought of being covered in that made him nauseous.

Kim Songcheol frowned, looking down at the exploding flesh.

Crunch.

Then, a sound of something breaking came from beside him.

He quickly turned around and saw the Celestial Spirit Maiden crushing the core with one hand.

The fragments of the core fell to the ground with a patter.

When she opened her hand, a deep indigo gemstone was visible among the rough fragments.

It was the second key for the Upper Gate.

“Today, I shall treat you to a meal.”

The Celestial Spirit Maiden smiled. It was her first smile, filled with pure joy.

***

Kim Songcheol was sitting on a rocking chair in the yard. The warm sunlight fell below his knees.

He thought his feet would get tanned if he left them, so he sat cross-legged.

It was a peaceful afternoon.

Kim Songcheol had just mastered a 5-circle magic spell.

From 5th Circle onwards, the magic formulas were quite complex, so it took some time to master them.

Of course, compared to other mages, he was quite fast.

Originally, he didn’t intend to learn 5-circle magic before graduating from the D-rank dungeon.

It was obvious that his acquired points would decrease. However, his thoughts changed a bit after facing the second field boss.

The last field boss is the strongest. It was better to play it safe, even if he earned fewer points.

The magic Kim Songcheol learned for the last field boss was ‘Arc Linear’.

It was a magic spell that maximized penetration by firing a high-voltage current like a laser.

Honestly, using this in a D-rank dungeon felt almost unethical.

Even an ordinary mage would ascend if they mastered this.

For Kim Songcheol, of all people, to master this and wander around in a D-rank dungeon, he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on even if he were banned from private entry.

‘Ah, she’s here.’

Kim Songcheol, who was sitting in the rocking chair, got up. He saw Kim Myeongju outside the main gate’s iron bars.

Ding-dong.

Despite making eye contact with Kim Songcheol, Kim Myeongju pressed the doorbell. It must have been his idea of a joke.

“Hello.”

Kim Songcheol walked straight over and opened the front door.

“How are you, haha.”

Today was the day he had dinner plans with Kim Myeongju. They occasionally ate dinner together like this.

Kim Myeongju wanted to understand Kim Songcheol’s situation, and Kim Songcheol needed someone to talk to.

Kim Myeongju was the only person on Earth he could discuss Dungeons and his Official Position with.

“I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.”

Kim Myeongju opened his mouth as soon as he sat in the Yard chair.

“I’ll hear the good news first.”

“A C-grade Gate was created today.”

“What? Why is that good news?”

Kim Songcheol asked back, sounding slightly surprised. Every time a C-grade Gate appears, Hunters in the Republic of Korea are put on high alert.

An endless Dungeon rush begins until enough Points are accumulated.

“I guess I got straight to the point. I’m on my way back after confirming that it just closed. It closed immediately. Because we had enough Points.”

“Oh.”

Kim Songcheol, who had been wondering if he had to enter a Dungeon right away, let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Kim Songcheol. On behalf of the Republic of Korea, I thank you.”

Kim Myeongju said with a smile.

Kim Songcheol had accumulated over 3 million Points by catching two Field Bosses.

More than enough to close one C-class Gate had been accumulated.

Thanks to this, the Republic of Korea achieved the feat of closing a C-grade Gate as soon as it was created today.

“Is that so, haha. I didn’t even designate a Safe Zone, so to that extent…”

Kim Songcheol laughed awkwardly. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he quickly changed the subject.

“So what’s the bad news?”

“Well… it’s getting hard to hide this.”

Kim Myeongju spoke as if he was very sorry.

He clearly knew that Kim Songcheol disliked exposure.

However, the Points, which had been steadily increasing, suddenly surged to the level where C-class Gates could be immediately closed.

This was no longer just a matter for the Hunter community.

It was now difficult to avoid public attention.

Kim Myeongju was sorry that the country could no longer protect Kim Songcheol.

“Well, then there’s nothing that can be done.”

However, Kim Songcheol took it less seriously than Kim Myeongju expected.

“Are you alright?”

“Rather than being alright… I felt like this day would come eventually. I’ve thought about how best to respond if it becomes unavoidable.”

“Is that so? In fact, as long as you’re alright, Mr. Kim Songcheol, everything is fine. The country feels the same way.”

“Then you don’t need to worry.”

Kim Songcheol smiled and waved his hand. It seemed he was trying to reassure Kim Myeongju, or perhaps he really was fine.

“Shall we go eat soon? I’m hungry.”

“Ah, yes, let’s go. Haha. I’ll treat you to some Korean beef.”

“Sounds delicious!”

The two immediately set off for the Meat Restaurant.

The next day.

Kim Songcheol entered the Dungeon.

The Celestial Spirit Maiden and Setsu were already waiting.

No more conversation than a greeting was necessary.

The three moved towards the last Field Boss, exuding a slight sense of solemnity.