In a certain forest.

Four hunters sat around a bonfire. It was dark, so it was hard to see clearly, but there were many more troops gathered.

There was no need to huddle together and increase discomfort.

They were each secretly active in the forest, waiting for someone.

“I’m getting tired of this.”

“Just wait a little. When Pain helps, we’ll push them back decisively.”

“How great of a hunter are they sending?”

“They’ll be much stronger than us, so just keep quiet. This is our chance to tear those Arcadia bastards’ mouths wide open.”

The hunter, whose face was full of scars, sharpened his knife with thread and burned with fighting spirit.

Just because they killed a few hunters they didn’t like, they claim to be apostles of justice and take away the base?

He, a survivor of that battle, still gritted his teeth whenever he saw a robed mage.

Step, step.

Footsteps were heard. The eyes of the hunters near the bonfire simultaneously moved in that direction.

A female staff member emerged from the deep darkness.

She looked young, perhaps twenty-five.

Wearing form-fitting leather clothes and a cloak.

It was quite an ordinary outfit, except that it was all black.

She walked up to the bonfire and looked down at the hunters with arrogance.

“Is it you?”

The hunters couldn’t readily answer the question. As they exchanged glances, the hunter who was sharpening his knife opened his mouth.

“Are you perhaps from Pain?”

“You’re quick-witted, that’s good. Gather the kids.”

The female staff member said, toying with her jet-black hair.

“Ah, yes. Please wait a moment.”

Soon after, all the troops scattered throughout the forest gathered before the female staff member.

Only the female staff member was standing. Everyone knelt on one knee and bowed before her.

“I’ll just say one thing.”

A languid voice spread out.

“If you’re not capable, please don’t start trouble? I don’t know why I have to play house here.”

“Isn’t that too harsh? For us…”

It was the moment a hunter opened his mouth.

As the female staff member pointed at him with her finger, black energy suddenly burst from the ground. The black energy shot towards him like tentacles.

The hunter managed to react. He jumped to avoid the tentacles and rolled on the ground once to regain his posture.

But the tentacles extending from the female staff member’s hand were already right in front of him.

He drew his sword and tried to resist a few times, but as the number of tentacles increased, his body was eventually completely bound.

“I told you. It’s just child’s play.”

As the Female Staff Member clenched her fist, the Male Staff Member’s life force began to drain away.

He instantly became a mummy, and his life force was completely devoured by the Female Staff Member.

The Female Staff Member licked her lips like someone who had just eaten a delicious meal.

The mummified body of the Male Staff Member lay disheveled on the floor.

She was a Mage who had mastered a branch of dark magic. It wasn’t the Necromancy branch related to corpses, but the Dark Hawker branch related to life force, energy, and resentment.

“New recruit?”

The Female Staff Member said, observing the Hunters. Then, the Hunter at the very front stood up and cautiously took a step forward.

“Lead the kids and charge in from the front. I’ll help from behind.”

“Yes, understood.”

Pain’s new recruit replied in a disciplined voice and began to lead the Hunters towards Bluebell.

“They’re really annoying, sending me to some insignificant base. So irritating.”

She muttered, watching their retreating figures. Of course, she understood the reason for her being sent.

Sending out a powerful Hunter would instill stronger loyalty to Pain.

It was just that she didn’t like the fact that this role had fallen to her.

The Female Staff Member brushed her hair, which reached below her shoulders, once, and then began to float up and follow the Hunters.

After traveling an unexciting long distance, Bluebell finally appeared as they exited the forest.

Bluebell was quiet, as if the approaching future of the rupture monster was none of its concern.

Upon seeing Bluebell, her dead eyes sparkled with light.

‘Shall I play a little trick?’

Not being able to escape Bluebell would be a significant problem, but ‘a little’ damage wasn’t an issue.

Breaking something perfectly intact was one of her great joys.

‘Since I’ve come all this way, I should also get…’

That’s when it happened.

Mages rushed out of Bluebell. They formed a front line as if they had practiced, blocking the raiders.

As if they had been waiting.

“What? They found out?”

The Female Staff Member frowned. She knew they were nobodies, but she didn’t expect them to be nobodies who couldn’t even maintain proper security.

But nothing changed. It was unthinkable that Bluebell wouldn’t be destroyed, now that she was here.

Moreover, there were only 30 Arcadia Mages. It was commendable that they even managed to make her scoff.

“Since I’m here, I guess I have to help.”

It was just as the Female Staff Member raised her hand towards the Mages.

The tallest building in Bluebell.

From its rooftop, a figure soared up.

***

‘They came later than I expected.’

Kim Songcheol sat on top of the tall building, looking down at the approaching Hunters.

He had been waiting for the raid for over three days. Thanks to that, he had perfectly mastered 2nd-tier Electric Shock Magic, Thunder Shock, but he also thought he should have taken it easier if he had known it would be like this.

This was because he had undertaken a forced march, reducing his sleep and dedicating most of his waking hours to Magic.

Kim Songcheol expanded his senses.

He had to find the Hunter who had seen the Rupture in the Pain.

Soon, a presence was felt. It was a very unpleasant sensation. This was the first time he had encountered a Hunter emitting such a presence.

Kim Songcheol’s gaze turned towards the Forest.

From within the Forest, a Female Staff Member emerged.

The closer she got, the more her presence stimulated Kim Songcheol’s discomfort.

‘What is this?’

A presence he had never felt before.

One thing was clear.

This power was definitely not accumulated in an ordinary way.

Kim Songcheol drew up his Mana.

Light gathered above his hand. The light moved busily, beginning to draw a three-dimensional figure.

A three-dimensional Magic formation.

It was symbolic of 2nd-tier Magic.

The basketball-sized sphere was densely filled with Magic Formulas. Not just the surface, but the inside as well.

The sphere was composed of Magic Formulas, a compressed mass of countless information, and a self-organized and interactive collective.

The perfectly manifested Thunder Shock Magic formation floated above Kim Songcheol’s hand, showcasing its beautiful appearance.

Of course, to an ordinary person, it was just a complex sphere, but to Kim Songcheol, it looked beautiful.

‘Shall we go?’

Kim Songcheol, holding the sphere in one hand, soared into the sky.

Rupture-zzzzzz!

Electric Shocks raged around him.

The sight of a Hunter flying up in a C-rank Dungeon, enveloped in red Electric Shocks, was not easily seen.

The red Electric Shocks discharged more and more strongly. It looked more like it was emitting Red Light than actual Electric Shocks.

Kim Songcheol changed his angle and plunged down towards the Female Staff Member.

The descent of the Red Light.

As he got closer, the sharp points of the Electric Shock, extending as if to pierce, became clearly visible, and the sound, like a monstrous bird crying out, grew louder.

Rumble, rumble!

The Electric Shock covering his body discharged mightily and plunged downwards, going through the Raiders rushing towards the Bluebell and overturning the ground.

The red Lightning descending from the sky was a severe punishment.

Hunters struck by the thick Lightning fell, smoke rising from their bodies. It was impossible to withstand.

“What is that guy…?”

The Black Mage of Pain muttered as she watched Kim Songcheol fly in, scattering red Electric Shocks.

She hadn’t heard of such an enemy.

It was quite surprising, but she was also someone who hadn’t idly spent her time in the Dungeon.

She immediately raised both hands.

Ten Black Energies rose along her fingertips, which were curved like the talons of an eagle snatching its prey.

These were the essences of the life force she had absorbed until now, substances filled with the grudges of souls whose lives had been taken.

Screech!

The black essence shot towards Kim Songcheol with a grotesque sound.

Ten streams of black matter tore at each other, gathering to form one large stream.

The stream, as if revealing its resentment, opened its maw and rapidly closed the distance to Kim Songcheol.

Rupture-zzzzzz!

The red electric shock surrounding Kim Songcheol emitted a bright light and a powerful noise.

The red electric shock, encroaching upon space by drawing countless fractals, threw its entire body towards that resentment.

Crash!

The mass of red electric shock ground down and vaporized the black matter.

The black matter scattered in all directions, screaming, and the electric shock’s main body rapidly charged towards the dark mage, threatening her intensely.

‘…He’s quite good, isn’t he?’

She made an effort to belittle Kim Songcheol while simultaneously waving her fingers.

Black matter tentacles sprouted from behind the dark mage, coiling around her and swiftly pulling her backward.

However, the mass of electric shock did not easily let go of her. It conspicuously changed direction.

The dark mage, who had intended to evade the attack with a single movement, was startled.

‘What the hell is this…!’

Electric shock magic is known for being linear and difficult to control its direction.

Yet, that large mass of electric shock drew elegant curves as if it were a magic missile.

She hastily pulled up black matter and quickly added several magic formulas. Simply confronting it was a waste of dark power. That’s how intense the electric shock mass was.

The dark power, strengthened by the magic formulas, glistened. As she raised both hands and clawed downward, ten streams of dark power flew out in the shape of claws.

Boom!

The two magics collided in mid-air. They simultaneously vanished with a loud noise, creating a shockwave around them.

“It’s a pain, isn’t it?”

A voice was heard through the dust. As the wind blew away the dust, Kim Songcheol was seen standing on the ground.

“…”

The dark mage did not answer. She merely glared.

Then she suddenly turned her gaze to the battlefield.

The mages, who had numbered only 30, had now increased to 100. Baron Magenta’s reinforcements, who had been waiting, had joined.

Arcadia’s mages were strong. Among the raiders, there were hunters with power, but mercenaries also made up a considerable number.

They were not expensive mercenaries like wolves. They were rapidly diminishing under Arcadia’s magic.

‘Damn it, we’re screwed, aren’t we?’

It was something she hadn’t expected. To be defeated by a mere base illusion like Bluebell.

“Ha.”

The dark mage sighed and swept her hair back.

The Bluebell illusion had already been defeated. The loser should retreat, but as long as the mage of that red electric shock stood firm, even that would be a risk to her life.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve fought with all my might. Consider it an honor.”

Rumble!

Her body began to float into the air, and the ground vibrated. Kim Songcheol also soared with flight magic, discharging electric shock once more.

Crackle!

Red electric shock burst out illusionally from his entire body.

The Black Mage gritted her teeth and moved her hands busily to form hand seals.

The moment her hands clasped together, a torrent of dark spirits surged up from the underground around her.

The dungeon was a place where countless lives had perished. By exerting temporary dominance with a powerful magic formula, she had transformed the surrounding resentment into dark spirits.

The torrent of dark spirits coiled above the female staff member’s head, displaying an unnatural presence.

It was beyond unpleasant; it made her skin crawl and feel nauseous.

It was life’s instinctive rejection of death.

‘It makes sense that Bluebell was utterly destroyed,’

Kim Songcheol was secretly surprised by the Black Mage’s magic. To think she could use such powerful magic.

If Kim Songcheol hadn’t learned Thunder Shock, he too would have become part of that torrent.

“This is the first time I’ve used this Thread of magic. Oh, you don’t need to consider it an honor.”

Kim Songcheol uttered two short sentences. Light gathered in various places within the spherical magic formation in his hand, then began to peel off piece by piece.

Parts of it opened and bent as if on hinges, and some parts subtly slid out.

The spherical magic formation instantly completed its transformation and became a geometric solid.

It was too complex to explain in words, but it was clear enough that something was happening.

Kiiing-!

A clear resonant sound emanated once from the magic formation.

Rupture-zzzzzz!

As if on cue, all the electric shock surrounding Kim Songcheol converged into a single point.

The red electric shock compressed into a small point, gradually taking on a blackish hue.

Considering the amount of electric shock gathered, its size was unbelievably small.

As if to prove the power contained within it, the magic formation glowed illusionally and trembled finely.

“Die!”

The torrent of dark spirits, continuously surging from underground and boasting its mighty aura, was shot towards Kim Songcheol.

The dark spirits instantly split into nine streams, rapidly closing the distance.

Before those nine giant fangs, Kim Songcheol merely watched with detachment.

The fangs seemed ready to tear Kim Songcheol apart at any moment, but he stood bare-bodied in the sky without any preparation.

This was because all the red electric shock that had enveloped him and boasted its might had gathered into a single point.

By the time even Kim Songcheol’s hair stood on end from static electricity.

He whispered softly.

“Thunder Shock, Rupture.”

The red light exploded from the point, filling everything. Even the sky was dyed red as if by a sunset.

But that was merely ‘the prelude’.

The strongly compressed electric shock rapidly expanded in size and began to race forward.

Breaking everything in its path.

Towards a single enemy.