Kim Songcheol looked around from the Stone Slab. He couldn’t tell if this was a Dungeon or an ordinary street on Earth.

It didn’t feel entirely like a city. Nor did it feel like the year 2026.

‘When I was young… I think it was like this?’

It felt like a rural town from around the year 2000, about 20 years ago from now.

Low, old buildings lined the street, and occasionally, a modern building would appear.

Surprisingly, there were also very old tiled houses. They were Chinese style, not Korean.

“Isn’t it strange? I thought it was strange at first too.”

Cha Sehyeon began walking along the road, and Kim Songcheol followed behind her.

The people passing by also looked quite modern.

Except for the fact that every single one of them exuded an unusual aura.

“So this is the Mount Hua Sect’s area?”

Kim Songcheol asked.

“Yeah. If you go back a little, it’s the Seven Knights’ Order, completely medieval. If you go forward… you see that tree, don’t you?”

Cha Sehyeon pointed between the buildings. Next to a four-story building, a tree rising above red tiled roofs was visible.

“Is that the World Tree?”

“Oh, when we talked about it last time, I thought it was the World Tree too, but when I asked, it seems it’s not quite the World Tree. It’s some kind of lower stage. Not the World Tree, damn it, it must be some kind of two-branched tree or one-branched tree. I don’t know.”

So this base was divided among three factions: the Mount Hua Sect, the Seven Knights’ Order, and the Elves.

“Wait a moment. Just let me take a look.”

Kim Songcheol used flight magic to soar into the sky.

The base, situated in a basin surrounded by mountains, came into full view.

It was incomparably larger than Bluebell, and the circular base was divided among the three factions as if slicing a pizza.

The Seven Knights’ Order’s land was gray, as all their buildings were built with gray bricks. The Mount Hua Sect’s area was quite colorful, and the Elves’ area was entirely a green light forest.

Kim Songcheol descended back to Cha Sehyeon’s side.

“They divide the land so amicably? They have plenty of leeway after ‘graduating’.”

“Tell me about it. Damn, I should have been born about 500 years later.”

Cha Sehyeon swore, but no one reacted. They just passed by, chanting ‘Amitabha’.

It was a very peaceful scene.

Graduation meant that they had set as much as they needed as a Safe Zone.

There was no need to struggle, and entering the Dungeon was just for training or earning necessary points.

In particular, for some Mount Hua Sects, going to a ‘Dungeon’ for training has become a tradition. It is the rule of the Rupture.

It was not good to blush when you came to train.

“There are four Mount Hua Sects gathered here, the shortest one is 1000 years old, and the longest one is over 1500 years old.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

The world that produces Martial Artists is not just one place. There are many homelands of Martial Artists, the Nothingness Forest, and while some places have developed unique Martial Arts, there were also many places that were so similar in form that they could be called parallel worlds.

Even this Mount Hua Sect alone gathered four different Mount Hua Sects.

Unlike Ilwol Corporation, which unified all Ilwol Religions, they coexisted.

“Don’t you think you were born too early? When I think about it, I’m so frustrated that I can’t sleep. How could I get caught in the third year of the Gate Occurrence and be forced to do this? Don’t you agree?”

Kim Songcheol couldn’t help but nod in agreement on that point, but there was also another turning point.

“You might not have been born at all if it had completely failed.”

“No, that’s just a figure of speech. You always have to spoil the mood.”

Cha Sehyeon glared at him, but Kim Songcheol didn’t respond.

Her sharp gaze was now no different from just looking.

That’s when it happened.

“Sister!”

Someone called Cha Sehyeon from behind. She turned around to see a female staff member in her twenties flying towards her, waving her hand.

Similar in age to Cha Sehyeon. If she hadn’t called her “sister,” it would have been difficult to tell who was older.

She was wearing a green combat uniform.

Her appearance was distinctly South American, with strong Caucasian features.

“Say hello. My acquaintance, Maria. And this is Kim Songcheol, the Mage, pride of Korea.”

Cha Sehyeon quickly added to her explanation.

“I told you I knew people, right? I’m not a social outcast either.”

“Hello.”

As Kim Songcheol ignored Cha Sehyeon’s words and bowed his head.

“Oh my, are you Korean? Oh no!”

Maria covered her mouth with her hand and subtly hid behind Cha Sehyeon.

“She likes Korean dramas.”

Cha Sehyeon explained indifferently. Kim Songcheol raised an eyebrow at that.

“Then… from Earth?”

“Yes. She’s also a girl head of household. She’s responsible for more than half of Rupturelaguay’s points. You could say it’s a very strange fate.”

Only then did Kim Songcheol slightly tilt his head to check Maria’s shoulder. He now noticed the Rupturelaguay flag attached to it.

“You must be going through a lot.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m just so glad I can earn a lot of points.”

Maria said, blushing shyly.

“As you can see, she’s quite positive. Unlike me.”

“Yes, you’re really different from someone.”

“Yeah, I totally admit that. And I think I can be positive starting today too. Brother is here. No matter what happens, I’ll overcome it positively like a crazy woman.”

“Yes, that’s a good mindset.”

“Then Korea has two 6th Circle Mages?”

Maria asked, her eyes sparkling.

“Well… something like that?”

Cha Sehyeon shrugged.

Since Cha Sehyeon and Kim Songcheol had mastered Oneness, a Circle was meaningless, but that’s how it was, so to speak.

“Wow, then the Gate will never burst open, will it?”

Maria said enviously.

The Hunters’ Official Position assessment is always focused on the Gate. Moreover, a B-rank Gate recently appeared in America, causing a huge global issue.

The United Kingdom’s B-rank Gate was ordinary because of the extraordinary Hunter Ocean Winslow, but it was the first time a B-rank Gate had burst open in another country.

America has five Hunters who can enter B-grade Dungeons. It was the most in the world.

The detailed Nothingness power of the Hunters was a secret and not widely known, but with this B-rank Gate, the number of five people became a standard.

That is to say, ‘if five Hunters enter a B-rank Dungeon, the probability of a B-rank Gate occurring is very high’.

“Of course. How can a B-rank Gate burst open with just two people? It will never burst. It won’t burst~”

Cha Sehyeon affirmed, adding rhythm to his words.

Even though he didn’t know what would happen.

“Then how long has it been since you came to the B-rank Dungeon?”

Kim Songcheol asked Maria.

“Ah, it’s been about three weeks now.”

“Not long at all. Are you just going to hunt alone in Cha Sehyeon mode? Or join somewhere?”

“I’m just going to try it alone for now. Although I’m not sure.”

Hunters from Earth who enter B-rank Dungeons either hunt alone like Cha Sehyeon or join an organization and operate there.

This three-way symbiotic Official Position system, consisting of the Knights, Mount Hua Sect, and Elves, is unusual in many ways, and it’s normal for things to revolve around organizations formed according to their understanding Official Position system rather than their world of origin.

Of course, joining an organization is not always the best solution. There are always pros and cons.

“Oh, by the way. You said you have teammates, big brother? Where are they? Why aren’t they here?”

Cha Sehyeon asked.

“They’ll be here soon, right?”

In B-rank Dungeons, there are also organizations that install Teleport Magic arrays everywhere and charge tolls.

This is because B-rank Dungeons are not that wide, and the pockets of the users are quite full.

It would be quick if Celestial Spirit Maiden or Setsu used this.

“Aren’t they imaginary friends?”

“…Are you kidding me?”

“But big brother, if you have teammates, shouldn’t you consider joining an organization? All the good Hunting Grounds are managed by them.”

Cha Sehyeon came here because he disliked the hustle and bustle. It was quite peaceful here, and there were no wars between organizations.

It could be called the periphery of the B-rank Dungeon. Thanks to this, the efficiency of Monster Points was lower, but there was almost no chance of getting caught up in unnecessary incidents. That alone was a definite merit.

“Even if it’s a good Hunting Ground…”

“There are places where Monsters just pour out. Places where you just have to keep firing Magic. And just in case, don’t go hunting Voidors. There’s something called a Voidor…”

“Voidor? You know about Voidors too?”

Kim Songcheol asked again. Cha Sehyeon had not challenged the ‘Dungeon Trial’. So it was strange that he knew about Voidors.

“Why wouldn’t I know about Voidors? It’s rumored that they give a lot of Points. But the areas where Voidors appear are a mess. You have to fight Voidors, and you have to fight to fight Voidors. Hunters die by the truckload every day, they say. Don’t go. They’ll kill you.”

The Voidor appearance area. That was the center of the B-rank Dungeon, and it was a hot spot in every sense of the word.

Normal groups are still composed of Hunters struggling with gate incidents, having not yet established a Safe Zone.

This is because they formed groups to collect points more easily and in greater quantities.

Naturally, competition was fierce in places where many points were available.

“Oh, so Voidor appeared in the B-rank Dungeon.”

Information about the B-rank Dungeon was rarely released, so Kim Songcheol didn’t know about the existence of Voidor.

Neither Celestial Spirit Maiden nor Cha Sehyeon were the type to offer unsolicited information.

“But how do you know about Voidor, oppa? Now that I think about it, it’s strange.”

“Ah… do you like Trials?”

“Trials? No, I don’t. I’m not that crazy.”

Kim Songcheol briefly explained the Trial that took place in that giant purple portal.

“Later, go and complete at least the first stage, as if you’re just visiting. It’ll still be quite helpful. The difficulty adjusts if you go alone, so it’s fine to go by yourself. You can also go with someone else.”

“I’m not really feeling it.”

“Why aren’t you feeling it? You get rewards, and you can get a taste of Voidor. You never know when you’ll have to hunt Voidor.”

“Why would I hunt Voidor? I’ll hunt here.”

“You never know, just in case.”

“…What nonsense is that?”

Cha Sehyeon lifted one side of her lip and stomped her foot. A Teleport Magic circle appeared beneath her.

“Just hunt normal monsters.”

With an illusory light, the three moved to somewhere near the base.

It was a wide, ordinary plain.

Except for the monsters as large as dinosaurs roaming around.

Cha Sehyeon cast magic with practiced skill.

A grayish aura flickered around her hand, and as she swung her hand diagonally, a Slash Attack was generated along its trajectory and shot out quickly.

The Slash Attack grew in size, eventually reaching almost 10 meters.

Its speed was, needless to say, incredible.

Swaak-!

A monster several meters long was split almost as if by human insight.

Cha Sehyeon moved around, unleashing Slash Attacks wildly.

Each time, the monsters were literally cut in half and died.

It was 6th Circle Magic, Phantom Cleave.

It was a common Slash Attack Magic, but the Phantom Cleave Cha Sehyeon used was different. It was skillful, you could say. Her mastery was clearly evident.

Meanwhile, Maria wielded flames, using explosion magic. As 6th Circle Magic, it boasted strong firepower and took down monsters.

Kim Songcheol quietly flew up and approached Cha Sehyeon’s side.

“Isn’t Thunder Shock more convenient? You don’t have to cast it individually. Haven’t you mastered it yet?”

“No, I’ve mastered it all, but electric magic just doesn’t suit me. This is more comfortable.”

Cha Sehyeon replied, sending out a Phantom Cleave.

“You joined, right? The Magic Alliance.”

I did, though.

What grade are you?

7th Grade.

You just joined, then?

What else?

You should reach Grade 5 quickly. Using 2nd-tier Slash Attack Magic would be a whole new world, wouldn’t it?

Really?

Cha Sehyeon was a Mage after all. When enticed with magic, she showed some reaction.

Let’s go to the Magic Alliance together soon. I need to raise my rank too.

It’s annoying, but it is tempting.

That’s when it happened.

Kim Songcheol slowly turned his head. He felt a presence that didn’t quite fit the Inner World Projection.

An old man was standing on the hill.

He was wearing a casual shirt and cotton pants.

He was an old man you might see in the countryside.

Oh, that old geezer’s here again.

Cha Sehyeon also spotted him and lowered her hands, which had been busy hunting monsters.

The old man smiled kindly and began to approach.

What does he do?

My hunting ground rival.

…?

Kim Songcheol tilted his head. No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t seem like there would be any competition.

Because the old man was quite strong.