In the middle of a heavy silence, broken only by uneven breathing…
Jay Mills was kneeling on one knee on a stone floor covered in cracks and blood.
His chest rose and fell violently, as if the air itself refused to enter his lungs.
In his right hand…
he was holding a broken sword.
The blade was shattered, leaving only a useless piece.
As for his other hand…
it was gone.
He did not know when he lost it.
He did not even feel the pain.
It disappeared somewhere inside this cursed dungeon, as if it had never been part of him.
Slowly, he raised his head and looked around with trembling eyes.
What he saw…
shattered what remained of his mind.
Corpses.
Everywhere.
S-rank hunters.
Those who had stood beside him with confidence and pride just hours ago.
Those who trusted him and followed him while laughing, believing his words that this raid was nothing more than a staged performance.
Now…
nothing remained of them except lifeless bodies—
broken, torn apart, and thrown aside in horrifying ways.
Jay froze in place.
The monsters…
Those strange stone monsters were not just moving statues, as they had believed.
They were almost invincible.
Their attacks left only minor marks.
Their skills were useless.
One by one…
the monsters led them all to destruction.
Jay felt a crushing weight in his chest.
Helplessness.
Fear.
Regret.
I… am an idiot…
An idiot for trusting a stranger.
An idiot for being greedy for rewards.
An idiot for thinking he was above everyone else.
He raised his head again.
Right in front of him…
one of the giant stone monsters lifted a massive bow.
A huge arrow.
Polished.
Aimed at him with deadly precision.
At that moment…
all sense of pride vanished.
All arrogance faded away.
The image of being "close to national-level hunters" was completely destroyed.
All that remained was a frightened, powerless human, waiting for his end.
Then…
Darkness fell.
Inside the dungeon, among rows of silent monsters…
There was a throne.
And upon that throne…
sat a different stone monster.
Very slowly…
the one seated on the throne opened its eyes.
Inside those eyes…
a strange light shone—
a light filled with awareness and anticipation.
Outside…
Several hours had passed since the group of S-rank hunters, led by Jay Mills, entered the dungeon.
Nothing.
No movement.
No signals.
No one came out.
The entrance remained silent, like a closed mouth hiding a terrifying secret.
As the primary authority responsible for the dungeon, the Korean Hunters Association had no choice but to act.
Media pressure increased.
Questions poured in.
Silence became unacceptable.
Under direct pressure from President Go Gun-Hee, Louis agreed to enter and check the situation.
But with one strict condition.
He would not enter the main chamber under any circumstances.
Under the eyes of hunters, officials, and the media…
Louis entered the dungeon.
He moved forward with steady steps until he reached the area near the main chamber.
And its door…
Was open once again.
Because Sung Jin-Woo had not yet obtained the system.
He did not have the key.
So the door was left open…
waiting for him.
Louis looked inside the chamber.
And just as he expected…
There was no trace of Jay Mills' body, nor the bodies of the other hunters.
No blood.
No remains.
No fragments.
As if…
they had never existed.
It seemed the monsters…
had deliberately hidden the bodies.
Louis turned back and exited the dungeon, his expression calm.
He went straight to Go Gun-Hee and said clearly, without any hesitation:
"Jay Mills' group has been completely annihilated.
And the monsters… consumed their bodies."
Louis found no other convincing explanation for the disappearance of the corpses.
Silence filled the area.
Then…
Shock.
Pale faces.
Held breaths.
Disbelieving eyes.
It did not take long before the Korean Hunters Association called for an emergency press conference.
The world was set on fire.
After the official confirmation that Jay Mills and the group of S-rank hunters who entered the dungeon never came out, it was no longer just a dangerous incident…
It became a global public issue.
And because of that…
Shadow's words were no longer just a threat.
They were…
A confirmed truth.
Newspapers, TV channels, and digital platforms—
all asked the same question:
Where are the nation-level hunters?
And when will they move?
*** *** ***
The next day…
The air above the city felt unusually tense.
On the rooftop of a tall building, Thomas Andre stood there.
His massive body overlooked the dungeon from a distance, his eyes focused, his battle aura barely restrained.
Beside him stood Hwang Dong-Su, arms crossed, a cold smile fixed on his face.
Hwang spoke in a mocking tone while looking at the distant dungeon entrance:
"Hah… I never thought an arrogant Canadian like Jay Mills would die so easily."
Thomas growled in a low voice:
"Shut up. His name is no longer worth mentioning."
Hwang laughed softly.
"Oh? Wasn't he supposed to be close to nation-level? That's what they claimed, at least."
Before Thomas could reply, a calm voice came from behind them:
"Looks like the show started without me."
Both of them turned around.
Christopher Reed stood behind them, hands in his pockets, an irritating smile on his face.
Hwang said coldly:
"Hah… even you are here?"
Christopher took a few steps forward and replied:
"How could I miss something like this? A dungeon that swallows S-rank hunters as if they were beginners—this is worth watching."
Thomas' gaze sharpened.
"Did you come to fight… or to talk nonsense?"
Christopher laughed.
"Neither."
Then he added, looking straight at Thomas:
"I'm only here to watch the show. Enter the dungeon? No, no. That honor belongs to you."
He raised an eyebrow mockingly.
"Don't you need to recover your stolen daggers?"
Thomas' aura suddenly exploded.
The air around him cracked, and the rooftop trembled under his feet.
Before things could spiral out of control—
Loud cheers erupted from the street below.
The three of them turned at the same time.
Liu Zhigang had arrived.
The crowd screamed wildly, and cameras turned toward him without stopping.
Christopher's smile widened, his eyes shining with deliberate mockery.
He spoke lightly, but his words were as sharp as knives:
"By the way, Thomas… if you don't hurry, what happened before might happen again."
He tilted his head slightly and added as if recalling something trivial:
"You know… items disappear, equipment gets stolen. You wouldn't want to lose them to someone else again, right?"
Thomas' jaw tightened.
He slowly turned his head toward Christopher.
Just one look—
but it was enough.
A clear warning.
A silent promise.
Without saying another word, Thomas suddenly turned around, stomped the ground—
And jumped off the building straight toward the dungeon.
Right in front of the dungeon, Liu Zhigang stood calmly.
He reached out and placed his hand on the stone gate, his eyes closed, as if sensing something deeper than the material itself.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The asphalt behind him shattered.
Thomas Andre stood there, his aura slamming into the ground.
He spoke in a loud, domineering voice:
"What do you think you're doing, kid?"
Liu turned calmly, about to speak—
But—
BOOM!
A second impact.
Hwang Dong-Su appeared beside Thomas, and the crowd's cheers grew even louder.
Some of the strongest hunters in the world had gathered here… together.
Liu smiled and said a few words in Chinese, his tone calm, almost playful.
Hwang frowned.
"What did he say? Is he mocking us?"
He growled angrily:
"I've had enough of Christopher Reed's mockery… and I won't allow this arrogant Chinese—"
"He said he didn't expect to meet all of you here… and that he has no intention of doing anything strange."
The voice came from behind them.
The three turned at the same time.
Louis was walking toward them with calm steps, as if the surrounding tension meant nothing to him.
"Isn't that what you said, Hunter Liu Zhigang?"
Liu Zhigang smiled in response, but before he could reply, Hwang stepped forward aggressively:
"And who the hell are you?"
The moment he was about to move—
The aura erupted.
An overwhelming, suffocating presence that crushed the air itself.
Advanced Conqueror's Haki.
Breathing stopped.
Thomas Andre's eyes narrowed instantly.
He felt something dangerous.
This person… is not simple.
As for Liu Zhigang, his surprise disappeared quickly, and his calm smile returned as if nothing had happened.
But Hwang Dong-Su…
He felt crushing pressure descend directly onto his soul.
As if something invisible was trying to break him…
Force him to kneel…
Force him to submit.
He clenched his teeth.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then he regained his balance.
If this had been a real fight…
Those two seconds would have been enough to clearly decide the winner.
Louis calmly withdrew his aura and said clearly:
"Does that answer your question?"
Then he bowed slightly, smiled faintly, and spoke in clear English:
"My name is Kim Yoo-Won.
The tenth S-rank hunter of South Korea.
It is an honor…
To join you in raiding this dungeon."