Korean Hunters Association Headquarters – Seoul
Silence filled the president's office for a few moments, until it was broken by Woo Jin-Cheol's calm voice, heavy with worry.
"Mr. President…"
Go Gun-Hee slowly raised his head and looked straight at his deputy.
"It has been confirmed that Hunter Kim Yoo-Won has entered the double dungeon."
Go Gun-Hee's face stiffened for a moment.
"With whom?"
Woo Jin-Cheol answered without hesitation:
"Thomas Andre… Hwang Dong-Su… and Liu Zhigang."
Silence fell again.
It was not the silence of surprise.
It was the silence of weight.
Go Gun-Hee let out a slow breath and leaned back in his chair.
He murmured in a low voice,
"Four of the strongest hunters in the world… inside that dungeon."
He turned his gaze toward the window, where the city was full of life, as if nothing was happening.
Woo Jin-Cheol clenched his fist unconsciously.
"All we can do now…" he said quietly, "is hope they return safely."
He did not say it out loud, but Go Gun-Hee was thinking the same thing.
And if they don't…
Double Dungeon – Inside
The path leading to the boss room was unnaturally quiet.
Kim Yoo-Won, Thomas Andre, Hwang Dong-Su, and Liu Zhigang walked side by side.
No monsters.
No traps.
No resistance.
The dungeon felt… empty.
Hwang Dong-Su spoke with sarcasm,
"So this is really the dungeon that swallowed Jay Mills' group?"
Liu Zhigang answered calmly, this time in simple English:
"The normal monsters were already cleared during earlier explorations."
After a few minutes, the four stopped.
In front of them—
A massive stone gate.
The entrance to the boss room.
They exchanged brief looks.
Louis said nothing.
He reached out and pushed the gate open.
Boss Room
The moment they stepped inside—
Torches ignited.
Blue-white flames lit up one by one along the walls, revealing the full scene.
Giant stone statues.
Rows of them.
Standing still.
Silent.
Like guards waiting for an order that had not yet been given.
At the far end of the hall, a huge stone statue sat on a stone throne.
Like a king.
Hwang Dong-Su whispered,
"Are these… the monsters?"
Thomas said,
"And if they are… why aren't they moving?"
Before anyone could answer—
Boom!
The gate behind them slammed shut.
Combat auras flared instantly.
But while everyone's eyes were fixed on the statue sitting on the throne—
Louis moved quietly.
He walked toward a different statue.
Smaller than the others.
It had large stone wings, and in its hands was something like a tablet of commandments.
He stood directly in front of it.
Without anyone noticing, he spoke.
"What?" he said calmly. "Are you going to stay still?"
No response.
Louis smiled.
"Didn't you like my previous gift?"
Silence continued.
He stepped closer and lowered his voice.
"What if I tell you… that Sung Jin-Woo will never enter this dungeon in this timeline?"
At that moment—
The statue's facial features moved.
Stone cracked.
And a voice came out—
Strange.
Inhuman.
In a language that did not belong to this world.
"…Who are you?"
Everyone froze.
Thomas turned sharply.
"Who spoke?!"
Before anyone could move—
The other statues began to move.
Cracks spread.
Stone scraped against stone.
Killing auras filled the room.
As for Louis…
He smiled.
"Who am I?" he said calmly.
He raised his gaze, his eyes shining with absolute confidence.
"I am the one…"
"who will the king this timeline."
The six wings of the statue facing Louis slowly opened.
At the same time, a sharp cracking sound echoed as the stone tablet it was holding shattered, its fragments falling to the ground.
Its strange voice spread through the hall, rough, inhuman, and full of threat:
"You are an intruder in this timeline."
Louis's expression did not change. He smiled calmly, as if he had been waiting for those words.
"It seems those written rules… never really meant anything from the beginning."
The eyes of the winged statue moved, and it replied in a heavier voice:
"They did mean something… but that no longer matters now."
In the next moment, the battle began.
All the stone statues started moving at once, and the hall shook under the weight of their steps.
Thomas Andre, Hwang Dong-Soo, and Liu Zhigang rushed forward without hesitation to fight them.
But one thing was clear to everyone…
For some unknown reason, the monsters' attacks were mainly focused on Louis.
Thomas Andre growled angrily as he watched:
"Do they think that kid is more dangerous than me… that's why they're focusing on him?"
He suddenly pulled his arm back and threw a brutal punch at one of the statues.
The statue shattered and crashed into two others, sending all of them falling to the ground with a loud explosion.
In the middle of the chaos, Louis smiled calmly and said:
"You will regret it… if you focus on me alone."
Only then did the winged statue turn fully toward him.
And at that moment…
The raid of this dungeon officially began.
The winged statue watched the battlefield with its stone eyes and felt that something was different this time.
The people who had entered this dungeon now… were not the same as before.
Their strength, their presence, even their intentions were unlike anyone it had faced in the past.
But what worried it the most…
Was the person standing calmly at the center of the battle.
Kim Yoo-Won.
His existence felt wrong in this place.
His name, his presence, even his spiritual trace did not exist in any previous timeline.
It was as if reality itself did not recognize him… and yet, here he was.
The winged statue slowly shifted its gaze, as if a decision had finally been made.
Then—
Boom…
The hall shook violently.
Everyone turned at the same moment.
The massive statue sitting on the throne… moved.
At first, the sound of stone grinding against stone was faint, but it quickly grew into a terrifying roar.
The giant being stood up slowly, and every movement filled the air with fear.
Its size alone silenced all thoughts.
Dozens of meters tall, a towering body of polished stone, far larger than all the other statues—like a mountain rising from the ground.
But what truly made hearts tighten…
Was the smile.
A strange, stiff smile carved into its stone face, yet it looked aware…
A smile that did not belong to a statue.
A crushing pressure filled the hall.
Even hunters who were used to facing disasters felt that something had gone beyond reason.
Then, the winged statue slowly closed its eyes and spoke in a solemn voice that echoed through the chamber:
"Now…
It is time to worship the ruler."
With those words, everyone understood—
What awaited them from this moment on
Was not just a monster.