Inside the dungeon, the team moved swiftly and confidently.
Their teamwork was amazing. Every attack, every defense was perfectly coordinated. They faced groups of demonic cave wolves, quick and agile venomous spiders, and cave salamanders that shot acid.
But the party fought brilliantly, dodging attacks and defeating each beast without getting seriously hurt.
Throughout the battles, Bel stayed back, arms crossed, watching silently. These monsters weren’t worth his effort, not yet.
Then, they reached the boss room.
A massive werewolf roared.
"Alright," Bel said calmly, stepping forward. "I’ll take it from here."
He raised his hand casually, and with a flick of his fingers, a massive pillar of flame erupted from the ground, completely swallowing the werewolf.
It roared, flailing its arms, but it didn’t stand a chance. A bright, fierce beam of fire shot from Bel’s finger next, exploding in a blinding burst of light on impact.
When the flames cleared, only the burnt corpse remained.
[Exp: 69200/90000]
[Strength+5] [Toughness+2]
Bel smiled slightly, dusting his hands.
The recovery team arrived swiftly after the first raid, and soon, Bel and the party stood before their next challenge, a Dungeon of Category D.
Bel held up his hand, stopping everyone right after they had crossed the entrance.
"Wait here," he instructed casually.
The party exchanged puzzled looks but obeyed, watching as Bel calmly stepped into the darkness of a forest.
Inside, the dungeon was eerily quiet. High above, primate-like creatures lurked silently in the trees, eyes glowing red.
Bel wasted no time. He exhaled softly, his breath turning into a cold mist in the chilly air. Then, slowly, he opened his eyes, now glowing with a chilling blue.
Frost started at his feet, quickly stretching outward like an unstoppable tide of ice.
Trees, bushes, and vines turned white and rigid instantly.
The ice raced forward, a frozen tsunami that trapped every monster within moments. Creatures froze mid-leap, their furious expressions captured perfectly by the merciless ice.
At the entrance of the dungeon, the party stared in shock. Ice erupted from the forest entrance, rapidly expanding, overtaking everything in sight.
"Is this Bel?" Ronan whispered, stepping back nervously.
Lyraen stared wide-eyed.
"How could this... He use ice too?"
Nobody moved, still frozen, like the creatures in the forest.
Meanwhile, deep inside the forest, Bel moved confidently toward the heart of the dungeon. There, a massive demon monkey roared in fury, its powerful legs trapped in Bel’s icy grasp.
Bel smiled gently, his eyes gleaming brighter.
The ice around the boss melted, freeing the enormous beast instantly. The creature howled, rage boiling over, and leaped toward Bel, fangs bared.
Bel simply raised his finger.
A blazing beam of fire burst forward, illuminating the forest brilliantly. The monster had no time to scream.
[New Trait Acquired: Beast Slayer - Increases damage against beast-type creatures by 25%]
[EXP 1,250/92,500]
[Level Up!]
[Core Devoured: Demon Monkey]
[Stat Gains: +10 STR, +15 AGI, +15 STA]
Another dungeon conquered, another increase in stats.
By evening, after the recovery team had swiftly finished their task, the party was ready for their next dungeon.
It was just another Category E dungeon, a simple task, but Cassandra had a special idea.
She convinced everyone to let Bel tackle it alone, so they could achieve a new record: clearing three dungeons in a single day!
And that’s exactly what they did.
Meanwhile, in the quiet office of the Guild Master, lit warmly by the glow of candles, a man sat comfortably in his chair.
His golden mane framed a face that seemed both fierce and thoughtful. He was casually flipping through the evening newspaper, holding a mug of beer in his massive hand.
"Guild Master," a gentle voice came.
A woman with short purple hair stood elegantly by his desk.
"Should you really be drinking while reading the news?"
He sighed dramatically, placing the mug down.
"Can’t drink at parties, at work, or even at home. Tell me, Alicia, where exactly can a man enjoy a drink?"
She smiled slightly, then her expression grew serious.
"There’ve been more reports of strange sightings. People are claiming to have seen demons again."
The Guild Master frowned.
"If demons are seen so frequently, it’s possible that they’re living among us. This could mean that the seal is really broken now."
Alicia calmly shook her head.
"That’s impossible as long as the Guardians still live."
He hesitated.
"And what if they were possessed? I heard that demons could take the body of a person to get some informations or objects. Your neighbor could be a demon in disguise and you’d tell him everything the kingdom is planning."
She sighed, confident but thoughtful.
"It’s possible, but I’m not worried. As long as this person is still alive, we don’t have anything to fear about the seal."
Before the Guild Master could respond, the office door burst open. A young staff member ran in, out of breath.
"Guild Master!"
"I’m busy," growled the lion-like man. "What is it now?"
"It’s big news! A group of adventurers cleared three dungeons today! Three in one day!"
Alicia raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised, then quickly composed herself. The Guild Master paused, thoughtful but not overly impressed.
"Interesting, but... What levels were the dungeons?"
"Two Category E and one Category D, but—"
The Guild Master waved him off.
"That’s hardly groundbreaking. It just means there’s at least several iron-ranked adventurer in their group."
"But that’s the thing!" the young man interrupted urgently. "There’s only one iron-ranked adventurer among them! And that’s the abnormal part."
The Guild Master’s eyes widened slightly, leaning forward now.
"Abnormal how?"
The staff member swallowed nervously, taking a moment to steady himself.
"It’s about that adventurer everyone’s been talking about lately... the anomaly," he began cautiously. "He’s quickly become very popular within the guild. Amelia from the Records Department even took special interest in his quests, and what she found was astonishing. The man is essentially a killing machine. He takes extermination quests repeatedly and completes each one in record times."
Alicia’s brows furrowed thoughtfully, leaning slightly forward herself.
"Record times? I’ve heard something about a new adventurer with a strong aura."
"Yes, it’s the guy. Well, apparently there’s no more aura..." the staff member confirmed quickly, nodding. "He’s also part of a party, and today, they chose three dungeons specifically because they were conveniently located near each other. But here’s the thing. Initially, they wanted to clear ten dungeons."
"Ten dungeons?!" The Guild Master’s voice rose, disbelief evident.
"Exactly," the staff member agreed. "Naturally, we refused their request, we’ve never got that kind of request before. But after today’s success... it’s becoming impossible to deny their future requests. They’ve proven their capability now."
The Guild Master exchanged a troubled glance with Alicia, who appeared equally concerned.
"But that’s not even the biggest issue," the staff member continued. "An adventurer displaying such extraordinary power, and effectiveness... Doesn’t that suggest he might be...a Sacred?"
A heavy silence blanketed the room. Alicia slowly turned to meet the Guild Master’s eyes, their stunned expressions mirroring each other.