우우우우우웅–!!

The Demonic Gate has appeared. A colossal, red Demonic Gate.

It was a massive and ominous sight that the people of this era had never witnessed before.

“What the heck is that—!”

“Is that red?”

Everyone was bewildered by the strange phenomenon. It was only natural; they had never seen such a Demonic Gate in this era.

“If it’s red… Could it be? Red (赤) grade?”

One of the onlookers muttered softly.

At that, everyone else flinched. Red grade, really?

“…That’s nonsense. Suddenly a red grade appears.”

“That hasn’t been seen for centuries!”

“They said it hasn’t shown up since the Blood Calamity of the Blood Demon…”

How could such a bizarre thing appear at this very moment?

It was a calamity none had anticipated.

And then…

크르르르르르르—!!!

A rough sound echoed from inside the Demonic Gate, sending chills down everyone’s spine. It was an unfamiliar growl and presence.

쿵-!!

콰드득-!!

A hand reached out from within the gate.

It slowly revealed its figure, causing us to frown in disgust.

‘Jeokseokung (Red Rock Beast).’

A bear-shaped red Demon Beast. It got its name because its body was as hard as stone.

It was the same one I had just hunted.

쿠어어어어어어–!!!

Fully revealing itself, the beast let out a roar. Its fierce roar echoed through the entire forest.

“Crk!”

“Uooooooh!!”

The presence of the Demon Beast overwhelmed everyone. Not good.

‘At most, it’s at peak level.’

Most of them were at that level, with only a couple reaching full peak.

No, three.

The Poison Dragon, So Sword Peak, and…

My gaze momentarily shifted to someone.

Before long, it returned to the Demon Beast.

‘Catching that thing in this situation is a bit much.’

It hadn’t crossed the Transformation Realm, but it was strong enough to reach full peak. Strong for its age, but…

‘Without experience, it’s meaningless.’

Without any experience in subduing red Demon Beasts and not knowing the methods, the current realm was irrelevant.

There were two methods to subdue a Demon Beast.

If you can’t suppress it with firepower, you need to find its weakness.

The energy barrier protecting the beast spun continuously. However, that barrier wasn’t strong across the whole; there were weak spots everywhere in its rotation.

If attacked at these weak points, the barrier would be released.

That discovery was made by Woo Hyeok in a previous life.

Because of that method, the Sword Teams established from full peaks had succeeded in subduing red Demon Beasts in the past.

‘But right now…’

Currently, it was too much.

‘Sigh.’

What should I do? It’s best if I just caught it myself.

In my current state, this red Demon Beast wouldn’t be too much unless hundreds came at once.

The problem was…

‘I shouldn’t step up.’

I have to be cautious now; I shouldn’t show too much power unnecessarily. If my current realm suggests I’ve reached transcendency, it would only attract unwanted attention from the monsters in the clan.

‘That’d be troublesome.’

It would reveal that I had stolen my identity. And if things go poorly…

‘Instead of finding out what my father needs, I might suddenly have to face the Three Eminent Beings.’

There could be situations where I’d have to confront the current Three Eminent Beings.

I should hide my strength as much as possible.

Besides…

‘If I can just hang on a little longer.’

After all, this is Hanam.

Such a being had roared and expressed its presence. It wouldn’t be long before reinforcements arrived.

I just needed to endure until then.

Thinking like that, I assessed the situation.

“Everyone, prepare for combat!”

The one looking most senior among the Iron Dragon Clan shouted.

Now, the Great Lord Level and those with higher ranks were excluded from this training.

Most of them were new recruits, so their combat power wasn’t very high, but…

“…Don’t get excited; just observe the situation—!”

Still, since they were members of the Martial Alliance, they weren’t some random crowd.

All were Sword Team members tasked with hunting Demon Beasts, so fortunately, they quickly shook off the tension caused by the Demon Beast’s presence.

However.

크아아아아앙—!!!

“Uoooh!!”

Even the finest martial artists have their limits. The strength of the red Demon Beast couldn’t be handled by them.

Kuoorrr–!!!

The Jeokseokung started rampaging, using all the strength held in its massive body.

Despite its rough build, its power was overwhelming, which made it fast as well.

The size of an entire residence.

Every time it swung its hand, the surroundings began to shatter.

“Watch the distance—…! Ugh!”

The bear’s claws hurtled toward a man. Just then, a swift motion…

스르릉-!!

깡-!!

쿠어엉!!

A flash radiated, deflecting the Jeokseokung’s arm. The sweet scent of flowers spread, and leaves fluttered in the wind.

‘…So Sword Peak.’

So-i had dashed in and struck the Jeokseokung’s arm. It wasn’t just her strength alone.

“Thank you.”

So-i turned around, expressing her gratitude. The recent strike wasn’t solely her own doing.

She glanced at the dagger that had flown in.

The Poison Dragon.

“…”

The Poison Dragon nodded with an expressionless face. It was a combined effort.

As So-i pushed the Jeokseokung back for a moment, she shook her arm. It seemed her wrist had taken a hit from the recent attack.

The painful expression was only momentary.

“…Everyone must hold out until support arrives!”

So-i shouted while unleashing her Sword Intent.

“We’ll take the lead; the Poison Dragon and I will hold it down. Please support us.”

As she spoke, So-i and the Poison Dragon charged at the Jeokseokung.

Though they were the newest of the newbies, they knew. Among us, they were the strongest.

Thus, they charged in first towards the Demon Beast.

‘…Ahaha.’

They showed no hesitation. Charging headfirst into a creature they barely understood.

‘That person must have been just the same.’

A true champion among champions.

As expected, a figure honored by all she-heroes must have had such a nature even in her youth.

‘Same for the Poison Dragon.’

While So-i prostrated herself, wielding her sword, the Poison Dragon followed behind.

Kuoorrrr–!!!

The Jeokseokung, now seemingly recovering, roared with vigor as it charged.

With each roar, the martial artists from the clan also charged forward.

‘Wow.’

In this moment, there’s a sense of righteousness. If it were the members I knew, some would have fled the instant So-i and the Poison Dragon rushed forward.

The atmosphere felt entirely different from those times, and it was refreshing.

Seeing that, I narrowed my eyes.

I had no intention of charging in myself. As I said, I had to hide my strength.

But…

‘It doesn’t feel right to just let them die.’

This sudden crisis was partly my fault. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth to see those who shouldn’t die because of me end up dead.

Thus, while hiding my strength, I planned to help.

Just as I was about to move…

“W-what should we do…?”

Do-yun, who had been beside me for some time, spoke unsurely.

“A red Demon Beast…! I’ve never even heard of such a thing…!”

“….”

His trembling voice showed he was paralyzed with fear. I turned to him with an unbothered expression.

“Is that so.”

“What should we do…? What do we do?”

“What are we supposed to do? We fight. We’re from the Sword Team, right?”

Since we had come to hunt Demon Beasts, we had to fight.

There was no time for whining. I said it with that intention.

“B-but, what can someone like me do in a fight like that?”

“….”

Do-yun spat out his worries filled with anxiety and fear.

I sighed, having been about to charge forward.

“Hey.”

“…Huh?”

I spoke with a tone full of annoyance. This was getting a bit much to tolerate.

“Hiding your strength is fine, but to do that in this situation is a bit much.”

He paused. My words froze his body. The trembling in his eyes faded, replaced by a strange gaze fixed on me.

“Do whatever you want; I don’t care. Just don’t do that in front of me. It annoys me.”

Speaking gruffly, I moved ahead.

I didn’t care about Do-yun’s reaction. The reason I had said that was simple.

‘He’s hiding his power.’

Do-yun.

That guy was hiding his strength.

He was definitely stronger than So-i or the Poison Dragon fighting in front. Since he had reached the Transformation Realm, that’s only natural.

I didn’t know why he was pretending to be weak like that, but…

‘Who cares.’

I didn’t want to dwell on it. He didn’t seem like the type to cause trouble, and I figured he must have had his reasons.

‘At least he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.’

For now, I thought I would let it slide.

I simply disliked the fact that he was acting like this in this situation.

‘Though, I’m not in a position to say that.’

Suddenly.

I raised my hand.

Gathering energy into my fingertip.

퉁-!

콰앙-!!

쿠어어!

I flicked my finger, releasing a burst of energy. The generated pressure disrupted the Jeokseokung’s attack.

In that moment of vulnerability, the martial artists attacked or escaped from danger.

Each one aided his momentum just right, and I participated directly in the battle.

It was hard to just watch. After all, having smashed the Thunder Dragon in front of me, I couldn’t just hang back.

We kept a rhythm as we fought together.

Time passed like this.

“Huuh.”

“Crreeeh…”

Not much time had passed, yet our breaths were already ragged.

So-i and the Poison Dragon were no exception.

쿠아아아아아아—!!!

Conversely, the red Demon Beast showed no signs of fatigue.

It hadn’t suffered any damage since we couldn’t break through its barrier.

It was then that I began to feel something strange.

‘Why isn’t my attack working, huh?’

While I rained down attacks, it appeared overwhelmingly unscathed.

‘If you don’t know, you can’t help it.’

It was a natural situation, given I didn’t understand the characteristics of the Demon Beast.

‘Hmm.’

I frowned.

What to do?

‘Should I help a bit more?’

Trying to pull back more energy would be meaningless. At this point, it’d be better to give solid help.

Just as I thought of showing more power, I felt a flicker of flames.

“…!”

I looked up.

At that moment…

콰아아아아아아아아아—-!!!!

A tremendous blaze cascaded from the sky.

쿠오어어어어—!!!

The Jeokseokung was engulfed in flames, screaming out in terror.

It was overwhelming. An immense heat, like a beam of light descending from the heavens.

At that moment, everyone gasped in shock.

“Deputy Lord!!!”

So-i called out joyfully, looking up into the sky.

At her voice, everyone looked up.

“Ah…!”

“That’s…!”

Someone floated above, gazing down at us.

The master of the fiery blaze emitting a crimson glow.

“It’s… the Shin Ryong.”

“It’s the Shin Ryong!”

“…”

Shin Ryong Gu Cheolun.

He had arrived at this place.