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The coldness surged, and soon the creeping black mist began to spread broadly, enveloping the area. The air settled—what had slipped through the dimensional crack exhaled a breath that fogged in the chill.

“―――.”

The breath rippled through the atmosphere, resonating low across the entire plaza, causing the frenzy-seeking mob to halt abruptly. Even the White Lion and the Executioner, who had been targeting the hunters, sensed its presence and turned their gazes.

“……!”

Moreover, it wasn’t limited to just them. The eerie thrill that filled the plaza began to shake the bodies of the hunters. They couldn’t even find the source of dread, as their bodies trembled uncontrollably. A shivering that felt like it would never cease—an overwhelming presence that halted the frenzy of losing sanity.

“Ah, Alpha…”

A voice that had already dried up murmured the creature’s name. Black fur. The blazing ebony flames and the chilling black mist—when all eyes in the venue focused, it felt like a fierce wind swept through, and just like that, everything was liberated.

The black flames and mist burst out, engulfing the plaza in an instant. Shattering the silence, the lamenting screams echoed, along with the emergence of red flowers. The shadows of the swarm were already eroded by the presence and pierced through by the wolves. Screams and death throes turned crimson and settled down. The plaza fell again into a chilling silence.

“……”

The sound of someone swallowing loudly echoed especially clearly. The monsters trembled in fear, but the hunters were taken aback.

“…Crazy.”

At least they could understand. The shadows had pierced through everyone without exception. Shadows that flickered as if they carried wills of their own. The hunters glanced uneasily at their own shadows.

…There shouldn’t be any movement, yet it felt like they shifted.

The stillness was shattered by a single footstep. A massive wolf stomped over the fallen horde. Even as it stepped on the pool of blood, the burning black flames evaporated it. Just as it seemed to turn its head for a moment, a small dragon blasted through the dimensional crack, trailing after the wolf. The black fire grew in size, incinerating the horde—its acrid smoke spread out, and the swarm regained its animal instincts completely.

“―――!”

Screaming in different tones, the swarm began to flee the plaza. They pressed through the narrow cracks, not stopping even as the flames engulfed them. They entangled with each other, creating a chaotic mess as they dashed towards the dimensional rift.

“……”

In the unbelievable scene, the fight had somehow reached a temporary lull. Kang Tae-jun squished the broken frame of his glasses and frowned.

‘Swallower?’

Even after decades of living as a hunter, he had never heard of such a being. A monster that had never appeared before—the masterpiece of the Square, a creature devoid of emotions.

‘Like a purple black tiger…’

It felt alien. A sense of discomfort as if it were on a different level of existence. The beast and the purple black tiger had many similarities. The monster was unreadable in terms of information. When the red eyes met his, Kang Tae-jun felt a chill run through him. There was no malice, no madness, just an overwhelming presence.

‘…….’

In the midst of his deep thoughts, Kang Tae-jun twisted his wrist and deflected an incoming blade. He slid the blade aside with a tilt, and as the flame seared, he kicked Kang Hoon away.

‘As expected.’

―Just when he thought he dodged, his ankle twisted in an unpleasant manner. The clash between them was a battle of wits. A fight aimed at finding a flaw in each other’s stance. Yet the odds were steadily leaning against him.

‘…Is this not easy?’

His abilities were lacking. Even if strikes were exchanged, the damage accumulated was different. It was still an even match, but the longer it dragged on, the more unfavorable it would become for him. But he didn’t necessarily need to win. He just had to buy time for the clan to retreat through Snowell.

―As if he could see through that thought, Kang Hoon’s gaze shifted, not towards Kang Tae-jun but towards others.

***

The monsters that had collapsed into the shadows sank. In a situation that should have been impossible, the black patterns engulfing the wolf emanated a soft glow that made it possible.

[Experience has reached maximum. Lv.1 → Lv.8]

‘―This is good so far.’

He devoured every single monster sucked into the shadows. Confirming this once more, his eyes sparkled again. This was fine, but the problem was just beginning. After all, he had only filtered out the small fry.

‘Black Magic.’

The frenzy that drove monsters mad was merely a phenomenon brought on by magic. Therefore, it shouldn’t be impossible for Black Magic to subdue the frenzy. It only instilled terror in the monsters, causing them to flee. It was just a performance, and the reality wasn’t extraordinary. ―Absurd as it was, at least the wolf thought so. The wolf that had cleared the swarm looked around again.

‘Snowell.’

Kang Tae-jun and Kang Hoon continued their battle. The attack team was engaged with the White Lion blocking the entrance to the maze. There were still plenty of monsters left, but they should be capable of handling them on their own.

‘……The problem is.’

―Whether I can defeat that one or not. It had been a creature with only a 1% chance of winning, but now it was different. Seeing it approach, he checked his status one last time.

[Tyrant (Swallower) Lv.8] [EXP 65123 / 224670]

[Up 2.61%] [Shadow Power (影量) 17.67m³]

[Body Length 4.61m] [Height 1.79m] [Weight 486.9kg]

[Strength 306] [Agility 347] [Endurance 385] [Magic Power 447] [Resilience 15]

[Skill List]

Absorption (C) Lv.7, Thorn Tentacle (D) Lv.4, Detection (C) Lv.2, Regeneration (D) Lv.7, Superior Stealth (C) Lv.8, Insight (D) Lv.9, Superior Hearing (D) Lv.4, Weak Sixth Sense (E) Lv.7, Superior Vision (D) Lv.4, Mitigation (C) Lv.2, Superior Hardening (C), Mutation (D) Lv.1, Weak Poison Resistance (E) Lv.1, Intimidation (E) Lv.9, Abundance (C) Lv.4, Amphibious (D), Superior Elasticity (D) Lv.8, Superior Parry (D) Lv.4, Gale (C) Lv.8, Superior Smell (D) Lv.5, Superior Instinct (D) Lv.8, X-ray Vision (E) Lv.4, Magic Regeneration (D) Lv.8, Black Magic (B) Lv.3, Pain Insulation (D), Fairy Language (F), Storage (E) Lv.5, Shadow Control (B), Great Magic (B) Lv.2, Void (A)

[Remaining Skill Points 15]

―The growth he had built up until now. As he stared at the approaching Executioner, the wolf’s red eyes erupted in fury.

***

“Spread out!”

As the massive paws of the giant lion swung, the attack team recoiled in horror. It was possible thanks to the wolf, who had stopped the frenzy and made room. They didn’t get hit, but the terrifying pressure allowed them to barely hold on. The White Lion swept the ground, and Kang Tae-ho pulled Lee Gi-jun’s neck, who was almost caught by a paw.

“Th-thanks—Ah?!”

―The next moment, he was soaring through the air. No surprise, Kang Tae-ho had thrown him. The hunter who soared several meters landed on the White Lion’s back, and Kang Tae-ho shouted loudly.

“Stay there and mess around!”

Hearing that, Lee Gi-jun sighed. Snowell turned its head and locked eyes with him. It was not just a clumsy beast that was merely large. A zone boss was not so easily handled. Armed with his sword, Lee Gi-jun infused magic and struck downwards in a single motion, causing Snowell to leap away as if vexed.

“Damn!”

He aimed with both hands but only fur scattered. It was a fruitless effort to penetrate Snowell’s high endurance and rock-like skin. The fact that he managed to pierce the skin with the blade tip was proof of his strength.

That was enough—just as he concentrated magic at the blade tip to push inside, Lee Gi-jun nearly fell but managed to cling to the fur.

The monster howled not in pain but in irritation. Snowell twisted its body and inevitably shook him off. As Lee Gi-jun fell from dozens of meters in the air, he opened his eyes wide. Snowell’s gaping mouth coming right at him prepared to swallow him whole. Seeing the bright red tongue coming close, he surrendered to death.

“Damn that Kang Tae-ho, the bastard…!”

And in the next moment, he found himself back on the ground.

“……?”

Was he not dead? Had he hallucinated? That couldn’t be right. When it had entered Snowell’s mouth, the wet saliva confirmed the truth for him. As his mind failed to catch up to the situation, Lee Gi-jun blinked at the sound of crying ringing in his ears.

“Kyuuwuuut!”

With a look of triumph, a monster raised its head, proudly resembling a Fairy-type. Lee Gi-jun let out a wry laugh.

“What’s this…”

“Eun-gong!”

Then, as if to tell him to move aside, Seon-ja gently brushed away the Fairy-type that was trying to hug her. In a way that was reminiscent of cradling something precious, realization dawned on him.

‘…Ah, so I did hear that she was with a Fairy-type.’

The wolf that had suddenly appeared in the plaza, shattering the frenzy, indeed seemed to be the Alpha. Looking back at the Fairy-type, it was perched on Euna’s shoulders, gazing at him unblinkingly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Kyuuwuu~!”

Under that wordless pressure, Lee Gi-jun let out another laugh.

“Thanks, I thought I was done for…”

At that, the Fairy-type nodded as if it was indeed a reasonable thing. It flapped its wings, enough to save his life—ironically, being saved by a monster was absurd, but if this was how he could pay his life debt, he was all for it. Just then, a punch landed on the back of his head, causing Lee Gi-jun to glare and turn around. There stood Kang Tae-ho, fist clenched.

“What are you doing to the lord? Crazy or something?”

“……Ah. It’s because of you that I almost died.”

“Whatever. You brought it upon yourself for being foolish.”

As he pointed his fist, Lee Gi-jun shut up. Meanwhile, Snowell tilted its head, licking its lips. It seemed to have eaten something but couldn’t manage to swallow. The perplexed Snowell glanced at Lee Gi-jun, who had just landed and tilted its head as if asking why he was still alive.

“……”

In its nonchalant demeanor, Lee Gi-jun rubbed the back of his head. He had even infused magic through his wounds but… it was common knowledge that Snowell couldn’t feel pain, yet seeing its firm appearance was terrifying.

“Isn’t there any sharp method?”

In response, Kang Tae-ho gestured his chin.

“―――Când coboară florile de zăpadă”

The ongoing chant indicated Ha Yeon was preparing the Great Magic. It meant to hold on until her magic was complete. It was indeed essential to bring down a monster like Snowell with the Great Magic—though whether the Great Magic could defeat Snowell was questionable, Lee Gi-jun nodded.

‘At least that’s a relief.’

It was already something to be able to fight like this. The reason he could have even a bit of composure… he shook his head at the sight of the Alpha engaged in a mental battle with the Executioner far away. Just several months ago, it had been a mere Worg, yet now it stood confidently against a zone boss in Neverland…

‘…Anyway, this is a favorable situation.’

Thinking could wait. Exiting the dungeon was the priority. As the hunters prepared to clash with Snowell once more, the goat and the wolf clashed in the center of the plaza.

―The black wolf (魔狼) howled.

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