Bullets made of mana were fired dozens of times per second.
The rate of fire was much faster than an actual rifle.
Pababababak-!
The power was also exceptional; those hit by the bullets began to disintegrate.
Literally, they were disintegrating.
Not only the ceiling, walls, and floor but also the monsters rushing towards this direction…
Bones and flesh separated, holes pierced through their bodies, and their forms collapsed beyond recognition.
"…A gun?"
Seong Yura, who was startled by the sudden loud noise, turned to look at Kim Da-hye while swallowing her saliva.
Honestly, killing a few monsters was no big deal for Seong Yura.
She could 'melt them away' much faster and more cleanly than Kim Da-hye.
But regardless, the sight of Kim Da-hye firing a gun seemed to shock her.
"Whoa, what are you?"
Seong Yura didn't know much about Kim Da-hye.
No, she wasn't interested in most of the Heroes, excluding her friends.
Especially Kim Da-hye, who was just a C-rank, she knew even less about her.
Thanks to that, she only just learned that Kim Da-hye used a gun.
"I'm Kim Da-hye."
Kim Da-hye nodded her head in response.
Even though it wasn't the content Seong Yura was expecting.
"You're weird."
Seong Yura wrinkled her nose as she looked at Kim Da-hye's blank eyes and expression.
"I'm not weird."
"You're weird."
Was it because she felt something unsettling?
Seong Yura took a step back.
But Kim Da-hye, seemingly not understanding such reactions, just tilted her head.
"Hey, where did the people who came with you go?"
"I don't know."
Seong Yura was convinced by that answer.
In front of her was a clueless woman.
Otherwise, she wouldn't act like that.
'Of all the people I could meet, I met someone like her.'
Although she didn't show it on the surface, Seong Yura had been wandering through the ruins alone for over ten days.
Just like Seo Woojin, she entered the ruins and immediately got separated from her other friends.
Her physique, transcending humanity, allowed her to endure without eating or drinking.
However, the fact that there was no one around brought her great loneliness and anxiety.
Because her mind was not as mature as her body…
So honestly, when she first saw Kim Da-hye, she was happy.
Although she was a bit disappointed that they weren't her friends, now she doesn't have to wander around alone anymore.
But no matter how you looked at it, something seemed off.
'Look, she's still just standing there.'
Except when answering questions, she kept staring blankly at something.
It seemed like she might get tired if she got involved somehow.
But she didn't want to be apart from Kim Da-hye.
Because she had spent too much time alone.
"Hey, come with me."
Seong Yura said abruptly and moved forward.
And Kim Da-hye naturally began to follow her.
Through empty hallways where you can't tell where it ends.
* * *
Spatial anomaly.
Temporal distortion.
Monsters.
Seo Woojin began to organize what he had grasped one by one in his mind.
'It seems like the form and location inside the ruins change periodically.'
It felt like it changed every two or three hours by his perception.
But he still didn't know how it changed or what the rules were.
'Time flow is different too.'
If Lim Taeeun's words were true, time inside the ruins was flowing dozens of times faster than outside.
And…
'The monsters are too weak.'
The monsters he had encountered so far were about a dozen.
There were demon-like forms he saw for the first time, and there were also types of monsters that could be easily seen outside.
Even considering that Seo Woojin could deal with them relatively easily, they were still too weak.
They used skills rather than regular attacks, but they couldn't withstand even a single attack.
As monsters inside the ruins that could manipulate time and space as they pleased, they were too weak.
'On the other hand, it seems like a lot of experience points are coming in.'
Every time he killed a monster, the sense of fulfillment surging through his body was no joke.
He had just defeated Burtal and reached level 3 a while ago, but it felt like he could level up again already.
'This is faster than taking a bus.'
Certainly, Seo Woojin had never ridden a bus before…
What was certain was that the growth here seemed to be incomparable to when the expedition was conducted in the northern region.
"No, no. I have to find others first."
Suddenly, Seo Woojin raised his head.
Hunting here would allow him to quickly level up.
But now, what mattered wasn't the level.
He had to get out of this unidentified ruin.
Not just the team members but also the knights, including Ludian.
It would be good to find elite friends while at it.
"Okay, let's stop thinking here. Let's move for now."
After leaving a mark where he had just been standing with his sword, Seo Woojin moved his steps.
No, he tried to move.
Clang!
If a large crack had not suddenly appeared on the side wall…
Clang!
The tension on Seo Woojin's face increased as the crack expanded.
And then…
With a loud noise, one side of the wall collapsed.
"What is this again?"
It was a monster.
'No, is it really a living thing in the first place?'
What appeared through the hole was a huge lump of flesh.
As if dozens of people had been mashed together like clay.
"Ugh."
The smell of blood and filth pierced Seo Woojin's nose, almost making him vomit.
Geeek-
The lump noticed Seo Woojin and began to approach slowly.
With dozens of twisted heads and limbs running in all directions, it couldn't even move properly.
But…
Suddenly, one arm extended, brushing against Seo Woojin's head.
Kwaang!
The wall behind him exploded with a loud noise.
Seo Woojin, who had been relieved by its slow movement, was astonished as he quickly raised his sword.
'I couldn't react.'
Unlike its slow movement, the attack speed was like a beam of light.
If the attack had been a little more accurate, Seo Woojin might not have known if his head would have flown off.
'It's different from the ones I've encountered so far.'
So far, the monsters Seo Woojin encountered in the ruins looked convincing only in appearance; in reality, they were no different from experience point fodder.
However, the grotesque mass before him was different.
It was a real close call.
'A Draconis or something.'
It might be a monster similar to Burtel.
'One wrong move, and I'm dead.'
Chills ran down his spine.
Seo Woojin observed the flesh with heightened tension.
Then, he noticed something and muttered under his breath.
"That person…."
Among the dozens of heads buried in the flesh, there was a familiar face.
"A knight?"
Although he had never had a conversation with any of them, it was undoubtedly one of the knights who had entered this ruin with him.
It meant one thing.
"Is that monster made up of knights?"
Come to think of it, the faintly visible pieces of armor seemed unmistakably like knight's armor.
All the various human tissues belonged to the knights.
"What on earth happened?"
There were only incomprehensible events occurring.
But there was no time to dwell on it now.
*Kkieeeuk-!*
The attack began once again.
With a slashing sound, a piece of flesh charging towards Seo Woojin was cut off.
'It's visible!'
Perhaps because he was more focused than before?
Seo Woojin could narrowly fend off the attack.
The piece of flesh, cut by the sword, wriggled for a moment before starting to decay.
'It's also very durable.'
Even though he swung the sword with all my might, he could only cut off a very small part of it.
The fast attack speed and the durability made it even more threatening.
"Kuk!"
The lump of flesh endlessly stretched its body to attack, like an aspiring pirate king from a Japanese manga.
Fortunately, its attacks were straightforward and easy to block.
Nevertheless, sweat trickled down Seo Woojin's forehead.
*Kwa-kwang-!*
The speed and destructiveness were too overwhelming.
He couldn't even dream of a counterattack.
Even with the use of 'Aura' and 'Acceleration,' it was all about blocking the enemy's attacks.
At this rate, getting tired first and eventually being defeated seemed inevitable.
He once again aimed for the chest, blocked the arm being fired, and swung his sword.
*Swish*
A small scratch appeared on the guy.
However, it was soon buried in the surrounding flesh and completely healed.
The recovery speed was incomparable to that of a troll.
Yet, there was no trace of fear on Seo Woojin's face.
No, on the contrary, as the fight continued, a small smile appeared on his lips as if things were going well.
"Let's see…."
Seo Woojin, who blocked the attack, stepped back slightly and kept his distance.
Then he quickly surveyed the surroundings.
The corridor stretched out long with no end in sight.
There was no sign of other people; only Seo Woojin and the flesh were present here.
Confirming this, Seo Woojin took a deep breath and focused on the flesh.
"No one's watching… Perfect."
Until now, Seo Woojin had a power that he hadn't revealed to others.
It was his skills.
Except for a few skills he could show as a 'Sword Soilder' he had sealed all the others and never used them.
This was because he could be suspected if he used them unnecessarily, like in the case of Sword Master Dariel.
Most of the skills Seo Woojin possessed were alien, such as 'Hell.'
Thanks to this, he hasn't used it on purpose because he was conscious of other people's opinions.
'I'm alone now.'
This meant it was an excellent opportunity to experiment with the newly acquired skills.
"Muspelheim."
Grumbling!
The world of fire depicted in Nordic mythology.
A massive flame befitting its name began to engulf Seo Woojin's body.
However, its color was different from the usual fire.
It was a black color, almost like 'Black Flame.'
Yet, the destructive madness and fierceness felt within it were enough to make even Seo Woojin, who used the skill, tremble.
Boiling, boiling, boiling-
The surroundings, unable to withstand the temperature of the flames, began to boil.
Not only the marble that composed the corridor but also the flesh.
Everything except Seo Woojin literally went up in flames.
"Let's go at it again."
Seo Woojin kicked the ground.
Hiss-!
The ground where his feet touched emitted steam and melted.
At the same time, Seo Woojin's figure instantly reached the front of the melted flesh.
Then its arms stretched out explosively like an explosion.
But Seo Woojin did not defend against it.
The flesh's arms couldn't even approach him, and all of them melted away, leaving only a handful of ashes.
Seo Woojin raised his sword.
The black flame ascended along his body, wrapping around the sword.
What if you forge hellfire into the shape of a sword?
The flaming sword descended from above.
As if pronouncing a death sentence, it fell.