Kademain.
The seventh Demon King, the ruler of evil bearing the alias of chaos.
His name was synonymous with terror across the continent.
Because he was the most recently descended Demon King, records about him still remain vivid.
The power to distort the laws of the world.
Countless lives were lost due to the chaos caused by this power.
In the end, unable to withstand the strength of the Heroes, he met his demise, but the damages caused by Kademain were still substantial and far-reaching.
Irene swallowed dryly as she looked at the seal of Kademain.
An ordinary person might not recognize it, but she was a knight.
And knights possessed basic knowledge about the Demon Kings.
Including their names and aliases, and even the forms of their seals.
Of course, some Demon Kings had their records damaged or lost, but not Kademain.
There was even a dense magical aura emanating from it…
'It's definitely not an ordinary box.'
It might be related to Seo Woojin's disappearance.
No, considering what was found in this place, it was almost certain.
Irene cautiously lifted the box.
At that moment, the surroundings fell silent.
The knights who were searching felt the demonic energy and the tension increased.
"Miss Irene."
Before she knew it, the search leader came to her side and called out with a stern look on his face.
"What is it?"
"I just found this underground. It seems to be an item belonging to Kademain."
She turned the box to reveal its upper part.
The head of the search team also glanced at the seal engraved there, his expression darkening.
"The Demon King's seal…"
Usually, it wasn't something to be taken lightly.
Many Demon King seals contained a portion of the Demon King's power.
Seeing it radiating demonic energy like that, it seemed like the Heroes were probably missing because of that item.
However, the knights had no way to solve this.
No, it was more accurate to say that there was only one who could solve this phenomenon.
"Contact the Sky Tower."
He was a magician, a seeker of truth.
* * *
"How much further do we have to go? Have you been wandering around here with Dahye all this time? It must have been scary in the dark!"
Lee Ji-ah's chatter was so noisy that it seemed to dispel the darkness.
"Just a little further now."
"…Are you sure? It sounds like I heard that before?"
Seo Woojin gave a wry smile.
He recalled himself grumbling to Irene about how much further they had to go from the north.
Somehow, he empathized with the feeling she must have had.
"We're almost there."
As Seo Woojin smiled and replied, Lee Ji-ah looked at him with an unsatisfied gaze and nodded.
"Got it."
Then she ran to Kim Da-hye again and started bothering her.
"But where on earth is this place?"
This time, Kang Byeonggyu asked.
"I don't know exactly. I didn't think there would be such a space beyond the corridor."
His 'Exploration' skill didn't detect anything inside.
"Even though we came in here, the skills are not recognizing anything."
Skills like 'Exploration' or 'Radar' were all completely useless.
"Even though there is nothing but darkness, it's strange that there's no problem with visibility."
It's a dark space with not a single point of light.
Nevertheless, Seo Woojin and his group didn't feel uneasy at all.
Because they could see each other.
Though they don't know how that's possible, considering this place warps both time and space…
"Let's just move on."
He didn't want to waste mental energy on something that wouldn't have an answer no matter how much he thought about it.
"Well, casually moving on might be good for mental health."
Kang Byeong-gyu shrugged and followed behind Seo Woojin.
"Still, it's more comfortable without monsters. It was really a near-death experience in the corridor earlier."
Monsters kept rushing at them whenever they took a short break.
As a result, their health and mana were constantly drained.
If they hadn't leveled up, they would have hit their limits sooner.
Maybe even died.
"But at least we don't have to go through that kind of hardship here. Except for being a bit dark, there's nothing dangerous."
Seo Woojin nodded in agreement with Kang Byeong-gyu's words.
Certainly, there hadn't been any significant danger so far.
'Until now, that is.'
Unlike Kang Byeong-gyu, Seo Woojin didn't release the tension in his nerves.
The reason was the living flesh.
'It came out from here.'
It appeared in this space by breaking through the wall, not in the corridor.
'That means there's a possibility of danger here too.'
There could be monsters made up of knights' flesh or other forces at play.
What exactly it was, Seo Woojin didn't know yet.
But not knowing meant it was dangerous.
Therefore, Seo Woojin continued to stay vigilant.
"But, um…"
At some point, Lee Ji-ah, who had been by Kim Da-hye's side, began to whisper quietly behind Seo Woojin.
"Why does she keep following us?"
Lee Ji-ah pointed at Seong Yura.
"She's not even close to us, and she always ignores us."
Lee Ji-ah had an uncomfortable expression.
The behavior Seong Yura had shown so far was enough to make even the friendship-expert Lee Ji-ah want to distance herself.
'Well, it's understandable.'
Excluding elite friends, she used to ignore everyone and freely utter harsh words to anyone who even slightly annoyed her.
Nevertheless, no one expressed dissatisfaction.
It was because she was SS-grade.
Even if one didn't like her internally, they didn't show it outwardly.
There was no need to unnecessarily strain the relationship with her.
Seong Yura's profession as a 'Saint' was optimized for rear support.
Numerous buff skills, including recovery, boasted effects almost akin to miracles.
What if someone scorned her and received her cold shoulder in the upcoming battle?
'It will be quite difficult.'
Since Seong Yu-ra knew best, she acted even more arrogant.
There were only a very small number of people, including Seo Woojin, who did not care about such things.
Seo Woojin turned his gaze to glance at Seong Yura.
She was walking with a heavily wrinkled face, seemingly displeased with the current situation.
'She is beautiful though.'
As he felt when he first saw her, the appearance of elite friends was truly outstanding.
They gave off a feeling of living in a completely different world.
Their abilities were also so exceptional that they couldn't be compared with other Heroes…
'So what? Her personality is messed up.'
Comparing her personality, the beautiful appearance seemed too wasted.
"Wouldn't she go separate ways when she meets her friends?"
Kang Byeong-gyu quietly answered as if he might be heard.
"When is that?"
"How would I know? Wonjin might know?"
Their gazes turned in this direction.
Seo Woojin smiled and shook his head.
"How would I know? Still, if we keep going, we will somehow find them…."
Seo Woojin, who was speaking, suddenly stopped walking.
"Prepare for battle."
Drawing his sword, the atmosphere around them changed abruptly.
"What's going on?"
"It's a demonic beast."
"Demonic beast."
When Kang Byeong-gyu asked in confusion, Seo Woojin and Ludian answered at the same time.
A powerful being was approaching directly.
"He's a strong guy."
Ludian's expression was slightly stiff.
The concentration of demonic energy was that strong.
'Maybe even stronger than Burtal.'
Seo Woojin slowly drew up his mana.
'It would be nice if I could use my skills freely like I did when I was fighting that lump of flesh.'
If that were the case, the fight would be a bit easier.
But there were many watching eyes now.
Heroes could handle it roughly, but not Ludian.
If he saw Seo Woojin's unfamiliar skills, it would undoubtedly cause problems.
'I have to stick to what I know.'
Nevertheless, the situation wasn't entirely bad.
It was different from when fighting Burtal.
There are other Heroes here now.
Including Seong Yura.
With a saint who handled the elemental power of magic and righteousness, it seemed worth a fight.
"Here it comes."
*Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwak-*!
At Ludian's warning, the sound of something rushing towards them could be heard.
'…A spider?'
It resembled a spider in appearance.
Except for the fact that it was five meters in size and had a face similar to a human.
"Damn."
Ludian, confirming its appearance, muttered a curse under his breath.
Then, he shouted towards the back.
"It's Rosie Ruby! Retreat!"
There was so much urgency that the polite tone of speech disappeared.
'Retreat?'
Why?
While the Heroes were perplexed, Seong Yura stepped forward.
"Heh, you are afraid of such a trivial creature."
She raised her hand towards the spider called Rosie Ruby with a contemptuous expression.
"Holy Cross."
One of Seong Yura's few offensive skills was activated.
Simultaneously, a luminous cross appeared in front of her, radiating a sacred light.
The power contained within it was intense enough to melt even the toughest monsters with just a glance.
However, Ludian twisted his expression.
"You can't stop it with that!"
"What are you saying?"
Seong Yura completely disregarded Ludian's words.
Then, she swung her hand.
The cross of light shot towards Rosie Ruby.
"You fool!"
Ludian embraced Seong Yura around her waist.
"Hey! What are you doing right now? I could sue you for sexual harassment…."
"Shut up and run."
Embracing her, Ludian was the first to fly backward.
"Follow the instructor for now."
Seeing this strange scene, Seo Woojin nodded.
Then, team members began to chase after Ludian.
'What on earth is that?'
Seo Woojin, who guarded the rear and retreated the last, turned around and was astonished.
Rosie Ruby kicked the cross of light apart.
Sixteen legs grabbed the cross, tearing it apart as if ripping a piece of paper, scattering it in all directions.
Although the sight was impressive, what shocked Seo Woojin was something else.
The amount of magical energy that exploded in an instant.
It was so heavy and intense that it could not even be compared to something like Burtel.
Only now did Seo Woojin realize why Ludian told him to run.
'I can't defeat that.'
Even if Seo Woojin used all the skills he had hidden, he couldn't guarantee victory.
That thing was truly a monster.
'Is that her?'
The thing that lumped knights together and turned them into a lump of flesh?
The possibility was high.
To create dozens of skilled knights in that form, one must have power on a grand scale.
Geeeeek―!!!
Rosie Ruby, who effortlessly blocked Seong Yura's skill, screamed and began to chase after Seo Woojin.
'Ugh!'
The sound of its cry was so disgusting that just hearing it made one's stomach turn.
Thanks to it, the footsteps of the team members running ahead began to slow down as they got entangled bit by bit.
'If I keep going like this, I'll be caught.'
Rosie Ruby was slow compared to the power it possessed.
But at this rate, it was obvious that he would be caught in no time.
'What should I do?'
He looked around.
The surroundings were still shrouded in darkness.
There was nothing useful to be found.
"Darn it."
He glanced at the backs of the team members who were running ahead.
Everyone seemed frightened.
'Can't help it?'
Seo Woojin gradually slowed down his running speed.
In this place, there was no one else but himself who could face Rosy Ruby, even if only for a short while.