he sound of the heavy door closing resonated like a dull warning. Once the metallic noise disappeared, silence settled in the room. The hunters stood frozen, their gazes locked on the imposing statue occupying the throne. Around it, smaller statues stood in a circle, armed with shields, swords, and spears, but it was the gigantic central figure that commanded all attention. The statue's eyes glowed with a malevolent light, as if it were waiting for something to happen.
As the door shut, a sense of unease filled the room. The hunters exchanged nervous glances, some already beginning to wonder if this dungeon was too dangerous.
But among them, Kael remained perfectly calm. He stood upright, hands in his pants pockets, his lollipop still in his mouth, looking as indifferent as ever. His gaze swept over the scene, analyzing every detail, but he showed no sign of concern. To him, this was still just a distraction.
The tension escalated when one of the hunters, struck by panic, rushed toward the door. His body immediately froze as one of the smaller statues raised the spear it held without warning. The hunter was impaled in a swift and brutal strike. He collapsed, dead, before he could even react.
The statue, without a further movement, returned to its frozen position.
Silence fell again, heavy with meaning. The room was now filled with a palpable terror. The hunters were much more cautious, each one now weighing the risks before acting. But a certain fear was evident in their eyes.
It was then that Sung Jin Woo, with a worried expression, approached the large tablet in front of the statue. He began to read the inscriptions carved into it, and his face paled slightly. He slowly turned to the others.
"Everyone… kneel before the statue," he commanded in a voice tinged with fear.
There was no room for hesitation. The hunters exchanged a glance, but the tension in the air was so thick that most of them knelt without a word. Even the more experienced ones, who were usually not the type to submit easily, knelt, fear written all over their faces.
Kael, still detached, observed the scene with a slight raise of his eyebrow. Without a word, he too knelt, as if complying with the rules of the game, but in truth, his mind was already elsewhere. He had no intention of truly submitting to this statue. No, Kael was waiting to understand what would happen next.
His eyes slowly lifted toward the statue on the throne. At that moment, a cruel smile slowly spread across the statue's face, an immobile but malevolent expression. Then something terrifying happened. The statue's eyes began to glow with an intense red light, and a wave of malevolent energy filled the room.
It was then that one of the hunters, unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere any longer, suddenly stood up. He tried to run toward the door, but no sooner had his feet left the ground than a beam of light shot out from the statue's eyes. The beam struck him in an instant. His screams blended with the blinding light, but everything was over before he could take another step.
The others watched in horror as the hunter's body fell heavily to the ground, struck by the rays. They now understood that fleeing was out of the question.
A few others, however, attempted to escape. But their efforts were in vain. With every attempt to flee, a lightning bolt struck them, eliminating them instantly. The hunters fell one after another, their bodies reduced to dust under the merciless light. The last survivors knelt once more, terrified, understanding that there was no escape.
Kael, still kneeling, watched all of this with almost total indifference. He wasn't afraid, but he wasn't rushing to intervene either. His eyes scanned the room, searching for clues, weaknesses, but nothing seemed to break the statue's dominance.
Sung Jin Woo, who had witnessed the entire scene, could no longer hide his worry. He had quickly realized that he had no idea how to deal with such power.
Kael sighed softly, a faint smirk on his face. He made no sound, didn't rush into action, but he observed everything with cold, methodical logic.
Finally, after a long silence, Kael slowly stood up, sweeping the room with his gaze. He took the lollipop out of his mouth and twirled it between his fingers.
"Really impressive…" he murmured, almost absentmindedly. "But there's always an opening, right?"
The last surviving hunters looked at him in silent terror, unsure whether he was mocking them or actually contemplating how to overcome this trial.
Kael did not hurry. He waited, calculating every possible move. His eyes focused on the statue with an unsettling concentration, but his demeanor remained as detached as it had been from the beginning.
The silence in the room was oppressive. A heavy, almost suffocating calm enveloped the hunters, still reeling from what had just occurred. Then suddenly, without warning, the giant statue rose. The ground trembled beneath its steps, and the walls of the room vibrated, releasing an overwhelming energy. In a devastating movement, the statue swept everything in its path, crushing the hunters one after another under its titanic weight.
The other statues, smaller in size, remained motionless. They did not move, did not make a single gesture, merely observing the scene with their frozen eyes, just like the other statues in the room. None of them seemed to be a threat for now, but terror was evident on the faces of the survivors, who had no idea what they were supposed to do.
It was then that Sung Jin Woo, pain and panic in his eyes, bent over the giant tablet in front of one of the statues. He was deciphering the inscriptions at a rapid pace, desperately searching for a solution.
"We have to… praise the statue…" he murmured aloud, almost to himself.
The other hunters, some still in shock, turned to him, hoping he could show them a way to escape the situation. But before they could even understand what this meant, Kael, calm and detached, stepped toward one of the nearby statues, his gaze fixed and calculating.
He quickly analyzed the environment. The statues were strategically placed, each group of instruments linked to a specific statue. Without wasting a second, he turned to the remaining hunters and said in a clear voice:
"Go to the statues with the instruments. It's your only chance."
The hunters hesitated for a moment, but in the face of urgency, they had no choice but to obey. They hurried toward the statues with the instruments. Drums, flutes, lutes, and other instruments stood before them. Yet, even in their frantic rush, each step felt like it weighed a ton.
Sung Jin Woo, however, lost no time. He grabbed Ju Hee, the young healer, in his arms and immediately headed for the closest statue with an instrument. But as he approached the statue he was aiming for, a flash of light cut through the air. One of the stone guards, previously motionless, made a sudden move, and in an instant, the statue's blade cut through the air to sever Sung Jin Woo's leg.
A cry of pain escaped his lips as he collapsed, his leg severed cleanly. Blood flowed rapidly, and pain surged through his body.
"No! Sung Jin Woo!" screamed Ju Hee, panicked, rushing to him to offer assistance.
The music from the statues began to play, creating an obsessive melody that resonated throughout the room. A powerful vibration traveled through the air, and the giant statues, until then motionless, suddenly froze. A heavy silence followed, bringing with it a radical change in the atmosphere. The tension rose another notch, but this time, the situation seemed under control, if one could say that.
The statues no longer moved, and the stone guards froze once again, as though time itself had suspended its course. The music seemed to have the power to calm them, rendering them harmless—at least for now.
Sung Jin Woo, his eyes full of pain, watched Ju Hee rush toward him, her eyes shining with a mixture of panic and hope. He had been lucky to protect his group for a moment, but now… he couldn't do anything without Ju Hee to heal him.
Kael, with a detached look, observed the scene. He wasn't as affected by the pain or fear. Calculations, logic, and strategy were always at the heart of his mind. He analyzed the situation, waiting for the moment when he could intervene to wrap up this trial efficiently.
"He's really weak…" thought Kael as he watched Sung Jin Woo, still lying on the ground, while the healer worked to treat his wounds. It didn't impress him. As an S-rank, he didn't have the same concerns, and he knew he could easily dispose of this threat soon.
But the situation wasn't over yet. Kael waited to see how the situation would unfold. He had a plan, as always, but he felt slightly amused by the confusion around him.
"None of this matters," Kael murmured. "I just need to wait for the right moment."
As Ju Hee healed Sung Jin Woo, the other hunters gathered near the statues with the instruments. The music continued to play,
The music stopped abruptly, a heavy silence falling over the room, and a chill ran through the hunters. A shiver of anxiety spread among them as the giant statue, which had been still until then, slowly raised its hand. With a deep rumbling sound, stones emerged from the floor, forming a large stone table, topped with a glowing red flame that suddenly appeared at its center. The heat of the flame was immediately felt, a threatening warning for all those who remained.
Sung Jin Woo, still kneeling, watched the scene intensely, his face marked by pain and confusion. After a few moments of silence, he lifted his head and announced in a grave voice:
"The third step… is the sacrifice for the giant statue."
The words echoed through the room, chilling the hearts of the survivors. A wave of panic swept through the hunters as the horror of the situation hit them. The sacrifice... Who would sacrifice themselves to survive?
A murmur rose among the hunters, and one of them, an older yet authoritative man, turned toward Song Chi Yul, the leader of the hunter group.
"Song Chi Yul, you're the leader here... You should sacrifice yourself, you're the one they're waiting for." Another added, almost pleading: "You have to do it. It's our only chance."
Song Chi Yul, visibly hesitant, looked at the stone table, but before he could make a move, Kael, still calm, intervened.
"No. You all need to enter the area around the stone table, and I assure you that this sacrifice won't be necessary if you follow the instructions correctly," he said in a confident voice, cutting off the frantic discussion.
He scanned the hunters around him, his eyes piercing the situation with cold clarity. "There's another solution. But you all must position yourselves around the table, where the flames will appear. That's where the real answer lies."
All eyes turned to him, some filled with skepticism, others with hope. Without further discussion, the survivors began to move, hesitant but obedient. They slowly made their way toward the stone table, the flames growing around them as they got closer.
At each step, a flame lit up, corresponding to each individual, a strange mark that isolated them while binding them to the situation in an inexplicable way. The flames seemed alive, moving with the hunters' breath, and each one pulsed like a representation of the soul of the person it marked.
Sung Jin Woo, with one leg missing, struggled to stand up with Ju-Hee's help and joined the others, observing his surroundings with palpable distrust. He knew he didn't have much time, and that the flames around them were a sign of the final trial that would determine their fate.
Kael, on the other hand, observed the events with great attention, ready to intervene if necessary but still feeling distant, as if all of this was just a complex game he was taking part in with little difficulty.
The flames extinguished.
A shiver ran through the room, but at that moment, the pressure in the air seemed to ease slightly. The flames all went out at once, giving way to an eerie silence, but without any new attacks.
"I told you... you need to enter the area," Kael said calmly, as the hunters who had stayed behind moved.
The heavy dungeon door slowly opened, but no one dared to move. The oppressive silence in the room was almost unbearable, as if the very air itself was waiting for a decision that, however, seemed obvious. Every gaze turned toward the opening, but none of the hunters made the first move. Anxiety was palpable. No one knew what awaited them beyond these dark walls, but they all seemed frozen by fear.
Suddenly, a scream of panic echoed as one of the hunters rushed out the door, running as if fleeing from a monster. Then, one after another, other hunters followed, each rushing outside, their hearts pounding wildly. They were almost running in terror, like rats searching for an escape.
But among them, Song Chi Yul, Kael, Sung Jin Woo, and Ju Hee remained still, observing the scene.
Sung Jin Woo, despite his fatigue and anxiety, slowly turned to Ju Hee, who seemed hesitant, ready to leave but unable to take the first step. "Ju Hee, we have to get out. We have no choice." He approached her and, with unexpected gentleness, reassured her. After a moment of doubt, she stood up and finally left, crossing the door. The others had already left the room, but her departure seemed to break something. It was now their turn.
Sung Jin Woo then turned to Kael and Song Chi Yul, a serious expression on his face. "Kael, Song Chi Yul… you need to leave. It's not up to us to decide who sacrifices themselves. You have to go."
Song Chi Yul, though the leader, seemed overwhelmed with guilt. "Sung Jin Woo, I... I have no choice. You're right. I apologize for everything." He bowed deeply before him, then slowly moved toward the exit. He looked at Kael for a moment, but Kael had no words to say. He simply nodded, affirming that he had no objection to Song Chi Yul leaving first.
"I'll leave too," Kael added, his voice calm but authoritative, as always. There was no hesitation in his words, just a slight smirk that deceived no one.
Before anyone could say anything else, Kael walked slowly toward the exit, following the trail of hunters who had already fled. As he approached the door, he turned one last time to the group behind him, his eyes gleaming with an indefinable light.
"You should all be ashamed," he said in a contemptuous tone, his strong voice resonating in the silent space. "You hide behind fear like children. What's the point of being a hunter if you tremble before the unknown? You're supposed to protect the people, not hide like cowards."
He paused for a moment, surveying each of the remaining hunters. "You're nothing more than amateurs, and it's a miracle you've made it this far. It's time to grow up."
Kael, with his usual calm, suddenly teleported into the dungeon's boss room, just as Sung Jin Woo was about to make a sacrifice. In an instant, he took the latter's place. The process was so quick and effortless that none of the hunters present truly understood what had just happened.
Kael, after swapping places with Sung Jin Woo, found himself alone inside the dungeon, while the other hunter, gravely injured, suddenly appeared outside. This change did not go unnoticed by the hunters gathered around the entrance of the dungeon. They were stunned to see Sung Jin Woo, now severely injured but with his leg healed, even though he was supposed to still be inside the dungeon.
Immediately, a group of hunters rushed towards him, making sure he received medical attention. They urgently contacted the Hunter Guild to have Sung Jin Woo transported to the hospital.
The hunters were completely confused, unable to understand how this switch had occurred. Their attention then turned to the inside of the dungeon, where Kael had taken Sung Jin Woo's place. But, since Kael remained invisible to their eyes, some speculated about what was happening inside.
"He disappeared from the outside. Where is he now?" one of the hunters murmured.
"I don't know. It looks like no one is in there. Maybe the dungeon has some other kind of test," another replied, perplexed.
Some, still in shock, thought that what had just happened was some kind of strange phenomenon or magical manipulation. They speculated, but no one could yet grasp what was truly going on.
Meanwhile, the Hunter Guild arrived quickly, with reinforcements of ranks S and A, including Cha Hae In. Upon her arrival, she observed the scene with deep concern. The confusion was growing among the hunters, and Cha Hae In's face revealed a certain tension.
She approached Sung Jin Woo, but before she could ask anything, one of the hunters briefly explained the situation.
"He... he disappeared. There's only Kael inside now. Sung Jin Woo was teleported outside, but he's gravely injured," he said, watching the scene with profound disbelief.
Cha Hae In furrowed her brows and turned towards the dungeon, sensing that something unusual was happening inside. She knew Kael, but she never would have imagined something like this.
She stared for a moment at the dungeon entrance, still deeply concerned. "We need to go in and get him out," she said in a firm voice. Her eyes hardened. "But Kael... how did he do this?"
The hunters around her exchanged confused and worried looks. No one truly understood what had happened. Kael, however, had left a strange impression on each of them. He wasn't the type to be disturbed, but this time, it seemed like he had taken control of things in a very different way.
Cha Hae In, despite her concerns, refocused on the mission and ordered the team to prepare to enter the dungeon to rescue Kael.
Kael, inside the dungeon, observed the statues surrounding him, his eyes scanning the room. He was alone, facing the animated statues, using his vectors to crush them one by one with deadly precision. His body was covered in a few injuries, but nothing that could stop him. Each movement seemed controlled and effortless. He was almost indifferent to the intensity of the battle, his mind elsewhere, thinking of ways to improve his abilities.
The statues fell one by one, their metallic forms collapsing with a dull, metallic sound. But as the last one fell, the giant statue on the throne slowly began to stir. It raised its head, its eyes glowing with a strange and inhuman light.
Kael paused for a moment, watching it. The giant statue locked eyes with him, and something in its gaze seemed different from all the other statues. It opened its mouth, and an unknown tongue escaped its lips, a strange, almost hypnotic sound. Kael frowned. There was nothing particularly threatening in this scene, but the presence of this statue was intimidating.
The statue's words resonated in the air, but Kael couldn't understand them. Before he had a chance to react, the statue slowly stood up from the throne, its movements echoing through the room. Suddenly, it vanished in a flash of light, as if it had never existed. The room fell silent again, the last remaining statues motionless and inert.
Kael stood there, in the darkness of the room, alone, lost in thought. The giant statue had disappeared, but a strange shiver ran down his spine. It gave him a sense of incompleteness, of something he didn't fully understand. But he knew he wasn't there to search for answers. He had to leave.
His injuries, though numerous, didn't affect him as much as he might have expected. It was a price to pay for testing his limits, for realizing what he was capable of. He made his way toward the exit, his body covered in cuts and bruises, but his stride remained calm and determined.
When he stepped outside the dungeon, the daylight briefly blinded him. He quickly realized that everyone was there, their gazes fixed on him. Hunters, guild members, journalists… All watching, stunned by his condition. He was clearly injured, but there was no trace of panic or despair on his face.
Cha Hae In detached herself from the group and quickly approached, her eyes focused on Kael with evident concern. She stopped in front of him, scanning him carefully, as if trying to understand what had happened inside the dungeon.
"Kael, what happened in there?" she asked, her voice betraying a hint of worry. Her gaze lingered on the visible wounds on Kael's body.
Kael looked at her for a moment, then turned his gaze away. "Nothing. Just a fight," he replied in a neutral, almost indifferent tone.
He had neither the energy nor the desire to discuss it. The truth was, he didn't want to explain. What he had experienced in that dungeon had no relevance to be shared. He hadn't yet processed everything he had seen and felt. It was just another step in a long process of evolution. He had neither the time nor the inclination to dwell on trivial details.
Kael simply looked around, then slowly turned away. Without another word, he made his way toward the exit, his pace calm and unhurried, as though what he had just experienced didn't matter. He heard voices behind him, whispers, questions, but he kept walking, aimlessly through the city.
Eventually, he arrived home. Once inside his apartment, he sat on his couch, looking at the injuries on his body with a certain detachment. It was just another step. But the question that haunted him was elsewhere: the giant statue and its strange words. He wasn't sure what it meant, but he had an intuition that it wasn't the end. Not yet.
He then got up, heading to the bathroom to tend to his wounds, before lying down on his bed. Night had fallen. He closed his eyes, but his mind stayed awake.