The battle was over.
But the danger had only just begun.
The last twisted creature collapsed into the blackened stone, its body dissolving into mist, leaving behind only silence.
Then—
The ground shook.
And far beyond the crimson horizon, something stirred.
A massive shadow loomed in the distance. Watching. Waiting.
And it was coming for them.
Aftermath of the Battle – The Reality of Fear
For a moment, the only sound was the heavy breathing of the survivors.
Kai's fingers ached, still clutching his notebook as if it were a weapon. His body was tense, his mind still replaying the battle, every second carved into his memory.
They had survived.
Barely.
Min-Jae fell onto one knee, wiping sweat from his forehead. "That was… too close."
Hana was still shaking, clutching her bleeding leg.
Yoon-Soo, however, was grinning.
"Ha… ha… that was fun." He wiped blood from his dagger. "I was getting worried this dungeon would be boring."
Kai stared at him, feeling something cold in his chest.
"He's not even scared?"
The fight had nearly killed them.
And yet, Yoon-Soo looked excited.
Dae-Ho spat on the ground. "What the hell were those things?"
"They weren't in the dungeon report." Min-Jae's eyes narrowed. "These weren't just E-rank monsters."
"Then what?" Hana muttered. "We've never seen creatures like that before."
Kai exhaled.
"They weren't goblins, wolves, or standard dungeon beasts…"
These things had been wrong. Twisted. Warped.
It was as if they didn't belong in a normal dungeon.
His thoughts halted when the ground shook again.
The Red King's Arrival – Death Approaches
From the far end of the battlefield, a towering black fortress emerged from the mist, its obsidian spires rising into the blood-red sky.
A deep, guttural sound rumbled from its depths.
A sound that made Kai's skin crawl.
Then—
A figure emerged from the shadows.
It was enormous. At least four meters tall, its massive frame covered in jet-black armor, its shoulders adorned with jagged crimson spikes.
Its face was hidden behind a skull-like mask, its empty eye sockets burning with a cold, unnatural light.
And in its right hand, it held a colossal greatsword, its serrated edges dripping with black mist.
SYSTEM ALERT
🔹 [WARNING: FIELD BOSS DETECTED] 🔹
🩸 Red King of the Forgotten Throne 🩸
??? Level | ??? HP | ??? MP
"Shit."
Dae-Ho's voice was barely a whisper.
"No way…" Min-Jae took a step back. "That… that thing isn't E-rank."
Hana gripped her staff tighter, her breath unsteady.
Kai felt his blood freeze.
A Field Boss.
A monster that normally only appeared in high-rank dungeons.
And its stats weren't even visible.
Which meant one thing.
They were all going to die.
The Red King Speaks – A New Horror
Then—
The Red King moved.
It lifted its greatsword, resting it against its shoulder, and then—
It laughed.
A deep, grinding noise, like metal scraping against bone, echoing across the dead plains.
And then it spoke.
Its voice was slow, dragging, filled with something ancient and malevolent.
"Mortals."
The sound of that single word rippled through the air, making Kai's chest tighten as if an invisible force was pressing down on him.
"You should not have come here."
Then—
It raised its sword.
And charged.
The Battle Against the Red King – A Fight They Can't Win
The ground cracked beneath its weight, each step sending shockwaves through the battlefield.
And then—
It swung.
The air split apart, the sheer force of its swing tearing a deep trench in the ground, as if the very world was being ripped open.
"SCATTER!" Yoon-Soo roared.
Dae-Ho barely had time to raise his shield before the shockwave slammed into him, sending him flying backward like a ragdoll.
Hana screamed. "Dae-Ho!"
Min-Jae cast [Mana Barrier!], but the moment the Red King's sword touched it, the spell shattered like glass.
"Fuck—"
Yoon-Soo vanished, reappearing behind the Red King, his dagger stabbing toward its back—
But the moment the blade made contact—
🔹 [System Notice: Damage Nullified] 🔹
Yoon-Soo's eyes widened.
Then the Red King grabbed him by the throat.
Kai's Powerlessness – Helpless Again
Kai could only watch.
Yoon-Soo—one of Korea's strongest B-rank hunters—was being lifted into the air, struggling like a helpless child.
The Red King's grip tightened.
Yoon-Soo gasped, his dagger slipping from his fingers.
"Do you feel it?" the Red King whispered. "The weight of the weak."
Kai's chest tightened.
"I can't do anything."
He had no weapons.
No combat skills.
Nothing but a notebook and a useless class.
And because of that—
They were all going to die.
The Red King tightened his grip—and with a sickening CRACK, Yoon-Soo's neck snapped.
His lifeless body fell to the ground.
And then—
The Red King turned his gaze to Kai.
It raised its greatsword, its burning gaze locking onto him.
"Your turn."