The roads were filled with cars.
The world kept turning, even with the appearance of dungeons.
Hunters and monsters maintained a delicate balance.
Stronger monsters continued to appear, but the hunters’ abilities were also growing.
The Devil King, however, was a different kind of terror.
Satin looked out the window.
“They say the world will end if the Devil King comes again, now that there are no heroes.”
The world would be fine.
Only Kang Gyeol was trapped in the cycle of regression.
“But people say you’re the new hero, mister. They say you can even beat the Devil King.”
What was the point of winning? It would just happen again.
The Ether bracelet on his wrist shimmered transparently.
Satin also wore one.
A thread of Ether connected the two, transmitting all of Satin’s information to him.
‘If we meet again, I will kill this child.’
The Devil King had understood his warning.
Kang Gyeol had returned through the portal with a newborn in his arms.
A hostage for the fate of humanity.
He had changed his face with Ether upon his return and had also erased the demonic energy from the baby.
Even the cruel Devil King cherished his daughter.
And for ten years, he hadn’t returned.
“If the Devil King comes, I’ll fight with you, mister.”
“Really?”
“Of course! I want to punish that bad Devil King.”
He reached out and ruffled her hair.
“Can I?”
“Of course you can.”
The Devil King’s daughter, now ten years old.
Her horns hadn’t grown yet.
Kang Gyeol turned the wheel towards the dungeon.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
He arrived at the entrance of the Yongsan dungeon.
A Hunter Management Agency staff member recognized him and opened the gate.
As he got out of the car, the hunters gathered at the entrance began to murmur.
“Here he is, the hunter with the baby on his back!”
“He doesn’t carry her anymore. Look, she’s grown up and follows him around.”
“But the image sticks.”
“True. The impact was strong. A seventeen-year-old hunter roaming dungeons with a baby on his back. It’s amazing to think about now.”
When he enveloped his body in Ether, his senses expanded.
He could hear whispers from afar.
“The child has grown up to be so pretty.”
“I heard she helps at the restaurant.”
“They say he’s homeschooling her instead of sending her to school. I think he’s hiding something.”
“It’s possible in this day and age. It’s not like they’re the only ones who don’t send their kids to school.”
He was used to the whispers.
A hunter who only appeared in irregular dungeons. And he brought a child with him.
It would be strange if people didn’t talk.
An irregular dungeon was one whose level couldn’t be determined.
A dungeon change could occur, or a hidden dungeon could appear.
The most dangerous was when the dungeon itself turned into a gate.
If a portal that allowed one being to cross at a time was a side door, then a gate was a triumphal arch.
Dozens, even hundreds, of beings from other worlds could cross through it at once.
“The hunter with the baby is here. Does that mean it’s definitely an irregular dungeon?”
“I’m glad I didn’t go in. Huh? What’s going on over there?”
The dungeon entrance became chaotic. About a dozen hunters poured out.
All of them were injured.
“Armored Orcs!”
It was unbelievable.
“Armored Orcs? A monster like that appeared in a small dungeon?”
Armored Orcs were rare even in medium-sized dungeons.
Their bodies were covered in reinforced metal plates, and ordinary physical attacks couldn’t damage them.
Kang Gyeol calmly examined the dungeon entrance.
Not the demon world this time, either. For the past ten years, there had been no trace of demons.
He had checked every irregular dungeon in other countries, but he hadn’t found any demonic energy.
A Management Agency staff member approached.
“Mr. Kang Gyeol. We’ve called the Hunter Management Agency’s special forces. It would be best to wait and go in with them.”
But the energy was strange.
He could smell a strange, otherworldly scent.
“Control the entrance and don’t let anyone in.”
“Are you going in alone again? The special forces will be here soon.”
“It’ll be too late. The situation has already developed.”
The flustered staff member shouted at the hunters, “From now on, entry to the dungeon is prohibited! Entry will resume when the Hunter Management Agency’s special forces arrive. Please wait here for a moment.”
He then turned to Gyeol.
“You may enter. It’s an honor to meet you, hunter with the baby.”
Satin frowned and put her hands on her hips.
“I’m not being carried anymore! And I’m not a baby.”
The staff member couldn’t help but smile at her.
“My apologies. Please forgive me. You may enter as well, young hunter!”
“Yes!”
Satin walked briskly towards the dungeon entrance.
Someone shouted, “Do you need help? It must be dangerous to fight while taking care of a child.”
“It’s not dangerous at all! My mister is the strongest in the world!”
Satin answered without looking back, and the hunters fell silent.
They probably wanted to watch him fight rather than help. The hunter with the baby always fought alone.
Only Satin was with him.
The dungeon was dry.
A normal dungeon connected to another world should be damp.
And with the appearance of Armored Orcs… Orcs couldn’t manipulate metal.
At most, they wore leather scraps looted from trolls and goblins.
But if they had made armor out of metal and wore it… that meant someone was controlling them.
“Mister. There’s a strange smell.”
A being with a high level of civilization had intentionally opened the gate.
“Why does the dungeon smell like fire?”
A mage.
He could faintly smell gunpowder from them.
If they had opened a portal in the dungeon and sent in Armored Orcs, the reason was obvious.
He could feel a Mana core behind a large stalagmite.
It was a fairly high-level core.
He had already sensed the orcs’ breathing.
“Come out. Don’t hide.”
A mage in a black robe walked out.
Behind him, an orc in metal armor followed with a thud, thud.
“As expected of the paradise of Ether. If the scent on my body is this strong, how magnificent must the outside be.”
The mage took a deep breath and muttered to himself, “The purity is incredible. I can’t believe such pure Ether exists.”
The mage gestured with his chin, and the orc roared,
“Graaaaaagh!”
and charged forward.
The dungeon shook from its rough movements.
Kang Gyeol extended his hand towards the orc.
Translucent Ether flowed from his heart and enveloped his hand.
He twisted his hand, and the Ether solidified into the shape of a sword.
The Armored Orc leaped and charged at him.
At the same time, the Ether sword slashed across the orc’s chest.
The metal armor covering the orc shattered and flew in all directions.
Kang Gyeol took a step forward and pushed the sword.
The orc flinched and retreated, but the blade had already pierced its side.
It looked surprised that its armor had been broken.
“Stop!”
The mage, who had been watching, raised his staff.
“I surrender! Stop.”
What did he mean, stop?
Ether flowed from his hand, down the sword, and enveloped the orc.
The orc’s knees buckled, and it collapsed.
The mage threw his robe at the orc.
The vortex of Ether grew stronger, shaking the orc.
The mage’s robe was caught in the vortex and wrapped around the orc’s body.
In an instant, the orc disappeared in a shower of silver light.
The mage narrowed his eyes and looked at him.
“To think there’s such a guardian. Unbelievable.”
It was an old man with white hair.
“I’ve sent the orc back. I didn’t come here to fight.”
“You came to steal, and you want to avoid a fight? Were you planning on getting a free ride?”
“There are circumstances.”
“What circumstances? All you want is Ether.”
“What kind of magic did you use?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ether is an energy for using Mana. No one can directly manipulate Ether.”
I pointed the Ether sword at the mage.
“You can live with that knowledge. For about three more seconds.”
“I want to make a deal.”
The mage took a step forward.
The blade touched his neck, and a drop of blood fell.
“I don’t need much. Just one lump of pure Ether is enough. If you give me that, I will give you a worthy treasure.”
The mage didn’t care about his life.
He pushed against the blade and took another step forward.
“I’ll do anything to save the princess. Please. Just one lump of Ether!”
Satin, who had been standing behind him, tugged at his hand.
When he looked back, she was biting her lip and looking at the mage.
“That old man is serious.”
Satin couldn’t lie.
And she could tell when others were lying.
The mage’s voice trembled slightly.
“Without Ether, the princess will die within a few days. I’ll even give you half of the kingdom. Please grant my request.”
“No.”
The mage asked hastily, “Why! Without even listening to the details!”
“Because it’s dangerous for Ether to leave this place. It would be like giving away the location of the mine.”
“We will keep the secret. What we want isn’t Ether. We just want to save the princess’s life.”
“You’re about to lose your own life, and you’re worried about someone else?”
The mage collapsed to his knees.
He then placed both hands on the ground and bowed his head.
“Then, hero. Please allow the princess to come here.”
“What?”
“If we can’t take the Ether, then we have no choice but to bring the princess here.”
The mage’s shoulders trembled.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
“Ether isn’t a cure. It can’t heal people.”
“The princess’s core reacts to Ether instead of Mana. But our kingdom’s Ether is too weak. It can’t sustain her core.”
An Ether core? Impossible.
“You know it too. Those with cores share their fate with them. The princess can’t even breathe properly now.”
“It has nothing to do with me.”
“We will repay you. If you accept the princess, we will revere you as the savior of our kingdom. And hero…”
The mage slowly raised his head.
“The princess is the most beautiful maiden in all dimensions.”
“So what if she’s beautiful?”
“Aren’t heroes usually interested in beautiful women?”
“No.”
The mage looked at his face with a surprised expression.
