The presence that had risen its head in the darkness didn’t approach Sung Joon. No, it went ‘somewhere else’. It was already too late by the time that he sensed where it was going.

“AH!” Eun Joo screamed in agony, and her blood splattered.

Her stealth effect was released, and she and the Spirit King were exposed. The Spirit King had already pierced her stomach with its sword.

It was difficult for even Sung Joon to detect the Spirit King’s presence, so it was impossible for Eun Joo to have sensed it. Thinking that the Spirit King would first attack an exposed enemy was a mistake.

To think it would attack the potential danger first..!

“M-Mr. Sung Joon..”

In the midst of her pain, Eun Joo vomited blood. Upon seeing that, Sung Joon raised his synchronization to its limit without hesitation.

“Your synchronization rate is at 25%! It’s restricted, but you may use the Illusionary Sword!”

Sung Joon knew, even without Rishubalt telling him; he had recollected the method to use the Illusionary Sword.

“Ha!” Sung Joon cried, using his high-speed movement to close the distance between him and the Spirit King.

The Spirit King sensed danger, raised its flaming sword and widened the distance between itself and Eun Joo.

“Illusionary Sword!”

However, Sung Joon had instantly caught up to it, and used his Illusionary Sword. He swung his sword and six illusionary swords aimed at six separate vital points simultaneously.

The Spirit King hurriedly mounted a defense, but it couldn’t defend against six illusionary swords. It had successfully blocked three illusionary swords, but the other three cut and stabbed at points which would have been vital, had it been human.

“This is the end!” Sung Joon announced its death and withdrew his sword.

He raised his sword and aimed for the middle of its forehead. When he had thought everything was over, the Spirit King raised its left hand.

At that moment, a storm of cold shards of ice struck Sung Joon.

“Ugh!”

The spell was weaker without an incantation, but it was enough to push Sung Joon back. The fabric that comprised his vestments were as tough as steel, so the shards didn’t pierce through, but the ice shards had managed to pierce the front side of his leg.

Although it was injured, the Spirit King attacked Sung Joon while he tried to retreat.

“It’s using its Breath!” cautioned Rishubalt.

The Spirit King attacked with its sword whilst acting erratically. Rishubalt picked up on this, and warned Sung Joon. The Spirit King opened its mouth and discharged flames.

“Ergh!”

Sung Joon had been focused on close quarters combat and had been able to avoid the breath, thanks to Rishubalt. The wave of flames swept past the area he had occupied just a second ago.

The Spirit King aimed for Sung Joon, who had retreated, and raised its hand. Five ice spears appeared in the air and with a wave of its hand, the ice spears flew towards Sung Joon.

Sung Joon evaded the ice spears and drew on his mana.

“My lord! You may faint if you raise your synchronization rate any further!” Rishubalt warned.

He’d already drawn his mana and raised his synchronization rate to 25%, so he had already transcended his limits.

“Everyone will die at this rate, if I don’t,” Sung Joon said firmly, and raised his mana.

As he watched Sung Joon, Rishubalt was simultaneously both furious and upset, since he couldn’t be of any help to him, and bit his lip.

“Your synchronization rate is at 29%! Raising it anymore is truly dangerous!” Rishubalt said.

Sung Joon stopped drawing upon his mana.

He awakened his combat experience, whilst drastically increasing his fighting abilities.

“Ha!” Sung Joon yelled, and used his high-speed movement to close in.

He had sped up so much that it would be difficult to track him with the eyes, so the Spirit King was completely taken aback.

The Spirit King spurted a breath, trying to hold him back. However, Sung Joon wasn’t in the path of its flaming breath.

“Illusionary Sword!”

At some point, Sung Joon had moved behind the Spirit King, and utilized his Illusionary Sword.

Originally, the Illusionary Sword was a high-ranked skill that summoned dozens of swords, while the Illusionary Sword Dance summoned hundreds, even thousands of swords. However, since his synchronization rate was too low at the moment, he was limited to summoning six blades.

However, six was enough to unleash a deadly attack.

The Spirit King hadn’t expected an attack from behind. The six illusionary swords ruthlessly pierced the Spirit King.

The Spirit King couldn’t withstand the fatal blow for long, and staggered.

Sung Joon withdrew his sword. Then, he took a stance. Seeing that, Rishubalt spoke with an urgent expression.

“My lord! You cannot afford to use the Illusionary Sword any longer!” he said.

The Illusionary Sword consumed a lot of mana, so it strained the body. His synchronization rate was too low just then, so the Illusionary Sword might actually harm him instead.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Sung Joon’s will hadn’t changed. His sharp gaze pierced the Spirit King. When it had aimed its flaming sword at him..

..Sung Joon released his killing intent.

“..!”

His condensed killing intent completely overwhelmed the S-rank Spirit King. Sung Joon seized that opportunity and grasped his sword, advancing quickly.

“Illusionary Sword!”

The illusionary swords attacked the Spirit King. Although it attempted to resist, the illusionary swords severed its left arm and right leg, and so the Spirit King helplessly collapsed.

Sung Joon withdrew his sword and yelled, “This is the end!”

His blade pierced through the center of its forehead and the Spirit King’s body trembled once, leaving behind a ‘core’, as well as a ‘magic stone’, and dissipated into the air.

“Absorb.”

Sung Joon absorbed the mana before the pain overwhelmed him. He had recovered his consumed mana and stamina, but he remained exhausted.

He had used too much energy in his fight against the Spirit King.

“Argh!”

As soon as he finished absorbing the mana and relaxed the tension in his body, a horrific pain pervaded his body. It was to the point that he almost lost consciousness.

Up until now, this was the most pain he had felt from transcending his limits and forcibly raising his synchronization rate.

“My lord!” Rishubalt cried.

Ultimately, Sung Joon was unable to withstand the pain and toppled to the floor. His sight was fading to black. He crawled to Eun Joo, his face ashen.

“Mr.. Sung Joon..” Eun Joo said weakly.

Sung Joon stretched his left hand towards her. Because of the mana he had absorbed from the Spirit King’s ‘core’, he had enough mana remaining to use his ‘Heal’.

“Heal..!” he chanted, struggling, and cast his Heal. Her wound was enveloped in white light and began to heal.

Upon seeing that, Sung Joon could no longer bear the pain and closed his eyes.

* * *

He opened his eyes in a hospital. He was greeted by a white ceiling, the smell of disinfectant, and a hospital gown around his body.

“Is this.. a hospital..?”

He was familiar with hospitals, as his father currently suffered from blood cancer, but this was the first time that he had been on a sickbed.

“My lord! Are you awake?”

Rishubalt had confirmed that Sung Joon had awoken and made a great fuss. He raised his body and examined his surroundings before replying to Rishubalt.

It was a single room.

Sung Joon confirmed that there was no one else in the room and spoke with a calm expression.

“Rishubalt, report,” Sung Joon said.

He didn’t know what had happened after he had lost consciousness. However, he thought that Rishubalt might know something that he didn’t.

“You lost consciousness, my lord, and after around five hours passed, the ‘Dike’ Hunters came to rescue you.”

“If it took five hours, then they went straight through without encountering any monsters.. that seems similar to a normal dungeon,” Sung Joon said.

In a normal dungeon, as soon as the dungeon was cleared, the remaining few monsters were unsummoned.

“So you’re saying that I was unconscious for at least five hours?”

“To be exact, you were unconscious for twenty-five hours,” Rishubalt replied.

Sung Joon nodded with a grave expression.

“It seems that if I transcend my limits and pass a certain line, I lose consciousness.”

He had realized through this painful experience that there was no limit to raising his synchronization rate; however, he realized if he recklessly transcended his limits, there was a high chance that he would black out.

Sung had decided to call this skill Limit Break.

He thought, ‘I’ll have to be cautious from now on.’

This time had been an exception. He had fought a tough fight in the Boss Room, but Sung Joon would refrain from using Limit Break in normal scenarios.

Such extreme pain, to the point of blacking out, was too big of a risk.

“Also, my lord, your current synchronization rate is at 23%.” Rishubalt reported on the subject that Sung Joon had been curious about.

“Someone is coming,” Rishubalt interrupted.

Sung Joon paused his conversation with Rishubalt. Eventually, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” he answered.

The door opened and a girl with bobbed hair carefully entered the hospital room. She slowly raised her head, revealing that she was Dike’s Team Leader, Choi Eun Joo.

“Mr. Sung Joon..” she began.

“Please sit down,” Sung Joon suggested.

Eun Joo bashfully nodded her head and sat in the chair beside the sickbed.

“Are you alright?” Sung Joon asked, just as she opened her mouth.

She smiled with her eyes and nodded her head.

“If it wasn’t for you, Mr. Sung Joon, I would’ve died from excessive bleeding.”

The ‘Dike’ Hunters had arrived after five hours. If Sung Joon hadn’t treated her wound with his Heal, she would’ve died from the bleeding.

“Are you alright, Mr. Sung Joon? I was really worried when you suddenly lost consciousness.”

She still remembered distinctly how Sung Joon had stretched out his hand and used his ‘Heal’ on her, despite barely being conscious.

That sight was enough to stimulate the emotions of Eun Joo, who was still in her twenties.

“I’m alright.”

Eun Joo gazed concernedly at him and said, “The doctor said it was mana shock. You have to rest.”

Mana shock was a phenomenon that occurred with the overuse of mana.

Eun Joo eye-smiled charmingly and passed him some drinking water. His actions in the dungeon had made Eun Joo have positive feelings towards him.

Those feelings weren’t deep yet, but it was a good start.

“They said that when you have mana shock, you become really thirsty. Please drink this.”

“Thank you.”

Sung Joon drank the water that she had passed to him. As he drank the cold water, he felt as if his mind was clearing up.

“It’s refreshing.”

“That’s a relief. Hehe.” Eun Joo laughed shyly. Sung Joon looked at her and opened his mouth.

“How did the dungeon assault go?”

“We cleared it. Two people died.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Sung Joon expressed his regret. Although Eun Joo displayed a sad expression when she thought back to her dead teammates, she tried her best and put on a smile.

It was common for Hunters to die in the dungeon and Eun Joo seemed to be accustomed to it, so she must have seen it happen many times.

“But thanks to you, Mr. Sung Joon, there were barely any casualties. Everyone is thankful to you.”

“I see.”

“Ah.. Also, about the reward. I thought you’d be curious, so I asked the Team Leader (Hyun Sung),” Eun Joo said.

Sung Joon’s eyes gleamed.

“It seemed like the Team Leader would have explained it in detail later, but I’ll tell you in advance,” Eun Joo started.

Sung Joon nodded his head and Eun Joo continued.

“He was saying that a ton of magic stones came out of the S-rank dungeon because of the large concentration of monsters. Plus, the country would reward us, so your share would come out to $6.1 million.”

If he included the money he had received from selling his items in the past, his wealth would now exceed $10 million. Sung Joon felt like he was getting dizzy.

He didn’t think he would possibly come to possess over $10 million.

“The doctor said that you’d have to rest for at least two days. Also..”

Knock. Knock.

Before she could continue, someone knocked on the door and opened it. A ponytailed, brown-haired woman, dressed in a suit, walked in.

“You already have a visitor?”

It was Yoon Seol Ah.