He didn’t even have the time to cast his Heal. The best he could do was to just dodge.

‘There’ll be no end to this.’

Sung Joon would also be exhausted by the time the Mages run out of mana. He wouldn’t be able to cope if the Training Supervisor, Dyke, intervened.

‘Do I have to transcend..?’

Sung Joon pondered and soon shook his head. He wasn’t confident that he’d be able to slaughter them all while he transcended his synchronization rate.

He’d at least have to take out all of the soldiers in his way before he transcended, so he wouldn’t waste any of the time.

“There’ll be a short gap in the next fifteen seconds. Guided magic isn’t fatal and my lord, you should be able to use your Heal, so please back off by giving up some of your flesh,” Rishubalt counseled.

Eventually, the time he had talked about had arrived.

He didn’t have any reason or time to think. As Sung Joon was hit by the guided magic, he retreated and used his stealth ability.

“It’s stealth!” someone yelled.

“Request for emergency assistance from the Empire!”

“We’re blocked from the outside for some unknown reason!”

“Is it due to the trespasser? Mages, spread your Searching Magic and infantry division, blockade the exit!”

The soldiers moved quickly.

“Our retreat route has been blocked off,” Rishubalt reported.

However, Sung Joon smirked.

The portion of the soldiers that had been maintaining the battle line now blockaded the exit, leaving a gap in their formation. Now he could aim for the Mages.

After Sung Joon completely hid his presence, he closed the distance between him and the closest Mage. Before the Searching Magic was complete, his blade pierced the Mage’s throat.

“Gurk..!”

He choked out a phlegmy sound and the Mage opened his tightly closed mouth, pouring out blood.

‘There are three left!’

Sung Joon smiled. The remaining Mages retreated, suspended casting their Searching Magic, and readied their offensive magic.

However, that was after Sung Joon had already hidden himself.

“Damn it!” someone yelled.

Ultimately, Dyke, who commanded the soldiers, moved in order to protect the Mages.

He was worried that the Mages would be annihilated in one go and so the Mages which were in an extended order gathered within Dyke’s vicinity to gain his protection.

‘I should use my Heal soon.. stealth is a handicap now,’ thought Sung Joon.

If Sung Joon wanted to cast his Heal and then use his aura, he had to suspend his stealth. Sung Joon slashed a nearby soldier’s neck.

As soon as his stealth was released, he raised his left hand and opened his mouth.

“Absorb!”

“Fire Spear!”

At the same time, the Mages had finished casting their offensive magic. The blazing fire spears flew towards Sung Joon but he simply stood there, without evading.

The other Mages started casting, and the Mage that had thrown the fire spears imagined that Sung Joon would be burnt to a crisp and laughed happily.

However, it didn’t go as he wanted.

“Ha!” Sung Joon briefly cried and swung his sword, slashing apart the fire spear. The flame dissipated weakly as it was cut in two.

While the Mages were taken aback, Sung Joon used that opportunity by drawing his mana and saying..

“Heal!”

He stemmed the bleeding and his wounds quickly began to heal.

“It’s the Spell-Breaking Sword! Prepare high-rank magic! I’ll buy some time!” Dyke said.

In order to cut through high-rank magic, one’s understanding of the Spell-Breaking Sword had to be high. Therefore, even if Dyke had to buy time for the Mages, he wanted them to gather their strength and cast high-rank magic. He’d probably thought that Sung Joon’s Spell-Breaking Sword wasn’t yet at the level of slashing through high-rank magic.

“You can’t run away!”

Dyke utilized his high-speed movement. Dyke was planning on closing the distance and keeping Sung Joon from using his stealth ability.

“Assemble!”

While Sung Joon and Dyke were fighting, the noncom officer ordered the soldiers to assemble and reconstruct the battle line.

‘I have to use all of my strength..!’ Sung Joon realized.

Dyke and Sung Joon fought for a short time, but Sung Joon couldn’t deny that Dyke had a superb level of swordsmanship.

‘I have to kill him before the Mages are finished..!’

Sung Joon released his killing intent.

“Argh!”

However, Dyke possessed a lot of mana and he was powerful, so he merely groaned, rather than toppling to the floor like the other soldiers.

His killing intent had momentarily stopped Dyke’s movements, but that was all.

Sung Joon tried to use his Illusionary Sword, but Dyke counterattacked with his fancy swordsmanship first. The cold blade dangerously grazed his neck and passed by.

“Ugh!”

Sung Joon yelled from the cold feeling. His flesh had been cut and blood splattered, but the wound wasn’t deep.

Sung Joon responded with his combat swordsmanship mixed with a feint, but Dyke had ample combat experience. Dyke skillfully detected the mixed in feint and counterattacked; his swordsmanship was exceptional.

“You’re a monster! Are you an elite knight?” Dyke asked.

Sung Joon recollected the term ‘elite knight’ from his memories. The elite knights were the only force that could stand against the Empire; they consisted of a coalition of the Kingdom’s elite knights.

Since Dyke couldn’t have known that Sung Joon was Roukel, who reincarnated to get revenge, he assumed that Sung Joon was part of the Kingdom’s coalition of elite knights.

“Think what you want.”

Sung Joon smiled cynically and received Dyke’s blade. The force behind his sword was truly heavy, but Sung Joon’s physical strength was nothing to scoff at since he had achieved a synchronization rate of 26%.

‘There’s no opening to use the Illusionary Sword..!’

He tried to use the most fatal technique he could at his current synchronization rate, the ‘Illusionary Sword’, but due to Dyke’s storm-like attacks, he didn’t have the chance to use it.

Considering that the flow of mana behind Dyke was steadily getting larger, the magic casting must’ve been almost complete.

He was in an urgent situation, but Sung Joon calmly thought about it.

‘When the high-rank magic is complete, he’ll definitely retreat.. At that moment, I’ll use my Illusionary Sword.’

Dyke probably wouldn’t want to be swept away by the high-rank magic, so he’d certainly retreat.

He planned to aim for that very moment.

“Sir Dyke!”

“Judgment of the Red Flame!” When they finished casting, a Mage, representing the others, chanted the activation words and completed the high-rank magic. A circle of red magic manifested above Sung Joon’s head.

Dyke calmly assumed a defensive posture, attacked Sung Joon in order to hold him back, and retreated. He could only escape the range of the high-rank magic if he retreated quickly.

However, Sung Joon didn’t just sit there and watch.

Sung Joon used all his power and closed the distance with his high-speed movement.

“Huh?”

In an instant, Sung Joon dashed towards Dyke with a ferocious vigor, and Dyke responded by raising his gleaming aura-clad sword. It was a perfect defensive close-range stance, but unfortunately, Sung Joon still had a deadly finishing move remaining.

It consumed a lot of mana, but the move that could cause fatal damage to his opponent was..

“Illusionary Sword!”

A tremendous volume of mana escaped his body and six illusionary swords were summoned, rushing towards Dyke. Dyke paled when he saw the six illusionary swords aiming at six different vital points.

“T-this technique is..!”

In less than a second, before the illusionary swords struck, Dyke had a realization.

He had learned about him a million times in the knight academy; historically, he was the most honorable knight. However, the Emperor had ordered his elimination and the greatest knight, Roukel, had lost his life at the Ridonia Great Plains; but he was certain that it was Roukel’s technique.

‘It’s poor, but it’s definitely Sir Roukel’s Illusionary Sword!’

It wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly the Illusionary Sword. It meant that no matter what defensive posture he assumed, he wouldn’t be able to block it at his level.

“AH!”

He couldn’t even think of defending. He knew it was pointless.

The blades of the illusionary swords cut and pierced six vital points.

Dyke died.

“Sir Dyke!” someone yelled.

The red magical circle opened and a vicious flame spewed out, but Sung Joon had already escaped the range of the magic with his high-speed movement.

“Don’t panic and line up! Remember our oath! Give up your lives to buy time!”

Despite Dyke’s death, the soldiers didn’t break from their ranks. It was because the Mages were supporting them.

As per the noncom officer’s command, the soldiers reorganized their battle formations and the Mages fired their chantless magic at random.

“Absorb!”

Sung Joon’s consumed mana and stamina were replenished through the mana from Dyke’s body. When he finished absorbing the mana, the Mages’ randomly fired chantless attack magic was right in front of him.

“How sloppy.”

Sung Joon wouldn’t be beaten by mere low level magic; the chantless magic wasn’t even guided. He all too easily evaded the attacks.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

He utilized his high-speed movement and like a storm, swung his sword and the soldiers around him fell. Their formation, that they had so arduously rebuilt, had crumbled and by the time the soldiers had aimed their spears at Sung Joon, he had already rushed towards the Mages.

“We can’t block him with chantless magic! Prepare high-rank magic! I’ll sacrifice myself to stop that bastard!”

One of the Mages threw himself at Sung Joon’s blade. The other two Mages gathered their strength and started casting high-rank magic.

“AH!”

The Mage’s heart was destroyed in one blow. However, even in death, his hands hadn’t let go of Sung Joon’s arm.

“Now!”

Sung Joon’s weapon was sealed. The two remaining Mages and the noncom officer thought that was the way and the soldiers that had drawn their swords quickly rushed towards him.

However, that had been a severe miscalculation.

“S-Stop..!”

Sung Joon drew his dagger and used his aura to sever the Mage’s arm; and then he pulled his sword from the Mage’s corpse.

By the time the noncom officer had told the soldiers to be cautious, they had already been slaughtered.

“Ugh!”

Sung Joon annihilated the twenty-two remaining soldiers and had even decapitated the noncom officer. Eventually, he turned his attention to the two Mages casting the high-rank magic.

Flick.

“Ugh!”

His thrown dagger cut through the air and lodged into the Mage’s chest, killing him. Before his body even touched the ground, Sung Joon had reached the other Mage and swung his sword.

“AH!”

He had severed the Mage’s arm and swung his sword, striking his head. The Mage weakly collapsed.

“Absorb.”

He had raised his left hand and absorbed the mana and stamina, but the exhaustion on his face was apparent.

– Verifying assault, measurement complete. B-rank dungeon, clear.

– Verifying the existence of a new item.

While Sung Joon rummaged through Dyke’s garments, his measuring tool reacted.

“Was it around the level of a high B-rank dungeon..?”

Sung Joon spoke to himself.

He had thought it was of A-rank difficulty, but the measuring tool judged that it was B-rank. Sung Joon carefully guessed that amongst B-ranks, it was a high-rank or the highest-rank difficulty.

“But Rishubalt, he doesn’t have a ring?”

Sung Joon couldn’t find a ring on Dyke’s body. However, before Rishubalt could even open his mouth, Sung Joon belatedly recalled that the ring wasn’t the only emblem of the Knight Brigade and examined Dyke’s neck.

“I found it.”

There was a necklace that had the number ‘412’ written on it.

‘412th place.. I wonder how strong 300th place would be..?’

“I will take away the other world energy,” said Rishubalt.

Sung Joon received Rishubalt’s help in removing the other world energy held within the necklace.

Then he used the appraisal feature of his measuring tool.

[Knight Brigade’s Necklace]

A-rank.

Verifying Mana Recovery effect.

A mana recovery effect was a usable ability. It was an item he’d need in cases where his mana consumption was large, like in this Awakening Dungeon.

Sung Joon donned the necklace. It didn’t recover his mana at a quick rate, but he could feel his mana recovering.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“I will carry out your order.”

Rishubalt shook his hands in the air and the surroundings melted away, returning it to the appearance of the empty Boss Room. He had spent a few days in the Great Labyrinth, but inside the Awakening Dungeon, the time outside froze; therefore, to others, it looked like had he just normally cleared a dungeon and came out.

“Your synchronization rate is at 27%. Your technique of releasing your killing intent has strengthened.”

Rishubalt didn’t forget to explain.

Sung Joon said, “I want to rest.”

In many ways, this recent Awakening Dungeon had consumed his stamina and mana and he was also extremely fatigued. Sung Joon wanted to rest immediately. He hurriedly walked and left the dungeon, returning above ground.

The first thing he saw was a group of Orcs.