The smartphone flashlight flickered through the darkness, but it illuminated nothing but heaps of collapsed stone.

They were completely sealed inside the jagged stone that once housed the prison.

Adonis quickly gathered his thoughts.

"No matter what's happening, we need to let the others know that the mission was a success. The comms…"

But perhaps due to the sheer mass of rock above them, even their modified smartphones couldn't connect to the outside.

First, they needed to escape the collapsed prison.

"Our top priority is getting out of here. Lutz, can you locate an exit passage?"

"Just a second!"

Lutz didn't just have a spatial movement skill—he also possessed a unique one.

A 3D spatial awareness skill.

As a visual design major, he'd obtained an A-rank skill related to "space" during the Choice Labyrinth. Even in a building collapse like this, he could scan and perceive the surrounding structure purely through magic.

His Power flowed through the surroundings, and soon, he found a hollow point.

"This way!"

After that, the escape went smoothly.

The players weren't weak enough to die under some rubble, and with Rune's extraordinary strength stat, no wall was too heavy to lift aside.

It didn't take long for them to reach the outside.

"Exit's here!"

But the moment they stepped into the light at the exit, they were met with something even more absurd than the collapse that had buried them.

[You have heard the roar of the C-Rank Half-Dragon Monster 'Giant Horned Lizard.']

[Status Effect: Fear – You are afflicted.]

[Agility -15 temporarily.]

…(truncated)…

System messages flooded their vision like a chain explosion.

The barrage of debuffs hit them like a physical weight. Their shoulders felt as if boulders had been tied to them.

Their chests tightened. Breathing became difficult. Their entire bodies shrank inward with dread.

Adonis stared up in horror at the monster roaring not far from them.

"…Giant Horned Lizard."

A monster just beneath the dungeon's boss tier, even within the Well of the Lizardmen.

Its presence alone, befitting its half-dragon classification, screamed danger. His mind echoed with nothing but internal alarms.

This… This is the real one.

Even calling it a "monster" didn't do it justice.

The massive lizard glared with feral, killer eyes—and it didn't take much to guess who its gaze had locked onto.

A flash of red.

BOOM!

In the next instant, the Giant Horned Lizard's tail swung hard and batted the red light away. Coincidentally, the spot where it landed was near where Adonis stood.

He couldn't believe his eyes.

"…Millie?"

Millie, drenched in blood, was collapsed on the ground and trembling as she barely pulled herself upright.

Her magic bullets glowed with a red aura as she fired again at the monster—but it did nothing.

Her shots had failed to pierce the Giant Horned Lizard's thick hide.

"…Miss Millie!!!"

Was Adonis's scream the signal?

The Ark players began launching all sorts of skills at once. Bullets and arrows flew through the air, striking the monster from all sides.

But it didn't even flinch.

Of course not.

If even Millie's magic bullets were useless, how could theirs do anything?

Still, they powerged to divert the monster's gaze.

Lutz quickly teleported to Millie, scooped her into his arms, and retreated back.

"Quick—give her an HP potion…!"

Up close, Millie looked as though she'd survived by a miracle. Her complexion was deathly pale, and her HP bar was barely a thread.

"…It's not working!"

[Potion cannot be used on this target.]

['Revival Potion' is required.]

She had fallen to a state where even HP potions could no longer save her.

"No… We can't lose Miss Millie here…"

Adonis bit down hard on his lip.

It wasn't because she was a celebrity or idol.

She was humanity's hope.

Whitevalley —a top-tier player and one of Earth's most elite. Losing someone like her would be a blow on a global scale.

More than that… she's Millie!

Adonis remembered the days he had spent alongside her since BeyWorld. It hadn't been long, but he knew better than anyone what kind of person she was—and how much strength she had lent them.

"YAAAAAHHHHH!!"

He could see members of his team charging toward the Giant Horned Lizard in the distance.

They had come only for one reason: to save Millie.

Even NPC Rune was the same.

Everyone drew their blades not to win, but to protect. Even knowing they had no chance against this monster, they ran toward it anyway.

Their resolve was immense.

But—

BOOM!

That collective willpower was shattered by a single foot stomp from the massive lizard. The ground cracked open. Players lost balance and were thrown to the earth like rag dolls.

Then the Giant Horned Lizard opened its massive jaws, inhaling with terrifying force.

[C-Rank Half-Dragon Monster 'Giant Horned Lizard' is preparing 'Acid Breath.']

They say that in moments of sheer terror, people can't think.

Like when a TV drama protagonist freezes in place as a car speeds toward them.

Adonis saw the monster's gaping jaws—and couldn't think of anything else.

It was like his soul had been caged.

His spirit,

his thoughts,

his heart—

everything was frozen.

"…Ah."

And just as everyone shared in that same paralyzing dread—

KRAAAAAA-BOOM!!!

A blue flame fell from the sky, plummeting straight down onto the Giant Horned Lizard's head.

"An earthquake…?"

RUMMBLE…!

The quake that struck Swansea, right in the middle of a fierce battle, came like a sudden avalanche.

The entire mountain seemed as though it might collapse.

Combat came to a temporary standstill, and people scrambled, grabbing onto anything they could to maintain their balance—just to survive.

How much time passed like that?

Jhin saw it with his own eyes: a colossal lizard revealing itself as it shattered one of the jagged rock formations.

"The Giant Horned Lizard…"

A half-dragon monster—the Giant Horned Lizard had appeared.

Seeing it in the flesh, the one he'd fought back in Ark felt like nothing more than a baby gecko in comparison. The difference in scale was overwhelming.

Monstrous.

Jhin realized his hands were trembling.

Proof that his body was reacting instinctively to the sheer dread of what stood before him.

BOOM!

The creature's tail swept sideways, demolishing an entire rock formation as though it were paper. Trees snapped and fell, soil crumbled—an avalanche thundered down the slope.

That kind of power made his very skin crawl.

BANG!

Yet even in the face of such a monster, someone charged straight at it without a hint of fear.

She approached like a red meteor, firing off dozens of blood-red bullets to grab the creature's attention.

The Gunslinger—Millie.

She had abandoned Atlas's cover fire entirely and had thrown herself into direct battle against the Giant Horned Lizard.

And the reason soon became clear.

That's…

That was the prison where NPC Eve had been locked up. The place Adonis and the Ark players had infiltrated.

Jhin furrowed his brow and tried to reach them via comms—but got no response.

"…They're running."

Ed's voice came over comms. Turning to look, Jhin saw the Company agents retreating en masse.

These were the same enemies who had fought tooth and nail just moments ago. And now, they were turning tail?

Did they abandon Atlas ?

Jhin shook his head.

KIIIIIIIIIIIK!!

No—they hadn't abandoned anything.

Hearing the beast's thunderous, ear-splitting roar, he bit down on his lip.

They weren't retreating out of fear.

They no longer needed to fight.

He looked again at the Giant Horned Lizard now clashing with Millie. No matter how many Company members remained—one or ten—it didn't matter anymore with that thing on the field.

The entire situation had changed.

If we can't stop that thing, it's over.

[C-Rank Half-Dragon Monster 'Giant Horned Lizard' roars.]

[Status Effect: Fear – inflicted.]

[Status Effect: Confusion – inflicted.]

[Status Effect: Rage – inflicted.]

…(truncated)…

[Skill: 'Composure (S)' activated.]

[All debuff effects are nullified.]

It was just a roar—and still, it caused that much devastation. Without his top-tier S-rank Composure skill from the Choice Labyrinth, he would've been swallowed by panic like everyone else.

Millie's holding it off for now, but…

How long could that last?

RUMMMBLE.

Even from here, he could tell—the light of her magic bullets was fading.

Even enhanced by Burn Blood, her shots lacked the power to pierce the creature's hide.

The conclusion was inevitable.

Jhin glanced once at the Company troops retreating and the Horn warriors giving chase. Then he turned and handed a potion to Karin.

"…Leave this place to you."

"Huh?"

He would worry about nothing else.

His eyes focused on only one thing now—the Giant Horned Lizard.

Right as Millie was smacked by the monster's tail and slammed into the ground.

Jhin spoke, like giving a final order:

"Make sure Chieftain Atlas survives. I'll handle that thing."

[Activating equipment skill: 'IA Peculiar' from 'Goblin King's Crown.']

From high above the battlefield, a single goblin-like form plunged vertically.

The Peculiar Jhin.

With his soul ablaze, he drove himself down like a hammer onto the beast's snout.

The Giant Horned Lizard let out a furious, rasping roar.

He had attacked with everything he had.

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!!

But the result? The monster's head dipped slightly under the blow. The sword had failed to penetrate even the surface of its hide. Sparks scattered in place of blood.

Didn't even make a dent.

KROAAAAAH!!

The lizard's savage eyes locked onto him.

Staring back, Jhin swallowed hard.

It had been a long time since he'd felt like this.

A fear so visceral he thought he might die just from eye contact.

And it wasn't just a feeling.

[Skill: 'Crisis Sense (B)' activated.]

I'm actually going to die…!

He gritted his teeth and kicked off the beast's snout, throwing himself back.

It felt like the Grim Reaper's scythe had just grazed his chin.

…Fucking monster.

One clash was all it took to realize.

I'm no match for it.

Worse—his Original Sin Blade had developed a visible crack from that one strike.

His own weapon was breaking from the impact.

This was not a fight he could win. Not yet.

But I can't just run, either.

He caught sight of a nearby player groaning in pain.

Then the image flashed in his mind—of NPCs fleeing in terror, villagers scattering through Swansea, others hiding inside buildings.

If he left that thing to run wild, everything would be razed to the ground.

No, it's more than that.

He realized something in that moment.

If he ran away now—this dungeon would already have a loser.

It no longer hinged on whether Atlas lived or died.

The Horn Tribe NPCs had already been broken by Atlas 's capture.

As he already knew, in C-rank dungeons and above, NPC and monster morale was a critical mechanic. If the NPCs became fixated on defeat now, quest difficulty in the future would skyrocket.

"…Jhin!"

Still watching the Giant Horned Lizard, Jhin turned at the voice.

It was Adonis, hiding with his subordinates nearby.

He was accompanied by an NPC as well.

"…That child. She's Eve, right?"

"Yes."

"Then I need a favor."

Jhin's gaze turned to the one Ark player who had the Teleportation skill—Lutz.

There was no time for anything else now.

He stepped forward and began giving him clear, urgent instructions—leaving no room for error.

"…Yes. I'll do it, no matter what."

Meanwhile, next to Adonis lay Millie—her entire body soaked in blood. Whether it was because she'd pushed her Burn Blood to its absolute limit or simply the aftereffects of combat, her condition was critical.

[Potion cannot be used on this target.]

['Revival Potion' required.]

It was a miracle she was even still alive.

Jhin bit down on his lip as he looked down at her.

Adonis had pulled out every HP potion he had, pouring them over her desperately just to keep her breathing.

With a devastated look on his face, Adonis asked,

"…Can we even win this?"

And in that instant, Jhin read the deep fear embedded in his eyes—along with the creeping, carved-in sense of defeat.

It wasn't just Adonis's problem.

Jhin could feel it coursing across the battlefield—a rising tide of despair, draining everyone's morale like a parasite.

So he answered.

"Who knows…"

A memory surfaced—an old interview with a popular streamer on Exodia 1.

Back then, the streamer had asked him a similar question.

What would you do if you found yourself facing a dungeon far beyond your abilities?

Would you give up?

His answer then was the same as now.

"I'd look for a strategy."

At that moment, the Giant Horned Lizard unleashed a Stomp, triggering another localized earthquake.

A shockwave fanned out in a wide arc, flipping over the ground and launching jagged rocks into the air.

It was a wave of boulders charging straight toward him.

"Get Miss Millie out of the way—move her aside!"

"…Understood!"

[Skill: 'Soft Skills (A)' activated.]

Jhin leapt forward without hesitation, hurling himself into the oncoming storm of debris.

He read the rhythm of the quake, skipping from one rising stone to the next like stepping stones, closing the distance to the lizard.

But the attack wasn't over yet.

FWOOOOOSH!

Dozens of fireballs rained down from above like a meteor shower, all targeting him alone.

A high-difficulty sequence—dodging unstable terrain while dealing with a focused bombardment.

But he wasn't afraid.

Compared to Hell difficulty… this is nothing!

Some of the fireballs were cleaved in half by his frost-edged weapon—the Master of chaos Blade. After dodging past several boulders, he finally reached the monster's vicinity.

The weak spot should be similar to the one back in Ark.

Its shell-covered back was like a spiked turtle shell—but its belly, by comparison, was softer. Likely less defensively fortified.

WHOOOSH!

He heard the rush of wind.

Jhin leapt high, just barely avoiding the monster's swinging tail.

If his reflex had been even a second slower, it would have been over.

"Huff… Huff…"

He hit the ground just as the tail passed by—catching the brief opening in the monster's stance.

This was his chance.

[Skill: 'PowerFocus (F)' activated.]

He gathered Power with all his strength and launched himself at the creature's underside.

His destination—its soft belly.

Soaring upward, he poured every ounce of magic into his sword.

Even that wasn't enough.

[Equipment Skill: 'Goblin Fire' from 'Goblin King's Ring' activated.]

[Equipment Skill: 'Frostbite' from 'Resentful Master of chaos Blade' activated.]

Blue goblin flames intertwined with icy white wind, lashing together into a storm of destruction.

BOOOOM!

But it was like striking stone.

The lizard's underbelly didn't give at all. The moment his blade made contact, he was flung backward by the force, slamming into the ground from the recoil.

"…Ghkk!"

No time to breathe.

Before he could even process the pain, a massive shadow fell over him.

The lizard's gigantic foot.

THOOOM!

The belly's a no-go.

Dodging by a hair's breadth, Jhin activated his Soft skills again. His first strategy had failed. He needed another plan.

Even if I strike its weak point, it doesn't bleed. Hitting it more won't change that.

And worse, his weapon might break before he could even pierce through.

Sure enough—his blade was already cracking.

He glanced at the Master of chaos Blade. A clear fracture split the surface.

Another weak point…?

He launched himself from the ground again—this time, aiming for the head.

Every living thing has some weakness in the head. Of all those, one area stood out.

The eyes.

THWACK!

But even that didn't work.

He had stabbed the eye—but it felt like slicing into solid steel. Sparks burst from the impact, letting him know just how absurdly tough the monster was.

…Damn it.

Once again, he was reminded of the enormous power gap between them.

He didn't have the level, the stats, the gear—not yet.

"…So what?"

Like he always said—he didn't intend to give up.

If he was floundering now, it was only because he hadn't found the right strategy yet.

And as a matter of fact, his real plan was already well underway.

I just need to buy a little more time.

[Activating equipment skill: 'Goblin Sword Dance' from 'Goblin King's Crown.']

With that, he surged from the snout toward the crown of the monster's head.

Entering its blind spot, his flurry of attacks increased. As he reached the neck, he began targeting the spine—where nerves would likely run.

There had to be a weak point somewhere.

But it was pointless.

THWACK! THWACK!

CRAACK!!

His blade finally gave out.

The Master of chaos Blade, split in two, spun through the air and fell to the ground with a mournful clang.

"…."

Nothing worked.

That familiar helplessness returned.

He clenched his jaw.

His internal power reserves—barely half remaining.

Hope felt like it was slipping away.

"Damn it…"

If there was any silver lining, it was that Jhin was the only player strong enough to keep this monster occupied.

And at least—his health had recovered slightly.

[Equipment Skill: 'Attention-Seeker's Ring' activated.]

[When no allies are nearby, HP increases by 20 temporarily.]

"…oo… Stay calm. Think this through again."

Balancing atop the monster's heaving body, he activated his Soft skills again.

He needed to reanalyze—piece by piece.

Giant Horned Lizard.

A C-rank half-dragon monster.

No visible damage.

Blade destroyed.

Power nearly depleted.

Is there anything else he can do?

Frowning, Jhin searched his mind for what he knew about the creature.

And then—

Wait… Half-dragon monster?

He finally remembered something he had overlooked.

As monstrous as this thing was, its origin hadn't changed.

It was, at its core, a Lizardman.

A half-dragon type, yes—but still part Lizardman.

…In that case, there's a way.

His gaze shifted to something poking out from his pocket.

Looking up at him with worried eyes—

—was a squirrel.

The beast companion known as Kimmy.