When Seong and Kim Che-geon arrived, they found quite a crowd of users already present, entering the dungeon in the order of their group numbers.

    The entrance displayed the number of the next group to enter, making it impossible to miss one''s turn.

    Currently, it was the turn of Group 57.

    Seong and Kim Che-geon''s group, numbered 99, still had quite a wait ahead of them.

    "What happens if we miss our turn?"

    Seong''s curiosity was piqued as the question crossed his mind.

    “Aah! I’m from Group 44! Did my turn already pass!?”

    “Yes, it’s passed. If you miss your turn, you’ll be pushed to the back of the line and have to wait until the end.”

    “What!? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

    The answer came from a latecomer who had just arrived, inadvertently solving Seong’s curiosity.

    Relieved to have arrived on time, Seong and Kim Che-geon patiently waited while others entered the dungeon one by one.

    But then, a commotion erupted near the entrance.

    A man of massive build stood beside a strikingly small woman.

    “This wait is boring. Wouldn’t it be faster if we killed everyone and went in first? What do you think, Kalak?”

    “...Hmm.”

    “...?”

    “???”

    Their harsh words immediately drew curious and alarmed stares from those nearby.

    Did they really hear that right? Surely, it had to be a joke, but the tone was far too rough to be taken lightly.

    What was that tiny woman saying?

    As the crowd continued to look on with puzzled expressions, she grinned.

    “Hmm~ What should we do, Kalak?”

    “The guild instructed us to restrain ourselves.”

    The massive man replied to the small woman cautiously, almost deferentially.

    Usually, it would be the man speaking in such a reckless tone, but hearing it from the petite woman was oddly unsettling.

    “Are you insane!?”

    Another user voiced their thoughts aloud, unable to hold back.

    The small woman didn’t turn her head but shifted her gaze, rolling her eyes to fixate on the speaker.

    Then, with a smile, she snapped her fingers.

    In an instant, five flaming spears ignited in midair.

    The sudden burst of magic left the crowd pale with fear.

    The quest was designed for users below level 50 who had not yet completed their second advancement.

    But to wield magic of this caliber?

    The shock quickly gave way to terror as someone noticed the insignia on the shoulders of the man and the woman.

    “L-Look at their shoulders!”

    Following the shout, all eyes turned to the symbols etched on their uniforms: a withered willow tree.

    “Echo Willow!?”

    “No way! Echo Willow!?”

    “This is insane...”

    Echo Willow.

    A large guild notorious for its infamy. Few aspired to join its ranks due to its reputation.

    Most of its members were known for accumulating infamy points and engaging in unethical behavior. It was a guild of villains among villains.

    While not among the top-ranking guilds, Echo Willow’s reputation was not to be underestimated.

    Despite being composed of infamous users, it had grown into a major guild—a testament to the skill of its members.

    As the crowd murmured in shock, the small woman, now satisfied, gave a bright smile and nodded.

    “This is more like it. Don’t you agree, Kalak?”

    “The guild instructed us to restrain ourselves, Uz.”

    “Ugh, so boring. Fine.”

    Pouting in frustration, the woman, Uz, snapped her fingers again, causing the flaming spears to vanish in an instant.

    Although the flames were gone, the oppressive atmosphere they had created lingered.

    The room remained tense, broken only by the sound of people swallowing nervously.

    In the midst of the stifling silence, only Seong tilted his head, puzzled.

    “Echo Willow? What’s that?”

    As he debated whether to ask Kim Che-geon via the party chat, a message from Kim Che-geon appeared.

    [Joseon’s Best Sword Kim Che-geon: Sorry, but do you know what Echo Willow is?]

    For a moment, Seong considered explaining, but then shrugged it off.

    Kim Che-geon noticed his reaction and muttered, “I see,” before letting the matter drop.

    Unlike the crowd, neither of them was fazed by a mere display of five flaming spears.@@@@

    To them, such antics were hardly worth the fuss.

    “If they attack, we’ll just fight them,” both thought, brushing off the incident.

    Eventually, Kalak and Uz entered the dungeon as Group 78.

    Not long after, it was finally Seong and Kim Che-geon’s turn—Group 99.

    As indicated at the entrance, entering Rock’s Tomb would scatter party members to different starting points.

    For Seong, this posed no issue; he already knew the layout of the dungeon.

    Kim Che-geon swung his sword with precision, intercepting the tail as it darted toward his forehead.

    The sword and tail collided, but instead of a dull thud, a piercing metallic clang resounded.

    CLAAAANG!

    The impact sent vibrations rippling through the air.

    Kim Che-geon frowned slightly as his wrist tingled from the force, and he was pushed back a step.

    At this level of strength, it might be difficult for Seong to handle the demon alone.

    Just as Kim Che-geon was about to shout a warning, Kaishak’s tail recoiled mid-flight and lashed out at Seong instead.

    The tail, ripping through the air with ferocious speed, seemed poised to pierce Seong—only to be halted by a thin, crimson barrier in front of him.

    BOOM!

    The tail struck the barrier, causing the air to explode outward, but it failed to penetrate the thin, blood-red shield.

    Kaishak’s maniacal laughter stopped abruptly.

    “Kik?”

    “?!?!”

    “......”

    The unexpected appearance of the barrier stunned both Kaishak and Kim Che-geon.

    Kaishak was bewildered that his powerful tail had been blocked by such a fragile-looking shield, while Kim Che-geon was shocked to realize that Seong, who wasn’t a warrior or swordsman, was actually a dark mage.

    “A dark mage who can wield a sword this well?”

    Kim Che-geon couldn’t hide his astonishment.

    Even among the swordsmen he knew, few had reached Seong’s level of mastery.

    What is this man’s true identity?

    While both Kaishak and Kim Che-geon were caught off guard, Seong remained unfazed.

    He summoned a bone arrow and launched it at Kaishak.

    The bone arrow, summoned with a flick of his fingers, flew straight at the demon, who quickly coiled its tail around itself to deflect the attack.

    Ting!

    Kaishak’s tail successfully blocked the arrow, but as the demon shifted its focus, a turquoise lance of light flew from Seong’s position.

    Kaishak’s instincts screamed at him to block it.

    Realizing the threat, the demon desperately swung its tail to intercept the glowing lance.

    A sickening crack echoed as Kaishak’s tail twisted unnaturally from the force of the movement.

    CRACK! SNAP!

    Ignoring the damage, Kaishak managed to position its tail to block the lance.

    Or so it thought.

    The lance passed through the tail as if it were an illusion, piercing Kaishak’s chest and embedding itself near the demon’s heart.

    Shk!

    “KYAAAAAAAHHHH!”

    Kaishak let out a bloodcurdling scream as its eyes turned pitch black.

    [Critical Hit!]

    [The effect of 『One Strike!』 has been activated!]

    [Darkness damage applied.]

    [Lesser Demon Kaishak is blinded and disoriented for 3 seconds.]

    Three seconds.

    It wasn’t much time, but for Seong and Kim Che-geon, it was more than enough.

    Kim Che-geon, snapping out of his surprise, surged forward as Seong fired another volley of ghostly arrows.

    The two reached Kaishak simultaneously.

    Seong’s sword slashed deeply into the demon’s body, while Kim Che-geon’s sword, imbued with a golden aura, struck with even greater speed and force, leaving a long gash across Kaishak’s torso.

    With two seconds still remaining, they didn’t hold back.

    The pair continued their relentless assault, striking Kaishak repeatedly until the demon fell, unable to even cry out in its final moments.

    [You have gained experience points.]

    As the message appeared, turquoise smoke began to rise from Kaishak’s corpse.

    A new system message popped up in front of Seong.

    [You may now use 『Legion of the Dead』.]

    [Would you like to raise a Death Soldier?]

    A lesser demon as an undead.

    Seong’s lips curled into a satisfied smile as he prepared to raise Kaishak into his undead army.

    However, footsteps echoed from the opposite corridor.

    Moments later, the source of the sound revealed itself—two figures stepping into view.

    “Oh my, more users? This is practically a reward, isn’t it, Kalak?”

    “...It’s fine inside the dungeon.”

    The pair muttered to each other as they came into full view.

    New system messages appeared before Seong and Kim Che-geon.

    [Infamous users detected.]

    [Attacking them will not increase your infamy.]

    [Infamous users detected.]

    [Attacking them will not increase your infamy.]

    [Entering combat mode.]

    Above their heads, glowing text identified them.

    『Infamous User - Lv.45 Kalak』

    『Infamous User - Lv.49 Uz』

    The massive man, Kalak, and the petite woman, Uz, exuded an aura of confidence as they approached.

    Seong, glancing at the pair, tilted his head slightly, as if finding them amusing.

    From behind, the faint sound of laughter emanated from Kaishak’s corpse—laughter only Seong could hear.

    Kikikiki!

    Hearing the laughter, Seong thought to himself.

    “Time to test the undead lesser demon.”

    After all, the perfect opponents had just arrived.