Crimson eyes with golden and black pupils swept across me. The sound of scales sliding across the stone floor echoed ominously.

The King of Devouring. He belonged to the Filial Piety Addicts faction and was also my assigned transcendent, so I wasn’t sure whether to be wary or welcoming. Especially since the Filial Piety Brat wasn’t fully on my side. This match really was set up dirty.

“Well then, like this......”

I wanted to ask if this was allowed, but my voice wouldn’t come out. Instead, ragged, rasping breaths scattered into the air.

“I cannot know what the Fish has done. But I have heard he provided aid of some value.”

“...Aid.”

That must mean Seong Hyunjae. With his personality, he wouldn’t have accepted help so openly. But first, I’m the Filial Piety Brat’s representative, right? The snake’s twin eyes narrowed in amused derision.

“I may grant a named Awakened some aid below a certain threshold. If the assigned transcendent is willing to sacrifice themselves, I may grant more than that. So we exchanged assignments for fairness, and yet, how absurd.”

Long, clawed fingertips drifted through my hair as if toying with it.

“And I do not even like the sight of it.”

His low, hoarse voice sank even deeper into menace. The King of Devouring’s clear displeasure made my shoulders twitch.

“In this way, I too become but a pawn in the Fish’s schemes.”

Though he hungered for shards of the world, he would not gladly be used by another transcendent. I did not know him well, but his attitude so far proved it.

When angry, flipping the board would be best—for he surely has the power. Let me see him flip it.

“You little one. As your assigned transcendent, I shall grant you modest aid.”

Sss-slik—scales covering the back of his hand cracked. From the fissure, red droplets welled forth.

“Drink.”

“...What.”

What on earth are you demanding now? In this world, no one—even an adult—accepts another’s offering without suspicion. My eyes showed how reluctant I was, so the King of Devouring explained wearily.

“When mastery of poison reaches its peak, its opposite becomes possible. My blood is ultimate toxin, and yet it can also serve as a divine elixir.”

...Does that even make sense? I’ve heard that tonic gone wrong can be poison, but not the other way around.

“You rely on potions and skills, but your body is saturated with mana. You must fortify your flesh to endure.”

Though I still felt repulsed, I nodded. I had no luxury to pick and choose. I needed to hold out at least until the match ended.

‘They say snakes make tonic...’

Though such a dish seemed grotesque, this was a transcendent snake. I opened my mouth and caught the blood droplets. To my surprise, it was sweet. A hint of pomegranate, perhaps. Warmth spread through my chilled body. My clouded mind cleared, and my aching limbs felt refreshed.

“Do not become greedy.”

At the King of Devouring’s teasing words, I blinked. Before I knew it, I’d been staring at his hand—at the healing flesh sealing over the wound. I swallowed.

“All who show overweening greed are devoured by me.”

As if this were not the first time, he remarked. My initial revulsion vanished—I craved more of that blood. So that’s why they call it tonic.

“...Actually, it seems more effective than I expected.”

“Even so, it merely returns you to normal. If you overexert yourself and gnaw away at your lifespan, even my blood cannot restore you.”

“How can I recover lost lifespan?”

“You may inherit another’s life, reverse your own timestream, or entrust your life to a higher being.”

As expected, I had few options. Still, somehow my lifespan seemed to have stabilized.

“Thank you.”

Thanks to that, I could endure until sunset and beyond. The battle outside raged on, but with Teacher’s Skill enabling cooperation and Noah providing rear support, danger was minimal. Even tricky SS-rank monsters posed little threat.

[-Gwo-woar!]

A two-headed dragon pursued a hunter. As a speed-skilled hunter sprinted away, the SS-rank dragon’s terrifying movement closed the distance—

[-Guruk!]

Its footing slipped. Noah’s forced blessing. The dragon, buffeted by the sudden debuff, crashed to the ground, and hunters stabbed in unison.

Because every monster entering Noah’s zone had its skills disabled for thirty minutes, even SS-rank dragons were far less threatening. Against monsters whose power lay in raw strength rather than skills—

“Bite them, you hound!”

Shishio, buffed by Peace’s flames, advanced. My child’s skill had ended long ago, yet his defense still surpassed S-rank.

‘Now I can truly relax.’

The light orbs drifting through the fortress were beautiful. No matter how talented Seong Hyunjae is, he cannot perfectly handle every monster swarming from every direction. The appearance of dragons surely cost the sub-team some injuries.

Though Chohwaun’s crew, empowered by their chatterbox, was no pushover, they lacked Teacher’s Skill—our side’s score would almost certainly be higher. Zero deaths. If only the sun would fully set soon.

– Grrrr.

“......!!”

A low growl roused me. The monster’s rumble reached me directly, unfiltered by skills. The King of Devouring frowned. From a darkened corner in the sprawling chamber, a monster’s eyes glinted. I took a sharp breath.

“They’re all alive, though.”

Not one of my hunters had died, and yet a monster had entered. My fist clenched.

“I’m not thrilled about this either.”

A voice said. Strange, unfamiliar.

“Sorry, honey.”

“...That’s cheating, isn’t it?”

“A twist paid for with a price. The monster’s rank is not high. And King of Devouring—”

Someone in the shadows addressed the snake.

“You’re an assigned transcendent, so you may not interfere in the match.”

“If I intervene, I lose immediately. But, little one—”

The King of Devouring turned his gaze to me.

“Can you survive?”

Clack, the monster’s claw rapped the stone floor. I swiftly used Sprout Skill. Three wolf-type monsters, A-rank. Not low, not by a long shot. They showed me no mercy. In this overly spacious room, the door sat a hundred meters away. Fortunately, I wore the Prowler set—if I transformed into Delrose, I could reach it in about five seconds.

‘Adult Delrose is too big...’

With the same stats, I might smash into the ceiling and pass out. Perhaps because he respected the King of Devouring, the monsters still held back. But not for long.

‘Cat form won’t save me if they catch me.’

I inhaled deeply. They showed no signs of poison. I disabled poison resistance and swallowed a hunter’s painkiller.

“I cannot lose here.”

If I were alone, maybe. But people outside were struggling. I could not end things like this. No way. The snake’s lips curved in a faint smile. His other-colored pupils, sharp once more, watched someone hidden in the darkness.

“You will not pull any more tricks.”

I braced my legs. The door stood before me. I gripped the armrest’s tip. I glanced outside. It was almost over. The sun glowed a mere sliver above the horizon.

Thud!

I kicked the throne with all my might. Simultaneously, I ended Teacher’s Skill and reactivated Sprout Skill toward the three monsters.

– Kyaruruk!

Recoil surged, but three A-rank wolves were manageable. I am now SSS-rank! I sensed the wolves’ movements. Yet not swift enough to catch me. The moment they lunged—

– Krung?

I slid in with Stealth Skill. During combat, deceiving A-rank and especially S-rank monsters is nearly impossible, but I had the Prowler buff. While the air-writhing wolves confusedly snapped at nothing, I righted myself and dashed for the door.

– Kruk!

The wolves’ ears perked up. Of course—they were a monster breed with hypersensitive hearing. My faint footsteps masked by stealth did not remain hidden for long.

Scratch, claws scraped the floor behind me as the door loomed close. But the wolves’ attack reached me before I could reach the door. A wolf leapt at my hidden form. I spun and dove, drawing the preloaded gun and pulling the trigger.

Bang!

– Ka-geng!

With an S-rank magic bullet, one wolf’s head exploded. But two remained. One wolf bit my leg precisely. I could not shake it off by force. I canceled stealth. The other wolf revealed itself and growled at me, fangs dripping.

“Hello.”

I smiled at it. Didn’t I say today I smell and taste especially good?

Fresh Leaf (F)

Ripe Fruit (F)

I focused both skills below my left elbow. I had mana engraving and administrator privileges. I’d grown skilled at manipulating mana—F-rank skills were no problem.

Wolves eat fruit too. And a monster drenched in mana would not resist a special fruit.

– Keung!

The wolves reacted. Without hesitation, one bit my left hand. The one clamped on my leg, unable to resist the enticing scent, released my leg and charged into its comrade. I seized the opportunity and leveled my gun.

Bang!

Blood spattered. A quick-shot pistol cannot kill an A-rank monster in one shot. But—

“...Ugh.”

I could at least sever an arm with an F-rank skill. The elbow tore apart and the forearm dropped to the floor. The two monsters fought over the severed limb. Even with painkiller’s effect, my vision swam. Yet one arm would be devoured in an instant. No time to hesitate.

I rose to my feet. My bitten leg slipped, but I dashed toward the door. A crippled leg did not slow me—I was used to it.

My hand hit the door and I sprang outside like ejected air. Cool night air under the dark sky washed over me.

– Kkeu-woong!

“Yujin-ssi!”

“Chief Han!”

Familiar voices called. Perhaps because Teacher’s Skill had ended, they’d been waiting at the door.

“Healers!”

Noah rushed forward and supported me. His healing skill flowed into my arm and leg.

– Keng!

Peace, following close behind, bit the wolf that pursued me and killed it instantly. The other wolf was crushed in Shishio’s hand.

“My skill can’t regenerate body parts!”

“Neither can mine......”

“It can restore damaged parts—but not ones lost entirely.”

Only an S-rank healer could regenerate missing limbs. And S-rank healers rarely join dungeon raids. So naturally none were here.

“Noah, ssi.”

“Yes, Yujin-ssi. If I had top-tier potions—”

“No. I can’t waste potions recklessly.”

The bleeding had stopped and the wounds had closed. Better to leave things as they were. I could claim treatment from the Mermaid Queen later. And, honestly, I didn’t want to waste potions. Who knew what else might happen.

I rose, leaning on Noah. The moon had risen in place of the sun.

[The sun has set.]

A message window popped up. Without needing points, the fortress repair began. Torches appeared in rows among the light orbs. People stood between the collapsed walls and towers. All were safe. Though battered, I couldn’t help smiling.

[Scores are being tallied.]

[1,000 points]

I think my hunters saw the same message. Silence fell. My throat went dry. We’d held the advantage, but I’d been injured. The King’s injury cost more points than the hunters’.

Still, surely—after all that.

The number ticked down rapidly. A short but tense moment passed, then another message appeared.

[391 points : 391 points]

[Result: Draw]

The breath that had lodged in my chest finally exhaled. We hadn’t won. But—

“Everyone, we held them off.”

Not just the fortress, but the world those monsters would have overrun. And the shard of the world at stake. Some blinked. Others cheered. Smiles spread, laughter echoed, and the tension melted into conversation.

“It’s the first time I’ve killed this many dragons.”

“That toad was huge. It could’ve appeared in the city.”

“SS-rank monsters are manageable.”

“Manageable? I’d have greeted ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Charon alone if it were just me.”

True to seasoned hunters, no one seemed bothered by my severed arm. In dungeon raids, losing a limb happens. High-rank hunters can visit an S-rank healer afterward. But—

“I thought they said monsters couldn’t enter.”

Shishio frowned. A few other quick-thinking hunters wore dark expressions.

“True. But they do not wish us to win.”

The idle hunters turned to me. Faces twisted, curses flew.

“They will break the rules and interfere again. It won’t get any easier.”

Our opponents were transcendents. They could do anything.

“Still, I survived.”

No matter their interference. I smiled again.

“Did dungeons ever ask our permission before erupting? Let them try. I will survive anyway.”

By any means, until the end. It wasn’t easy. Had things gone worse, I’d have died and lost meaningless. Yet I felt oddly relieved.

Had we won unimpeded, I’d have been happy. But we didn’t lose despite direct interference. I felt like I’d spotted a tiny crack in an impenetrable wall.

Small, yet enough to slip through.