Leon’s gaze swept across the underground cavern as monsters continued emerging from the swirling rifts scattered across the floor like bees swarming from their hive.

Goblins. Dire Wolves. Humanoid boars.

Tyrant Ice Bears. High Orcs. And countless other creatures.

From F-Class all the way up to C-Class, every type of monster seemed to be present.

Some merely stared at him. Some growled threateningly. Others didn’t even bother concealing their killing intent, tightening their grips on their weapons as they glared at him.

"The strongest ones are only C-Class?" Leon muttered. A grin slowly spread across his face. "And here I thought I was in trouble."

He was standing in the middle of a sea of monsters.

Their numbers were so overwhelming that from ten meters around him all the way to the distant edges of the cavern, there wasn’t even enough empty space for a single person to stand.

The underground cavern itself was enormous. It was as large as a football field.

Perhaps even larger.

Even an A-Class hunter, or possibly an S-Class one, would find it difficult to face such a horde head-on.

Their individual strength wasn’t the problem.

Their numbers were.

Yet not a trace of fear could be found in Leon’s eyes. Instead, his heartbeat accelerated. His blood began to boil. Adrenaline surged through his veins like a raging river.

"Frost Monarch’s Blade."

The moment Leon called its name, the white sword emerged from the panel, spreading a chilling aura throughout the cavern.

"Raging Inferno’s Wings."

He called out again.

The twin daggers appeared beside him. The moment they emerged, they vanished from sight as their stealth mode activated instantly.

The invisible daggers hovered around Leon before beginning to spin rapidly, as though eager to spill blood.

"GRAAAHHHH!"

"GROOOAAARRR!"

The entire cavern trembled from the monsters’ deafening roars.

Then...

They charged.

All at once.

A tidal wave of monsters surged toward Leon from every direction.

"First Form."

Leon lowered his stance.

"Sword Dance."

The instant the words left his mouth, he shot forward.

Boom!

The ground cracked beneath his feet as he accelerated.

At the same time, the invisible daggers streaked into the horde like crimson lightning.

A humanoid boar raised its chained mace, preparing to throw it.

Suddenly...

Boom!

Something invisible pierced through its skull from the side with explosive force. The mace slipped from its grasp and crashed onto the ground with a loud clang. A moment later, the massive body collapsed face-first into the stone floor.

Thud!

Dust erupted into the air.

Nearby, a group of goblins rushed toward Leon with clubs raised high.

Before they could reach him, a crimson streak flashed through their ranks in an erratic zigzag.

The next instant...

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

One after another, their heads slid from their shoulders.

Meanwhile, Leon weaved through the battlefield like a phantom. The Frost Monarch’s Blade danced through the air, leaving trails of white mist in its wake.

A monster swung a massive club toward him.

Shing!

The creature was cleaved in half before the attack could land.

Another monster lunged forward with a punch.

Leon stepped aside and slashed.

Its entire arm separated from its body and spun through the air.

Suddenly...

A green-skinned orc leaped from the distance. Raising its battle axe high above its head, it unleashed a powerful downward strike.

Leon didn’t move.

He simply raised his left hand.

"Ice Shield."

White mist condensed instantly before him, forming a thick shield of ice.

BAM!

The battle axe slammed into the shield with tremendous force. A deafening shockwave echoed throughout the cavern. Several cracks appeared across the ice, and shards scattered across the ground.

Yet the shield held. Leon remained rooted in place. His feet didn’t move even an inch.

"Huh." He glanced at the orc. "With my increased HP and Ice Shield, that attack felt like a tickle." Before the orc could react, Leon exploded forward.

He leaped into the air and spun.

Then...

BOOM!

His leg slammed into the side of the monster’s head. The impact sounded like an explosion. The orc’s body was blasted across the cavern like a cannonball, crushing several monsters before finally crashing into a distant wall.

Just as Leon was about to move again...

Baaaaam!

A powerful kick slammed into his back.

Leon was blasted forward like a cannonball.

His boots dug deep grooves into the stone floor as he forcefully pressed his feet and brought himself to a stop.

He glanced over his shoulder.

A massive monster stood there. It had the head of a buffalo and the body of a human.

Unlike most beasts, it possessed no claws.

Instead, thick human-like fingers extended from its hands.

The creature casually cracked its knuckles before charging straight at Leon with its bare fists.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

The cavern trembled beneath its heavy footsteps.

Leon narrowed his eyes. "Peak C-Class, huh?" A grin spread across his face. "So you think you’re tough."

Without hesitation, he charged forward as well.

The buffalo-headed monster threw a punch.

Before the attack could even reach him, Leon felt an oppressive aura crashing down on him like a mountain. His expression sharpened. But he didn’t retreat. Instead, he raised his left hand with the shield.

BOOM!

The monster’s fist slammed into it.

Craaack!

The ice shield shattered instantly. Leon’s eyes widened slightly. Before he could react, the monster threw a second punch.

BOOM!

Its fist buried itself deep into Leon’s stomach in a devastating uppercut.

Whoosh!

Leon was launched through the air. However, he quickly twisted his body mid-flight and landed smoothly on his feet.

A thin stream of blood trickled from the corner of his lips. The metallic taste of blood spread through his mouth. Yet there was still no trace of fear or concern in his eyes. If anything, they seemed even brighter than before.

More focused.

More excited.

A savage grin slowly appeared on his face.

"Good." He wiped the blood from his lips. "At least that felt like a real punch."

The next moment, Leon leaned forward and shot toward the monster once again without the slightest hesitation.