For several moments, nobody spoke.

The surrounding hunters found themselves growing increasingly nervous.

They had never seen anyone ignore the President so completely.

Yet strangely.

The President wasn’t offended.

Instead, a faint look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Because Amon wasn’t looking at him.

He wasn’t looking at the camp.

He wasn’t looking at the gathered B-rank hunters.

His attention had been captured by something else entirely.

The President slowly turned his head.

His gaze followed the distant horizon.

A moment later, his expression changed.

"He noticed it."

One of the nearby B-rank hunters frowned.

"Noticed what?"

The President remained silent for a moment.

Then he looked toward Amon once more.

"The same thing we did."

The atmosphere immediately shifted.

Several expressions changed.

They all understood what he meant.

The thing guarding the dungeon core.

The reason they had spent weeks trapped inside this dungeon.

The reason multiple B-rank hunters had nearly died.

The reason nobody had dared advance further.

And yet...

The moment Amon entered the dungeon...

He had sensed it immediately.

Meanwhile, Amon’s attention remained fixed on the distance.

Danger Sense had never stopped screaming.

A warning.

A genuine warning.

The sensation was unlike anything he had experienced before.

Powerful.

Extremely powerful.

Far beyond the B-rank Dungeon Lord he had slain earlier.

The smile beneath the Butcher’s Mask slowly widened.

At last.

Something worthy.

Something interesting.

Something capable of making his blood stir.

The Winter Frost Blade trembled slightly.

The sword had sensed it as well.

Amon took another step forward.

Then another.

He walked directly through the encampment.

The soldiers instinctively moved aside.

Nobody dared block his path.

Nobody dared question him.

Moon followed closely behind.

The two figures continued toward the dungeon’s depths.

Watching them leave, one of the B-rank hunters finally spoke.

"Should we stop him?"

The President immediately shook his head.

"No."

His answer came without hesitation.

The hunter frowned.

"What if he provokes that thing?"

The President remained silent for several moments.

His gaze lingered on Amon’s retreating figure.

Then a faint smile appeared on his face.

"A man like that..."

"He isn’t the one who should be worried."

The surrounding hunters froze.

Several looked toward the President in disbelief.

They knew exactly what existed at the dungeon core.

They knew how terrifying it was.

Yet judging from the President’s tone...

For the first time since entering this dungeon.

He seemed more interested than concerned.

Far away.

Amon continued walking.

The military camp gradually disappeared behind him.

The floating islands drifted overhead.

Ancient ruins stretched across the landscape.

The thing waiting at the center of the dungeon was powerful.

Perhaps powerful enough to force him to use the sixth form of the Elegant Netherworld Blade Technique.

And somewhere beyond the endless ruins.

Beyond the mountains.

Beyond the shattered temples.

A pair of enormous eyes slowly opened within the darkness.

As though something ancient had sensed his arrival.

BOOM!

The entire dungeon trembled, and the floating islands hanging in the sky shook violently.

Ancient ruins collapsed as dust clouds rose into the heavens.

Amon’s footsteps never paused, while Moon silently followed behind him.

His Danger Sense continued pulsing, growing stronger and stronger with each passing second.

Whatever was waiting ahead had already noticed him.

The feeling wasn’t hostile.

Not yet, at least.

It felt more like curiosity.

As though a predator had suddenly discovered another predator within its territory.

The smile beneath the Butcher’s Mask deepened.

The journey continued, and time seemed to blur together.

The deeper they ventured, the more unnatural the dungeon became.

Ancient skeletons littered the landscape.

Some stretched hundreds of meters long.

Others belonged to creatures unlike anything Amon had ever seen.

Massive swords stood embedded throughout the earth.

Many were larger than entire buildings.

The further he traveled, the more obvious it became.

A war had once taken place here. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

A terrible one.

One that had shattered an entire world.

Amon made many speculations as he observed his surroundings.

He had a faint guess in his heart.

’Was the dungeon an existing world?’

It sounded absurd. However, looking at the ancient ruins before him, Amon was forced to think in that direction.

He glanced around and frowned slightly, a thought coming to his mind.

’In this manner, can Earth be considered a dungeon?’

The thought chilled Amon to the bone.

What if humanity was just one of the many dungeon creatures?

Amon thought for a bit, and gradually his heart settled.

If that was the case, then he would just have to get strong enough...

Strong enough to destroy the dungeon and the ones who created it!

Eventually.

Amon reached the mountains.

The moment he crossed their boundary, his Danger Sense exploded.

His pupils contracted, and the pressure he felt suddenly multiplied several times over.

Even the surrounding air felt heavier.

Before him stood an enormous valley.

A valley so large that it resembled a world of its own.

At the center sat a colossal black throne that was thousands of meters tall.

It looked ancient, weathered, and covered in cracks.

And upon that throne...

Something rested.

Amon stopped walking.

For the first time since entering the dungeon.

Moon stopped as well.

Silence consumed the world.

The creature seated upon the throne slowly raised its head.

BOOOM!!!

The entire valley shook.

The pressure released by that single movement was enough to fracture the surrounding mountains.

Countless boulders rolled down cliffs, and the floating islands overhead drifted violently.

Amon finally saw it clearly.

A dragon.

An enormous dragon.

Its body stretched across the throne like a mountain range.

Black scales covered its body.

Ancient golden chains wrapped around its limbs, neck, and wings.

Many had already shattered.

Others remained intact.

As though something had once imprisoned it.

The creature slowly opened its eyes.

They were golden, ancient, and extremely terrifying.

The moment its gaze landed upon Amon...

The world seemed to stop.

A low growl escaped its throat.

The sound rolled across the valley like thunder.

BOOOOOOM!!!

Several distant mountains collapsed instantly.

Amon remained motionless.

One man.

One dragon.

Staring at one another across the valley.

Then the dragon spoke.

Its voice echoed throughout the entire dungeon, ancient and heavy, like a god awakening from an endless slumber.

"You..."

Silence followed.

The dragon’s eyes narrowed.

Its gaze locked onto Amon.

"Have you come to kill me, human?"

The valley trembled, and the floating islands overhead began cracking.

Amon didn’t reply and instead asked a question of his own.

"Who imprisoned you here?"

The dragon seemed extremely surprised and taken aback by the question.

Its ancient eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Then it tried to recall what had happened in the past.

How had it appeared here?

A trace of confusion appeared within the depths of its ancient gaze.

Its gigantic head moved around in a daze, and subconsciously its gaze shifted toward the Winter Frost Blade.

The moment it saw the sword, the dragon froze.

For the first time since awakening.

Shock appeared in its eyes.

The chains wrapped around its body rattled violently.

As though reacting to the blade.

As though fearing it.

The dragon slowly rose from the throne, almost as though it had lost its sanity completely.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The valley shook.

Entire sections of the earth collapsed.

Its full body was finally revealed.

The creature was unimaginably large.

Far larger than any monster Amon had encountered before.

Its wings alone could cover cities, and its claws resembled mountains.

Its presence seemed to distort reality.

Far away.

Within the military encampment.

Every B-rank hunter suddenly froze, and even the President’s expression changed dramatically.

"No..."

The pressure.

He recognized it instantly.

The final guardian.

The creature that had prevented them from advancing any further.

It had awakened.

And this time...

Its aura was even stronger than before.

Without hesitation, the President rose to his feet.

"Move."

Every nearby B-rank hunter understood the situation at hand, and their expressions became serious.

If the creature escaped its shackles completely, Cold Moon District would be wiped out within seconds!

The strongest hunter in the nation looked toward the horizon.

Toward the source of the disturbance.

Toward the place where the Butcher had gone.

For some reason.

An uneasy feeling settled within his chest.

...

Back in the valley.

The dragon fully unfolded its wings, causing the sky to darken.

The floating islands above began falling from the heavens.

However, its golden eyes remained fixed on Amon.

Then slowly.

A smile appeared upon its draconic face.

A terrifying smile.

A smile filled with anticipation.

"Interesting."

Its voice shook the world.

"Very interesting."

The dragon stepped down from the throne, and the black earth beneath its feet exploded.

Ancient chains snapped apart one after another.

The pressure released by its body became increasingly terrifying.

Amon’s gaze was as calm as ever as he stared at the dragon.

His first A-rank monster, and yet there was no hint of fear in Amon’s eyes.

The Winter Frost Blade trembled as though it was excited and hungry.

The dragon lowered its head.

Its enormous golden eyes stared directly into Amon’s soul.

Then.

For the first time.

A killing intent powerful enough to shake the entire dungeon descended.

The dragon spoke once more.

"I wonder."

Its wings slowly spread.

The heavens darkened.

The earth cracked.

The world trembled.

"Will you entertain me before you die?"

BOOOOOOOOM!!!