Before examining the last remaining ring, I briefly activated Sol's player status. I was curious about their growth so far and wanted to check if the ring had properly bound to her.
As Sol's status information appeared before me, I couldn't help but smile.
『 Player Status 』
Name: An-Sol
『 Abilities 』 (4 remaining stat points available)
[Strength: 20] [Resistance: 22] [Agility: 24] [Vitality: 30] [Magic: 86 (+1)] [Luck: 100]
Not only was the ring successfully bound, but their other stats had also grown significantly. Considering that, aside from Magic and Luck, her stats had barely been in the teens when I first saw her, this was a remarkable improvement.
Especially achieving 30 points in vitality—that was truly commendable.
"Our Sol has been working really hard. You must be blessed. Congratulations." I said in a bright voice, praising An-Sol.
At this rate, she might reach 90 Magic in less than a year. And if she continued putting in the effort over the next year, she could even hit 94, the minimum threshold for top-tier magic players.
For reference, the highest recorded Magic stat in my first life was 101 points—though that player was an outright cheat, so I disregarded them. Among other players, the highest known Magic stats were 98 points (three players) and 97 points (two players). And to even stand a chance in battles against Kang, a magician needed at least 94 Magic.
Hearing my sincere praise, Sol lowered their head even more. But I could see her faint smile as she gently touched the ring—it was obvious she was thrilled inside.
Watching this heartwarming scene, Jung Ha-Yeong, who had been observing with a warm expression, finally spoke in a soft voice.
"Fufu. Now that everyone else has received a ring, the leader should at least take this one to maintain some dignity. You're not planning to refuse this as well, are you?"
"Hmm. Alright, give it to me—wait, what's that ring?"
I had already activated my Third Eye from the beginning, so I knew everything about it. But the moment I saw Jung Ha-Yeong's face, I had no choice but to ask.
Her eyes burned with an inexplicable passion, as if she had to explain this item to me. Recognizing her determination, I decided to take a step back and let her have her moment.
"It might not be as valuable as the ring that increases Magic stats… but this one is still incredibly useful."
Of course, I already knew that. But since she was dragging it out like this, I could only respond with a disinterested expression. Jung Ha-Yeong let out a small smile before placing the ring in my hand.
"Don't be too surprised. This ring has an Anti-Magic spell on it. It seems to work on a charge-based system as well."
"Oh. That's surprising. An Anti-Magic spell, huh?"
To be precise, it could be used three times per day, with one charge replenishing every eight hours. I recited the information like I was reading straight from a textbook, and I could see Jung Ha-Yeong's eyes narrow slightly.
"…You don't seem all that surprised."
"No, no, I'm plenty surprised. Anyway, we've spent enough time here. We should continue our exploration."
"...."
Jung Ha-Yeong looked dissatisfied, but she couldn't argue with me. Begrudgingly, she got up and started gathering her things.
Meanwhile, the rest of the party, now equipped with their new gear, happily swept up the gold coins and gemstones scattered on the floor.
With the west side of the dungeon fully cleared, it was time to move on.
Just then, Shin Sang-Yong turned his head towards me, seemingly thinking the same thing, and opened his mouth to speak.
"Leader, we've checked all the rooms in this passage. Where to next?"
"Let's head north."
I gave a simple answer.
….
Northern Corridor – Final Room
We opened the last door at the end of the northern corridor.
Inside, a single beast stood before us, drooling uncontrollably.
"Oppa, what is that thing? I don't like it." Yun-Jung muttered.
"Hmm… Not sure. Looks like a mutant." I replied.
By now, the group had gotten used to asking questions with a sense of calm rather than panic.
The creature resembled a wolf, but it had three heads.
Another striking feature? Flames kept flaring from its nostrils and mouths.
"A mutant? W-Wait… Don't tell me… Is that a Cerberus?"
"No way! That's impossible." Vivienne gasped.
"Of course not." I shot down her assumption immediately.
The real Cerberus—the legendary gatekeeper of the underworld—would never appear here.
And even if it did, it would not look like this.
The real Cerberus was a terrifying beast over three meters tall, covered in blazing red flames, and exuding an aura of pure devastation. If the actual Cerberus saw this mutant wolf and overheard Vivienne's comparison, it would probably be rolling in its grave from sheer indignation.
There was only one of these mutant wolves in the room.
But judging by the scattered wolf bones strewn across the area, there were likely more of them before. For some unknown reason, this one had survived alone.
"Grroooooowl…"
Wolves were naturally cunning creatures, but this one… something about it was different.
Had it completed some kind of intelligence enhancement program?
I chuckled at my own ridiculous thought before issuing orders.
"Vivienne, you're on Keeper duty. An-Hyun, Yun-Jung—"
"KRAAARGH!"
Whoosh!
How rude.
The mutant wolf didn't even let me finish my sentence before launching a surprise attack.
The central dog head snapped its jaws wide open and fired a crimson fireball straight at us.
I could hear hurried voices behind me chanting shield spells, but I simply raised my left hand, the one with the ring on it.
"Anti Magic."
A burst of white light erupted from my ring, colliding mid-air with the fireball. Both energies rapidly canceled each other out, dissipating into nothingness.
The chanting stopped. A mix of gasps and relieved sighs followed.
I continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
"…Get behind me. Vivienne, you know why I put you on Keeper duty, right?"
"Yeah. Pfft."
Vivienne let out a snicker, finding the situation amusing.
She was wearing the Block of Fire, an artifact infused with the Essence of Flames.
Against that kind of pathetic fire, it was more than enough to protect her.
Honestly, after handling true fire magic, this wolf's flames barely even registered as an actual threat.
"Once the mages and Sol land their opening attacks and immobilize it, we'll charge in from three directions. I'll take the heads. You guys flank it and keep it distracted."
"OK, oppa."
"Got it, hyung."
"Until then, maintain formation. It's coming—stay sharp."
The wolf flinched slightly when its fireball was effortlessly blocked.
But as we casually stood there chatting in front of it, the beast's rage spiked.
Wait—could it actually understand us?
I considered using Third Eye to check its status, but there was no time.
It suddenly charged straight at me, closing the distance rapidly—
Then, at the last moment, it swerved, changing direction mid-sprint.
Its target? Yun-Jung.
Clever. It must have instinctively realized I was the strongest and went for the weaker prey first.
Yun-Jung clearly hadn't expected to be targeted—her stance wavered for a split second.
"Hah!"
I rushed in to cover Yun-Jung.
But it seemed she hadn't been slacking off all this time—our eyes met for a brief moment before she kicked off the ground, leaping into the air.
Her plan was obvious.
Just like she had done before, she intended to use her high agility to vault over the beast and land behind it.
It was a decent idea… but.
"Huh…?"
Fwoosh!
Yun-Jung's jump wasn't high enough.
If she had properly adjusted her stance before leaping, she could have made it—but in her haste, she hadn't positioned herself correctly.
To make things worse, one of the wolf's heads suddenly lifted toward her and spat out a stream of fire.
Yun-Jung's face twisted in panic.
She was suspended in midair—with no way to dodge.
If she stayed put, she'd get burned.
If she fell, she'd land right in front of the beast.
I clicked my tongue, about to intervene—
But before I could move—
"──Gust of Wind!"
A small whirlwind surged up from where Yun-Jung had jumped.
A sudden updraft caught her midair, pushing her just enough to evade the fireball.
The timing was perfect.
The beast's attack sailed past harmlessly, and Yun-Jung landed safely behind it, just as she had originally intended.
Not only had the spell saved her, but it had also compensated for her lack of jumping power.
A clean assist.
Shin Sang-Yong's work.
"Ajusshi! That was amazing!" Yun-Jung shouted excitedly.
"A-Ajusshi…? I'm not that old…" He muttered awkwardly.
Impressive.
Really impressive.
For a while, he had been somewhat overshadowed by Jung Ha-Yeong, but with that move, Shin Sang-Yong's value had just skyrocketed.
However, as if refusing to be outdone—
Jung Ha-Yeong and An-Sol unleashed a barrage of spells.
"Shackles!"
"──Cone of Ice!"
Sol's binding spell wrapped around the mutant wolf, completely halting its movement.
Immediately after, jagged ice shards erupted from the ground, stabbing into the beast's body.
Not Aqua—but Ice.
So, she specialized in water-based magic after all.
"Kyaang! Keng! Keng! Keng!"
The wolf howled in agony, thrashing wildly—
But the more it struggled, the deeper the ice spikes dug into its flesh.
And that wasn't the end of it.
Jung Ha-Yeong, a skilled mage trained in high-speed chanting and double casting, wasn't done yet.
Her lips parted once more.
"Broken!"
Crack! Crackle! Shatter!
With her command, the ice spikes embedded in the wolf's body suddenly shattered, exploding inside it.
The shards scattered beautifully in the air.
An-Hyun and Yun-Jung let out awed gasps.
Getting impaled was already painful enough—
But having those shards rupture inside its body?
All three of the beast's heads twisted and convulsed, foam frothing from its mouths.
"Keeeng…"
"You damn mutt! You tried to come after me? Serves you right! Haaah!"
Yun-Jung had been watching silently, her face burning with lingering anger from earlier.
Now, her patience snapped.
Gripping her dagger tightly, she rushed forward.
The increased magic stat was definitely paying off—the Shackles spell was still active.
Which meant…
The wolf couldn't move.
And for Yun-Jung, this was the perfect chance to go wild.
Like a drummer hammering a drum, she stabbed, slashed, and tore into the wolf.
I let out a low hum as I watched.
"Ahahahahahaha!"
Yun-Jung let out a mad laugh, her attacks growing fiercer.
The beast was beyond pitiful now.
Even as it desperately struggled, attempting to turn its body away—
A single long spear put an end to its resistance.
"Hup!"
"Kegh!"
With a sharp inhale, An-Hyun drove his spear deep into the wolf's mouth.
One of its heads twitches violently—
Then, with its tongue lolling out, it slumped lifelessly.
The two remaining heads whimpered, but my team showed no mercy.
Before long, the mutant wolf's fate was sealed.
Unable to watch anymore, I charged in and severed the last two heads in one swift motion.
…How pathetic.
I actually felt a little sorry for it.
As its limp body collapsed, I let out a deep sigh.
Yun-Jung, still breathing heavily, was clearly not satisfied.
Her daggers clashed in midair, the sharp ringing sound echoing through the room.
Blood dripped from the blades, splattering onto the floor.
Only then did she seem to calm down.
She turned to me, grinning brightly—
Even though her entire body was covered in blood.
I noticed the others instinctively taking a step back.
"Oppa, I did good, right?"
"…Yeah. You did well."
"Heehee! I got praised!"
I gave her a rare compliment.
Most female close-combat players took much longer to adapt.
Especially those pampered in modern society—
People who had never even killed an animal before.
Even Academy-trained players often hesitated when faced with real monsters.
But Yun-Jung?
She had just laughed like a maniac while stabbing the wolf to death.
And now, she was wiping blood off herself like it was nothing.
Should I be happy or worried?
If she keeps growing like this…
I had a bad feeling.
But at this moment, she looked beautiful to me.
I raised my hand and gently wiped the blood off her cheek.
Yun-Jung's eyes widened—
Then, as if savoring my touch, she slowly closed them.
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