The seven of them continued walking deeper into the dungeon corridor.
Kaito looked around the silent passage.
"Honestly… I don't think any monsters live here," he said doubtfully.
Suddenly, a massive stone door appeared in front of them.
Yukie stared at it.
"That's… a door."
Kael stepped forward and slowly pushed it open.
The moment the door moved—
A vast rainforest appeared behind it.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"That's… a forest."
Hantaro looked around excitedly.
"That's literally a forest!"
Kael rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"No."
His voice turned serious.
"That's not a forest."
Everyone looked at him.
"It's a Dungeon Collision."
Yukie's face turned pale.
"What?! That can't happen!"
Kaito tilted his head in confusion.
"What's a dungeon collision?"
Kael nodded calmly.
"A Dungeon Collision happens when two different dungeons merge together."
His voice became darker.
"That makes the dungeon extremely unstable… and far more dangerous."
Yusho shrugged confidently.
"Then we just kill the dungeon boss and leave."
He crossed his arms.
"Dungeons disappear five minutes after the boss dies."
Kael slowly looked at him.
"That only applies to normal dungeons."
Silence filled the air.
"In a dungeon collision… there are two bosses."
Kaito frowned.
"So what?"
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"They must die at the exact same moment."
Yukie gulped.
"…And if they don't?"
Kael answered calmly.
"The dungeon synchronizes."
"And disappears."
He paused.
"With everyone inside it."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Kael turned and began walking.
"Let's move."
After walking deeper into the forest, Ren finally asked,
"So how are we supposed to find those bosses?"
Kael looked up toward the sky.
"We don't."
Everyone looked confused.
"The bosses already know we're here."
Kaito nodded with admiration.
"You're really smart, Kael."
Yusho scoffed arrogantly.
"I'll go to the right path. I'll find the boss faster than all of you."
Without waiting for anyone, he walked into the forest.
Kael glanced at him briefly.
Then ignored him completely.
"We keep moving."
After some time, the group reached a large stone formation.
Kael sat on top of it.
"They'll find us soon."
Ren frowned.
"Who?"
"The monsters."
Kael spoke calmly.
"Staying in one place reduces the chance of getting lost."
Suddenly—
WHOOSH
A giant hammer shot through the air toward Ren at terrifying speed.
Ren froze.
But before it could hit—
CRACK
Kael caught the hammer with one hand.
Then crushed it instantly.
Ren stared at him with fear.
"Th-thank you…"
Heavy footsteps echoed through the forest.
Several ape-like monsters appeared.
Each one was massive and muscular, holding huge stone hammers.
Their sharp teeth gleamed under the jungle light.
One of them grinned greedily.
"More humans."
Another monster walked forward.
In its hand—
It held half of Yusho's body.
"It was tasty though."
The monster licked its lips before throwing the body to the ground.
Yukie's eyes widened in horror.
"That… that's Yusho!"
Ren stepped back in fear.
"They killed him…"
Yuri trembled.
Kael's sword suddenly appeared in his hand.
Blue flames ignited across its blade.
One monster laughed.
"A battle."
Kael pointed his sword toward them.
"Get ready to die."
Suddenly—
BOOM
The ground shook.
A gigantic monster stepped forward.
Clearly the leader.
"You think you can kill us, human?"
It grinned.
"There are fifteen of us."
"You are alone."
Kael vanished.
Then—
He appeared behind one monster.
SLASH
Its head rolled across the ground.
Kael glanced at his blade, now stained with blood.
"Quantity…"
He looked at them coldly.
"…over quality."
The boss roared.
"KILL HIM!"
All the monsters charged.
One swung a hammer at Kael.
"Tonight we eat handsome human!"
Kael dodged.
Teleported.
Then kicked the monster's head.
BOOM
Its skull exploded instantly.
Kael grabbed another monster's head.
Crushing it effortlessly.
"Who's next?"
The remaining monsters roared in rage.
They rushed him together.
Kael calmly spoke one word.
"Manifest."
Suddenly—
The air split apart.
A warrior appeared.
Long sword in hand.
Xion.
His aura alone cleared the battlefield.
Kael spoke calmly.
"I want the boss's head."
Xion bowed slightly.
"As you command, my lord."
Then—
He moved.
Like lightning.
Monsters were crushed.
Heads rolled.
Bodies split apart.
Their rock-hard skin meant nothing before his blade.
Kaito stared in shock.
"This man is terrifying…"
Yuri swallowed nervously.
"I didn't know a D-rank hunter could be this strong…"
Suddenly—
Another group of monsters appeared.
"Food."
They stared hungrily at Yuri and Yukie.
Kael focused on the second boss.
"Perfect."
He teleported forward.
SLASH
His sword struck the boss.
But the monster grabbed the blade with one hand.
Then threw Kael across the battlefield.
Kael landed and steadied himself.
"His physical strength is impressive."
At that moment—
A dark blue screen appeared only in front of Kael's eyes.
[ SYSTEM ]
LEVEL UP
Level 15 → Level 16
Reward : 10 Stat Points
Kael's lips curved slightly.
Another window appeared.
[ SYSTEM ]
LEVEL UP
Level 15 → Level 16
Reward : 10 Stat Points
Kael answered silently.
YES
Strength +5
Agility +3
Intelligence +2
[ STATUS UPDATED ]
Name : Kael Draven
Strength : 35
Agility : 29
Intelligence : 31
The boss laughed loudly.
"You look scared, human!"
Kael walked toward him calmly.
"Why are you so eager to die?"
The monster roared.
"You cannot kill me!"
Kael spoke again.
"Manifest."
Golden light erupted.
A beautiful warrior appeared beside him.
Aurelia.
"My lord," she said happily.
"You finally called me."
Kael sighed.
"We're in the middle of a fight."
Aurelia looked at the monsters.
Her aura exploded.
"These creatures dare disturb my lord…"
"They deserve extinction."
Meanwhile—
Xion clashed with the other boss.
Their weapons collided violently.
"Give me your head."
The boss roared.
"Stop dreaming!"
It swung its hammer toward his leg.
But Xion vanished.
Appearing behind it.
"You're too slow."
Aurelia finished killing the remaining monsters.
She walked beside Kael.
"What now, my lord?"
Kael looked at both bosses.
"We kill them…"
"…at the same time."
Aurelia nodded.
"Understood."
Kael teleported behind the boss.
"Now."
SLASH
He cut its right arm.
Aurelia struck—
Cutting the left.
Kael jumped into the air.
His sword descended.
At the same moment—
Aurelia's blazing blades pierced the monster.
The boss split apart.
At the exact same moment—
Xion cut the other boss's head.
He walked toward Kael.
Then knelt.
Placing the head before him.
Kael nodded.
"Good work."
A new system window appeared.
Only Kael could see it.
[ ENTITY MANIPULATION ]
Scanning Targets…
Boss Corpses Detected
Fusion Available
Do you wish to Combine Both Bosses?
YES / NO
Kael answered.
YES
Dark energy surged.
The two corpses merged.
A seven-foot armored monster appeared.
Its body radiated dark aura.
Aurelia smiled.
"Will you give it a name, my lord?"
Kael looked at it.
"From today… your name is Talus."
The monster bowed.
"My king… command me."
Kael smiled faintly.
"Good."
Moments later, a red portal appeared.
The dungeon began collapsing.
"Time to leave."
They stepped outside.
Behind them—
The dungeon vanished.
Kaito sighed with relief.
"Finally… we survived."
A police officer approached them.
"Good. You're all safe."
The Hunter Headquarters officer bowed slightly.
"We couldn't analyze the dungeon properly. Sorry for the trouble."
Kael walked past her calmly.
"That's fine."
Kaito ran after him with a large bag of mana crystals.
"Wait for me, Mr. Kael!"
Inside the car, the city lights passed through the windows as the vehicle moved through the quiet streets.
Kaito looked down at the bag filled with mana crystals and mana cores, his eyes shining with excitement.
"That was amazing," Kaito said happily.
Kael nodded slightly.
"That's true."
He glanced at the bag before asking calmly,
"Did you give the others their share?"
Kaito winked confidently.
"Don't worry. I offered them money instead, and they accepted it."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"You're insanely rich."
He extended his hand.
"Now give me my share."
Kaito nodded and opened the bag. He quickly filled another smaller bag with half of the mana crystals and cores, then handed it to Kael.
"Here."
Kael accepted the bag and zipped it closed.
"Great."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I'm glad I worked with you."
Kaito suddenly snapped his fingers.
"I have an idea!"
Kael turned his head toward him.
"What idea?"
At that moment, the driver started the car and it moved smoothly along the road.
Kaito leaned forward slightly, his eyes full of excitement.
"My mom owns a Slayer Guild."
He paused before continuing.
"It's not very powerful yet, but if you join it…"
His smile grew wider.
"…we could grow stronger together."
Kael rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"A guild…"
He murmured quietly to himself.
"That could help me gain more power… and become a professional hunter in Japan."
Kaito looked at him expectantly.
"So?"
"What do you say?"
Kael pulled out his phone and wrote down his number, handing it to Kaito.
"That's my number."
He spoke calmly.
"I'll give you my answer tomorrow."
Kaito took the number and nodded.
"Alright."
"I'll wait for your decision."
A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of a tall apartment building.
The driver turned slightly.
"We've arrived at your home, Mr. Kael."
Kael nodded.
He stepped out of the car and closed the door behind him.
"Thank you."
He gave a small polite smile before walking toward the building.
Later That Night
Inside his apartment, Kael sat quietly on his bed.
The room was silent.
"Everything is going well…"
He murmured to himself.
Aurelia sat gracefully on a nearby chair, watching him with curiosity.
"What are you thinking about, my lord?"
She asked softly.
Suddenly, Xion appeared in the room.
He immediately dropped to one knee and bowed his head.
"Do you have any orders for me, my lord?"
He asked calmly.
Behind him, the massive figure of Talus stood proudly.
Talus slammed his hammer against the floor with excitement.
"Let me crush their heads, my lord!"
Kael lowered his gaze slightly, thinking deeply.
His eyes slowly became calm again.
Meanwhile
Kaito stood in front of his mother inside a large office.
"Mom, I have news!"
Excitement filled his voice as he explained everything that happened during the Dungeon Collision.
After listening carefully, Yumiko crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"He sounds powerful…"
She said slowly.
"But are you sure he would join our guild?"
Kaito nodded immediately.
"Yes!"
"He's a good person, and we worked really well together."
His eyes were filled with hope.
"If he joins us, we can help each other grow stronger."
Yumiko remained silent for a moment before nodding.
"Alright."
She said calmly.
"Let's see what happens."